They made quick work in getting the Charmeleon as comfortable as possible. They removed his cloak and stored it in one of the cabinets while they searched for medicine, hopefully a first aid kit too.
They took some cloths and made a small bed on the floor, resting him down on it. Buneary searched frantically for a first aid kit while Oshawott took an extra cloth and lightly soak it with Hydro Pump. He folded it up and placed it on Ryder's head, hoping to reduce his fever. That is, if he had a fever at all. They had no explanation for what was happening to him. They didn't know why his scar was glowing or what was with his aura earlier. It was becoming stressful.
Buneary finally found a first aid kit and hopped over to Ryder's side. She opened it and shuffled through the bandages and pill bottles. She found one bottle that reduced fevers and headaches. They didn't know what was wrong with him, but he definitely need some form of painkillers.
She took one out and threw it to Piplup. "Give him that."
He nodded. He elevated Ryder's head and fed him the pill, making sure he swallowed it. "Will he be alright?"
She put the bottle away and pulled out a handbook on known sicknesses. "I-I don't know. I'm not sure what is wrong with him."
Snivy rubbed his forehead. "He's definitely warmer than usual. It might really be a fever."
"I've never seen someone explode with aura from a fever," Oshawott argued. Then he scratched his head, "Then again, I haven't seen aura firsthand…but still."
"What we can agree on," Pikachu started, "is that he needs help." He rubbed the Charmeleon's arm. "Hang in there a bit, buddy."
Buneary flipped through the pages with worried eyes. "All we can do is monitor him until something happens."
Piplup pounded his chest proudly. "Don't worry! I won't leave his side for even a moment!"
She smiled weakly. "You're a good friend, Piplup…"
Pikachu pulled Oshawott to the side for a moment while the others conversed about what was wrong with their friend. He whispered, "Oshawott…what do you think about all of this?"
The sea otter crossed his arms and sighed. "Honestly, I'm not sure. But he's tough, I'm sure he can pull through."
"That's not what I meant," he said, his face turning solemn. He expressed a serious tone. "Oshawott, you saw what happened. His aura turned purple. He did the exact same thing when he awakened our auras. Don't you find that a bit concerning?"
The otter narrowed his eyes worriedly and looked at Ryder. He immediately came to that same thought, but he wanted to ignore it out of fear of whatever truth might come from it. In the short time he knew Ryder, he learned one thing about him: he had hatred in his heart. A deep hatred towards any and all Darkmon. He was out to destroy them by any means necessary. He can't blame him. He was here for a shorter stretch of time and he already wanted those creatures out of his life. Was this perhaps the reason why he had that outburst?
If so, why didn't he fall unconscious the first time? And, more importantly, why did his aura look like that? It wasn't natural, as far as he knew. It didn't make any sense. So perhaps there was a deeper secret behind his outrage. There could be something that they were missing. But, like he said, they've been here for a shorter time. They had little to no knowledge on anything in this forest.
"…I wish I knew, Pikachu…" Oshawott looked down at his feet. "Ryder is still a mystery to us both. How much do we know about him?"
"Not much." He narrowed his eyes. "But I intend to find out."
Oshawott smiled and nodded. "Couldn't agree more." He frowned. "So, what should we do?"
"You talk to Snivy and see if she noticed anything off about his behavior before he went unconscious. Buneary, Piplup, and I will keep monitoring him to make sure he's doing alright."
He blushed at the idea of being alone with Snivy for an indefinite period of time, but he nodded. "Okay. Make sure he stays stable."
"I wouldn't have it any other way."
Laura skipped around happily, heading over to see Dark. She had been unusually merry since last night, much to the concern of her servants. Normally when they woke her up, they get a punch to the face. Now, instead of getting punch, she hugged them. It left them uncomfortable and confused, much to the delight of the mischievous android.
She couldn't contain herself. She was head over tails for Dark and it was affecting her mood significantly. Though, she kept herself calm enough so she wouldn't glitch out. That didn't stop her power core from heating up in thought of spending time with her betrothed. Perhaps he had another activity for them to partake in. Or perhaps setting up a fight where she can cut loose on the Darkmon. Or maybe she can rest in his arms and let her mind wander off in bliss.
She was clearly acting different. These were genuine feelings she had, not improvised ones to attract and trick unsuspecting Pokémon. She felt light on her feet, gleefully expressing her feelings in her movement.
She pushed the bushes apart and jumped out. "Oh Dark~! Guess who's here?" she announced cheerfully. She waited for his ever so caring response.
She got nothing. She blinked in confusion. She was expecting him to appear behind her and wrap his arms around her so she can nuzzle him in response. Or perhaps a playful kiss on the cheek. Nothing…absolutely nothing.
She deadpanned and shouted, "Dark! Get your butt out here, now! Where in the Distortion World are you?!"
"It'd be wise to keep your voice down, robot." Her eyes widened, instantly recognizing the voice of the annoying Dark Gliscor.
She growled and whipped her head in his direction. "I'm an android, not a ro-" She gasped upon seeing him next to Dark, who was holding his head in pain. He was sweating a bit. "Dark!"
Fang sighed. "Yes, he-AH!" Laura sped over instantly, knocking the Darkmon to the side. "Hey! Watch it!"
Laura put her hands on his shoulders gently. "Dark, are you okay?"
It took him a moment to respond, seeing as he was dealing with a killer headache. He did force a smirk to stretch, just a bit. "Hey there, sweetcheeks."
"What happened to you?" She glared at Fang as he got up. He immediately found himself shoved against a tree with two hands wrapping around his throat, squeezing his neck tightly. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM?!"
"I…did…nothing…" he wheezed.
"LIAR!" She pulled her fist back angrily.
A psychic force wrapped around her and separated the two before a fight arose. As much as Dark loved to watch a good fight, his headache forbade it. "Calm down, Laura. Fang is not the cause of my pain. Trust me, he would have been destroyed before he had a chance."
Fang coughed loudly and pounded his chest. He smiled weakly. "Of course, my lord. I could never stack up to your amazing feats."
Laura glared at him before looking at Dark. "Then…what's wrong? Are you poisoned? Are you sick?"
He shook his head. "No, none of that. I was formulating a plan for global takeover in a few days when this…ugh…sudden ailment came over me." He shook his head. "I haven't felt something like this…well, for five years, I believe. I collapsed and shadow stepped over to my throne for somewhere comfortable to rest. Fang was the first one to come to my aid."
Fang flew up to him and bowed. "I'm always here at your side. I hope you get better soon, my lord."
"If it's anything like last time, it should go away in the morning. But I had plans for today. I needed to get the troops in line before conquest comes. I had to brief them on how we'll conquer Unova first. I can't do anything in this condition."
"Is there anything I can do for you, my lord?" Fang asked.
He groaned. "I suppose. Can you get the troops together and go over the plans?"
"I'd be glad to, but…I need your royal permission. They won't listen to me without your say."
Dark rolled his eyes and sent a psychic message into Fang, passing on the rule over Darkmon to him. "Alright, until I get better, you are temporarily in charge."
"Oh thank you, my-" He stopped as the Darkmon lord raised a claw.
"I'm not done yet. Just to make sure you don't abuse that power, I want you to go straight to the troops." He glanced at Laura. "And she's going with you to make sure that happens. Once you're done, you lose that right. Got it?"
The Dark Gliscor laughed. "My lord, you should put more trust in me. I would never abuse that kind of power for my own nefarious purposes."
Dark raised a brow. "Just because I'm not feeling one hundred percent doesn't mean I'm stupid, Fang. I don't trust any of my subjects with that kind of power."
He sighed. "Very well. If I must be joined along by this low class robot to gain your trust, I shall do as ask." He bowed his head. "I will get your tasks done, my lord."
Laura grinded her teeth together angrily. "Stop…calling me…a robot…" She sighed and held Dark's hands in hers. "Please get better."
He winked. "Relax, sweetcheeks. I'll be fine in the morning. Just make sure to keep him in line."
She giggled. "Don't worry, I will." She smirked smugly at the Dark Gliscor, showing a hint of irritation in her smile. "I'll make sure of it…" He stepped away from her worriedly.
Dark laughed faintly. "You will make a great Darkmon queen…" He yawned and rested his head on the armrest. "Ugh, I feel terrible…"
She rubbed his head. "Take care." She leaned down and kissed his cheek, raising a blush out of his cheeks. She giggled and walked down the throne. She grabbed Fang by the arm and threw him down the throne. "GET MOVING!"
He picked himself up and growled. "I swear, if you weren't a machine, I'd say the full moon was making you bossier."
She snickered. "Oh Fang…dear sweet Fang…I'm always bossy." She shoved him. "Now move it!" He grumbled and left the throne area with Laura tailing close behind.
Dark smiled weakly, then groaned and held his stomach. "What is wrong with me…?" He turned to his side and groaned. "I'll just sleep it off…" He clenched his eyes shut and dozed off a bit.
He didn't even notice the blue aura swimming around in his Darkmon aura, slowing spreading out around him.
"No…no…no…AGH!" Pachirisu screamed and bashed his head against the computer. "Stupid human technology! Why does it have to be so complicated?!"
The electric squirrel, along with the others, were growing increasingly frustrated with their failed attempts to open up any secrets around the Darkmon. They've spent all night searching the computer, but almost everything was either corrupted or not useful.
That's when they came across one file that proved to be useful. It was titled 'Dark Entity'. Whatever it was, it sounded like it was related to the topic of Darkmon. The only problem was it had a password lock around it. They've been spending the entire day coming up with a password. Several failed attempts have led to several frustrating annoyances.
The others rested against the wall, taking short naps to get their energy up. Koda, however, has been asleep all night and day. He hasn't stirred from the spot he rested at. He didn't as much as move. They ignored him, thought, assuming he was REALLY tired after that fiasco yesterday. They couldn't blame him for wanting to sleep.
Although, the fact he was sleeping for this long did raise some concerns. At the rate he has been sleeping, it would have been a full twenty-four hours. Koda has slept only once in their time together and that was only for eight hours. Maybe it was normal for Darkmon to be asleep for twenty-four hours, but they couldn't help worrying about his wellbeing.
Pachirisu sighed. "Okay…how about 'FlamingPotato659'?"
Dragonite looked up with narrowed eyes. "What?"
"Why would that be Team Rocket's password?" Pignite asked tiredly.
"Because I'm cranky and I've tried over a hundred different Rocket-related passwords and I'm losing my patience!" he shouted, flailing his tiny arms. "So forgive me if I'm going off the wall with all of these!"
"Geez, calm down. I was just asking…" the fire pig muttered.
Pansage sat up and stretched. "We're all tired, Pachi. We're trying our hardest to get that computer unlocked. Don't think you're the only one who is frustrated." He rubbed his eyes. "We just need a little time."
Quilava yawned. "That's all fine and dandy, but how are we going to help Koda when we know nothing about these guys? The Darkmon are creepy. Really creepy. I mean, super creepy! I get chills when one of them is lurking around." He shivered. "I don't think I can handle the stress anymore…I want Dawn so she can hold and comfort me…" He curled up and whimpered.
Pignite patted his head. "There, there, it'll be alright…"
Pansage sighed, feeling sorry for the fire weasel. He was still young, so of course he would feel a bit stressed. Even he could feel the effects himself. But he didn't want to quit when they were so close. They will crack that password.
"How about 'WeAreTheMissilles' with two L's?!" Pachirisu typed it in, then frowned when he got another buzz. "I hate that sound…so much…"
Dragonite sat up. "Maybe we can look around the lab for something. They might have the password written down somewhere."
"I'll go look," Pansage volunteered.
"I'll come too," Quilava muttered. He needed to get his mind off this whole mess. Maybe a walk through the lab will clear his head.
"You guys keep trying to crack that password," the grass monkey ordered.
Dragonite gave a wave. "We'll try."
The buzzing sound echoed. "Why isn't it 'PachirisuAreCute'?!" the squirrel shouted angrily. They sweatdropped as the two left.
They wandered the halls and checked multiple rooms. They came across a Pokeball storage room, a lunchroom that was run down, a janitor's closet with degraded cleaning equipment, and much more. Not so surprisingly, they haven't found a password yet.
Quilava closed a door after searching another room and sighed. "This is hopeless."
Pansage closed a door too. "Chin up. I'm sure we're getting closer."
"We're looking for a password that may or may not have been written down. In an abandoned laboratory. That was destroyed years ago. Our chances feel kind of slim."
He shook his head and searched another room. "Perhaps, but think about the good we're doing. Koda wants to unite humans, Pokémon, and Darkmon together so we can live in harmony. That sounds a lot better than destroying them." He held his head. "Just thinking about destroying them leaves me with a headache. I don't I've ever imagine having to consider doing that to a living creature, evil or not."
"I know how you feel. I want to help Koda, too. But do you really think any of those creatures are doing to listen to him, let alone us? They hate us. Why would they turn over a new leaf so suddenly?"
"It would obviously take time to gain their trust, but that is something we'll have to work with."
He sighed. "True." He narrowed his eyes. "I've been wondering…what happened to Koda last night, anyway?"
"You think I know?"
He shrugged. "Well, yeah. You're smart, after all. Do you know why?"
He looked at the ground it thought. The screaming of the naïve Darkmon still plagued his mind. There were so many things that could be wrong with him, yet none of them were the logical conclusion. Their only hope of helping Koda was to, at the very least, get to the bottom of this mess.
"…we'll find out soon…I hope."
Buneary placed her ear over Ryder's chest and listened for his heartbeat. She sighed in relief, hearing the calm, orderly beats rhythmically pump in his chest. His supposed fever seemed to have gone down as well, so that was a plus. "I think he's doing alright."
They weren't sure how long they've been treating him. Judging by the moss as it was losing its glow, they assumed it was beginning to turn to night. It still surprises them how fast time passes out here. Then again, they had no concept of time for a while.
"Still doesn't explain the glowing scar," Piplup spoke up, poking the glowing mark curiously.
Pikachu slapped his flipper, glaring at him like he was crazy. "What are you doing? Don't touch it!"
He shrugged. "What am I supposed to do? I'm not a doctor!"
Buneary shook her head. "At the very least, he's stable for now, giving us plenty of time to figure out what's wrong with him." She picked up the book from the first aid kit and flipped through the pages.
Pikachu shook his head. "Don't bother. I highly doubt we'll find anything in that book." He narrowed his eyes at Ryder's aura. "There's something unusual about this…"
His aura was blue, as usual, but there was something else mixed in with it. He could see purple aura swimming and spreading throughout his aura, like it was polluting it. Purple aura…of a menacing shade. He looked oddly familiar…too familiar.
There's more to your history with the Darkmon than just fighting them, is there? Was Ryder intentionally hiding important information? Or was there more to this than even he knew? Was he missing something? If only they had more information on the Darkmon than just their abilities.
Up on the surface, Oshawott and Snivy were trying to get to the root of Ryder's sudden behavior. Snivy tried to avoid telling the otter they were talking about him. She only mentioned his encounter with Pikachu, but that was all she could say without saying anything else.
Why was she trying to jump around the conversation involving him? She might be withholding valuable information…what was she saying? Talking about Oshawott couldn't have triggered him, it was ridiculous. Yes, she's right. That wasn't the reason at all. If anything, that encounter with Pikachu likely triggered it. A delayed reaction, sure, but it was likely. She just didn't want to talk about the other conversation.
Oshawott sighed and crossed his arms. "So…he really did snap for no reason?" He shook his head. "No, there has to be one. He couldn't have gone savage like that out of the blue. There's something else that's doing this, I just know it."
"What makes you so sure?" she asked.
"I…don't know. When I saw Ryder's aura change color, I knew something wasn't right. It didn't make any sense." He shook his head. "Maybe I'm just being paranoid. I've been feeling…odd."
"Odder than usual?" she joked with a smirk.
He smirked back and shoved her a bit. "Shut up."
She laughed. "But in all seriousness, you really think something is wrong with him?"
"Yeah…" He held his scalchop up and looked deeply into it. "It's like I can feel a sudden change in his behavior from his change. Almost like I'm sensing the changes in his aura."
She smiled. "Guess your aura is maturing."
He smiled a little. "I guess it is…"
"…you surprise me, Oshawott…"
"Huh?" He looked at the grass snake with a confused expression.
She leaned back and sighed. "I mean…you went out of your way to complete this training, despite how tough it was. You were constantly pushing yourself over the limit. You managed to get done faster than most of us. It's…admirable."
He blushed and looked straight ahead, avoiding eye contact with her. "Oh…you really mean that?"
"Well, of course. I always admire someone who puts in that kind of effort. It really makes me think about all the times I thought you were a lazy goof…"
He deadpanned. "Gee, thanks. Glad to see you care…"
She shook her head. "You know what I mean. I was wrong to assume you were nothing more than a goofball. You're still a goofball, but now I see you're so much more than that. You actually are hardworking and…well, incredible."
Oshawott's face was glowing red with heat. "W-Wow, uh…thanks…I didn't know you thought of me like that."
"I'll be honest, I didn't know I thought of you like that. I guess seeing you put the effort in to push pass your boundaries…impressed me. Like that time you lost your scalchop and worked to train without it."
Oh yeah, he remembered that day. Losing his precious scalchop nearly sent him into a depression. If it weren't for Ash's encouragement to fight without it, he may have never battled again. He could only imagine what battling would have been like without it.
He chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. "I guess I am pretty awesome…"
She smiled. "Yes…very awesome…" She felt her heart skip a beat with a loud thud echoing through her ears. She placed a hand over her chest. What the…? She noticed her face was heating up as well. Am I blushing?
"I should really thank you, Snivy." She glanced at him, seeing the red tint in his cheeks. "You've always been supportive of me, even when I didn't deserve it. You've always been there for me, too. Saving me from danger, helping me out…I can't ask for a better friend than you."
Snivy blushed a bit. "…thanks Oshawott. You're a good friend too."
"Thanks."
They sat there in silence for a moment. Normally they had plenty of things to talk about. Heck, they could probably have an invigorating conversation about the wonders of dirt and they'd still have fun. But, not this time. They were actually stumped about what to say.
Snivy was confused. Why was she struggling to speak to the otter? Why was she suddenly having a hard time doing so? And why was her face so warm?
Oshawott narrowed his eyes. He thought back to before this whole mess started. Before Team Rocket tried taking Pikachu and Buneary's egg. He had a chance to tell Snivy exactly how he felt, but then those four ruined it. Maybe he could tell her his feelings now. But, was it the appropriate time? Heck, was it the appropriate place? This was the last location he wanted to admit his feelings.
He glanced to the side as she sat beside him. Her hand was just within reach of his. How would she feel if he told her? Would she have the same feelings? Would she return? And, if not, would they still be friends? He might be overreacting. Snivy was a very understanding Pokemon. She wouldn't end their friendship from that detail alone.
He might not ever get another chance to tell her this. There's no telling what might happen when they rebel against the Darkmon. He might as well get his feelings out here and now.
With his face flushing with heat, he said, "Snivy…I need to ask you something…"
She snapped out of her own daze and glanced at him. "Oh? What?"
His teeth chattered together. No turning back now. He gave a shaky sigh and asked, "Have you…ever been in love?"
She recoiled from the question. Where did that come from? "Why…?"
"I…just wanted to know. I've had my past share of crushes and…well, you know how those turned out. I want to know if you've ever had feelings for anyone…"
"I see…" She looked down at her feet. "Well…no. I don't believe I've ever been in love before. No guy I've met has caught my attention. Back before I met you guys, I've caught the attention of other males before, but, taking into account how WE met, I think you know how those encounters ended."
He chuckled. "Hehe…yeah."
"I never had the need or desire to pursue a boyfriend or mate in my life. I was only concerned with surviving in the wild, avoiding trainers, and getting my food." She glanced at him, eye narrowed. "Why are you asking me this, anyway?"
His cheeks bloomed red as he rubbed his head. "Uh…well…there's this girl I like and…"
Snivy's mind immediately thought of Emolga when he said that, assuming it's the girl he likes. The thought made her growl. That flying squirrel can be a real pest when she wanted to. It always annoyed her how she would manipulate the boys into getting her food, especially Oshawott. She didn't even need Attract to get her way with him. All she needed to do was wink and say some sweet words and he was putty in her hands. It made her sick.
"Go on…" she insisted, an angry undertone in her voice.
"W-Well…we've been friends for a long time and…I just don't know how to tell her how I feel. She's…kind of distant, keeping to herself most of the time. I don't know how she would feel if I told her about my feelings…what if she rejects me?"
Snivy wanted to be angry, considering she still believe he was referring to Emolga, but she couldn't do that to her friend. He needed some advice and she couldn't deny him his request, even if her heart is clenching with pain thinking about it.
What is wrong with me right now? Why am I getting so angry? She shook her head and looked at Oshawott. "Listen Oshy, I'm only going to say this once." She groaned and pinched between her eyes. "I'm no romantic, but if you really want to tell this girl how you feel, you need to just suck it up and say it. No holding back, no hesitance, no restraint."
"Y-You sure?"
"Well, at least prepare her for the confession first. You don't want to scare her." She sighed and looked fully at him, placing her hand on his shoulder. "If she feels the same, then all is said and done. If not, then it can go one of two ways. She remains your friend or she stays as far away from you as possible. "
Oshawott flinched. "And…if that last one happens…"
She shrugged. "Then she never was a true friend. If she can't respect your feelings and deny them politely, it was never meant to be. It will sting, but you'll have true friends to help you…like me."
He blushed. "Are…you positive?"
"I can't decide that for you. It's really just up to what happens."
He looked down at the ground. "Snivy…" His face was burning red.
She sighed. "Look…I know it sounds tough, but you can't live in fear of rejection. You've tried asking girls out before. This time couldn't be any different. Just go up to her, look her in the eye, and tell her."
Oshawott looked down at his feet, his face beet red. That's the problem I'm having…the girl I want to say this to is right next to me. He nervously shivered as he tried to find the words. I have to tell her…I have to…
"…and that is the essential plan for our conquest," Fang ended the presentation, pincers behind his back.
A large squadron of Darkmon stood in front of him, having listened intently for the last half hour on the detailed plan to conquer Unova…with Laura glaring down his back to make sure he kept himself in line. Her disapproving gaze left him anxious, fearing she might blast him in the back at any second. He did his best to keep his composure and not show his blatant fear to the android.
"You are all dismissed," he said, leading them to leave one by one.
Laura walked around the Darkmon and crossed her arms. "So, no more power over them?"
He smirked a bit. "Only one way to find out." He looked at a Dark Seviper and pointed at him. "You." He then pointed at Laura. "Kill the robot."
The dark snake hissed before shaking his head. "Sorry, but I am not to take orders from you anymore." He slithered off.
Fang turned around and smirked. "Huh, too bad."
She rolled her eyes. "I would have torn him apart."
"I'm sure you would have." He walked pass her. "But this just proves Lord Dark didn't need to assign me a babysitter to have me watched over."
She glared. "Or you couldn't because you knew I would tear you apart if you did."
He chuckled. "You just don't understand my position and power. I'm second in command due to my intellect. I have you beat in brains."
She smirked. "Really?" She walked up to him and flicked his face. "News flash, buster. I can download any information I want in an instant. Anything you can learn will only take me a few seconds to master and understand." She pushed him against a tree. "And I have you beat in strength, too." She giggled deviously. "Who knows? Once I become queen, there might not be need for a second in command. I can lead you freaks with my eyes closed."
Fang leaned forward, his smirk only stretching wider. "You really think that high of yourself, don't you?" He shrugged. "You really are just a naïve machine from the scrapyard."
She growled lightly before dropping him. "Watch your tone. I'm not queen yet, but I have all the power in the world to snap your neck."
"Wouldn't matter. You can't kill me." He chuckled. "I'm the superior one here. My intellect is vast."
She scoffed and pushed him out of the way. "That's cute. It's like watching a child playing pretend. I haven't seen one intelligent move from you since day one. Like I said, anything you can do, I can do better." She strutted off.
He crossed his arms. "And where are you going?"
"To see Meowth. Since Dark is sick, I might as well spend time with my best friend." She looked back for a brief moment, flashing one final smirk. "Just for the record, he's smarter than you. That's two creatures who have you beat. Ciao!" She disappeared through a bush.
He glared for a brief moment before laughing. A sinister, echoing laugh. One filled with malice and evil. "Perhaps in technology, he has me beat." He walked away. "But I'm far more intelligent than you could ever imagine…"
Laura walked through the dark forest, trying to retrace her steps back to Meowth's hut. She hasn't seen him in a while. Hopefully he was doing fine.
What concerned her was that Dark Mightyena and Dark Glameow. She had a hard time trusting them, especially since they were alone twenty-four seven with Meowth. Dark assured her nothing bad will happen, but she had to be worried for her best friend. He wasn't exactly the strongest Pokémon she knows.
She shook her head. She felt like a concerned Pidgeotto looking after her chicks. Meowth may be weak, but he has gotten himself out of jams before. What he lacked in strength, he made up for in brains and sly trickery. He was probably fine. She was worrying about nothing.
She came up to the tree hut and knocked three times on the base. "Yo, Meowth! It's me! I thought we could hang out!" She didn't get a response. She glared, putting her hands on her hips. "First Dark, now you…why do you people keep ignoring me?!"
She marched in to confront him, but was surprised to see he was gone. Alarms immediately went off in her head, seeing this as a bad sign. However, there didn't seem to be any signs of a struggle. Everything seemed in place. Perhaps something happened to him in his sleep…
She slapped her cheeks lightly. What was she thinking? Dark gave them an order to not kill him. He was still alive. She had nothing to worry about.
"Get a grip, Laura. You're acting like a child," she muttered to herself. "He's probably with one of those Darkmon or something…that sounds even more concerning, actually…"
She shook her head and looked around at the walls. Her eyes narrowed as she saw there were something off about them. They looked like they were etched into with claws. Confused, she turned up her night vision a bit to get a clearer image.
Her vision was bombarded with equations and pictures scratched into the wall. Crude looking creatures, numbers, plants, waves; a whole bunch of stuff. It stretched out all around the inside of the tree. The etch marks reached as tall as the length of a small creature. Something around the height of Meowth.
"What the heck is all of this?" She scanned the images to figure out the equations. They meant nothing to her because everything was visual. There was no text or anything. It was just random pictures and numbers. "What has he been doing in here?"
"Laura?" She yelped and fired an energy blast near the entrance. Meowth fell over in shock. "Laura! What the heck?!"
She gasped and ran to his aid. "Meowth! I'm so sorry! I didn't know it was you!"
He stood up and dusted himself off. "Yeah, nice to see you, too." He sighed. "Sorry for spooking you."
"Where were you?"
"Chloe and I were out doing something for a while. She said she was getting us dinner and told me to head back here."
She tilted her head in confusion. "Chloe?"
He blushed and rubbed the back of his head. "Oh, yeah…that Dark Glameow that has been taking care of me…she asked me to name her, so I named her Chloe."
"And she's getting dinner for the both of you…alone?" He nodded, now becoming confused himself. She smirked knowingly. "And…does this please you?"
He backed away, creeped out by her sudden advance. "I…suppose. She's not so bad once you get to know her." He chuckled. "She even slept by me a couple of times recently." His eyes widened as Laura's smirk grew bigger. "Uh…Laura?"
"Oh, I see what's going on here." She chuckled and patted his back. "Got to admit, Meowth, I never thought I'd see the day. Who knew you finally get someone to reciprocate your feelings towards you." She snickered. "Jessie owes me ten poke!"
"Wha-" He suddenly blushed, realizing what she was implying. "WHOA! Hold on a minute! Chloe is not my girlfriend! She is just a mutual friend!" His eyes widened. He flailed his arms angrily. "Wait, you and Jessie were betting behind my back?!"
She snickered. "Not important." She grabbed him and lifted him in the air. "Give me all the details! What have you two been doing while I wasn't around? Have you gone on any dates?"
"Laura, I swear, if you don't stop, I'm gonna-"
"Did ya kiss her?" she asked with a wink.
"CUT IT OUT!" he shouted, blushing madly. "A-AND LET ME GO, TOO!"
She pouted and dropped him. "You're no fun…"
He dusted himself off for a second time. "I should be asking you the same questions. What the heck have you and Dark been doing without me around?" Laura's sudden blush was all the answer he needed. He smirked and crossed his arms. "That's what I thought."
She rubbed the back of her head. "W-Well, I mean…he's not as bad as you give him credit for. He's actually pretty sweet and surprisingly romantic. Plus, he took me outside last night to see the full moon." She sighed lovingly. "He's the perfect guy…"
"Yeah, a guy who was cloned from the same Pokémon you hate," he reminded. "Laura, are you seriously falling in love with him?"
She scratched her head sheepishly. "Maaaaybe…"
He groaned and rubbed his face. "Unbelievable…"
She scoffed. "Oh, grow up! At least I have the courage to admit my feelings!"
"For the last time, I don't have a crush on Chl-" He nearly jumped out of his skin when Laura started screaming, her face twisted in horror. "What?!"
"What happened to you?!" In all her teasing and fun, she completely failed to notice Meowth was wrapped in bandages. It didn't help he still had some stained blood on his fur. "Who did this?!"
He panicked and looked around for an excuse. "Laura, I can explain!"
"It was that Dark Glameow, wasn't it?!" He didn't say anything, but his eye movements and body language told her plenty. "That's it!" She rolled up her fur sleeve and marched towards the exit. "I'm going to pummel her until she can't regenerate anymore!"
Meowth grabbed her by the back and pulled, digging his heels into the dirt. "Laura, no! She wasn't responsible for this!"
"You froze up when I asked you! Like you were covering for her! She's threatening you, too?!" She growled angrily. "Forget punching her! I'm going to incinerate her!"
"Laura, please, you don't understand! Let me explain!" He desperately tried to stop her, but she was several hundred times stronger than him. It was like trying to stop a bullet train with a rope. "She had no control over her actions last night!"
"Probably her thirst for blood!"
"No! She literally had no control! She tried killing me in her sleep!" His eyes widened. Maybe I should have left that part out…
"She tried to KILL YOU?!" She roared and prepared to go into a full on sprint.
Out of desperation, Meowth reached for her neck and unscrewed a panel with his claw, revealing a restart button housed inside. He jabbed his finger into it. Almost instantly, Laura went into sleep mode and fell on the ground. A loading spiral shined from her eyes.
Meowth fell on his back and panted heavily. "That was too close…" He stood up and picked her body up, then carried her to his bed. The restart would take about five minutes to complete, which should give her time to calm down. That should also give him a moment to get his facts straight. If what he discovered was true, he needed to get it across Laura.
After the five minute restart, Laura's eyes brightened to their usual appearance. She sat up and held her head. "Ugh…what happened?" Her memories immediately recalled Meowth's injuries and the one who inflicted them. "That Dark Glameow…I'm going to-"
A hand gently rested on her shoulder. She looked at Meowth, who possessed a solemn look. "Laura…I know you're ticked off right now, but please listen to reason and hear my side of the story. I need to tell you something and I'm not sure how well you're going to take it."
She glared at him. She clearly wasn't happy about being forced into a restart. Still, she should at least hear what he has to say. Her main concern was what this horrible thing was. It had him looking pretty worried. It already didn't sound good.
"What?"
He sighed and scratched his arm. "Chloe…isn't really getting us dinner. I have plenty of berries here. I asked her to take a walk to clear her mind. It was after I told her the news about her species. She…took it pretty hard."
Laura's scowl turned into a suspicious, yet sympathetic expression. "What are you talking about?"
He leaned forward. "Let's talk about that central bulb for a moment."
Pikachu replaced the wash cloth on Ryder's head with a new one. He still hasn't woken up yet. He was becoming more and more concerned by the minute. Ryder may look healthy, but he was completely unresponsive for hours. He didn't move, react, or even flinch from anything they've done. They didn't want to wake him up as they weren't sure if that would make his condition worse or not, but the amount of time he has spent sleeping was concerning him. It was concerning all of them.
He sighed and leaned against the wall. "Do we have anything on what's wrong with him?"
Buneary shook her head. "No, nothing." She wrapped her arms around the egg container. "I don't know how any of this equipment works. I wouldn't know how to monitor him or check his vitals."
"This is bad…" The mouse rubbed his temples. "There has got to be a way to help him…"
"I got it!" Piplup shouted, making them jump.
"Got what?" Buneary asked, slightly frazzled.
The penguin turned around and presented a tablet. "Tada!"
"Ryder's tablet?"
"That Hank guy knows him, right? We just need to contact him and see if he knows anything about Ryder's condition. He's bound to."
Buneary frowned sadly and shook her head. "Pip, that won't work. Ryder said we can communicate with any at the moment."
He narrowed his eyes. "That doesn't mean we can't try. What do we have to lose? It's either we try or not."
Pikachu looked at Buneary, who merely shrugged. Their options were low. With no experience on the Darkmon, they were taking shots in the dark. They needed an expert's help with this. They really had nothing to lose making a call.
"Might as well."
"Great!" Piplup pressed a button and it lit up. He tilted his head, confused. "So…how do we use this thing?" They face-palmed. This was going to take a moment.
Hank, Jessie, and James were hard at work clearing out the goop and getting the communication systems back online. The elderly Shadow Agent couldn't help but be impressed with their knowledge in technology. They were definitely trained well.
Jessie wiped her forehead, exhausted from the long day of work. "I think it's almost finished."
Hank patted his head with a handkerchief. "Only one way to find out. James, flip the switch."
"Roger!" He pushed the switch up. The screen brightened to life.
The Shadow Agent looked at his phone and saw he was getting a signal. He smiled. "Not bad, you two. We have communication. Let's tell the kids." They nodded and left the back.
They greeted the kids, who were busy attending to the Pokémon they still had on hand. Ash turned towards them. "How did it go?"
Hank held his phone up. "Very well. I can now contact Ryder."
They smiled. "That's great!" Iris exclaimed.
"I really hope they're alright!" Dawn said.
"Only one way to find out." He pulled up Ryder's tablet number and called it.
The Pokémon jumped when the tablet started buzzing. The caller ID said it was Hank who was contacting them. They looked at each other for a moment before Pikachu reached out and hit the answer button. Immediately, they were met with the face of Hank.
"Ryder, it has been-" He tilted his head with a perplexed expression. "Pikachu?"
"PIKACHU?!" They heard someone scramble over to Hank's side. The phone moved the view over to the mouse's trainer. He had a hopeful expression on his face. "Is that really you, buddy?!"
Pikachu's eyes watered as a grin spread across his face. "(Ash! Yes, it's me!)"
Ash smiled with relief, tears streaming down his face. "Buddy…" He covered his eyes with his arm. "I thought I lost you…I'm so happy you're alive…" Pikachu wished he could jump into his friend's arms and comfort him. At least he knew he was still kicking. "How have you been?"
He chuckled. "(Oh, you know…this and that…fighting for my life…)" It was days like this where he was glad Ash can't understand a single thing he's saying.
Ash looked around on the screen. "Where are you, anyway? Hey, is that Buneary and Piplup?"
Now it was Dawn's turn to rush over to the screen. "Really?!"
The rabbit and penguin smiled and waved at their trainer. "(Hi Dawn!)"
She smiled happily. "You're okay! I'm so glad you two are safe! Buneary, is your egg doing alright?" She nodded with a smile. "That's good!"
Iris and Cilan came into view. "What about Axew and the others? Are they there?"
"Pansage? Are you there, pal?" Cilan called out.
Jessie and James shoved against them. "Meowth?! Laura?!"
"Ahem," Hank announced, gathering their attention. "One at a time, please!" They smiled sheepishly and moved away from him. He adjusted his collar and sighed before giving them a smile too. "It's great to know you all are still alive."
"(Oshawott and Snivy are with us, too. They're just up top talking with each other,)" Pikachu explained.
He nodded. "That's good to know." He narrowed his eyes, still feeling something was off. "Pikachu, why are you answering Ryder's tablet?"
The mouse paled, chattering his teeth. "(Uh…about that…we need your help…)"
"With…what?" Pikachu moved the camera to face Ryder. Hank's eyes widen, his face paling drastically as his expression turned into one of horror. He could clearly see the glowing of Ryder's scar. That was never a good sign. "Oh no…"
Ash narrowed his eyes worriedly. "What's wrong?"
"Ryder's in a coma…"
The Pokémon gasped. "(A coma?!)"
Hank bit his tongue at his poor choice of words. "It's not an actual coma! He's in a coma-like state."
Piplup glanced at Ryder. "(Is he going to be okay?)"
"How did this happen?" he asked, completely ignoring his question.
Buneary gulped, shaking fearfully. "(W-We don't know. S-S-Snivy said he suddenly broke down without warning…)"
"So it wasn't triggered out of anger?" he muttered, mostly to himself. "Have any of you noticed him, at any time, getting unusually angry?"
They shuffled around nervously. His questions were making them uncomfortable. Pikachu slowly raised his hand. "(I-I did. He was helping Oshawott and I to get our auras' potential awakened. He was struggling when he suddenly had this purple aura around him.)"
Hank felt sweat dripping down his face. No…it's happening again.
Cilan saw his terrified expression. "Sir, something seems to be leaving an awfully sour taste in your mouth. Are you alright?"
"All of you! Get as far away from Ryder as possible, now!" Hank shouted at the Pokémon, making them jump in horror.
James glared at the man. "What are you talking about? Why?"
"Because Ryder is going to kill them if they stay there!"
"Wrong! Wrong! WRONG!" Pachirisu bashed his head against the control panel. "UGH! I'm losing my mind here! Why can't Team Rocket leave their passwords behind in easy to access locations?!"
"Wouldn't that defeat the purpose of-"
"Don't start with me, Pignite!"
Pansage and Quilava came back in just in time to see Pachirisu having a meltdown. The grass monkey walked over to the squirrel and massaged his head, soothing his aggression. "Pachi, calm down. Relax."
The squirrel panted harshly before taking a deep breath and relaxing. "Alright…I am calm. I'm calm." He sighed and looked at them. "How did your search go? Find anything?"
They shook their heads. "Nothing," Quilava confirmed. "No password anywhere. We'll have to keep guessing."
Pachirisu frowned. "But I'm getting sick and tired of that stupid buzzing sound!" He looked at Dragonite. "You know, you could be helping! What are you doing, anyway?"
The dragon sat in a meditative state as he tried to think about what the password could be. There had to be a hint or something they've come across that could give them a possible answer. There had to be something they were missing. What was it?
He thought back to everything Koda has said. He knew more about Team Rocket from his subconscious thoughts. Did he say anything that may have been a clue?
I had more visions…from my counterpart's past.
Just some guy in the shadows. I think…his name is Wrath.
Dragonite narrowed his closed eyes. Wrath set him off. That name set him off. Something triggered horrible flashbacks in him. He went over the passwords Pachirisu used, then thought back to one that could have been used for this specific project.
That guy in the message…said he was part of this experiment. He kept talking like they were playing a game. If he really was here…could he have been the last one to view the files? He knew the password. And he might have said it.
He opened his eyes and looked at Pachirisu. "Pachirisu…type in 'TerrorofWrath' with a lower case 'o' in the 'of'."
He tilted his head in confusion. "Why?"
"That guy in the messages sounded full of himself. Almost like he wants every trace of himself to appear in this room. He wants us to fear him. He wants us to say it ourselves." He shook his head. "It's just a hunch, but he acts like he's playing a game."
The squirrel was still unsure about the logic, but he went for it anyway. He typed the password in and hit enter, covering his ears for the expected buzzing sound.
"PASSWORD ACCEPTED!" echoed from the computer, followed by the sweet sound of a ding.
He opened one eye with an unsure expression before smiling, opening his eyes fully. "It…It worked…" He jumped and cheered. "Finally! No more buzzing noises!"
Pansage jumped into the seat and scrolled through the files. "Okay, let's see…" He clicked on a file and opened it. "It's the plans for the seed." He expanded a rough sketch of a large bulb. "This is what the seed looks like when it begins it energy sapping stages. And once it fully blooms…" He opened a sketch of a monstrous flower. "Holy Mew…"
Dragonite leaned on the chair. "What is that thing?"
"That's the seed…fully grown…" He searched through the notes. "Once it fully blooms, it'll spray a black smog in the air that'll block the light of the sun. It'll engulf the planet in total darkness."
Dragonite growled. "So destroying that bulb is our top priority."
Quilava gulped. "I don't want to live in the dark forever…"
Pignite shook his head. "This is crazy. Koda seriously wants these guys to reform? They'll kill everyone on the planet. Without sunlight, the plants will die. We'll lose our main source of food."
"And they'll suck energy out of all life, replacing it with their own plants…" Pachirisu muttered.
"How can anyone be so evil?"
Pansage scrolled through more of the files before stopping on a particular passage. His eyes widened. His breathing came to a sharp halt. "I think I know why…"
They were taken by surprise from his terrified tone. "What?"
He gulped and began reading:
'Creating life was a difficult process, but there was one major issue with it: choice. By creating these monsters, we give them the ability to choose. We give them morals, good or bad. They could join or turn against us. We can't create the perfect army if they choose what they do. So, we came up with the brilliant idea to add extra features into the experiment.'
Pansage scrolled to another sketch of the bulb. Waves were flying off the bulb, hitting sketches of the Darkmon. They were shown to be menacing and evil.
"It's a hive mind…"
"Hive mind?" Laura questioned.
Meowth nodded, pacing back and forth. "Think about it, Laura. They have instant communication with each other at any time. That bulb allows them to communicate telepathically with each other."
She shrugged. "Okay…so they can communicate with each other. What's the problem?"
"The problem is that bulb. Laura, you saw it, too. That thing wasn't a regular plant. It's evil. It has a conscience. It can think. And it's where the Darkmon are created. That thing allows Darkmon to be made. It's like a parent or something."
"What does this have to do with them being evil?"
"Because the bulb teaches them!" He ran over to the wall and pointed to his etch of it. "Think about it! They worship it like a god! Even Dark thinks highly of the bulb!" He ran over to Laura and grabbed her shoulders roughly. "That thing is forcing them to act this way. It forces them to be evil until it indoctrinates them into believing it. It's the first thing that speaks to them when they're created. They go off a single thought from creation and work off of it in the future."
He was making the android uncomfortable, actually making her scared. "Are you saying…it's brainwashing them into being evil?"
"Yes! They don't have any choice! If they want to be good or do nice things, that bulb subconsciously influences their morals. It gets so bad that they actually believe it. That's why they try so hard to kill Pokémon. They don't have absolute evil morals. They can influence the Darkmon to change with enough persistence, like my time with Chloe."
"T-Then…why hasn't the bulb forced them to kill us yet?"
"It may be due to the fact that Dark is the prime Darkmon. It might only be able to enforce their evil nature, not influence what they should do." He shook his head and chattered his teeth. "Dark uses the bulb's influence to control their decisions. Meaning…"
Laura's eyes widened. Is he seriously accusing Dark of all of this? "Meowth, don't be stupid! Dark didn't do this!"
He shook his head. "Whether it was or wasn't him, we know now that there is a Darkmon influencing the others. These monsters…the Darkmon are being controlled and they don't know it." He sighed. "Seeing Chloe so sad when I explained this to her…she looked like she didn't even know herself anymore."
Laura gulped. "S-So…they're just going to kill us if this unknown Darkmon influences them." She chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. "D-Doesn't matter. I can take on any of them."
Meowth looked up at her with fearful eyes. "That's where you're wrong." Her eyes widened. "Chloe mentioned something else that has me worried. It's called…"
"…Awakened Evil."
"What's Awakened Evil?" Ash asked.
Hank ran his hand through his hair. "Darkmon have great, untapped aura that can be accessed through strong feelings of evil. Tapping into that power gives a massive boost in power. Vicious power that…I've had the unfortunate luck of witnessing firsthand."
"What do you mean?" Iris asked. "Did a Darkmon attack you before?"
"They always attack. No, I'm talking about five years ago. You see, Ryder and Dark got into a power struggle using an aura technique that allows someone to absorb energy, whether it being from attacks or from a living being. The resulting struggle caused a whiplash in power that blasted them both away. Lucario had to stop Dark from killing Ryder, Ryan, and Jade while I got them to safety. We made it out alive, but not unscathed." He pulled his shirt down a bit to reveal a large scar on his shoulder, making them gasp. "I have more of these around my body. Same with Lucario, just under his fur." The jackal nodded in confirmation.
Pikachu frowned. "(But, what does this have to do with Ryder?!)"
Hank readjusted his shirt. "We thought Ryder would be in a coma for a while. I think he told you about how he spent five weeks in a coma…he wasn't in a coma the whole time. He woke up once…and it wasn't pretty."
Buneary gulped. "(What happened?)"
"We discovered something off about his aura. During the power struggle, they were transferring energy back and forth so much, they ended up swapping a bit of their auras. Ryder has a bit of Dark's aura…and vice versa for Dark. Then we soon found out how dangerous that aura was."
He held his face in his hands. "It happened so fast…he sprung from the medical bed and tried to kill all of us…with that sadistic grin on his face. He wasn't acting like himself. All he wanted was to kill. He wouldn't speak or respond to us…all he did was laugh. Laugh like a psychopath. He almost killed Ryan. He was too frozen up in shock to do anything, the idea of his best friend attacking him." Tears were see brimming from his eyes. "Jade didn't want to, but she had to beat Ryder down until he was out cold. She was the only one willing to do it. She wasn't proud of the deed she committed."
"(Oh…oh my!)" Buneary squeaked, horrified.
Piplup nervously looked at Ryder as his scar glowed brighter. You mean…he could…
Deep within the subconscious of Ryder, a single voice could be heard. The time has come. Give in to your Darkmon aura and kill.
Ryder's face twisted in pain as a purple aura began to surround him, with red energy flowing within.
"You mean to tell me those things are going to slaughter us if weren't not careful?!" Pachirisu screamed.
Pansage held his face. "This is bad…this is really, really bad."
Pignite paced back and forth. "They're being controlled? This is…that's evil! That's…too evil!"
Dragonite threw his fist threw the wall angrily. "No wonder Koda kept getting set off all those times. That stupid bulb has been trying to manipulate him."
"And someone's pulling the strings. Likely Dark is behind all of this."
The dragon clenched his fist. "How can anyone be so heartless…to enslave them against their will?!" He roared, firing Flamethrower into the ceiling. "I'm gonna kill that stupid bulb if it's the last thing I do!"
Quilava looked at Koda with a worried expression. "Should we be worried about him, though?"
"Koda said he can control himself," Pansage reminded.
"He didn't that last time. How do we know he can now?" Dragonite asked.
"Well…"
A loud clang echoed through the room, making them jump. "AAHH!" Pachirisu ran up the dragon and cowered on his head. "Someone's here!"
Pignite gulped. "Pansage…we may need to leave, now."
"Y-You're probably right…Dragonite, grab Koda and let's get out of here."
"I can't."
"Why?"
He pointed where Koda was supposed to be sleeping. "He's gone."
They gasped and looked around nervously. They could hear something moving around in the darkness, unseen by their eyes. They could feel a sharp gaze pierce down on them, observing them. Their legs shook as they shuffled to the door.
"We need to leave…now…" Pansage whispered, hoping to not alert their stalker, while also hoping it wasn't who he think it is.
"Good idea…" Quilava whimpered.
They slowly inched closer to the exit and prepared to leave. Their chances of escape were shot when the ceiling collapsed and blocked their path, trapping them inside. They backed away, growing more fearful. Shivers went up their spines as a bone chilling laugh echoed in the room.
It was Koda's laugh…but it wasn't his childish, innocent laugh.
The ceiling in the computer room caved in and the jackal in question landed behind them. They slowly turned as he stood there, his head bowed.
"K…Koda?"
Purple aura exploded out of him like a wildfire, knocking them back. Red strands of energy seeped off the aura, mixing with his aura. He looked up at them with a sadistic smile. No pupils were present in his eyes. There was only red. Red, glowing light.
Pansage panicked as they back into the wall. "K-Koda! Stop!"
"It's us! Your friends!" Pachirisu pleaded.
Koda chuckled darkly, frightening them even further. He stepped towards them with his hands raised, aura pulsing off of them.
Laura held her head, unable to believe what she was hearing. "This is messed up. We need to go to Dark and have this cleared up."
As much as Meowth didn't want to confront the Lord of Darkmon, with his trust in him now becoming shaky, he agreed that they had to confront him about this. "Right, let's move!" They prepared to race out of the hut.
A Shadow Ball flew into the hut and blasted the ground, knocking them on their feet. They groaned and looked up to identify the attacker. Laura growled. "You!"
Dark Mightyena smirked wildly at the two. "Hello robot…and Pokémon…" He waltzed in. "Lovely night, isn't it?"
Meowth rolled his eyes and stood up, dusting himself off. "Sorry mutt, but I have no time for your taunts." He began walking pass him. "Now, if you'll excuse us, we're kind of busy."
He felt the wind get knocked out of him as the dark mutt slug his foreleg into his gut. He catapulted to Laura, who caught him. "Meowth!" She growled at the Darkmon. "What is your problem?!"
He snickered. "You have no idea how long I've been waiting to do that…" He advanced towards them.
Meowth coughed and supported himself on Laura. "B-But…why? Dark said-"
"-not to harm you while under my care. Well, guess what?" He flashed a toothy grin at him. "I got new orders now: executing you."
Laura set Meowth down before clenching her fist. "I'll handle this!"
Dark Mightyena smirked as he swayed back and forth, confusing her. His movements were slow and ominous. He moved in a way where she could see brief afterimages of his movements. His head was bowed as he chuckled.
"I'll give you this, robot, you truly are the strongest force to defeat the Darkmon. You could defeat them all with ease…that is, if they weren't using this little technique of ours."
His movements ceased with him getting into an attack position. His head whipped up, his eyes flashing red as a menacing purple aura burst to life, roughly blasting Laura and Meowth into the wall, pressing them against it. Red energy mixed with his aura as he laughed.
The pressure from his aura died down, but his body still pulsed with the harmful aura. Laura rubbed her head before growling. "Okay, now I'm peeved!" She rushed him with her fist pull back.
Dark Mightyena laughed as her punch phased right through him. He dodged just before it made contact. She gasped, then looked around intensely, trying to spot him with her targeting system. "Where are you?!"
She got her answer in the form of a kick to the face. She could feel her face crack as she shot straight through the tree, crashing into a bunch of them outside.
"L-Laura!" Meowth called out. He froze as he felt the Darkmon's hot breath run down his neck.
He bent down and whispered in his ear, "Time to die, cat."
"You three need to get as far away from Ryder as you can! NOW!" Hank ordered.
"(B-B-B-But…)" Buneary was so scared and confused, she didn't know what to do.
Piplup felt a sharp chill behind him. He slowly turned around and saw Ryder's body surrounded in purple aura and red energy. "(G…Guys…)" His beak quivered as he backed away.
Ryder's eyes snapped open, enveloped in red. His once pained and agonized expression from before had turned into a sadistic grin and desire to destroy. He stood up and sneered at them, claws raised.
Pikachu dropped the tablet as they back away slowly. "Pikachu? Buneary? Piplup? What's wrong?! Is Ryder-" The Charmeleon's foot slammed down on the tablet, shattering it.
They pressed their backs against the wall, their teeth chattering in terror. Buneary held the egg container behind her back as she shivered.
"R-Ryder…stop…it's us…YOUR FRIENDS!" Pikachu shout.
Ryder grinned wider as he raised his hands. Blue flames engulfed them. Their eyes widened and they braced themselves for what was about to come.
On the surface, oblivious to the madness happening in the underground hideout, Oshawott was trying to find some way to tell Snivy his feelings. His main concern was her rejecting him, but she sounded so sincere when she reassured him. It was almost like she was prepping him for what he might expect from her response.
He couldn't take it anymore. He clenched his eyes shut. "Snivy…"
She glanced over at him. "Yeah?" She blushed as he reached out and grabbed her hands. Her heart pounded as he faced her, his eyes opening slowly.
"I need to tell you something." He swallowed hard. He had to say. Just get it over with, like ripping off a bandage. "Snivy…I…I lo…I lov-"
They jumped in horror as the ground exploded with blue flames, piercing through the thick layer of leaves into the night sky. They gasped as they saw three bodies fly out and land with a harsh thud. Pikachu, Buneary, and Piplup, each with burns across them. Buneary kept a tight hold on the egg container, despite being in pain.
"Guys!" Oshawott ran to their side. "What happened?!"
Pikachu pushed himself up, panting heavily. "We…need to run…"
He didn't bother asking why. His and Snivy's answer came from the silhouette of Ryder, standing in the flames. His eyes pierced through, shaped into a murderous glare. They practically stopped breathing as the opposing threat raised his claws, getting ready to strike.
Standing onto of a tall tree, exposed by the shine of the moonlight, was Fang. He smirked proudly as he looked around the forest. Smoke rising from one side, light of a powerful Darkmon aura in the abandoned lab, and the familiar power of another Darkmon aura coming from far away.
He chuckled as he placed his pincers behind his back. "Night as come at last. Now to show them exactly what happens when you oppose the Darkmon."