Cole:
As the Earth ninja laid helpless on the ground, it was obvious by his cuts, bruises, and somewhat torn gi that he wasn't doing well. He tried to stand up numerous times, but each time he stood on his hands and knees, he would feel another blow to the head or back that would keep him down. The shadow versions of the Ninja morphed into Shadow Lizarians that would take turns in keeping Cole on the ground. Shadow Darkness watched in amusement and patience, as Cole was still trying to fight back, but would once again be smacked to the ground.
Finally, Shadow Darkness noticed that Cole was no longer trying to get up, but he stood looking at his hands in sorrow. Shadow Darkness dismissed the Shadow Lizarians, as they returned to the shadows around them.
"So Earth Ninja... how does it feel to be weak? Not very good huh?" Shadow Darkness said in an almost whisper, as he stood floating in front of Cole with his hands behind his back.
"You've finally given up haven't you? You can't fight any longer. How sad really... but I'm sure that if you were on my side, that you wouldn't have lost at all," Shadow Darkness said with a sly smile, as Cole tilted his head up to look at him.
Then Shadow Darkness extended his hand towards Cole and said, "Join me boy. Let me teach you how to truly be strong. Let me give you the strength to fight and win! I can give you all that you desire and more..."
Shadow Darkness smirked and added, "Especially for you and Princess Christa too. You'll never have to worry about her being in danger. You'll have all the power you'll need."
Cole looked down for a moment to think about it, and then he looked back up at Shadow Darkness and asked,
"Will you really give me the power... to do that?"
Shadow Darkness nodded and said, "Yes, I will. You've seen my power. I have more than enough to offer."
Cole looked at Shadow Darkness, and then he looked at his hands. He placed his hands on the ground, as he slowly started lifting himself up. He was able to get from his knees to his feet, as he held onto his right arm with his left hand, and he kept his legs slightly bent and apart to keep his balance.
'He'll give me the power... he'll give me the strength...' Cole thought, as he reached forward with his left hand towards Shadow Darkness' hand...
Christa:
"I do feel bad for you princess. Your really having a hard time," Shadow Darkness said, as he saw Christa being beaten by her shadow self.
Christa was taking direct blows by Shadow Christa, and she could barely defend or attack without being deflected or slapped back. She had bruises all over, and little bits of red liquid would fall from her mouth or from a small cut on the side of her forehead. Christa was having a hard time standing up, but Shadow Christa wasn't helping when she would grab her and fling her away.
As Christa was once again thrown to the ground, Shadow Darkness stood nearby, as he waved his hand for Shadow Christa to stop, which she did.
"Dear princess, your not looking so good. Your being so easily beaten by yourself," Shadow Darkness said in a fake sympathetic voice, as Christa stood on her knees and breathed heavily.
"You know, it would be so much easier if you were to follow me though. You wouldn't have to fight this dark side since you would basically be on the same side," Shadow Darkness said, as Christa looked up at him and responded,
"I am... not of darkness... or evil. I would never agree to that... especially not to help YOU!"
Shadow Darkness snickered and said, "But you'll be able to save your friends if you do. Even your sister."
Christa's eyes widened and she asked, "What? My sister? What has happened to her? What has happened to the others?"
Shadow Darkness looked away to think, and then he replied, "They are just being tormented for their folly. Similar to you right now. But it looks as though their stubbornness is going to destroy them. It's too bad. I'm sure you could save them if you were to join me. Then you wouldn't be the only one, standing alone, when this is over."
Christa gasped in shock, as she held her hand to her mouth.
"You need to make a decision Christa. Quickly! I can hear their dying breaths right now," Shadow Darkness said, as he held his hand near his ear.
Christa took a moment to think about what Shadow Darkness said, and tears started to form around her eyes.
'No... No... I can't let them suffer... no...' Christa thought, as she looked up at Shadow Darkness and said,
"Will you please leave them be if I join you?"
Shadow Darkness reached his hand towards Christa, with a smirk, and replied, "I will."
Christa looked down for a moment, and then she looked up at Shadow Darkness, as she slowly reached up for his hand.
"Christa!"
Christa's hand froze in place when she heard her name being called. Shadow Darkness noticed this sudden halt, as he looked towards Shadow Christa to see if she was doing something, which she wasn't, and even she was confused.
"Christa! C n yo he r me!"
The voice called out again, as Christa slowly moved her hand towards her ear to heighten her sensitivity so that she could hear who was calling her better.
"You need to get out of the shadow bubble! It's a trap set by Darkness! It's a lie! Flare and Kai got out of it, and you need to too! I'm not they're yet, but I hope you can hear me!"
Christa recognized that the voice belonged to Lucy, and she could hear that Lucy was indeed not too far from where she was. Then Christa heard another voice that was closer saying,
"I can give you all that you desire and more... Especially for you and Princess Christa too. You'll never have to worry about her being in danger. You'll have all the power you'll need."
Then Christa's eyes widened when she heard Cole's voice say,
"Will you really give me the power... to do that?"
'No... Cole don't!' Christa thought, and then she heard the other voice that she recognized as Shadow Darkness' voice say,
"Yes, I will. You've seen my power. I have more than enough to offer."
'NO! Cole! You can't go with him! He's... He's lying to us!' Christa thought, as she started to stand up.
"What are you doing?" Shadow Darkness asked Christa, and then his eyes widened when he saw that her expression was full of irritation, determination, and strength.
"I will NOT follow you! And I will NOT let you take him! You've been trying to deceive us into following you by making us think that we're weak! You offer us strength, and even the power to change our situations... but we don't need YOU! We have the power to shape our own destinies AND to fight!" Christa said, as her Platinum Gauntlets began to glow brightly in a yellow hue, and the ground trembled from the sound waves they were releasing.
"You've got it all wro-" Shadow Darkness tried to say, but Christa cut him off and said, in a bellowing voice,
"NO! YOUR THE ONE WHO HAS GOT IT ALL WRONG! AND IT'S TIME TO END IT NOW!"
Shadow Darkness looked towards Shadow Christa, and she started running towards Christa. However, when Shadow Christa was about to punch her, Christa caught her fist with ease, as her eyes started to glow yellow. Shadow Christa looked at her in shock and some fear, as Christa looked at her with a fierceness that could kill if it was a weapon.
"Get down!" Christa commanded her shadow, as Shadow Christa began sinking into the ground.
"What?! NO!" Shadow Darkness said in surprise.
Then Christa turned towards where she heard Cole's voice and shouted, with a sound-enhanced echo,
"COLE! NO!"
Cole:
Right before Cole's hand could grab Shadow Darkness' hand, he felt the ground around him begin to tremble. Cole pulled his hand back, as he looked around the ground. Then he heard a voice that sounded like Christa's screaming out at someone.
"What on Earth is that?" Cole asked to no one in particular.
Shadow Darkness' eyes widened a bit, and then he quickly stood before Cole and said,
"Well, there's no need to wonder about that right now. I mean, you already decided to follow me right?"
Cole took a moment to think about that, but then he jumped when he heard Christa's voice, loud and as clear as a crisp spring morning call out,
"COLE! NO!"
Cole heard Christa's voice echoing all around him, which made him realize that everything he saw before was indeed a lie. He felt some strength return to him, as he started walking towards where he heard her voice coming from.
"No! What are you doing Cole? You were suppose to follow me so that I can give you strength!" Shadow Darkness said with some irritation in his voice.
"I don't need you to give me strength Darkness! I can walk on my own, like I am now. I don't need you!" Cole yelled back, as he continued walking towards where Christa's voice came from.
"No! NO! You can't stand on your own for long! You'll need help one way or another!" Shadow Darkness said.
"Your right. I can't stand on my own for long... that's why I have my friends to help me out. They're what keeps me going... what gives me strength to fight for what's right and to fight against you!" Cole said, as he kept walking forward, and he was able to stand up straighter and not struggle as much to walk.
"You fool," Shadow Darkness said, with some venom in his voice.
Cole stopped walking for that moment, and then he brought out his Platinum Scythe, as he turned around and stroke the ground with it. The ground began to quake under Shadow Darkness as Earth spikes rose up and hit him.
"AH! You-RAH!" Shadow Darkness yelled out, as he faded away.
Then the shadow bubble started to fade away as well, while Cole watched it disintegrate before him.
"Strong enough for you Darkness?" Cole said with a smirk, and then he turned around.
His eyes widened when he saw another shadow bubble in front of him.
"Christa!" Cole called out, as he started running towards the shadow bubble.
"YOU WON'T WIN!" Christa's voice boomed from within the shadow bubble, as Cole stopped in his tracks.
"RAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" Christa's voice was roaring out from within the shadow bubble with such power, that the shadow bubble started to rupture and tear apart from the powerful sound waves.
Cole was covering his ears, as he watched in pure surprise, as the shadow bubble was destroyed and Christa stood in the center with her mouth open and sound waves dispersing from it in a circular array of colors.
After a moment, Christa closed her mouth, as the sound slowly ceased. She looked around and saw that the shadow bubble was gone, which made her raise her arms in triumph. Then she remembered that Cole needed help, but when she looked towards where Cole was, her eyes widened in surprise to see that he was out of it. Cole removed his hands from his ears, as he looked at Christa with her same expression.
Then Christa began to smile, as did Cole, and they both ran towards one another.
"Your okay!" Christa said in relief and happiness.
"You are too!" Cole said in happiness and thankfulness.
When they were in close range, they embraced in a soft hug since they were both injured.
"I'm so glad your alright Cole. You made it out," Christa said, while still hugging him.
"I wouldn't have made it without you," Cole said, while still hugging Christa.
"It was Lucy's voice I heard call out to me first," Christa said.
Then Christa and Cole broke the hug, and Cole asked,
"Well, where is Lucy?"
"I don't know. She said that she was coming when I last heard her," Christa replied.
-SCREECH-
Cole and Christa turned towards the sudden screeching sound, when they both gasped as they saw a group of Lizarians coming towards them.
"Oh gosh," Christa said, as she readied her Platinum gauntlets, while Cole readied his Platinum Scythe.
"YAAAH!" A familiar voice yelled out, as a vehicle side-swept the group of Lizarians away and on the ground.
"Lucy?" Cole asked, when he noticed the driver of the vehicle.
"Hey guys! Sorry if I'm late, but thank goodness you two are alright!" Lucy said with a big smile, as she waved towards Cole and Christa from atop of her vehicle.
"Woah! That's an awesome ride!" Christa said, admiring Lucy's new vehicle.
"It is right? I finally unlocked my Full Potential and finally figured out how to summon a vehicle," Lucy said.
"Cool," Cole said.
"That's great," Christa added.
"Oh! Wait a minute! Guys you have to get out of here. The machines were rigged from the start by Darkness. You have to find the others and get out of here before it's too late," Lucy said.
"Where are the others?" Cole asked.
"I think some of the other shadow bubbles are over there, but I'm not sure," Lucy said, as she pointed towards a certain direction.
"Let me listen. Maybe I can hear where they are," Christa said, as she closed her eyes and held her hands to her ears to listen.
She heard numerous sounds and voices, and then she listened more carefully to hear where the other Ninja were. She started to hear familiar voices, and then she recognized who they were.
"-Gasp- Auria! She needs help! And Zane!" Christa said in concern, as Cole's eyes widened and he said,
"Then let's go help them."
Then Christa heard another voice screaming out, and she gasped again as she looked up towards the sky and said,
"I hear Raven! She needs help!"
Cole gasped, as well as Lucy. Then Lucy revved up her engine, as she said, with a serious expression,
"I'll go for Raven. You guys help Auria and Zane, and whoever you find on your way."
"I heard Raven from over there,' Christa said, as she pointed towards where a dark tower was that wasn't close, but it wasn't that far from them either.
"I got it!" Lucy said, as she immediately drove in that direction.
"Let's go," Christa said to Cole, as he nodded.
Then Cole and Christa summoned their vehicles, as they drove towards where Christa heard Zane and Auria in distress.