The Secret of the Idol

by PokeMaster64

Wes Ravenfield, an Umbreon who wishes to become the world's greatest treasure hunter, has been failing in trying to find anything to prove his worth. But, upon discovering a sacred idol that could bring about chaos on the world, he will journey throughout Mysto with his brother and ex-girlfriend, along with new friends along the way. As they get closer, secrets will unfold.

82. Ancient Library 6

Ch.82: The Call of the Heralds of Darkness! All Rise the Grim Return!

What was it like to go through your day as normal, like nothing back could ever strike down upon you, only to be welcomed by Death to your doom? That was the presence of the Heralds of Darkness. Their group arrival was a sign of doom coming. No longer were they the same enemies Team Ravenfield faced on their first encounter. Their intentions were to kill without hesitation.

That was the part that scared the team the most. These three have killed thousands in their way without breaking a sweat. That was five hundred years ago. How much time has progressed for these monsters to enhance their murderous intent? Was there any hope of fighting on even grounds? The answer was no. No matter how they spun it, Team Ravenfield knew they couldn't match strength or power with the heralds.

Their goal was clear: to fight…and survive at all costs.

Once battle broke out, the resulting shock destroyed numerous bookshelves and books in a matter of seconds. All around, there was action taking place. While our heroes were trying to find all matter of escape, their enemies were doing all they could to silence them.

Wes jumped around between bookshelves as Arid chased him down with a wave of sand, which was brought in through some barrels by the crew. The Darmanitan kept his focus locked solely on the Umbreon with a fierce glare. Despite his hesitance with the shadows, his pride to beat Ravenfield burned strong.

Wes saw the sand getting closer, then jumped down between two bookshelves. He spun on his side and fired the Lumios Storm, breaking the sand apart with the scattering of light arrows. He hopped off one paw and threw himself across the floor.

Arid quickly pointed him out. "Fire!"

The Umbreon ducked behind a shelf as magic bullets flew by. He flinched as one shot blew out part of the shelf near his face. He clapped his paws together. "Magi Effingo!"

He split multiple crystal clones that he ordered to attack. They charged with their weaker versions of Mystic Burst. Jones rushed through with his cutlasses and slashed through two of the clones before getting tackled by three. Leigh jumped over Jones and flipped over the shelves, landing beside Wes before thrusting her battle claws.

"EEP!" Wes caught the claws between his paws, barely keeping them from reaching his head. He twisted her arm and kicked her out of the way before quickly jumping back from more gunshots.

Arid slammed his hand down and used his sand to breakdown the floor, creating a finer sand out of the marble floor. He waved his hand forward and sent a large wave directly for the Umbreon.

"Warp Pad!" He formed the magic circle under him and bounced high into the air, then ricocheted off the wall and ceiling. He rocketed straight down and nearly struck Arid, who blocked with a barrier of sand.

"Take this, landlubber!" Wes' eyes quickly spotted the pincer cannon of Julius at his right. Thinking creatively, he quickly pulled up a Warp Pad that he used to ricochet the cannon blast back into Julius' face. "GAH! ME EYES!"

Wes skipped back and panted a bit to catch his breath, but there was no time as a streak of black flames came from his left. He flipped backwards and glared at Nightmare, who chuckled deeply.

"We've just started and you're already looking worn, Umbreon." He fired a second streak.

Wes used Warp Pad and bounced out of the way. "Infernius!" He appeared behind Nightmare and blasted him with the fireball.

A hand reached through the smoke and clutched Wes' face. Nightmare's red eyes pierced through. "I'll enjoy slaughtering you."

Suddenly, a white bullet shot through Nightmare's arm, tearing it off. He recoiled in pain at the light-based magic and clutched his aching arm. He sneered directly at Jonathan, who was running for his life from Fulke (the Primeape with the peg leg) and Smith.

"Hang on, Professor!" Wes rushed to his side and struck down the two pirates with a single punch each before taking his hand. "We need to get you somewhere safe!" He pulled Jonathan and guided him away from the fight.

Arid growled and slammed his hand down, picking himself up in a wave of sand. "Don't you dare run away from me, Ravenfield!" He surfed on the sand after his rival.

Nightmare kept his eyes solely on Jonathan, with a secretive smirk dancing on his face. "Well, best not to keep everyone waiting." He was about to fly after them when something shot him in the back. It felt like a psychic blast, his best guess. He stopped, then glared over his shoulder. "Oh…it's you…"

Ella spun her staff and held it on top her shoulders. "I'm calling for a rematch, buster!"

Nightmare faced her and smirked. "Oh please…an insignificant Pokémon such as yourself thinks she can meet the same level as her friends. Run along, Espeon…you don't have what it takes to beat me, even with your fancy toy."

Ella gritted her teeth. "Oh, you are just ASKING for your spooky butt to get kicked back to the afterlife!" She spun Daybreak and split it in seven pieces, hopping atop four. "Allow me to escort you there myself."

Nightmare narrowed his eyes, then morphed his arm into a jagged blade. 'This shouldn't take too much time.' He darted straight for her.

Meanwhile, Gwyn was running for her life as shadow arms were crashing through bookshelves and chasing her down. She panted quickly, then slid under a table to hide, but the massive shadowy hand swiped the table away and reached to grab her. She scrambled on her hands and feet, then slammed down some seeds to push them away with various plants.

"Stay away from me!" Gwyn screamed, throwing books at the arms.

Callista scuttled from behind a down shelf and chuckled darkly. "Where's all that rage from before, dear Gwyn?" She casted a dangerous glare at the Mew. "Have you no need for the madness that plagued your mother?!" She reached out, punching into the ground with Gwyn barely dodging in time. "That woman was never fit to raise a Legendary like you."

Gwyn landed on her back and scrambled away. "What is this?! What's with those spooky arms?!"

Callista chuckled. "Physical combat isn't quite my specialty, so the grand Shadow King infused me with his strongest shadow spawns. One hundred of them that came directly from him." She extended the reach of the shadows into multiple tendrils. "The power of physical darkness on top of my demons…all I need now is your soul." She struck with the tendrils, jabbing into the ground and close to striking Gwyn.

She rolled out of the way before so, then pulled out her whip. "Stay away from me! I'm warning you!"

Callista cackled aloud. "You think I'll never stop hunting you down, darling little Gwyn? In my erudite studies of witchcraft, I can't pass up acquiring you for the perfect sacrifice." She extended out another shadow hand. "So, stop resisting and come with me. You'll be reunited with your mother in no time."

Gwyn gritted her teeth. "That's not true…"

"Well, bargaining is off the table then." She summoned the black vapor and called upon Matzhal, the physically superior demon. "I don't care how you do it. Just make sure she stops moving."

Matzhal nodded. "Understood, mistress. HIYA!" He lunged and slammed his fist down, firing off a tremor that blasted Gwyn across the library.

"AAAHHH!" She thought she was going to crash into the wall when, suddenly, she was caught in someone's arms. Her eyes widened, then wandered up to the Celestial Guardian gently cradling her. "Flint…"

It floated and set her down beside Flint. He looked at her sympathetically, then held her shoulder. "We'll take her together."

Gwyn blinked, then smiled thankfully with tears in her eyes. "Flint…"

"Ah, how sweet." Flint quickly caught sight of the approaching ground wave and had his Guardian throw him and Gwyn out of the way as it split through the wall. Callista threw herself into the air and clung to the marble pillars. "Perhaps I'll take your soul as well, Flareon. Just so you can be with your beloved Gwyn."

Flint gritted his teeth and stood up, holding one protective foreleg in front of Gwyn. "You're not touching her!" His Guardian cracked its knuckles.

Callista laughed. "This isn't going to end like last time. You won't be able to survive this. Matzhal, kill the Flareon!"

The demon lunged straight for him and Gwyn. Flint grabbed Gwyn and used his time stop spell to disappear from sight. The demon was confused, then was bombarded with delayed punches made by the Guardian during the time freeze, throwing him across the library. He dug his fingers into the floor and looked around quickly for the duo.

"Detonation Wave!" He turned and heard fingers snap, with an explosive blast nailing him in the face. Gwyn jumped back and lunged forward, sliding under his legs and leaving behind some seeds. "Accelerated Growth!"

Matzhal fanned the smoke away, then gasped as large thorny vines sprouted up and constricted tightly around him. He roared furiously and thrashed within the bindings. Flint commanded his Guardian to rush in and violently batter the demon in the face. Its fists were flying with great speed.

Soon, however, Matzhal vanished into smoke. The Guardian turned, but suddenly got blindsided by a strong shadow fist. The fist took the shape of a wild wolf and bit down on the Guardian's body. Flint flinched and held his gut, feeling the pain of his Guardian. The armor it was surrounded in made it so he wouldn't be as affected, but it still hurt like heck.

Gwyn recognized his danger and rushed back in. She quickly plopped a Spike Berry into her mouth and preposition herself into a rolling state. Blazing with intense magic, she suddenly rocketed into the shadow wolf and severed its head, freeing the Guardian.

Flint's eyes flashed, then glared as he ordered his Guardian to beat back the darkness with all its might. Callista chuckled under her breath before summoning her demonic raven. It rose into the air and let loose an unnatural screech before firing down razor sharp feathers at Flint.

He raised his paw and ricocheted them away with Blockade Reflector. Gwyn ran into the danger and latched her whip around the raven's ankle before flinging herself onto its back. She flung her head downward and struck it with her quills. The raven screeched in pain, then slapped her away with its wing.

"GAH!" Gwyn shot through two bookshelves, taking them down with her.

"Gwyn!" Flint ran for her, but was shot up by a strong gust of wind, throwing him away from her. His back slammed hard into a marble column. "Ugh…" He fell onto his stomach.

Callista crawled along the ceiling until directly above Gwyn. She extended out her demonic shadow and struck it for the downed Mew. It prepared to engulf her until Gwyn's eyes snapped open and she slammed her fist down, pushing the shadow back with an array of giant spikes from the ground.

The Ariados hissed and leaped off the ceiling, catching herself on top of a shelf. "Making me work for my prize…"

Over with Tony, he was zipping around the library as some of the pirates were trained on him. He kept vigilance and dodged their shots appropriately while keeping an eye out for Aeternus. 'In all the confusion, he slipped away. Where the hell did he go?!'

He landed on a shelf and, without looking, caught an arrow that almost whizzed by him. He shot his glare at Indigo, who stumbled back at his cold state. 'Oh no…' She tried to run, but he was far faster and appeared before her, grabbing her by the wrists. "Tony, wait-!"

Tony pulled her close and glared. "What the hell is going on?! You're working with the shadows?!"

"T-Tony, you have to understand, we don't have a choice!" she insisted. "They'll kill us if we-!"

"I'm willing to believe that much!" It seemed like a trick the shadows would pull, he was certain. "What I want to get across is this shit about power far greater than you could imagine! Are you seriously telling me your captain is willingly going along with that?! Doesn't sound like just working because they're threatening you!"

Indigo narrowed her eyes. "Tony…we only ever wanted to be feared pirates of Mysto…"

He sneered. "And you think this is better?" Indigo looked away guiltily, then flinched as shot flew by her, nearly striking Tony. He quickly threw her to safety, away from the fire. He was mad, but not enough to get her hurt. She was still his friend. "We're not done with this conversation." He started running as the likes of Zerif, Rico, and Malcolm chased after him.

Tony looked back for a moment, then leaped off some floating books until he was directly over them. "Lightning Shot: Lotus Bullet!" He rapidly fired down on them, but saw his shots were passing through them. "Illusions…"

Zerif suddenly came out of nowhere and tackled the Dewott to the ground. "Got you!" He raised his cutlass and swung down.

Tony caught it, flinching as it cut his hand. "Ventusphere!" He slammed his palm into his stomach and blew him away with a wind blast. He flipped to his feet, then dodged a blindsiding kick from Rico. The Scrafty spun on his hand and struck Tony from the side, but he managed to sponge the hit with his arms. "Nice dance moves! Let me show the electric slide!"

He swept Rico off his handstand, then shot him with the Lightning Shot: Double Barrel Shockwave, sliding him across the floor until he crashed into a bookshelf. Tony turned and caught a punch from Malcolm, who grabbed the Dewott's vest and slammed his knee into his stomach. Tony doubled over and wheezed, leaving him open for Malcolm to strike down in the back.

Malcolm got on his back and restrained his arms. He started bending the right one back. "Try anything funny and the arm breaks."

Tony gritted his teeth into a smirk. "Didn't realize my comedy routine would get me killed." He quickly flicked his finger of the restrained arm and blasted Malcolm with a Lightning Shot.

"GAH!" He threw him off, allowing Tony to flip onto his hands and strike Malcolm in the face with both legs. He grabbed his arm and threw him across the floor.

Tony dusted his hands off. "There. Now, where's that idiot clown?"

"Seems all the distraction has left you with your guard down, Tony." Tony's eyes widened before quickly turning and seeing a hand raised right at him, with Aeternus smirking at him. "Particle Incineration." His hand lit with blazing magic.

"Shi-!"

Aeternus blasted him with a strong blast of flaming magic that scorched across the library. It took out the bookshelves and columns in an instant, burning them away like they were made of paper. The flames ate through the columns quickly, leaving huge chunks burned away.

Aeternus raised his smoking hand and chuckled before walking through the burning field. "Come now, young Sapienti. I still want you to be a part of my crew. Hell, it's not considered, but you could be a Herald of Darkness as well. How does the Thief of Darkness sound?" He smirked. "We may not have formally met until I reached out to you…but I've heard plenty about you. I was utterly obsessed with your talents. A self-trained thief who puts many masters to shame. And all learned in a year or two. That takes dedication." He smirked. "You remind me so much of a younger me."

"Don't go treating this like a bonding moment, freak." Aeternus looked around carefully, trying to find the source of his voice. "Let's run down the list, shall we? I'm not insane, I'm not a war criminal, and I'm certainly not some murderous clown who gets his kicks at the sight of blood and death."

Aeternus laughed under his breath. "I can keep your family protected." He glared. "You never know when someone might try and…hunt them down."

"You're not baiting me out…think I didn't learn from my mistakes?"

"Kehehe…you certainly adapt quickly." He raised his finger. "We may have to work on your stealth, though." He turned and fired at the silent Dewott, who nearly got the jump on him.

Tony quickly countered with Lightning Shot and jumped back. 'The bastard is just playing around!'

Aeternus slammed his hands down. "Matter Shuffle!" He spread a yellow magic across the floor before raising his hand and sending the floor right after Tony, like it was a tidal wave.

Tony lunged forward at it. "Ventusphere: Wind Lance!" He formed the wind sphere, then threw it at the wave, shooting it threw like a spear. He leaped through the hole before it closed. "Dragon Thunderclap!" He clapped and blasted Aeternus with the shockwave.

Aeternus was pushed back, but he kept grinning like a loon. "Ooh, that's a wonderful breeze!" He raised his index finger.

Tony quickly avoided the rising spikes from the ground, with one managing to nick him in the cheek. He flipped back and used the rising force of one to throw himself into the air. "Fulmen Scattershot!" He fired the electrical orbs down on the mob boss.

Aeternus aimed his palm at them and sent a series of slithering floor spikes to strike through them, eliminating them almost instantly. He smirked and set his palm ablaze. "Particle Incineration."

Tony landed on a column and quickly jumped out of the way of the particle flames, which burned through the column down to its core. He hopped along bookshelves and fired Lightning Shots at the clown, who blocked them with floor barriers. Aeternus flicked his fingers and sent chains at Tony.

Tony leapt over them, but he was left wide open in midair for chain to pop from the ground directly below him and restrain him. Aeternus flew right at him with his hands pressed together. Tony's eyes widened as Aeternus stopped in front of him and slowly opened his hands.

"Particle Eraser."

Tony was engulfed in a blinding light that slammed into him like a meteor. He could feel the chains being erased in particles while his magic aura kept him from meeting their same fate. However, the beam's intense power burned at his skin with such searing ferocity. He gritted his teeth as he was thrown back and blurred out in the light.

Over with Griffin, the Grovyle was in a heated standoff with Voss. They pressed their blades against each other, neither giving an inch. Griffin was pushing all he could defensively while Voss was putting little effort in his own. The Grovyle clenched his teeth furiously. "Why don't you put your fancy armor on?"

"Because you are hardly a threat that I would need to wear a protective shell."

Griffin gritted his teeth. "Why do you even need that armor if you're so tough?"

Voss narrowed his eyes. "You should be more worried about proving yourself. You still have yet to understand the heart of a warrior." He shoved Griffin back.

He dug his claws into the floor and held his ground. "You think killing people is justified for your sad existence?!"

"I create hatred in others, so I can find the one being who can kill me." Voss glared. "I fight because I want to die a warrior's death. I'm tired of living this meaningless existence. If I live, that proves no warrior is willing to go beyond their limits to defeat a madman who intends to end life itself."

Griffin growled. "You're sick…"

"I've been called many things. They all mean nothing. All I want is a good battle." His eyes narrowed softly. "I've only kept you alive because I saw potential to prove me wrong…you have disappointed me at every turn."

The Grovyle lowered his head and sneered with a fury. "You do these things because…you think you'll be happy again?"

Voss sighed. "…I've gotten so strong from years of battle…and now saving lives means nothing. You still stand here without giving me a reason why I should care…when I don't have any reason to care for my own life anymore."

Griffin clenched his teeth. "Rather you see everyone else suffer…that's not what I want!" He roared and lunged straight at him.

Voss parried his first strike and swung. Griffin deflected with the Pride of Leones, reflecting the physical force in the form of the sound of a gong, then struck at the side. Voss fluidly redirected the strike, demonstrating perfect control of his muscle movements, while simultaneous kneeing Griffin in the stomach.

There was great power behind that kick, as it sent Griffin soaring and crashing into the ceiling. He dug his feet into the ceiling, keeping himself planted as he rubbed his sore head, then shot back a glare with a dangerous snarl. His hateful energy permeated off his body before he soared straight down and vertically slashed down.

With a single stroke, Voss redirected the blade to hit the ground, with the kinetic energy traveling across with the force to split a whole bookshelf in two. Griffin opened his personal storage and ejected two of the Exiled Souls into Voss' face, who deflected them with his sword. Depositing his sword and shield, Griffin jumped and caught the two daggers before reeling them back.

"Flash Needle!" He swung and sent out the explosive needle wave.

Voss kicked off the floor and hovered to his left, dodging the needles. He was light on his feet for an Electivire, able to jump off a column and the wall to glide back towards Griffin. The Grovyle turned and replaced the daggers for his shield once more, blocking the hit.

He quickly swapped out to Justice Flyer, then performed a flurry thrust strike. Voss blocked each impact with his sword, keeping his unchanging composure while Griffin fluctuated from all kinds of emotions, mostly stemming from anger. Griffin channeled his magic through the blade and struck with more force against the sword. Voss blocked it, but the impacted threw him across the library, much to his mild surprise.

He landed on his feet without a falter in his posture. He spun his sword and gripped it tightly, glaring with an air of intrigue through his stoic nature. "Well…so you're not messing around this time."

Griffin traded away Justice Flyer and pulled out No Peace. He slammed the war club on the floor and destabilized it in a huge shockwave that toppled over the remaining bookshelves around him and the marble columns. Voss jumped back and kicked off the walls, slashing across the war club. Griffin held his ground, then held his hand out at him.

"Exosus Release!"

He fired the unstable magic right in Voss' face, blasting them both apart with the explosion. Griffin backflipped midair and dug his claws into the ground, stopping near instantly. He dropped No Peace for a moment and gripped his aching wrist. It often wasn't an issue, but he doesn't often fire Exosus Release without Endless Regret to channel it. The recoil can hurt his wrist if overused.

He looked up for a moment, then dodged a white slash that nearly cut him down the middle. He stumbled back, then glared in its direction. Voss stepped out of the smoke, with his arm raised defensively. The armor was formed around his arm, without a scratch on it.

Voss narrowed his eyes seriously. "Guess I can humor you for a bit." The armor glowed, then, like a liquid, wrapped around his whole body in a matter of seconds. Soon, it became the terrifying metal that was burned into Griffin's mind. The Electivire's red eyes gleamed through the helmet intimidatingly as he held his sword up. "Now…shall we continue?"

Griffin got up and spat on the ground, then pulled No Peace back into his storage and retrieved Endless Regret. "…Die."

As the fights waged, Wes and Jonathan slid under a table as sand nearly smashed down on them. Wes used the Aquos Mist and obscured their presence behind the vapor mist. He and the professor slowly inched away from the table and got to cover.

Wes panted heavily and held his head. "Shit…this isn't good."

Jonathan peeked out for a second, then pressed his back to the cover. "There's no way out. They have us trapped."

"Why would they attack so suddenly, though? What do they want?"

"I'm afraid that isn't a question we have time to discuss." Jonathan stood up carefully. "We need to-"

Sand struck through the mist and caught Wes, smashing his face into the ground. Jonathan gasped and ran to him, but a sand wall erected and pushed him back.

"Wes!" Jonathan pulled out his gun, but was immediately restrained by Graham. "Release me!"

Graham smirked lazily. "Chill, old dude. We just want you…and them dead, but mostly you."

Jonathan's eyes widened. 'Oh no…' His heart raced at an alarming rate. He couldn't let this transpire. He has had enough scares in his lifetime, this will not be his end. "I said…release me!" Without thinking, he flipped back and struck Graham between the eyes with his foot.

"AGH!" He was forced to let him go to tend to his bleeding nose. "Ah, SHIT!"

Jonathan scrambled to his feet and tried to run, but got unexpectedly blindsided by Drake. He flopped onto his back, but immediately rolled over to dodge the Grovyle's katana. The one-eyed pirate sneered at him as he pulled his sword from the floor.

The professor panted as he rose, then saw some other pirates were surrounding him, including Ambrosine. The Steenee bit her lip worriedly. 'He looks scared…he knows his life is on the line.'

Jonathan quickly darted his eyes between them, trying to think of a plan. 'Can't…let them…get to me!' He shook his head and growled as that familiar dark ringing bombarded his head. "GAAAAHH!" He nearly collapsed onto his knees, but he fought through it. "GET OUT OF MY HEAD!"

Wes punched his way out of the mound of sand. "Professor!" He tried to run to him, but Arid punched him with his gloved fist. The Umbreon skidded across the floor, with a slight trickle of blood running down his nose. He groaned from touching it, then shot a glare at the pirate captain.

Arid sneered. "Just die already…"

Wes stood up and wiped his nose clean. He wasn't even in the mood for their usual banter. "You know…a part of me actually respected you." He bared his teeth. "Now I see you showing your true colors…"

Arid growled and slammed his hand down, breaking up the floor and attacking him with waves of sand.

"Warp Pad!" Wes jumped around the library before slamming down on Arid's back. He gasped as his feet sank through. "Sand clone!"

Sand Arid whipped his fist around and struck Wes across the head. The Umbreon bounced across the floor and collided headfirst into a pile of wood and books. The clone raised its hand and formed a sand cloud above the downed treasure hunter, then swiped down to drop a shower of sand hail the size of golf balls.

"Lumios Storm!" Light arrows burst from the debris and obliterated the hail in seconds. Wes then rocketed from the debris and slammed his side into Arid.

Arid held his ground and slammed both fists down on the Umbreon, smashing his face into the floor. He grabbed his head and coated it with sand, but Wes immediately countered with a Mystic Burst that blew Arid back. The Umbreon shook the sand off his face, then charged head first into the captain. Arid blocked the strike with his gauntlet.

Wes growled. "Is this seriously how you want to go out?! As an immortal being lost of all his soul?! Simply for power?!"

Arid growled. "The idea is tempting, but it's not as simple as you THINK!" He blew Wes away with a sandstorm, then twisted his fist, wrapping the treasure hunter in tightly compacted sand. "But it doesn't matter. I'll finally get my chance to defeat you once and for all."

Wes bared his teeth. "I thought you said you wanted me dead."

Arid raised his fingers. "If you insist on reminding me…" He snapped them.

Wes' eyes widened as the sand started tightening and crushing him. "Okay, OW! Too TIGHT!"

The pirate captain narrowed his eyes. "May your soul rest peacefully in the afterlife, for as long as you have left."

Wes hollered with pain…then whiplashed to a smug grin. "Who said I was dying?!" He shifted for a bit, then seven blades cut through the sand and split him out. He landed and stood tall as the swords orbited around him. He gestured mockingly. "Come now, Arid, let's see how my swordsmanship is doing!"

Arid glared, then charged with a wave of sand following behind him.

Back with Jonathan, he was letting instincts fly as he fought off the pirates with his hidden martial arts. He backflipped off his hands and struck down a Snover and Golem, then quickly delivered a sharp punch into a Nidorino. He panted a bit, trying to catch his breath, but quickly dodged a swipe from a dagger, courtesy of Ambrosine.

She bared her teeth. "Sorry, just following orders!" She swiped the knife at him while he moved back carefully.

"Miss, I wish not to-!" She thrusted with the knife, but Jonathan reacted and twisted it out of her hand before pushing her to the ground. "Please, just stop!"

Ambrosine gritted her teeth. "Do you even realize what they're after? You're not going to make it out of here alive!"

Jonathan bit his lip. "…That won't hap-"

A sharp breeze struck his cheek. His pupils shrunk to the size of pinpricks before glancing to his left. Nightmare's claws were an inch away from stabbing him, and certainly would've have it not been for Ella's interference.

"Stop ignoring me and fight!" Ella spun her staff and slapped Nightmare back.

The boss shadow was only mildly miffed from the impact as his face retook its proper shape. He sneered. "I don't take orders from a pathetic Espeon." He swung his arm.

Ella blocked the hit with a psychic barrier, then sprung at him. She split Daybreak apart and had four of the batons rocket into Nightmare and shove him through the ground. She had the other three spin in a circle in front of her face, magnifying her psychic power into a powerful beam straight onto the boss shadow.

"Null Shatter!"

The beam struck a black force, like a forcefield, before sending the beam's energy scattering across the library as deadly projectiles. Nightmare immediately rose and slammed into Ella, pressing her into the ground and grabbing her by the neck.

"Learn your place. You are nothing more than an inferior Pokémon compared to your friends." His eyes glowed dangerously. "You're an eternity too late to match the likes of me."

Ella bared her teeth. "And who decided that?!" She twirled her digit, commanding a cyclone of wind to surround them.

Nightmare felt the force of the wind drag his shadowy body into it. Ella sprung up and directed her paws into the direction she wanted him shot towards, sending him flying like a cannonball.

Jonathan ran to her side immediately. "Ms. Cipher, are you-?!"

She grabbed his hand and ran with him being dragged along. "They're after you, right?! Then I'm not letting that creep getting his grimy claws on you!" She glared ahead. "But why the hell are they after you?!"

"Stop stalling and you'll see." Ella was struck from the side of her face and thrown into the wall.

"Ella!" Jonathan cried out. He felt the cold, shadowy hand wrap around his neck and lift him, soon meeting the eyes of the boss shadow. "Oh dear…"

Nightmare laughed evilly as the Scrafty's reflection bounced off his solid red eyes. "All of this will be worth it…real soon." He raised his hand and morphed it into a spear. "Now…let the uprising begin-!"

Suddenly, a psychic beam struck him and blew his face apart. Jonathan was dropped and he wasted no time running away. Nightmare reformed his head, then snarled at the defiant Espeon, who was still standing tall. "Insolent lowlife…I've decided to slaughter you right now." He soared with a rising fury straight at her.

Ella shaped her batons into a barrier that bounced Nightmare off, then quickly reformed the staff to strike him against the wall. "I don't know what you want with Professor Geno, but I made myself clear! You're not hurting him!" She leaped back and split the staff again, now firing psychic bolts into him.

Nightmare crossed his arms against the bombardment, then sneered. "Enough of your foolish resistance! Spear of Darkness!" He tossed the spear straight at her.

She had enough time to influence its trajectory, safely guiding it past her face. She landed, but soon dodged a slash down on her. Nightmare spun like mad and slashed up everything around him as he hunted her. Ella spun her staff and pressed it against the slashing tornado that was Nightmare, baring her teeth to fight against it.

"You are nothing! A worthless Pokémon who won't come close to matching the might of the shadows! Enough of this fruitless resistance and just die!" Nightmare curved a surprise fist around the staff and struck Ella in the jaw.

"GAH!" She flew back, but was grabbed and smashed face first into the floor, with only her psychic barrier protecting her. She gritted her teeth and groaned in pain. "Ugh…"

Nightmare floated over her and pushed down on her head. "Beating that worthless pawn of ours doesn't make you stronger than us. I'm impressed you took the late Rubia out all by yourself, but now you're against the bigger beasts." He pressed down harder. "And you will never surpass me."

Ella, with great effort, turned her face up to scowl at him. "Bite me, you pretentious-AAAGH!" Nightmare gripped hard on her skull.

Nightmare smirked villainously and went for the kill, but was struck by a crystal fist that threw him away from the Espeon. Ella picked herself up and groaned, then looked up to Flint's Guardian.

"Flint…?" she muttered.

"Protect Geno at all costs!" Flint's voice came from a distance. She saw him and Gwyn avoiding attacks from Callista's bat demon, who was slicing through everything with his whip. The Guardian turned and flew back to the fight.

Ella stood up and shook her head before running for the professor. "Hang on, Professor-WHOA!" Black flames cut her off from the Scrafty.

Jonathan flinched and stumbled back into a pile of books. "Ella!"

Ella dodged Nightmare's enlarged fist as it punched a crater into the floor. "You just don't give up, do you?!"

Nightmare wrapped his spectral tail around her neck. "I'm not weak like the rest of you worthless Pokémon." He tossed her through the wall of flames, coating her in them.

Jonathan gasped and ran to her as the Espeon was ablaze from the fire. "Ella!"

Psychic energy vibrated off her and exploded the flames off her body. She sighed in relief, with only some minor burns to her fur. "I'll…be fine." She grabbed his hand and dragged him away. "We can't let them get you!"

"Kill her and bring the professor!" Nightmare shouted, alerting the pirates back into the chase.

Back with Flint and Gwyn, they did their best avoiding Berbar, the bat demon, whose chain let loose a hellish blaze that nearly cooked them. Gwyn placed up a wall of thick wood to block the fire, thought the flames tore through much faster than anticipated. Flint used his time stop spell and had his Guardian stack a dozen punches into the demon's head.

The resulting shock blasted Berbar into the ground, vanishing into smoke. Callista sighed in disappointment. "It's so hard to find proper help these days." She extended her shadow from her body, transforming it into a hellish beast that dove right for them.

The Guardian caught the monster by its teeth and held it in place while Gwyn ate her Oak Berry and transformed into her moldable wood state. She enlarged her fist and bashed it into the monster's head.

However, the shadows split apart and they were greeted to the short bird demon with the metal fan. "Send them flying, Kogomor!" Callista ordered.

Kogomor squawked and swung the fan up, manipulating the air to throw Flint and Gwyn right into the ceiling. He closed the fan and swung again, this time fire feather-like arrows at them. Gwyn created a barrier and took their hits, but Kogomor flew right up to them and punched through the barrier, grabbing Gwyn by the neck.

"Gwyn!" Flint felt himself peel off the ceiling and fall back down. He summoned his Guardian and had it catch and throw him directly for the bird demon.

The demon swung his fan and smacked Flint immediately back down, digging up the floor tiles as he slid. The demon then clutched tighter onto Gwyn and delivered her right into the floor personally. She gasped out in strenuous pain through the face. With a tight grip on her ankle, he swung her repeatedly into the floor, each impact disrupting her protective aura and leaving her closer to vulnerability.

The final impact left her dazed and nearly unconscious. Kogomor picked her up and squawked at Callista. "I have your prize, my lady."

"Excellent." Callista summoned her shadow and created a portal through it. "Bring her to me."

Kogomor did as told and dragged Gwyn to the portal. The dazed Mew slowly gathered her senses and assessed her current predicament. The sight of the portal sent her into an internal frenzy. The moment she was thrown through there, she may never see the sun ever again. Or worse, never see her friends again. Never see Flint again.

She quickly dug her fingers into the floor and literally rooted herself as deep down as she could. Kogomor nearly tripped over himself at the sudden resistance. He glared and tugged on her leg roughly. "Move it, Mew!"

"Never!" she screamed. "I won't let you take me!"

Callista sighed. "Then I guess I'll bring the portal to you." She sent her shadow right at her.

Suddenly, Gwyn vanished in an orange flash, with her roots severed from her hands. Kogomor felt a sharp, invisible impact against his beak, bending it out of place. "SQUAWK! My beak!"

Callista glared around the library before spotting Flint and Gwyn, safely out of reach with the Flareon hugging her. "They didn't hurt you, right?"

Gwyn flinched. "Really badly…"

He held her shoulders. "Gwyn, I can't believe I'm saying this, but you need to get mad! Right now!"

"I-I-I-I…I don't know if I can do it on command!"

"We need that crazy magic of yours!"

"I can't!"

While they were briefly distracted, Callista called away Kogomor and summoned something much stronger than her previous contracts. "I never thought I would actually have to bring out an elite demon for this case."

Since Gwyn was facing in Callista's direction, she was first to spot the horrible creature rising up from behind them. She gawked in horror, scaring Flint into turning around. Standing above them was the same red demon that had the four muscular arms for legs, like a strange centaur of sorts. He punched his fists together and glared down at them with his single eye.

Callista chuckled deviously. "You both earned the right to get a real taste of the Underworld's finest. Meet one of my strongest demons, Drogas. You won't have much luck bringing this one down."

Flint growled and summoned his Guardian. "Time Halt!" Time froze and his Guardian flew up to the demon and rapidly struck the demon in the face, as fast and strong as it possibly could. Flint wanted to make sure this one was brought down in a second.

The Guardian flew back and snapped its fingers, resuming time and letting the stalled impacts bash into the demon near simultaneously. However, to Flint and Gwyn's horror, the demon didn't budge an inch. His head didn't even lurch back from the combined impacts. He stared them down with an unfazed glare.

"Tis' but an itch," he grumbled in a gravelly, demonic voice.

The two paled, realizing this thing was unlike the other demons they went up against. Immediately, they turned tail and ran for their lives. Drogas lifted his two front feet and slammed them down, triggering a powerful quake the uplifted the floor and tossed the fleeing duo into the air, with sharp shrapnel of tile slicing at their skin.

"AAAHHH!" They looked back and were smashed with his two large fists, pounding them right into the floor.

Callista hopped along the columns and laughed. "Surrender now and Gwyn's suffering will be ended."

A green flash blazed from under Drogas' right fist. With much struggle, Gwyn pushed against the weight of the fist and lifted it off herself, using the power of her Leech Berry as she jabbed the tendrils into the knuckles. "I'm not your sacrificial offering! And you will…STAY AWAY FROM MY FRIEND!" She shoved back the fist with enough force to push Drogas high into his back feet.

Flint's Guardian flew from the crater and bashed its fist into Drogas. The punch did nothing and allowed Drogas to grab its arm and tear it off. Flint got up, then cried out in pain with his right foreleg flaring up with discomfort. The Guardian kicked off the giant's fist and put distance between them. Drogas dug his fingers into the floor and literally overturned the floor under Flint and Gwyn, then slammed it down on top of them.

Callista jumped up to Drogas' shoulder. "It won't be long until you're mine, Gwyn."

Tony flew up to the ceiling when he witnessed this. He could see the weak, flickering auras of Flint and Gwyn. 'They're running off will and adrenaline at this point! I've got to save them!' He was about to kick off the ceiling with Light Speed, but changed directions last minute before nearly getting cooked with another Particle Incineration.

Aeternus floated into the air, arms crossed, and laughed maniacally. "Young Sapienti, if you're trying to prove your worth to the Anguis Organization, you've far succeeded my expectations."

"What is your damn obsession with me, you creepy clown?!" Tony shouted before firing Lightning Shots.

Aeternus dodged them with the grace of an acrobat in the circus. "I like what I see. And when I want something, I take it." He smirked evilly. "After all, I'm sparing your life once the darkness falls onto this world of light! You and your family will be spared from an eternity of pain and suffering."

"Allow me to take a nice hard pass while I shove my foot up your ass!" Tony fired off the Ventusphere: Wind Lance, which Aeternus easily dispelled with a flick of the wrist. Tony used Light Speed and ran straight for Flint and Gwyn, who were still buried.

Callista saw his approach. "Puck, keep your fight on your side of the library!"

Tony nearly reached them, but a pillar erected from below and struck him in the gut, knocking the wind from him as it carried and smashed him into the ceiling. Aeternus floated around the pillar, holding his chin. "Freedom of space, my dear, but this one is quite rascally."

"One of my best traits!" Aeternus turned and stopped a hard knee kick from Tony, coming out of his Light Speed. Tony grabbed his wrist and swung him right to the ground, then aimed his fingers. "Lightning Shot: Double Barrel Shockwave!" He fired the dual, twisting beams.

Aeternus stopped just before hitting the ground and clapped his hands together, cocooning himself in a thick wall the resisted the beam's power. Tony sped down and slashed into the rock with his blades. He cut through easily, but Aeternus had vanished in a blink. Tony's eyes widened as the clown's aura appeared right over him.

"Particle Beam."

Tony leaped off his hand and dodged the piercing laser shot from the mob boss' finger. Aeternus cackled and wildly shot at the jumping Dewott, who displayed his acrobatic talent to avoid each of the lasers with timed precision. Using his free hand, Aeternus commanded the ground to split apart into tiny little sand particles and rearrange themselves into a massive spike. With a flick of his finger, the spike went flying at Tony.

Tony jumped off his hand and ran across the spike while vigorously rubbing his hand together. 'Got to make this next shot count!'

Aeternus extended out all ten fingers and cackled. "Particle Beam: Ten Light Fiesta!" He shot ten, continuous beams from his fingers. The beams melted and cut through anything they struck while the mob boss danced his fingers around, creating a wildly moving laser grid that was near impossible to get through.

Fortunately for Tony, he wasn't one for accepting odds. All while rubbing his hands and generating sparks, he leapt through the beams as they cut through practically everything. The beams managed to intercept between other battles taking place, even bouncing off Voss' armor as he took a swing at Griffin. Callista hid behind Drogas, who was more or less unaffected by the beams' cutting power.

"Puck, I swear to the darkness, you're doing this on purpose!" Callista shouted.

"A little excitement never killed anyone!" He smirked. "Well, that is unless we're talking about me."

Tony leapt off all manner of platforms, from the walls to sliced bookshelves to what remained of the marble columns. He glared straight at Aeternus. "This ends now, clown!"

Aeternus threw his head back and just laughed. Laughed with a bellowing, jovial howl of pure delight and madness. "Show me that spark of yours, boy! Survive this and you may not have to die along with the rest of your family!"

Tony landed on the floor, knees bent. "I'll show you."

All ten lasers converged on him. Wrapped with electricity, Tony activated Light Speed and sped through the lasers, zipping around Aeternus and setting up for his attack. Light Speed flashed off his body as the electrical sphere of magic built up between his hands. Aeternus only had seconds to react as he slowly turned around to the gradually intensifying light assaulting his eyes.

With a defiant smirk, Tony shouted, "Tempest Impes Fulgo!"

He slammed the spell into Aeternus and blasted him with the solid blue, wide beam of pure Storm Magic that shot into the ceiling with a thunderous boom. The expanding shockwave was felt all across the library, blowing apart what was still standing and sending the unprepared off their feet.

Tony gritted his teeth as the recoil pounded into him. The spell was incredibly taxing for what it was, but it should at least do the trick in ending the smug clown's life. He pushed as much power as he could through the beam as his body started to give out.

'How's that, you creepy clown?!'

However, out of nowhere, during the heat of the moment, Tony saw something passing through the beam. He couldn't quite make it out, but it was moving incredibly fast and unresisted. He tried to stop the beam and run, but a section of wall, warped into a slithering pillar, pounded him square in the face. The rock was melted and steaming with a hot, blue glow. He shoved him through the floor and up against a wall.

Tony trembled with scratches covering his face. He had blood trickling down from his lip. He felt a searing pain right through his shoulder. He refrained from even looking, knowing that his shoulder wasn't in the best shape at the moment. His teeth were on the edge of cracking from how hard he had them clenched, trying to stop himself from screaming.

With some involuntary tears sliding down his face, he glared straight at the approaching clown. Above all else, at least his beam actually did something. Aeternus was smoking, with his fancy clothes burnt off. Patches of the hot blue glow steamed off his face, which still bore that unsettling smirk of his. He was clearly affected, but not the least bit fazed.

"Ooh~! That felt electrifying!" Aeternus leaned real close to the Dewott's face, staring him right in the eye. "I'll give you this much, Sapienti. That could've done some serious damage if you were just a little bit faster. Sadly for you, I had my guard up just in time."

Tony snarled. "Soulless freak-!"

Aeternus slapped his hand over the Dewott's face, clenching his fingers lightly around his head. He cocked his head and snickered through his teeth. "Kehehehehe. Still refuse to take up my offer?" He took the spit hitting his palm as a 'maybe.' Might have been a 'no,' but he had a selective hearing problem…as in he only hears what he wanted to hear. "You're not being very cooperative."

"Go suck a lemon," Tony spat.

Aeternus chuckled darkly. "Maybe a little torture will do you some good." He pressed his finger against the Dewott's stomach. "I normally threaten with disintegration, but that runs the actual risk of killing you. I'm so conflicted, too, because I personally want to wring your neck. And yet I've never felt prouder to meet someone so foulmouthed and villainous."

Tony kept silent and glared through the clown's fingers.

Aeternus' grin stretched as his finger lit up. "Why don't we have some fun? How would you rate your pain?" He shot a blank point beam into Tony.

"AAAGH!" he screamed, banging the back of his head against the wall. He was desperately pouring all his magic into strengthening his defenses. The clown had every intention to torture or kill him, which ever came first or made him happier. "Go to Hell-AGH!" A second beam, burning at a different spot on his body.

"I've got all night~!" Aeternus teased, firing a third time, listening to the wonderful sounds of Tony's cries.

Griffin sensed Tony was in trouble and raced to help, but his path was cut off by another of Voss' long-range slashes. Griffin swung Endless Regret and bashed an Exosus Release into him. Voss' armor was unaffected, allowing him to charge through and sock the Grovyle across the face. Griffin flew back, but kept one foot to the ground, refusing to fall.

"Exosus Cloak!" The vengeful magic blazed around him, then he rushed into the armored herald with all his weight. The only thing he could manage was throwing the Electivire around. It did nothing to hurt him, but it bought Griffin some time…assuming he got a successful strike off.

This was not one of those strikes as Voss easily withstood the hit and slammed his fist down on Griffin's skull, burying it through the floor. He pressed his fist down firmly on the bounty hunter, with an expressionless gaze from his eyes. "Weak…worthless…this is supposed to be the strength of a warrior? Quick playing around and show me your rage. Why aren't you angry at me?" His eyes remained unchanged, but he gave a clear snarl under the mask. "What is keeping you from experiencing the full measure of your rage? This can't be your maximum potential."

Griffin lifted his limp arm, then grasped the warrior's wrist. "You want anger?" was his muffled response as a strong heat radiated from his body. "I'll show you anger!" His body exploded with magic, throwing Voss back. Griffin slammed his feet into the ground and immediately went for the attack. He pulled out Cekvar's Might halfway, then slammed it across Voss' body.

The armored warrior crashed against a wall, not fazed from the hit, then gazed up as Griffin heaved the giant sword upright and swung it down. Voss raised his arm and blocked the sword. His feet sunk into the floor, but the armor continued to remain undamaged.

Griffin retrieved Cekvar's Might and struck with Infinity Breaker, thrusting into the front of the armor while flying down the pole with Justice Flyer, jabbing furiously into the armor. Voss backhanded Griffin, then raised his own blade. He glided his fingers across the face of the blade before lighting it with dark fire, much to Griffin's shock.

"Fallen Hell Blaze." Voss swung, with the black and purple flames slashing across Griffin. The Grovyle bit his lip at the burning slash mark across his body, which still gave off some of the flames. Voss spun his sword. "The Shadow King has taught and gave me so much." He glared. "It only makes the struggle to lose so much greater." He struck into the ground and set the whole floor ablaze.

Griffin leaped and avoided the flames, then pulled out Twin Storms. He spun and rocketed straight down, wrapped in wind. Voss swung into the drilling cyclone and twisted his sword, canceling the rotation of Griffin's attack. Griffin swung his foot into the mask and managed to throw Voss off his feet.

Voss, however, remained unfazed and got his tail around the bounty hunter's wrist. He pulled his in and shot a blank point stream of dark fire into Griffin. The searing sound it made sounded like something flying past the speed of sound, like a revving whoosh of the wind before the break.

Griffin swung a surprise fist through the flames and bashed it into Voss' helmet. "Ira Dei: Three Destructive Fists!" The stacking punch pounded into helmet with all the strength Griffin could muster. He kicked off the armor while burning from the flames. "Clades Cutter!" He slashed at himself, cutting away at the damage potential at the flames. They still flared off his body, but they no longer burned.

The Ira Dei did little to Voss, whose armor still remained clean and without a scratch. "A smart move of the Clades Cutter. Perhaps you're not as worthless as I thought." He glared. "But you're still hundreds of years away from beating me."

Griffin flicked some flames off his cheek, then raced right at Voss. He had the Clades Cutter energy blade wrapped around one hand and Endless Regret in the other. "I'm cutting through that damn armor of yours! No matter what!" His sword exploded with his Hatred Anima.

Voss lifted his sword and channeled his magic and the fire through it. "You have no chance of beating me or the king." The sword blazed with his white colored magic while the black and purple flames wrapped around it.

Crossing Endless Regret with Clades Cutter, Griffin slammed both blades into Voss' attack. His Clades Cutter spell was grinding into the offensive potential of the armored titan's attack while pushing with his Exosus Release. The air crackled with an ominous tension from the locked weapons. Griffin sank his claws into the floor and kept himself anchored.

"I WILL BEAT YOU!" Griffin growled.

Voss remained unfazed. "No…you lose…and so do your pathetic friends."

Griffin came to the horrible realization that Voss was playing with him. The Clades Cutter shattered from a sudden impulse of magic. Voss' blade erupted with far greater magic that overpowered Endless Regret, even with its magic sucking and negating capabilities. The magic was rushing right past it before slamming the solid blade wrapped in pure offensive magic and shadowy fire into Griffin's front.

Voss faded from Griffin's vision as the light intensified, uttering, "Hell's Fallen Judgment."

A quick slash of the blade sent an explosive energy wave crashing into and through Griffin. The wave battered him into a wall, which took the whole thing down in a matter of seconds, revealing a separate section of the infinitely sized library behind it. The crackling boom of the impact reverberated across the visible library. The air vibrated like the heat given off an asphalt road.

Within the smoke, Griffin lay collapsed in the fallen wall. His clothes were burnt off, showing his bare torso and a little bit of a tattered sleeve hanging around on his upper right arm. Imbedded deep into his skin was a long, blackened slash that continued to burn with the remainder of the black flames. It started from the top of his right shoulder all the way to the left side of his waist.

He coughed out black smoke, with too much pain coursing through his body to move a muscle. A single twitch of his finger was enough to trigger discomfort. Voss narrowed his eyes solemnly, then slowly advanced toward the fallen Grovyle.

Ella panicked at the state of her fallen friends. She lurched forward from a Spear of Darkness cutting it close on her and Jonathan. They fell over and rolled across the floor. The Espeon quickly pulled Jonathan up and pushed him. "GO!" Ella swung Daybreak against Nightmare's blade arms.

Jonathan hated to leave her to fight, but he had to find an exit from this library. His eyes darted around fiercely before spotting the downed Uxie who was huddled in the corner. Jonathan ran to him, sliding the rest of the way on his knees. "Uxie!" He picked the injured god up. "You need to help us out of here!"

Uxie flinched. "Too weak…but I can…try…" He stood on his feet, wobbling from weakness and lack of use, forcing him to lean against the wall. He glanced at Jonathan with his closed eyes. "You…can't…let the shadows…catch you…" He glared. "You don't want to believe it…but you have an idea why they're here, don't you?"

Jonathan gritted his teeth. "I…I don't know…maybe…"

Uxie panted heavily, then clutched his chest. "I can't let you all die here…so long as you live and the shadows live, no one will be safe…" He clenched his jaw tightly. "I sense a darkness growing inside of you…I fear the worst will soon come…it can't be avoided…"

Jonathan glared at the ground. "All this running…I can't let them die…" He looked back at the carnage. "Not like this…" He curled his fingers into fists.

Uxie walked along the wall, feeling it up. "I may…be able to eject you from the library, but it…will take me some-" Suddenly, Jonathan turned on his heel and ran straight into the battle. "What are you doing?!"

"They're our last hope! If they die, it doesn't matter if I'm taken or not! No one can stop the shadows, except Team Ravenfield!"

"Stop! You fool!" Uxie tried to chase him, but he wasn't accustomed to running on two feet and fell onto his stomach. "Stop!"

Jonathan quickly assessed the situation. He couldn't tell what state Gwyn and Flint were in, so his only hope was that they were biding time. Wes and Ella were holding out for the most part. His eyes flickered quickly to Tony and Griffin, who were in the most danger at the moment. Gritting his teeth, Jonathan gave his body up to pure instinct, as he felt his legs moving with greater strides taken.

'Don't think! Don't think about failing! All that matters is saving their lives!'

Voss stood over Griffin, who glared up at the armored titan with tired, furious eyes. Voss aimed his sword down and aimed it right over the Grovyle's heart. Not a shred of mercy could be seen in his cold eyes. "Farewell, Griffin Everfall. It seems you weren't the challenge I had hoped for."

"NO!" A quick flicker of his eyes, Voss saw struck in the mask with a hard knee kick. It did nothing to hurt him, obviously, but it pushed him off his feet and threw him onto his back. He raised his sword and went for the slash, but Jonathan slammed his palm into the face of the blade and knocked it right out of the warrior's hand.

Jonathan caught and threw it away before running to Griffin. "I got you!" Jonathan got one arm around his shoulder, then reeled the Grovyle to his feet. Griffin made sure Endless Regret was sent away before the Scrafty yelled, "Hurry!" Griffin bit back the pain as he followed at Jonathan's quick pace.

"What's gotten into you, old man?" Griffin grumbled quietly.

"No time, just keep moving!"

Griffin narrowed his eyes at the brief pulse of twisted emotions that seemed to be bursting inside Jonathan. He was fighting back against a strong pain, but this one wasn't physical in nature. The Grovyle clenched his teeth. 'The hell…?'

Jonathan quickly raced for Aeternus, who continued to fire into Tony. The Dewott was fighting back the latest of his screams, but his face was clearly twisted in pain. The Scrafty glared, then rested Griffin against a collapsed column. "On my signal, blast him." Jonathan sprinted right at Aeternus. Griffin was briefly preoccupied with the strange dread inside the professor, but pulled out Endless Regret to comply.

Aeternus laughed as he fired two more times into Tony. He pressed his smoking finger against the Dewott's cheek. "Surveys say that this is a therapeutic experience! Though, I guess the results are bias for masochists!"

Tony spat blood into his face. "You're insane…"

Aeternus wiped the blood away with his thumb. "That's just clinical talk for interesting." He pressed his finger against his cheek again. "Ever thought of having a piercing through your cheek? Let's get through the hard part first!" Tony clenched his eyes shut as the tip of the clown's finger lit up.

"Let him go!"

"Eh?" Aeternus spun around and stopped Jonathan's kick in his hand. "Ooh! What's gotten into you?"

Jonathan jumped back. "NOW!"

Aeternus' eyes widened as a blast of Exosus Release slammed into him. The explosion caused him to release Tony, who slumped against the wall with his shoulder still pinned. Jonathan severed part of the pillar, then pulled out the part jabbed into Tony, who bit back another cry of pain. Jonathan held him up and ran back to Griffin.

Aeternus waved away the smoke and smirked deviously. "Trying to save your little friends? How cute."

Callista glared over from atop of Drogas' shoulder. "Quit stalling and kill them already!"

With the demon stepping over them distracted from his mistress' complaints, a force acted upon the piece of floor pushing down on the buried duo. Before Drogas could stop them, Flint's Guardian came out of the ground and shoved Drogas back with the floor used to crush them. It knocked Drogas and Callista back, with the demon stumbling back on his hindlegs.

Gwyn pulled herself out, with Flint laying on her back in much worse shape than her. She ran to the others just as Drogas recovered.

Callista sneered. "Little brat…" She extended her shadow to catch her.

Gwyn gasped, but was saved by a flash of lightning scooping her away from danger. Tony brought her to the others before tripping over himself. "Thanks Tony!"

"Don't…mention it…" He gritted his teeth. "Shit…these guys are…they're actually really…" He gritted his teeth tighter. "What the hell do we do?!"

Griffin fell into a solemn state. "For once…I have no idea…" He flinched and stumbled forward.

Jonathan shook his head. "We're not giving up like this!" He pointed to the sealed door. "Get to there, now! Uxie will try and eject us from the library!"

"What about you?!" Gwyn shrieked.

Jonathan ran, shouting back, "I need to help Ella and Wes!"

Ella swung her staff into Nightmare's shadow blades, increasing the force with her psychic power around the staff. She split two batons off and fired lasers down on Nightmare as they clashed. He shifted his body around the beams while still putting the pressure on the Espeon, who was slowly getting worn down.

"How long have you been training?!" Nightmare slammed his blades down on her staff. Any harder and she would've broken her hindlegs from the stress. "Since our last encounter, I'd say you only started out a little while before defeating Rubia." Nightmare smirked. "And now you stand before me, the Being of Nightmares, thinking you had a chance to beat me." He spun and struck her in the chin, throwing her up, then caught her by her midsection.

"GAH!" Ella cried out as Nightmare squeezed tightly on her.

"The last thing I need is some puny hero who can't amount to the real pests to be concerned with. You think training yourself to move objects with your mind is ever going to match what we shadows can do?" He sneered. "Face it, you'll never beat me."

Ella worked up the effort to scowl at him, with a cheeky smirk added in. "Want…a bet?"

"You'll pay this bet with your life." He extended his claws and raised them, but got shot up by another round of light bullets. "AGH! SERIOUSLY?!"

Jonathan shot into him as he ran to them. "Don't you dare belittle my student! Ms. Cipher will defeat you with her strength!" He reloaded the gun. "And I will make sure she gets out of here alive to do it!" He fired two shots, one in the shadow's eyes and the other into his wrist, severing his hold on Ella.

Ella landed with a thud on the ground and coughed. She was hoisted up by Jonathan. "Sir-!"

"GO!" he ordered before running away, firing some shots back at Nightmare to get his attention.

Ella flinched as she backed away, then hightailed it back to her friends. Nightmare flew behind some cover and quickly reformed from the shots. He scowled as Ella fled to safety, but his mood turned around as he watched Jonathan run for Wes and Arid as they continued to battle. Magic and sand splashed across the air with their exchange of blows.

Displaying a smirk, he stated to himself, "Let's start the show." He morphed and extended his arm into a large needle, with the tip dripping with a black liquid. He chuckled ominously as he sank into the floor.

Wes and Arid clashed with magical sword constructs to waves of endless sand made up of the crumbling floor. Wes crossed three of the blades, blocking a surge of sand ramming into him. He dug his paws down, then slashed apart the sand. The sword orbited around him defensively as he charged for the Darmanitan.

Arid raised his hand and summoned a wall of sand behind him, then swung said hand down, bringing the sand with it. Wes used a Warp Pad to leap over it and come down through the sand arcing over Arid. The pirate anticipated the attack and blocked his sword strikes. Five of the sword blades were present. Arid snapped his free hand's fingers and shot forth two sand pillars the caught the other flying swords from behind him.

Wes pushed back as Arid whipped up a dense sandstorm around them. Wes squinted his eyes from the sand, making it impossible to see clearly. Too made sounds were made with the wind to discern movement, leading to a sucker punch from his right. He quickly recovered and retaliated with Infernius. The fireball slammed into Arid's sand clone, who blocked with his gloved hand. The palm was turned to glass.

The sand clone glared and stretched his arm out. Wes kept the fingers pried up, then reared and kicked his back legs into the glass, shattering the hand apart. He immediately ricocheted with Warp Pad and rammed through the sand clone, blowing it apart as well.

Arid swiped his hand and sent forth crescent blades of hardened sand. Wes leapt over them, but was then bombarded from below with sand bullets that either bounced off his defensive aura or slashed at the sides of his body and face. Blood sprayed off his cheek.

Caught in the distraction, Wes felt the metal gauntlet crash into his face with tremendous impact, nearly breaking his face had it not been for his aura. Wes flew out of the sandstorm and skipped across the floor on his back. He twirled mid-skip and landed on his paws, but received an immediate counterattack from sand pillars to the gut, knocking the wind out of him.

Arid lumbered over, baring a dark gaze. "I've been training. You're slippery, but not too fast to tag."

Wes wobbled around on his paws, then glared up at Arid. "…You…I know you, Arid…is this seriously how you want to go through things?"

"I don't have a choice," Arid pressed forward.

"Maybe so…but you can't seriously think working with them will get you anywhere." He gritted his teeth. "I know we're enemies…but even I think this is insane!"

Arid scowled and raised his hand. "I'll bury you alive." He sent up a pillar of loose sand and swung it down at Wes.

"WES!" Jonathan came from nowhere and tackled Wes out of the way just as the sand struck the floor. They rolled over each other before Jonathan stopped and pulled up Wes. "Get to the door, now!"

Wes shook his head. "I can take him!"

"There's no time to-!" He shoved Wes away from a sand strike. "Just go! I'll be fine!" He rushed right at Arid. "You're dealing with me now!"

Arid clenched his teeth. "The heralds' target." He aimed his palm and fired a bullet hell of sand.

Jonathan placed pressure on his right leg and dodged with an incredible burst of speed. Using his other leg, he closed the distance between him and Arid and struck with a sharp punch to the chest. Arid spat out blood from the force alone, just as Jonathan spun on his hand and slammed his leg into the side of his head.

Sand built up around Arid's head as a cushion for the impact. He growled and grabbed Jonathan by the face. "You're coming with me!" Sand traveled off his gauntlet and around Jonathan to encase him in hardened sand.

He clenched his fist and struck into the Darmanitan's arm before it was petrified, breaking Arid's concentration. The sand dropped, then Jonathan took a stance before fading out of sight and striking down on the captain in one swift movement.

"Captain!" his crew cried out.

Arid held his hand out to them. "Don't come any closer!" He slammed his fist against Jonathan, who instinctively raised his arms. He pushed back with his foot, then slammed his own fist into the knuckles. The sharp shockwave passed through the gauntlet and struck through Arid's arm, stressing his muscles.

Wes gasped as he watched the professor fight. "What the hell…?"

Jonathan flinched as a dark impulse came over him, stiffening his movements. He glared at Wes and shouted, "Quit stand around and GO!"

"But I can't just-!"

"WES!" Wes turned towards his friends as they got to the exit, with Griffin shouted, "STAY AWAY FROM HIM! SOMETHING'S NOT RIGHT!"

"What…?" Wes blinked in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"Wes, listen to Griffin and RUN!" Jonathan slammed his knee against Arid and pushed him back. "You need to get out of here now or you all will be in danger!"

"I'm not leaving without you!" Wes ran back to him.

Arid glared, then slammed his palm down. "Shatter!" The floor shattered and split into particles of sand that blew Jonathan and Wes away.

Jonathan caught himself on some wood, then ran through the sandstorm. Wes landed and avoided some swipes from Leigh and Drake, then repelled them back with Warp Pad, using their own force against them. He exploded with Mystic Burst and rammed into Arid from behind while Jonathan swiftly struck Arid in the front. They spun and kicked Arid away together, throwing him into some discarded stone.

"Agh…" Arid groaned.

"Captain!" The crew ran to his aid, with Ambrosine preparing a healing spell.

Jonathan panted and gave a tight grip of his arm, then glared at Wes. "You stubborn Umbreon…"

Wes grinned. "Heh, no one gets left behind."

Jonathan sighed with a smile he couldn't help. "Just like your father…"

Wes blinked. "Huh?"

Jonathan looked up, then his heart stopped. Wes was wide-eyed with confusion, unaware of the Boss Shadow rising up from behind him and raising his needle arm. He swung down at the Umbreon.

"AGH!"

Wes' opened his eyes after being pushed to the ground. His ruby eyes shook with confusion, then they widened into fear as he stared back at the horrorstricken face of his professor, standing over him. Wes felt something drip onto his shirt and hesitantly looked down himself.

A tiny, inaudible gasp came out, as he stared at the needle arm impaled through Jonathan's body. Blood trickled down the arm, with a black liquid dripping from the tip. Both liquids dripped onto the Umbreon, who quivered in horror. This…This couldn't be right. Was he really seeing this?

That could've been him a moment ago. That arm could've impaled through him. He would be the one gaping in terror at the shadow arm puncturing through his body. His heartbeat hastened as he stared at the fear in his favorite professor's eyes. He took that hit for him.

The others stood by, gaping in horror. No tears or cries or anything. They were stunned silent at the sight before them. Even from their position, they saw the tension in the air. The somber mood set for a horrific scene. Even the usually quivering Gwyn couldn't muster a squeak or cry, for she was just as petrified as the other four.

Flint and Ella gaped in disbelief and, while they showed no tears dripping, it was clear from the watery reflection in their eyes that they were trying to hold back. They couldn't move, think, or say anything, only managing to breathe and stare, wishing this were an illusion casted over them.

Wes couldn't will himself to move as he stared at the Scrafty who stood protectively over the Umbreon. He clenched his teeth as blood spilt out from his mouth, holding back the violent coughs within him. He wanted to say something right there, right then…but he couldn't get the words out.

Reminding them of his presence, Nightmare leaned down close to Jonathan's ear. With a low, chilling tone that could freeze over the Fire Zone, he said:

"All…hail…the Shadow King."

Nightmare pulled his arm out of Jonathan, letting the poor professor drop, with Wes pulling himself away before he landed atop him. Jonathan pushed himself up and looked at his open wound. Blood should've been pouring out of him, but it was like everything clotted instantly.

In fact, his injuries were all healing up rapidly. Wes gawked in silence as the hole in the Scrafty's stomach sealed up near instantly. Jonathan blinked twice, then flinched as a thrashing pounded inside his head. He clutched his head and bent backwards, howling in pain.

"Professor…?" Wes spoke slowly, with a fearful undertone in his voice.

The team looked around fearfully as the library started shaking. Books were levitating and shaking violent from an unforeseen pressure acting on everything. That wasn't all they felt, though. Something strong and…malicious was flooding through the air. A presence of pure malice that could've drove any mad with fear. The strong presence was overpowering, forcing the group to step back out of reluctance.

"GRAAWWWWWGH!" Jonathan screamed as he dug his fingers into his skin, while pounding his fist into the floor. His eyes widened as he felt a dark haze overcome his sight. Wes gritted his teeth as he watched a blackness stretch out from behind Jonathan's eyelids, overtaking his sclera and slowly turning it black as darkness.

"Professor!" Wes lunged and grabbed him by the shoulders. "What's going on?!"

"Wes…STAY AWAY FROM ME!" Jonathan shoved him back roughly and stumbled back. "DON'T COME ANY CLOSER!" he warned.

"Professor!" Wes crossed his forelegs as the strong pressure pushed into him. It was like a hurricane wind gradually growing in power. Wes held down tightly on his hat to keep it from flying off.

The pirates rose up and gawked as the dark aura blazing off of Jonathan. The heralds, however, took their places beside Nightmare as they watched. Callista hissed with glee. Aeternus smirked with a dark elation. Voss, now out of his armor, crossed his arms and glared at the event.

Jonathan swung his head violently as darkness swirled around him, with a dark lightning crackling off his body. "AAAARG! RRRRAAAWWWGH! GRAAAAAGGGAAAAH!" He slammed his head into the floor as the darkness overtook his left eye and started on the next.

"Professor Geno!" Wes cried out, tears welling up in his eyes. "WHAT'S GOING ON?!"

Jonathan hyperventilated as fear now overcame him. He could feel the presence growing stronger, clawing away at the mental fortitude set up to lock him away. It was breaking down the walls with each hit. Nothing was stopping him. It was over. There was nothing he could do.

He looked right at the terrified Umbreon, who clutched at his shirt tightly with tears threatening to pour. The blackness covered up to half of his right eye. It won't be long until everyone he cared for was killed in an instant. Gritting his teeth tightly, he threw off his backpack and pulled out the book on the shadows.

"WES!" He tossed the book into him, which he barely caught in his shock. "YOU HAVE TO OPEN THAT BOOK! IT MIGHT BE THE ONLY THING WE HAVE LE-AAAAAAAHHHHH!" Jonathan clutched his head and squirmed on the ground.

"Professor…" Fear enveloped Wes. He didn't want to, but something in his mind was forcing him to back away from Jonathan. "Please…no…" Tears dripped down his face. "Don't tell me…"

Jonathan looked back at him, his eye close to fully darkening. He gritted his teeth as it reached completion, uttering one final, contrite response:

"I'm sorry…"

Jonathan shrieked with pain as a mass of darkness exploded upward from his body, striking the ceiling like a pillar. The force threw Wes across the library and into Tony, who barely caught him. The book fumbled out of his paws, but Ella snatched it and held it tight under her jacket. Their eyes were fixed of the dark pillar shooting upward.

The heralds gathered around the pillar. Aeternus smirked, then raised his fists. "All hail the Shadow King!"

"All hail the Shadow King!" Voss, Callista, and Nightmare chanted. "All hail the Shadow King!"

The Desert Beasts watched from nearby, completely silent with their jaws hanging open. They felt an overwhelming evil coming from inside that pillar of darkness. They were engulfed in the dark mist that permeated from it. No one was allowed to move, for the authority of this power was strong than any will they have ever come across.

The pressure pushed against Team Ravenfield as they tried to fight it. Their feet were slipping out from under them. Tony growled and fired some Lightning Shots into the pillar, but they all dispelled upon contact. Gwyn fired off energy from her tendrils, still in her Leech Berry Form, but was met with the same futile efforts.

Flint was breathing in a panic, holding his paw over his heart. "Don't tell me…all this time…"

Ella gritted her teeth. "That can't be true…"

The tears flooded down Wes' face. "It just can't…"

They saw Jonathan's form contorting in pain, his screams muffled under the high winds emitted. He was attacking himself desperately, probably as a last resort to stop this all from happening. Nothing he tried worked. It was pointless. There was nothing he could do. He clutched his head and screamed louder, in pure agony.

Nightmare clasped his hands together. "Mighty Shadow King, you have been reborn from your imprisoned state! Now…come to us and lead the shadows to victory!"

Red eyes pierced through the pillar. Jonathan reared his head back and roared, sending out a wide range wave that blasted apart the bookshelves, columns, and Team Ravenfield.

The team screamed as the wave slammed them into the wall and pressed them into it. The pressure pushed them deep into them and kept hem held in place. They could barely look through the pulsing pressure. Their visions were blurred against it.

A darkness stretched out from the center of the pillar and closed in around the library. Uxie, who was barely holding up to the pressure, looked upon it with fear. "They're sealing the library…" He gritted his teeth and ran to the pinned team.

The team struggled to free themselves from the wall. Griffin roared with pain as he tried to free his arm, but it only stuck back to the wall. Tony was jittering around with Light Speed, but he couldn't break off either. Gwyn couldn't move any part of her altered body to do anything. Ella's mind was too frazzled from the tension and pressure to use her psychic powers. Flint couldn't even concentrate to bring out his Guardian.

Wes, however, did nothing. He stared through the pressure with narrowed, saddened eyes as he stared at the red eyes glaring back at him. He tensed up as the dark figure walked towards him slowly, with the darkness stretching all over the library. Each step sent a pulse of darkness at them, each impact filling them more with dread.

The figure raised their arm and summoned a large, curved, single edge blade of darkness, gripping the hilt tightly. The eyes peering at the Umbreon were cold and vengeful. They were solely on him and Flint, based off the brief glances he took, but he seemed more focused on the Umbreon.

Wes clenched his teeth. "Professor Geno…please…stop…"

The figure stopped, stayed silent for just a moment as the pressure emanated off of him. He then raised his sword and pointed it at Wes. "…The man known as Jonathan Geno…was nothing more than a pawn of my design…he never existed…he was never real…"

Wes shook his head, refusing to believe. "NO! NO, that's a LIE!" he screamed as the tears flooded again. "Geno, wake up! Please, WAKE UP!" His chest heaved with stress as he stared at the red-eyed figure. "You're not…you can't be…you can't the Shadow King-AAAAH!"

His team gasped as the figure slashed across Wes' chest. Wes' head lurched forward, gaping in disbelief as blood trickled lightly from the cut. It could've been deeper had it not been for his aura.

The darkness parted, then they were all greeted to the terror before them. A Scafty with red eyes and black sclera. His aura was prominent, giving off a presence of ultimate authority and fear. He remained expressionless, with his eyes narrowed down. Staring into those eyes filled them with a sense of dread they couldn't escape from.

Eyes that reflect their worst fears.

Defeat.

Loss.

Destruction.

Death.

They were before Death itself.

The…The Shadow King.

He raised his sword over his head. "The prophecy will not come true."

It was like staring at their own executioner. Compared with him, they were insects while he was the menace of terror that towered over them. It felt like they were under the presence of a giant, a force far greater than anything they could fight back against. There was nothing they could do. With the sword raised high, they could already see the fate that was lay out before them.

Gwyn managed to move her tail enough to wrap it around Flint's. The Flareon noticed the gesture, then curled his tail around hers a bit as they closed their eyes. Ella and Tony closed their eyes as well, teeth clenched tightly with sweat dripping down their heads. Griffin glared defiantly at the Shadow King, even if every part of his body was screaming to run away.

Wes remained petrified with disbelief. Nothing he saw…he couldn't believe it. This had to be a trick. This shouldn't be how things ended for them. This wasn't supposed to happen. All this time…the man who wanted them dead was right under their noses the whole time.

One last tear dripped down Wes' cheek. "Geno…please…"

The Shadow King glared mercilessly, then readied to swing the blade down on them.

"Enough of this madness!" The Tribe of Shadows and pirates gazed up as Uxie flew into the air. He made quick gestures with his hands before thrusting his palm at Team Ravenfield. "Team Ravenfield! Brace yourself!"

Their eyes widened as the wall started breaking down behind them. Golden light seeped through the cracks, more pouring through as the cracks grew larger. Another pressure was pushing against them, far stronger, as it pressed them into the walls.

Wes looked up at Uxie and shouted, "What are you doing?!"

"Just trust me!" He pulled his hand back. "Now…BEGONE!" He thrusted his hand.

The wall collapsed and the team screamed as they were thrown back into a veil of golden light. Their screams faded the deeper they went through the light.

The Shadow King narrowed his eyes, then stomped his foot down. Darkness swirled around him and expanded outward, wrapping everything in thick darkness. Uxie weakly flew to the ceiling, out of its growing reach, then snapped his fingers, teleporting just before the darkness caught him.

The library slowly became swallowed up in darkness, with books and debris sinking into it. The Heralds and Nightmare stood their ground, unprovoked by the raging winds of darkness. The pirates looked around in horror was all the light vanished before them.

The heralds and Nightmare raised their fists/foreleg and chanted, "All hail the Shadow King! All hail the Shadow King! All hail the Shadow King!"

The Shadow King glared at the veil of golden light before it was swallowed into his darkness. He crossed his arms and closed his eyes. "…Let the uprising begin." His minions chanted his name as he stared into the spot the team vanished.

---

Darkness swirled around the space that the library occupied, slowly cocooning it into one giant bubble of shadows. Snow clouds above swirled from the immense pressure of the darkness, with dark lightning shooting outward violently.

Just before the library was completely swallowed, a section of wall started cracking apart, then six figures rocketed straight from the library, barely escaping the cocoon of darkness. The hasty escape didn't do much to help their trajectory, though, as they slowly spilt off in separate direction.

"GUYS!" Wes screamed.

"WES!" Flint screamed.

"SHIT, SHIT, SHIT!" Tony hollered.

"AAAAHHHH!" Gwyn wailed.

"SOMEONE HELP!" Ella shouted.

"HANG ON!" Griffin yelled.

With the winds of the Snow Zone always shifting, they flew off their own way, disappearing into the large, nearly endless blanket of white. The winds raged, muffling their cries.

The only thing to stand out among the endless white was the black sphere circling atop a high mountain, a sign that the worst is soon to come.

The Shadow King…has returned.