A/N: Alright guys, here it is. The response to the cliffhanger I left you with last chapter - and I'll be honest... I'm not a very nice writer. At least, not to the characters I write, but you've all figured that out by now. So, I have to say I'm getting to what some might call the 'mid-boss fight' of this story, and that I hope you all think I pull it off well. Oh, and... don't ask me why I need a Flame-Shield for this chapter - no reason, none at all... *cough* Anyway - please read, enjoy, and review! Mephiles, out.

Edit: On the off chance that you are reading this chapter for the second+ time and it looks different, it is - just some refining, that's all.

"D-David..."

'Great, now even my mind's fucking with me...' I thought angrily as a brief distraction made me strike the ground next to Darkrai, instead of right down the middle like I'd aimed for. 'Aurora's dead... I'm just losing it.' If I were paying attention, the Nightmare Pokémon's almost terrified look would have hinted that something was wrong. Instead, I brought the red hued blade around to- 'Wait, red? Steel isn't red...'

Already distracted once, the new inconsistency actually managed to catch my attention and make me stop mid-swing. When I looked at the Master Sword, it was glowing- a red, flaring aura surrounded the metal. "… A-Aura?" I wasn't even aware I said anything, but it ended up coming out anyway. I reached my other hand out to touch the energy, when again that voice echoed in my head; much clearer, this time.

"David... stop." At first, I glared at Darkrai - it would be just like him to mess with my head like this, after all. But when I looked, he wasn't staring at me - he was looking past me, at something else. I turned my head, and heard the blade clang against the floor when I bolted toward the shifting Lucario.

"Aurora!" I reached her in a second, ignoring the shocked looks from Keith and... someone else, I didn't care who they were. Aurora was alive - I could see her chest heaving with each breath. There was a claw-wound, right where there should have been... but it was only a scar, somehow. "H-how... you're alive!" I managed to say, quickly helping her up and letting her lean on me to keep standing - and she needed it, because almost immediately her legs buckled and I was holding her up myself.

She managed to grab my arm to support herself, then tilted her head to look up at me. Suddenly I felt... fear, surprise, and something else - all things that, except for surprise from finding her alive, I wasn't feeling a second ago. I realized in a second what it was - what would she think of me, now? "Y-you... harmed a Legend..." she said finally, making me chuckle bitterly.

"I'll... do a lot, when someone hits my family..." I replied, while some detached part of my brain noted that as being likely one of the most cliché things I'd ever said. "I'm not losing anyone else... not to anything, or anyone."

Aurora surprised me by holding me tighter than I thought she had the strength to at the moment, making sure not to stab me with her chest spike. "You... consider me family?" she asked, looking up at me in barely hidden surprise. I couldn't help but smile, nodding once.

"Since I got you out of the rain the day you showed up, Aurora." I replied, before having my smile wiped away by a stray thought. "… hell, things were so much simpler then. None of this... apocalypse, or being chased by crazed Legendary Pokémon. Just a grown kid, his family and a Lucario..." I shook my head - didn't matter anyway, since that time was... long enough past.

Aurora seemed to hesitate beforesaying anything else."… I'm sorry, that you-"And of course, in keeping with my luck, someone had to interrupt.

"You... how did you manage this?" I turned to fix Darkrai with a scowl, surprisingly making him shut right up. 'Hold up - I scared him? Him, the Nightmare Pokémon? What the hell did I-' When I got a good look at the Legendary, I realized just why I scared him: he was bleeding, from two injuries. Now, I know that sounds like no big deal; but he's a Legendary Pokémon, supposed to be untouchable by most other Pokémon. Now he actually was hurt - bearing wounds that I'd dealt him... a human. I made no sense to him.

'Ah, too bad. When he pulls the shit he did...' About then it occurred to me that I should actually ask what the hell just happened. So... that's exactly what I did. "Darkrai..." I started quietly, keeping my expression blank. "What was all that, hm? What were you thinking, pulling a nightmare like that?!" My voice's volume skyrocketed, making everyone in the room cringe.

I swear Darkrai shrank back a little before responding. "It was never planned to go so far. Something went wrong, and it left my control." he explained quickly, and to his credit I wouldn't have been able to tell he was afraid from his voice alone. "Although... how did you know it was a nightmare?"

I half-scowled, half-smirked, pleased that I'd surprised him yet again but angry that he'd let things go that out of line. "I saw Aurora take a hit that should've killed her, Darkrai. She's not dead - but I call that a nightmare." After a moment, to lighten the mood a bit, I added "Besides, nothing goes that badly unless you're in a TV show. Tone down the theatrics, and I might've believed it longer."

Of course, the only one to chuckle was Keith - go figure, it was the only other human in the room. But somehow, I could feel the tension bleed out of the air somewhat. "Look, some people call me a pretty cool guy." I continued, still looking at the Legendary. "I get what you were going for - I've seen it in hundreds of shows before. Aurora's hurt, so are you - it's all balanced out. We're good."

Darkrai visibly relaxed, but his expression showed how surprised he was. 'What, expecting me to cut your head off, or something?' I thought, realizing that was probably exactly what he expected. "… Excellent, then." he said after a moment. "And... on the bright side, as some of you say, you certainly seem to have unlocked your new abilities to a certain extent."

"That reminds me!" I walked over to the Master Sword and picked it up off of the ground. "I just wanna try something..." Darkrai nodded, backing away perhaps more than he needed to. 'Wow, I really need to convince him I'm not going to explode any time soon...' I held the blade out to one side, closed my eyes, and focused on a move I'd seen once in an anime. After a second, I felt... something surge through my arm - it was hard to describe.

But when I opened my eyes again, a blue 'sheath' of energy was covering the Master Sword, and I couldn't help but grin like a kid. "Aura Cutter!" I yelled on impulse, slashing the blade at a nearby wall. The metal cut about an inch-deep gash in the material... and a second blade, like a blue afterimage, cut almost a foot deeper. As I looked at my handiwork in surprise, I heard the distinct sound of somebody's palm smacking against their face. 'Oh, shut up Keith...'

"I loathe to interrupt such an event, Dave...' I turned around, even thought I recognized the 'speaker'. Mewtwo was standing in the room's entryway, behind Keith and Neureon, seemingly ignoring the room's damaged state. And his expression was nothappy. "But we have a significant problem."

"What do you MEAN you cannot tell what it is?!" I shouted, making the entry hall shudder from the sheer force of my voice. Azelf actually drifted back a few feet before looking back up at me and repeating himself. "Well... FIND OUT!" I snapped, more than at my wit's end. The small Lake Guardian ignored my unusual outburst and nodded.

"Of course, Lord Dialga." he said simply before teleporting away, leaving me in the room alone. 'This could not possibly get any worse...' I thought, more than frustrated, shaking my head. Things had already been difficult enough - adjusting to a new dimension, adapting to the human visitors. Now, Azelf had informed me that there was a creature approaching Spear Pillar at unusually high speeds. Worst of all... it was definitely no Pokémon, but he could not identify it as human either.

"… Dialga." The voice could only belong to two of our visitors, and a quick glance showed me it was the Trainer - David. He was leaning against the wall of one of the corridors, hat pulled over his eyes just enough to cast a shadow on them. Floating surprisingly close to him was none other than Latias, who seemed worried about something. "The situation is going badly." he said - it wasn't a question, he knew.

Switching to telepathy, I nodded slowly. "Indeed it is, Trainer. There is a creature coming, neither Pokémon nor human, and Azelf tells me it is something to be feared." After a split-second's thought, I chose to ask him a question. "I do have a plan, of course - but what would you suggest be done about this?" Normally, I would never ask a human for advice on anything - but this was a volatile time for us, and additional input was always helpful.

He turned his gaze up slightly, looking more directly at me before speaking. "Do you think it can get into the Hall?" he asked finally, with no expression to give me an idea of what he was feeling. When I nodded hesitantly, I could see a faint smile on his face. "Good - you're realistic. Then, realistically, how do you deal with something that's prepared to fight Legends?" His question was the only response I received - not a second later, he turned and vanished into the corridor behind him, leaving me to contemplate what he said.

'How to handle... a creature prepared to fight Legendary Pokémon...' I thought, desperately trying to find what the human was getting at. Then I remembered something Mewtwo had told me - the other human, the researcher: he had a hybrid, and it had managed to harm Uxie purely by accident - without any malicious intent. 'Perhaps... that is exactly what I need. And Dave, the other one... yes. They can both harm Legends... can they harm this creature?'

My thoughts were interrupted by an echoing, musical tune; muffled, as if heard through a thick wall. Every member of the Legendary Council knew that sound - the Azure Flute, the only method for outsiders to enter the Halls. 'It seems I will have to find out sooner than expected...' I thought with no small amount of worry, as the spatial matter making up the entry hall began to shift, forming the beginnings of a staircase.

It wasn't difficult to find the source of the commotion - Legendary Pokémon were difficult to miss, and they were all heading to one place: the entry hall, where I had arrived to begin with. I'd easily made myself scarce, slipping past the gaze of one that seemed to be waiting for me - Dialga, was the name coming to mind. 'Heh... Some 'legends' they are, can't even find one guy.' I thought, unable to help a thin smirk.

I ducked into a side corridor - smaller than most I'd seen, so about the right size for me - as a Pokémon I recognized as Azelf darted by, somehow not noticing me. A quick glance told me no one else was in the area... 'Why not?'I decided, stepping as un-stealthily as possible into the hallway. "Hey, you looking for someone?" I asked smugly, making the blue fairy-like Pokémon whirl around.

"You- what are you, and how did you get in here!?" I heard in my head, probably telepathy. My response was a fang-filled smile, and I rushed toward the 'Legendary'. Halfway there I felt something tug at me, trying to lift me up... but whatever it was failed, because I ended up pinning him against the wall with my claws around his throat.

"You get two questions, kid." I said finally, tightening my grip slightly to make him wince. "I'll answer the first - I'm your worst nightmare... and the front door was open. Pick your second well, 'cause you're time-" I was cut off by something incredibly weird - I didn't feel like doing anything anymore. For a moment, I just felt like slumping to the ground - what was the point, anyway? Just to please some idiot who made a new world?

Then I noticed the two tails Azelf had - specifically the two gems on them, and that they were glowing. As soon as I saw that, the feeling was gone; in its place was a lotof annoyance. "Why, you little... mess with my head, will you!?" I snapped, throwing him at the opposite wall - or trying to. He quickly flipped around in the air and started flying down the hall. Along the way I heard something that would make things a lot harder than I'd hoped.

"I found the creature! It's some kind of Dark type!" Dark-type? Hm... ah - a Pokémon classification. I know that certain kinds were strong against others... couldn't remember which, though. "I need help!" Alright, that was quite enough of that. I ran up behind Azelf, catching up easily, and snatched him out of the air.

"You little snitch... and here I was hoping to have fun with this." I said, the disappointment in my voice not having to be forced. I dug my claws into his skin, hearing a slight shink sound as they turned silvery and metallic. 'That's new...I like it.' I thought idly, keeping my glare fixed on him. "I'm gonna have to deal with you more... quickly than I'd hoped for." Just as I was about to pull my claws through the fairy's fragile neck, the bit of floor under me broke away from the rest and bucked me off, making me crash into the wall and let go of Azelf.

I recovered just in time to slash through the same section of floor, which was suddenly flying right at me. The pieces fell aside, and I saw Azelf recovering behind a human that I recognized: he had what I was looking for. Floating beside him was a legless, red and white Pokémon - Latias, the ever-informative 'voice' told me. Latias' eyes lost the blue glow they'd had for just a second, telling me exactly who disrupted me. "Well, well - you saved me the trouble of hunting ya, kid." I said cheerily, flexing my claws. "Hand the sword over, this'll be quick. Don't, and it'll be fun - I hope ya don't, personally."

He reached for something near his belt, almost like a reflex, before realizing that nothing was actually there to grab. That, combined with his outfit, made me realize something. 'Ah, he was a Pokémon Trainer. One actually made it here, then - and without his Pokémon, what a shame.' Despite that, he gave me a shadowed glare - the hat on his head was casting a shadow over his eyes, but I could see the cold, calculating glint in them. 'He's actually thinking - good. I'll enjoy this.'

I saw the kid tense up, then a small smile formed on his face. "Dragon Pulse." That was all he said, two words. Then I got thrown back by a weird, purple blast from Latias - he was acting as her 'Trainer', then. 'Alright then, play your game...' I thought with a cold smile of my own. 'That's all this is, after all... but the stakes are high.' I maneuvered to spring back to my feet, turning the entire tumble into a simple flip.

"Nice shot, there - my turn." It was time to test out just what I'd been given... beyond just physical abilities. I needed something a bit... special, if I was going to fight a Legendary. As soon as the thought left my head, I noticed a dark glow around my claws. '… That'll do.' I leapt forward, crossing the distance between me and the kid quickly, and raked my claws down at him. Instead, I ended up hitting Latias, who'd gotten in the way of my charge with an attack of her own that never finished. The result was a trio of gashes down the side of the dragon's long neck - not fatal, yet, but I could tell from the cringe that they hurt.

I shook my head, using the painful distraction to smack her aside - simply floating in the air didn't give much resistance to that if you weren't focusing, it seemed. "That wasn't smart. I wasgonna just take the damn blade and leave, but..." I couldn't keep up the lie; I burst out laughing, all the malice I could muster filling the air. "Nah, that's a lie. The sword's an excuse... I'm gonna pick you all off; one... by... one."

"No you won't!" I heard, turning my head just in time to see a bolt of lightning slam into my chest, sending me skidding back at least a good ten feet. It seemed that Latias was tougher than I'd expected... and determined, too. She'd moved back over to the kid by the time I recovered from the attack, and was already charging another one. "We're going to stop you, right here!" she 'said' - great, more telepathy. 'Oh, this ought to be good...'

The trainer's smirk was back, and he shifted his hat so that I could actually see his face. "Energy Ball - keep him pinned." he said simply, and suddenly I was dodging a stream of green orbs from Latias. One managed to clip my arm, and damn did it hurt. "Reflect." The attack stopped, and I saw a shimmering barrier form in front of them both.

I stared at the barrier for a moment before letting out a quiet laugh. "You're not bad. Working together, giving orders to keep me stalled... good work." As I spoke, I 'grabbed' the same energy that had enhanced my claws before and focused on it again - this time, it felt like my lower arm froze over. "But... you're not quite good enough. Not if you're intending to beat me."

With a quick surge, I closed the distance between us in a second - another green orb streaked past me, but I ignored it as I used my ice-coated claws to shear through the glimmering wall. In the same motion, I dug my claws into Latias' side and - with more effort than I'd expected - threw her into the wall to my right. Frost coated the wound, and I could tell that this time she wasn't going to be fighting back any time soon.

When I saw that, for the moment, Latias wasn't going anywhere, I looked down at the kid... and he was just staring right back up at me, with no fear in his eyes. I'd say there was maybe a foot or two difference in our height - me being the taller, of course. After a few seconds of both of us waiting for the other to do something, I whipped my right arm around to grab his neck and slammed him against the wall. "You aren't scared... too proud, or too stupid for it?" I asked, pressing hard enough that he started gasping for breath.

In the corner of my sight, Latias shifted on the ground where she'd landed - I had to do this quickly. "Nothing personal, kid - wrong place, wrong time... you know the deal." I said sarcastically, flexing my free hand and making the claws scrape together. Even I had to admit the sound was eerie, with how quiet it was otherwise. Just as the stunned Legendary got back into the air, I all but threw my arm into his chest; several resounding cracks and a squelch told me I'd definitely gotten through his ribs, heart, and into the wall behind him.

Strangely enough, while I heard Latias gasp in shock, horror, whatever it was... I saw that that smile never left his face. Now it was pained, sure - but he knew something. And as I pulled my blood-stained arm out of his torso, he said only one thing in a near-whisper. "Wrong... Dave."

-Real World-

"So, that is essentially how we've ended up here... wherever here is." Verden finished, just having explained the events leading up to now. We were still following the Ninetales, and I'd decided that telling her our situation was a good idea. She was now looking back at us in surprise - whether she believed us or not was another story, of course.

"It's true. I can assure you, we've left nothing-" I came to a halt, both in my sentence and literally, as I felt something... break, is how I could describe it. The more powerful Psychic Pokémon have a natural ability to tell if those they care about are alive, by forming a mental link with them at any point. This entire time, I'd forgotten about that: after so long traveling with our Trainer, it had become normal to me. But now, I felt... an absence. "No... oh Arceus, no..."

I was dimly aware of the other two stopping, and Verden giving me a worried look. "Kairi, what's wrong? … Kairi?" I didn't answer him, I could only shake my head and repeat myself over and over.

"No, it can't be...David..." I muttered, letting myself fall to my knees. I could feel Verden's emotions shift as he realized what must have happened, and I couldn't stop myself from crying. What Pokémon could, after all... when their Trainer, very nearly their father in role, has died; especially when they were powerless to do anything about it.

-Hall of Origin-

For once, I wasn't going to question Mewtwo - it didn't take a Psychic to realize this was something critical. And that's why, right after fighting with Darkrai and playing out a living nightmare, I was sprinting through the Hall of Origin, barely keeping up with the clone-turned-Legendary. "What's the situation?" I asked bluntly, breathing hard from the effort but not tired just yet.

"An 'unidentified intruder' is inside the Halls." he said just as bluntly, not even turning to look at me. "Neither Pokémon nor human, from what is told. And I would guess that leaves one option..." He let the sentence hang, but I knew exactly what he was getting at - another hybrid, but between human and Pokémon this time.

I opened my mouth to say something as we rounded another corner, but an intense sharp pain shot through my chest and mind at the same time. Through pure adrenaline, I didn't let it slow me down... but somehow - whether it was random thoughts connecting, or something else entirely - I had a distinct feeling of what that might've been. I mean really, what else makes you feel like you just half-died? 'Oh, hell no...not again!' I managed to put on a burst of speed, actually bypassing Mewtwo who was propelling himself through the air with his abilities.

Behind me, I noticed a green blur - Ghost, somehow, had fallen in with us and was now sprint/gliding right along. "Nice to have ya here, Ghost." I said flatly, glancing back at the Scyther. He had a pumped-up look on his face, and he responded with a brief nod. "The Legends are scared of something - go figure - so we've got to step up instead. You ready for this?" Call it bravado, arrogance, whatever you want - sometimes, you just need to not focus on what you're about to do.

I received another, more enthusiastic nod in response, and couldn't help but smirk. 'Let's see what these guys are so scared of...' We rounded yet another corner, and I skidded to a stop inches away from crashing into a terrified Azelf. The sight in this corridor was... well, right out of a slasher film.

Latias was hovering against one side of the hallway, a look of pain, shock and horror on her face. She wasn't unharmed; several series of cuts covered her side and part of her neck - not life-threatening but they looked incredibly painful. Slumped against the opposite wall was... me. David, the alternate reality version of myself - accomplished Trainer, a great friend to his Pokémon - was lying limp against the wall with a bleeding hole punched through his chest.

And standing over him with a sick, fang-filled smile, was who I could only assume to be the 'intruder' Mewtwo mentioned... and he had me worried. The guy - his form was human enough that I could assume that much - was probably a solid foot or two taller than me, and covered from head to toe in green armored scales almost like those of a Tyranitar. His head looked like a helmet, with two spikes sweeping back and to the sides. And the last detail I noticed were his arms - both ended in a razor-clawed hand, but one was almost drenched in blood.

"Oh, so this is what he meant..." he said cheerily, shaking some of the red liquid off of his arm and turning to look at me. His gaze shifted to the sword in my hand, and the smile widened even further. "I take it you're the other one - a shame your twin took the fall for ya. If you weren't off hiding, I wouldn't have made the mistake."

Latias' expression changed from horror to anger, and I saw her start charging an attack - what it was, I never found out, because the hybrid ran up next to her before literally smacking her to the ground. "Why don't ya take a nap - you'll have your turn later, I promise." he said sarcastically before leaping over her and walking maybe ten feet away from me. "We doing this the easy way, where I take the sword and cut your throat... or the hard way, where I tear you up and then take the sword?" he asked me casually, like he was just talking about the weather or something.

My response was the most hate-filled glare I could muster as I brought the sword up into a fighting stance. "We do this my way - and it ends with you on the floor, in pieces!" I growled, already seeing a red aura surrounding the blade. "Mewtwo, stay out of this." I added as I noticed the Legendary finally catch up. 'How fast was I going?' "This is personal, now. And I've got a lot of venting to do."

The clone nodded after a moment of hesitation - he got just how much I needed to do this. "Be careful." was all he said, using his telekinesis to float Latias behind him and out of the way. "… make him pay." he added in a more sinister tone, mirroring my own state of mind. I saw Ghost stride up beside me, scythes crossed in front of him and wings flared out - he was ready to fight, too.

"No, Ghost - stay back." I said quietly, not taking my eyes away from that... whatever it was. "This fight's mine." He looked at me in surprise and worry, but nodded almost reluctantly before folding his scythes back and moving next to Mewtwo.

"I don't care who you think you are, kid." the hybrid said calmly, examining his bloodied claws. "But I'm taking no talk from someone like-"

I cut him off, literally - I ran up and slashed at him with the sword, missing with the blade itself. The aura around it, though, bit into his scales and made him flinch backwards. He sprang back, now looking at me more intently. "Don't talk down to me, pal." I snapped, noticing the faint red glow fading from the scratch on his armor. "You're going down, and that's all there is to it."

He settled into a fighting stance himself, apparently ready to take this seriously. "… this is actually going to be fun. Alright, kid; let's get this started." His claws took on a shadowy glow, and I could feel tension charging the air as Azelf and Mewtwo watched us from the sidelines. At that moment, a single thought entered my head. 'Round One... Fight. Finish him!'