Avery sat with Kasi and the others in the living area of the Orre Lab with Ash and the other trainers, waiting for Brock to finish cooking the evening meal.
"I can't imagine how hard this has been on all of you." Tyler said. "This new news of Aries, and that the splices may have similar dormant personalities… I'm sorry this has happened to all of you."
"It's not your fault, Tyler. You have nothing to be sorry about." Avery said.
At that moment, they heard a door slide open. Takuya walked in, carrying Reaper in his arms. They looked like they had both been crying, Reaper especially since he still had tears lightly streaming from his eyes.
"Takuya… Are you doing better?" Avery asked.
Takuya nodded. "We both are. Reaper has renounced working for Team Midnight."
Kasi and Avery made room for Takuya to sit on the couch. Takuya sat down, gently propping Reaper on his lap.
"...I don't know how I'm going to make it up to you, to everyone." Reaper said, his voice laden with guilt.
"Don't worry about it for now." Kasi said, taking Reaper's hand into hers. "Avery told us of what you saw after the lab was destroyed, and Venin confirmed it… We should have stayed longer so we could have found all of you…"
Venin walked forward and leaned over the couch, gently taking Kasi into a kind and soft embrace, comforting her before she broke down. "All of us have a lot of healing we need to do. We just need to take it one step at a time."
Reaper looked over to Avery. "Has Sparta woke up?"
Avery scowled down at the floor. "He was up a little while ago, but he wasn't as open-minded as you or Venin. He's still pissed, and I'm not sure how I can get him to see the truth."
Reaper leaned back against Takuya's chest, closing his eyes. "I never should have said anything to him or Venin… I should have kept my mouth shut…"
Brock walked in, pushing a cart of food prepped for everyone: Human, Pokemon, and Splice alike. "Well, like Venin said: We need to take this one step at a time for now. All of your hearts have either been shattered or broken, but they will heal. It's not going to be like this forever." Brock then dished up some homemade chicken soup with rice in two bowls, got some spoons, and gave one to Takuya and Reaper. "Plus, my grandma's chicken soup can help curb the guilt and sadness. It always perked me up on rainy days, as well as helping me and my siblings when we caught a cold. Who knows? It may even help heal broken hearts and souls…"
Takuya and Reaper chuckled, showing warm smiles. Something neither had done for a long period of time. Takuya then took one of the spoons, filling it with soup from one of the bowls and held it up to Reaper's mouth. Reaper opened his mouth, allowing Takuya to feed him the chicken soup. The flavor was wonderful, and the warmth indeed did perk up his mood a bit.
Everyone then dished up some soup, setting down around the couch. After everyone was fed and nourished, they started to settle down for the night. Professor Krane got out some inflatable mattresses and cots, setting them up for everyone. Takuya and Reaper got one of the air mattresses, as Takuya and Reaper were adamant on not wanting to be separated. Not that anyone was going to separate them.
Takuya pulled some light blankets around him and Reaper as the lights were turned off. He held Reaper close, as they embraced each other before falling into a restful sleep that both of them needed.
# # # # # # #
5:00 AM
Orre Pokemon Lab – Medical Wing
Sparta opened his eyes, seeing that it was still dark outside through the nearby window. He hadn't got much sleep, mostly due to it being his choice. When he had been left alone, he had been trying to get back enough strength to break through, using Bulk Up and Focus Power when he was not being watched. Now, he was ready to try and break free…
Sparta flexed his arms and legs, pulling as hard as he could against the tethers that bound his limbs down, letting out grunts of frustration! The tethers gave after the third try! They snapped like weak rubber bands!
Sparta sat up, ripping the strength inhibitor off of his wrist, then tearing off the cuffs that were attached to the now broken tethers. He stood up off the bed, and leered the door with a dark grin.
"Daddy's home…" He said with a sly chuckle.
# # # # # #
Takuya and Reaper woke up to loud crashes and smashing noises, along with everyone else!
"Woah! What the hell is that?!" Tyler exclaimed, bolting upright off his cot. Pikachu and Quilava then stood defensively in front of their trainers, leering a nearby door.
"Don't tell me…" Ash said. "Sparta's gotten loose?"
"Pika!" Pikachu nodded, his gaze not moving from the door.
A few seconds later, the door was slammed off its tracks, and there stood Sparta! He stepped into the room, ready for a fight. It was then that Krane saw something in one of Sparta's hands: One of his antique katanas!
Avery jumped in front of Ash and Tyler, powering up his energy for an electrical strike. "Don't!" He snapped. "If you hurt them I won't stand for it! I'll put you down if I have to, Sparta!"
Sparta laughed as her readied himself. "Who said anything about them? This sword has one, and only one name on it Avery… YOURS!"
Sparta then charged forward, tackling Avery as they both flew out through a window, the glass shattering into pieces as they smashed through!
# # # # #
Avery and Sparta fell from the lab's upper level, tumbling through the dirt until Sparta threw Avery off of him! The Machamp-splice stood up, looking at Avery with an enraged gaze. Avery then heard a voice nearby, but it sounded like it was everywhere at once!
(Careful, Avery… Don't screw this up. If you're dead, I'm dead… And as you can guess, that's a bit of a problem for me.)
Sparta then sheathed the katana on his back, letting it hang from his body by a strap. He then cracked his knuckles and assumed a fighting stance. "What do you say, Avery? One last grand slam before you life ends?"
Avery assumed a fighting stance of his own, frowning. "I don't want to fight you, but I will if I must…"
Avery and Sparta then charged at each other, both unleashing strikes upon each other; Avery combined his electrical energy with kung-fu and kickboxing moves, unleashing thunderous punches and kicks, which Sparta contended with, shaking off Avery's strikes and retaliating with attacks of his own! The fight was electric, Avery using his speed to stay out of Sparta's grasp, while Sparta made every one of his strikes count!
Eventually, Sparta hit Avery with a cross-chop in the leg, and with a powerful Force Palm strike, sent Avery rolling through the dirt. Avery struggled to get up, struggled to stand after that last attack… But the injury to his leg, combined with the Force Palm strike was taking it's toll. Avery could barely move, yet alone stand.
"Paralysis from a Pokemon Attack can be quite humbling, can't it Avery?" Sparta snickered, walking up.
Avery coughed a few times, then spoke. "Sparta… Please, don't… We can help you… Please, You don't have to do this…"
Sparta scoffed as he drew the katana out of it's scabbard. "Help? You had your chance, and you blew it… Besides, the boss wants you brought to him dead or alive, so let's agree to disagree on that one, ol' chap." Sparta held the blade near Avery's neck, lining up his strike to decapitate the Raikou-splice. "I'd say it's been nice knowing you, but I'd be lying if I said that at this point… Farewell, Avery…"
Sparta then slowly raised the sword, winding up his arm for the final, fatal strike! Avery gritted his teeth, thoughts racing through his head.
(Move… I've got to move! Move, dammit!) Avery struggled to move his body, to get any of his numb, protesting limbs to respond. He wasn't having any luck as he saw Sparta getting ready to swing from their reflection in some nearby broken glass.
(Why? Why did I come this far, just to fail?!) Avery's mind raced. (If I don't win and stop Sparta, I'm going to die, and so will others… It's all for nothing if I don't win… I NEED TO WIN!)
Sparta then swung the blade, but to everyone's surprise, Avery's arms moved, catching the sword with one hand while blocking the blow with his forearm! The blade stopped in it's tracks, cutting into Avery's flesh, but not dismembering any limbs!
Avery felt his vision go dark as he heard the voice again, realizing just what it was with horror before blacking out.
(Didn't I tell you, Avery? It's a bit of a problem for me if you END UP DEAD!)
# # # # # #
Takuya and Kasi ran out the door with Reaper, Dante, Ash, and Tyler at their sides, seeing the scene unfold as they got ready to assist. Reaper and Takuya froze when they saw the sight of Avery blocking the sword swing by Sparta. There was a very tense and terrifying silence for several seconds, thick fog and mist hanging in the air around them.
"What in the bloody hell?!" Sparta exclaimed. "After all your injuries, you shouldn't be able to move at all, let alone catch a sword! You're still suffering from the paralysis from my Force Palm attack, earlier!"
The skies then suddenly darkened with thick clouds, thunder and lighting bolts moving from cloud to cloud, and even the ground as sparks started to dance across Avery's body, who let out a dark, psychotic chuckle.
"Maybe Avery couldn't have… But compared to my endurance, that Force Palm attack is nothing more than a slap to the face… It's really nothing but a joke, Sparta. You're not fighting with Avery, at least not anymore…" Everyone noticed the vocal octaves from Avery's throat were not his… No, this voice was much deeper, much darker…
Much more malicious, some would even say it was psychotic!
Sparta looked on at the Raikou splice, wide-eyed. "If you're not Avery, then who the hell are you?!" He shouted.
The Raikou splice then let out a mad laugh, showing a toothy, feline grin. "You want to know who I am?"
It was at that moment a shadow aura erupted around Avery, enveloping his body in it's energy, sending out pressure waves to all around! Takuya felt his fur tingle, as if he had just touched someone wearing a static-charged sweater, only the feeling didn't stop! It kept persisting, Takuya feeling the small zaps over and over across his skin! He also felt his fingertips and toe tips start to go numb!
Avery then raised his head, opening his eyes to reveal a shocking sight! The sclera of Avery's eyes had changed from white to black, just like when Aries took over Takuya, and the pupils had changed from Avery's soft baby blues to a harsh, bronzed yellow as the new Shadow persona revealed his identity:
"My name is Legion… FOR WE ARE MANY!"
Legion then grabbed the Katana's blade with his free hand, his body bolting up as he delivered a hard electrified punch to Sparta's stomach! Sparta had all the air knocked out of him, losing his grip on the sword as he stumbled backwards and onto his knees, clutching his gut in pain!
Legion then stood to his full height, laughing like a maniac as he held the sword in his hands. "So much for you… The big, bad, tough Machamp-Splice, Sparta! I truly expected more, but you hesitated… Not only that, but you even went so far as to insult me by using weapons! Naughty, naughty, naughty!" Legion squeezed the blade of the sword tightly as he spoke, the blade shattering to metal shards in his grip at the last word.
Legion then put a finger below Sparta's chin, forcing Sparta to look at him in the eyes. "Those eyes… So vivid, so full of hate, fear, and malice… I think you must be jealous that Malak had the scientists perform the Shadow Pokemon procedures on your trainers, and not on you… Well, we can't just leave you green with envy forever, now can we?!"
Legion then knocked Sparta into the air with swift knee strike, then sent the Machamp-splice flying into a tree with a roundhouse kick! Sparta's body broke the tree and several others as he was knocked through them, the wood snapping like chopsticks!
"Not like it matters now…" Legion spoke again with a psychotic Cheshire cat grin. "Avery wasn't giving it his all either… What a hopeless case, still clinging to all those lessons that his martial arts father tried to teach him as his sensei! It's all really pathetic to be honest..."
Legion then raised his hands, charging electricity into his palms. "...Now, I will show you HOW I USE THE POWER OF RAIKOU!"
Legion then started firing bolts of intense lighting from his palms, sending it everywhere, aiming at random as he laughed like an insane person! Reaper and Takuya grabbed Kasi and pulled her to the ground in cover as Legion conducted his over-the-top light show!
"You've got to be kidding me!" Takuya shouted. "Avery's Persona got awakened, too?!"
"Team midnight has been a lot more busy with that Shadow Pokemon research than I thought…" Dante said. "I've never seen a sudden power release like this! I'm not sure if I can deal with him like this, Takuya! It was bad enough just with you when Aries took over!"
Legion looked at Dante with his crazy Chesire smile. "Awww! What's the matter, Dante? Where's your sense of adventure? Or have you and the other Balancers finally gone chicken?" Legion raised one hand, waving for them all to fight him in a provocative manner. "Come on, I dare you! Come at me, and let's make this a party to remember FOR A LONG TIME!"
Legion stood there in that pose, letting out crazy laughter that could wake the dead as lighting and thunder boomed from the clouds above!