The group had soon entered the dome. They saw the grandmaster along with a man in red, watching a number of simulations on a screen.
"Ah…so you all finally made it here." Greevil said.
"Yeah and we're coming right at…" Rainbow and Frosta called out before both girls ran into some sort of invisible wall.
"What the?" Hope said as he tapped the glass. "What gives?"
"While I doubt I would lose to any of you, I can't have any unexpected surprises when I use XD001 to take over the world." Greevil said.
"That's your last defense? A glass wall?" Carmine asked. "C'mon guys, we can shatter this!"
Some of the group members started pounding on the glass, while Kieran in the background noticed something off to the side and walked that way.
"Ah!" he said, seeing an elevator off the side. "There's an elevator. We could take that." he said, running for it. However, as he did, he heard movement from it as the elevator was opening to show Gorigan inside.
"Can't believe he went and….huh?" Gorigan said, looking at Kieran. "You! You're one of those brats from the factory!"
"(Crap. He must have just finished getting chewed out. Worst timing.)" Kieran thought. "Uh…hi Gorigan."
"Hi? Is that all you got to say you…" Gorigan said about to punch the boy before someone intercepted.
"You know…it's not nice to go beating on kids." David said as he was holding the fist.
"Who the…wait…I remember you now. That ice kid from the Libra." Gorigan said.
"Glad to see we finally got acquainted." David said.
"Luckily, I got a lot of anger I need to work out. So…I'll take it out on you two idiots." Gorigan said.
"Bring it." David said.
"Huh?!" Kieran said.
Cipher Admin, Operations Manager - Gorigan
"All right…let's do there. Go, Slowking, Ursaluna!" Gorigan said sending out Slowking and Ursaluna.
"I have a feeling I know what he's gonna do. Skarmory!" David said as he sent out Skarmory.
"Okay, I guess we're doing this now. Weezing!" Kieran sent out one of his newer additions.
"Yeah, guess that makes sense, you did see me fight that purple girl." Gorigan said. "Luckily, I got other ways of dealing with you. Ursaluna, use Brick Break on Skarmory and Slowking, use Psychic on Weezing!" he commanded.
"Smokescreen!" Kieran called out, Weezing clouding the battle ground in smoke, causing the attacks to miss their marks.
"Damn it! How are they…" Gorigan said before seeing Skarmory soaring out of the smoke. "Ah!"
"Time to knock 'em down. Steel Wing on Ursaluna!" David said as Skarmory's wings glowed as it rammed into Ursaluna..
"Use Sludge on Slowking!" Kieran called out as Weezing covered Gorigan's other Pokémon in sludge.
"Dammit! You two are already in sync this much even though it's your first time together in a battle?!" Gorigian asked.
"We've gone through more than you can imagine. It tends to help." Kieran stated.
"Grr…Slowking! Use Ice Beam on Skarmory and Ursaluna, use Slash on Weezing!" Gorigan said as both Pokémon moved on them.
"Weezing…take it and use Assurance!" Kieran said as Weezing took the slash before striking back with Assurance, taking out Ursaluna for good.
"Same to you, Skarmory. Dark Pulse!" David said as Skarmory took the attack for normal damage, since Steel resists Ice, and then fires a dark blast at Slowking, taking it out.
"Okay…phase 2 then! Go! Walrein, Aggron!" Gorigan said, sending out his next pair. "Aggron, attack Weezing with Double Edge and Walrein, use Ice Beam on Skarmory!" he ordered as Aggron rammed into Weezing as Walrein fired a freezing beam into Skarmory.
"They aren't going to last much longer…David, do you think I should do it?" Kieran asked.
"Wait a moment. One of them might have Protect." David said.
"Good point. Then I'll improvise! Use Tackle on Aggron!" Kieran said, as Weezing rammed into the Steel/Rock type.
"You think that'll help? Use Iron Tail!" Gorigan ordered as Aggron prepared to hit Weezing with the attack that was sure to take it down.
"Destiny Bond!" Kieran called out.
"What?! Aggron, stop!" Gorigan tried to stop his Pokémon, too late as Weezing was taken down moments after Destiny Bond was established, Aggron fainting right after. "No!"
"Thank you, Weezing. You did great out there." Kieran said after he returned Weezing.
"Grr…fine…looks like I'm breaking this out. Go…Poliwrath!" Gorigan called out as he sent out Poliwrath, a shadow aura radiating right of it.
"Yep. That's a Shadow Pokémon, alright." David said.
"I already have a Poliwrath so this one can be yours." Kieran said.
"Alrighty then. Might have to make a switch, though. Skarmory may resist a lot due to its Steel-typing, but it's taking quite a beating." David said. "You did well, Skarmory. Get some rest." he said as he returned Skarmory. "This is probably a bad idea due to his Earthquake strategy, but… Oh, wait. Aggron is down, so he probably won't use it. I gotta risk it… Let's do this, Primarina!" he said as he sent out Primarina. "Disarming Voice!" he said as Primarina sent a wave of sound to both Poliwrath and Walrein.
"I have to get rid of that Walrein…go, Probopass! Use Meteor Beam!" Kieran said as the Compass Pokémon was sent out and immediately fired the space energy blast at Walrein, dealing heavy damage.
"Walrein…use Water Pulse!" Gorigan said as Walrein fired on Probopass. "Poliwrath, break that seal with Shadow Rush!" he said as Walrein watered down Probopass while Poliwrath rammed right into Primarina.
"Well, someone needs to be taught some manners. Moonblast!" David said as Primarina fired a blast of light at Poliwrath, staggering it. "Okay, I think it's good to go!" he said as he threw a Pokéball at Poliwrath. After a bit of shaking, Poliwrath was caught. "Yes! Got him!"
"Probopass, use Spark!" Kieran called out, the Electric-type attack taking Walrein down. "Now there's only one left!"
"Fine…guess it's your show now. Come, Mr. Mime!" Gorigan called out as he sent out a Shadow Mr. Mime.
"Hmm…guess there's only one choice. Use Flash Cannon!" Kieran called out as the Compass Pokémon fired a Steel-type beam at the Shadow Pokémon. Mr. Mime was touching the air before the cannon went and hit some sort of invisible barrier.
"Hehehe….I was saving this one for last. Shadow Storm!" Gorigan said as Mr. Mime conjured a shadow storm that whipped at both Probopass and Primarina.
"Ugh, how are we supposed to get past that barrier?" Kieran wondered before he got an idea. "David, you may want to switch Primarina out for this. Probopass, use Sandstorm!"
"Right. Get back, girl." David said as he swapped out Primarina for Metang.
Probopass caused a sandstorm to form around the area.
"Let's hope this works. Let's try Flash Cannon again!" Kieran said to his Pokémon, Probopass firing the Steel-type attack once more.
"Keep your barrier up! That attack can't possibly-!" Gorigan said before he saw the Flash Cannon cracking the barrier. "What?!"
"Probopass has Sand Force as an ability." Kieran informed the Cipher Admin as the attack broke through the barrier, bathing Mr. Mime in Steel-type energy. "You lost the moment you started to rely on Shadow Pokémon. There's no easy path to having strong Pokémon. You need to make yourself stronger too, not shut yourself away!" Kieran said, throwing a Pokéball at Mr. Mime, catching them. "You need to open your heart!"
"Gah! No!" Gorigan said as he collapsed. "Those two Shadow Pokémon…were the last chance Master Greevil gave me. Now I got no choice…" he said before getting up and taking off. "But to run away! If I was a tree, I'd climb it all day just to get away from more punishment!"
"Do you think he'll change his ways after this?" Kieran asked David.
"Hard to say…" David said.. "But…the elevator is free to use now."
"Yeah…let's grab everyone and get on it." Kieran said.
In the path connecting the elevator to the main room…
"Okay…no big deal. Last grunt on guard, no trouble. You got your trusty Shadow Dugtrio at your side, you can handle any of those trainers who come your way." he said before the elevator dinged. "All right you morons. Come meet your…" he said before looking at the massive group.
Five seconds later…
"Gah…" the grunt said as he was beaten up with his Dugtrio being snagged as the group moved past him.
"...You know, that was just plain unfair to the poor guy." Eddy said. "I almost feel bad."
"What did he expect would happen when trying to take us all on?" Catra asked.
"Yeah…hopefully he'll recover." Jexi said.
They quickly entered the main room, however, upon entering, they only saw the man in red standing there.
"What? The Grandmaster guy is gone! Where is he?" Rainbow asked.
"He's gone to the rooftop dome. With XD001. And you will not be going to him. See…I've been tasked with stopping you." he explained.
"But you have to know that what Greevil is doing is wrong. I can feel it." David said.
"...Be that as it may, I will not betray him." he said, drawing two Pokéballs. "Now…my name is Eldes. The man outside, Ardos, happened to be my older brother."
"Brother? Then that would make the two of you… Oh, now things are starting to make sense." David said.
"What's going on here?" Frosta asked.
"The two of them are brothers and are high up. Meaning, they aren't just bodyguards to the grandmaster…they're his children." Jexi explained.
"Then you know why I won't leave and why I won't let you all pass." Eldes said. "Honestly, it pains me to have to battle any of you, but I have little choice in this matter."
"There's always a choice." Ace said.
"Ace is right, you know. Sure, he's your dad, but… Does that really mean you have to follow in his footsteps?" David asked. "I should know. People say that when he was my age…my dad was a bit of a jerk too."
"And then there is my dad too. All his life, all he cared about was fighting. Even more than he did his own family." Jexi said.
"What we are trying to say is that it's not too late to turn your life around. You can still stop this." David said.
"I wish I could. If I am to face you, it would be as enemies, not in the traditional sense." Eldes said.
"You know, you still could." David said.
"What do you mean?" Eldes asked.
"I mean, your position in Cipher is just a formality in the end, right? That shouldn't be what matters during a battle." David said. "Titles that only serve for the sake of validation are only going to hold you back. We have to think of ourselves as people first. And I'm going to prove this to you, right here, right now."
"You intend to face me, knowing what you may stand against?" Eldes asked.
"I know you are different from the others. You do not condone Cipher's actions, and you only seek a fair challenge. And I wish to give it to you." David said.
"What? You want to do that for me? Why? You have no reason to do such a thing." Eldes said.
"That's true. But there's one thing you should know about David." Hope said. "Reason to or not… he knows when he needs to step in and help someone in need. Thats why he's battling you, without any purpose behind it."
"And just like Mark with Ardos, I'm gonna make things interesting. Ten on ten, Triple Battle." David said.
"A Triple Battle? That is a very complex battle structure. Are you certain you can handle it?" Eldes asked.
"Seriously? Have you met David before?" Catra asked.
"Hm. I suppose that neuters my question. You are Champion Rank, conquering Hoenn with your trusted partner." Eldes said. "Very well, I shall accept your challenge. Show me the strength of the bonds you share with your Pokemon."
(Cue: For the Sake of Mutual Proof- Tales of Xillia 2)
Cipher Admin, the Red Guard - Eldes
"Prepare yourself, David Ishihara! Ninjask, Manectric, Obstagoon!" Eldes said as he called out his first three pokemon, the latter two being Shafowfied.
"Let's do this!" David said as he sent out Dustox, Mightyena and Swampert. "Let's start this right. Magneton, Mud Shot on Manectric, Mightyena, Fire Fang on Ninjask, and Dustox, Bug Buzz on Obstagoon!"
All three pokemon attacked, each one landing a super effective hit.
"I can see I can't take you lightly, in that case…!" Eldes said, bringing out a keystone. "The only way to stand on level with you, is if I match your power!"
Without hesitation, he mega evolved his Shadow Manetric into a Mega Shadow Manetric.
"Ninjask, Silver Wind on Mightyena, Manetric, use Shadow End, and Obstagoon, use Shadow Blitz!" Eldes commanded as his team struck back, Mega Manetric suffering recoil from Shadow End.
"That was brutal. And I can only use one Pokéball at a time." David said. "I'll need to go for the Obstagoon first. Swampert, Muddy Water, Dustox, use Infestation, and Mightyena, use another Fire Fang on Ninjask!" he called out.
Mightyena got Ninjask with another hit, while Swampert and Dustox attacked Manetric and Obstagoon. Infestation prevented Obstagoon from switching out as Swampert brought out a surge of brown water that hit all of Eldes' Pokemon, taking out Ninjask, weakening Obstagoon, and Manectric still holding on.
"Here's number one!" David said as he threw a Pokeball at Obstagoon. The snag was successful as David caught one of Eldes' pokemon.
"Very good, but can you handle this?" Eldes said, quickly replacing his lost Obstagoon with Flygon.
"I think so. Swampert, Ice Beam!" David said. Immediately, Swampert attacked Flygon with the ice type move, capitalizing on Flygons quad weakness to ice.
"Not surprised you'd capitalize on it. Impressive." Eldes said as he sent out Swanna in place of Ninjask, non-Shadowfied. "Swanna, Air Slash on Dustox, Manectric, Shadow End on Swampert, Flygon, Double-Edge on Mightyena!"
"Nice try!" David said as he threw a Pokeball at Manectric, which ended up being a successful snag. "Alright, that's number two!"
"Impressive. He caught on to my strategy of recoiling Manectric so that he wouldn't snag it." Eldes said.
"Why put Manectric through that, anyway? Don't you know that kind of recoil could seriously hurt or even kill it?" David asked as he returned Dustox and Mightyena upon them being defeated.
"Can't blame me…for trying to keep up with someone like you!" Eldes said as he replaced his now snagged Manectric with a Shadow Golisopod.
"Well… This is going to be a problem." David said.
"Indeed it will. I am certain you are aware of Golisopod's ability by this point." Eldes said. "If its health reaches a certain threshold, it will automatically switch out."
"Yeah, I know that. Which is why I'll need to be very careful about how I approach this. This is probably a bad idea, but…" David said as he sent out Seviper and Zangoose to take Dustox and Mightyena's places.
"I hope David knows what he's doing. Those two don't exactly get along all that well." Sectonia said. "But if experience is anything to go by, it's probably nothing to worry about."
"Seviper, Poison Fang on Golisopod, Zangoose, Metal Claw on Swanna, and Swampert, belt another Ice Beam on Flygon!" David said.
After giving each other a glance not to get in each other's way, Zangoose and Seviper moved in on their targets. Swampert took down Flygon with another shot of Ice Beam, while the other two attacked their targets. Golisopod ended up getting poisoned by Seviper's attack.
"Alright, got it. Let's let it simmer for a bit. I'll snag it when ready." David said.
"Unfortunately, I won't be giving you the chance." Eldes said as he sent out a Crobat. "Golisopod, use Shadow Wave, Crobat, use Cross Poison on Zangoose, and Swanna, use Water Pulse on Seviper!"
The three Pokémon retaliated and dealt damage to David's team right back.
"Yikes. That was rough. Seviper, Zangoose… You two are gonna have to double-team that Crobat. Iron Tail and Zen Headbutt! Swampert, use Rock Tomb on Swanna!" David said.
While Seviper and Zangoose attacked Crobat, Swampert capitalized on Swanna's weakness to rock type attacks, effectively damaging it.
"Okay, now's my chance. Please let this hit." David said as he threw a Great Ball at Golisopod. He managed to snag it, and its HP wasn't low enough that Emergency Exit Activated. "Yep, got him!"
"Quite impressive. It was a risk, but you still managed it. But now that you whittled down half of my team already, it's time I start taking this seriously!" Eldes said as he sent out a Hisuian Zoroark.
"He has a Hisuian Zoroark…" Perfuma said.
"He has been using a lot of Pokémon he wouldn't normally use, I'm seeing." Jude said.
"And this one's gonna be the toughest one of the bunch." Scorpia said.
"Use Bitter Malice on Swampert!" Eldes commanded. The attack was enough to finally bring Swampert down.
"Return, Swampert. You did really good." David said as he returned Swampert. "Alright then… Go, Metang!" he said as he sent out Metang. "Metang, use Psychic on Crobat, Seviper, use Crunch on Zoroark, and Zangoose, use Rock Slide!" the three attacks connected with their targets, taking out Swanna and Crobat.
"Hmm… Down to my last three. And you still have seven Pokémon left. You really are as strong as given credit for. I am impressed." Eldes said.
(Song fade)
"Of course. After all, the pursuit of strength for the sake of it leads nowhere. A lesson that if Greevil learned, he wouldn't have gone as far as he did." David said.
"I too have sought strength. But even as I fight you, I have yet to know what true strength is, or what it means to be strong… But… I can feel the pureness of your heart as I see how your Pokemon fight. Even Seviper and Zangoose, who are known to be bitter enemies, have shown to be able to cooperate under your command." Eldes said. "Hm… Maybe you… Maybe…you might even be able to purify…XD001."
"Purify it? You're sure I can do it?" David asked.
"There is only one way to truly ascertain it. As you know, I am down to my last two Pokemon. And if you can probably tell, one of them is a Shadow Pokemon." Eldes said. "Are you ready to face it?"
"If I wasn't, I wouldn't even be here." David said.
"A fine answer. Now, get ready…" Eldes said.
(Shift- The True Mirror (Orchestral Version)- Katen Baitos Origins)
"Because I'm no longer going to hold anything back!" Eldes said as he sent out Kingambit and a Shadow Cryogonal. "Cryogonal… Shadow Chill on Zangoose! Zoroark, Shadow Claw on Metang, Kingambit, Retaliate on Seviper!"
Cryogonal then unleashed a chilling wind on Zangoose as it was pelted with dark icicles while Zoroark slashed at Metang as Kingambit swung its sword down on Seviper.
"Yikes, that was a nasty blow. And thanks to this extension rule, Kingambit got a massive power boost. Eldes was saving Kingambit for this." Shun'ei said. "Seviper even went down in one hit, because Retaliate has an additional boost if used after an ally is defeated."
"Supreme Overlord was powerful enough if only 5 pokemon fell before Kingambit, but 7? David needs to be careful." Meitenkun said.
"And if he goes for the others first, Kingambit's boost is only gonna go higher. Come on, Dave. You gotta find a way out of this…!" Genis said.
"Wait a minute… I think something is happening to Metang." Miu said.
Just as Miu said, Metang started to glow until it was soon much larger, standing on four legs until it reached a form that some of them knew all too well.
"Yes! David's Metang evolved into Metagross at last!" Frosta said.
"Hey there… Metagross. Sorry it took so long to get you there. You know how hectic things get." David said. "Not sure if I can handle you as well as Steven did, but… I've been wanting to use Mega Evolution with you for a while now. You think you're ready for it?"
Metagross nodded, already having Metagrossite embedded in its forehead.
"Alright then… Here we go!" David said as he pressed on his Mega Ring. "The bonds we forge… Shall be the light that pierces the darkness…into the future! Beyond Evolution! Mega Evolve!"
Metagross soon shined into a bright light until it emerged into its Mega form.
"Hmmm…now it's a battle!" Eldes said. "Kingambit, use Kowtow Cleave on Metagross! Cryogonal, another Shadow Chill! Zoroark, use Bitter Malice!"
"Not so fast. Someone else wants to join the party." David said. "Incineroar, Fire Punch on Kingambit!" he said as he tossed Incineroar's Pokéball. As soon as it opened, Incineroar's fist coated in flames as it socks Kingambit right in the face. "Now to deal with the other two. Metagross, Bullet Punch on Cryogonal! Zangoose, Night Slash on Zoroark!"
"Don't let up!" Eldes called out as both sides collided with one another.
(end song)
However, in the end…the victor was obvious as Cryogonal was snagged as Eldes's remaining Pokemon were defeated.
"Looks like I have lost this match." Eldes said. "But… I do not feel bitter about this. In fact… This was the most fun I have had in a long time."
"Good. At the end of everything… thats what experiences with Pokémon should be like." David said.
"You are powerful, boy. The grandmaster is waiting on the top in the observation room. You all should be on your guard…he is not going to go down easy." Eldes said as he walked off.
"Is everyone ready?" Adora askes as they looked ahead past Eldes.
"As soon as my Pokémon are healed up, I will be." David said.
"You're gonna need to because the final battle awaits us at the top." Leia said.
"I'm gonna go on ahead." Aria said. "I'll take care of XD001 before you guys even get up there."
"Aria…are you sure? Don't let…" Jexi said.
"Don't worry…I know what I'm doing." Aria said with a small smile as she got on the lift.
"Is she going to be okay?" Noel asked.
"She's a badass hoverbiker who turned into a really strong trainer." DW typed. "She'll be fine."
"Dark Water's right. I think Aria can handle this." Hope said. "Besides, its her mission to finally put all this Shadow pokemon stuff behind her."
"Hey, isn't it sorta weird how we did most of the work on this whole adventure, but Aria's the one who gets to fight the final boss?" Nora piped in.
"It's what she has to do, Nora." Lie Ren said. "It's her mission. And although she wouldn't admit it to us… I'm sure she appreciates our help getting her here."
"Yup. though she wouldn't admit it herself." Sonata said. "You've got this, Aria."
And so, Aria Blaze ascended towards the Observation tower, preparing for the most important battle of her life. The battle to finally defeat Cipher for good.