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.

95. Hidden Kingdom of Iron 7

Ch.95: Descent into Darkness! Invasion on Ironworks Kingdom Pt.1!

Margo grunted as she rubbed her shoulder. "You seriously come up with those fruits all on your own?"

Gwyn nodded. "Yep! I just pop an idea into my head and do the thing!"

"You should consider setting up shop here in Ironworks. A lot of travelers make stops here. You would make big business."

The Mew waved it off. "Appreciate the offer, but I think I rather stick to my mother's shop back home."

"Well, the offer still stands. I could even commission for your own shop to be built. Any way you like."

Ella smirked. "Expect a lot of streamers and fairy lights hanging from the ceiling."

Gwyn grinned. "You know me so well!"

They came up to the stairs and ascended them. Gwyn was leaning against Flint for support after her rather tiring, but triumphant battle against the Metal Mage. The Flareon felt warm being so close to the Mew. Maybe it's because he has been trying to be more affectionate around her. He had to admit, he saw why Gwyn loved giving out hugs so much. It was oddly satisfying.

Speaking of the Mew, as she was looked ahead, she caught Wes staring at her over his shoulder. He glanced at their team, then back to her before winking. She couldn't quite understand his message, but then got the idea when he nodded his head at Flint. She silently went, "Oh," before nodding back.

Wes smiled, then focused up the stairs. "Hey gang, since Gwyn won her first battle all on her own, we should go out to celebrate."

"Oh, definitely!" Ella readily agreed. "Might I suggest this amazing five-star restaurant I found a few days ago! The food is magnifique from what I've heard."

Flint groaned. "Seriously? A five-star restaurant on our budget?"

Margo smiled at them. "I wouldn't mind covering your meals. You all deserve it before you have to go to the Gelid Peak Tournament. That'll be your next stop for a key."

Tony grinned. "In that case, I'm all for it! Haven't been to high class dining my whole life!"

Griffin rolled his eyes. "I can only imagine why." Tony pouted in annoyance.

As talk of eating out distracted the group, Gwyn subtly slowed down her steps, which made Flint have to slow down for her. They got just enough back to where they could speak out of earshot in whispers. "You okay, Gwyn? Are your legs getting tired?" he asked worriedly.

She shook her head. "You're so sweet, Flint." She tapped her fingers together. "Um…actually…I wanted to ask you something."

"Oh? What?"

Redness came to her cheeks. "Well…I don't know how to say this, but…I'm going to try." She gulped. "We're…good friends, right? Best friends?"

Flint found himself getting nervous, turning his head away as his own cheeks brightened. "Heh…y-yeah, we are…I like hanging out with you…"

"I feel the same way…" She clasped her hands together. "Buuut…um…lately, I've…been feeling a little different about that. Like…the term seems…not as good to describe it…"

"Huh?"

Gwyn clutched her head and groaned. "Ugh…words escaping me…!" She took a deep breath and tried again. "Um…I don't know much about how people do these kinds of things, but…I want to say something. I…I want to tell you how I feel about you-"

She yelped and nearly tripped over her sore legs. Flint had stopped so suddenly that she almost fell on her face, but he caught her in time. She saw the shocked—perhaps hopeful—stare he was giving her. He looked redder than before, with his ears standing tall.

"H-How you…feel about me?" he asked hesitantly.

Gwyn darted her eyes at the group and they haven't immediately realized they stopped on the stairs. Taking everything she learned from her talks with Ella, she reached down and held Flint's paws in her hands. Her face was an equally bright shade of red.

She gulped, then smiled nervously at Flint. "Um…I-I don't know if I want to…say it…"

Flint, stunned, shook his head softly. "N-No…g-go ahead…I'm listening…"

She took a deep breath, clutching his paws firmly. "O-Okay…Flint Ravenfield…I want to say…that…I really, really, really like-"

In the split second the words came out, Segar had looked out the window and caught sight of an object flying right towards the castle. Without thinking, he slammed his hands down. "EVERYONE BRACE YOURSELVES!"

Everyone gasped as the stairs morphed in shape and wrapped around them. A black spheroid, a cannonball, slammed into the castle and exploded the stairwell, raining debris atop of them. Everyone screamed as the stairs nearly collapsed under them, only saved by Segar's quick thinking to support below them.

Through their dome-shaped protection, they heard more explosions emanating from outside the castle. No…it wasn't just the castle. Explosions in the distance were also alive with activity. Sounds of Pokémon screaming in peril alerted their attentive ears.

Segar casted away the domes just as Tony shouted, "What the hell is going on out there?!"

Wes rubbed his aching head. "Ow…" He opened his eyes and spotted a piece of fragment from the projectile that fired open them. He picked the smoking black piece up. "…Cannonballs?"

Ella's eyes widened. "Cannonballs?!"

Tony bared his teeth. "Shit, shit, shit…!" He jumped onto the hole made in the castle, followed closely by Griffin. "Don't tell me who I think it is!"

Griffin narrowed his eyes. "It is…and much, much worse…"

Flint gripped his shirt, breathing heavily. "What is this presence I'm feeling? It's familiar…"

Margo pulled herself up. "Don't tell me this is…"

It was clear as day, for as ironic as that statement could be. A space had cracked into their domain, seeping silvery light through, only to be blotted by the inky blackness of a malevolent force. Cloaked in these dark blankets was a ship the team had unfortunately gotten acquainted with. The Wasteland, the airship of the Desert Beasts.

And that inky blackness was a sign that they weren't the only ones invading. The combined mass of malevolence was far greater than anything they've felt in the past. The attack on Marble Stone City, the encounter in Scorch Grave, the ambush back in Gale Wind Village…they didn't compare.

They could feel the malevolent intentions behind that growing cloud of darkness. This wasn't just some attack to pull out Team Ravenfield. This was looking like the start of something horrible.

This was an act of war being committed.

Margo gripped the sides of the freshly made hole, growling through her teeth. "My kingdom…" She flinched as more cannonball fire struck into the castle and the buildings below. She couldn't look away from the Pokémon screaming for cover as homes and buildings were destroyed and set ablaze in the lightless flames.

Gwyn stepped back, gripped her shirt. "I'm getting major flashbacks here…" she whimpered.

Wes glared. "This isn't good. We haven't seen them since they resurrected their king. With him back…" He looked down at the kingdom with newfound worry.

The power of the Shadow King was imprinted into his mind like a deep scar. That was nothing like he ever faced before. If someone like that got their hands on the Idol of Origin, it would be unstoppable. Was it possible…he was after their keys? Did he even know their fifth one was here? Either way…if the Shadow King got hold of their keys…

The Umbreon bared his teeth against the rumbling of the castle. A leader can't act discouraged…

Margo pointed at Segar. "Segar! Assemble all our knights! And I mean ALL of them! Top priority, get everyone to safety! As for the enemy…!" Her eyes burned with a vile hatred. "…Don't. Hold. Back."

Segar nodded. "At your command, Your Majesty." He turned and raced down the stairs.

"Hold it!" Everyone froze and turned to Wes, who continued to glare out at the attacking airship.

"Wes, what's up?" Flint asked, tapping his paw impatiently as he looked back and forth at the approaching carnage.

The Umbreon took a deep breath to collect is, admittedly, nervous self, then stared boldly at the scene. "There's a chance they came here because they know we're here. And if that's so, they'll be wanting our keys. Under no circumstances can we let them end up in their possession."

He pointed to his team and exclaimed, "But we won't let these people die because of us! Flint, Ella, Griffin, Tony! I want all four of you down there and in the action! Flint and Tony, you two are on rescue operation! We need your support and your speed!"

Flint was momentarily stunned by his brother's boldness, then nodded back determinedly. "Right!"

Tony gave the two-finger salute, frowning seriously. "Roger that."

Wes pointed at Ella and Griffin. "We need tactical fighting and raw power to hold back the shadows and whatever abominated experiments they're sending. Assist the knights and destroy all the shadows!"

Ella pulled out Daybreak. "I'm on it."

Griffin cracked his knuckles. "Like you had to ask."

"What about me?!" Gwyn shouted.

Wes faced her. "I can't have you out in the front lines after that fight. At the very least, I need you to stay with me so we can secure the key."

Gwyn glared seriously and nodded. "I'll be your shield if I must!" She pulled some Naturae Fruits from her bag before unclipping and throwing it to Flint. "There's healing potions and such inside! Use them to keep everyone safe!"

Flint settled it atop his back. "Thanks!"

"No time to waste! This is serious business!" Wes pointed out the hole. "Team Ravenfield! Protect and Strike!"

They raced to the hole. Ella took off on Daybreak while Tony and Griffin leaped out into the open. Using his Guardian's leaping abilities, Flint skyrocketed into the air. Segar turned back down the stairs and raced down.

Margo smiled weakly at Wes. "I have to say…seems Randolph was right about you."

Wes nodded. "Thanks, but we don't have time. Take us to the key!"

"Right, but we need to hurry. I don't know how much more the castle can-" They caught themselves as more cannon fire slammed into the castle. "-TAKE!"

The queen and two teammates raced up the crumbling stairwell. Wes turned back to the outside, glaring solely on the ship. Even from all the way over there, he could pinpoint that powerful aura he felt once.

He only hoped it didn't come down to the worst.

---

The Wasteland fired down on the kingdom with their darkness infused cannonballs, adding the power of the black flames to burn away at everything in sight. The crew was rushing cannonballs into the cannons, firing randomly on everything.

The heralds watched from above in amusement. Aeternus raised his hands and laughed. "Glorious destruction! Oh, how I missed the sweet sound of terrorism! Listen to their screams! Kehehehehehe!"

Callista narrowed her eyes. "But where are the brats? Especially Gwyn…" She hissed excitedly.

Voss scanned through the fleeing Pokémon for magic auras. "They're around somewhere…"

Zaros pushed his glasses up. "Hmph. They'll show themselves. They wouldn't dare let this many people die for their own self-preservation. They're probably planning the best way to take this ship down…what little it will do them."

Aeternus threw his head back and laughed. "Let them try! I revel in a good challenge!"

Arid, at the top deck with Ambrosine, Jeffery, and Ray, watched in horror at the destruction they were spreading. Now, he would be a hypocrite if he said he has never fired upon cities before and regretted it. However, that was mostly ever out of self-defense or to pose a warning. At worst, it was one of his more excitable crewmen getting carried away.

This, however, was unprovoked chaos. They've never open fired on a city or town like this and so excessively. They were pirates, but not complete monsters.

Ambrosine gripped the railing tightly, sweating down her face. "I should've never gotten aboard this ship…"

Ray, despite his aloofness, couldn't watch without flinching. "Why are we doing this?"

"So we don't get killed!" Jeffery squawked. "It's either them or us! I want to keep my neck safe, thank you very-!" Arid clenched his beak shut, glare still on the scene.

"Oh? Not enjoying the show?" Chills ran up their spines as the Being of Nightmares materialized behind them. "I would've thought a bunch of ruthless pirates would appreciate the finer aspects of misery."

Arid gave him a sour stare. "…This is why you didn't want us to just teleport here. You wanted to make it as dramatic and unfortunate as possible."

Nightmare wagged his finger. "There are fine ways to raise fear. There's no pizzazz to just appearing out of nowhere. Slowly approaching the lesser ones brings out what they fear most: the safety of their lives. HahahahahaHAHAHAHA!"

Arid bared his teeth at him, then turned back to the scene. Ambrosine wasn't too focused on it, however. Her attention was on the cloaked Scrafty aboard their ship.

His presence made her aura feel cold and lifeless. The way he entered a scene demanded utmost respect and fear from all, follower or enemy. His power was unparalleled to any natural born creature she had the displeasure of witnessing. What scared her the most was that one word out of his mouth got her heart racing…bordering dangerously close to another heart attack.

She clutched over her heart and breathed to keep it down. I could just abandon ship…I don't need these guys. They…They mean nothing to me…I just need to live…

Speaking of whom, the Shadow King had remained silent ever since he announced their attack. His eyes were locked into the centerpiece of the kingdom: the castle. His red eyes seemed to wander subtly, focused and tracked onto something…moving up its interior.

He clenched his fist. I cannot let any of them live. No Ravenfield is ever allowed to live. The bloodline must be severed for me to retain my place. Fate must be challenged. I must kill the Umbreon and the Flareon if I wish to remain a god.

"My king~!" The Shadow King's eyes moved towards Aeternus. He bowed to the possessed Scrafty. "We're now sending out the ground forces on the kingdom. What are your orders?"

His eyes narrowed emotionlessly before looking back at the castle. "Do what you must. It matters not to me. But…" His glare turned cold for a moment. "Leave the castle to me."

"As you command, my king." Aeternus raised his hand and shouted, "You hear that, my minions?! SLAUGHTER THE HEATHENS!"

Darkness slammed down on ground level, taking the shape of a massive fog. Portals opened within the fog, releasing Aeternus' grunts on the battlefield. They were armed with his weaponry and all kinds of dangerous spells once can master in such a short time.

Leading the charge were three grunts imbued with the power of darkness. An Excadrill with black fur and claws crackling with purple magic. An Araquanid with a black-tinted water bubble and red eyes. And finally, a Druddigon with black claws, red burning eyes, and a noxious black smoke seeping from his maw. They all wore the standard black leather jackets and jeans.

Excardrill shouted, "You heard the boss! Kill them all!"

The grunts aimed their guns and fired on the fleeing Pokémon. Some were shot dead in seconds while others ran for cover inside any of the crumbling buildings. The generals advanced through the streets, leading the charge with their soldiers at the rear.

Druddigon glared as a wave of knights came charging down the streets, armed with shield and broadswords. "Here they come." He wrapped his arm in darkness.

The Araquanid hissed delightfully. "Come to me, little prey!" Shadows extended out from his body into massive hands, then sent them out with the claws brandished.

Two knights leaped forward and struck the two massive shadow hands, stopping them cold with the force shattering the ground beneath their feet. Two other knights severed the shadow hands at the wrists, but they quickly reformed and ceased the two, crushing them under their grip.

"Fire!" Excadrill commanded, ordering the grunts to fire their guns at them.

The guns were filled with explosive rounds that could take out the side of a stone building. The knights raised their shields and endured the blasts. However, through this distraction, they were left open for an ambush. From above came down the pirates, with Julius aiming his prosthetic cannon and blasting a knight in the back.

Indigo swung from around and slammed her feet into a knight's helmeted face before jumping back as Leigh struck him down with her battle claws. One knight swung his sword at them, but was countered by Rico's swift kick, sending the sword flying from his hand. Malcolm followed it up with a strong punch into the chest, which dented the armor in.

Observing the fight from at a vantage point was Segar. He growled before pulling out a crystal ball and ordering, "Operation: Hell Rain. Now!"

Way back away from the main fight, knights were loading up their arrows, tipped with explosive arrowheads. They pulled back and aimed at the sky, with one knight standing on the rooftops, getting an angle on the point of fire. He raised his hand and shouted, "Fire!"

They released the arrows into a curtain of red. The grunts halted as the arrows came into view, raining down in their direction. Druddigon slammed his hands down and summoned a mass of darkness from below. It stretched out in a curve, shielding their forces as the arrows impacted the black blanket. The arrows sank into the darkness, like an unfortunate soul stuck in quicksand.

The darkness evaporated, then Druddigon aimed his hand at the knights. "Now release!" he shouted, emitting darkness from his hand and firing off the arrows in a tight stream.

"Shields up!" The knight crouched behind their shields and endured the exploding arrows bombarding them.

The shadows cackled and dove down at the knights. They morphed their arms into blades and clashed with the unprepared warriors, with a few unfortunate ones being impaled and killed in an instant. The shadows threw their lifeless bodies away before going for the next target.

"Keep them away from the bystanders!" Segar shouted. He jumped down and conjured a spear from the ground.

He froze at the sound of a frail screaming. He turned and saw a group of kids being backed into a corner by a group of shadows. They quivered fearfully while the shadows rubbed their blade arms together, raising to slaughter them to pieces.

Segar was about to throw his spear when a power blast of red magic slammed down on the shadows. They screamed in anguish, burning into harmless mist. Landing amongst the singed ground was Griffin, equipped with his prized sword.

He glared at the kids. "Leave. Now!"

They looked up at him with fearful eyes, but nodded and ran off. Some knights accompanied them to safety to find their parents. Griffin glared back at the army as shadows climbed higher in the air.

They channeled their magic to fire black flames when rockets of teal light shot through them. In actuality, they were seven separate batons wrapped in psychic energy, piercing through the dark spirits and leaving them in black ribbons. Upon a rooftop below them, Ella was flicking her paws and sending Daybreak out as a flight squad.

"You're not welcomed here, freaks," she growled, commanding Daybreak to fire on them with concentrated psychic beams. She burned holes through them and left them a smoking mess.

The ground troops focused their sights on the two troublemakers. Excadrill growled. "Count Aeternus was right, they're here. Don't let them take out more of our troops!"

Farther out through the city, Pokémon were running away as black flames spread through the streets, followed by the cackling shadows. Some were shot dead and consumed in the flames, their corpses disintegrating into nothing.

An old Shuckle was huffing and crawling as fast as he could, but one shadow managed to grab and lift him to eye level. The creature smirked, then opened its mouth with a flaming darkness roaring inside. Before he could execute the old Pokémon, a bolt of electricity zipped by and snatched him from the shadow's hands.

Tony landed before a cart that was taking the Pokémon to safety. "Got another one!" He slid his hands in his pockets and glared as the angry shadow chased him down. "Give me a second. Light Speed!" He zipped off in a blink.

The shadow had but a second to blink before finding the Dewott's finger pressed to the back of its head. It turned to screech at him, but was riddled with Lightning Shot: Lotus Bullet, blowing its head off.

"Don't lose your head over it," Tony quipped. "Picking on the elderly is generally frowned upon." He glared as a number of other shadows came flying at him out of revenge. "Speaking of which…"

They fired on him with jagged black beams, which he avoided with his Quick Step. He kept to the empty streets while they chased them to avoid any more casualties. He smirked back at the shadows, sticking his tongue out at them. That infuriated them into assimilating into a massive shadow snake that took up the entire of the street they were chasing on.

"Do you guys always throw 'hissy' fits when you're getting taunted?!" He used Light Speed and vanished, reappearing atop the snake's head. "'Fangs' for the fun, gentlemen!" He slammed his hand down on its head and blew it off with Ventusphere, sending blobs of darkness scattering over the street.

Tony flipped on the rooftops, but got blindsided by a shadow. It clawed him in the arm, only leaving a light scratch over it. He grunted and skipped backwards as it waved its claws at him.

"Funny…that felt a bit stronger…" He covered his arm. I hope I'm not imagining that…

Back over with rescue operations, shadows were being pummeled back by Flint's Guardian. He was tending to the injured with the Guardian mercilessly beating any shadow or grunt that got too close to a pulp.

"Die, Ravenfield!" Two Hitmontop jumped down on top of the Flareon, aiming their daggers for his head and back.

Two hands shot out and squeezed around their necks. Their eyes fearfully darted to the Guardian holding them over its user. Flint fed a small Poochyena a healing potion before sending the child off to her mother. He sighed, then glared at the grunts, who gulped.

"Sorry, care to repeat that?" he asked bitterly. "It sounded like you wanted to stab me."

They raised their arms in surrender, fearfully shouting, "We're sorry! Please don't kill us!"

"If you say so." Flint flicked his paw, ordering his Guardian to throw them in the air and violently pummel them with its fists. Their bodies rippled with the furious punches before taking on hard punch across the faces and sending them through the ground. Flint stood up. "See? Still alive, just like I promised."

It wasn't like the Flareon to taunt like this, but seeing all these Pokémon dying and the destruction across the kingdom, it stung…a lot. He wasn't in the mood to be cowardly or passive to these…monsters.

"Young Flareon!" Flint turned to the knights as they boarded the rescue wagon. "They need you on the west side of the kingdom! We've got some trapped under the rubble!"

He nodded. "Right!" He had his Guardian pick him up and jump across the buildings.

---

"I'll burn you asunder!" Griffin growled, swinging Endless Regret into six grunts and burning them in his hateful magic. They screamed out as their flesh was burned to a crisp, while the magically gifted only barely resisted the effects. A Dragonite managed to grab and lock his arms around him.

"Blood Moon Rogue…" He snickered confidently. "You don't look so tough."

Griffin gave him a dry glare. "Back at you."

The dragon suddenly felt his stomach cave in from a heel kick. All the air was pushed from his lungs, forcing him to drop the Grovyle. Before he could get a word (or breath) out, Griffin grabbed his arm and snapped it effortlessly. The dragon cried out and screamed once his air returned. It didn't end there. Griffin slammed his foot down on one of kneecaps, punched him in the chest, and clutched his throat. Hard.

Griffin's eyes burned blood red as he glared down the dragon. "H…Have mercy?" the dragon muttered pleadingly.

"Take wild guess." The dragon gasped as Endless Regret plunged through his stomach. Griffin absorbed the dragon's hatred before pulling the sword out, leaving him to die.

He felt a Houndoom lunging at him with a sword, but was countered by Daybreak slamming into his jaw. It boomeranged back to Ella, who dropped down to ground level.

"Griffin! There's more coming this way! A whole lot of them!"

Griffin growled. "Dammit. These freaks multiply like hell." He channeled Exosus Release through Endless Regret. "What about the bystanders?"

"They're getting as many out of the area as possible-!" They flinched as cannonballs rained down on them, blowing buildings to pieces. Ella held her paws out and stopped the debris from dropping on them. She glared at the airship above them. "I've had just about enough with these assholes!" She swung her paws and sent debris flying into the Wasteland.

Arid saw the debris flying at them and held out his gloved hand to stop them when Zaros suddenly jumped from the ship. His posture was straight, arms crossed in a refine manner as he descended towards the approaching projectiles. He glared at the debris as it drew closer before his magic sprung to life around him.

Instantly, the debris was smashed into harmless rubble sprinkling against the hull.

Ray blinked over the railing. "…Smooth…"

Zaros fell towards the ground, eyes scanning the area. Count Aeternus wishes to fulfil the Shadow King's orders and eliminate those Ravenfield brothers. Hmm…I'm quite curious what's so special about this family. Why does it bring so much grief to this malevolent force?

Magic wrapped around his legs and softened his landing as he touched down on the ground. He huffed and adjusted his glasses. "Well, it hardly matters." He looked around before glaring at a familiar orange aura in the distance. "I'll be sure to eliminate one of them." He walked through the battlefield, unfazed by the attacks flying narrowly close to his person.

Back over with Ella and Griffin, they continued to assist the knights in pushing back the grunts and the shadows. Ella soared into the air and formed Daybreak into a ring. She channeled her psychic energy through the ring, then fired a wide, concentrated beam into their forces.

The shadows ganged up and pushed back against her attack, taking her by surprise as they even slowly overwhelmed it.

Her eye twitched impatiently. "Oh, you just ticked me off! RAWR!" She put more power behind the beam and managed to scattered the shadows into wispy specs. The beam impacted the ground and blew back the frontline of the invading army.

Griffin pulled out One For All and conjured multiple light swords around him. "Hundred Sword Barrage!" He swung and sent the light swords flying into their Anguis grunts. They were impaled either through the stomachs or one of the limbs.

"RAWR!" Griffin quickly switched to Pride of Leones as Excadrill came down with his claws. Griffin grunted as the impact reverberated off the shield, shattering the stone that still stood and ground underneath them.

Excadrill smirked. "Blood Moon Rogue…I heard a lot about you." He smirked villainously. "Does this mean I have the honor of killing the infamous bounty hunter himself?"

Griffin bared his teeth. "You're living on a dead dream." He pulled out Justice Flyer and used its accelerated thrusting power to stab into the mole's neck.

However, it didn't serve much other than to amuse said mole. He pulled himself off the blade, then smacked the Grovyle out of his face. "What? That little pinprick was supposed to do something?"

Griffin caught himself and sent away both weapons before pulling out Infinity Breaker. He held the polearm defensively, waiting for the grunt to attack, but ended up having to defend himself from their other general, the Araquanid. His shadows arms nearly squished Griffin between them and the pavement. Griffin spun Infinity Breaker and extended its reach. Araquanid leaped over the pole just before it was within reach.

"I got 'em!" Ella flew in on Daybreak, then jumped off. She kicked the water spider in the face, then blasted him with a pulse of psychic. She called back Daybreak to its full length, then held the weapon as she stood on her hindlegs. "So, what's your gimmick? Shadow puppets?" she joked.

The spider picked himself up, then hissed giddily. "A little something thanks to the modifications by Reuben."

Ella gritted her teeth, noticing electricity surging between his legs. He pressed the tips of his frontal legs together, condensed the energy into a single point, then fired a black bolt of lightning in her direction. She spun Daybreak and narrowly deflected it, but was shocked at its destructive power is it hit solid ground. The force threw her forward into the spider, who struck her in the stomach with that same power.

"How'd you like my electrifying performance, missy?!" he shouted, throwing her back with an electric pulse. He extended shadow arms from his back, coating them in that same energy, then reached out towards Ella.

Ella rolled out of the way, but they kept coming after her. Ah shit! She clenched her eyes as they closed in around her.

"Oi! Keep your mitts away from my comrade!" Blue orbs rained down on the hands and exploded, disrupting their solidity into harmless wisps.

Ella landed on her feet, then sighed. "Phew…" She looked over her shoulder. "You guys?"

Krystal stomped her foot down and crossed her wings, as she and the rest of Team Shatter Star, sans Cybil for some odd reason, stepped forward. The Delibird scowled at the shadows and the Anguis grunts firing on the knights and terrorizing their fellow citizens.

Hugo's eye glared solemnly at the monstrous creatures. "Darkness long forgotten, now have risen once again to exact its revenge from a bloody war…"

Oswald stomped his feet angrily. "Can someone explain what the hell he just said?! AND WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!"

Ella bit her lip. "Um…it's…a little difficult to explain-"

"The shadows from the Grand Imperium Age." Ella gawked as Griffin, walking up to them, blatantly stated the situation. He glanced at her. "No use trying to cover it up, right?"

"Eh…ugh, good point…"

Krystal glared. "You mean the shadows that waged war and basically caused a near extinction of all Pokémon in Mysto?" She blinked. "…Huh. Those cultists weren't as insane as I thought." She glanced at the two. "…You two know something about this?"

"It's a long story…" Ella admitted. "But now's not really the time to get into details."

Ebony cracked her neck, looking legitimately pissed for once. "Tsk. I'll say. I may not give a damn about this kingdom, but Cybil and Hugo live here. If they want to protect it, I'll be more damned than I already am if I don't help."

Saffiro glanced at Ella. "I believe you owe us an explanation if we survive~."

Ella grimaced. "…We'll see." She glared back at the generals and their army. "Until then, we're on defense over here. Don't care if you need to kill them or not, just stop them."

Ebony smirked. "A free shot to kill people with no repercussions? Ooh, baaaabbbby~! I'm in paradise~!" She grabbed hold of her bandage scarf. "Let's do this!" She sprung into the fight without a second thought.

Krystal formed her explosive orbs. "Saffiro, Oswald, follow her lead. Hugo, stay behind and keep them from getting any farther than this point. If those things are made up of spite and evil like the history books say, you're our best line of defense to keep them back."

Hugo nodded. "As you wish, Ms. Krystal." He sprinted off to get to a safer distance.

Before Krystal went to join in on the action, Ella stopped her and asked, "Hang on, where's Cybil? Shouldn't she be with you guys?"

Krystal faced her and smirked. "Oh…don't worry about CyCy. She…went on a walk." Ella blinked in confusion. "Heh…you'll see soon enough. Now, enough talk!" She punched her wings together. "We've got baddies to crush and a kingdom to defend!"

Ella smirked. "Right! Come on, Griffin!"

Griffin pulled out Absolute Zero, letting the cold mist coat his arm in frost. "I'm curious to see how they fight."

"You're not the only one." They sprinted into the fight, battle cries roaring and attacks ready to bring down like a hammer.

---

"Keep firing!" Arid ordered to his crew as they launched cannonballs after the other.

Down below, the ones who stayed behind on the ship were racing cannonballs to the cannons. Smith wheezed as he carried one to the cannons, though it hung from his arms like a swing. Just like most of the others, he was exhausted. "Why…are we…doing this?"

"Would you rather be down there?" Pain Train argued, doing significantly better than the Simisear despite his smaller form.

The fire monkey wiped his brow, scowling at the Klefki. "Whatever…I just need a break…"

The Snover on the crew raced to another crate of cannonballs. "We don't have time for breaks, you indolent bastard! If those freaky specters see us slacking, they'll-!" He stopped as he felt inside the crate, noticing something off about the cannonballs inside. They felt…squishy. "Um…guys? Did we purchase biodegradable cannonballs?"

"What are you yapping about?" Smith asked impatiently as he walked over.

Inside the crate was a pile of cannonballs, only they appeared slightly melted, like a scoop of ice cream on a hot day. Smith picked one up, astonished as he felt it slip through his fingers.

"What the hell…?" he muttered quietly, unsure if he was dreaming or has been inhaling some weird vapors on the ship.

"AH!" They spun around at Pain Train's cry, watching their cannons suffering the same fate as the ammunition. "What the what?! Everything's melting?!"

They quickly got to the center of the room and drew their swords and pistols, only they, too, were melting out of their hands. Snover shivered uncomfortably. "Have we been plagued by another bad omen?"

"For all the shitty- WHO'S SCREWING WITH US?!" Smith screamed, waving his fists at nothing. "Come on! I was a boxing champion in my youth!"

"Peewee boxing is hardly threatening," Pain Train joked nervously.

"YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO ANNOUNCE THAT-!" Just as Smith was busting everyone's eardrums, a strong wind blasted through the room and blew them off their feet. They slammed against the far end wall, lodged through. "GAH! Who opened the window?!"

"Hahahahaha! Man, who knew being on a pirate ship could be so entertaining?!" Pain Train and the Snover's eyes widened as they were now sensing magical auras on the ship that weren't any of their crewmates. "Still, I'm not liking the whole 'blowing up an innocent kingdom' shtick. I'm more of a 'beat up folks directly' sort of guy!"

Two of their larger crates broke open, with a Lurantis and a Sudowoodo jumping out into the open. Holly's eyes, which were glowing blue, faded to normal, returning the cannons and their ammunition to normal.

Holly glared at the pinned pirates. "Desert Beasts…we, the wandering bounty hunters of Mysto, hereby place our own bounties on your heads for the destruction of this fair kingdom!" She held Last Breath aloft and got into position. "May Arceus grant you mercy from my own divine wrath."

Smith bared his teeth. "WHAT?! WE HAD MORE STOWAWAYS?! HOW DO THEY KEEP GETTING UNDER OUR NOSES?!"

Pain Train flinched at his ear-screeching tone. "Will you shut up already?" He glared at the intruders. "How long have you been on our ship?"

Mack flicked a berry stem onto the ground. "Long enough to eat through a barrel of food."

I thought that greedy Crawdaunt was responsible for that! Pain Train growled. "Get off our ship…" He pulled himself off the wall. "Or else."

Mack pointed and laughed at the small Pokémon. "Or what? Are you going to annoy me to death with your jingling keys, you little small fry?! BWAHAHAHAHA!" He clutched his stomach and fell onto his back.

Holly groaned. "Really, Mack?"

However, his words and laughter greatly irritated the Klefki. He waved his keyring arms and shouted, "DON'T CALL ME SHORT, YOU BASTARD!" He looped said arms together. "Magic Lockdown!"

A gate of magic swirled between his arms, sprouting chains directly at them. Holly dodged, but Mack charged right for them. "Ooh~! Chains~! Scary~! Timor Persona!" He summoned his fear persona and ordered it to smash through the chains.

Surprisingly, they curved around the monster and struck Mack, wrapping around his chest before binding together with a heart-shaped lock holding them in place. That didn't stop his fear persona from charging and slamming its fist down on the floating keys.

Mack smirked. "Well, it's not my style, but I look pretty fly in a chain vest. Still, not all that comfortable." He grabbed and tried to pry them off, but found them rather difficult to break off. "Okay…not normal chains. Whatever. Timor Persona! To me!"

His fear persona turned and stepped forward, but, to Mack's surprise, it dispersed into dust.

"Huh? Timor Persona!" he called out, but nothing appeared next to him. "I said Timor Persona!" Nothing again. He grumbled quietly, then shouted, "I'M NOT SAYING PLEASE, SO GET YOUR ASS OUT HERE!"

"Hehehehe…don't bother." Mack blinked as the floating keys rose up from the ground. "I placed you under Magic Lockdown." He wiped the silvery blood off his keyhole-shaped mouth. "You can't use any of your spells more than once until those chains are broken off."

Mack's eyes widened. "Come again?!"

Holly glared. Crap. Timor Persona is the medium for most of his best spells, too. It'd be one thing if I got caught in it, but Mack's already limited.

Pain Train pointed at the Sudowoodo and shouted, "That's what you get for calling me a small fry! Now you'll get the beating of your life!"

Mack smirked. "Oh please. Even if you limited my spells, what are those baby arms going to-?"

POW!

Mack was thrown across the room after taking a left hook to the face. He smashed through a crate of cannonballs, with one landing on his stomach. The Sudowoodo was more surprised than aching. "Huh…well I'll be damned, he can throw a punch."

Pain Train punched his keyring arms together. "Now, get off our ship!"

Mack flipped to his feet, dusting some wood fragments off his shoulder. He smirked confidently. "Heh…you're gonna have to throw me off." His eyes glowed purple, releasing his limiter as the purple tattoo lines stretched over his face.

Pain Train growled, then flew right for the Sudowoodo. Mack sprinted towards him and met his fist with his tiny arm. He had to admit, he was much stronger than he looked. He actually barely stopped Mack's punch.

…Barely.

"HAHAHA!" Mack pushed with his full weight and flung the keyring across the room. "You may have put a limit on my spells, but I doubt it'll do anything to stop my limiter!" He rushed after the flying keyring.

Pain Train stopped before he hit the wall, then pulled off one of his keys. "Air Door!" He twisted the key and opened a space in the air, like it was a normal door, before jumping through and closing it behind.

Mack stopped and looked around. "Magic aura disappeared…"

He heard a click behind him, then leaped to the side, narrowly avoiding a gunshot. He sneered just as a small door closed in the air. Greeeeat. He's in some sort of overlapping dimension. I can't see him, but he can see me. Just greeeeeat.

Holly glared. Dammit! Hang on, Mack! She stepped forward, but had to jump back from a flying ax cutting her off. Her glare shot over to the Gallade descending the stairs. He held a second ax in hand. He glared at Holly lazily. "Why am I not surprised these losers couldn't find two stowaways in the ship? I'm surrounded by idiots."

Holly raised Last Breath. "Sorry to be such a bother, Your Highness, but we're taking this ship to the ground."

Graham rubbed the back of his head, smirking tiredly. "See…I really don't care what happens to these guys. I can just as easily find another crew to join up whenever I feel like it. However…I really don't want to go crashing out of the sky today." He spun his ax, then aimed it in her direction. "Don't make me have to work. I'm already ragged as it is."

Holly glared. "Good…that makes my life easier." She kicked off the floor and flew at him.

Graham spun his ax and blocked her kick with it. He extended his blade elbow and bashed it against her side, throwing her into one of the cannons. He lunged and swung his ax down on her, but she blocked it with her fan.

The Gallade smirked at her. "Come on, doll, don't make my life harder than it already is. I wouldn't want to hurt a pretty face."

Holly scoffed playfully. "You're cute…and pretty cocky." Her body glowed bright blue.

Graham quickly jumped back as the Lurantis exploded before him. He landed next to his other ax and plucked it from the ground. "Exploding clone?" He glared around the room. "Where did she…?" His eyes wandered onto the stairs and…wait…where did the stairs go?

He stood up and crossed his axes, seeing his only means of leaving disappeared. Actually, that wasn't the only problem. Looking around, he noticed that he was in a bare room, same as before, but without any of the cannons or…anything laying around.

"Illusionist, eh?" Graham smirked. "Oh…what fun…"

"HA!" Graham spun and blocked her kick with his arm, but noticed her right eye was glowing bright blue. "Sensitiva Cultro: Aspectu!"

In a flash, Graham's eyes were overloaded in an intense light. "GAH!" He swung his axes around wildly, then tried to collect himself even against the overload of brightness in his closed eyes. "D-Damn you…"

Graham kept still and quiet, listening out for any footsteps. He heard the subtlest sound of a fan being opened up. With a quick pivot on his foot, he spun and flung his ax in the sound's direction. He must've been right, because he heard the Lurantis' surprised cry as the ax flew past her.

"Found you!" He lunged and swung his ax down on her.

Holly barely blocked it with her sickle. Her magic aura crackled as it sponged up the damage. She swept her leg on his own, then slammed her foot into his stomach.

Graham bounced off his hands and landed safely on his feet. He rubbed his eyes, feeling the spell's effects fading. He glared irritably at the Lurantis as she pulled her fan back and swung it down, blowing him back with a strong gust. He firmly planted his feet down and crossed his arms as flying debris, such as cannonballs and wooden boards, came sailing at him.

"Tsk." He ducked under the wind and glided over the floor, then struck Holly in the leg, returning the sweep kick from before. "I tried to be nice with you, doll, now I'm going to throw you overboard myself."

Holly landed on her back, but pulled a spin move and kicked him across the face. "What a gentleman…but I insist." She stood up and placed Last Breath back on her back. "You first."

Graham smirked, wiping the blood from his lip. "Heh…I'm actually having fun for once…" He pulled out his axes and charged. Holly activated her limiter and stretched the blue tattoos over her face, slamming her sickles into his axes.

---

Flint panted as he carried a trio of Emolga on his back, young ones who were shivering, clinging, and crying into his mane. He looked back at them and smiled caringly at them. "You'll be back with your parents soon…just hang in there." He felt them flinch from a faraway explosion.

The Flareon turned away so they didn't see his aggravated face. These kids may be safe, but they won't get out of today without a few mental scars. He couldn't imagine how this was going to affect them later on. Their home was probably rubble by now. The poor things had no clue what was going on, probably.

He finally reached the rescue wagon, where an older Emolga and Luxio perked up upon seeing him. The Emolga mother raced over to them. "My babies!" The triplets jumped off and hugged their mother, crying into her chest. "Oh, my poor babies! I was so worried!" She teared up and held them tightly, never wanting to let them go again.

The Luxio patted his wife's back, then looked at Flint with a sad, yet appreciative smile. "Th…Thank you…so much…"

Flint nodded. "I'm just glad they're safe. You folks get back on the wagon and stay with the knights." They nodded and headed back, coddling their children and whispering they were going to be alright.

Flint sighed and pulled down on his hat, clenching his teeth together in anger. "Bastards…" he growled under his breath. "If I had the power to, I'd go straight up to the Shadow King and…" He wanted to say kill, but he couldn't.

Nothing would make him happier than ending the world's misery of that monster, but it wasn't just the Shadow King he would end up killing. Whether he be Jonathan Geno or Alex Ghostwind, killing the Shadow King the way he is will result in the death of another innocent. And with the Shadow King being more powerful than all his dark minions, would breaking the possession be as simple or impossible for mortals like them?

It was a conflicting choice. Even if Geno was not real, that didn't make his lessons and virtues any less. His brother was wracked with grief, believing it to be a trick, but Flint had more faith than that. What if it were a small part of Alex speaking to them, unsure where he was, but conscious of his present thoughts?

Either way, an innocent life had to be taken or something had to be done to separate the two.

Flint sighed, deciding he has spent too much time wondering over it. He had other lives to save.

He turned and prepared to run off, but his senses went on high alert as a strong magical presence came up nearby. His eyes darted fiercely around the destroyed area before falling upon a lone Watchog leaning against a crumbled wall. His head was lowered, hiding his eyes.

Flint blinked, then gulped as he stepped back cautiously. "H-Hey…it's not safe out here. You should get with the others and-"

"Flint Ravenfield." The Flareon's muscles tensed up. The Watchog chuckled into his hand. "Oh? Did I scare you?" He lifted his head, showing a dark glint in his eyes. "Good…then I don't have to explain who I am too much."

Flint stepped back and pressed his left paw down in front of him, growling defensively. "You're with them, aren't you?"

The Watchog raised his hand over his heart and bowed. "The name's Zaros Delarosa. I am the apprentice to Count Aeternus, and his right-hand man."

Flint glared. That crazy count has an apprentice? And someone willing to work for him directly? Shit…

Zaros folded his arms behind his back and walked forward, keeping his eyes locked on Flint's. "Beautiful day, is it not? Ironworks Kingdom was such a lovely place." He smirked. "Was."

Flint stamped his paw down, snarling. "Do you have no shame for your deeds?!"

"Shame in what?" he asked mockingly. "Oh, you mean the attack? Heh…look, this may be too hard for your insignificant mind to understand, so I'll simplify." He glared. "Who are you to deny the will of the Shadow King?"

"Who am I to deny?" Flint repeated bitterly. "What is even the point of this?! To prove a point?! Innocent lives are in danger! Hundreds have already been killed!"

Zaros rubbed his fingers together. "Maybe some years ago, I would've agreed. However…when I met the wonderful count, I came to realize…that war and fear bring results."

"Huh?" Flint grunted angrily.

Zaros held his arms out and laughed. "I've learned quite a bit about you, Ravenfield! You and I aren't quite so different! I know how you wish to understand the secrets of Mysto and the origins of the magic that came about this land! I, too, wish to explore those same answers! The rich history of this world! The prime magic blessed to the land by the gods! The ancient secrets of civilizations before the Grand Imperium Age became a mark on history!"

Flint's eye twitched uncomfortably. "You…want to know the secrets, too? Why?"

Zaros held his hip and scoffed. "To obtain knowledge. Magic has been around for many millennia, even before the idol came about into legend. With it comes the raw essence of magic before it was refined into today's society. I want to obtain the secret arts of history so that I can take the knowledge of the world myself."

Flint bared his teeth. "You guys took the Immensus Library…can't you just use that?"

Zaros shook his head. "Again…another thing we share in common. Why would I want to get the answer in such a simplistic, uninteresting way? The library will serve its purpose for the Shadow King, but I have no interest in it. I want to obtain the knowledge of the past by my own hands. The secret magic of the world. Spells rumored to be godlike. Nowhere close to the power of the Idol of Origin, but power and magic that can give someone the power to rule the world. Ancient secrets of Mysto that can give me an advantage over everyone!

"And you, Flint Ravenfield, are my equal in this quest for the world's secrets!" He smirked. "However…you are not my equal in superiority. You have the ambition, but you are nothing but an insignificant Joltik that I can crush under my foot." He pointed at the Flareon. "I can't have someone like you uncovering Mysto's secrets before me. It would be a waste to let the world's secrets fall into the paws of some nobody."

Flint clenched his teeth. "A nobody?"

"A worthless, little Flareon overshadowed by his little brother. Am I wrong?" Zaros chuckled darkly. "You should be honored I find you more interesting than that pathetic Umbreon. Someone of my superior status grants you the honor of being worth a damn, even for your trivial significance."

The Flareon glared in a state of tranquil fury, at least on the surface. Below said surface, there was a fire growing in his chest. Smoke seeped through his clenched teeth. "…You can call me names all day and it won't faze me. I've been the loser and dork throughout high school, and I've gotten used to it. However…"

His Guardian manifested above his head, cracking its knuckles while glaring down on the Watchog. The tall chipmunk pushed up his glasses, smirking as his aura came to life around him.

"I won't forgive a bastard like you who mocks my brother!"

His Guardian lunged out at the vociferous Watchog and threw a punch. Zaros jumped out of the way, feeling the breeze behind the punch. The Guardian spun on its hand and swung its leg at him. Zaros raised his hand and stopped it with a small barrier. He smirked and aimed his hand at the orange humanoid.

"Vento Nero!" He fired a dark wind from his hand, pressurized into a tight stream, and struck dead center in the Guardian's chest.

Flint felt the pushing force on his own chest, but thankfully he wouldn't feel the full force since his Guardian was still in its first stage. The Guardian dug its fingers into the ground and batted the winds away. "Alright, I'm not doing this! Time Halt!"

Both his and the Guardian's eyes flashed red, turning the world into the monochromatic state and freezing time. Flint's Guardian joined his side as they stared down the frozen chipmunk.

Flint scowled. "I'm not holding back against the likes of you." He roared as his Guardian lunged and threw a straight punch at the frozen Zaros.

However, just then, a smirk crept up on the timeless form before he vanished in a blurry flicker, with the punch shooting straight through it.

Flint and his Guardian's eyes widened in shock. "What?! Did he just-?!" He felt something behind him, a feeling he wasn't used to in this stopped world.

His head slowly turned over his shoulder, meeting the sinister purple glow of Zaros' eyes. The chipmunk raised his arm, where the magic around it split off into a crystal arm. It curled its fingers, then socked its fist into Flint's face. The Flareon shot up at a forty-five-degree incline and smashed into the edge of a roof. The debris scattered a short distance before resuming their frozen stasis.

Flint covered his face, feeling a small trickle of blood running from his nose. The pain didn't bother him as much as the shock overcoming him. He could see the Watchog with his own eyes. He wasn't bound to the same laws as Time Halt. Everything but the two Pokémon was in a gray tonality, while they were the only animated forces acting upon this static world.

Flint's eye twitched nervously. That's…That's not possible. Did he…did he actually invade my stopped time? No…he was frozen, I saw it! Then…how did he…?

"You look confused." Flint tensed up as the Watchog's voice echoed through the silent world. He pointed up at the Flareon. "You're not the only one who can pull those fancy time stops. I must admit, someone like you actually mastered a spell to stop time? Bravo, I say!"

Flint's breathing was hastened, but he tried to keep it silent. "How…How did you step into my stopped time?"

Zaros smirked. "You utter fool, so much left to learn. Using magic to stop time, essentially putting the world into a timeless stasis. To them, nothing significant happens. To those like us, all the time in the world without even a millisecond passing. However, one can easily bypass it if they know the mechanics.

"What spell did you say it was? Time Halt? Rather basic version of the spell, but effective." Zaros held up his finger. "Mine is a bit more refined. Same basic principle, but with a little twist for instances like this. Tempus Point!" He laughed to himself. "I'm not surprised you're only using the basic version of the spell. A novice like you can't handle such mastery of time."

Flint grounded his teeth. "Tempus Point?"

"A refined version of your outdated spell. It allows me to stop time as usual, but it also allows me to be aware of time being frozen within a certain range. While you did have me frozen a moment ago, I was still aware of what you were doing and saying. So, when you came to attack me, I stopped time as well. Or rather, I gave myself the ability to freely move in your stopped time!"

Flint pulled himself off the roof he was laying in. "I never knew a spell like that could exist…"

Zaros held his hand out. "That's not all. Geo Link!" He clenched his fist.

Flint felt something off about his body. He looked down and saw it melding with the building he lay on. He shrieked, then called upon his Guardian. "Break me out!" The Guardian rapidly punched into the roof and broke it to pieces, returning Flint's body to normal.

The Flareon felt a familiar presence fly at him. This time, his Guardian blocked it with its hand. Flint tumbled across the ground and looked up at it. You've got to be kidding me! He has THAT, too?!

His Guardian was holding back the spitting image of itself: Zaros' Guardian, in a dark purple variant. Their hands were linked as they pushed against each other, glaring with their piercing stares.

Zaros touched his chin and grinned. "Seems you and I have familiar tastes in spells. I wonder whose Guardian is the superior one."

Flint stood up and snarled. "Bastard…"

Time resumed around them. Flint vaguely heard the rubble of the roof exploding from his earlier crash. Right now, both combatants were staring each other down, looking ready for a fight.

Zaros pushed his glasses up. "I look forward to beating you to a pulp."

"Go to hell…"

Both their Guardians pulled their fists back, with their users glaring intensely at one another, then swung with tremendous backlash against the immediate area.

---

Ella blocked a strong slash from a shadow, pushing Daybreak against the arm blade. The dark specter laughed maniacally at her before bashing his blade arms against her staff in an attempt to break her down.

She kept up her resolve, gritting her teeth irritably. "You can throw your tantrum somewhere else!" She spun Daybreak and pulled up a strong gust of wind into the shadow, aided by psychic power. It blew the shadow high into the air, then was lined up for a psychic beam to the face.

Ella found more shadows surrounding her by the second. She split Daybreak off and sent them off in their sentry forms, blasting apart shadows that were getting too close for comfort. One sneaked along the ground and tried to grab her throat, but stopped when a small blue orb bounced before it. Just it was ran into the orb, it detonated and exploded right in its face, blowing the creature to smithereens.

Ella smirked. "Appreciate the assist, Krystal!"

Krystal hoped off buildings and rained bombs down on the shadows and grunts, thinning out the herd basically. "I have your back, comrade!" A shadow swooped by and tackled her through a crumpled shop. The faint smell of baked good told her it was once a bakery.

The shadow gripped its hands around her neck, snickering madly. "Must kill! MUST KILL! KILL, KILL, KILL!"

Krystal gagged for air in the moment, looking desperate for help, but pulled a one-eighty and smirked confidently. "Eh…you…might want to let go of…me…"

The shadow hissed at her. "Silence, inferior bei-!" It shut up as an odd tingling spread through its arms. It gasped and let go as a blue aura stretched over its body at the surface level. It viciously tried to rub the stuff off, but it was spreading more rapidly the further it agitated the strange glow. "What matter of madness is this?!"

Krystal grabbed the shadow by the wrist and pulled him right up to her face. She whispered, "Crepitus Virus…" before throwing the shadow out of the destroyed bakery.

The shadow slammed into three other grunts, with the infected arm making brief contact with them. As they recovered, they cried out as the virus spread across their bodies as well. In their panic, they accidentally spread more of the virus by bumping into other grunts and shadows. No one had any idea what it was doing to them, other than it felt really uncomfortable and wrong.

Krystal stepped out and smirked. "Now…explode!"

All who came in contact with the virus glowed in a strong blue light before finding themselves at the epicenter of their own explosion. How Krystal would describe it was a symphony of explosions simultaneously going off at once, with that sweet satisfying 'Ka-BOOM' she craved to hear. Grunts lay in their own scorched craters and shadows were completely erased in the aftermath.

The Delibird held her hips and laughed. "That is right! I, Krystal Frostwood, am the strongest one there is! Don't you dare think you can surpass me-!" Just then, as she boasted, the Druddigon general leaped at her and punched her across the face. The Delibird stamped her foot down and fought back against the punch, keeping herself in one place. With the fist firmly planted against her cheek, she shouted, "You want a piece of me, too?!"

Druddigon glared. "That viral explosion of yours won't work on me." The fist he used was coated in a thin layer of darkness. "Any sign of that virus spreading and I'll just have it infect the thin layer of darkness over me." He stretched out his claws. "Not that I'll need it for too long!"

Krystal jumped and rolled away from his claws. She kicked off the ground and punched him in the gut, then used an uppercut to his chin. "I told you not to underestimate me!"

Druddigon clasped his hands together and slammed them down on the penguin's back, burying her into the ground. "Who are you to be so confident?!"

Krystal smirked, even with her face pressed into the dirt. "I'd be careful. My girlfriend doesn't like me hanging around strange men like you. She's overprotective like that."

"What am I to fear some inferior-?!"

BANG!

"GRRAAAAAGH!" Druddigon cried out, gripping his bleeding shoulder. It felt like a bullet went through. Krystal got up and jumped back while the dragon looked around for where the shot came from. "Where the hell did that bullet come from-?!"

BANG!

His eyes shrunk as a second bullet went through the back of his leg, severing one of the more important tendons inside. It would regenerate, but the pain was unbearable. He took his hand off his shoulder and snarled. "Show yourself, you coward-!"

He took another bullet to the abdomen, then one right into his back, then a fifth through his jaw. He stumbled forward and panted in pain, all while trying to find the sharpshooter. However, something was clearly off about those bullets. Whoever was firing them had to be getting him from different angles and directions. Most of those shots felt like they came from different directions. How did she get his front and back in such a short span of time?

"Where is that rat shooting from-AAAAGH!" An explosive bullet impacted with the side of his face. His eyes widened, spotting the faint trail of red that followed the path of the bullet. It looked like it came at a zigzag maneuver, like the bullets were ricocheting off the air itself.

Krystal crossed her wings, chuckling. "I warned you, didn't I?" She glared at more shadows coming their way. She formed two explosives and charged at them.

Meanwhile, far, far away from the action and taking up safety on a roof was the sharpshooting Furret herself. She was on her belly with her trusted sniper settled on the roof at the perfect firing angle…not that it mattered where she fired it from. While she was fixed on one direction, the bullets were being controlled by an outside force.

With her goggles over her eyes, her left eye revealed the secret: it glowed in a silver glow, increasing the range of her sight. She was using that eye to spot her prey. To everyone, it looked like the bullets were firing off the air. From her perspective, they were bouncing off invisible walls constructed by her.

The first spell, Mea Oculus, turned her eye into that silver color and increased the range of her sight, making things out with more clarity. The second spell was Ricochet Mirror. With her increased eyesight, she was using these mirrors to change the trajectory of her shots while also using them to calibrate her angles. She was so used to using them, she could set up a shot with fifty mirrors in less than ten seconds.

Speaking of, Cybil created a new set of mirrors with the target of choice being three grunts aiming their guns at Ella's back while the Espeon was dueling a Haunter. She narrowed her enhanced eye, then pulled the trigger.

A bullet with a yellow trail flew out of the barrel. The bullet's speed and angling were so precise, Cybil was able to weave the bullet through a full crowd of panicked Pokémon. It moved too fast for them to realized a bullet was flying around them. The bullet bounced off the invisible barriers, bouncing around in the sky before reaching ground level and coming at a direction completely opposed to where she fired from. The bullet reached its mark and shot through the necks of the three grunts aiming to shoot Ella.

The Espeon jumped in surprise as the grunts fell over dead with blood gushing from their wounded necks. "…Oh…that's what she meant when she said Cybil went on a walk…"

Over with Griffin, he clashed with the Araquanid, who was using his shadow arms to battle against his Endless Regret. He had an annoying cackle that irked the Grovyle. "Come on, come on, come on! I thought you were supposed to be some super dangerous swordsman! Where's the fire and passion?!"

"Tsk. And waste my energy on a runt like you? I'll save it for a real challenge."

Araquanid growled. "I'm not good enough for you, EH?!" He concentrated electrical magic through his legs. "Then have a dose of this!" He fired the straight, fast beam at him.

Griffin blocked and negated the beam with his black sword, but the water spider used that moment of distraction to speedily get up to Griffin with his leg coated in crackling darkness. He reeled it back and swung it down for his exposed back.

The leg was stopped by a flash of metal. Araquanid stared in stunned silence, while Griffin looked over his shoulder and scoffed. "I could've done that myself."

Holding back the empowered leg was Saffiro, with Salamander holding back the spider. The blade was neatly polished, as expected from a dignified swordsman such as Saffiro. He smirked. "Oh…I know~." He didn't miss Griffin's hand clutched around the Absolute Zero sword being pulled from his void.

Araquanid jumped back and growled at the dragon swordsman. "Don't you dare interfere with our fight!"

Saffiro sheathed Salamander back into his scabbard, then glared. "You've crossed too many lines to be demanding bullshit requests like that." He smirked. "So…let me have some fun~!"

The spider growled again. "Oh, I'll give you fun! Shadows, eliminate this pest!" Shadows sprung up from his own shadow and charged up dark beams between their hands.

Saffiro narrowed his eyes, gripping around his hilt. He sprinted at the shadows as they fired on him. He narrowly dodged the beams, still keeping his sword held inside the scabbard. A shadow swooped down with its arm morphed into a massive blade. It took a swing at the Hakamo-o, but then…

SHIIIING!

In the blink of an eye, the shadow was bisected down the middle, with the dragon's sword returning back into its casing. The shadow gawked as its two halves fell apart, then its eyes widened as a great heat overcame it.

"What…the…?"

It let out a horrific scream as blue fire consumed its bisected halves and incinerated the monster into wisps. Saffiro did not look back at his burning opponent, now focused on the remaining shadows overhead.

Araquanid gawked in disbelief. What…how did he bring out his sword and sheathe it in such a short time? I barely saw it leave the scabbard…

Griffin was in a clash with a Rhydon when he watched the scaly dragon torch his opponent. Quick draw sword style…his technique was incredible. Even I could barely keep up with his movements. But what's with that fire?

Saffiro looked up at the stunned shadows, then smirked. "Surprised~? That's my magical practice. I've studied the Fuoco Blu Style of sword play, combined with my inherent magic."

Griffin smirked. "Heh…I knew there was something I liked about this guy…"

Araquanid shook off his shock and shouted, "Shadows, eliminate this pest!" The shadows screeched and shot down with their claws extended.

Saffiro leaped right at them and drew his sword. A blue glow emanated off the metal surface. He drew it in a swift, controlled motion and performed five consecutive, blue slashes across the dozen or so shadows diving at him. They were stunned silent as the Hakamo-o flew past them, falling upside as he sheathed his sword.

"Fuoco Blu…" He closed the sword inside its scabbard, triggering a spontaneous reaction through the shadows. They screamed out as blue fire exploded from their bodies in a violent manner, lighting up the sky in a brilliant blue flame. "Canzone di Fiori!"

The water spider stepped back in horror as the shadows crashed to the ground, burning away before his eyes. I thought we had to just worry about Team Ravenfield! Where did these assholes come from?! He growled at the men behind him. "I need all physical fighters at the front! Get rid of these intruders!" He pointed at a Fearow and Swellow. "And you two! Find that sniper and kill them!"

The two birds took off into the sky while a Hitmonchan, Aggron, and Gigalith came to the front lines. The first two were armed with spiked gauntlets and guns while the Gigalith wore a lot of armored padding. They charged at Saffiro and Griffin, the first two in their line of sight.

The two swordsmen got together and looked at each other. "So, how good are you?" Saffiro asked as he got into his drawing stance.

Griffin pulled out No Peace and wielded it in both hands. "See for yourself."

The Hitmonchan went for Saffiro, who drew his sword and blocked his attack in a flash. His sword heated up and pushed the Anguis grunt away. The Aggron charged head first for Griffin and slammed right into him, like he wasn't even putting up his guard.

Griffin stomped his foot down. "Exosus Cloak!" His body erupted in his spiteful magic, stopping the charging grunt in his tracks. He swung No Peace back, then slammed it into the giant's exposed side. Aggron gasped from the club's defense shattering power and was thrown across the street.

The Gigalith leaped into the air and divebombed straight for Saffiro. However, in that moment, he heard someone drawing in a loud, yet calm breath. In the time he dived, he looked around for the source of this peculiar breathing.

"Impact Star!"

A powerful burst of wind pressure slammed into his chest and threw him out of his trajectory, sending him crashing into another devastated building. He stomped his legs down to halt his momentum, but stumbled forward. His breath was staggered and unbalanced. Even through all his padding, something smashed into him with a ton of destructive force.

"Who…did…that?" He looked up, spotting a lone Breloom walking up to him with his fists raised. "…You?!"

Oswald bounced on his feet, smirking excitedly. "Yes, me! I will be your opponent!"

Gigalith pulled himself up and growled. "How…did you do that? I see no magic aura around you. What power is this?"

"You are one of many to be in the presence of a master in the Ultimate Fist martial art!" Oswald struck a dramatic, histrionic pose before the enemy, eyes shaped into a confident, steely glare. "This is the power of all creature's inner strength, harnessed to its maximum potential through a single strike!"

Gigalith steeled his nerves and charged at the Breloom. "You think I'm afraid of some punk without magic?! Terra Impes!" A golden aura surrounded him, giving off the feeling of the earth itself.

Oswald crouched and narrowly leaped over the charging rock monster. Oswald drew a deep, concentrated breath. He crossed his arms and bent his legs. "Meteor Impact!" He kicked his legs down and sent himself divebombing atop the Gigalith's head. His face was pressed into the ground, while the ground itself exploded open from the force. Oswald could here the rock monster's defeated cries before he passed out.

Oswald jumped off his head and took a normal breath before striking another pose. "ULTIMATE…FIST!"

Back outside, Excadrill was going all out attacking Ella, throwing a barrage of claw strikes against her Daybreak. She spun the staff and blasted him with a blank point psychic beam. He put up a shadow barrier over himself to endure it, then struck through and punched Ella across the face.

"GAH!" Ella's back hit a wall before she fell on her stomach. She panted tiredly, but was still raring to fight. She picked herself up and held her dazed head. "Grr…jackass…"

Excadrill jumped back, then pointed at the Espeon, ordering, "Now, at my command, fire on the Espeon with everything you've got!"

The grunts took aim with their guns while Ella was busy recovering. She could barely make out the clicking noise of their guns. Before she attempted to run, she felt someone pat her on the back as they walked by. "Don't worry. You just rest up while good ol' Ebony takes this one."

Ella looked up at the Buneary as she stood before the fifty or so gunmen ready to shoot them down. "What are you-?"

Ebony smirked over her shoulder. "Just trust me."

Excadrill grimaced. The other one? I'll have to kill her, too, before she pulls any tricks. "On my mark! Three…two…one…FIRE!"

The grunts pulled down on their triggers, and…their guns vanished from their hands. It took them three seconds to realize they were empty-handed. Excadrill only then realized that his men were completely unarmed, even their combat knives and other equipment had vanished off their persons.

"Where are your guns?!" Excadrill shouted.

"Yoohoo~! Boys~!" They turned back and dropped their jaws. Ebony was now sitting in a throne of guns, knives, grenades, and every other weapon they all carried. And it was a literal throne, too, even with an armrest to lay her elbow on. She smirked mischievously at the befuddled group. "If you need guns, I can give you this nice stash I found. Ten bits a bullet!"

"Ten bits for a single bullet?! That's a horrible deal!" one of the grunts shouted before getting smacked by Excadrill.

The drill mole then bared his teeth into a snarl at the sneaky rabbit. "What did you-?!"

Ebony held her right hand up, which was wrapped in an eerie, green glow. "Greed's Reach. Anything in my field of vision is mine for the taking. I saw a nice stash of guns in front of me and I just had to have them! They make for a pretty sweet throne, don't you think?" She balanced a knife on her finger. "Or better yet, I can sell them for my own amusement."

Excadrill growled. "Kill her and take the guns back!" The grunts charged for the lazy rabbit with just their fists and their aggression.

Ebony hopped off the weapon throne and held her hand out again. "Viribus Swipe."

One by one, grunts were dropping to the ground, feeling a sudden exhaustion overtake them. Excadrill stepped back, feeling a brief instant of stamina being drained from him as well. "What…is this?"

He noticed a red vapor coming off the grunts and traveling over to Ebony, who was absorbing said vapor. She arched back and laughed while a deep red glow blazed around her. She suddenly looked more menacing and…drunk?

"Oooh~! Now this is a buzz I can get behind~!" She grinned wildly at the grunts. "Booooys~! Does anyone want to have a good time with me~?! I'll make it memorable~!"

Excadrill's face twitched uncomfortably. "This crazy bitch…!"

Ebony rocketed forward at the grunts who were still standing. An Electivire swung his fist at her, but she performed a double jump off the air at the last second, catching him off guard. He felt her breath to his ear, whispering, "Aaaah…you look just like my type~."

BAM!

Her fist bashed into his face, knocking out blood and four of his teeth in one swing. Ebony's face was twisted into a crazed, drunken state, contrasted by her girlish, playful giggling. She spun dizzily on her toes, then slammed her foot into a grunt's stomach, taking him immediately out of the fight.

Five guys tried to dogpile her, armed with slabs of rock for weapons. Ebony stumbled around dizzily, then spun around to grab the Prinplup aiming for her. After punching his face a dozen times in a second, she swung him into three other guys and threw them into a larger group running at her. The fifth, an Ampharos, tried to do the sensible thing of getting the HELL out of there, but found himself bounded in Ebony's cloth scarf.

"Don't leave yet~!" Ebony pleaded evilly, then ducked as a Pignite tried to grab her from behind. "I'm not done beating the shit out of you~!" She kicked the Pignite straight into the air, then swung the Ampharos off his feet. He and the Pignite collided into each other, with the pig now tied in the cloth, then were spun around and slammed down on the Prinplup and his allies. "So…inconsiderate~!"

Ella was in awe and disbelief by her drunken behavior and display of skill. "Holy shit…you guys are freakin' awesome…"

"Thank you, Ms. Ella." She suddenly felt a rejuvenation over her body. A golden aura that was healing up her wounds. She stood up and looked to the tree priest standing over her, wielding a staff with the famous cross wheel adorning the top. "While I don't partake in fighting, even I can admit the power of my friends."

Ella grinned. "Geez…if we do get through this…the Gelid Peak Tournament suddenly looks a lot more difficult…"

Hugo chuckled softly, then glared as shadows were getting past the knights and his friends. He pushed Ella behind him. "You might want to stay behind me for this." He held his staff out and shouted, "Embrace the Light of the Divine One!"

The cross wheel on his staff illuminated in a brilliant golden light, like a miniature sun right in the center of the kingdom. The shadows gasped and screamed as the light touched them. Instantly, their bodies crumbled to dust as they spontaneously burst into flames.

And it wasn't just them. The grunts, the generals, even his own allies, were exposed to the light of the priest. For the Shatter Star team and Griffin, it felt like an uncomfortable, but harmless burning. For the grunts and shadows, it felt like stepping on hot coals…while on fire…on the sun!

"GAAAAAAH!" The grunts stumbled back as golden flames crossed their bodies. While they weren't dying to the light like the shadows, it was an unbearable sensation worse than any physical pain they ever experienced.

Griffin covered his eyes as the flames licked his arm. "What in the world is this…?"

"That's what I said! Who knew priests were kind of cool?!" He looked at Ebony and, to his admitted shock, she was completely on fire in the golden flames. "…What?"

"…Nothing."

Hugo glared as the light pushed the invading army back. "The light of the Holy One is a blessed power that only the most disciplined can embrace without feeling its divine wrath. The light's effects on the individual are as strong as the sins they've committed and their moral stability."

Ella held her foreleg out and could feel the light tingling of the golden light. "Yeesh…and you say you don't fight?"

The Excadrill fell back, baring his teeth in distress. "We won't…let these lower lifeforms stand in the way of our count's rise to glory for his master!" He pulled out a crystal ball and pulled back behind a wall. "Reuben!"

The Alolan Sandshrew came through, still within the safety of Aeternus' world. He smirked lazily. "Is there something wrong?"

"Don't be ignorant! Their forces are pushing us back slowly! We need more firepower! Send us some puppets!"

The witch sneered. "Do you expect me to make you a hundred puppets at the drop of a hat? Don't be rude." The Excadrill was about to yell at him, but Reuben continued, "That being said…I have something special for this. Get your summoners ready. We'll send in the big boy to take care of them." Reuben grinned villainously. "My finest work yet."

---

The events within the alternate world were getting tense, with only a shimmer of the spectacle viewed earlier through the previous invasion of the space. However, despite no trace of such forced entry remaining, it was felt by those expecting the worst.

A caravan charging through the snow had stopped before where the boundary was said to be. The doors were pushed open, with Ava being the first to step out into the snow. She glared at the empty space, feeling a presence of discomfort hanging in the air. The familiar presence of a long-forgotten darkness.

"You sense it, too?" she asked.

Morgan stepped out behind her, adjusting a black, fingerless glove over his right hand. He flexed his fingers a bit, then glared up. "Like the taste of a fine wine, it's subtle, but I can never forget its sensation."

Ava conjured her swords. "Then we're too late."

"Not yet. You just worry about getting to Team Ravenfield."

"And you?"

Morgan snapped the glove to his wrist and conjured his string around him. "I'm going to have a chat with some old friends."

---

The chaos and rumbling outside were taking its toll over the castle. Margo, Wes, and Gwyn were rushing through falling debris and keeping themselves from being crushed under it. With the strength that remained, Margo slashed through columns and brick toppling down their way. She looked back every so often to make sure the other two were still behind her.

"The key is up ahead! I keep it locked away in a hidden safe!" Margo pointed to a portrait of her up ahead. "There it is!"

"What do we do then?!" Gwyn asked.

"You and your friends get the HELL out of here! You must not let the keys fall into the shadows' hands!" She slid before the portrait and threw it off the wall, revealing the hidden safe. She turned the dial quickly.

Gwyn looked back at Wes. "Are we really going to leave everyone behind to fight these guys?" She noticed he wasn't paying attention to them. "Wes? Wes, what's wrong?"

She turned his face to her and gasped at how pale he looked. His eyes were shrunk and shaking uncontrollably. His breathes were quick and stress-filled. She could practically hear how many beats his heart was making.

"Wes, what's wrong?!" She grabbed his shoulders. "Are you tired?"

"Gwyn…can't you sense it…?" he asked feebly.

"Sense…what?" Focusing all her attention on getting up here, she never paid attention to what may have been going on outside. Now that she was, she could feel what Wes felt…and it drained the color from her face. "No…"

Margo unlocked the safe and threw the door open, revealing the Key of Metal to them in all of its silvery glow. "There! Now take it and get out of-!"

A black beam whizzed past Wes and Gwyn and exploded into Margo. Margo screamed with the blast throwing her across the room, crashing into a wall. She clutched at the blackened spot on her front, eyes welling up with tears of pain.

"Queen Margo!" the two called out.

They froze. That feeling again. It was behind them…and much stronger than before. Its presence was petrifying. It demanded they didn't move from that spot. It was like last time. It felt like the embodiment of death was standing right behind them, forcing them to imagine their most gruesome fates in their own minds.

The black fog rolled up at their feet. They could feel his presence…very close. The evil that filled this fog…surrounded them. Their hearts were close to bursting out of their chests from the panic pounding into them. They couldn't make a sound, even if they wanted to scream and run.

The footsteps echoed prominently around them, masking the chaotic noise outside. It was like being alone in a narrow, featureless hallway, with no possible entry other than the two points from beginning to end. You think you're alone, because there's no one coming from either side. Just when you let your guard down and continue on your way, those footsteps sound behind you. It's the only thing you can hear.

It's the only thing they want you to hear.

"Wes Ravenfield…I dreaded our next meeting…"

The Umbreon's body went into one massive shiver as the tension amped up inside him. Even if his mid was screaming to take revenge on this bastard, he couldn't will himself to move. He was petrified with fear, just like last time.

The final step was taken, and the overlord himself was standing within arms' reach of the two frozen adventurers. They forced themselves to, even if they didn't want to. Through their peripherals, they saw the monster's blood red eyes staring down at them.

Wrapped in darkness over his equally dark cloak and armor, the king stared them down with a tranquil intensity that could shake the castle alone. Seeing that face made by someone Wes admired, it stabbed his heart that it was tainted by such an evil force.

This time…they weren't getting any divine miracles.

"Now…shall we continue…where we left off?"