Conquering the Dark
Chapter 2: Testing the Link Between Worlds
"Keldeo, you need to remain calm and focus. You'll never hit your target if you thrash wildly in frustration."
A sigh of annoyance was heard. "Yes, Xerneas."
Xerneas and Keldeo were out in the practice fields. Located about half a mile away from the main headquarters of the Resistance, it was used as a training ground by the members. Right now, Xerneas was battling Keldeo, using less of his normal power to help train him.
"Now, listen again. Your goal is to be able to strike me down and leave me helpless. As you know, I am a Fairy-type. Dragon moves will not work against me, and I am also super effective against your Fighting-type. Tell me Keldeo… what is the best way to defeat an enemy that has an advantage over you? You don't have any Steel or Poison moves."
Keldeo thought for a moment. "Well… if I don't have any Steel or Poison moves, and if Fighting-type moves aren't effective against Fairy-types, then wouldn't a Water-type move be my best option?"
Xerneas nodded. "Indeed, it would. However, if you do find yourself trapped in a situation you cannot win, then there is no shame in fleeing to save your life."
Keldeo scowled at the sound of this. "I'm not running away! I'd be a coward! The last time I did that…"
Memories seemed to flood back into Keldeo's mind. Everything that had happened only a week ago to him flowed back into his head. While he was stuck in a desolate Sinnoh, he really came from the country of Unova. Everything was so simpler back then. He trained with the Swords of Justice every day when he was taken under their care, seeing the four of them as a family who Keldeo loved deeply. Cobalion… Terrakion… Virizion… they were all gone now. He remembered everything as clear as crystal. Cyrus was seeking to expand his rule beyond Sinnoh, and he had already conquered Kanto and Hoenn. Next up on the list was Unova, though Keldeo had no idea of this until after the army struck.
Flashback
"Keldeo, wake up." said a voice.
Keldeo slowly blinked his eyes and stood up. "Terrakion? Virizion? It's the middle of the night. Why…?"
"We don't have time to explain. We'll tell you on the way." Terrakion stated, urging the young colt to follow him.
It wasn't until Keldeo got outside of the cave did he know what was going on. The entire Moor of Icirrus was on fire, burning away everything that Keldeo knew and loved. The three began to gallop out of the area, planning to find a safer area in Unova. "V-Virizion?"
"Yes, Keldeo?"
"W-What's going on? Why is our home on fire? Who would…?"
"I don't know, Keldeo." she confessed honestly.
"B-But where's Cobalion?"
"I'm not going to hide the truth from you, Keldeo." Terrakion stated. "Some sort of army is attacking our home. Cobalion gave us orders to wake you up and get out of here as quickly as possible. He went to confront the army… just to buy us all time. That was the last time Virizion and I saw him."
"…" Keldeo remained silent as the events of what happened to Cobalion sunk into his head. He knew what had happened to his father figure, but had to push it out of his mind and just keep running.
Suddenly, a Lucario appeared before them, swiftly knocking them down to impede their progress. The three groaned in pain as they got up. Terrakion was the first to ask questions.
"Who… who are you?" It occurred to them that this wasn't a normal Lucario. While he had the basic appearance, numerous things were different compared to benevolent Lucarios the group had seen before. He had long, dark appendages hanging from his head, resembling that of the fabled Giratina's. His paws and feet were red instead of black, and had an extra set of spikes on them. Finally, instead of a standard blue thin tail, this Lucario's tail was like that of a powerful and majestic Arcanine. He was clearly not someone to take lightly.
The Lucario chuckled, with his eyes as red as blood and his laugh being a very dark and cruel laugh. "In a few words… I am Commander Aaron… and your ultimate end."
He swiftly charged up a glowing red Aura Sphere almost to signify that the attack itself had a ruthless, evil aura, and aimed at Terrakion. Keldeo, the first to react, ran towards the Lucario in an attempt to stop him from attacking. But the attack was in futile effort. It barely made a scratch on the powerful Lucario as he painfully smacked Keldeo aside, and he fired his Aura Sphere towards Terrakion.
Terrakion flared up in anger. "Don't you dare do that to him! I'll show you whose end is coming! Sacred Sword!"
Terrakion quickly charged his most powerful attack, and swung at the Aura Sphere to counter it back towards the Lucario.
But it didn't work. The attack that he had always relied on failed him. A painful shattering sound was heard as the Aura Sphere broke through his Sacred Sword counter. Terrakion took the entire force of the hit, and was sent flying backwards into a stone cold rock.
"Terrakion!" Keldeo shouted in horror. He ran towards Terrakion as fast as he could, but the Lucario was even faster. The Commander used ExtremeSpeed to get over to the fallen Sword of Justice before Keldeo could. The sound that Terrakion's neck made would never leave Keldeo.
*snap*
The sound of that, along with his lifeless eyes, emotionally broke Keldeo, tears forming in his eyes. Looking at Keldeo and then the Lucario, Virizion knew what she had to do. She wasn't going to make it out of this alive, but would make sure that Keldeo would.
"Run!" she ordered.
Keldeo tried to weakly protest. "B-But…"
"RUN! NOW!"
Keldeo stood there for a moment horrified and whimpered, before following Virizion's orders. As he ran, Keldeo knew that Virizion wasn't going to get out of there alive either.
Keldeo didn't know how long he had been running. With the panic of the situation, it was impossible to distinguish 5 minutes from 5 hours. Nevertheless, his frantic run had taken him all the way to the harbors of Castelia City. It doesn't seem to have been attacked yet. He attempted to catch his breath, trying to remain calm.
"Castelia City?" he whispered to himself. "Virizion told me to get out of here… maybe there's a ship heading out of Unova."
Staying in the shadows, he looked around for a ship, any ship that would lead out of Unova to somewhere safe. Finally, he came across a pile of cargo, with a small 'To Sinnoh' sign set next to it. Seeing this as his chance to get out, he quietly lifted open a box and crawled inside it, shutting it behind him.
Not long after, Keldeo could feel his box being picked up. Of course, it was carelessly thrown into the ship's cargo hold, making him more than a little nauseous. He shook it off as the men who picked up his box left. He felt the ship starting to take off, and knowing he was alone, crawled his way back outside of the box to find himself in the gigantic cargo hold just underneath the ship. He looked around, truly beginning to understand the gravity of his situation.
"C-Cobalion… T-Terrakion… V-Virizion… they're all gone, aren't they?" he quietly whispered, talking to no one but himself. He could feel his eyes starting to tear up. "I'm… I'm alone."
He walked around the large cargo hold, unaware of what he would do once he got to Sinnoh. His entire life as he knew it was gone. In just one night, everything he loved had been taken away from him. Hours seemed to pass as the trip dragged on.
"If… if anyone's out there… God… please… help me. I… I beg you. Please…"
What seemed like another eternity passed before he heard a knock on the ship windows right next to the cargo hold. "Wait… how is that possible? The ship's still moving…" Regardless, he headed up a pair of metal stairs to get to the source of the sound.
Looking through the window, his jaw dropped at seeing a Pokémon looking at him. Not just any old Water-type Pokémon either, it was a majestic deer that Keldeo had never seen before in his life, floating over the water.
"Who… who are you?" Keldeo asked.
The deer smiled, before teleporting into the cargo hold right next to Keldeo, startling him.
"How did you even know that I'm here?!"
The deer smiled again. "A friend of mine, a very powerful Psychic-type, had detected the presence of another Legendary entering Sinnoh. Knowing how dangerous Sinnoh is now, I had decided to investigate."
"Wait… dangerous?"
"Yes, Sinnoh, along with the rest of the world, is becoming a much more dangerous to live now. I am under the assumption that you are fleeing from your home country to reach safety, correct?"
Keldeo's jaw opened again, not believing how this deer had been able to guess exactly what had happened to him the past night.
"…Do you read minds?" Keldeo felt complied to ask.
The deer chuckled again. "No, no. Just an educated guess. Anyway, I suppose I should introduce myself. I am Xerneas, the Life Pokémon, and the only survivor of the attack on my own home country… at least, I'm the only survivor that I know of."
Keldeo was silent for a moment. "I… I lost my family." Out of rash impulse, he hugged Xerneas, needing someone to comfort him. Quickly realizing what he had done, he backed off.
"I… I apologize." Keldeo said flustered. "I-I wasn't…"
"It's OK." Xerneas reassured him. "We all need a shoulder to cry on sometimes. I lost a brother very close to me as well. I am… very familiar with losing loved ones. But I need to discuss the reason why I am here."
"Yeah… I'm wondering about that."
"However, this is not the place for it. I need to get you off of here as quickly as possible."
"But why?"
"Sinnoh is a very dangerous place now, as I have said before. The ship is about to land, so I have no time to explain right now. I will give details later."
"But…"
Before Keldeo could protest, Xerneas did what was best for their safety and teleported them both off of the ship.
Even though it was only a week ago, it felt like an eternity. The events ran through his mind again. From Terrakion's brutal death, to Virizion's orders to flee, and to running away from his home only for Xerneas to rescue him. It was all just too much to take. In one night, he had lost his entire family. He had lost the family he had loved so much, only to realize that a tyrant wanted to take over the entire world. He had lost his own world. He began tearing up in front of Xerneas, that night's events from just a week ago overwhelming him with grief.
"I-I'm sorry… X-Xerneas. I… I don't mean to… I-I just…"
Xerneas nodded in understanding. "You've been through a lot. Why don't we break for today?"
Keldeo simply nodded in response, leaving back to the main headquarters with his Fairy-type mentor, and father figure.
It was a long walk back to the main headquarters, but Keldeo didn't really mind much. It gave him time to clear his head, and reflect on past events. Even if the rest of his family was gone now, he couldn't have been more grateful to meet Xerneas. Whether it was due to sheer coincidence or a complete miracle, he remained grateful either way. He looked up at Xerneas as the duo walked back. Keldeo had really grown to see Xerneas as a secondary father figure, especially after losing his primary one in Cobalion. Xerneas had also lost his brother Yveltal who succumbed to an unknown fate, so Keldeo wasn't alone in the pain of losing loved ones. He nuzzled Xerneas a bit, even though Keldeo only stood up to Xerneas' breastplate. Xerneas couldn't help but smile as the two approached the main headquarters. Just outside, coming from the opposite direction was Mewtwo.
"How goes it, Mewtwo?" Xerneas asked.
"Playing double-agent is always such a stress." Mewtwo confessed. "But I managed to get some more key info. Specifically on Rayquaza."
Xerneas had a look of worry on his face. "I… haven't seen him for a couple of days. Please don't tell me that…"
Mewtwo nodded solemnly. "Yes. Yesterday, I was asking that… pathetic Commander of mine if any new slaves have been captured for… 'reprogramming'." he said, shuddering at the mention of the word. "He informed me that there was a recent captive that he had obtained. It was indeed Rayquaza. He really seemed to gloat about the capture, too. It sickens me that I even have to PRETEND to work for this bastard."
"I guess it would be the best decision to inform Dialga about this. I can't believe that we've lost two members now."
Keldeo was a bit confused at who this 'other' captured Resistance member was, but decided to ask about the details later.
"Indeed." Xerneas said, entering the desolate-looking headquarters with Mewtwo. "If Cyrus' army can subdue Legendary Pokémon like that… then we need to figure out some way to gain an advantage over him."
"Yes." Mewtwo nodded. "I will go inform Dialga and then she can call for an emergency meeting." Mewtwo then left, leaving Xerneas and Keldeo alone.
"Uh… Xerneas?" Keldeo asked nervously.
"Yes?"
"There's… there's another one besides Rayquaza missing? Who is he?"
Xerneas sighed. "He's been missing for a month now, longer than you've been here. He was the Resistance's prime technician, and was extremely good with gadgets and creating devices to assist us with bringing down Cyrus. But a month ago, he went missing, just like Rayquaza. Mewtwo informed us that he had the same fate as Rayquaza. He was Zekrom."
"Wait… what?! Zekrom?!" Keldeo exclaimed, rather shocked. He had known Zekrom as an extremely powerful Legendary, one he couldn't ever being captured or subdued. But if Zekrom could have this happen to him, along with Rayquaza who was another powerful Legendary Pokémon, then Cyrus' army was capable of almost anything.
Mewtwo teleported back to the duo, startling Keldeo. He couldn't get over how startling Mewtwo's teleportation was to him.
"I've informed Dialga." Mewtwo stated. "As such, she has called for an emergency meeting in the presentation room. I will see you there." After that, he teleported away again.
"I'm never going to get used to that…" Keldeo muttered. Xerneas only chuckled as the two made their way to the presentation room.
"Now, I hope you are all aware that I have called this meeting due to the most important of matters."
Dialga was talking to the rest of the Legendaries that made up the Resistance. Along with Mewtwo, Xerneas, and the recently joined Keldeo, several other members existed in the organization. Among them were Groudon, a big and bulky yet extremely friendly Pokémon to anyone not named Kyogre. Kyogre, who was not too bad once you got past her cold exterior, shared a similar distaste for Groudon. Darkrai was the only other known Sinnoh Legendary to survive Cyrus' initial attack, aside from Dialga and Palkia. Darkrai, despite being a Dark-type, was possibly the kindest and most compassionate of the group. Reshiram was the final member, who initially joined the group with Zekrom until his capture. Since then, she's only become more dedicated to bringing down Team Galactic for good.
"Please don't tell me… someone got captured." Groudon muttered in worry.
Dialga nodded solemnly. "Indeed. According to our double-agent Mewtwo, Rayquaza has been captured by Galactic and… 'reprogrammed'."
The table went silent. All of them, except for the new Keldeo, knew what being 'reprogrammed' meant. You were stripped entirely of your previous life. Every memory of who you are gets locked away, never to be retrieved again. You are given new 'meaning', becoming a mindless slave for them. Commander Aaron in particular, has mastered the art of 'reprogramming' implementing powerful aura 'suggestions' into the victim's brain. No one to the group's knowledge had ever been able to break the Commander's 'reprogramming'. Rayquaza was now the second victim to this horrific act.
Groudon, the most deeply affected by the loss of his trio master, spoke up first. "I think it's time we come up with a new strategy. I don't want anyone else here to have to go through that torture."
The other Legendaries nodded at his suggestion, and even Dialga knew it was time to come up with a new plan. "I agree, Groudon. We will have to seek outside help."
"But what outside help is there?" Reshiram asked. "We're stuck in this wasteland, and there's no way for any of us to find help in a place Cyrus hasn't conquered already!"
"If… if I may make a suggestion…" came a timid and yet firm voice from the back of the room. The other Legendaries turned around to look at the only human who had the bravery to come to Sinnoh with his Pokémon and personally help fight this dictatorship.
Dialga spoke up. "What do you suggest, N?"
The man with green hair and a socially awkward yet intelligent disposition spoke up. "I was thinking… about Everett's interpretation of quantum mechanics. If I may, I would like to discuss my thoughts."
Everyone looked at N with a blank expression on their faces, having no idea what he was talking about. The group never understood N's scientific ramblings, though his thoughts caught the attention of Mewtwo, the other intellectual of the group. "Dialga, I think we should listen to him. I think I know where he's going with this."
Dialga shrugged. "At this point, I'm open to any suggestion. You can continue, N."
"Thank you." N nodded. "As I was saying, I was thinking about Everett's interpretation of quantum mechanics. As this theory's core, for every crucial decision made, an alternate universe is born. For example, say Commander Aaron wasn't evil. Say that instead of turning to evil, he was a good guy."
"Yes…" Dialga nodded. "Though, the idea of Aaron being good is quite laughable."
"So, in another alternate universe somewhere, there would be a good Aaron out there. It's a theory, so it has yet to be proven. It could only be tested out by someone with time travel powers."
Dialga chuckled. "I guess that means me, huh?"
"Well, unless we find someone else that has time travel powers, then yes."
Dialga thought about this for a moment. "What sort of practical use would this theory have for us?"
"Hmm… well, as I said. According to this theory, a good Aaron would have to exist in another universe. Perhaps you can find him and ask him to help us." N said.
"…But what if this theory is wrong?" Dialga questioned. "It is a theory; what if this theory turned out to be incorrect if I test it?"
"I'll answer this, N." Mewtwo said to the green-haired man. "One of two things could happen. The best case scenario if the theory is wrong would be you simply getting booted back into this universe. But the worst case scenario… you could end up erased from existence."
Notable controversy was stirred up from the rest of the Legendaries, arguing whether or not this theory should be tested out. Groudon claimed that this could be a significant help to the Resistance, while Kyogre argued that if the theory was wrong, Dialga could be killed. Dialga herself, however, was still debating over it. Finally, she came to her decision.
"I'm going to try this." Dialga stated.
"But Dialga-" Kyogre tried to refute.
"I have made my decision. I will leave as soon as possible. Until I get back… if I do get back, Xerneas will be in charge."
"Of course, ma'am." Xerneas nodded in understanding.
"Good." she said, leaving the presentation room. Everyone followed Dialga outside the headquarters as she opened a time portal. "I haven't done this in forever." she muttered to herself. She couldn't help but feel worried that she actually could be wiped from existence. Still, she shook the feeling aside. She had to be strong. She was the leader and founder of the Resistance, after all.
"Good bye, everyone." Dialga said, stepping through the portal. Everyone was silent once again as Dialga and the portal disappeared. Finally, Keldeo broke the silence.
"…Hey, Xerneas?"
"Yes?"
"…Do you think Dialga's going to be OK?"
Xerneas wasn't going to lie to Keldeo and say that she'd be fine. After all, Xerneas had no way if she would even return. Instead, he answered the question in the most honest way he could.
"I hope so, Keldeo. I really hope so…"
Pokémon © Nintendo / Game Freak
Yes! Got this chapter done! I really had to give this chapter a lot of thought and passion, but in the end, I think it paid off. As always, read and review!
Additional thanks goes to BrickBoy1894, who gave me the idea of using Lucario's Mega Form for the Commander as his 'battle mode'.