Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon or Kung Fu Panda. Any OCs however, are mine unless stated otherwise.
Chapter 5: ...There is also Shadow.
"This is bad," Lyla said scared.
Her best friend, someone who stuck out for her and vice versa for so many years, who had been ridiculed by so many and finally evolved no more than half a year ago...
Had somehow become a Shadow Pokémon.
"This is really, really bad!" The Zoroark continued, holding her friend's sister close as the young one trembled at the sight of her brother's current state.
At the Shadow Pokémon's appearance, not a single person had moved nearby. Those who knew what this was knew not to make any sudden or swift movements, while the rest stood still out of fear of what had happened to the Lucario. None were more terrified than Paul himself, who knew that he caused this and would therefore be the Shadow Pokémon's target. The Electivire's body shook not with electricity, but with fear.
After what felt like forever, 'Riley' twitched. His claws bared as he let out a low growl. His head slowly rose and a set of possessed red eyes that bore holes into Paul's skull.
Lyla looked down at the trembling Eri in her arms and leaned down slowly. "Eri. You need to run. Run and get your father; we'll try to hold off your 'brother' as long as we can!" Lyla whispered to her, trying to get the young one away from this and get help as soon as possible. Lyla's gaze locked with another Zoroark nearby, gaining their attention as her eyes moved between them and Eri rapidly. The other Zoroark gave the slightest of nods and began giving off a low red glow in preparation.
Eri absently nodded in response, not taking her eyes off of her 'brother' as he stared down his target and began moving away from Lyla. The other Zoroark's eyes flared as Eri suddenly disappeared from Lyla's immediate sight. Lyla's knowledge as a Zoroark allowed her to see a faint outline of the Riolu as she left with haste.
As this was happening, 'Riley' slowly began to approach Paul, his red gaze unwavering as it locked onto his prey. His arm and leg muscles tensed as he prepared to make his move.
Seeing this, Paul prepared himself. Ready to fight back if needed, but running would be his objective first and foremost. He hadn't quite believed the legend at first, but knew better than to try and fight a Shadow Pokémon without a lot of help, especially a Lucario out of all Pokémon!
After a few moments, the standoff finally ended, as 'Riley' leaped forward with a snarl, attempting to strike his prey as it leaped back, leaving a large crack in the ground where it stood prior.
It had begun.
Shadow Riley howled in rage as he continued pursuing his target as it ran. It threw small charges of lightning at him as it tried to run away. Shadow Riley dodged the 'attacks' and continued forward, swiping wildly as he tried to grab Paul's leg.
"SHADOW POKÉMON!" someone screamed out nearby, and everyone scrambled away from the location. The civilians ran as Shadow Riley was distracted, leaving only a handful of people remaining in the square.
Tigress ran over to Lyla. "Lyla! What's going on?! What happened to Riley?! What's a Shadow Pokémon?!" Tigress alarmedly asked, watching as Shadow Riley continued his assault.
"This shouldn't be possible...there hasn't been one in nearly 500 years," Lyla stated, seemingly unaware of Tigress as she watched her once friend tear through a concrete wall to chase after Paul.
Tigress shook Lyla. "Snap out of it! We need to know what happened!" Tigress demanded.
Snapping out of her stupor, Lyla looked to the five and Shifu. They were alarmed and worried. Lyla recomposed herself. "Riley became a Shadow Pokémon," Lyla stated.
"What's a Shadow Pokémon?" Crane asked.
"I'll explain on the way!" Lyla yelled as she began running in the direction Shadow Riley had, with the others running (slithering in Viper's case) alongside her. "Shadow Pokémon suddenly appeared around 500 years ago. Soon after the first Shadow Pokémon was discovered and subsequently destroyed an entire village, a madman showed up and revealed that it was he who created it, as he had used an evil artifact to raise an army of Shadow Pokémon using any foe he came across. The artifact would warp their minds, bending them to his will and giving the madman complete control over them; those who were controlled became Shadow Pokémon." Lyla explained.
"What was this artifact's name?" Monkey asked curiously.
"The Jewel of Death. It was made from the ancient plates said to have been left behind by the creator of this land himself and made as a twisted parody of the Jewel of Life that same being gave to Damos. It was named after the being the madman, Marcus, had managed to control with it. Mind, Ice, Ghost, Dragon...and Darkness; those were the plates used to create such a despicable creation, to twist the minds of those he used it on to his will, to rule over all of Ransei without anyone to oppose him. Even the Supreme Shinigami, Goddess of Death, Yveltal, was not immune to the artifact's control and required the might of the Council of Dragons, the keepers of the balance, to free the Supreme Shinigami from his control." Lyla informed.
This shocked the group. An artifact that allowed someone to control an embodiment of Death itself?!
Lyla continued. "The Council had managed to break the spell over Yveltal and put a stop to Marcus' plans, but in the wake of the battle Marcus had hidden the Jewel of Death from them and had killed himself in order to keep its whereabouts a secret. Since then, it has yet to have been found for centuries, and all the Shadow Pokémon were cured of their afflictions. Some believed the artifact was destroyed..." Lyla trailed off.
"Until now." Shifu finished the thought. They all watched as numerous fighters charged at Shadow Riley to restrain him, only to be blown away with little effort.
Lyla nodded. "We have to stop him before he hurts anyone or himself," Lyla stated.
"AAAAAGGGGHHH!" Paul could be heard screaming in the distance.
"I think we're a little late on that!" Mantis oh-so-helpfully pointed out.
Lyla ignored Mantis' comment and continued. "If Yveltal was able to be broken free from her state, then that means that Riley can too. As it stands right now, we need to at the least restrain or knock him out so that he won't cause more damage in his current state."
The group nodded in response. The six continued following the destruction, stone buildings being broken through, the impact impressions on the ground, traces of electrical burns all around causing some Wartortle and Dewott to put out the fires they caused, and the agonized pain in Paul's screams.
When they finally caught up, they were greeted with the sight of a battered Paul. He was surrounded by debris, his fur was tinged orange in numerous spots because of his wounds, some spots looking redder, and he was crawling backward on his hands and...left leg...oh. Yeah, pretty sure his right leg isn't supposed to bend that way...well, good thing Ransei has some of the best doctors around.
As Paul looked up at his assailant, he looked on as though the beast that was once Riley was Yveltal herself, coming to take him to the afterlife to be punished for his sins. He was terrified and he didn't know how he could possibly make it out of this alive. His eyes became dull as his body slumped. He...deserved this. All those years of tormenting the guy he once called a friend, and look where that got him? Now that former friend turned victim was far stronger and out for revenge...and Paul couldn't do anything to stop him.
Paul gave Shadow Riley a defeated look. "Just...do it already...I know there's no way I get out of this alive..." Paul said in a defeated voice. He had completely given up and was at Shadow Riley's 'mercy.'
Then Shadow Riley did something neither he nor anyone around, was expecting...he laughed.
[Cue Mephiles' infamous laugh from Sonic 06.]
[Let's be real, Mephiles was by far the best thing that came out of that garbage game. Silver was a good idea, even if a clear copy of Future Trunks from DBZ, but was poorly executed, like literally everything else about the game. Ironic that the best thing that came from the game was the guy who executed Sonic.]
It started low but continued to slowly grow in volume, eventually reaching a point of insanity he had never seen before, nor thought Riley would be capable of. The animalistic and determined look on his face twisted into a sadistic smile as he continued laughing, slowly lifting his gaze into the sky in his mad laugh. What the Distortion was going on here? The texts only ever said Shadow Pokémon were like mindless beasts that listened to their master...so what was this supposed to be?
Then Shadow Riley stopped laughing, dropping his gaze back mercilessly toward Paul at his feet. "Oh, believe me, friend...we'll get to that in due time." He spoke.
Everyone froze at that declaration. Before anyone could put any thought to that, however...
POW!
Shadow Riley was suddenly launched by a high-speed blow from his right, sent flying into the building to his left and kicking up a cloud of dust at the collision point.
"Beni! Take Paul to Nurse Joy, I'll take care of this!" Someone ordered, revealing to be the one who punched Shadow Riley away.
When the group turned to the speaker, it was revealed to be another Lucario. The Lucario wore a Gi akin to Riley's, and his voice sounded like an older version of their friend. They also had an odd bracelet on their left wrist, with a strange marble attached to the outside of it.
A Gallade garbed in white shinobi attire seemingly appeared beside Paul. "Understood, Rye." He said quietly, hauling the injured Electivire onto his back and leaping out of sight.
The seven got in formation near the new arrival in an instant, readying themselves for what was to come. "Eri didn't explain much, just that Riley has returned but was turned into a Shadow Pokémon. What in the Distortion happened?!" Rye demanded.
It was Lyla who answered "Paul challenged him to a fight and Riley refused. Then Paul had the bright idea of insulting Sir Aaron."
Rye scowled in the direction Beni and Paul departed. "Paul and I are going to have a long talk later."
"Hahahahahaha! Well, well, well..." The dust cloud clears to reveal Shadow Riley staring at them with a twisted smile. "Look who joined the party."
Rye stays firm in his fighting stance beside Shifu, as the Five and Lyla move to surround Shadow Riley. His brow furrows in confusion. "The texts never said anything about Shadow Pokémon being capable of speech."
Shadow Riley smirked as he assessed his opponents. "I'm no ordinary Shadow Pokémon...not that you could've been around to meet one yourself, that is."
Shifu glared at Shadow Riley. "Get a hold of yourself, Riley! You're better than this! Stand down and we might still be able to resolve this relatively peacefully!"
The nine combatants stared each other down, eight focused on one and on guard for any sudden movements Shadow Riley made.
Shadow Riley simply laughed before recomposing himself. "Alright Shifu, there's just one teensy problem with that..."
It was Mantis who responded next. "And what's that?" he asked hesitantly.
Lyla whispered to Rye next to her. "Be ready to use it." Rye simply nodded, neither of them taking their eyes off Shadow Riley.
Shadow Riley smiled evilly as he rested his head on his right shoulder. "~I'm not Riley." He answered in a creepy sing-song voice.
Tigress gave Mantis and Crane a gesture as they circled behind Shadow Riley, before leveling a scowl at their opponent. "Then who are you? We were told Shadow Pokémon are controlled by whoever uses this 'Jewel Of Death.' Does that mean they're the one we're talking to?" Tigress asked.
Shadow Riley is nonchalant and chuckles in amusement, closing his eyes as he shakes his head at her question. "Not a bad theory, I'll give you that much. I honestly don't blame you for thinking that, but..." Tigress signals Mantis and Crane as the two go on the attack from his left and right respectively...only for him to cross his arms across his body and grab each of the mid-strike, slamming them into the ground at his feet before flinging them at the spots each other had come from, damaging both greatly. Shadow Riley opens his eyes and doesn't bother looking at his would-be assailants. "...I am something different entirely."
Mantis and Crane shakily get back to their feet, but the blows clearly left them heavily injured. 'Did he really cause that much damage in a single blow? The power boosted by becoming a Shadow Pokémon must be immense!' Shifu thought surprised, seeing two of his students being taken down so swiftly and leaving them in such a condition concerned him. 'Or is this truly what Riley is capable of when he stops holding back?'
The rest of the Five charged forward. They tried to attack him, but his evil smirk never faded as he proceeded to dismantle the group.
Viper wrapped around one of his arms in an attempt to try and redirect his attacks, but Shadow Riley seemed to pay her efforts no mind. He wasn't even budging from her attempts as he continued to fight as if she wasn't even there. But she was, and Shadow Riley took advantage of that fact.
"He won't budge!" Viper cried out with strain. Tigress was coming in for a powerful blow, but Shadow Riley simply held the arm with Viper wrapped around up to block the blow, causing both heroines to freeze.
This hesitation gave Shadow Riley the opportunity to rip Viper off him with his other arm, before throwing the snake into her ally, and causing them to stumble back.
Monkey attempted to go for an aerial kick, but Shadow Riley evaded to the side. Monkey realized too late his mistake, as his foe proceeded to grab his tail as the master flew by, and swung the master around like a flail as he launched him into Crane. The two were sent tumbling to the ground and Crane was now too injured to continue fighting, falling unconscious shortly after.
Mantis was seen jumping around as he attempted to go for a nerve attack.
"You're efforts are in vein. Bug."
Mantis' efforts were rewarded with another solid blow as he was sent into the distance.
"If you weren't evil right now I'd enjoy the puuuuunnnnn!" Mantis cried out as he was sent flying.
Glaring as Mantis flew away, Shadow Riley suddenly began to seemingly block the air next to him, with sounds of contact being made. The air shimmered as Lyla's scowling face revealed itself, the Zoroark having attempted to get the drop on him with a sneak attack.
Shadow Riley outstretched his palm facing her as she recovered from a jarring hit, the hand beginning to glow ominously.
"Force Palm."Shadow Riley said with indifference.
Tigress managed to tackle Lyla partially out of the blast's immediate radius, taking the brunt of the attack as the two were sent tumbling across the ground.
Tigress groaned. "I actually felt that. Not fun."
"Not exactly pleasant for me either." Lyla groaned beside her.
Shifu quickly burst onto the offensive, but Shadow Riley simply managed to evade or block all of Shifu's oncoming attacks. Shifu even attempted to use a misdirection attack like he did against Rafiki, but Shadow Riley saw through his attempt and soon switched their positions, with Shadow Riley now having gone on the offensive, forcing Shifu to defend.
Shifu kept blocking his onslaught of punches, but the force behind them was wearing him down. Eventually, Shifu tried to dodge an incoming blow only to have Shadow Riley intercept him in an instant with a sucker punch and send him flying backward. Shifu managed to barely correct himself, rolling the leg Tai Lung broke in his first attempt to steal the Dragon Scroll. He saw Shadow Riley approaching with hands alight with a dark violet Aura.
When Shifu blinked rapidly trying to recover, for a split second, Shifu saw the raging form of Tai Lung in Riley's place once more between blinks. In that brief moment of distraction, he felt Shadow Riley's fist make contact with his face, only to be greeted by his vision becoming blurred and his ears ringing a bit.
Shadow Riley picked up Shifu's barely conscious form and lifted him by the collar as he smiled wickedly. "Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Yet again, you are left unable to stop your student as he gives in to the darkness in his heart." The Shadow Pokémon said before Shifu slipped out of consciousness.
"Hey!" Shadow Riley turned his head to see Tigress glaring at him. "Put my master down!" Tigress demanded.
Shadow Riley laughed. "And what makes you think I have any reason to listen to your demand? I am commanded by no-" The Shadow Pokémon paused in the middle of his gloating, his gaze on something to Tigress' right.
Tigress turned her head to follow what the Shadow Pokémon was looking at, seeing Rye holding his right hand up, the stone on the back of his wristband facing Shadow Riley. There was something familiar about the pattern in the marble-sized stone that Tigress couldn't help but become curious about, until it finally clicked in her mind to where she had seen it before.
Tigress' mind flashed back to the vision of the snow-colored Lucario she saw in Riley's memories. The Lucario, who she now believed to be Riley's grandfather, had pulled out a similar stone attacked to a necklace; same symbol and all. She watched as Rye grasped the stone in his wristband with his other hand, as he did it began to glow.
"Key Stone! Feel my Aura and heed my call! Push me beyond the limits of evolution! Mega Evolve!" Rye chanted to the heavens, as a burst of red light exploded from the item and covered his being. His body grew half a foot taller, his build became slimmer, and his sensors became longer and flew through the air around him. Additional spikes jutted from hands, feet, and shoulders, with the gray bumps on his hands growing sharp. Finally, the spots of yellow fur grew longer around his shoulders forming a collar, extending down his back and around his tail. The wristband disappeared as he transformed and the symbol from the stone shined in a multicolored light in front of him for a moment, disappearing as the red light pulsed off his body and dispersed. The black markings across his body had extended up his body as fur on his hands, feet, and at the ends of his sensors were now a crimson color. His blue and yellow fur had become just a shade darker as well.
Shadow Riley smiled as he tossed Shifu away without a care. "Finally. I hope the power of your Mega Evolution doesn't fail to disappoint. It is time to begin the only battle here worthy of my time." The dark being declared confidently.
Rye scowled at his once-son. "Do you think this is a game?" Rye asked angrily.
"If this were a game, I'd be having fun. So far...not impressed." Shadow Riley arrogantly stated.
The newly transformed Rye stared down Shadow Riley, the latter locking his gaze as well as in a stand-off, waiting for the other to make the first move. Auras flared around the fighters, Rye's a navy blue, and Shadow Riley's an inky blackness.
The Auras compressed as the two surged toward each other, Rye threw a left-handed punch as Shadow Riley threw a right, mirroring each other as they collided in the middle, creating a small shockwave around the collision point. Rye pushed himself off from the attack and used the momentum to spin, sending a roundhouse kick with his right leg. Shadow Riley tanked the hit, grabbing the outstretched leg with his right and pulling Rye into his open left hand.
"Force Palm!" Shadow Riley yelled.
Rye crossed his arms in front of him as Shadow Riley fired a blast of power from his open hand, knocking him back a couple of meters and stunning him. With the opening, Shadow Riley charges forward with his right hand outstretched beside him, charging up an attack. Rye charges his own attack, creating an Aura Sphere in his right hand. Shadow Riley's attack is similar but has a dull violet hue. The two throw their fists forward, launching their respective attacks.
"Aura Sphere!/Shadow Ball!" The two announced.
The attacks collided, sending both in opposite directions again before Rye rushed forward and delivered a powerful strike to the jaw, as the damaged Tigress looked on at the fight stunned.
"What was that?" Tigress wondered aloud.
"Mega Evolution." Lyla's voice responded behind her.
Tigress turned back to Lyla. "What?"
"What Rye just did is something we refer to as Mega Evolution."
Tigress became thoughtful. "So, it's like Evolution?"
Lyla watched as Shadow Riley blocked another of Rye's attacks before retaliating with a backkick to Rye's torso, sending him back. "Not quite. They are similar, but Mega Evolution is different. Evolution is a natural part of most Pokémon, while some have further biological stages and others don't; Mega Evolution is different. In order to Mega Evolve, a Key Stone is required."
Tigress saw as Rye flipped over one of Shadow Riley's attacks and punched him in the back of the head. "The thing on his wristband?"
Lyla nodded. "Correct. Only certain species can Mega Evolve though and even fewer are deemed worthy of a Key Stone to do so."
"Worthy?" Tigress asked confused.
"Key Stones are created by the Herald of Potential: Diancie. She imbues power into those stones that allow the transformation to be triggered. In order to acquire one, you must go through the Trial of Transformation. The trial is different for each who goes through it, but should you succeed, you will earn a Key Stone." Lyla elaborated.
Tigress sees Shadow Riley use another Force Palm to fling himself away from an incoming Aura Sphere, only for the orb to change course and strike him in the back. "So Mega Evolution is a power booster?"
"Mega Evolution, unlike regular Evolution, is temporary. After the user is spent or if they decide to, they revert to their original state. It takes a lot of training to use it efficiently though and Lucario are some of the few that can stay transformed the longest on average. The Key Stone is a channel that is activated differently based on the user. Some fuel it with anger, others joy or sorrow, but most do it through their fighting spirit. The stronger the source, the stronger the Mega Evolution is." Lyla explains.
Tigress thought to the vision once more. 'So that was a Key Stone around his neck.' She deduced.
Back to the fight, Shadow Riley blocked another flurry of punches from Rye, until Shadow Riley counters with a Force Palm to his chest, knocking him back.
'Damn! So, this is the power of a Shadow Pokémon? No wonder they were such a problem all those years ago.' Rye thought.
The dust on the battlefield was stinging his eyes, making it harder for him to keep them open. Seeing an opportunity, Shadow Riley proceeded to grab a patch of concrete and crush it in his right hand.
Shadow Riley charged with his left hand preparing another Shadow Ball. Rye went to block, only for Shadow Riley to throw the debris from his right hand into Rye's eyes.
"GAH!" Rye exclaimed, his vision disrupted and guard down as Shadow Riley fired the attack, sending Rye flying.
Rye's eyes stung from the debris. 'No, that's not it. The Shadow Pokémon were all controlled by one person, so that means his attention was divided. He's too meticulous, using tricks and feints. On top of that, he can still fend me off in my Mega form even after those blows from before.' Rye thought.
Rye then focused on sensing Shadow Riley's Aura, which was easy given how evil and strong its presence was. He dodged the incoming kick and countered with a strike to the gut.
As the air was knocked out of Shadow Riley's lungs, Rye took the opportunity to land a spinning uppercut to the jaw. The attack sent Shadow Riley back. As Shadow Riley landed with a THUMP, he growled.
"Forgot about Aura Vision for a moment there." He grumbled out.
Rye stood over him with an Aura Sphere charged in his left hand, aiming it at the Shadow Pokémon as he wiped the debris out of his eyes. He looked down at him with his eyes irritated from the dust. "You can't defeat me, surrender!"
Shadow Riley growled at Rye's order. "You think I can't beat you? Are you calling me weak?!" Shadow Riley's expression somehow became even more enraged. "I am not weak! Don't count me out!" He screamed with an accompanying surge of dark Aura, causing Rye to dissipate the Aura Sphere to guard against the pulse.
As Rye was pushed back by the force, he could still make out Shadow Riley's mad talk. "Win! Win! I will win! I WILL NOT LOOOSE!"
Before Rye could react, Shadow Riley dashed forward at great speed and swept the Mega Lucario's legs, using the momentum to hit him with a powerful Force Palm, sending Rye flying back from the attack.
'Damn! That was even stronger than earlier! What's happened to you Riley?!' Rye thought, getting up from the previous strike. But the Shadow Pokémon wasn't done yet, as he burst forth with an evil laugh, throwing punches and kicks repeatedly, forcing Rye on the backfoot to defend from the onslaught of wild attacks. 'It feels like I'm getting hit by a Machamp's double-armed punch with every blow! I can't keep this up forever.'
Shadow Riley increased the pace, chipping at the Mega Lucario's defense until it happened. Rye's guard was dropped with a particularly harder punch, the recoil causing him to double back. Shadow Riley took the opportunity to deliver a devastating gut punch, knocking the air and some spittle out of Rye. With his victim stunned, Shadow Riley threw a relentless slew of attacks, damaging him even further with every blow; welts becoming visible on the Mega's body. Eventually, Shadow Riley threw a Force Palm with a Shadow Ball at the end of it, causing a dark violet explosion and sending Rye through a few walls and back to where the fight had began, near Tigress and Lyla.
The Shadow Pokémon cackled at Rye's damaged form as he walked slowly."Well, Rye? Is Riley good enough for you now? Don't tell me you're disappointed that he evolved." Shadow Riley gave a mocking pout, before holding his right hand over his head as he laughed again. "It's funny actually, even after all this time and finally evolving, you still don't see him as worth your time, do you? Not until he became me have you given a damn for the past decade!" he gloated. His laughing continued, becoming even more deranged as everyone still nearby shivered at his unsettling state.
'Come on! Move! I have to do something!' Tigress, Lyla, and Rye thought, all frozen with fear at this malicious force.
Shadow Riley proceeded to pull Rye up by his collar before throwing him through another few walls. Smiling sadistically at the damage he caused, he turned his attention to Tigress and Lyla, leveling two Shadow Balls in their direction. "Everything before me should just disappear! DISAPPEAR NOW!" He screamed, launching the attacks at the two, causing two clouds of dust to form over them as they got hit.
Shadow Riley laughed to the heavens as the dark Aura around him rose even more with his insanity. "It's rising! My power is rising even further! YOU ARE SEEING MY TRUE POWER!" He could feel it! Nothing would stand in his-
SHOOOOOM!
A beam of multicolored light in the shape of a dragon's head suddenly blasted him in the torso, knocking him backward into a wall. He shook off the stun and looked around frantically. "Alright! Who has the balls!?" He looked in the distance to see a figure on the rooftops nearby.
[Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance - I'm My Own Master Now (Spirit of the Ultimate Wolf Mix)] – Play 0:00-0:45
The figure has a relatively small canine body. It is primarily black with a green collar and a leash-like extension on its neck. Additional green markings include two hexagon markings on its chest, a small hexagon over each eye, the area around its mouth, and its front left paw. There is an elongated, red hexagon marking attached to the collar marking. Its eyes are white hexagons with no discernible pupils and there is a thin, white line on its forehead. On each of its legs are hexagonal extensions: two on the back of each elbow, one behind each knee, and two on each hip. One of the hip extensions is longer than the other on each hip.
[End Music here]
The two locked gazes with one another, the canine's expression firm and Shadow Riley's furious. Shadow Riley growled. "So, you want to get in on this too huh? Well, fine by me-GAH!"
Suddenly, Shadow Riley clutched his head and began screaming in pain.
Author's note: I hope you enjoyed and feel free to review!