Chapter 76: Let's Start A Riot

'It seems I was simply not fast enough.' The Darkrai watched as the stadium fell to sleep, the work of a pokemon called Meloetta, and Team Skull took his intended targets. He watched carefully as they loaded the humans and pokemon into what appeared to be a large black painted helicopter. "Aether's glorified goon squad. Interfering now is unwise, it would certainly ruin the element of surprise. They don't act without orders from Aether's president of memory serves, which means that 'holier-than-thou' bitch must want to see them personally." Shadow could count the number of times he'd met Aether's president on a single three digit claw. Even so, every time he had been around her he felt a sinister energy from within her. And he knew what she was capable of, considering what she had him doing, and the contingency she had told him to implement. 'The fact that she believed I'd do anything that would harm Blade proved enough to me.' He thought back to his empty threats toward Blade, that he'd wipe his mind of all memories and leave him for the humans. 'Pure posturing and nothing more, Blade knew that, and even if he doubted it, I'm sure he lost those doubts when I died trying to save him.' Shadow wanted to tear himself apart at that thought. 'I left him behind, though I promised him I never would. How foolish I was.'

After a few minutes the helicopter took to the sky, flying in the familiar direction of Aether's Paradise.

"I suppose I should pursue." And without hesitation Shadow did just that. As he followed behind, close enough to see the helicopter, but not close enough to be seen from it, Shadow began thinking of a way he could assist them. And he had an idea that he felt was quite brilliant. "Well, I suppose if it is to help save them, one more nightmare won't hurt the kid." And with his final words Shadow reached out peering into, and delving inside of a familiar mind, the mind of Ashachu.

*In Ashachu's Mind*

"Convenient that they put you to sleep, that makes this easier." Shadow looked at the Pikachu carefully. The mouse pokemon was stunned, and in the dream he attempted to speak, but overwhelmed with fear, no sound escaped his lips. "Fear not, I'm not here to harm you. I can tell you're afraid, your family captured, and you now face to face with a ghost, or I suppose to you I must be some kind of demon."

The Darkrai floated to the Pikachu, his body frozen with fear. Shadow gently laid a claw upon his shoulder. "I can never change what I did to you, and I do regret it. Whether you believe that or not is irrelevant. You're being taken to Aether Paradise as I speak to you." Shadow didn't slow down, he had to talk fast, to get the message across. "Aether has no intention of letting you or your trainer leave, so I've set things in motion to help you escape. When you finally come to, and you're inside Aether, find Pyre, he'll help you." Shadow began to recede from the smaller Pokemon's mind. "I'm sorry, for everything I did to you. And thank you, for being Blade's friend." Without ever giving the Pikachu a chance to think or respond, he vanished.

*In The Real World*

The pitch black pokemon watched from afar as the helicopter landed, and Team Skull as well as their captives were taken inside the facility.

And now, the Darkrai would need to set his plan in motion, first by sneaking into Aether Paradise. Which for almost anyone else would have been difficult, but Shadow had his methods. Moving quickly the Darkrai flew himself straight to the ground sinking into the shadow of a nearby tree, and with some needed finesse, carefully navigated his way to the helicopter, then the members of Team Skull. All the had to do was stay hidden within their shadows, and he could easily get inside.

'And for once things are going according to plan.' He thought as he passed through the doorway. And without any sign he was there, he darted away and through the facility. He had to find Lyte, and then Pyre, but no matter how he searched, he simply couldn't find the blue haired human inside the building. 'Well, almost according to plan it seems.' If he couldn't find Lyte he'd need to find Pyre, and knowing Aether, he would be in the conservation area.

Shadow felt quite lucky to have such a deep connection with Pyre, the two had experienced each other's auras enough to find each other with ease. Which Shadow assumed was why Pyre had distanced himself from the other Pokemon.

"For a lazy little loud mouth, you are surprisingly discreet."

"Eh, you love me and ya know it ya Halloween special" the Charmander taunted happily.

"That's a new one, you've never called me a Halloween special before."

"And I probably never will again, doesn't sound as good as I thought it would." Pyre stretched reaching down to his feet then straightening himself up again.

"If I wasn't in front of you I would've thought you were trying to offer yourself up to me."

"In your dreams." Pyre kept up his joking tone. "So what's up?"

"It's nearly time, Aether captured Ash and his friend. So I need you ready for this little riot."

"Well, I was able to convince a few pokemon outside your cult, but I doubt it's enough, and the rest are far too happy here to let us riot."

"I understand, but please, try one more time." Shadow pleaded. "I'm going to find Ash, considering how his pokemon were when we were captured on the Centurion I doubt he'll be captive for long, so once I give the signal start the riot if you can."

Pyre gave a joking salute "Yes sir Cap'n!"

"Please never say that again."

Pyre strolled back toward the other Pokemon, standing next to Kecleon. "Mind rounding everyone up for me?"

"Of course, we will do so at once!" Kecleon started walking, but stopped and looked back "has the dark one given his orders?"

Pyre gave a single nod, and Kecleon's eyes lit up. He dashed around to his followers and they dispersed without waiting.

*With Shadow*

Shadow moved quickly once again searching the facility. Minutes flew by as he searched, but something gave him pause. Three pokemon, two of which were disguised. A Flygon, a Zoroark disguised as an Aether employee, and an Arcanine, or what looked like an Arcanine. 'I shouldn't be surprised you managed to evade capture this time Zacian. They must be heading toward their trainer. That makes this far easier.' And with that, Shadow began silently following them, through the halls of Aether Paradise. And within a few more minutes, the office of Aether's president.

The door opened and Shadow slipped inside. Though he expected some sort of silent deception for their escape, he found himself wrong, as Zoroark simply let off an attack almost immediately. The only pokemon in the room at the moment seemed to be Meloetta, who had been clinging to Lusamine until the attack. She had bravely jumped forth conjuring a barrier to protect herself and her trainer. The barrier proved too weak however and they were all blasted back.

Before the Aether President could react Ash and Cameron had fled from the room and shortly thereafter down the hall and away.

Shadow watched silently for several minutes, after which Lusamine was beginning to regain consciousness. At the same time two Aether employees came speeding into the room looking to help her get back on her feet.

"Madame Lusamine…"

"I'm fine," she snapped, freeing herself from their grip only to nearly fall over immediately after.

She grabbed hold of her desk to keep herself upright. "Where are those kids. They mustn't get to that Dewott first. Sound the alarm."

"Madame President, we have bigger problems," one the employees spoke rather worriedly. "The breach is active again. And the radars are picking up an unusual amount of activity around Aether Paradise. I'm afraid, it could be happening."

"Never mind that now," Lusamine replied, straightening herself up. "As long as we have the Dewott Geyser, we're in control. And that means stopping those kids from getting to him first. Now sound the ALARM!" She shouted the final words causing both her underlings to jump. And without further hesitation they raced out of the room.

Now was the time to act. To corner this woman while she was alone.

Suddenly, the room filled with an almost eerie darkness. The only source of light being an ominous and threatening crimson glow.

"Hello Madame President. Did you miss me?" The Darkrai let out a chilling chuckle as the last words escaped his mouth. And he lowered himself to the doorway, blocking any form of escape that he was aware of.

*With Pyre*

Pyre sat on top of a large rock looking over the large group of pokemon gathered. It wasn't the entire population of the conservation area, but it was definitely enough.

"You're all wondering why I asked you here I'm sure, and I'm sure most of you guessed already, but please, before you leave and call me a jerk, hear me out." Pyre pleaded, his trademark smirk gone from his face. "This place, is paradise. Food, water, living space, we have everything we want here. And I know nobody wants to give it up, everyone wants to live easy without a care in the world." Pyre looked around as the pokemon began to murmur amongst themselves. He chose to continue. "I know because I'm really lazy, I don't want to work for things, I just want to lay in the sun and do nothing all day." He hesitated as they all started nodding. "But we can't live that way, at least not like this. We should earn it for ourselves, not let these humans give it to us. I don't hate humans, honestly they're great they do amazing things for us, but these humans…they're liars!" Pyre shouted suddenly taking a hard expression. "This place is a false paradise! The humans here don't care about you, only what they can do that will make them look good." He continued shouting to the crowd. "They'll do it no matter what, even if it hurts you!"

"Liar!" One of the many pokemon yelled back. "They're nothing but kind to us."

"But what has it cost others, I've seen what they do to pokemon for their own reputation, I've seen what they've done to hide their reputation." Pyre thought a moment. "My best friend had the love of his life taken from him, and brought here against his will!" Pyre's voice swelled with anger as he thought of the memories he'd gleamed that Shadow had unintentionally shared when Pyre helped bring him back. "These humans had a sick depraved fuck rape his own son! Why, to try to repopulate the Sneasel in Alola! Was that a kindness they've given you!" Pyre looked around as the crowd suddenly fell silent. "These humans house us here as test subjects for experiments, they don't do anything for you that you can't do for yourself. They're just putting on a good front so the other humans don't find out about what horrible stuff they do!"

Some of the pokemon began to get riled up at Pyre's words.

"My best friend died recently, and his lover was brought back here! He's not in that crowd with you? Do you know why? Because these humans didn't help him, he was so grief stricken he attacked those around him and tried to kill himself! What did they do for him? They threw him out without a second thought!"

The pokemon began to yell and shout in support.

"Is that what you want, that's what you'll get staying here. Do you want your friends and family raped because these humans don't understand that you're individual. Do you want your loved ones thrown out alone to suffer because the humans refused to help!?"

The yelling and cheering of support became almost deafening.

"Freedom!"

"Let us go!"

"We're not your pawns!"

"We will not be caged!"

Pyre's mouthed sparked with a few tiny red-orange embers, then they burst into raging flames, they grew only hotter and hotter, the tint of the flames changing to a bright and brilliant blue. And finally he gave one rallying cry. "LET'S START A RIOT!" And with his final word he let the blue flame fly from his mouth, spiraling and taking an almost star like shape as it burst passed the trees igniting them and turning them to ash almost instantly before the flames impacted a wall causing a massive explosion that seemed to shake the building itself.