A/N: Today, the adventure will really start! And as will I start to sometimes give you suggestions for music to listen to during specific sections. These will usually be the exact tracks that I used for the audio book. You will see how I mark these later in the chapter. Have fun!

Chapter 6: Judgement Day!
The sun had already disappeared behind the horizon while Kel and Aurora sat at the table and ate in the evening. Somehow, the red glow that illuminated the room reminded Kel of Tyrantrum's strange look earlier that day. When the team was still inside the huge tower, Kel had hesitated to voice his concerns, but now, in this quiet togetherness, he decided to change that.

"Earlier, when Tyrantrum accompanied us back to the office after his tour... wasn't that strange to you?"
"Strange?"

Aurora didn't understand what Kel was trying to tell her.

"When you talked about how much you despised Epsilon... Tyrantrum had this sparkle in his eyes. This burning anger. Didn't you see that?"
"You're hallucinating, Kel. Tyrantrum hasn't done anything like that and he wouldn't do it either! He is an honorable Pokemon and honorable Pokemon are not on Epsilon's side!"
"Do you really mean that? There are definitely Pokemon that owe a lot to Epsilon. Tell me, how can I, for example, really hate Epsilon? After all, he is the reason I have a second chance at life!"

Even the last bit of understanding disappeared from Aurora's voice.

"Are you saying that you are on HIS side? Do you really have this little idea of this world? You can't seriously believe that Epsilon is capable of any good!"

Kel was determined to not simply give up in this debate.

"Then explain it to me. If I really am here because of a Plothole and Epsilon is the reason for these things, then he is the reason I am alive! And also the reason why you were able to join the Battle League after waiting for so long!"
"Epsilon causes chaos without even paying attention to what he is doing! Even if he is the reason for your appearance, then that was nothing but a side effect of his attempts at destruction!"
"And how is that supposed to invalidate my arguments? Even if he didn't intend it, I'm here because of him!"

Even though Aurora still didn't understand how Kel could say anything truly good about Epsilon, she knew she had no arguments left. While it was true that Kel owed his life to Epsilon, the strange creature was nothing more than a fanatic whose misdeeds sometimes had positive side effects.

"Let's drop the topic, okay?"

Kel agreed smugly, knowing he had won the argument.

"Tell me something else, then... why are almost all Pokemon named after their species, but you aren't?"

Happy about the change of subject, Aurora answered immediately.

"It actually depends on where they come from. Here on Berelo, it's common for Pokemon to simply use the name of their species as their proper name. Things are sometimes different on other continents, for example on Kasonia. My parents are from there and that's why I have a name like that. Basically, if you meet someone who doesn't name themselves after their species, they're probably either from Kasonia or Aralsa."
"So how do Pokemon of the same species differ in cultures like here? For example, the Zoroark from Team Slash and the author of the book about Epsilon. Both are obviously Zoroark, but use the same name due to that!"

Aurora looked at Kel enthusiastically and gave him what was probably the most obvious answer.

"What do I know, it's not my problem."

A short while later, Kel retreated to the room above the stairs. He was still unsure of what to make of the day that was now passing. On the one hand, he definitly had a better life than he was used to here, but on the other hand, that's not really difficult. He also didn't really know what to make of Aurora, who he would now have to deal with every day. Tyrantrum's strange look just wouldn't disappear from Kel's memory either. But what exactly it was all about and how he could really learn to fight, he would only find out in the days to come. For today, enough had happened.

/Music suggestion: Nathan Wagner - The End Is Here/

It was the middle of the night, the moon was shining high up in the sky and strange noises echoed through the night. Kel woke up due to them and went to his window, confused. When he looked up at the sky, he discovered that it was glowing red! There was a knock on his door.

"Yes?"

As he had expected, Aurora entered the room.

"So you're awake too. Do you have any idea what's going on out there?"
"No, I just woke up. From the question, I'd assume you have no idea either, right?"
"No, I've never seen anything like it either."

The full moon shone brightly in the sky, through the glowing sparks that filled the night sky. They all seemed to emerge from a specific point under which a being was floating. Aurora was not the only one who recognized what this being was, even from a distance.

"Up there! That's Epsilon! What's he doing?!"

As if he wanted to give the answer himself, a loud voice suddenly rang out.

"Residents of Kira Town! Hear the words that I deliver today! The big day is finally dawning, after all these years! The Plot was preparing for the greatest happenings and finally, everything is in place! The highest power will no longer show mercy where it is not appropriate! From today on, the Plot will no longer be your companion through life, but your judge before the inevitable end! Judgement Day has arrived! Let the glowing sky mark the beginning of the end! Those who are deserving shall live and those who are not shall burn! This world will never be the same again!"

Without any warning, the moon, now fully over Epsilon, began to glow like the sky itself.

"See this as the first act of selection and let it show you that nature is not your master, but the Plot!"

As if it were nothing but a simple rock… the moon in the sky burst into pieces on the spot. The massive explosion sent shockwaves throughout Kira Town and large, burning boulders began crashing to the earth from the burning skies! Panic broke out in the town, screams echoed through the night. Epsilon looked contentedly at the chaos he had caused before deciding to take his leave, towards Polar Lake.

/Music stop/

Suddenly Kel heard a door slam and looked around to see that Aurora had disappeared. He hesitated for a moment, but quickly decided to follow. As he left the house, he saw Aurora standing at the edge of the garden fence.

"Where are you going? You shouldn't be out here during a meteor shower! Come back in!"
"No, I have to follow Epsilon!"

After a reproachful look, she added:

"I don't want to fight him or anything stupid like that, I know myself that it wouldn't end well for me. But if we follow him, we might be able to find his hideout or something! And there are certainly many who could work with this information!"

Another loud bang sounded before Kel could answer. Another meteor had hit a building that Kel hadn't even noticed before.

"Are you coming?"

Kel briefly hesitated, yet quickly decided.

"Okay. Let's go! But be careful! And eyes up in the sky!"

Without answering, Aurora sprinted off towards Polar Lake. Kel could still remember the route quite well, but he still stayed behind the ice-type, his eyes more directed towards the sky than the ground. By now, significantly fewer and smaller rocks were falling from the sky, the danger was beginning to diminish. But not the danger that brought this catastrophe.

The duo soon reached Polar Lake, where Aurora wanted to look for traces in search of the Plot Emperor. However, another Pokemon was already present at the lake. It wasn't the robotic fanatic himself, but a creature that was completely unknown to both members of Team Polarna vatra. It didn't do much except look up at the sky before the two Pokemon arrived.

"What? Pokemon really followed Epsilon? I thought he was being too nervous…"
"Do you have something to do with him? Who are you?"

Aurora immediately became defensive hearning the shadow speak. The Pokemon rose from his sitting position.

"My name is Marshadow. I would like to say that I am not a henchmen of Epsilon, but I am a follower of Plot, which unfortunately often leads to Epsilon nowadays. And I am supposed to keep watch here so that no one can follow him."

"So you are working with him?", Aurora asked.
"As I already said, yes, although reluctantly. But I must ask you to turn back now. There is nothing for you to gain if you follow Epsilon, only things to lose. Among other things, your lives."

At this point, Marshadow actually seemed like a pretty rationa Pokemon to Kel. He did not seem to him like a madman who stands up for the end of everyone. But Aurora seemed to care little about this at this moment.

"If you are on Epsilon's side, then you are an enemy! And we must follow him! Get out of our way!"

Kel saw frustration in her opponent's eyes.

"Do you really want to let it come to this? I can't let you follow the way. If you want to follow Epsilon, you'll have to fight me. But believe me, it would be best for all of us if you just turned back. I don't want to fight you."

Kel was already about to agree with Marshadow and simply leave. They wouldn't be able to catch up with Epsilon anyway, too much time had passed. In addition, the previous day had already proven that neither Aurora nor Kel were strong fighters. But he was the only one who seemed to be bothered by this.

"If I have to, then I'll fight!"
"It's not worth it, Aurora!"

Obviously, the Vulpix hadn't expected her team partner's objection.

"What? What are you saying? We have to follow Epsilon, you just agreed with me a few minutes ago!"
"Epsilon's long gone by now. Do you really want to start a fight for nothing?"

She looked at Marshadow with uncertainty.

"Well... you're right. We won't find Epsilon anymore. But if we can arrest his little helper here, then he can definitely give us some information!"

Although Kel was still not really convinced about the fight, he also knew that Aurora's argument made sense. If they managed to arrest one of Epsilon's henchmen, then the war against Epsilon would be easier for everyone else.

"Is that really what you think? If I had any relevant information about Epsilon, then I would share it with you willingly, but he doesn't trust me enough. With good reason, probably."

However, the conversation was already over, Aurora had nothing more to say and attacked Marshadow, who immediately jumped to the side, now with some plasmatic energy collected in his hand.

"You really want to fight? Well, if you leave me no other choice..." As if on command, he immediately shot an Aura Sphere at Aurora, who was ready to dodge. Just as the fight began, Kel realized that he still didn't know a single attack. Panicked, he tried to improvise somehow.

"Just concentrate on... the heat or something! That's how Pokemon attacks usually work!"

Aurora obviously noticed her teammate's problems, while she was pretty much alone in this fight, but was able to hold her own pretty well. Definitly better than she was explaining attacks to Kel.

Still, the Growlithe tried to follow instruction he had been given, with no idea what exactly he should do. He just tried to gather some inner heat, as Aurora had explained. What surprised him was, that it actually seemed to do something. He felt flames forming inside his mouth, and he shot them towards Marshadow, who clearly hadn't expected a fire attack. Although the flames were not powerful enough to defeat the enemy at all, they were certainly capable of intimidating him.

"Why don't you two realise that I am not your enemy? I advise you not to oppose those who wish you no harm on this journey. If you do not focus on the true enemies, you will fail!"

After these words, Marshadow simply disappeared into nothingness, as if he had never been here in the first place.