Chapter Twelve: It's Where My Demons Hide
Previously on Pokémon: Azure Light
-"W-would you go with me?" Shadow asked nervously. "To the prom?"
"Y-yes" Ace replied. "Sure I'll go with you"
- "How do I look?" Shadow asked.
"I think I'm getting a nosebleed" Ace said.
-"Her aura's getting darker" Melody said.
-"He's trying to take control" Bianca said through the pain. "Latios"
"Understood." Ace said. "I'll stop him."
"Wait" Shadow said, knowing what he was going to do. "I want to go with you."
"No" Ace said. "It'll be dangerous."
"I don't care" Shadow said. "I'll be fine. Besides, I'll have you here to protect me."
"Alright" Ace sighed. "Take my hand."
Shadow grabbed hold of her best friend's hand as he touched two fingers to Bianca's forehead. In an instant the two of them disappeared into Bianca's mind. Bianca collapsed onto the floor, unconscious.
"So, what just happened?" Diana asked, confused.
"They're going to handle the problem inside of Bianca's mind." Eon said. "Ace has the ability to enter people's dreams. Mostly they're nightmares when he gets involved, but here he's going into her mind."
"To do what?" Diana asked.
"To stop Latios." Eon said.
"What do you mean by stop?" Melody asked, a little worried.
"It probably means what you're thinking." Eon said.
"Then why'd he bring Shadow?" Diana asked. "If he's going to do that?"
"Just a little secret between us" Eon said, leaning in close to Melody and Diana. "Ace has always had a problem saying a definite no to her. After a certain event in her childhood he promised to keep her safe and happy. More often than not, happiness outweighs safety for her. But she always manages to get him back to normal."
"Back to normal?" Diana asked, not understanding what the Eon Goddess meant. "What do you mean?"
"Well, you haven't seen it" Eon said. "But Ace is a total monster in a serious battle as am I. But Ace is host to the original Darkrai, so Darkrai's personality comes out in his fighting style if he goes too far into his pokéforme. Shadow is pretty much the only person on this planet that can distract him in a fight. In fact, that was the only reason my mother was able to beat him the last time they seriously fought. Ace would have annihilated her if Shadow hadn't tried to calm him down long enough for my mom to seal his power and Darkrai away."
"Seal his power?" Cressa (who had just gotten back from getting drinks for herself and Diana) asked. "Why does his power need to be sealed? Whose power are we talking about?"
"Ace's" Melody said, bringing her friend up to speed on the conversation.
"But why seal it away?" Cressa asked. "Why not just seal the Darkrai side away?"
"The Darkrai side was tied into his own power." Eon explained. "However powerful Ace got, Darkrai would get more control. The same thing almost happened to Shadow one time, but Ace stopped it."
"But he can stop Latios, right?" Melody asked, a little worried for her friends. She knew Ace was capable of defying all odds against him to come out victorious (she'd experienced that personally and heard enough stories from Arcey to know that Ace was probably the best person for this job), but even he had his limits. And there was Shadow inside there with him. Could he defeat Latios and protect her too?
"I hope so" Eon said, thinking the same thing. "I certainly hope so"
"And if he fails, the best part is" an odd change came over Cressa for a moment. "The Nightmare Demon and his witch queen will be no more."
"What was that?" Eon asked, a small feeling making the hair under her scarf stand on end.
"Oh, that was Cresselia" Diana said. "She inhabits Cressa's body and sometimes helps her makes decisions. She's also blatantly racist against Darkrai, his race, and any other Pure Dark Type as well as some other mixed Dark Types. It's said that she was the one who helped Arceo seal Darkrai away in the first place."
"That seems like it would counteract her own personality." Melody said, not having known this fact about her own friend.
"Well, she was destined for the responsibility of bearing the strength of the original Cresselia" Diana said. "Before she was born."
"Ace just has Darkrai inhabiting his body" Eon said. "And the Dark Type tries to take completely over his body, but Ace can hold him back. He took control before Ace's power was sealed, but it hasn't happened since."
"That's sort of what happens with Cresselia" Diana said. "Cressa always said that a lady in pink and blue always asked her to give her control of her body. Darkrai must be doing the same thing to Ace."
"So Cresselia's returning too?" Eon asked. "That could be a problem for Ace. Especially if Darkrai manages to get in his comments. But it was only those two, Ace and Cressa?"
"It was said that certain individuals would gain the power of the true members of the species. I heard it when I was younger." Diana explained. "There were five that were mentioned, including Darkrai and Cresselia. They were said to be, Melodia, the original Meloetta and the one who first sang the Relic Song, Diancia, the original Diancie, said to have been the first Pokémon to truly Mega Evolve, Darkrai, the most powerful Dark Type and wielder of the power of true Darkness, Cresselia, the one who really sealed Darkrai and the most powerful Psychic type, and Aeona, the goddess first known for using the power of the Eon Force. These five were the five most powerful members of the original Legendary Council, on par with Arceo himself."
"That's very coincidental that all of us are members of those same species" Melody said.
"Very" Cressa said.
"So if there's five of them?" Eon said. "Who are they? And more importantly, why are they returning now?"
In an unfamiliar location
The two Kyuryoon found themselves inside of a large empty white, um, space. True to their fighting natures they summoned Dark energy to their hands to both prepare for firing an attack and warning any threatening objects that they were a force to be reckoned with.
"Where are we?" Shadow asked, looking around. "There's nothing here."
"If this were Mina's mind" Ace said half seriously. "Then this would make much more sense."
"But we're in Bianca's mind." Shadow said.
"Maybe it's the entrance." Ace said. "We probably haven't gone very deep."
"Maybe" Shadow said. "But let's hurry. I don't want to screw around inside of Bianca's head any more than is absolutely necessary."
"Agreed" Ace concurred. "Let's find Latios, kick his ass, and get the f #$ out of here."
"Right" Shadow said. "But where do we start?"
Suddenly, almost as if on cue, a door rose up from the ground. The Kyuryoon walked up to it, peering around it as if they were suspicious of its intentions.
"What happens if we open it?" Shadow asked.
"Not sure" Ace said, grabbing the handle. "But let's keep in mind that the laws of physics might not fully apply here. We're not currently in the real world"
"Understood" Shadow said, wrapping her arms around Ace's. "Let's go."
They stepped through the door, unsure of what would await them. Unbeknownst to them, however, there was another figure watching them from a console, his face hidden by the shadows.
"It seems that the Kyuryoon have entered my little trap." He said to the figure beside him. The figure didn't move. It seemed to stare at the ground, as if contemplating its own sorrow or some other deep subject. It's arms were also raised above its head, as if held there.
"Don't get your hopes up, my pet" he said, chuckling and stroking the other figure. A faint rattle of chains could be heard. "They won't succeed. I'll make sure of that."
In an(other) unfamiliar location
As they stepped into the door, the two Kyuryoon noticed three things: the first was that there were several doors surrounding them. The second was that some of them had labels. The third was that they could sense Bianca nearby, maybe right next to them.
"Sh!t!" Ace muttered to himself.
"What?" Shadow asked.
"There are a whole f #$ing lot of doors here!" Ace said. "We might have to search every one of them."
"We could split up" Shadow suggested. "That would help us cover more ground."
"No" Ace said, gently dismissing the idea. "I'm not leaving you alone in here. If something happens you wouldn't have the ability to force yourself out."
"I can handle myself." Shadow protested.
"We'll stick together." Ace said, a little firmer. "I think it would be better. We're in unfamiliar territory. I don't know what lies ahead. I would like to know you're safe at all times. Also your psychic capabilities surpass mine."
"That's very sweet of you." Shadow said. "Fine. I'll stick with you."
"Thanks." Ace said. "Now, which door should we try first?"
"Let's just walk down the rows until we find a good one." Shadow said.
They searched the doors until Shadow noticed one with a label on it. Or, to be more accurate, she saw one that a label appeared on.
"Let's try that one" she pointed at it. Ace walked up to it and read the label.
"Memories" he read. "This might be a good place to start."
He grabbed the handle before jolting back as if the handle had shocked him.
"What's wrong?" Shadow asked.
"Something's off about this door." He said. "I feel as if there is an evil presence behind it."
"That means we're on the right track." Shadow said, grabbing the handle and turning it, opening the door. The two of them walked through into the unknown mysteries behind the door.
In the console
"How did they pick that door?" he asked. "Out of the millions of fakes? I made sure that it was a very slim chance that they would find it, but they seem to have gotten through that obstacle."
The slightest hint of a smile crossed the other figure's lips before disappearing.
"Seems someone wants them to find us." He said, glimpsing over at the other figure, who hadn't moved from its original position.
"Did you have anything to do with this?" he asked in a suspicious voice, convinced that the other figure had tried to upset his fun. "Because if you did…"
"What?" the voice, clearly female, demanded in a voice that suggested she was nearing the edge of her spirit and consciousness. "What could you possibly do to me that you haven't already done?"
"Don't test me." He said in a very dark tone, forcefully grabbing her face. "I will not hesitate to take you to the very limits of your pain tolerance and beyond."
"So what?" she demanded, summoning great courage and moving forward, causing the chains keeping her arms suspended to. "They'll come for me. You know they will. And when they do…"
"I'm not afraid of the Kyuryoon" he said, stroking her chin. He pulled his hand back, the blood on it shimmering a little in the light of the console. "Let him come. I'll be ready for him. I can take out the other one and leave him all alone to deal with me."
"Don't… underestimate… her" she warned, having to draw breaths just to get out each syllable. "She's just as powerful as he is, and just as brutal. You have no idea what you're getting yourself into."
"Oh, I think I do" he said. "And in this world, I rule."
"You will fall" she panted. "And you will die."
"Trust me, my pet" he said. "Only one of us will walk away from this fight"
Inside of the "Memories" door
The two Kyuryoon walked through the long hallway of the door labeled "memories". Along the wall were multicolored orbs, each the size of a basketball.
"What is this?" Shadow asked, pointing to one. "It seems to be showing things like a movie."
"It must be a specific memory" Ace deduced. "It probably shows a specific memory repeatedly."
"What happens if we touch one?" Shadow wondered.
"I don't know" Ace said, getting a mischievous look on his face. "Let's touch one. It could help us find Bianca faster."
"We should be careful though." Shadow said. "We could damage her memories."
"Maybe not." Ace said. "This might be like us just watching from the actual event, just as spectators, unable to alter the course of events."
"Okay" Shadow said. "But I get to pick the orb we view first."
"Deal" Ace said. Shadow and Ace split up and walked over to two different sets of orbs. Shadow looked through them until she found something that piqued her interests, an orb that flashed multiple colors.
"Let's look at this one" she said, calling over to Ace. He walked over to it and looked inside.
"Allright. Let's do it" he said, taking Shadow's hand. He reached up and touched the orb. Their minds suddenly left the area they were in and reappeared in the realm of the memory.
Inside of the memory orb-wasteland
The area was a barren wasteland. The only visible people around for a good distance were the two of them. She wondered why they were here. This didn't seem like a safe place. A gigantic, unexplained explosion had rocked this area and many people were killed. A lot of their group had been sent out to aid in rescue attempts.
Their job had been simple: find survivors and assist them. However, the longer she and her brother were there, the more she wondered if two very inexperienced kids should be in this area. Sure they had some fighting and tactical experience, but it was nothing compared to the others in the group.
She looked over at her brother. He'd been using his psychic powers to help him look under rubble to find some survivors, but hadn't had any luck so far. She started to do the same, her psychic powers making lifting big rocks almost a breeze. Under some rocks they found some evidence that people had once lived there, but no signs of actual life.
"This doesn't seem like an accident" her brother said, studying the scene and pointing to what seemed to be the epicenter of the enormous blast. "This is a point of impact, as if something dropped on this area."
She looked closely, her training in analysis aiding her in discerning that this was, indeed, the point of impact, not detonation. She also figured that no accidental explosion could have a blast radius this large.
"It feels Dark" she said, shuddering.
"I feel it too." Her brother agreed. "I don't know of any Dark types this powerful."
"Him." She said, indicating someone they both knew.
"He wouldn't do this." He said.
"I know" she said. "I was just fixing you mistake."
"Right" he said. "But, who besides him could do this much destruction with a single blast?"
"How do you know it was a single blast?" she asked.
"There's only one point of impact that we've found." He said. "And I don't think the others have found one either."
"True" she said. "But—"
She jolted, immediately getting the distinct feeling that they were not alone. She turned around to see a man standing behind them. She studied him to determine if he was an ally or enemy.
The man simply stood there, staring at them. He wore a red outfit with strange black patterns all over it. There was a large ash-grey portion on the back of his red and black jacket. His face looked like it was pure cruelty, its features hard and menacing. His eyes were cold and blue like ice. His hair was red with a large black stripe down the middle. He wore red gloves with black fingers. She and her brother both could tell he was a Dark type, very powerful and intimidating.
Her brother stood in front of her, as if he knew what was going to happen and was trying to protect her from it. The man sneered and laughed like he knew her brother wasn't going to be able to do a damn thing to him.
"Stay behind me" her brother said to her. "And if I can't beat him, then run."
"No" she said firmly. "I'm staying here with you."
"It doesn't matter to me either way" the man spoke, his voice dark and demonic. "I'm going to kill you both anyway. You can either die now or later, but I'd prefer now."
"Run" her brother growled through clenched teeth at her. "I'll make sure he doesn't get you."
"I'll fight with you." She protested. Her brother tried to force teleport (it's like using teleport, but on someone other than yourself) her out, but the man just waved his hand and her brother felt his power drain. She knew because of the link they shared since birth.
"You can't leave." The man said. "I'm not finished yet."
"Run" her brother said to her. She just stared at the man, falling to her knees and frozen with fear, her brother probably feeling the same, but trying to hide it well.
"You can't run." The man said, stepping closer. "After I finish with you two, I'll take out the rest of your friends. They won't even see me coming."
Her brother threw a punch on the man's face that would have shattered stone, but the man didn't even flinch. He grabbed her brother by the neck and used Shadow Claw on him. The Super Effective attack cut through his chest and sliced three of his ribs. She stared in horror as the man (no, the monster) kept attacking him. She tried to look away, but some force kept her from turning her head or even clenching her eyes shut.
"Oh, don't look away, my dear" the monster said as he dropped her brother's unmoving body onto the ground. "the same thing's about to happen to you."
He walked towards her, his hands now red with blood. She was shaking like a leaf, terrified of this monster that had just killed her brother in cold blood. She tried to flee, but he had stopped her exit somehow. She was also nearly paralyzed with fright, unable to move or even speak. Her eyes were wet with tears, some of them sliding down her cheek. She clenched her eyes shut as tight as she could, just then discovering that she now had the ability to.
She waited for the first dose of pain, but it never came. She slowly opened one eye to see a black, blurry shape. She fully opened both eyes and rubbed them to see the one person that she knew could save her. He stood, anger in his eyes, looking towards a collapsed building.
"Leave her alone!" he shouted, summoning his power to his hands. The monster stood up from the wreckage of the building, shaking his head at the blow he had just received.
"What just happened?" the monster asked, rubbing his head. "I actually felt that one."
The monster looked at his opponent, sizing him up.
"Wait, I know you." He said, realizing just who he was facing. "You're the monster from the Council, the Nightmare Demon."
"That's me" the boy said, clenching his fists. "And you're going to pay for messing with my friends."
The boy ran up to the monster of a man and landed five more Dark infused punches before the monster stood up and landed one of his own. The boy flew back, flipping himself over before he hit the ground and landing on his feet.
"I'll leave you to your friend" the monster said, summoning a dark portal. "Causing this explosion and taking the blue haired one wasn't worth fighting you on full terms."
The monster left before the boy could move in for another punch. The boy, convinced that the monster wasn't coming back, turned to her.
"Are you allright?" he asked, kneeling down next to her. All she did was stare straight ahead, a look of horror fixed on her face.
"Bianca!" his voice got a little louder and he started lightly slapping her face to snap her out of it. "Bianca, speak to me"
She snapped out of it, instantly realizing her situation. She wrapped her arms around her savior, and cried into his shoulder.
"Lat…Lat" she started to sob.
"What?" he asked, wondering what she was trying to say.
"Latios" she said at last.
"Where is he?" he asked, looking around.
"Ace, wait." She grabbed his arm.
"What is it?" the Dark teen asked.
"He…he" she said before crying again. "He's gone."
"Where is he?" Ace asked.
"Over there" Bianca said, pointing over to where the monster dropped her brother's body.
Ace waked over to the spot. When he reached it he looked at the body of Latios. He quickly turned his head, vomiting on the ground next to it (it was a gruesome sight, so I'll spare you the details). He promptly shot a large beam of dark fire at the corpse, igniting it. Bianca stared in horror as the Darkling was burning the body of her brother. When the body was gone he grabbed a jar he had with him (he had taken it from Mina that morning and had forgotten to put it back) and gingerly scoped the ashes into the jar. He walked over to Bianca and presented her with the jar.
"Wh-wh-why did you do that?" She asked, horrified.
"It would be disrespectful to display his mutilated corpse at a funeral." Ace explained himself. "This is more honorable to him. I learned that from when I was a child, before Arcey found me and Shadow."
"Who was that man?" Bianca asked her friend. "The one that killed Latios?"
"I don't know" Ace said. "But I'll ask Arcey. She might know."
"Do you think he'll come back?" Bianca asked, her fear returning.
"Maybe" Ace said. "But if he does, then we'll be ready to fight him."
"Thank you Ace." Bianca said.
"Welcome." Ace said, smiling with mischief. "Now let's get you back home. Ray was asking if he could come with you this morning. I think the guy has a little crush on you. I know you've got one back."
"N-n-no I don't" Bianca said, turning almost as red as her hair.
"Whatever" Ace said, knowing the truth. "let's go home."
Hall of Memories-With Ace and Shadow
"That was horrible" Shadow said when they returned to the inside of Bianca's mind. "Yveltal did that to Latios?"
"Yeah." Ace said. "But I was able to keep him from getting to Bianca."
"Well, at least I won't have to encounter Yveltal for a while" Shadow said, remembering her experience with the Dark Yvern.
"No you won't" Ace said, looking around the room. "Hey, wait. Weren't there more orbs before we entered this one?"
Ace looked around the room to find that there were, indeed, less orbs than before. None, to be exact. Even the one they had touched had vanished, leaving them alone in a hallway.
"Odd" he said. "Unless we were sent to a different hallway than the one we walked into."
"What do you mean?" Shadow asked, rubbing her gloved hand on her chin.
"Think of it as a secret area in an RPG or Legend of Zangoose." Ace explained.
"Oh" Shadow said. "Well, let's check out this hallway. Maybe we'll find an exit."
"Okay" Ace said, taking his prom date's hand. "Let's go."
In the console
"So, they found that memory" he said, wondering how the two of them could have found the correct route to him that quickly. He looked over at the other figure, her head forward so her gaze was straight down.
"Did you point them to the correct memory?" he asked his prisoner, grabbing her face and pointing her gaze towards his face. Her red hair fell into her face as her eyes, once golden, but now hollow, empty, betrayed, even, stared emptily at him. "Because if you did…"
"What could you possibly do to me that hasn't been done already?" she said defiantly. "Besides, you've already threatened me with something similar to that. I hold to my confidence that they will save me and there's nothing you've done to me or could do to me to remove that faint shimmer of hope that I hold on to."
"You make it sound as if we've been in here for years." He said, stroking her hair like one would a pet. "When really we've only been here for about twenty five hours."
"Twenty five or twenty five thousand" she said, panting. "I will not let you remove my hope. They will find you and they will kill you."
"Well, let them come." He said, trying to move his face in close to hers. She jerked away from him, preventing him from grabbing her face. "I'll be ready for them."
He took his prisoner and placed her in the middle of the room, removing the control console from the room.
"Let them come" he thought. "I'll beat them for sure."
Bianca's mind-Hallway
"But I thought Mewtwo was dating Deoxys?" Shadow said, confused. The two of them were conversing as they walked down the long hallway to find an exit. Ace had started a story about Mewtwo and Genny.
"They were." Ace said. "But Mewtwo was created with DNA from Mina's mother and from Deoxys' mother, so that made them siblings. They backed off when they found that out, not wanting it to be awkward. Mewtwo met Genny later and they hit it off."
"So what happened the night when you and Mina were alone in the Hall with them?" Shadow asked.
"Well, the two of them started watching a movie while Mina and I were chilling on the other end of the house. Mina was grounded and couldn't leave to go to the carnival with the others. I stayed because I didn't want to go."
"Eon kept saying how lucky you were." Shadow said.
"Yeah I was." Ace said. "But back to my story. Mina went to the kitchen to get some food, having to go past the living room where Mewtwo and Genny were. She walks into the room silently so as not to disturb them, takes one look at what they were doing and runs as fast as she can back to me. She tells me this exaggerated story through her pants and wheezes about the two of them doing something weird. I get up to investigate, peek in on them, and go promptly and shoot my eyes with a Flamethrower."
"What were they doing?" Shadow asked, curious.
"Let's just say it's the reason that we got a new couch." Ace said. "When Arcey got home and saw them, she had a fit. I heard crashes and glass breaking. After the crashes stopped Mewtwo said something about no one noticing if they didn't have a blacklight. Arcey shrieked in rage and I heard more crashes. Mewtwo walked out thirty seconds later with a large black eye, being supported by Genny, who was shaking from fright."
"That's actually pretty funny." Shadow said, giggling a little. "I'll bet that's why we don't see Genny anymore."
"Most likely." Ace said. He noticed a wooden door in front of them with a label that ead: "Control Room"
"This must be the right place." Ace said, grabbing the handle. To his surprise it was locked.
"Looks like we'll need a key." Shadow said.
"F #$ that sh!t!" Ace shouted. "We're legendaries! We don't need no f #$ing keys!"
He kicked the door in, causing it to hit the opposite wall of the room with a splintering crash. Ace and Shadow walked into the room cautiously, expecting danger.
"Look" Shadow said, pointing over to the other side of the room. She was pointing at Bianca (or at least the mental representation of Bianca), her arms suspended by chains and looking as if she had been held prisoner by a monster for years. Her hair was stringy, falling into her face. Her face looked darker, hollow, in very poor condition, as if she hadn't been in sunlight for her entire life. Her eyes had lost their golden sparkle, now duller and glazed over. The expression on her face was one of acceptance of fate, of sorrow and misery. Her clothes were ripped in multiple places, some rips having blood beneath them, all of them revealing skin.
Shadow gasped in horror at the sight of her friend looking like that. She tried to run over to her to help her, but Ace put his arm in front of her, blocking her advance.
"Wait" he said, studying the room. "It could be a trap."
"But we should help her." Shadow said.
"I'll check it out." Ace said, walking up to Bianca. He reached out his hand to grab her when a crescent shaped pulse of Psychic energy sliced his hand. He looked in the direction the Psycho Cut came from to see a boy in his late teens, about Ace's age, sitting up on one of the ceiling lights.
He was wearing blue jeans with blue and white sneakers. His shirt was white with a red triangle in the middle. His jacket was sky blue and he wore bandages around his hands and up his forearms (like boxers have under their gloves). His hair was the same color, but had a white section in the middle and two blue tufts on both sides. His facial expression was one of evil confidence and superiority. His red eyes were five shades lighter than Shadow's and flashed with sheer cruelty.
"Latios" Ace said, aiming a Psycho Cut of his own at the Blue Eon Dragon. Said Dragon dodged the blast, but it cut through the light he was on, sending him to the ground where he landed on his feet.
"Ace" Latios said, landing in front of his former friend. "Shadow"
"Latios" Shadow said, summoning Dark energy to her hands.
"Someone's getting tense" Latios said, noticing Shadow's hands. "You should take some deep breaths. It should help you lose stress."
"How did you survive?" Ace asked through clenched teeth.
"You can survive a Shadow Claw attack." Latios said.
"I burned your corpse." Ace said.
"Yes, you did." Latios said. "But the necklace I gave Bianca held part of my soul, enough to gather the rest of my soul when I died. You could say I put my heart and soul into that Soul Dew"
"We're not here for jokes." Ace said. "We're here for Bianca. Give her back."
"I don't think so." Latios said, moving in between Ace and Bianca. "I'm here to aid her. To give her what's best for her."
"Yeah right." Ace said, subtly signaling something to Shadow. "And keeping her chained up like a sex slave is really what's best for her, right?"
"It's for her own good." Latios said. "She was being hard headed and stubborn, so I decided to teach her a lesson."
"Dude, that's just sick." Ace said, keeping Latios' attention. "That's your own sister. The one who was by your side no matter what. And you're treating her like an object."
"I'm teaching her respect." Latios said. Behind him, Shadow had silently moved over to Bianca. She used her Dark powers to remove Bianca's hands from their shackles and carried her over to a safe place.
"Thanks Shadow" Bianca said, collapsing onto the floor and rubbing her sore arms and wrists. "I knew you guys would come."
"Did you ever doubt us?" Shadow said, sitting down next to her friend.
"Can Ace beat Latios?" Bianca asked, her voice serious.
"In real life, yes." Shadow said. "But in here, it might be a different story. Latios is in charge here. Ace might have to do something drastic if he wants to beat him in here."
"I hope not." Bianca said, worrying for her friend. "Latios is far more brutal than he was before."
"That's not the problem." Shadow said, her face a little worried. "If Ace can't use enough of his own strength to beat Latios, then he might have to let him handle things."
"What do you mean?" Bianca asked.
"Ace has let Darkrai have his way with his body before." Shadow said. "Even after the incident. He'd give control of his body over to Darkrai for a short amount of time if there was an enemy he couldn't beat. Usually Darkrai just takes over after Ace is rendered unconscious in a heavy battle situation sometimes, but Ace has voluntarily given him control on several occasions. The seals usually hold back the full extent of Ace's power, but they're much weaker than normal in this state."
"That sounds risky" Bianca said.
"It is." Shadow said gravely. "If Ace gives too much control, then Darkrai could go on a rampage and destroy everything."
"That's bad." Bianca said.
"Especially in here." Shadow said. "A fully powered Darkrai would have no problem tearing your mind to shreds."
"Oh dear" Bianca said.
"It should be fine." Shadow reassured her. "Ace knows what he's doing. He won't try that until the very last second."
The two of them found a good place to watch Ace and Latios, convinced that a fight was going to break out. Sure enough, it seemed as if that very thing was about to happen.
With Ace and Latios
"Do you really think you can beat me in here?" Latios said, taunting his opponent.
"The question is" Ace said. "How long will control of this mind delay your inevitable defeat?"
"You still think you're stronger than me?" Latios said. "Even after I Mega Evolved. That's a laugh."
"You haven't given me any proof otherwise. Ace said, his fists black with Dark energy. "Let's see just how strong you are."
"I can beat you without even shifting in this world." Latios challenged.
"Fine then" Ace said, releasing a ball of Dark energy into the air. "Prove it. Dark Sealing!"
The ball exploded, creating a dome around the two fighters. Latios looked at it in confusion before Ace punched him hard in the face.
"What is this?" he asked.
"That's my Dark Sealing technique." Ace said. "It prevents either of us from gathering a substantial amount of energy or transforming."
"It can't hold me." Latios shouted, trying to trigger his transformation into the Blue Eon Dragon, but nothing happened.
"It can." Ace said. "As long as the caster is of similar of greater strength to the other objects in the dome, then they can't use it. It is hard to pull off, but I did."
"It won't save you" Latios said, running towards Ace with a psychicly charged fist. Ace dodged it and landed a Dark Punch on Latios' face. The Blue Eon Dragon turned, rubbing his face.
"Very good, Darkspawn" he said, turning. "But I've been holding back this entire time. This isn't the full extent of my human forme powers."
With that Latios removed a locket he had been wearing, throwing it into the dome, where it exploded. The locket was similar to the one Bianca always wore. Once it was gone Latios started exploding (not literally) with energy. His power level was off the charts and Shadow and Bianca could feel it.
With Shadow and Bianca
"What's that dome?" Bianca asked her friend.
"It must be a new technique Ace was working on." Shadow said. "I can use my psychic powers to help us see inside if you want."
"That would be nice." Bianca said, struggling a little to shift to a good position.
Shadow put her hand on Bianca's forehead as if she was taking her temperature. Suddenly Bianca could see what Shadow saw: Ace and Latios duking it out.
"Do you think Ace will win?" Bianca asked.
"I have full confidence in him." Shadow said, smiling. "He's never let us down before."
"You're right." Bianca said, relaxing. "He just needs to get serious."
With Ace and Latios
"Did you really think you could beat me in here?" Latios said, shooting a Psycho Cut through Ace's arm. "In the place I have total control?"
"The thought had crossed my mind." Ace said as he grabbed his arm to stop the bleeding.
"I will kill you." Latios said, moving toward Ace with speed unheard of and stabbing him in the chest with a psychic blade. "Then I'll kill Shadow, followed by Bianca."
"That's your sister." Ace said, trying one last time to reason with his opponent.
"And that's why I'll save her for last." Latios said, twisting the blade. "That seems brotherly, right Ace?"
"One thing" "Ace said, grabbing the knife and shattering it by crushing it in his hands. "I'm not Ace Hunter. At least not completely."
With Bianca and Shadow
"Oh no!" Shadow exclaimed.
"What's wrong?" Bianca asked. "Ace is fine, right? A stab won't hurt him that much, right?"
"It's not that." Shadow said, trembling a little. "Ace isn't completely in control of his actions. Darkrai is taking partial control. Ace is trying to hold him back, but he can't fully restrain him in his current condition. Your brother is going to die."
"It's fine" Bianca said. "He became a monster unlike anything I've ever known about him. He's completely unlike the Latios I once knew."
"The problem will be keeping Ace" Shadow said, pulling Bianca close. "From completely destroying your mind."
With "Ace" and Latios
"What are you?" Latios said, backing away from this monster that wasn't Ace.
"I am Ace Dakurai Hunter, the Nightmare Demon!" Ace shouted, pure dark energy pouring off of him.
"I will kill you" Latios said. "And retain my control of this mind."
Latios charged at "Ace", who grabbed his hand mid-strike. Latios clenched his teeth in reaction to the literally bone crushing sensation where Ace had hold of him. Latios finally managed to pull away from his opponent, but by then his left arm was useless.
"You tried to take what wasn't yours" "Ace" said, his anger rising and his blue eyes now red with anger (he was still in human forme due to the Dark Sealing). "Now it's time for your comuppence."
"Ace" held up his hand like one would before they snapped their fingers. He then looked at Latios with a gaze that caused the once arrogant and confident Blue Eon Dragon to freeze in fear. He knew what was happening: Ace was showing his true power, revealing just what he was capable of doing.
"You can't kill me" Latios said. "I'm already dead. It won't work."
"Who said anything about killing you?" "Ace" said. "What's coming to you is much worse than death."
"Ace" snapped his fingers and a black chasm opened between him and Latios. If one could look down it, they could literally see, feel, hear, taste, and smell the pure unadulterated Darkness.
With Bianca and Shadow
"Why did you stop showing me the fight?" Bianca asked, confused.
"Because" Shadow said, shaking a little. "I don't think that either of us want to see that."
With "Ace" and Latios
"This is a move that only my kind can learn" "Ace" said, his voice dark and demonic. "The Black Nightmare Abyss. Essentially hell in nightmare forme, it is a literal physical void of your worst nightmares."
As he was talking, black, demonic, horrifying hands reached up towards Latios and some managed to grab his ankles.
"Children of the Nightmare" "Ace" commanded the creatures that lurked in the void. "Take your prey with you. Now!"
The hands pulled Latios into the void, his screams echoing from the void until "Ace" closed it, collapsing from both the wounds and exhaustion of battle and trying to restrain Darkrai. The Dark Sealing dome disappeared and the energy levels of the room returned to normal
Shadow and Bianca ran over to Ace, who was struggling to stand up. They each grabbed an arm and wrapped it around their own, supporting him.
"I can send you two back now" Bianca said, her strength returning with the absence of Latios.
"Just remember this." Ace said. "Latios isn't gone forever. I only temporarily sealed him away. He can escape, but it will be hard. Just be on your guard."
"I will" Bianca said, summoning some power to her body. Ace and Shadow were engulfed in light as they disappeared, returning to the real world.
In the real world
The two Kyuryoon appeared in front of their friends as Bianca stopped clenching her head in pain. They helped her up, Ray hugging her and saying how worried he was.
The others filled Ace and Shadow in on the things they had discussed while they were going to save Bianca.
"So five of them?" Ace asked, getting some punch. "So what happens when they all emerge?"
"It is unknown" Melody said. "But we'll all be ready for it when it happens."
"I hope so." Ace said. "By the way, what happened to all of the other attendees?"
The beings in question were all lying on the ground, unconscious.
"We knocked them all out with Sing" Melody said. "We're just gonna tell them the punch was spiked."
"Or we could just leave now" Ace said. "The movie's starting in about ten minutes. We should go. I'm a little done with prom for now."
"Agreed" the others voiced their opinions.
When everyone was walking out, Ace leaned over to Shadow and whispered in her ear.
"Are you still on for that meal later?" he asked.
"Sure" She replied with a mischievous grin. "As long as we don't get ambushed by a flirty blonde."
"No promises" Ace said, the same grin on his face. "I'm not in control of that."
"Come on slowpokes!" Dialga shouted. "Hurry before the other people here wake up."
Ace and Shadow ran to catch up with the others, all of them running to the movie theater. They didn't say much about what happened to Bianca (at her own request). The enjoyed the movie and all went home.
In the Hall of Origins
"So how was prom?" Mewtwo asked as the three couples walked back into the Hall at well past midnight.
"It was okay" Ace said. "But the movie was better."
"Okay then" Mewtwo said, not understanding why they would go to a movie instead of prom.
"Hey" Ace said, justifying their actions. "It was the new Crobatman movie. Totally frickin' awesome."
"Nice" said Mewtwo, sitting down on the couch.
"Oh by the way." He said to Ace, Shadow, and Eon. "Arcey said to tell you guys that you should stay close to that Kiria girl. All three of you."
"That's odd" Ace said. "There's something special about her, but I just can't figure out what."
At that moment a girl in a purple sleeveless dress walked into the room. She was wearing heels and her red eyes seemed metallic. Her shoes were purple on the top and grey on the bottom. Her face was gentle and strong at the same time, as if she'd been in fights and still remembered her gentleness. Her hair was purplish grey with a metallic look to it. She took notice of the three couples (and Eon) and waved a gentle wave (she's a Genesect-just so we're clear).
"Genny" Ace said, waving back. "It's been a while since you've been over. On a date?"
"Yes" she said, sitting down next to Mewtwo, who put his arm around her. "We just finished watching Supermon 2. It was epic!"
"So" said Ace, a slight grin on his face. "Is the couch still sanitary to sit on?"
All three couples and Eon laughed as Genny and Mewtwo turned red. Mewtwo stood up and grabbed Ace by his shirt. Ace was unfazed and looked at Mewtwo.
"How did you know about that?" he asked.
"Arcey pitched a hugeass fit." Ace said, chuckling. "The entire f #$ing block knew about it. Also we did replace that couch, so that was another factor. Don't worry, we'll stop making fun and let you two enjoy your date. Have fun with the movie."
Mewtwo let go of Ace and sat down next to Genny. The two of them snuggled close to each other as the three couples walked out of the room to give them some alone time.
"Man, that was a great night." Dialga said as she and Palkia walked into her room. Ten seconds later Palkia was sent out, a confused look on his face.
"Sorry" Dialga said. "I'm too tired to watch anything right now. I'm gonna crash."
Ray and Bianca walked towards their rooms leaving Ace and Shadow alone. They looked at each other for a couple of minutes before arriving at Shadow's room. She walked in and shut the door before opening it three seconds later and embracing her closest friend, her lips meeting his. They stood like that for about thirty seconds before she walked back into her room and sat down behind the door. Ace stood outside her door for a while, not moving.
"Holy sh!t." they both said silently, Ace heading down to his room. Unbeknownst to the couple, Mewtwo and Genny were watching, giggling to themselves.
"I win" Genny said, lightly punching Mewtwo in the shoulder. "Pay up."
"Fine" Mewtwo said, reaching into his wallet and pulling out five bucks. Genny took it and pocketed it, kissing him on the cheek.
"So what should we do now?" Mewtwo asked, sitting down on the couch.
"I'm tired." Genny said, snuggling up next to Mewtwo. "I want to go to sleep."
"Me too" Mewtwo said, yawning. He pulled his girlfriend closer to him as they both fell asleep.
Kiria's house
The young Riolu girl was sleeping in her bed peacefully when she heard a voice calling her name. She woke up and looked around her room only to see no one.
"Kiria" the voice said again.
"Who's there?" Kiria asked nervously.
"Someone who knows you very well." The voice said.
"A stalker?" Kiria asked.
"No" said the voice. "Someone who will guide you toward your destiny."
"What's my destiny?" Kiria asked.
"That's for you to find out" said the voice. "But I can help you if you'll let me. Will you let me help you?"
"Y-y-yes." Kiria said after some consideration.
"Excellent" the voice said, its tone getting darker. "Your destiny will be one of great capabilities."
"What is it?" Kiria asked curiously.
"Have you ever heard of Lukara?"
Man, i screwed up with Kiria. I must have forgotten about her-like Launch (double Kudos to anyone who gets THAT reference) I was meaning to have her in more chapters, but i just-well-didn't. Oops. I'm going to try to have her in more chapters and give her more character development, but i can't promise anything.