The Forest of No Light

by PokeMaster64

After an attack by Team Rocket, Pikachu gets lost in an unusual forest. The gang's Pokemon decide to go in and find him, but soon become overwhelmed by the forest's secrets. Plus, the return and reveal of the mysterious Ryder. Rated T for certain reasons. Lagomorph fluff, ShellPWNageshipping, other mentions of pairings. Sequel to For the Love of Pikachu

39. War of the Darkmon (Part 3: Power)

He stood there, silent, with thoughts swarming his mind. Having dealt with Dark for who knows how long, his mind was likely to get weary from all the hits he took, especially to the head. So, it shouldn't surprise him that he may have been going a little crazy from one of those blows.

If that were the case, though, then why is it that he was staring at the radiant image of this beautiful Flaaffy that haunted his dreams out of lonesome and desire. After facing a point where death was close to claiming his life, two times, suddenly he faces a face he truly longed for. It certainly looked like her, but was it truly her?

Dark's mind games have always been a factor to consider. He knew he could win this fight, so he might have decided to put the final nail in this coffin of misery he built for the Charmeleon by showing him this figure he missed dearly. That was his game, to break his mind even further until there was nothing left.

Still, was this truly an illusion playing with his mind or was it the real thing?

Jade took a step forward. As she did, she took a moment to take in her boyfriend's change in appearance. He looked like the same Charmeleon she fell in love with. Though, there was a clear change to it. His body told her he has grown stronger in the last five years. His face, however, lacked the same warmth she saw whenever she looked at him. It seemed colder. Not too different, but cold.

Regardless, she chuckled with a cute snort. "You've grown since I last saw you."

While Ryder was essentially catatonic with shock, Pikachu took the liberty of speaking first. "You're…Jade? You're Ryder's girlfriend?"

She bowed politely. "You'd be correct. I take it that you are a friend of his?"

He nodded shortly. "Y-Yeah. He helped us out when we got here and…I'm sorry, but…why are you here? How did you get here? Ryder said you and his trainer have been gone for five years now."

Jade narrowed her eyes. "I'm afraid that's a discussion for later. Just know that Ryan didn't leave without making sure Ryder was safe."

Ryder blinked his eyes and shook his head. "R-Ryan?"

She smirked. "Oh good, you're not dead. I thought I had to kiss you or something to wake you up."

He blushed briefly, earning a short chuckle out of Pikachu. He glared at him for second, then looked back at Jade. "It's…really you, Jade?"

She reached out and took his hands in her, squeezing them comfortably. "Of course it's me, silly. Why wouldn't it be?"

Ryder's eyes looked back where the Flaaffy blasted Dark away. "I've…just had a rough five years."

Jade lowered her eyelids in concern. "Oh…you poor thing…" She nuzzled her head under his chin.

Ryder's face glowed bright red. This feeling of warmth. This love. He didn't feel frightening shivers like the ones present in all of Dark's fear trances.

He slowly wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly. He had to hold her close to assure himself she wouldn't disappear like all the other times he went through those traumatic visions. He ran his hand up her back, feeling her smooth, soft skin. Her wool, pressed under his chin, had the feeling of a soft cloud wrapping itself around him with its cool, comforting touch. A blissful sensation he nearly got lost in.

This was real.

He pulled Jade back and looked her right in the eyes. His were shimmering with a strange mix of sadness, relief, and joy. "Jade…" He choked up as tears brimmed at his eyes. "I…I-I…" He couldn't hold it in.

He dug his face into her shoulder and released the waterworks building up inside of him for all these years. Soft, happy whimpers. Tears of joy dripping down the Flaaffy.

Jade was rather shocked. Never before has she seen this side of Ryder before. She didn't grow concern, though. The tone of voice showed this was a happy moment for him. So, with tears shining in her eyes too, she hugged him back, tears dripping out of her closed eyelids.

Pikachu watched the two embrace with a warm feeling inside. It truly made him happy to see his friend reunite with someone held so dearly to his heart. He didn't try to stop the smile involuntarily growing on his face. He only wished Buneary was here to see this. She'd be gushing over how cute this was…and he'd probably have to stop her from joining in on the hug and gushing her eyes out too.

Ryder pulled himself together and pulled back, wiping his tears. He gave a tearful smile with a small chuckle. "S-Sorry you have to see me like this…"

Jade smiled whimsically. "I don't mind. I think it was kind of cute."

They smiled happily at each other. They leaned their heads near each other, about to kiss, when a slow, condescending clapping killed the mood. All three of them shot their eyes at Dark, who had walked out of the forest and back onto the scorched plain he created.

He clapped with a snickering smirk. "Well, this is an unexpected surprise. Perhaps there's a bit more to that heroic garbage that I gave it credit for." He folded his arms behind his back and smiled wickedly at Jade. "Jade, how lovely to see you again. The last I saw you was when I beat you unconscious."

The Flaaffy glared at the evil version of Ryder. She stepped forward, saying, "I can't say the feeling is mutual, Dark…"

He shrugged his shoulders. "As it is expected. A malevolent lord such as myself gets that kind of greeting, mostly from this failure," he stated, pointing at Ryder.

Ryder clenched his teeth, but Jade spoke up. "A failure YOU purposely kept alive, I take it."

He chuckled. "Hey, I didn't want my last few days as Lord of the Darkmon spent fighting these last minute heroes. Ryder was, and still is, the only other creature that has gave me an actual challenge. But now, after fighting him, I see that it has all gone to waste. I just can't find that same drive to win when I fight him anymore. Now it's an empty feeling whenever my punches connect with him."

"That'll prove to be your miscalculation," Jade retorted.

Dark shook his head. "What miscalculation? I've guaranteed my victory by keeping his power in check. Placing that limiter on his aura allows me to mop the floor with him."

"That's not what I mean. The mistake you made was keeping him alive. Keeping ME alive." She crossed her arms. "I didn't spend all this time worrying about Ryder…okay, maybe a few times…or every other week…" She shook her head. "But I used that time to train myself to defeat you. That has been my goal ever since we fought."

Dark smirked, holding his face in delight. "Another self-confident Pokémon who thinks they can beat me? Where have I heard that tune before?" Despite the smirk on his face, he possessed a mental, contemplative expression on the inside. That Electro Ball had a ton of force packed into it. The electricity didn't hurt me, but what does that say about her in combat?

Jade stepped forward and cracked her knuckles. "If you're so sure of yourself, you wouldn't mind if I join these two in their battle?"

Ryder and Pikachu's eyes widened. "Huh?!"

She glanced back and winked. "Hey, don't worry about me. I got this."

Dark was one to be cocky, but he had to play safe with this battle. The only reason he fought so confidently against Ryder and Pikachu is because he had a bit of control over the fight. Jade, however, was a wild card thrown into the mix. He didn't know what kind of opponent he was dealing with now.

Still, showing weakness was not an option. He'll just have to play this out.

He crossed his arms, then chuckled. "Fine. I don't see the harm in you joining in." He closed his eyes and smirked. "I could use this. What better way to break Ryder's psyche down than by killing his darling girlfriend?"

Jade narrowed her eyes, then walked forward. "You like breaking down heroic archetypes, don't you? Well, here's one you shouldn't be using so frivolously."

She kicked off the ground and lunged at the Darkmon lord, closing the distance between them within a second. Dark's eyes widened slightly as he now found the shiny Flaaffy directly in front of him. She reeled her foot back, preparing to fire off a strong kick into him.

Dark gritted his teeth, then, while keeping his arms crossed, raised his legs. Jade fired off the kick with the speed of a strong wind. Her foot made contact against his leg, the explosive force of pressure blasting off from impact. While Dark didn't feel pain, he felt something. Almost like she made a crack in his leg. She actually managed to make a crack in his bones.

Jade's eyes were narrowed threateningly. "I'm NOT some helpless little girl. I'm the Flaaffy whose been waiting a long time…to do THIS!" She applied more force into her leg and managed to send him flying back.

Dark flew for a bit, but caught himself in midflight. He planted his feet on the ground and glared at the Flaaffy curiously. She certainly is stronger than I remembered. His eyes glowed purple. And I think I know why.

Ryder and Pikachu appeared to have the same idea, as they were focusing in on Jade. Not just her, though: her aura. A blazing green aura surrounded her, taking on the appearance of wind. Most of it seemed to be focusing more in her legs and hands. She was using Augmentation to enhance the power of her strikes.

Ryder narrowed his eyes in amazement. Her aura…it's so powerful.

"Wow…" was all Pikachu could get out.

Dark healed off the damage to his leg as he cracked his neck. "Alright…this should be interesting." He snapped his fingers. "Let's see you dance, little lady."

Rumbling vibrated across the land, shaking everything standing above it. Jade, keeping her feet firmly planted into the dirt, looked around vigilantly to see what he had in store. Being an Electric-Type, she was expecting some sort of earth tsunami. Or perhaps the ground to cave in under her and crush her.

What she got instead was the ground under her cracking and releasing massively thick vines. She gripped to the surface of one as they rose high into the air. They swung violently, attempting to punt her across the forest. However, she was persistent, holding on for dear life.

Pikachu's eyes widened in shock. "We need to help her!" He grunted and stumbled forward, having a momentary spill from his near drown experience and, of course, being repeatedly punched with no mercy given.

Ryder furiously dug though his pockets. Please don't be burnt! Please don't be burnt! His hand wrapped around two vials. He pulled them out and smirked. "Yes!" In his hand was two vials of concentrated Sitrus Juice. This should get them back up to full strength.

He uncapped one and fed it to Pikachu. "Swallow every last drop." He gave a faint nod as the yellow liquid poured into his mouth.

With Jade, she was covering her eyes from the rushing wind hitting her in the face. She peeked out from behind her arm and saw a vine swinging directly down at her. She augmented her legs with aura and kicked off the vine she was on, knocking it back from the force.

She spun like a drill and slammed her foot across a massive vine, ripping it apart by the base. The tip of the vine came crashing down near Dark, who simply stepped out of the way.

He looked up at the kickflipping Flaaffy and smirked. "Let's heat things up." He snapped his claws and ignited the vines in flames.

Jade landed on a violently thrashing vine when she smelled burning plant matter below her. Upon identifying the threat, she leaped off the conjunction of deadly vines and aimed for the ground.

Dark clenched his fist and twisted it. "Got you!"

The moment the tip of her foot connected with land, a swirling vortex sucked her down until she was trapped from the arms up. She pressed her hands against the ground and tried to push herself up.

Dark chuckled. "Not this time!" He raised his hands and made a clenching motion. Jade felt the ground around her tightening, preparing to crush her bones and organs. She augmented most of her body for durability enhancement, but she wasn't sure how much time that can buy her.

The Darkmon lord smirked. There's no way she's getting out of this one. I'll snap her in half once the ground closes in on her.

The moment he felt his strength returned, Ryder's eyes locked onto the dark version of himself and dashed at him swiftly. His claws glowed and extended into Slash.

Dark saw this incoming attack, immediately change his body into steel as the claws made their mark. Sparks flew from the collision. Ryder deactivated Slash on his left hand and threw it into the right side of Dark's face. His hand seared with pain, an expected reaction from punching a hard object such as steel, but it didn't deter the momentum of his punch. It kept to its intended speed and blasted Dark across the ground.

He stopped himself in the air almost instantly and grinned. "So, now we have a real fight to look forward to!" He conjured as massive ball of purple flames and fired it down into a wide beam. Ryder turned on his heel and dashed away from the scorching heat.

Jade, now free from Dark's crushing grasp, focused aura into her hands, clasped them together, and slammed them against the dirt. The packed rock holding her in place crumbled away like powder, allowing her to leap out with little to no harm done.

Ryder avoided the flames by performing a serpentine maneuver from the flames. Dark snapped his claws and commanded to the earth to rise into a massive tidal wave. The agent reached around in his cloak for explosives, but he only had two left. But his Shockwave Gun might do the trick.

He skidded to a stop and turned around. He turned the dial up to '3', which, even though it'll drain the battery much faster, will pack a massive blast. He aimed steadily, then pulled the trigger. The rifle emitted a wide spread shockwave that washed over the tidal. It crumpled to dust, even blasting through enough to hit Dark.

The Darkmon lord flew back a bit, but retaliated by forming shards of ice in the air, then flicking his claws to rain them down.

Pikachu intercepted them with Thunderbolt, shattering the shards into powdered snow. With the shards destroyed, Ryder leaped into the air with Aerial Ace. Dark narrowed his eyes, held his hand out, and blocked the punch that followed. He gripped tightly as he drained the Charmeleon's energy.

Ryder clenched his teeth. "Not this time!" He slammed his palm in his snout and fired off a concentrated Inferno, mimicking a small explosion. Dark lost his grip while Ryder fell back to earth. Not before he set his Shockwave Gun back to '1' and fired it upward, propelling himself down faster and hitting Dark with a powerful shockwave.

Dark shook it off and flew down after Ryder. Once he was at his level, he grabbed him by the tail before he hit the ground, spun him around in place, then chucked him at Pikachu and Jade.

Jade held her arms out and caught her boyfriend, while also being pushed back. She kept herself balanced and didn't fall over. She set Ryder down, asking, "You alright?"

He rubbed his neck, then cracked his knuckles. "I will be once he's defeated."

Dark smirked amusingly. "Well, let's raise the intensity up a few notches." He twirled his claw.

Around the perimeter of the field, a powerful gust circled around them. The winds picked up impossibly fast and towered up to the sky, forming a massive cyclone. Leaves and twigs, even a few trees detached from the ground, were easily picked up by the strong wind force.

The group tried to keep their footing, but they were inevitably taken along for the ride, flying up into the air. Dark, being a natural manipulator of the wind, easily floated up without any negative consequences. It was as if the wind flowed around him, showing the level of mastery he had over the element.

Dark snickered. "Unless you can hit me with aura attacks, your augmentation techniques are useless against a master of the wind."

The group flew into a tree, where they immediately latched on and tried to fight against the gushing streams of wind. "Any ideas?!" Pikachu shouted.

Ryder tried firing Inferno, but it was blown apart immediately. He groaned. "I can't do much from a distance. Maybe your Thunderbolt can hit him."

Jade glanced to the side, then gasped. "Assuming he doesn't hit us first!"

Shard, splintery wood came flying at them in a collective group. They slid onto the other side of the tree, protecting them from the splinters that lodged themselves into the trunk.

Dark laughed maliciously. "Oh yes! OH YES!" He fired flames from his left hand, water from his right, and spewed toxic gas from his mouth. "Finally! A chance to show what I'm capable of!"

Flames, poison, and electricity joined in with the cyclone. Random bolts shot at flying debris while others were burning to ashes.

The group held their breath as the toxic gas washed over them. "This is insane!" Pikachu shouted from behind his closed hands. "He's going to destroy the entire forest himself!"

Ryder growled. "These winds are making it impossible to attack him from this range! We need to fight him head on!"

"Yeah, because that went SO WELL earlier!" Pikachu yelled angrily.

Ryder closed his eyes and concentrated to form an idea, all while trying to block out the raging storm swirling around them. Dark pretty much had them beat in terms of physical power and elemental control. The only real advantage they had was that the Darkmon wasn't taking this fight as seriously as he should. Be looked down upon as weaklings had its advantages, apparently.

Even so, the claim he made earlier held true: he boasted about his power because he KNEW he could beat them. It was hard to accept, but Dark had the edge over them. Jade might have aura control, but so did Dark. Though, considering both he and Pikachu were still conscious, he wasn't taking the battle far enough to wear he needed enhancements on his ungodly strength.

Ryder was still betting his chances on the Electro Gauntlet, but there were some issues with the possible execution. For one, he didn't know how much damage it will do to Dark. Ryder couldn't access his aura's full potential, but there's a chance it has been expanding in power with his physical training. There was a strong chance it grew in power, too. However, because it was sealed away, he can't give a rough estimate on the power output. It could be enough to destroy Dark in one slash or it'll be a tiny spark. The last one was doubtful since he was much stronger than that before it was sealed off, but there wasn't any guarantee in succeeding.

The second issue lies in hitting him. With the plain they were on lacking the tall trees, there was plenty of room for Dark to go wild. Forcing him back into the forested parts of the forest would give them a slight advantage in terms of space, but the Darkmon lord was clearly not against destroying a few of his trees to end their lives.

All they needed to do was land a hit on him while making sure he didn't block it with his palms.

Ryder quickly observed the flying debris flying around them. Most were getting scorched or zapped by the storm, but there were still a few pieces intact.

"Pikachu, use your Quick Attack to maneuver around the storm. Try and attack him from multiple directions to throw him off."

"You really think that'll work?!"

"It's all we got. Now go!"

The mouse was hesitant, but he nodded. Applying power to his feet, he bounced off the log and headed straight for another one flying high above them.

Dark took note of this and grinned. "Playing hero, are we?" He raised his hand, summoning a mass of dirt, and fired it at Pikachu.

The mouse leaped off the log and jumped between flying debris, avoiding the surprisingly dangerous dirt that was cutting through the wood like a Scyther gone mad. He landed on a log, spun on his back, and fired off Electro Ball, knocking the dirt off course.

The Darkmon lord chuckled. "Amusing, my foe. Now let's see if you outrun darkness."

Pikachu didn't have to be given clarification on what he meant. A pair of claws emerged from his own shadow and lashed at him. He ducked his head back, narrowly avoiding the sharp claws at the cost of only a couple hairs. As if it couldn't get worse, the shadow became more three dimensional, taking on Pikachu's shape. This was unbelievable. Everything was out to kill him, even his own shadow.

He jumped into the air, with his shadow following close behind. Dark laughed. "I believe these are one of those moments where the hero fights a dark version of himself! His shadow! Well, considering your counterpart isn't here, let's do the next best thing! Your actual shadow!"

Pikachu fired Thunderbolt at the silhouetted clone, but Dark manipulated the amorphous form to let the lightning bolt pass through. It mirrored the Thunderbolt, only it was just a powerful shadow that looked like Thunderbolt. Doesn't mean it didn't hurt as it blasted Pikachu across the storm, throwing his body through the flames.

He gritted his teeth as the flames touched his body. He fired Thunderbolt in all directions, knocking the flames away, then used the force of his Iron Tail to slowly, but efficiently move himself out of the cyclone walls.

Dark manipulated Pikachu's detached shadow to jump in the air and spin down, mimicking his movements when performing Iron Tail. Pikachu countered with his Iron Tail, but was shot down since he had nothing to stay stable on. He flailed wildly, once again being thrown around by the storm.

The Darkmon lord smirked at his misery. "You Pokémon keep stating how precious your natural light is! Well, in the darkness, the shadows reign over the sunless night!" He slammed his hands together.

Pikachu would have been thrown around for longer in the storm, but something caught him and ceased his torment. Good news, right? Uh…if being grabbed by your detached shadow that has now grown to the size of a Regigigas is considered good news, then yes it was.

Pikachu's eyes were blank with shock as he observed the massive shadow holding him tightly. "…you have got to be kidding me…"

Dark held his hand out with his fist clenched, the same fist that was holding Pikachu captive. "The darkness is my ally. I manipulate to my will and command it to wipe out insignificant worms like you with a mere thought." He tightened his fist, commanding the Shadow Pikachu to mirror his actions. Pikachu wheezed with pain. The fist was squeezing hard enough to force the air out of his lungs. He was already turning blue in the face.

He clenched his jaw and tried to muster up an electrical attack. It was hard to focus with all this wind slamming into his face and this massive shadow creature squeezing the life out of him.

Dark laughed. "Simply magnificent, don't you think?"

However, in his excitement, he failed to notice Ryder and Jade riding on a long through the wind, directly behind him. Ryder grabbed his girlfriend by the hands before spinning on his heel, generating the momentum needed to throw her straight into the Lord of Fear.

He ceased his spinning and chucked Jade with great strength. The Flaaffy extended her foot, intending to aim it for Dark's head.

The Lord of Fear, however, was not so easy to ambush. He turned around at the last minute and caught her foot, the force of her kick shooting up his arm. Though, since he was much more prepared for it, it didn't sting as badly.

He smirked. "How foolish do you think I am?"

Surprisingly, Jade smirked back. "Definitely smart, but too arrogant for your own good. Flash!" She raised her tail and emitted a blazing light across the area.

Dark shield his eyes, momentarily blinded. The Shadow Pikachu, because it was no longer under the cover of darkness, dissolved in an instant, gently setting the mouse down as he melted. His shadow retook its original, nonlethal form.

With Dark incapacitated, Jade swung her foot across his cheek, ripples of aura smashing through his face. He flew into the sky while also losing his controlled over the cyclone. It dispersed, dropping all the debris it carried and scattering the poison, electricity, and fire across multiple parts of the forest.

While Ryder was falling, he whipped out his Shockwave Gun and fired it at Dark, blasting him even higher. He landed safely and continuously fired at him.

Dark, now recovered from his blindness, tanked multiple shots before flickering into nothingness. He appeared behind Ryder and slammed his fist across his cheek while also disarming him of his rifle. Ryder skipped across the ground and slammed against a tree.

He twirled the rifle on his claw. "Pathetic. Your lousy friends are putting up a better fight than you." He gripped the weapon and syphoned off its energy. "Perhaps you're the one who needs saving, Ryder. You're out of your prime now. Without your aura, you're nothing." Holding the weapon by the middle, he clenched his hand and snapped the rifle in two.

Ryder pushed himself back up, rubbing his jaw. "I'm…not…weak…"

Dark sneered. "Quit acting brave, lowlife. You'll never achieve your full strength. Even if you did, I'll always remain stronger. Even if you reached the peak of your power…even if you fire at me at one hundred percent…" He smirked. "You'll still be nothing next to the infinite potential of evil."

The Chameleon rose to his feet, teetering back and forth. "Don't underestimate a creature's potential…especially a Pokémon's…"

Dark rolled his eyes. "What's so special about you Pokémon that you need to keep reminding me of this inner strength thing? I don't get it…" He narrowed his eyes. "What IS it that pushes you to act this stubborn? Why can't you see there's no difference between the things the Darkmon have done in the last five years compared to every horrible action the humans and Pokémon have brought ever since the universe was created?

"I suppose now you're going to shout at me, something like 'Good always prevails! Never underestimate the true power of our fighting spirit'!" He groaned. "Ugh, I sound like some overdramatic hero just SAYING it." He crossed his arms. "Facts are facts. Once a creature reaches its maximum potential, that's it. That's their limit."

Ryder panted, eyes narrowed on the Dark Charmeleon. He lowered his head, saying, "…and that's why your philosophy will always be flawed."

Dark narrowed his eyes. "Oh, what's this? Is this another one of your 'magnificent' speeches where you tell me that justice and heroics ISN'T flawed?"

"…no."

"Then what is so flawed about my philosophy?"

"It's the exact same crap you're arguing against." Ryder looked up, staring him dead in the eyes. "You're fighting an extreme with another extreme. You have no right to say you know what's best if you're just going to pull the same excuse we've been using for centuries."

Dark scoffed. "I'm only setting the record straight. You spent the last few centuries ruling this planet with your light. It's only fair we rule it in darkness."

"If you intend to go down the same path the world has set itself in for centuries, then you'll only relive this exact same day, only a force of good fighting for what they believe in." He glared. "It'd be your own version of the Darkmon."

The Darkmon lord let his arms fall loose against his sides. "Then I have a millennium to ensure that never happens."

"It will happen. As you stated, every creature has a limit. It's only a matter of exploiting yours."

Dark chuckled menacingly. "Yes, but here's where you misunderstand: my limit is like an immeasurable ceiling. There is one…it's just impossible to reach. My potential will continue to grow as long as there's fools like you to steal energy from."

Ryder clenched his fists. "If you want to keep speaking so vastly of yourself, then quit acting smug and show me that you're the murderous tyrant you proclaim to be."

"…fine."

With that, Dark dashed at the Charmeleon, kicking up a mountain of dirt. Once he was in range of Ryder, he threw his fist and presumably struck him in the chest. The shockwave of the punch picked up the dirt beneath to create a large dust cloud.

Dark smirked sadistically, but he lost his wicked expression upon realizing his fist was still firmly planted against Ryder's chest. Did he absorb the shock?

Curiosity was answered when the dust cloud parted, revealing that Ryder, despite his weakened state, had caught the punch before it could nail him dead center. His feet were buried deep into the ground, but they managed to keep him stable.

Ryder panted heavily, then smirked. "Didn't see that coming, did you?" Dark gritted his teeth. "Then you're really not going to like this."

Dark saw the swift movements of his right hand quickly entering his cloak and sliding on some strange metal plate he has never seen before. It looked like some sort of gauntlet. How was something so irrelevant supposed to harm him?

He got his answer when Ryder switched it on, pressing one of the three buttons. His eyes widened as the weapon flashed to life in an explosive array of neon blue electricity. But not just any electricity.

Aura? Dark quickly jumped away from Ryder's arm range as he slashed the weapon at him. He could feel the dangerous amount of aura pouring through that device. He managed to build something that can pull out his aura?! Dang! I didn't realize how much it has been growing over the years!

He landed on his feet, but quickly flew backwards as Ryder dashed towards him, swiping his hand at the Darkmon relentlessly. The pain in Ryder's expression was evident. The weapon was doing its intended job, including the inevitable backlash of the output. He pressed through the pain, hoping to land a direct hit onto his foe.

Dark kept dodging while he studied the weapon's energy output. His aura is intense! I can't let that thing hit me! He narrowed his eyes angrily. What am I saying? All I need to do is grab it and drain him dry.

He ceased dodging and grabbed Ryder by the elbow. He gripped tightly on the electrified fist and prepared to sap him off his energy. However, as he did, the electricity surged up his arm, searing his skin. He could even feel his palm burn in agony. He used Shadow Step to get away and safely perched himself on a tree at the edge of the plains.

That's some raw power he has built up inside. He looked at his smoking palm and arm, blackened to a crisp. He focused energy through it to regenerate while staring down Ryder, who turned off the weapon. He immediately noticed Ryder's arm was scorched as well. This made the Darkmon lord smirk. But you can't control it, can you?

"Agh…freakin'…AGH!" He clutched his searing arm tightly. He bit down on his tongue to calm himself. "Just breathe…endure the pain…"

Jade ran to his side. "Are you alright?!"

"Don't worry about me…we need to push harder against Dark if we want to win."

As they stood there, Dark raised his hand and focused psychic energy into a condense orb, prepping to fire it into a powerful beam like earlier. "That's right, just keep talking away, lovebirds," he muttered to himself. His eyes darted around cautiously, noticing something was missing. "Wait, where's the rat?"

Arms hooked around him and locked down on him, canceling his psychic attack. He glared over his shoulder at the Pikachu that dared ambush him. "I got you now!" His cheeks crackled, firing Thunderbolt throughout the Darkmon's body.

Ryder and Jade heard the mouse, then nodded at each other before rushing over.

Dark struggled to shake himself loose, even trying to grab the mouse with his palms, but he couldn't at the angle. Pikachu was much stronger than he gave him credit for. "You stupid rat…"

Pikachu smirked. "Guess I'm not as weak and helpless as you painted me! No way I'm letting you go until you're out!"

Dark couldn't concentrate to phase through the mouse since he could only use his intangibility to let attacks fly through him, not escape from them. He attempted to use Shadow Step, but his body merely flickered with shadows. "Ugh, of course!"

Ryder narrowed his eyes curiously as he took note of the Darkmon's predicament. Dark seemed to be struggling to teleport. Why was that? He didn't have trouble before.

Dark glared at the mouse before slamming the back of his head between his eyes, cutting off his Thunderbolt. Pikachu, though dazed, kept his hold on Dark. "Alright, you won't get off?" He smirked. "Then let's go for a ride!"

He used Shadow Step once more, only this time successfully teleporting Pikachu and himself. Pikachu's fur stood up as the cold wisps of darkness ran down his skin uncomfortably. He closed his eyes for only half a second before realizing he was in the sky.

He jumped off Dark in shock. "What the?!"

With the mouse's arms off, Dark said, "Here, let me give you a free trip DOWN!" He backflipped and slammed his heel down on Pikachu's head. The mouse went careening back down to the earth and slammed with enough force to shake the trees.

Dark reappeared back in the forest, arms crossed. "That's what you get for taking on a god, you pathetic weakling."

"Then you really deserve THIS!"

A sharp blow nailed him in the back and shot him to the ground. He tumbled across the ground, but caught himself and flipped to his feet midroll. He wiped his lip as Ryder and Jade, the latter landing on the ground, took a fighting stance against him.

Dark sighed, rubbing his head. "Unbelievable. You have way too much energy for your own good." Suddenly, his eyes widened in realization. "Wait a minute…" His lips curled up in a devilish grin. "What was I thinking?"

Pikachu, his aura shrugging off the impact he took with the ground, pushed himself out of his crater. "Why am I beginning to feel scared again?"

Ryder growled. What's cooking in that sinister head of his now?

Dark placed a hand over his face, lightly shaking it. "Why didn't I consider this sooner? I've been so busy kicking your rears that I didn't see the benefit to fighting Pokémon that are reasonably strong. With your energy, I'll speed up my plans to spread the smog."

"Huh?!" all three sounded.

He raised his claws, pressing them together. "You wanted to see our precious flower up close? Well, here's your chance. It'll be the last thing you'll ever see!" He snapped his claws.

Immediately, the ground shook with tremors. They kept their balance as the ground before them split in half. A hazy smog breathed out of the crevice, groaning monstrously. After a moment of staring, several thorny vines lunged out at them, the tips wide open with their jagged teeth.

They jumped away from the ever-elongating vines. Ryder quickly used Slash and cut them down before they could latch on.

Dark laughed as the central flower burst out of the ground. It raised its mighty vines and swung them rashly. "Once these suckers attach to you, you'll be drained dry of all your precious energy."

Ryder, Jade, and Pikachu raised their fists and took a stance. They finally got what they wanted, but with Dark still in their way, he won't allow them the chance to destroy the flower. They needed to pull out all the stops to bring him down.

---

Oshawott and Dark Oshawott clashed their Razor Shells against each other, pushing hard to overpower each other's might. "Is this really the strength of a Pokémon?!" Dark Oshawott taunted coldly.

Oshawott sneered. "Quit yapping and maybe you'll find out!" He kicked his side, flinching him, before pushing him back with a loud shout and a powerful shove of his blade. He then slashed the Darkmon across the eyes.

"AGH! Rotten rodent!" He swung wildly, blindly cutting down anything in his range, such as the trees near him.

Oshawott raised his weapon, but his attention was drawn upwards as Snivy was shoved against the tree she was on by Dark Snivy. His eyes widened. "Snivy!"

Dark Snivy's Vine Whip slithered around the grass snake and constricted her. "I'm going to enjoy plucking out your life, slowly…painfully…endlessly…"

Snivy's expression was unfazed by the threat. She stared into the dark clone with a cold stare that could freeze over water. "Go ahead. Amuse me with your threats. I could use a good laugh."

Dark Snivy smirked. "Ah, a tough nut to crack, you are. Yes, you would prove to be difficult to get a desirable scream. However, we Darkmon have our methods of forcing out shrieks of terror from even the most stone cold of Pokémon." She tightened her hold over Snivy, making her cringe with pain. "Just a little more and I'll crush your internal organs. Won't that be fun?"

Oshawott, completely ignoring his rage induced opponent, glared directly at the evil grass snake that dared to harm his beloved friend. He deactivated Razor Shell and wound his arm back. "Hey! Dark Snivy!" He threw his scalchop at her.

"Huh?" She turned, then got struck in the center of her forehead, staggering her. "OW! What the heck?!"

Her Vine Whip loosened up around Snivy. She quickly gathered up the vines and jumped over Dark Snivy. The evil grass snaked blinked as she suddenly felt her own vines wrap around her, then tightened around her arms and tail, pinning them in place.

"Hey! Let me go, freak!" she shouted angrily.

Snivy tied the vines into a knot. "Hey, look on the bright side, you get to spend the next few hours trying to untie yourself with no arms. Won't that be fun?" she mocked smugly before jumping down from the tree.

Dark Snivy thrashed angrily. "Come back here and untie me, you wretched Pokémon!"

Snivy landed next to Oshawott, who had just placed his scalchop back on his chest. She crossed her arms and smiled. "I could have gotten out of that on my own, you know."

He looked away sheepishly, rubbing his head. "Y-Yeah, well…I was worried about you, that's all. Hehe…"

She chuckled. "I know you are." She gave him a friendly hug. "That's why we look out for each other."

He smiled brightly. "You know I'll always be there to help you, as you did for me."

She smiled back. She then noticed he was closing his eyes and leaning towards her. With a humorous grin, she pressed her finger against his lips. "Uh…what are you doing?"

He blinked, a deep red blush crossing his face. "I-I-I was just, um…" He stood there silent for a moment, then covered his face in embarrassment. "AGH! What was I thinking?!" Snivy patted the embarrassed otter on the back, a light blush on her face.

Their eyes snapped when a Bubble Beam flew pass them, which would have hit them have it not been for Snivy pushing them both to the ground in time. Their heads shot up, seeing Piplup, Emolga, Axew, and Scraggy run away from Dark Emolga, Dark Scraggy, and their gang of Darkmon.

Piplup quickly fired Bubble Beam at them. "Do these guys ever take a break?!"

Dark Emolga chortled with evil. "Ooh, I can already see your blood spilt across the battlefield!"

"Gross!" Axew shouted.

Scraggy spun on his heel, forming Focus Blast. "Eat this!" He threw it right at them,

Dark Scraggy got in front of it and countered with his own Focus Blast, created a cloud of dust between them. Dark Emolga leaped over the cloud and rained down Discharge, zapping all four of them. They screamed in pain and fell over on their stomachs.

The dark flying squirrel landed, then snapped her fingers. "Alright everyone, you know what to do." The Darkmon behind them licked their lips before rushing at the dazed Pokémon.

"Leaf Storm!"

The Darkmon were close to sinking their teeth and claws into them, but a storm of leaves washed over them, inflicting tons of damage that threw them in the air. Any Darkmon that didn't get caught in the Leaf Storm were soon met with a Hydro Pump to the face.

Emolga pushed herself up in a confused daze. "Wha…?"

"Hey!" She turned and saw Oshawott and Snivy running over to them. "Are you guys okay?!"

She pushed herself up into a sitting position and held her head. "For worse or wear…you try outrunning these guys with your backs turned."

Snivy sighed, then helped her up. "At least you all are still alive."

"Barely…" Scraggy muttered, his voice muffled in the dirt. He rolled onto his back. "I need a break."

"That's not happening!" Oshawott shouted as he got in front of everyone, held up his scalchop, and blocked a Discharge attack. The electricity bounced off his shell, leading the others to duck their heads.

Dark Emolga, teeth clenched, poured more power into her attack. Oshawott staggered back a bit, but he kept his footing. Seeing he wouldn't let up, the dark squirrel used Hidden Power and fired multiple green orbs at them. They exploded against Oshawott and knocked him back.

Piplup clenched his flipper, then shook it fiercely. "No one does that to my friend but me! EAT THIS!" He grabbed the edge of his windmill shuriken and threw it at Dark Emolga.

The evil flying squirrel jumped to her left, letting the dangerous weapon safely fly pass her. She formed a Hidden Power in her hand and threw it at the shuriken. It was knocked out of the air, flying uncontrollably before lodging itself into the ground.

Piplup flailed his flippers angrily. "Hey! I just got use to using that thing!"

Dark Emolga formed several more Hidden Powers. "Consider that your last throw."

"Not so fast!" She felt a fist collide against her cheek, sending her sailing across the ground. Her attacker, Pignite, blew flames out of his nostrils. "Oh yeah!"

"Pignite!" his friends called out.

He snorted proudly. "Hey guys!"

"How did you find us?" Piplup asked as he helped Oshawott up.

"I saw you, Emolga, Axew, and Scraggy running from those Darkmon, so I ditched my counterpart to come help."

The red eyes of Dark Scraggy flashed behind him. "But who's going to save you?" He reared his leg back and fired off High Jump Kick.

Pignite turned around in time to block the hit with his palms. The pressure shot up his arms and straight through his body like a nonlethal, but still painful bullet. He growled, then fired Flamethrower in the Shedding Darkmon's face. He then clenched his fist and gave him a well-deserved uppercut.

Dark Scraggy landed on his feet, then fired Focus Blast. Pignite dodged the first one, but the Darkmon quickly closed the distance between them and slammed a second Focus Blast at blank point, knocking the fire pig back in a massive explosion.

"Pignite!" his friends shouted as he landed at their feet.

"Ugh…that smarts…" he grumbled.

Dark Emolga picked herself off the ground and dusted her membrane wings clean. "Well, seems the whole gang is here. Now we can slaughter you all."

Snivy stepped in front of her friends. "You'll have to get through me first. I'm not letting you lay on hand on my friends."

The evil flying squirrel smirked. "Take note, loyal Darkmon, of the foolish bravery this one exerts. She shows pride, but she also shows a face of someone who knows she's partaking in a losing battle. Laugh at her." The Darkmon laughed maliciously at them.

Snivy clenched her fist. A tiny smirk of her own grew. "I've always wanted a reason to do this…"

She narrowed her eyes. "Do wha-?" Snivy dashed right up to her face and socked her in the mouth. She bounced across the ground and fell onto her stomach. She held her mouth in pain, noticing even her teeth were broken. "You…You…YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT!"

Snivy extended out Vine Whip as she folder her arms over her chest. "I've been waiting for a reason to give Emolga a piece of my mind. I feel this is the more sensible way of letting out my frustration with her antics."

Emolga narrowed her eyes, arms draped at her sides. "Well, this says a lot about how you feel about me."

"Nothing personal," she assured before sprinting at the Darkmon.

Dark Emolga rose to her feet. Her teeth repaired themselves to perfect form. "If it's a fight you desire, then it's a fight I shall give you!" She fired Volt Switch at the grass snake.

Snivy maneuvered around it and slapped Dark Emolga across the face with Vine Whip. Dark Emolga grabbed her vines and threw her over her shoulder, slamming her into the ground. Snivy quickly rolled way from the Hidden Powers she fired at her. She rolled to her feet and dashed at her with Leaf Blade. Dark Emolga backed away with quick sidesteps.

Snivy spun on her back, making the Darkmon jump in the air. The grass snake used Vine Whip to restrain her in the air, then slashed up her body with Leaf Blade. Dark Emolga glared angrily as she fired off Discharge throughout the grass snake's body, briefly stunning her from shock. She unraveled the vines and socked her across the face as an act of payback. She then slammed Hidden Power into her chest.

Snivy dragged her feet through the ground and stopped herself. She prepared to fire Leaf Storm, but she was nailed in the back of the head with Headbutt, curtesy of Dark Scraggy. He grabbed her by the throat and lifted her up before punching her across the face.

Oshawott watched this in anger. "Hey, that's cheating!"

Dark Emolga smirked. "Aww, is the weak Pokémon upset we're not playing fair? Well, too bad, twerp. You're on our turf now!"

He growled, grabbed his scalchop, and dashed at them. "Hang on, Snivy!"

He was about to activate Razor Shell, but he was suddenly grabbed by the tail and held upside down. He spun around and saw Dark Oshawott, who was sneering with rage. His eyes had just finish regenerating. "You are SO dead." He slammed the otter onto his back, then pressed the blade of his Razor Shell against his neck.

The others huddled close to each other as the Darkmon circled around them, laughing and snickering. Axew hugged Emolga with a frightened expression. "What do we do?!"

Emolga shook her clenched fist as she tried to come up with a plan. No matter what they tried, the Darkmon will always recover from their injuries. For all the taunting they've done, they were right: they were unstoppable killing machines. They found themselves in a battle where all they could do was push back harder and harder until they overexert their limits.

She pushed Axew behind her. "Just stay behind me, okay? I'll keep you safe!"

Piplup stepped forward, flippers balled up. "We'll keep each other safe! We're not letting you freaks push us around just because you're stronger, faster, tougher, or WHATEVER! We'll keep fighting, stronger and stronger!"

One of the Darkmon growled. "I'm getting sick and tired of you Pokémon and your illogical hope! You can't escape fate! It has been SEALED!" All the Darkmon lunged at the them with claws extended and teeth bared. The Pokémon braced themselves to launch a counterattack.

A thin, continuous purple slash sliced through the hoard of Darkmon, faster than the eye can track. They froze in midair, briefly paralyzing by the swift strike that somehow managed to hit their weak spots, before collapsing at the feet of the Pokémon.

Dark Scraggy narrowed his eyes in anger, wondering what lowly creature would dare defy them, when he suddenly got a taste of his own medicine. A strong hand gripped down on his neck, relieving the tension in his hand to release Snivy. She gasped for air.

Dark Emolga backed away in horror. "What is this?" She shrieked as a hand grabbed her by the head and picked her up. "AH! Release me at once!" She fired off Discharge at her attacker, but they didn't appear to be affected. "WHA?!"

The Pokémon gasped, seeing they were being rescued by Krookodile, Laura, and Chloe, who appeared on the ground in a flicker with her claws extended to full length. Meowth was holding a Darkmon by the scruff of his neck and shoved him against a tree.

"What are THEY doing here?!" Oshawott asked, unsure if he should be relieved or keeping his guard up.

Emolga smiled with relief. "They're our backup." She glanced at Krookodile. "And if he's here, that means the escape tunnel is finished."

"Escape tunnel?!" shouted the Pokémon who weren't in on the plan.

Dark Scraggy gasped for air as he thrashed in the emotionless android's grasp. "Unhand me at once!" His eyes widened. "W-Wait…L-Lady Laura?!"

She sneered and shoved his head through the tree. The less she heard them speak to her like she was royalty, the less she'll feel upset. "Shut up…"

Dark Emolga struggled to squirm loose from Krookodile's grip. "Let go! Do you know what I am?! I'm the incarnation of evil itself!"

The sand croc pushed up his sunglasses. "Oh, my apologies. I should be treating you with respect." He raised her high and slammed her face first into the ground, burying her all the way up to her tail. "There, now you're just as low as your actions." Her tail flailed wildly, the sound of her angry screaming barely deafened by the earth.

Meowth punched out the Darkmon he was holding and said, "Is everyone okay?"

Oshawott would normally question why Meowth or Laura were suddenly on their side or why there was apparently another apparently good Darkmon helping the out, but he had given up after meeting Koda. Besides, after hearing about this apparent escape tunnel they had, he couldn't care less. "Yeah, just about." He held his head. "I'm worn out."

"We all are," Chloe agreed, despite her being in top form for battle. "Listen up everyone, I get that some of you probably don't trust me, but I can assure you I'm on your side. Our top priority is to get you all out of here as quickly as possible. With the Darkmon attacking on the surface, the normal way up won't be safe."

Snivy looked to Emolga, who clearly knew this Darkmon more than the rest of them. After she gave a confident, though slightly hesitant nod, the grass snake nodded at the Dark Glameow. "Alright, lead the way."

Chloe nodded, but Meowth stopped her before she could guide them. "Hang on, where's the rest of your twerpish friends?"

"Ryder and Pikachu are fighting Dark," Piplup brought up. He could have sworn he heard a growl and whimper out of Laura, but he ignored it. "Buneary, Pansage, Pachirisu, and Quilava snuck out with Scarlet."

"Scarlet?" the Pokémon who weren't with the rabbit questioned in confusion.

"Oh, that's right, you don't know." He smiled brightly. "Buneary's egg hatched! A beautiful Pichu girl!"

"What?! No way!" Emolga squealed with sparkling eyes. "I can't believe it! I need to see the little cutie!"

Axew cheered. "Woohoo! A new playmate!" Scraggy pumped his fist in excitement.

Meowth sighed, face-palming. "With it imprinted on its mother already, there goes our plan to mold the little brat…" The Pokémon immediately glared at the shifty cat. He smiled nervously. "Heh…did I say that out loud?"

Krookodile rolled his eyes, then smiled. "Well, I can't wait to congratulate her and Pikachu when we escape."

Chloe's ears twitched, suddenly picking up on a distant sound. She narrowed her eyes. "Uh…you said your friends have a baby with them, right?"

Snivy narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Yeah…why?"

"Because I'm hearing the distinct sound of a baby crying. Unless there's coincidentally a second baby in the forest, I don't think your friends made it out of the forest yet. Meaning they're being attacked as we speak."

Their faces paled in horror. "WHAT?!"

"You mean they're in trouble?!" Oshawott screamed.

"We need to help them!" Pignite cried.

Chloe zeroed in on the cries, trying to exactly determine where they were resonating from. Once her ears got a lock on, she said, "I know where they are! They're very far, so we need to be quick!" She dashed ahead, pacing herself so the others would be able to keep up with her.

The group was quick to follow behind, worried for the safety and wellbeing of their friends and the innocent newborn. However, a pair of glowing red eyes were spying on them from the bushes.

"Looks like we have a traitor on our hands, boys."

---

Pachirisu slammed his head against Dark Pachirisu's, staggering them both greatly. The squirrel was so desperate to beat him that he resorted to headbutting tactics. Truly this was a desperate fight for his life he found himself into.

Dark Pachirisu rubbed the sore spot before tackling Pachirisu against a tree, clamping his hands around his neck. "Give up yet?"

Pachirisu wheezed, then presented a bold smile. "You kidding? I'm just getting warmed up!"

The evil squirrel narrowed his eyes, then looked to Dark Krookodile. "Kill him." He nodded, then raised his claws to activate Dragon Claw. Pachirisu gulped as he stared at the advancing claws.

Dark Krookodile raised them and prepared to slash down, but his attack was interrupted by Quilava's Flamethrower hitting the right side of his head. The fire weasel rammed into his side with Flame Wheel, effectively knocking him out with a concussive blow to the head.

Pachirisu grinned. "Hey buddy! You took care of your guys?"

"I wish!" he screamed as he fired Flamethrower over his shoulder. Dark Axew, who was under the effects of Outrage, charged through the flames before slamming his fist across the fire weasel's jaw. He slid through the dirt, kicking up the dirt. He skidded to a stop, leaving behind a small trench in his way.

Dark Axew panted, then roared up at the sky. He kicked at the dirt before going into a full out sprint head first. Quilava shrieked and tensed his body up for the impending blow.

"Leave him alone!" Pachirisu cried as he bit down on the dark dragon's shoulder with Super Fang.

The evil dragon's eyes dilated in surprise, then shrunk in anger as he turned on his heel and punched the squirrel in the head. He reached down and grabbed him by the fur on his head, holding him up. He growled lowly as he pulled his fist back.

"NO!" Quilava used Flame Wheel and slammed into the dragon's back.

Dark Axew threw Pachirisu to the side and roared. He was fully prepared to attack Quilava, but he ran his Outrage over the limit. The red glow in his eyes dimmed a bit. After that, he danced around dizzily, having succumbed to the fatigue of using such an overly taxing move.

Quilava blinked in surprise and relief, eternally grateful for his luck. He properly retorted by shooting flames into the Darkmon's face, followed up with Swift. Dark Axew teetered on his feet before finally collapsing.

Pachirisu took a deep breath in before exhaling "Glad that's over."

"Forgetting something?" He cried out in pain as Dark Pachirisu came up behind him and bit down on him with Super Fang.

Quilava's eyes shook in fear, then they sharpened into a glare. "Stay away from my friend!" He pounced on the evil squirrel, resulting in a tussle on the ground. Quilava fired Flamethrower at him, but he moved his head out of the way just enough to only have the flames lick his fur. His lips curled into a smirk as he fired off Discharge over the weasel's body.

He screamed in agony, blasted off after a moment of torturous pain. Dark Pachirisu rolled onto his feet and snickered, but Pachirisu retaliated with a Spark attack. "How dare you!"

Dark Pachirisu hooked his arm around his and threw him over his shoulder. "It's the way of nature, brat! We all must fight to survive! You're the weakest link in this chain of survival! We are the ones at the top! We will become the dominant race!"

Pachirisu rolled back to his feet and tackled him. "I won't let that happen!"

Dark Pachirisu used Super Fang and bit down hard on the squirrel's shoulder. A trickle of blood leaked out. He kicked him over to Quilava, who was struggling to get back on his feet.

The evil squirrel grinned sadistically as his cheeks crackled with electricity. "Where's your sense of justice now?"

"Right…here!" A flash of light came out from the corner of Dark Pachirisu's eye. He turned, then screamed in pain as he was enveloped by the destructive power of Solar Beam. His skin and fur caught fire, his body turning ashy and gray, before he blew away into scattered dust.

Pachirisu and Quilava stared in awe, then turned to face Pansage, who was standing weakly with one arm out, the one he used to fire Solar Beam. The other was hanging limply, requiring some much-needed rest. "H…Heh…I did it…" He collapsed to his knees.

"Pansage!" They ran over to him. They hooked his arms around their necks and helped him to his feet. "Are you okay?!" Quilava asked.

"That…was so FLIPPIN' COOL!" Pachirisu squealed excitably. "He was all like 'I'm the big bad! I'm invincible'! And you were all like 'Buddy, please! I'm flippin' Pansage! Taste the power of the sun'! And then, KABOOM!"

Pansage chuckled weakly with a small sweatdrop on his forehead. "Err…thank you, Pachi." He grunted, staggering forward.

Quilava supported him back up. "Again, are you alright?"

"I'll need some time to rest, but I'm most definitely fine." He groaned. "More importantly…where's Buneary?"

Speaking of the rabbit, she was, surprisingly, holding her own pretty well. Thanks to all her special training, she was able to evade most of the Darkmon's attacks and counter accordingly with her martial styled-Bounce attack. She worked in a few Drain Punches here and there to get some of her energy back.

8744, flat out annoyed with her dodging, rained down Thunderbolt in multiple successions. Buneary bounced away from the raining lightning, but 8745 used this to her advantage as she got in close and punched Buneary across the face with Dizzy Punch. She skidded back, keeping a tight hold over Scarlet.

Speaking of which, the baby's crying only seemed to grow as the fight went on. Sometimes she would only whimper, but then she'd get scared when she saw her mother get hurt or if she heard a very scary noise. Worse of all, though, were these horrible creatures that kept flashing these expressions that made her feel uneasy. She couldn't explain understand the feeling, but she didn't feel safe.

Buneary spun on her back and slapped the Dark Buneary across the face with her foot. She flipper to her feet, then jumped into the trees. She tried to calmly soothe her by rubbing her ears against her. "There, there, Scarlet. Don't worry. Mommy won't let the bad creatures hurt you. She'll protect you, I promise."

The baby Pichu gurgled sadly, her eyes shimmering with tears. She pressed her face into her mother's chest to ease her nerves. She could hear the erratic thumping of her mother's heart beating wildly from fighting. Somehow, even with the irregular beating, she found it oddly comforting. Perhaps it was because she was close to her mother and could feel the love and care in her words.

Buneary stared down at her sadly, ashamed she couldn't get out of here quicker. Now with the Darkmon invading above ground, they were going to need a lot of luck to escape.

"I got you now!" Her eyes widened as her counterpart leaped to her level. She didn't see it coming as her foot planted harshly against her back and propelled her into the other trees.

The rabbit flipped herself around midflight, letting her back take the hit so she didn't crush the fragile Pichu. She grunted from the impact. The sore spot she was kicked in amplified the hit. She bit down on her tongue, suppressing the pain, before bouncing off the tree and slamming her foot against 8745's face. "Take…THIS!" She used Dizzy Punch and whacked the Darkmon viciously.

8745 jumped back and fired Ice Beam. Buneary countered with her own, but it was immediately overpowered. She jumped over it and landed on the ground. Upon landing, she frantically bent her body to the right as an Electro Ball zipped by. Once she straightened up, 8744 punched her across the face, then hit her again with Iron Tail.

He smirked proudly. "Just give up. You can't fight both of us forever, especially with that twerp in your arms."

Buneary panted, using her ears to soak up the sweat dripping down her forehead. "I told you…I won't let you harm a single hair on her precious little head!"

"I don't think you understand, runt. You've already lost. You can't beat us." He shrugged arrogantly. "That's just the way things are."

She growled. "That's the way things are in your world! In mine, we don't senselessly kill others for our amusement!"

8745 jumped down from the trees and shook her head. "A sad world you live in." She flashed her menacing eyes at her. "Why don't we just cut to the chase? If you don't like our ways, I'll gladly remove you from this world. My treat!" She lunged at her.

Buneary dodged a Dizzy Punch and kicked her in the stomach. She jumped and struck both her feet into her face. She did an ear stand, then used Dizzy Punch to rocket herself in the air. She spun around and sprayed Ice Beam across the ground. The ground became slippery, making it hard for the Darkmon to keep their footing.

8744 sunk his claws into the ice to stabilize his movements. He slammed Iron Tail down, then batted chunks of ice at the rabbit. She skillfully contorted her body as she fell to dodge them. Once her feet were firmly planted on the ice, she skated around them with grace.

Her counterpart, having knowledge on her contest skills, mimicked her movements and skated behind her. She used Drain Punch and sprung her ear at her. Buneary dodged, then fired back with her Drain Punch. The two ears pressed against each other for a brief moment before they were pushed away by the force.

The Dark Pikachu used Quick Attack, ran across the ice, and slammed his body into Buneary's abdomen. She lifted Scarlet over her head before he hit her. Since she didn't have any claws in her feet that could stop her from sliding, she crashed into a tree. Scarlet cried softly into her mother's chest once more.

Buneary rubbed the baby's back, then suddenly dodged a Thunderbolt. 8744 growled. "Hold still!" He prepared to fire off another, but he was interrupted by a Flamethrower scorching his body.

Pansage, Quilava, and Pachirisu ran over to them, with the grass monkey doing so to the best of his ability with a minor limp. "Hang on, Buneary!" Quilava called out.

8745 narrowed her eyes. "Oh…you three actually survived? How…interesting." She punched both her ears and fists together. "8744, I'll handle these three. They're already worn down as it is."

"Whatever you say!" he replied before jumping into the air and firing down Thunderbolt. Buneary dodged it, then used Bounce. She rapidly kicked the Darkmon over his body with a successful string of midair kicks.

Quilava used Flame Wheel and rammed against the Dark Buneary. She stopped him in his tracks with her hands. They burned from the contact. She raised her ears and pummeled them down on him with Drain Punch.

Pachirisu zipped around the Dark Buneary and hit her in the back with Spark. She growled, then released Quilava before stepping out of the way. The fire weasel accidentally ran into Pachirisu. They tumbled across the ground before getting back to their feet and running back at her with Spark and Flame Wheel respectively.

She dodged them both, then used Bounce, bringing her foot down on Quilava's head. She then fired Ice Beam, retraining Pachirisu's feet in place. He jerked his body to try and break himself out.

8745 punched her ears together, activating Dizzy Punch, then rushed at him. Pansage, weakly standing on the sidelines, fired Bullet Seed at her. She intercepted this with her ears, then changed directions to go after him. Seeing as how he couldn't get out of the way in time, he crossed his arms and took the full force of the attack.

"You miserable creatures will never learn! The incarnations of evil shall prevail!" she pressed on shoving Pansage against a tree. She sneered. "We are the superior race."

Quilava forced himself to rise, then charged at her again with Flame Wheel. "We will stop you!"

She smirked. "You'll die trying."

Buneary and 8744 continued to clash, matching powerful kicks with steel hard tail. She switched it up with Drain Punch whenever she kicked his tail away, landing a few decent blows on him. The Dark Pikachu snarled at the rabbit's persistence. It only fueled his drive to eliminate her.

Buneary jumped back and fired Ice Beam. 8744 used Quick Attack and sped around the icy energy. Buneary raised her foot and kicked him against the head once he was close. She barely managed to stop him, nearly twisting her leg in the process.

"UGH!" She jumped away. These guys just won't quit!

8744 raced after her, throwing a sharp punch. She bent back, dodging it, then used the momentum to kick him upward. She sprung up after him and punched him repeatedly with Dizzy Punch. She spun around and kicked him directly back down to earth.

She landed on her feet, then took a moment to breathe. "Dear me…" She smiled down at Scarlet, who looked up at her mother with shimmering eyes. "You okay, sweet pea?" Scarlet blinked, then showed her a tiny smile. Buneary gave a light squeal. "I told you I'd always protect you."

A hand clasped on her shoulder, sending shivers up her spine. Her head slowly turned, meeting the eyes of 8744 once more. He flashed a smirk. "You failed to keep your word." His arm sparked, then he poured a dangerous amount of electricity through Buneary, which passed on through Scarlet as well.

They both screamed in pain, lighting up with purple electricity. Her friends, still fighting the Dark Buneary, paused to watch in horror the agony both mother and daughter were suffering. Their expressions were twisted with pain and anguish. It was too much to watch.

"BUNEARY! SCARLET!" Pachirisu screamed. He tried to race over, but 8745 grabbed him by the tail and whipped him head first into a tree. He laid there, dazed.

"Hang on!" Quilava cried out, only to be buried in the dirt by the evil rabbit.

Pansage tried to fire Bullet Seed at the Dark Pikachu, but he, too, had succumb to a swift attack to the stomach from the same Darkmon, collapsing to his knees. He held his aching torso, staring up at the suffering family. "No…"

Tears streamed down Buneary's face, out of pain and out of grief for not protecting Scarlet. Somehow, the deafening screams of her suffering baby dealt far greater pain the electricity coursing throughout her system.

The Dark Pikachu eventually took his hand off her. She stood there, smoking from the excessive damage, before slowly falling over. Her eyes were partially glazed, barely clinging on to consciousness. She twisted her body just enough to where she landed on her back, avoiding any accidental crushing of the already harmed baby in her arms.

Scarlet, despite being so young and inexperienced, somehow managed to stay awake, if only barely. She looked up at her mother. She whimpered lightly as she crawled over her mother's body, meeting her face. She poked her with concern in her eyes, desperately hoping for her to wake up. She was so scared.

"Chu…" she murmured. She snuggled under her chin, hoping it would jolt her awake. "Pi…chu…"

She shrieked as a hand grabbed her by her scruff and lifted her up. She thrashed fearfully, wanting her mommy to hold her. She was turned around and met the horrifying stare of 8744. Scarlet's lip quivered, then she burst into tears.

The Dark Pikachu sneered. "Quit your crying, you whiny brat!" This only increased the deafening cries to unbearable levels for the Darkmon. "Unbelievable." He sighed, then grinned sadistically. "Heh, not like it'll matter in a moment."

Buneary's eyes regained their natural glow, then she blinked. Her body was strained and burnt, yet all of that was ignored as her mind was focused on the desperate cries of her baby girl. "Scarlet…" She pushed herself up, ignoring the blistering pain running through her. "Scarlet!"

She was almost up, but 8745 kicked her onto her stomach, then stepped on her back. "Aww, don't get up yet. You're going to ruin the fun." Buneary pressed her arms against the ground and tried to push herself up. The Dark Buneary sneered, pushing down harder. "Still stubborn? Well, I have a little remedy for that."

She reached down and grabbed the rabbit's right arm. Buneary's eyes widened, horrified that she had an idea what was to come. The evil rabbit smirked. "Think happy thoughts, dearie. Maybe they'll dull the pain." She slowly bent the rabbit's arm behind her back.

Buneary screamed at the scorching pain shooting through her arm. She was going to break her bones if she kept this up. She might actually physically disable her arm. This would have horrified her more have it not been for the fact her baby was in mortal danger.

"Physical pain…emotional pain…all in one convenient package," the Dark Buneary whispered into her ear. "Now let's end this little show of ours." She looked up at her partner. "Finish the brat off, 8744." Buneary's eyes widened to their maximum width. Her face paled with horror.

The Dark Pikachu wrapped his arms around the Pichu, then grabbed her head. "Say goodbye to your precious baby, weakling!" Scarlet cried louder, still not fully aware of what was going on, but she knew she was in some sort of danger. She flailed her arms wildly, crying louder and louder.

Buneary's eyes were dilated. Everything around her seemed to disappear. All she could see was Scarlet. All she could hear was her frantic heartbeat and her crying child. Her friends were down. She was down. No one was there to save them.

What kind of mother was she? She brought a defenseless egg into a dangerous forest. Now her baby was going to pay for her foolish mistakes. Why…Why did she bring this upon herself? All so she could selfishly see the birth of her daughter? She risked bringing her here just so she wouldn't miss her birth?

She wanted to say she was a terrible mother…she wanted to beat herself up for making such a life threatening decision. No one deserved this. Scarlet didn't deserve this. She was only a baby. She didn't know how to defend herself. She couldn't save herself.

No one was going to save her in time…

…

…

…

…no.

No! She won't allow this! She said she would protect Scarlet with her life and she was going to do so…EVEN IF IT KILLS HER!

Right before 8744 could proceed with the execution, he paused in curiosity as Buneary was struggling to get up, despite the Dark Buneary holding her down and bending her arm back.

The Dark Buneary sneered. "Hey! Stay down!" She pushed back Buneary's arm farther, but was horrified to discover that the rabbit was actually forcing herself to ignore the pain. Also, when she turned around, the Darkmon flinched in surprise at the startling expression she presented.

Anger. Hatred. Hostility. The will of a fierce warrior burned deeply within those eyes. A warrior who will stop at nothing to protect her loved ones. Protect her child.

"Let…GO OF ME!" She smashed the back of her head against her face. 8745 recoiled and held her bleeding nose. Buneary whipped her foot around and smashed her against a tree, before viciously throwing a flurry of kicks all over her body. Each kick hit deeply, so much that the shock of the kicks passed through her and blew off bark from the back of the tree.

After she ended her assault, 8745 dropped to her hands weakly, gasping for air before collapsing under the strain of her injured arms.

Buneary sharped whipped her head at 8744, whose eyes were shrunk in surprise. Even Scarlet was shocked. However, seeing her mother up again and taking out the big meanies, she couldn't stop whimpering giggles from exiting her mouth.

Buneary held her right arm, which hung loosely against her side. The pain was numb, likely due to the adrenaline that was working overtime throughout her body. She swallowed hard, then narrowed her eyes angrily at the Dark Pikachu.

"Take your hands off my daughter…NOW!" Channeling power to her feet, she sprung forward with Bounce. The ground behind her blasted apart from the launch.

8744 was too stunned to dodged the strong kick against his face. He lost his hold on Scarlet, letting the baby fall on the ground. The Dark Pikachu slammed against a tree, but learned from his partner's mistake and sidestepped away from Buneary's flurry of kicks.

"What in the name of darkness has gotten into her? She's crazy!"

Buneary ricocheted off the tree and fired a kick at his face, but he blocked it with his arms. She bounced off his block, landed against a tree, then sprung off again. As the Dark Pikachu ran down a row of trees, Buneary persistently bounced off all of them, pressing harder with each consecutive blow.

She finally broke through his block and slammed Drain Punch in between his head, then kicked him onto his back. She slammed her feet down on his abdomen and fired down a series of kicks furiously.

8744 was choked up, unable to breathe. Did he say crazy? He meant insane!

Buneary finished off by slamming down on his tail, then grabbed him by the hairs of his head. Applying all her might into her one usable arm, she through him high into the air, then sprung off the ground, reaching as high as the branches. She firmly planted her feet against them, then rocketed herself down.

8744's eyes were wide with…fear? Why was he afraid of this Pokémon? Maybe it's because he can sense the intense rancor seething throughout her aura. It was nowhere near as threatening as Lord Dark's…but the fact she was getting this angry and ferocious to protect her child…

Buneary pulled her ears back, then unleashed an unrelenting fury of Drain Punches, propelling the Dark Pikachu down faster and faster as they fell. She finished it off by slamming her foot down on his neck and smashing him into the ground.

Her friends, who have gotten up after a brief rest, stared in surprise at the smack down the rabbit gave the two Darkmon. They made a mental note to themselves to NEVER get on her bad side.

Once the dust parted, Buneary was seen standing over 8744, panting heavily with her eyes closed. She lightly gripped her weakened arm, then stumbled back dizzily.

Scarlet tilted her head, wiping the tears off her face. She waved her little arms before jolting herself forward, standing on her feet. She wobbled unsteadily to her mother, who was too caught up in her heavy breathing to notice.

Scarlet reached out and tugged on her mother's fluff. "Chu?"

Buneary's eyes opened, then she looked down at the innocent eyes staring up at her. Her lips quivered before breaking out into a weak smile. "Scarlet…" She reached down and picked her up in her good arm. "I'm so glad…" Her eyes glazed over. "…you're…safe…" She teetered back, falling unconscious on the ground.

"Chu?!" Scarlet cried in concern.

"Buneary!" her friends cried out. They ran over to her side. Pachirisu picked up Scarlet and cradled the poor baby.

Pansage bent down and checked her breathing and pulse. He sighed in deep relief. "Oh thank goodness…she's alright. She just passed out." The other two sighed with relief, too.

Quilava tucked his head under Buneary and slid her onto his back. "We need to get her out of here now." Pansage and Pachirisu nodded in agreement.

"No…you…don't!" A barrage of Bullet Seed came at them from behind. Pansage quickly turned and countered with his own Bullet Seed. Leaning against a tree was Dark Pansage, looking worse for wear. He clutched the arm that was burned off by Pansage earlier. He had a mad look in his eyes. "You…You…YOU!"

Pansage raised his hands calmly. "L-Look, just calm down-"

"Calm down? CALM DOWN?! HA! As if! I have plenty of reason to end you weaklings once and for all!"

Pachirisu glared. "We're not weaklings! We clearly beat the strongest of your team!"

His lips curled up into an insane smirk. "You think that matters? Well…prepare to be proven wrong, you pathetic, insignificant creatures!" He leaped into the air, charging his Anti-Solar Beam. "For I am the incarnation of-!"

A purple slash cut through his neck. He froze in midair, then collapsed to the ground. The group blinked, then looked ahead at the Dark Glameow that saved them.

She blew on her claws before retracting them. "Miserable creature."

The group stared in confusion and concern. "What the heck…?" Pachirisu muttered. "Is she…on our side?"

"Yes, she is." They turned around, then smiled happily at the welcoming faces of their friends.

"Guys!" They ran over and brought each other into a group hug, excluding Meowth and Laura.

"I can't believe you're here!" Quilava cheered. "You have NO idea what we've been through!"

"Oh, I think we have a good idea," Emolga responded, patting his back. She turned to Pachirisu, then squealed upon seeing the little Pichu in his arms. "And this must be that adorable little Pichu Piplup told us about! Aww, she's so cute!" Scarlet's blinked her eyes and twitched her ears, very confused.

Krookodile tipped down his sunglasses, spotting the unconscious Buneary on Quilava's back. "What happened to her?" he asked as he picked her up.

"Err…kind of a long story," the fire weasel responded nervously.

"We'll tell you as soon as we get out of here," Pansage said. "We're going to reach the cliff soon and start climbing."

Krookodile shook his head. "No need for that. I have a safer way of escaping."

"You do?!" they shouted.

"Yes, but we must hurry before anymore Darkmon spot us."

Piplup flailed his flippers furiously. "So enough standing around and chitchatting! Let's get to the escape tunnel and we can reconnect later!" They nodded, preparing to follow Krookodile.

Chloe's ears twitched, before whipping her claws out and slashed through a Hyper Beam. The beam parted from the force of her slash, rushing pass the group and destroying the land behind them. While they stood there in shock, Chloe narrowed her eyes. "Savage…"

The Dark Marowak walked out of the bushes, along with his pack of Dark Mightyena's. He twirled his bone club with a smirk. "779…just what in the name of darkness do you think you're doing?"

---

Bright flashes of purple burst through the thick leaves as two incredibly fast enemies clashed with each other. One filled with the passion of evil, the other filled with the malicious intent for evil. Both were giving it their all.

Koda, wearing the sadistic grin that came with using Awakened Evil, chopped a thick branch off a tree and kicked it at Fang. He enlarged his pincer and charged through the branch, devouring it all in one swift swipe. He proceeded on his initial target, who leaped out of harm's way. He brought his palms together and fired an immense aura wave that grazed Fang's blazing wings.

The Dark Gliscor growled before divebombing the Dark Riolu. Koda laughed as he caught the monster by his pincers, then aimed Force Palm inside them. "A weak Force Palm hurt you! Wonder how THIS ONE will feel?!" He fired into the pincer with Force Palm.

Fang reeled back in screeching pain, waving his smoking pincer. He aimed the other one and fired Dark Pulse, knocking the Dark Riolu away. However, with his newfound pain tolerance, Koda only laughed callously at the attack.

"You call THAT an attack?! What right do you have calling me pathetic?!" He rushed back at him, charging aura into his palms.

Fang sneered, then reactivated his hypersonic wings. He dodged the aura blasts, zipped around the tree, and slashed through Koda's legs. He deactivated his devouring pincers and fired Dark Pulse, sending Koda flying in the air.

Koda tensed his body to endure the hit, then caught himself on a branch. Once he regenerated his legs, he fired down aura waves at the Dark Gliscor, who maneuvered through all of them with precise turning. He snipped his enlarged pincers and thrusted them at Koda. The Dark Riolu deflected the massive pincers and slammed his palms against Fang's face, blasting him off with a double Force Palm.

Koda kicked off the tree and threw a flurry of punches into Fang' chest. The Dark Gliscor, visibly annoyed, struck Koda's side with Poison Jab. After staggering him, he slashed off his arms, then impaled him with his tail.

"To think a creature with such promise is so easy to overcome!" Fang boasted.

Koda's eyes flashed sinisterly, his grin widening. "Oho! You haven't seen anything yet, Fangy!" He slammed his clasped fists down on his skull, then forcibly removed the stinger from his torso. "Try this on for size!" He spun him around, then tossed him far into the trees.

Fang hooked his tail around a branch and spun around before landing on said branch. He sneered. I have the means to kill him in an instant, but I lack the combat training needed to keep up with him. Playing the weakling sure does have its consequences. He grinned. Even so, I just need one clean shot and he's erased.

Koda bounced from branch to branch, laughing maniacally. "Come out, come out, wherever you are!"

"Much obliged!" Dark Pulse fired from the leaves and struck Koda in the back.

He clung to the side of a tree, then snarled in the direction of the attack. He lunged at it. "I got you-WHOA!" He barely got out of the way in time. Fang hacked off half his body, arm and leg included.

The Dark Riolu gritted his teeth as he regenerated his body. His future vision went off, warning him to dodge to the left. Fang flew pass him, then zipped around immediately to strike him in the stomach with Poison Jab. He smashed Koda through the tree branches before launching him off his fist, straight to the ground.

Koda spun his body and slammed his aura charged palms down once he nearly at ground level. He softened the impact while also warping the ground to form a deep depression. He glared up at the speedy Dark Gliscor.

"Fight me like a Darkmon, Fang!" he shouted, shaking his fists. "Fight me, head on!"

The Dark Gliscor smirked. "Sorry runt, but I didn't get this far ahead in the game by sticking to the common agenda!" He slashed through the bases of several trees that toppled down toward Koda.

Koda spun in place, emitting an aura wave that blasted the trees back before they could crush him. He stopped spinning and caught one. He heaved it over his shoulder, then swung it hard enough to create a strong gust. Fang got knocked out of flight, leading the Dark Riolu to jump in the air and slam the tree down on him.

Fang slashed through the tree and flew away before he hit the ground. He spun downward at Koda. The Dark Riolu caught the spinning force, but quickly realized the poor forethought of such a plan. Fang's pincers were shredding apart his skin until he tore his hands to pieces. Koda snarled in irritation before headbutting Fang. While this did give him a nasty slash across his head, he did knock Fang out of his spin maneuver.

Fang landed on his feet, then dusted himself off. He folded his pincers behind his back and chuckled lowly. "How long?"

Koda's hands regenerated and the cut to his forehead healed away. He narrowed his eyes. "How long what?"

"How long are you willing to pull this heroic bit? If you're trying to prove to me that goodness will save you, you're doing a lousy job since the only reason you're beating me is using your evil aura."

Koda snarled. "I told you, I intend to beat you using evil as a symbol of peace!"

Fang rubbed his forehead. "What you just stated is a paradoxical goal. Peace is a static state of time where no conflict occurs. Evil…disrupts that." He narrowed his eyes. "Quit acting like something you're not. You're a Darkmon. You should be on the winning side. The side of evil. My side."

Koda scoffed. "Please, we both know you want me dead."

Fang shrugged. "Hey, you have to make sacrifices to succeed. Pretty much why I killed those five traitors." He shook his head. "You should have seen their faces. So full of vigor and courage…until I stepped in." He smirked. "I think I enjoyed killing that Dark Treecko the most. Who was he? Oh right, 46, that's it. Heh…never seen someone so foolish in my life. He almost reminds me of you."

Koda clenched his teeth. "How can you attack someone…your own kind…so mercilessly?!" He sprinted at him, charging Force Palm.

"Pretty easily, actually." He dodged and hacked of Koda's arms. "Anyone I see as inferior doesn't deserve life. It's just how the world works. Only the strong can live in my new world. Only the most loyal are allowed the right to live."

Koda's arms regenerated, then he grabbed Fang by the arm and shoved him against a tree before throwing a storm of punches. The shock of the attacks ran through Fang's body and even through the tree, along with another tree right behind it.

"Who gave you the right to play god?! What makes you think you're allowed to decide the fate of everyone you see as incompetent!"

Despite being dealt a great deal of pain, he worked up a smirk. "If only you knew where my origins truly began, then perhaps you'll understand why I was created."

"Huh?!"

Fang clamped down on Koda's arms, holding them in place. "Really think about it, 6746. Aside from Dark, you and I have unique abilities. Kind of coincidental, wouldn't you say?"

Koda struggled to pull his arms out of his hold. "What are you getting at?"

"Do you really think anything will matter after today? Even if Dark wins…even if the Pokémon win…I still win." He grinned. "I've planted the seed for everyone's destruction. And soon…I'll be the one to stand above the rest.

"So, I guess what I'm trying to get across is: do you really think I'm the only one pulling the strings here?"

Koda's eyes widened. "What…What are you talking about?! Who's pulling what strings?!" He glared, punching Fang in the gut. "WHAT ARE YOU UP TO?!"

Fang laughed…and laughed…and laughed…he kept laughing. His haunting laugh that made the Dark Riolu greatly uncomfortable. He stared directly into the frightened Darkmon's eyes. "I'd gladly tell you…but I'm not an idiot. I'm going to let you suffer, with the last thought you'll ever have wondering what will happen to this poor, insignificant world." His lips curled up. "This is the beginning of the end. Soon…everything will change."

Koda's eyes widened as the insides of Fang's pincer glowed. "You won't be getting your happy ending. All this fighting…will be pointless. Your death…won't get a satisfying conclusion." Fang's eyes flashed evilly. "I decide the fates of all Darkmon! I am…THE GRIM REAPER OF THE DARKMON!"

Fang, at the last second, opened his pincers and fired Dark Pulse into Koda's face. The strength of the blast propelled Koda through several trees, before finally smashing into one that didn't break.

Koda panted heavily. His Awakened Evil dispersed. His own personal fears were making it hard for him to sustain it. His eyes shook, his breathing quickened, and his heart pounded fiercely. The moment Fang took off after him, his mind immediately went into survival mode as he quickly scurried up the tree, trying to desperately find somewhere, ANYWHERE, to escape the evil Dark Gliscor.

Someone…anyone…SAVE ME!

Unknown to both of them, however, there was a friend for Koda nearby. Unfortunately, he was currently unaware of what was going on between the two. He was too busy fighting his own battle.

Dragonite and Dark Dragonite traded blows with each other as they steadily kept their focus on hitting the other as hard as possible. Despite Dark Dragonite being created stronger than his counterpart, Dragonite was taking his hits like a champ. A punch would press against his cheek, but he would push against it and reciprocate the attack.

Dark Dragonite flew back and fired Flamethrower, to which Dragonite countered with Ice Beam. Once they collided, a think blanket of steam shrouded around the two. Dragonite flew through the steam and punched the evil dragon in between the eyes.

Dark Dragonite staggered back, before recovering and throwing a strong Thunder Punch at his gut. The dragon reeled back in discomfort, but pressed forward with his Dragon Rush. Cloaked in the blue dragon shaped aura, he flew at his counterpart, who mirrored his attack, only in a purple variety.

The two energy dragons collided with each other while the two inside them got into a power clash, trading punches back and forth with each other.

Dark Dragonite smirked. "Not bad for a Pokémon! I might actually have to put some darn effort to beat you!"

Dragonite smirked back. "Same here!"

Their Dragon Rushes dispersed, then incorporated Thunder Punch into their series of blows. Dragonite could feel the electrical melee attack close to giving him a paralysis effect. He dodged one of the punches, grabbed Dark Dragonite by the arm, and threw him over his shoulder before blasting him into a tree with Ice Beam.

"Take this!" he shouted as he crashed into him with Dragon Rush, dealing more super effective damage through him. He smashed him through the trees. He grabbed him by the antennae, spun him around a few times, then chucked him straight to the earth, finishing in off with a powerful Flamethrower that set the ground ablaze.

Dragonite panted heavily. His body was covered in bruises and cuts, but nothing that'll slow him down. He punched his fists together and roared at the sky. "YEAH! Take that, Darkmon! Nothing can stop Dragonite!" He wore a proud grin, but it fell as he slightly faltered. He needed to take a short rest if Dark Dragonite decides to catch his second wind.

He perched himself on a tree branch and rested against the tree. He closed his eyes for a moment, but they shot open hearing the horrified screams of someone very close by. He narrowed his eyes. "Wait, that sort of sounds like…" He heard calamity unfold behind the leaves in front of him. He parted them to look.

Fallen trees were scattered everywhere. Heavy damage to the ground and blast marks from powerful energy attacks. He wanted to know what started this battle, but he didn't have to look far as his eyes picked up on the fight above, high in the trees.

Koda, in a state of panic, ran away from Fang as he flew and slashed mercilessly around him. He fired off aura pulses, but his mind was too scattered to aim properly. He was firing wildly, hoping one would knock out Fang.

"What's the matter, 6746?!" Koda screeched with pain as a purple flash claimed his left arm. "Weren't you just saying how you'll help the Darkmon?!" One of the black appendages on the left side of his head was torn off, too. "You said you could beat me, right?!"

Koda clenched his eyes shut. "Stop it…STOP IT!" He ran away, regenerating the severed parts of his body. Fang followed close behind.

"I'm the Darkmon that keeps you freaks in line! The Darkmon will destroy this planet! We are creatures of evil! You…You're a runt that'll be left behind in history! Your dreams will NEVER COME TRUE!" He thrusted his pincers out.

Koda barely dodged them, resulting in scratching his shoulder against a piece of splintery bark, leaving a nasty gash. He barely noticed as his mind was too focused on escaping Fang. He, however, reached the end of his branch. What's worse, Fang slashed the branch off.

Koda tried to kick off it, but Fang devoured it before he could. Koda looked around frantically, trying to find any way to escape. But there was nothing. Nothing could get him away in time. There was nothing.

The horrible whistling noise drew nearer. He looked up and saw Fang divebombing after him, pincers aimed right at him.

Koda's eyes were shrunk in horror. They drew nearer and nearer, threatening to take his life. His heart thumped faster than ever. All those Darkmon he claimed the lives of…he was going to become one of them.

Dragonite watched in shock. He desperately wanted to fly in and help him, but his wings couldn't open faster than Fang was moving.

The pincers went over his legs, then his torso, closing in on his head. Time seemed to move agonizingly slow for the Dark Riolu, his mind desperately wishing for any escape. Someone had to save him. That's he these types of situations worked, right? Someone was just around the corner and they'll leap in and save him.

…right?

The pincers finally went over his head. He stared in horror at the acid coated insides of them. A single drop of acid burned through his skin. He was too choked up to scream. He couldn't escape. He couldn't move his body. He was stricken with fear.

Adding the final nail to the coffin, Fang finished it off with:

"They didn't even care enough to save you."

SNAP!

Dragonite's eyes widened in horror. His wings were fully stretched out and was in the midst of leaping off the tree to rescue Koda. But he was too slow. Fang was too fast. The last thing he could see of the little guy was his grief-stricken face.

That scared face…it burned into his retinas. He has never seen Koda that frightened before. To see that happy, optimistic, childish Darkmon be reduced to a puddle of fear and grief in such a short amount of time…

Dragonite actually felt the beginning stages of tears welling up in his eyes. The little guy he hated so much from the beginning…who he only began to warm up to and show bits of respect…was gone.

What were the others going to think? Pachirisu is going to be drowning in his own tears when he realizes his new friend was killed. The others…maybe just as bad. Delivering such distressing news to his friends.

All the runt wanted was to live in harmony with Pokémon. This was his reward for such a dream? Murder?! How can anyone be so merciless and cruel to such an innocent creature like Koda? What did he ever do to deserve such a grim and horrible fate?

"Koda…" He dropped to his knees, staring down with a melancholy expression of disbelief. "This…This has to be a bad dream…it has to…"

His attention was immediately drawn to the laughing ahead. Fang snipped his pincers, smiling in satisfaction. "I tried to warn you, 6746. This could have all been avoided." He tapped his chin in thought, then smirked. "Too bad he won't let me go after Dark. I'm feeling pretty confident after wiping that runt off the face of the earth."

Something…snapped in Dragonite's mind. That creature…he was the same one that fought Koda a couple weeks back. Now he was floating there, laughing as if he everything was great in the world. He KILLED someone and showed NO SIGN of regret.

Anger…a deep, spiteful anger welled up from within the dragon. He rose to his feet, then flapped his wings.

Fang folded his pincers behind his back. "Well, I've got all I wanted out of the way. I believe it's time to carry on with-" His eyes widened as he felt a massive spike in anger resonating behind him. "That's some potent anger…" He turned around.

Dragonite floated in the air, his head lowered. His fists were clenched tightly. "How…How could you?"

Fang blinked in confusion, then shrugged. "I haven't the slightest clue what you mean, weakling. I'm only keeping order in this world. I saw 6746 as a useless part of the Darkmon race and I only saw what was fit: complete erasure of him."

The dragon's fist tightened. He snarled. "You killed him…You killed him…and all you can do is say that it was NECESSARY?!"

Fang groaned. "I wouldn't expect a weak-minded fool such as yourself to understand." He snipped his pincers. "Why don't you just get lost before I decide to feast on dragon meat next? I have things to get done."

He was treating this like it was a casual business matter. No thought or care about what he did. He just murdered someone like it was nothing more than picking fruit. He didn't care about Koda at all. Anything that didn't go his way was to be removed immediately with no hesitance or complaint.

"You…You…" Dragonite raised his arms. "You…MONSTER!" Channeling all his rage, he activated Dragon Rush, firing off a powerful wind pressure that barely fazed Fang.

He smirked slightly. "Aww, did killing the pathetic loser upset the big dragon?"

"I'm going to KILL YOU!" With a strong flap of his wings, he rocketed at Fang with fury burning in his eyes.

"How cute, another useless thre-!" Fang realized too late just how fast Dragonite was. His fist collided across his face much harder and sooner than he predicted. And it didn't end there as Dragonite kept smashing him through dozens upon dozens of trees, the rage in his eyes burning brighter than the sun.

The dragon grabbed him by the arms and took him downward. He smashed the Dark Gliscor into the ground, a wall of dust and rocks flying away. With Dragon Rush still up, the furious dragon punched relentlessly down on Fang.

Fang tensed up, greatly surprised by the amount of power pouring out of him. Once he saw a gap, he activated his wings and sped out of his storm of punches. He skidded against his feet to a stop and panted heavily.

Dragonite stood to full height and growled. "I'm going to keep punching you until even your regeneration stops working…" He poured more energy into Dragon Rush, knocking Fang back some more.

"NOW DIE!"

---

The central flower screeched as it snapped its vines at the escaping Pokémon. They came close to latching onto their body, with the ill intent on sucking them dry and leaving them vulnerable and unable to fight back. The worse part about it is that it was STILL spewing smog out of its bud. It was fighting them while still spreading the cloud.

Ryder glared. "Everyone, blast it!" He fired Inferno, leading both Pikachu and Jade to fire Electro Ball.

Dark teleported in front of the flower and absorbed the Electro Balls while also exhaling a strong gust to extinguish the Inferno. He smirked cockily. "Ooh…so close."

Ryder rushed at Dark and threw his fist. The Darkmon deflected it and threw a right hook into his cheek. Ryder twisted his body with the momentum and struck Dark with his elbow. The lord jumped into the air to gain some distance and fired psychic blasts at him.

Ryder snaked through them and used Aerial Ace to increase his movement speed. Dark slammed his palms down and sent a wave of earth at him. Ryder jumped over the ground tsunami and ran down the back of it. He vanished for a second, then reappeared behind Dark, striking him across the back.

The Darkmon glanced over his shoulder with an impish grin, then grabbed him by the face and slamming him head first into the dirt. He aimed his palm down and fired down a concentrated blast of psychic energy. He grinned in satisfaction, but was given an uppercut to the jaw by Ryder's rising fist.

Jade dashed behind Dark and slammed her feet against his back repeatedly. She kicked off his back and fired Signal Beam. Dark stopped it with his hand, absorbing it. Ryder slammed Brick Break down on his head, though this just made the Darkmon blast a bolt of electricity into his chest.

Pikachu tried to use Quick Attack and get in close to the flower, avoiding the vines smoothly. However, even with Dark fighting off two other Pokémon, he wasn't too distracted to fire icy energy at his feet. He jumped over it, but the ground formed a sheet of ice that made him lose his footing. He flapped madly before falling flat on his face.

The vines rose and dived down on him. He quickly used Thunderbolt while spinning on his back, implementing his counter shield technique. The bolts of electricity flew around, knocking away or burning rogue vines. The counter shield kept them at bay.

He spun on his hand and flung Electro Ball. The vines attached their ends to the attack and sucked it up like a sponge, then lunged at him once again. Pikachu rolled out of the way and, digging his claws into the ice, ran away using Quick Attack. His back feet didn't provide the proper grip he needed with the ground to take off faster.

Oh man! Now I'm regretting not learning how to ice skate from Buneary! This ice needs to go, now!

He leaped into the air, then came down on the ice with Iron Tail. The shockwave shattered the ice in one clean break. He flipped up and flung Electro Ball once more before flying at the flower with Quick Attack.

It used some of its vines to absorb the flower while the rest dug their way underground. Pikachu managed to dodge the first few, but two leaped out behind him and sunk their teeth into his back.

Already, he could feel the draining power of the vines sapping his energy away at a much faster rate than what Dark did. He quickly cut through them with Iron Tail. They withered up, then detached from his back.

He felt his body had become much more tired than before. It amazed and scared him how fast they could drain you, especially from just two of them. He couldn't, nor did he want to, imagine having multiple of those energy suckers latching onto his body.

Back with the others, they got on both of Dark's sides and proceeded to lock him in an exchange of blows. He easily fought both of them off with one arms on each side. He deflected Ryder's punch and redirected Jade's kick with ease. Still, they were proving to be tougher than he thought, at least in the persistence department.

He ended the combat sequence by slamming his palms into their chests, administering a powerful aura wave that sent them flying apart. Ryder stopped himself from ramming into a tree and immediately dashed at Dark using Slash. The Darkmon dodged the quick slashes and struck him in the shoulder. A spike of pressure burst through it, sending waves of pain throughout his arm.

He gripped it with clenched teeth, all while Dark stated, "Is there any point to all this struggling? You're facing a god. Victory is out of your reach. So stop acting like a hero and die already."

Ryder fought through the pain and said, "If someone doesn't fight back, then who will?" He thrusted his hand out and fired off Inferno.

Dark leaped back as he absorbed the flames. "You're missing my point. Why should anyone fight back? Why do you deserve to be the dominant race? What did any of you do to deserve this? Honestly, what impresses me more is that this happy little society of yours hasn't torn itself apart." He smirked. "It must be hard to fight back against inner urges and NOT get labeled as a bad guy."

Ryder seethed through his teeth as he fired Inferno once again. "We fight against those urges so we don't become heartless monsters like you!"

Dark absorbed it once more and shrugged. "Honestly, I don't see the problem here. Considering you let people rot in prison cells and treat them like monsters, I don't how that makes us any different." He rushed at the Charmeleon, throwing punches.

Ryder blocked them to the best of his ability, but the pressure kept shoot through his hands and up his arms. "Letting yourself get consume in those urges takes away what made you the person or Pokémon you are!"

"What you and the humans really are is something you've forgotten." He struck Ryder in the chest, pushing him back. "Those evil intentions welling up inside all living life want what's best for them. Face facts, not everyone gets a happy ending. Sometimes life is miserable and there is a darn thing you can do about it. That's what I represent: that one bad day that turns your entire perspective over and flings it onto the curb.

"What's the point of even trying to get back on your feet if you lose what's most important? Your sad, miserable life is none of my concern, yet you go on reminding me of it like it's my business to care." He glared. "I swear, if there was ever a time you DIDN'T think about your trainer and girlfriend, miracles would be raining from the sky. You hero types won't move on and focus on the single point in your life like it's a major driving force into what you have become."

Ryder narrowed his eyes. "I wouldn't expect a heartless creep like you to understand what heartache is…"

Dark smirked. "So what? Emotional pain is such a drag. Happiness, love, positivity…once they're taken from you, you crash and burn. Why do you creatures willing let yourselves get attached to something and act so irrationally when you lose it?"

Ryder gritted his teeth, trying to control his temper. "…let me destroy the flower and you'll see for yourself."

Dark tapped his chin. "Tempting offer, but eternal darkness beat it out by just this much," he said, two of his claws leaning close to each other for visual representation. "Here's my offer: suffer or die!" He fired psychic beams at him.

Ryder leaped into the trees and vanished into the leaves.

Dark smirked. "Ooh, are we playing hide and seek?" He prepared to follow him, but Jade kicked him from behind and into a tree. "Girly, you made a grave mistake doing that."

Jade slammed her foot against him even harder. "Just try and stop me!" She kicked off his back and fired a consecutive flow of Electro Balls.

Dark backhanded them away, then blasted her with a ball of wind. The wind expanded into a larger sphere that surround her and spun her around mercilessly. He summoned fire and lighted up the wind, finishing it off by firing off psychic energy that sent her flying into a tree.

Jade slid down the tree, landing on her feet. She panted tiredly before shaking it off and charging back into battle. She fired off Signal Beam, which Dark predictably absorbed. She slid under his legs and sweep kicked him, then immediately flipped backwards and struck down on his back.

…at least, that was the plan until her foot ended up phasing through him instead. Dark, perfectly straight, levitated back on his feet at a ninety-degree angle. Jade felt an uncomfortable sensation of shivers pass through her, the chilling grasp of icy cold air wrapped around her to wear her teeth chattered.

Dark pressed his hand against her back and fired a psychic beam. She was knocked off her feet for a moment, but she dug them in once she touched the ground and fought against the beam. Dark amped up the power, pushing harder against the Flaaffy.

She narrowed her eyes through the beam before jumping to the side, then running right along it up to Dark. He ended the beam and caught her kick. She twisted her body and struck him with the other foot. He didn't flinch and threw her into the trees.

He floated up to continue his assault, but his attention was turned to Pikachu, who fired Thunderbolt from behind. Dark redirected the bolt with a simple backhand before flying at the mouse.

Pikachu used Quick Attack to get away. Now he had a murderous plant AND the Lord of the Darkmon chasing after him. This plan was poorly thought out.

Even so, he made the best of it by firing off Electro Balls to deal some damage. The fast moving vines easily absorbed them while Dark let them phase through his body. Pikachu kept firing them until one or both slip up in some way.

Dark crossed his arms as he floated right above the Pikachu. "Try all you want, Pikachu. Sooner or later, you're going to burn yourself out." He smirked. "That just leaves me with all that precious energy to collect for the central flower."

Pikachu growled through his teeth. "Undermine me all you want, but I'm much more than you think I am!" He formed one more Electro Ball, this time combining it with Iron Tail. "Let's see how your central flower deals with this!" He leaped in the air, then spun back down. Hopefully I can pull this last bit off!

He administered his aura through his tail, consuming it in the white glow. He transferred it through the Electro Ball as well. He slammed his tail down on the ground, emitting a powerful electrical wave that expanded from the point of impact.

Being a plant rooted into the ground, the central flower could only sit there and take the electrical wave. Electricity coursed over it, frying it. Its vines twitched and contorted in pain. While the shock was only brief, the added aura mixed in was enough to do some serious damage to its exterior.

Dark narrowed his eyes. He's inventive. Impressive. He closed his eyes and smirked. Even so…he's still facing a god. He raised his hand and dislodged chunks of ground, levitating them by his side before firing them at the mouse.

Pikachu used Quick Attack once again to dodge the flying projectiles. He had to crack a smile at his technique. Honestly, he didn't think that would work, given that the ground nullifies electricity. The mixed aura must have gave it more range. Now that the flower was partially weakened, he shouldn't have any more trouble avoiding its energy sucking vines.

In a last-ditch effort, the flower stuck its vines into the ground and pumped energy through them. Thick and spiky vines wrapped around it like a wall and blocked the mouse off from getting through. Pikachu leaped into the air and fired Thunderbolt, attempting to burn his way through.

Dark formed a flame in his hand, planning to light the mouse up. However, a grappling claw shot out of the trees and wrapped around his arm. Before he could react, it dragged him in.

Ryder tugged hard on the grappling device and flung Dark against a tree, then fires Inferno for extra damage. He took the time Pikachu gave him to recover and rest off his injuries. He wasn't feeling any better, but he could be worse.

Dark parted the flames with a flick of his claw. "Well Ryder, is this your new plan? Fighting me in the trees?" He folded his arms behind his back. "You may think you have the advantage with your training, but anything you do, I can do better."

Ryder slipped his hand into his cloak. "No, I just needed somewhere to keep you closed in. You have complete control of this forest and can do practically anything, but even you need to concentrate in order to counter. You act omnipotent, but you really just fight like me: analyze my opponents and react accordingly."

Dark smirked. "And to think I was worried about giving you too much credit. Seems you're not giving ME enough credit. I'm just that powerful, Ryder. I've been at this game longer than you have."

"Yes, but I've been in more fights. Actual fights. I don't have minions to handle my dirty work. I don't have control over all Pokémon types to bend to my will. I've been training and fighting the Darkmon for five years, prepping myself for this day." He clenched his other fist. "That is why I'm taking every risk available to beat you."

"I admire your determination, but you lack common sense." Dark tapped the side of his head. "I'm still much more powerful than you. One quick teleport and I can drop you from thousands of feet in the air."

Ryder smirked. "Assuming you have the guts to get near me." He whipped his hand out, having strapped on the Electro Gauntlet once more, and dashed towards him.

He switched the device on, coating his hand in aura electricity. Dark narrowed his eyes and jumped away from Ryder's first strike. He dug his hand through the bark of the incredibly thick tree. The strands of lightning rode up the side, leaving a scorching black line. The initial impact left a scorching hole through the tree, even on the other side. Considering how thick the tree was, Dark deduced the gauntlet was giving off a ton of pressure to blast a hole out of the other side. While that didn't say much for it, it made him question what would happen if that thing made contact with him.

He got a light sampling to partially quench his curiosity as he barely managed to dodge Ryder's second attack. The electricity grazed his side, which should have been pretty harmless. Instead, it left a searing mark across his side that chipped away at his skin, reducing it to dust. That, and it actually stung.

He floated high in the air, holding his side with a confused and surprised expression. You've got to be kidding me! If that thing is acting like a conduit, that means his aura has been getting stronger, even though I seal it off! He growled. I can't believe I'm saying this, but that thing will fry me if I let him get a direct shot in.

Ryder dashed after Dark. The Darkmon kept his distance a few inches from the reach of the Charmeleon's claws. They came close to hitting him a couple of times, but he made sure to improve his dodging bit by bit. Dark should be worried about this weapon being a possible detriment to his plans, but he knew of the weapon's major drawback.

He could see Ryder's face scrunching up in pain, unable to bear the overwhelming, unstable aura wrapping around his arm. He had very minimal control over his aura, so surfacing it by force was putting serious wear on his body. A powerful weapon that he just needed to outlast until Ryder gave into exhaustion.

Dark sidestepped from the next few swipes before jabbing Ryder in the shoulder, emitting a small dose of pressure for extra kick. He clenched his arm tightly and shut off the gauntlet, his hand cloaked in smoke. The wear on his stamina was becoming more obvious by the minute.

He dropped to one knee and panted heavily, while Dark smirked down at him. "Seems you can't hit me with that thing without burning yourself out. Looks like you've lost."

Ryder pressed his other hand against the ground and slowly struggled to push himself up. "I'm…not dropping…until you lose…"

Dark emitted a blazing spark of electricity in his palm. "Idiot, you can't land a hit on me without destroying your own arm. Maybe if you had better control over your aura like me, you'd put up more of a fight." He smirked. "Of course, the only offensive aura technique you mastered was augmentation."

Ryder glared at his counterpart. "…you haven't been using aura attacks against me…"

"It would end the battle much sooner. Why would I want that? I haven't had this much fun since our last battle. I want this to keep going on as long as possible, until your body quits on you entirely. I want this to keep going on until you drop dead, even if I have to apply energy into you just to keep you alive longer." His grin widened with a touch of insanity mixed in. "Now doesn't that sound like a grand ol' time?!"

The Charmeleon clenched his teeth as he reached over to the Electro Gauntlet, holding his claw over the button.

Dark narrowed his eyes. "Still trying that old trick? Let me show you what a lightning blade is meant to look like!"

He slammed his hands together, then spread them apart. Purple electricity bounced off between the stream he was creating. He flattened one end out until it took on the shape of a blade. He wielded the weapon in his right hand and spun around. The swinging threw off small bolts that burnt up nearby wood.

Dark pointed the electrical blade at Ryder's face. "Scared yet?"

Ryder's eyes were wide in shock. Forming electricity into a ball was one thing, but condensing and shaping it into a sword?! "How…How did you do that?"

"I've done my own practicing with my aura, Ryder. It's allowing me to keep the electricity shaped like this." He smirked. "I'm superior to you in every conceivable way. Just give up now, while you still have some dignity left in you."

Despite the surprising feat, Ryder glared at the Darkmon and jumped back. "I told you…I'm not dropping." Deciding to give his arm a break, he switched the Electro Gauntlet onto the other hand and fastened it on. He turned it on and cloaked his hand in electricity. "Come at me!"

Dark grinned before lunging at him. Electrified sword and hand collided with each other. The electricity bounced off each other, lighting the forest up with bright blue and purple. They pulled back and clashed again, each collision with an explosion of sparks raining down from the trees and lightly washing over their bodies.

Dark leaped over Ryder and slashed down on him. Ryder quickly redirected the sword to hit the thick branch and thrusted his fist at him. Dark teleported above, clinging upside-down like a Mankey. He fired flames from his left hand, then jumped off the branch.

Ryder rolled away from the flames and parried Dark's strike, however he faltered from the strain the Electro Gauntlet was putting on his hand.

Dark saw this opportunity to slash Ryder across the chest, electrifying the Charmeleon in a brilliant show of purple electricity. Ryder screamed in pain, holding his head in agony as he dropped to his knees. Dark raised his foot and kicked Ryder across the trees before jumping after him.

"What did I tell you? Anything you can do, I can do better." He twirled the electric blade lazily. "Your prized, ultimate weapon is costing you this fight. I've won."

Ryder pushed himself up. "You forget…I'm not fighting alone. Jade, now!"

Two rope darts flew out of the trees and wrapped around Dark's arms, then dragged him into the trunk of the tree, pinning him against it. This sudden attack made him lose concentration, dispersing his electric blade.

Dark smirked. "Oh please." He prepared to use Shadow Step, but Jade, who had looped around the trees while still keeping the needed tension to hold him down, used Flash down on him. He hissed in irritation, the shadow wisps that formed around him vanishing.

"I was right." Dark looked forward at Ryder, who was slowly limping towards him. "You can't use Shadow Step in the light. Its range is limited to the darkness. That's why you struggled to escape Pikachu when he used Thunderbolt."

Dark pulled harder on the rope, but the Flaaffy, once again, proved her training was not for show. She kept her grip on the rope darts as tightly as possible. Plus, with that darn light shining in his face, it was difficult to concentrate. He wasn't used to seeing intense light down here, making him instantly blind.

Ryder reactivated his Electro Gauntlet, hissing in pain. He bit his tongue, then said, "I'm not letting you escape again! This time, I have you in my sights!" He sprinted towards Dark at full speed.

The Darkmon's only real strategy was to brace himself, mentally reliving the slight dose of pain he was given when coming into contact with the harmful aura.

Ryder got in close to Dark and threw his fist at him. "Take…THIS!" He jabbed him dead center in the chest.

The surrounding world around them shifted from darkness to intense blue light. Lightning bounced everywhere, coming off the Lord of Fear himself, who was clenching his teeth to endure the immense pain surging throughout his body. He couldn't believe it. Ryder's aura was, in fact, much more potent than he realized. As if he got a taste of what to expect. No, he was getting the full deal in one sharp punch.

Dark, however, wasn't the only one suffering from the electricity, as Ryder was sweating profusely to endure the electrical overload surging up his arm. He clenched his teeth tighter as he amped up the power through the gauntlet, blinding those within the surrounding area in blue light.

Trees, leaves, and anything else caught in the electrical field burned up, reduced to ash in a matter of seconds. Jade, who was hiding herself behind a tree, yelped as a stray bolt nicked the side of her face. She covered her face in her scarf to protect it.

Even Pikachu and the central flower were subjected to the bolts of aura lightning striking down from above. The mouse frantically dodged them while the central flower whipped them away from its protective vine barrier with its offensive vines.

Ryder reached his limited and pulled his fist back, immediately deactivating the weapon. He threw it off in a hurry and clenched his smoldering hand in agony. His sealed eyes did nothing to prevent the burning tears leaking out. His hand felt like millions of Beedrill stabbed him relentlessly. The stinging pain didn't end at his hand and traveled up his arm.

He collapsed to his knees, barely holding himself up by his balance alone. He breathed raggedly. He knew the risks of using the Electro Gauntlet in such an incomplete state, but never could he have predicted this insufferable display of agony.

Jade jumped down to his level and immediately hooked her arm under him, helping him back to his feet. She was careful to avoid the burn marks stretched across his skin. "Ryder…are you okay?" she asked gently.

He cringed, finding difficultly in moving his body. "I…I'm not so sure…ugh, this is horrible…"

She frowned slightly, then placed her tail against him. It obviously stung the Charmeleon for a moment, then he felt a healing wave wash over his body, accompanied by the sound of a soothing ringing. The burns across his skin slowly shrunk in size until most of them have completely vanished.

Ryder's body still felt incredibly sore, but the healing properties of Heal Bell had relieved him of his inability to move. He bent his arms a few times, only feeling a slight sting, but nothing serious.

Jade took her tail off him, then smiled sweetly. "Better?"

He flexed his claws, then smiled back. "Much." He pressed his head against hers and nuzzled her. She happily returned the affections.

Their little moment was interrupted from groaning. They looked over their shoulders and gasped in horror.

"You…shouldn't have done that, Ryder," Dark said tiredly, still standing. Considering the state he was in, THAT was shocking.

Aside from his head, half his body was destroyed. His left side burned with smoke, a flash of blue on the smoldering side. He stood on one leg while clenching his hand tightly on the bark. Chips of ash flaked off his smoldering side.

Ryder's eyes were shrunk. "How…How did you-?"

"I hardened half my body before that blast incinerated me." He coughed blood onto the branch, with the blood soon evaporating into black mist. He presented a wide grin on his face. "Well, aren't you full of surprises? You actually managed to hurt me. The only other thing that managed to blast my body apart was Laura, and I let her do that just to have some fun.

"But you…you did it with your own resolve, wit, and determination. You should feel proud, knowing you finally landed a devastating blow to my body." His grin dipped. "Yet it still wasn't enough to put me down for good." His lips curved into a snarling frown. "Once again, I was right."

Jade immediately sprung up and dashed at the Darkmon. I need to do something before he counterattacks!

She was inches off from punching the Darkmon, who lifted his claw and lightly tapped the air with a purple ripple. The Flaaffy was sent flying into Ryder, whose sore body multiplied the harshness of the collision against him.

Dark lifted his claw and trapped the two in a psychic field. "Once again, YOU! FAILED!" The two Pokémon were brought over to him and floated right in front of him. "You're out of tricks and out of time. You've proven nothing about your virtues, only reinforcing my point!" He snapped his claws, commanding the central flower to extend its vines up to their level. "I'm done toying with you feeble creatures."

"Leave them alone!" Pikachu shouted as he raced up the tree with Quick Attack.

Dark's scorched side chipped some more, blood shaping slowly seeping out to regenerate his body. He pointed his purple glowing claw at the mouse. "Be gone with you!"

Pikachu felt an invisible force hit him and send him flying back to the ground. His head slammed against the tree, leaving him briefly dazed. He shook it off quickly and looked up fearfully at Ryder and Jade.

Dark pointed at the two. "Drain them dry!"

The vines lunged at them and latched to their chests. They immediately felt a painful wave of draining power course through their bodies, sucking out their energy like a Giga Drain sent into overdrive. They clenched their teeth as their faces contorted with pain.

Dark smirked. "Game over, Pokémon."

Pikachu breathed nervously, sweat dripping down his face. He clenched his eyes shut and fired Thunderbolt at the flower.

Dark appeared in front of it and caught the bolt, absorbing it. His body was nearly healed up. "Still trying to turn the tides in this losing battle? By all means, keep trying. I want to see the hope drain from your eyes."

Pikachu desperately fired off Thunderbolt after Thunderbolt, trying to break pass Dark. Hearing the cries of his friends was unbearable for the mouse's ears. He had to land one clean, damaging hit on that flower and destroy it for good. His last Thunderbolt stunned it, but it still wasn't enough to destroy it. He needed more power.

He kept firing, but Dark kept absorbing each bolt carelessly. His body had finally regenerated, along with his entire arm. He flexed his claws to get a feel for them, all while staring at the desperate mouse with a wicked grin.

The Thunderbolts became weaker and weaker as Pikachu exhausted himself. The bolts were as thin as string, to the point where Dark didn't bother absorbing them. They lightly tingled across his skin.

Pikachu's cheeks crackled for a moment before they stopped firing electricity. He collapsed onto his hands, panting exhaustedly.

Dark glared down at the mouse, unimpressed by his performance. "Unbelievable. All that heroic garbage and only NOW you decide to give up, when your friends are seconds away from being greeted with death?" He scoffed with a smirk. "Pathetic…every single one of your wretched Pokémon." He turned his back to Pikachu and slowly walked towards Ryder and Jade. "Do yourself a favor and just die. It'll save me the trouble of washing the blood off my hands."

Pikachu gritted his teeth in seething rage, glaring up at the retreating Darkmon. Then his gaze softened once his eyes landed on his suffering friends. There was nothing they could do, as every last bit of their energy was disappearing from their bodies, weakening them until they can no longer stand on their own two legs.

Pikachu pressed his hands against the ground and tried to push himself back onto his feet. His arms gave out, planting his face into the dirt. He slammed his fist angrily on the ground, clenching his fingers through the dirt.

Ryder couldn't beat him…Jade couldn't beat him…what chance did he have?

Even so, what choice did he have? If he did nothing, everyone loses. His friends, his family, Ash; everyone will suffer if the Darkmon succeed. Eternal darkness will claim their land and kill off all plant life. The increase in Darkmon will coat the work in despair. Nothing will be accomplished if he just laid here and let Dark win.

Fighting him seems like a stretched, even to the imagination, but his goal wasn't to defeat Dark. It was to destroy that flower.

Standing by won't save anyone. At least by giving it his all, even in his tired, fatigued state, he would lose knowing that he put his effort into defeating the Darkmon. Giving up now…holding back now…there was no point in doing either. He was going to use everything he had left to end this war, at the cost of his own life.

So, as pointed out earlier, what choice did he have?

Dark slammed his fists together and conjured the lightning blade from earlier. "Let's end this pointless struggling and get on with the earth's future." He neared the two restrained Pokémon and raised his weapon high. He swung it down and…

…he stopped.

The blade came inches to landing a direct hit on top of Ryder's head. The blade dispersed into stray electricity as the Darkmon lord stared blankly, feeling a sharp increase in energy behind him. He turned around curiously.

Pikachu, clearly struggling to do so, was pushing himself back onto his feet. His aching body burned furiously, demanding relief from the strain being placed on his sore and tired muscles. His cheeks crackled energetically, firing off tons of electricity pouring out of his body.

Ryder said our aura increases the potency of our attacks. So, I just need to focus on my aura and try to combine it with this final Thunderbolt!

The mouse had little to no practice mastering this, so it was all based off luck at this point. If he gets it wrong, he was going to do serious harm to his body, maybe even his life if he wasn't careful. If it went off successfully, he will be hoping for a grand attack to finish the job.

Dark blinked at the Pikachu, then sighed tiredly. "Why do you Pokémon persist so stubbornly? Do I need to rip your arms off to keep you quiet?" He glared. Strange, I didn't think he had enough strength to fire off another attack. His aura is rising as well. Is he trying to hit me with an aura attack? Dark smirked. An inexperienced runt such as him couldn't possibly harm me.

Pikachu kept focusing harder and harder on the electricity storming inside him, building it up and waiting to release it all in one shot. Come on, aura! Work with me!

Ryder, still under a great deal of pain, opened one eye as he saw the massive build up in Pikachu's aura. He wasn't sure if the gradual decrease in his energy had something to do with it, but he could have sworn he has never seen Pikachu's aura that potent before. Where was he getting that extra energy from?

Dark firmly shifted his feet in the dirt, glaring uncomfortably. Okay, something isn't right here.

Pikachu's cheeks continued to pour out more and more electricity. Then the Darkmon lord caught a glimpse at a familiar sight: the white electricity. It lasted a bit longer than the last time he saw it. Only now, his electricity was shifting between yellow and white in quick intervals.

No, not just his electricity. Was…Was his fur turning white, too? Or was it the cloak of aura surrounding him?

Either way, the Darkmon lord to the cautious countermeasure of standing in front of the central flower and holding up his hands, ready to catch and absorb whatever was coming his way.

Pikachu opened his eyes and glared ahead at the Darkmon lord. He could barely move his body, which was overwhelmed by the sheer potency of his aura. This much power was almost maddening, too much to handle. He needed it to exit his body as soon as possible.

His intended target was in his direct line of fire.

The mouse inhaled deeply, concentrating hard on the electricity swirling around him. Dark tensed himself in preparation. The two stared each other dead in the eyes before the mouse let out a shout, firing off the electricity into a massive beam of electrical terror, incinerating the path ahead from its overwhelming power.

"THUNDERBOLT!"