Chapter Seventeen: Nightmare Part Three: Release

Previously on Pokémon: Azure Light

-"You can't stop me."

"There's one that can."

"Yes, the only Pokémon strong enough to give god a nightmare"

-"How much power are you using?"

"Nine tenths, same as always"

-"Ace's nightmares are powerful, enough to give me a nightmare"

-"Look at me. Look at me and focus on your goal."

"You…saved me. Thank you."

-"Ace! Shadow's been taken. By Giovanni"

-"With your ability the Council will fall before me"

"I'll never help you!"

"My dear, you have no choice."

-"This seal will drain your Dark powers until you die."

-"His power level is skyrocketing! Fifteen million! Sixteen million!"

"It's capped at thirty million!"

-"He broke the seal! Just what kind of monster is he?!"

-"What are you?!"

"I am Nightmare"

-"I believe Ace has contracted Pokerus."

"That's impossible. It can't harm Dark types. I don't believe you!"

"For all of our sakes, let's hope you're right"

-"You won't be fighting me, but instead my ultimate weapon. Weapon id number 1447, come forth."

"But—but that's Shadow"

With the Legendaries

"What's happened to Shadow?" Bianca asked, noting a change in her friend.

"Remember when she was kidnapped by Yveltal?" Arcey asked.

"Yeah" Bianca said. "But Ace saved her and restored her memories."

"The memory loss was only part of the problem." Arcey said. "Giovanni tried to turn her into a weapon, but was interrupted by Ace. Giovanni must have taken her to finish what he started."

"Why would he take Shadow?" Mewtwo asked. "Why not try for Eon or even Ace?"

"Because Shadow, as good of a fighter as she is, would be a better target." Arcey explained. "Eon or Ace would have obliterated Giovanni, but Shadow is much less of a violent killer. Also there's something about Shadow that could help determine the outcome of a fight."

"What?" Bianca asked.

"Her ability" Arcey said plainly.

"Hey, guys" Giratina said, walking in, having just arrived from the Distortion World. "Why are we all in the kitchen?"

Arcey quickly filled him in on the details. Giratina got a shocked look on his face.

"I agree with you Arceus. I don't think it's Pokerus" he concurred. "Ace's nightmare powers are also part of his negative emotions. They play a part in that. His anger, rage, and bloodlust. He's letting them all out right now."

"Can it be resealed?" Arcey asked.

"Ace is the only one that can do that." Giratina said gravely. "And if he can't, then we're all screwed."

With Ace

"Wait, isn't that—?" Darkrai asked inside of Ace's head.

"Yeah" said Ace's inner mind. "That's Shadow. But something's different about her."

Nightmare looked at Shadow as if he was sizing her up. She was wearing a strange uniform that was black and seemed to be like armor. It had a large red R on the front with a small tag that said 1447 on it. She was wearing black shoes that were similar to her old ones, but seemed more combat fit. Her hair was let down, flowing and full. Her face had changed from one of kindness and compassion to one of hate and violence. Her eyes, which used to shine with beauty and gentleness, were blank, now reflecting no emotions at all. She wore black gloves that ended in points, giving her the appearance of having claws. Even her aura had changed, now reflecting pure Darkness instead of the mixture of Dark and Psychic power due her Gardevoir DNA.

"So, you've noticed my new weapon is your old friend" Giovanni said. "You thought that star shaped wish granter could fix her? He only buried my influence. All I had to do was dig it up and finish what I started."

"Let her go, Giovanni." Nightmare said, his voice very intimidating. Giovanni seemed very intimidated by it. Even Shadow (1447), as emotionless as she was, seemed put off by this demonic voice.

"Oh I think not" Giovanni said. Turning to 1447, he said "1447, take him out"

"Yes, master." 1447 said, summoning Dark energy.

"Don't even bother" Nightmare said, chuckling a little. "Shadow couldn't beat me before and she can't beat me now."

"Oh, I think you'll find that she's perfectly capable of matching your power, Hunter" Giovanni said. "Especially since her ability compliments her power."

Inside Ace's head

"Ability?" Darkrai asked inside of Ace's head.

"Synchronize" Ace explained. "It allows her to be just as powerful as me."

"That's not how Synchronize works." Darkrai said.

"She's a Kyuryoon, remember?" Ace said. "Her ability is tied in with her Dark powers, which are mostly fueled by her emotions. She bonded to me, so her Synchronize also bonded to me. That's my theory anyways."

"That makes no sense" Darkrai said.

"It's the only thing that even sounds remotely believable." Ace said.

"True" Darkrai said. "But does this present a problem for us in terms of our victory?"

"I doubt it" Ace said. "She may be just as powerful as us, but we have the advantage in brutality. Also this "Nightmare" that I've become is more brutal than both of us. We should be able to stop her."

"But what if this "Nightmare" doesn't stop at beating her?" Darkrai asked. "I know how much it would hurt you to lose her. Also I still want her body."

"We'll worry about that when we get there." Ace said.

The real world

"Yes, Hunter, I'm going to destroy you." Giovanni said evilly. "With your own best friend. And then I'll use her to destroy your precious Council."

"Don't count on it" Nightmare said. "After I take her out, you're next."

Nightmare aimed a powerful Dark Pulse at Giovanni, but 1447 stepped in and swatted it away as if it were nothing. She ran up to Nightmare and punched him straight in the face, causing him to step back a little.

"You're tough" he said, grinning. "Good. I always enjoy a good fight."

"I'm tougher than you think" 1447 said, charging up a powerful blast of Dark energy. Nightmare also charged up a blast of Dark energy.

The two of them stood in similar stances as they charged, signifying their similarities.

"Takethis!" they shouted at each other, their Dark blasts the size of beach balls. The energy the two were gathering up caused the room to shake violently, causing Giovanni to run for cover. The energy they were emitting would give any Pokémon (even those of legendary class) to feel immense pressure almost crushing them. Most of them would succumb to severe nightmares due to Ace's unrestricted nightmare powers.

"Kyuryoon Black Dragon Shadow Aura Burst!" the two altered Kyuryoon shouted as they released the massive blasts Kamehameha style. They met in between the two powerful Dark types, colliding with a sickening crash. The beams continued to collide, forming a large ball in the middle, the energy of said ball exceeding that of the sun.

The two altered Kyuryoon continued to pour energy into the blast, causing the room to shake even more violently. Suddenly the ball exploded, sending a shockwave that threw both of them to the walls.

Unaffected, they stood up and ran at each other, using Dark Claws and Dark Pulses. They met in the center of the room, their Dark energies colliding. They slashed at each other with their Dark energy, but neither one could truly land a hit.

Both of them charged up a Dark Punch, their fists glowing with evil energy. Their red eyes flashed as they leapt at each other with Supermon punches, colliding in midair. The shockwaves from their punches shook the fortress, causing some of the stone in the walls to crack. They landed facing each other.

"Damn, you're good." Nightmare said to his opponent, relishing in the combat.

"My purpose is to serve my master" 1447 said plainly. "I must be good to impress him."

"What's your name?" Nightmare asked, clenching his fists.

"My name is weapon id number 1447" 1447 said, almost in a monotone. "I was created to serve my master, the man known as Giovanni, in his endeavor to destroy the Legendary Council."

"1447 sounds like a stupid name" Nightmare said. "You seem more like a Shadow to me."

"Shadow?" 1447 said, as if the name reminded her of something. "That name sounds… familiar."

"Then that's what I'll call you." Nightmare said. "Awesome opponents always have badass names."

"I will destroy you" 1447 said. "And anyone else who gets in my master's way of his goals."

"I'm more powerful than you give me credit for." Nightmare said, summoning Dark energy. "You'll have to do a lot to beat me."

"You will die here and now" 1447 said.

"Trust me Shadow" Nightmare said. "I am the strongest opponent you have ever faced or will ever face."

"Stop calling me that" 1447 said, irritated. "My master refers to me as 1447, so that is my name. I serve him."

"And who's stronger?" Nightmare asked. "You or him?"

At this 1447 paused. The thought had never occurred to her before. She had never pitted her strength against her master before, so she had no idea.

"I'm just as strong as you." She said, taking a fighting stance.

"And I'm stronger than him" Nightmare said, chuckling a little. "So I guess that means you're stronger than him."

"Shut up!" 1447 shouted, launching a Dark Pulse at her Dark opponent.

"What?" Nightmare taunted, dodging the blast. "Am I getting to you?"

"Shut up!" 1447 yelled again, Dark power surging through her body. She cast a spell that put an orb around Nightmare, causing him to stop.

"This orb will prevent you from fighting." She said, putting power into the orb. "But it also has an added effect."

"What?" Nightmare asked sarcastically. "Does it shock me? How cliché."

"No" 1447 said, a smirk on her face. "It crushes you."

Nightmare's eyes slightly widened as he felt the orb become smaller until it was the same size as his body, putting pressure on him. Thinking quickly, he crossed his arms in an x pattern before it put too much pressure on him. He threw his arms out, sending out a shockwave that even pushed 1447 back a few feet.

"Okay" Nightmare said, grinning. "Let me show you my true power."

The True Nightmare Demon bent his arms upward anime style and absorbed a lot of power, the Darkness eventually cloaking him in an aura fire of power. 1447 put her hand over her face to shield herself from the immense amount of power pouring off of the individual.

"What is this immense power I'm feeling?" she thought to herself. "I might need to transform to defeat him at this point."

1447 started absorbing power at the same rate as Nightmare, growing just powerful as him. A similar black aura fire cloaked her, concealing her from view.

Once the two warriors had reached their full powers, they both threw their arms out to their sides, causing two massive shockwaves to be emitted, which caused the stone foundation of the fortress to crumble more. The two warriors now stood facing each other, their power levels off the charts and their formes different.

With the legendaries-about thirty seconds earlier

"What just happened?" Mewtwo asked, watching the two immense aura fields concealing great Dark powers. "They cloaked themselves. What's going on?"

"They're shifting to pokéforme" said a sinister voice from behind the legendaries. Half of the legendaries prepared their strongest attacks in response to the newcomer's presence, the other half backing away in fear. The newcomers were divided; Chopper, Conner, and Mira gathered energy to fight, while Melody, Cressa,, Kiria and Diana had no idea what was going on.

"Yveltal" Mewtwo growled, preparing a Psystrike to use on the Great Yvern. "What do you want?"

"Save your energy" Yveltal said to the Hall. "I'm not here to fight. I just want to watch Giovanni get his ass handed to him by the Nightmare Demon himself."

Why are you here?" Arcey asked the demon in a dark tone.

"When Giovanni told me this crazy ass plan" Yveltal said, smirking. "I left because I knew it would fail. I came here because I figured you guys would want to watch your two strongest warriors duke it out in a death battle, so I figured: why not watch with them and be able to see without getting my ass kicked."

"Leave" Mewtwo growled, remembering when he had last encountered Yveltal.

"I promise I won't hurt you" Yveltal said.

"You better" came a calm yet firm voice from behind Yveltal. He turned to find himself face to face with a girl with rainbow colored hair and a dark blue dress.

"Xerneas" Yveltal said, confused to see his sister. "What are you doing here? I thought you were tasked with guarding the ancient seal."

"I was" the Fairy Queen said, putting her hands on her hips. "Until I was attacked by two Greninja that worked for Zygarde. Arcey restored me to full health, but I'm living here now."

"Xerneas" Arcey said to the Fairy Queen. "You keep an eye on him so we can watch this fight."

"Will do, Arcey" Xerneas said, addressing the God Pokémon.

"I'll just leave when this is over" Yveltal said. "I thought this would be a great fight to watch."

"Wait" Mewtwo said. "If they're shifting into pokéforme, then just how much power will they be expelling?"

"A ton" Arcey said. "If Ace's power level was thirty million before, then it could go into an astronomical range."

"Something doesn't make sense" Eon said, puzzled. "If Ace's max power level was two million when he used ninety percent of his power, then how come his power level capped at thirty million earlier?"

"The other ten million" Arcey said. "Was from his nightmare powers."

"Oh" Eon said. "But his pokéforme would be even more powerful"

"It is" Arcey said. "Right now it's at five hundred million and still rising. Shadow's too. I estimate that they could reach at least one billion in this state."

Eon gasped. Just how powerful were her two best friends? They certainly earned the title of gods, but just what could they do?

"The only problem is" Arcey said with a worried expression on her face. "that they could become too powerful for their bodies to handle."

"What do you mean?" Melody asked.

"One's body can only handle so much power before it is strained from the pressure." Arcey explained. "Usually one can handle their maximum power for a decent period of time before this happens, but if you're reckless like Ace, then it will be reduced."

"So will Ace and Shadow die from their massive power levels."

"I don't think so" Arcey said. "The seals keep them from reaching power levels that are too high, but they could feel some of it. Our only hope is that they stop before they kill themselves or others."

Suddenly, Arcey jolted back, losing focus and dissolving the view the other legendaries were getting.

"What happened?" Mewtwo asked.

"They've grown too powerful" Yveltal said, chuckling evilly. "The communication is disrupted due to the enormous amounts of power the two of them are emitting. Truthfully it's a wonder that you could hold the feed this long. My mother always did say that you were worthy of being god. You've proven that you're the right person for the job."

"Brother, please calm down." Xerneas said, talking to the Yvern. "Or I will expel you from here myself."

"The true matter at hand right now" Mewtwo said, interrupting the two arguing teens. "Is that now Ace and Shadow have gained power beyond that of mortals. And we can't stop them."

"Wait" Eon said, confused. "Why is Ace fighting Shadow? Usually he breaks out of whatever state he's in at the sight of her."

"My theory" Yveltal said, realizing the answer to the question (he'd been asking himself the same question). "is that he doesn't want to break out of this state he's now in."

"Brother" Xerneas said. "You've had some crazy ideas in the past, but now you're not making any sense."

"Think about it" Yveltal said, chuckling a little at his enemies' confusion and anger. "He knows he wouldn't lay a hand on her, so he's letting this darker version of himself fight her."

"Why would Ace do that?" Mewtwo asked, thinking over the Yvern's statement.

"Because he knows he can't reason with her to convince her to return to him." Yveltal said. "So he's going to let this "Nightmare" fight her for him-or he's not going to hold back. He won't let it kill her, but it will do what he can't (or won't) do: fight his girlfriend."

With Nightmare and 1447

When their massive aura fires dissipated, the two Kyuryoon stood facing each other, but there were significant differences between them and from their human formes.

1447's skin had turned completely black, matching the color of her black uniform. The R remained on her chest, however, turning a deep crimson color. A "horn" grew in the middle of her chest, its shape being similar to that of a rose petal. A much smaller, rounded one sprouted from her back. A dress like fabric grew down around her legs, opening in the front for mobility. Her skin also seemed to take on the texture of the uniform she was wearing previously. She seemed to be wearing gloves. Her face was one of skill and power as well as anger. Her hair had curved into a rounder shape, but still looked like a fashionable hairstyle. Her eyes turned a very strange mixture of red and black, flashing like fires. She got into a fighting position, ready to fight her opponent with all of her might.

Nightmare had changed the most significantly. His skin had all turned black, but unlike his previous transformations, this time he looked like he was demonic fire. His scarf changed to the shape of a lower jaw, but it seemed to be a crimson fire. His white hair lengthened, but only to about a third of the normal length of Darkrai's hair. It too looked like it was a fire, blazing white. He remained in a human like shape instead of contorting like he normally would (it was still the shape of Ace Hunter). His face was one of rage and power. His red eyes became larger, but they were only about three quarters of the size of normal Darkrai eyes. They were still red, however, and seemed demonic and intimidating. Even 1447, who was supposedly emotionless, was taken a bit aback by this.

The two of them wordlessly ran toward each other, speaking only when they were about ten feet from each other.

"Kyuryoon Black Dragon Shadow Punch!" they shouted, their fists becoming cloaked in pure Dark energy. The two mighty fists collided in a massive shockwave of pure Darkness. The other elements flashed out of the shockwave. Fire burst forth from the blast as Ghostly and Dragonic energy followed suit, all overshadowed by the pure unbridled Darkness that poured forth from both their auras and their fists. This time the castle actually crumbled from the force and Darkness.

The shock waves sent the two altered Kyuryoon back into piles of debris. They stood up, both of them angry and hungry for more battle.

"You're much better than I expected" Nightmare said, calling Dark energy to his hands. "But, let's end this now."

"Yeah" 1447 said, doing the same. "Let's"

The two altered Kyuryoon created Dark swords from their hands. The swords glowed black with the pure demonic energy they were made from.

The two of them charged at each other, each trying to slice the other.

They sliced, slashed, and stabbed, their swords making sounds similar to a lightsaber when in contact. Both pressed against each other, hoping for an advantage, but they knew each other's strategies too well. They couldn't find an opening.

Finally, 1447 landed a lucky slash that sliced Nightmare in the side. The gash wasn't bleeding much, but a small object fell out of the gash. Both combatants stared at it for a second, actually halting their fight. They looked at it, wondering what it was.

1447 picked up the strange object, which seemed to be a box of sorts. She opened it to see what was inside. When she saw it, she gasped, her eyes widening.

Inside was a note that read: To Shadow, Happy Birthday- With love, Ace. Beneath the note was a beautiful ring with a pure Black Amethyst for a stone, her birthstone. Wait, how did she know that? 1447 looked at the ring, staring as if she was trying to remember something. Suddenly she started trembling like a leaf in the wind. She grabbed her head as if she had a massive headache, falling to her knees.

She stood up thirty seconds later, however. Her skin faded back to its normal color, her eyes now graceful and kind as well as their normal red color. The uniform on her burned up as her original clothes appeared in their place. She was 1447 no longer, for now she was Shadow Sanaito (suh-na-ee-to (Japanese pronunciation of "Sirknight")) Darkstar once more.

She looked at the horrible demon in front of her, slightly frightened. He was just staring at her, not moving. He seemed to be familiar, but where did she know him from? But suddenly recognition hit her.

"Ace" she asked, seeing and feeling her best friend's Dark power. "Is that you?"

"Sh-Shadow…" Nightmare said, his voice becoming much softer. Shadow gasped as she realized Nightmare's identity.

With the legendaries

"I'm sensing something" Arcey said. "I think I can see the fight now."

The God Pokémon had been trying to see what was going on with her two pupil's battle for a while. Unfortunately, she hadn't had much luck until now. The other legendaries (as well as Ace's other friends and the demon Yveltal) had been trying to figure out a way to help Arcey see despite the massive power levels that Ace (or Nightmare at this point) and Shadow (or 1447 due to Giovanni's influence) were putting out. Now Arcey could sense their power levels dropping, giving her a chance to view the battle.

"I see them!" she shouted, reproducing the feed to the other legendaries' minds. "They're just standing there, though."

"Maybe they've decided to have a staring contest" Yveltal joked. Xerneas smacked him in the back of his head.

"We don't have to let you stay to see this." She said firmly.

"It's not like anyone here is strong enough to force me to leave." Yveltal said. "But I'm bored, so I'm going. Arceus, I look forward to fighting your pupil in full combat sometime in the near future."

"You'd get your ass kicked." Cela muttered under her breath.

"We'll see" Yveltal said, having heard her. He Yvern walked out the door and used Phantom Force to warp to an unknown location.

"So, now what?" Mewtwo asked.

"I guess we—" Arcey started to say. Suddenly she noticed something. "Wait, what's going on with them?"

With Nightmare and Shadow

Nightmare stood in front of the Dark Empath, his forme like fire. Suddenly his body started cracking. Shadow gasped as cracks moved all around his body, white light pouring out of them. Soon his entire body was cracked, from his flaming white hair to his black legs.

In an instant Nightmare's body exploded, intangible shards of pure Dark energy spreading out in all directions. Underneath his body was the human forme of Nightmare. He fell forward, unconscious, his hair fading to black and his eyes (which were closed) turned black.

Shadow quickly moved forward and caught her best friend, supporting his weight. He didn't weigh much to her, both due to her Synchronize ability and the fact that she had some decent strength of her own.

"Funny, Ace" she chuckled to herself. "What is this, the twentieth time I've carried you home unconscious?"

Suddenly, Shadow heard a noise near her. She turned to see Giovanni standing beside of her, alive and nearly unharmed, save for him holding his arm.

"Well, 1447" Giovanni said, seemingly impressed. "You've done a good job defeating him. Now, let's proceed with my plan to end the existence of the Legendary Council."

"Leave me alone" Shadow said, growling a little. "And don't call me that. My name is Shadow."

"Well" Giovanni said, a little surprised. "It seems as though you need a little discipline. I'll need to teach you not to disobey me."

"I'm not your weapon anymore." Shadow said in a firm voice. "Leave me and my friends alone."

"It seems you need to learn to listen better, 1447." Giovanni said firmly. "I'll have to correct that problem."

"NO, you listen!" Shadow growled, her voice loud and her red eyes flashing. She grabbed Giovanni with her psychic powers and raised him into the air (she was still holding an unconscious Ace). She started using Psycho Cut on the monster of a man, cutting into his flesh.

"You need to listen." A Psycho Cut of Giovanni's left arm.

"I am not your weapon." A Psycho Cut on Giovanni's right arm."

"I am a human being." A Psycho Cut on Giovanni's left leg.

"And my name isn't 1447, it's Shadow." A Psycho Cut on Giovanni's right leg.

"Remember that, Giovanni" A Psycho Cut on Giovanni's chest. "because I'm only gonna say it once."

"And remember this as well" Shadow growled/shouted, using another Psycho Cut on Giovanni's chest, her voice almost as menacing as Nightmare's. "You leave me and my friends alone or I will personally obliterate you!"

When she had said that she used a flurry of Psycho Cuts on Giovanni's body, almost cutting him to ribbons. After about thirty seconds she psychically threw Giovanni's body into part of the crumbled wall, part of it impaling him through his chest.

"Come on Ace" Shadow said to her unconscious best friend. "Let's go home."

With the legendaries

"Holy sh!t!" Eon shouted, having just witnessed Shadow decimate Giovanni single handedly. "Did Shadow just do what I think she did?"

"Yes" Arcey said, just as surprised. "She did."

"So, what now" Mewtwo asked. "Should we go make sure Giovanni's dead or what?"

"We welcome our two brave young warriors home" Arcey said. "It's late and I'm sure they want some sleep."

Just as Arcey said that, she heard a knock on the front door. She walked over to it and opened it. On the other side was Shadow holding an unconscious Ace and supporting his weight. Mewtwo and Cela took Ace and carried him off to the med bay to check up on him.

When Shadow had released Ace into the other two psychic's care she stood watching them go before promptly collapsing on the ground, exhausted. Arcey quickly caught the Dark Empath before she hit the floor, carrying her to the med bay.

In the med bay

The two Kyuryoon were placed in beds right next to each other, Ace on the left and Shadow on the right. Arcey talked to Manaphy, the latter assuring the former that she would keep watch over them with utmost care and that she would let them rest before they got visitors.

Arcey thanked her and left, stopping to take one last glance at her two pupils. She smiled, something catching her eye. She looked closer at the two of them to see what it was.

Ace's right hand had drooped over the side of his bed. Shadow's left hand had drooped over the side of hers. Their two hands had joined together, almost signifying their friendship. Arcey also noticed that on Shadow's left hand was a silver ring with a Black Amethyst for a stone. Arcey smiled, knowing where Ace had gotten it and why.

In Ace and Shadow's minds

"This is the perfect place to finish our picnic." Shadow said, having picked a spot under a tree. She and Ace were unconscious, so they decided to spend their time together instead of doing whatever people normally do when they're unconscious. They had figured the best thing to do was finish the picnic they didn't get to finish in Mrs. U's class a couple of weeks ago.

Shadow and Ace had decided to find a nicer place than last time, since they were interrupted the last time. Shadow had found the spot under a tree and they decided to finish. The two of them sat down and started to eat.

"Happy Birthday Shadow" Ace said, biting into a sandwich.

"You too" Shadow said, drinking some juice they had packed.

"You were right" Ace said, looking around him. "This was a great place for our picnic."

"Thanks" Shadow said. "It just looked so perfect."

"I'll say" Ace said. "This is the perfect place."

The two of them got out the rest of their picnic stuff and began a conversation.

"So, how was today?" Ace asked. "You know, aside from chasing me around the city and getting kidnapped?"

"Well, with those parameters." Shadow said, giggling. "I'd say the first two hours of my day were all right."

"I'm sorry this turned out to be a sh!tty birthday" Ace apologized.

"It's allright." Shadow said. "You couldn't have known this would happen. Your powers are chaotic and unpredictable. And Giovanni is even more unpredictable. He just happened to pick today, the day your powers start to leak out, of all days."

"I know" Ace said, frustrated at himself. "But I should have had better control of my powers."

"Enough" Shadow said firmly. "We've already had this conversation. Stop beating yourself up over this. I'm immune, so you don't have to worry about affecting me with your nightmares. Also, your powers grow as you do, so expect some resistance from them. You powers leaked a little, so no one got truly hurt. And you saved me from Giovanni, so don't blame yourself for that. I was kidnapped when I went to get drinks, not because you drove me away. That wasn't your fault. Stop pretending that it was. I'm safe, you've restrained your powers, Giovanni won't bother me ever again, and I'm with you right now, so relax and have a little fun."

"But—" Ace began to say before Shadow cut him off.

"Shut it" she said, preventing him from completing his thought. "You're not a monster just because you can cause nightmares to other people just by touch or presence. The fact that you try to restrain them so that other people don't get affected is proof that you're not a monster. The fact that you have friends that care about you is proof that you're not a monster. The fact that you don't destroy everything you come into contact with is proof that you're not a monster."

"I guess you're right" Ace sighed. "Well, let's have the best rest of our birthday."

"All right" Shadow said.

"Oh, it's a birthday celebration?" A dark and sinister voice said from behind the two Kyuryoon, who instantly recognized it. "Should I sing?"

"Darkrai" Ace said, groaning a little. "What do you want? If it's about my body, then shove it up your ass."

"Harsh" Darkrai said, standing over the two Kyuryoon. "But that's not why I'm here."

"Then why are you here?" Ace asked, irritated that the Nightmare Pokémon had interrupted his picnic.

"Why I'm here to congratulate my two finest prodigies." Darkrai said. "On their awesome badass fight."

"Our "badass fight"?" Shadow asked. "Do you mean the one from earlier?"

"Yes" Darkrai said. "After all, it's not every day a Darkrai that holds in his nightmares unleashes them, ultimately becoming one bad motherf #$er, and totally annihilates the entire regiment of one of the world's most feared men, including his most powerful soldiers that nearly killed him. Also you and your girlfriend had one badass fight that will go down in history as one of the greatest fights of all time, simply because of the fact that they reached a power level of one billion each, something that hasn't been done in millennia. Then your girlfriend gave Giovanni a slice of life and impaled him on a f #$ing rock. That's worth some congratulations."

"Um, thanks" the two Kyuryoon said.

"Welcome" Darkrai said. "That was all I wanted to say. Enjoy your picnic. I'll be back for your bodies later. Don't say I never do anything nice for you two."

The Nightmare Pokémon disappeared, leaving the two Kyuryoon a little confused. After a few seconds, however, they went back to their picnic.

"This is good." Ace said. "Even if it's not real, this is good food."

"I know" Shadow said. "It's really good."

"Well, let's have a little birthday celebration here." Ace said, raising his glass as if he was making a toast. "Since we're unconscious in the real world."

"They'll give us a real one tomorrow." Shadow pointed out.

"Well, this one." Ace said. "Is just for the two of us."

"All right" Shadow said. "That could be fun."

"Hold on" Ace said, suddenly pausing.

"What?" Shadow asked.

"Something Darkrai said." Ace said, thinking about something.

"Which part?" Shadow asked.

"He said you impaled Giovanni on a rock." Ace said, remembering. "What was that about?"

"Well" Shadow said, starting to get a little bit uncomfortable. "when you fell unconscious after you regained control of your nightmares and the creature Nightmare had faded, Giovanni appeared in front of me. I was holding you, so I couldn't fight him in hand to hand. I used my Psychic powers to attack him and threw him against a rock, which impaled him."

"Holy sh!t" Ace said, surprised. "You actually did that?"

"Yeah" Shadow said, embarrassed. "I got really mad and I just lost it for a second."

"I don't blame you" Ace said. "The man kidnapped you and has brainwashed you twice. He tried to turn you into his own personal weapon and maybe do other ungodly things to you. I think you're entitled to rage and tell him to back the f #$ off."

"But I almost killed a man" Shadow said, starting to shake. "And I may have actually killed him."

"Big deal" Ace said, putting his arm around her and pulling her close. "I've killed people before. I don't look down on you for doing it. Besides, we killed our clones. I think that it's awesome that you wasted Giovanni like that. But if you don't want to talk about it anymore, then we don't have to."

"Okay" Shadow said, leaning against Ace.

"Well, let's get back to our 'celebration'" Ace said, squeezing his best friend in a hug.

"Okay" Shadow said, feeling better. "Let's."

"Cool." Ace said, a small grin on his face. "But I'm not gonna sing if that's what you're thinking."

"All right" Shadow giggled.

"So what did you think of your present?" Ace asked.

"I thought it was really pretty." Shadow said, smiling. "Thank you."

"Welcome." Ace said. "I thought you'd like it. That's what me and Eon got when we left you at the bookstore."

"Oh" Shadow said, remembering. "Cool. But how did it come out of Nightmare's body when I sliced him?"

"That was me." Ace explained. "I let Nightmare fight you because I knew I couldn't. He would fight you and understand that you couldn't be reasoned with. I let him buy me some time while me and Darkrai came up with a plan."

"Why did Darkrai help you?" Shadow asked suspicious.

"He wanted your body" Ace said. "So he wanted to help me to keep you alive."

"Oh" Shadow said. "But how did the ring come into play?"

"Well" Ace continued. "When Nightmare shifted, we figured that you were farther out of Giovanni's control, due to the fact that you were by far stronger than him at that point. So I used some of my Dark power to hide the ring box under Nightmare's skin in his pokéforme. When you two used swords, it was the perfect way to reveal the ring."

"That's amazing" Shadow said. "But why do you keep referring to Nightmare as a different person. I thought he was you."

"He is and he isn't" Ace said. "It's complicated really. I'm separate from him, but he is me. He's me with the full extent of my nightmare powers unleashed. He's not another entity inside of me, but he's essentially me without any barriers, boundaries or morals. He's what I would be like if you hadn't helped me control my nightmares. In a sense you saved me from myself."

"I did?" Shadow asked.

"Yes" Ace said. "So, what should we do now?"

"I don't know about you" Shadow said. "But I'm ready for some real food. I could eat as much as you and Eon eat and then some."

"Oh, is that a challenge?" Ace asked jokingly.

"Yep" Shadow said mischievously.

"Then let's get back to reality and find out" Ace said, taking Shadow's hand. The two of them warped back to the real world.

In the real world

Ace and Shadow's friends stood around the two Kyuryoon's beds, waiting for them to get up. Suddenly they noticed movement on their faces. The two Kyuryoon opened their eyes.

"Ace" Cressa shouted, leaping towards the person she was infatuated with. Out of nowhere, she was grabbed by a Psychic force.

"Not so fast, flirty girl." Manaphy said, putting Cressa back where she was, next to Melody. "These two need to rest and regain their energy before they deal with flirting."

"Rest schmest." Ace said, hopping out of bed. "I'm going to get something to eat. Come on Shadow, let's go."

"Hold it" Manaphy said, standing in front of Ace. "You're not going anywhere."

"Manaphy" Ace said in a half serious tone. "If you don't get out of my way, I will Thunder Punch your ass into next week"

Manaphy stepped aside, her eyes widening slightly.

"Eon" Ace addressed his flaming friend. "Let's go to the fridge. Eating contest between you, me, and Shadow."

"All right" Eon said, pumping her fist in the air. "Let's eat"

The Unholy Trinity walked out of the room to the fridge, their friends following.

Arcey watched from her room, shaking her head with a smile on her face. Ace was back to his "normal" self, the Unholy Trinity was going to cause a huge decimation in food bills (if Arcey didn't have enormous creation powers. Yep, everything was back to normal in the Hall of Origins. Just the way she preferred it.