Dimensions of Darkness Book 2: The Explorers of the Core

[AstralEon]

Wow, what a dark conversation between Grovyle and Sceptile. Very nice. Was there a story written up already about them two that I missed? Or is that a secret thing that will be further revealed later in the future?

Mew's epic attack was awesome by the way.

[GalladeRocks]

Grovyle and Sceptile do have a secret past which I have yet to fully reveal. It will probably be quite awhile before I reveal anything else about it other than that Sceptile actually saved Grovyle once in the past.

And personally, I'm very proud of Mew's attack. I didn't want her to be some damsel in distress like Celebi is occasionally, so I decided to go the whole path of "Mew can use every TM, HM, and Move Tutor attack there is, so you'd better watch your tail if you pick a fight with her".

[GalladeRocks]

Alas, I have come to somewhat of an impass. I don't believe that I will be able to completely finish the fic on Monday. However, there are only two things which should have to wait until Tuesday and Wednesday: The epilogue, and a bonus chapter revolving around Piplup and the Gang in a cherished scenario which I'd nearly given up on.

Here's the next chapter!


Chapter 27
The War of the Core

"The time has come."

Bastiodon and Rampardos paced back and forth in their room at the top of the capitol. Rayquaza had vanished from his perch at the top, apparently off for a flight somewhere in the distant caverns.

"We have yet to recieve word from Sceptile and the hunters," Bastiodon said. "That can only mean one thing."

Rampardos nodded. "The top-soilers defeated them."

"So we can only assume they are heading this way," Bastiodon continued.

"The fugitives will likely be with them," Rampardos stated. "But overall, their numbers are few. There are probably only seven or eight of them, maybe ten or eleven at the most."

Bastiodon nodded. "So we must pull out all the stops. Is the Army readied?"

"They are ready to march," Rampardos assured. "All 500 of our expendable Cranidos and Shieldon soldiers are prepared to charge into battle. They may not have experience, but they have numbers. If anything, our enemies will be crushed by the sheer mass of unconscious bodies."

"You don't seem to have much hope in our soldiers," Bastiodon frowned.

"They have practically no training," Rampardos pointed out. "There hasn't been a battle involving the Core since the reign of Giratina. These aren't soldiers."

Bastiodon shrugged. "Well, no matter what, they're all we've got. We just have to go with it, I suppose."

"Yes," Rampardos agreed. He strode over to the window and looked out to the streets far below. The entire army was amassed, ready for battle.

"Now," Bastiodon declared, turning to the door. "We go to war."

*****

"This looks bad," Lucario gulped.

The eight heroes stood in a dark tunnel. Just ahead of them was a sharp turn where the tunnel twisted out of sight; that was the entrance to the city. The group was waiting here, deciding on a battle plan and time to strike.

"What's wrong?" Chimchar asked.

Lucario turned to Piplup. "Use your Aura Sight through the wall."

"Okay," Piplup nodded. After a moment of concentration, his eyes glowed silver and he turned to face the direction in which the city lay. He gasped. "Oh, that is not good."

"What is it? WHAT IS IT?" Chimchar shrieked, chewing his nails like a Bidoof chews wood.

"Auras," Piplup replied. "Hundreds of auras. There's an entire army lying in wait for us."

No.88 snorted. "Well, duh. There isn't an army down here for nothing. We're part of an elite unit of highly trained soldiers. Our army won't just let you take down Rampardos and Bastiodon without a fight." He frowned and looked thoughtful. "Why did we join you guys anyway? Now we're traitors, seperated from our kind. We can't rejoin the army after treason like this."

"We're outcasts!" No.89 wailed.

"Will you two just shut up?" Piplup growled. "We didn't let you come along with us just so you could be annoying."

No.89 held up a business card. It read No.88 and 89's Traveling Services: Annoying Our Companions Since 2009. It also had a picture of the two soldiers with wide toothy grins. "Well, it's in our job description."

"Okay, I've got our plan," Dusknoir declared.

"That was fast," Mew said. "It'd better be good."

"This is Dusknoir we're talking about," Grovyle assured. "If it's not good, it's at least entertaining."

Dusknoir made sure he had the whole group's attention. "Okay, here's the plan. We charge into the city, screaming like maniacs. We charge head on into the army and kick their butts."

All was silent. A lone Kricketot walked down the tunnel, chirping loudly.

"Now why didn't I think of that?" Mew pondered. "Oh, because it's suicide!"

"She's right," Lucario agreed. "There's absolutely no strategy involved in that whatsoever."

"It's a crazy, stupid idea," Grovyle nodded. "Just crazy and stupid enough to work."

"Great, now Grovyle's lost it," Chimchar grumbled. "The caves have finally gotten to him."

"He must have tunnel vision," Piplup said.

Grovyle grinned, but continued speaking. "No, think about it. We're fighting against an army of those guys." He pointed at 88 and 89.

The effect was immediate. "Oh!" Piplup, Chimchar, Lucario, and Mew all gasped simultaneously.

"I have the feeling that we should be insulted," 88 frowned.

"We're fighting an army of chowderheads," Dusknoir continued with his plan. "So it's not like they're going to be threatening."

"What the heck," Piplup beamed. "I'm in!"

"Me too!" Chimchar agreed.

"Me three!" Lucario and Mew exclaimed simultaneously.

"And me makes ten!" 89 whooped.

No.88 glared at his partner. "I'm still insulted."

"LET'S DO THIS THING!" Dusknoir screamed.

"YEAH!" Piplup howled.

"BONSAI!" Chimchar whooped.

"LOUD NOISES!" 89 cried.

And with that, they charged forward, rounded the bend, and were in the city.

The four overworld Pokemon had to take a moment to appreciate the glory of the city of the Core. The giant stone buildings were magnificent, even in their current state of disrepair. Rayquaza's assault on the city had definetly left its mark, but it was still a glorious sight.

Then, the moment of appreciation was over, and they charged once again.

Bastiodon and Rampardos stood atop a stone podium at the head of the army. As soon as their targets appeared, they gave the order.

"ATTACK!"

And the battle began.

The swarm of Cranidos and Shieldon charged as one to meet the oncoming approach of Piplup and his companions. However meager a fighting force it may be, it still deserved no mercy in the eyes of the soldiers.

The front ranks never reached their targets. The combined force of Hydro Pump, Flamethrower, Energy Ball, Shadow Ball, Aura Sphere, Psychic, Flash Cannon, and Dragon Pulse hit them at once, sending them reeling. "Keep firing!" Lucario ordered.

The second ranks met the same fate as the first, as did the third, and the fourth, and the fifth, and the sixth. But with every rank that fell, the rest crept closer and closer. Finally, they reached their target.

One second, Piplup and his crew was all together. The next, they had been seperated by the sudden onslaught of soldiers. Battering them in every direction, the Cranidos and Shieldon drove them apart and swarmed around them, completely surrounding them. But, of course, that wasn't enough to hold them down.

Grovyle and Dusknoir stood back to back, swiping out as wave after wave of soldiers came at them. "Just like old times, eh buddy?" Dusknoir grunted, sending a trio of Shieldon flying with a single Fire Punch.

"Just like old times," Grovyle agreed as he hacked away with Leaf Blade. "But we can't stay seperated like this for long. They'll wear us down eventually, so we need to stay united."

"Oh, fine, if you insist," Dusknoir sighed. He and Grovyle launched off a barrage of Shadow Balls and Energy Balls, quickly cutting a path towards the barely visible figures of Lucario and Mew.

The two of them were simultaneously cutting a path back towards Grovyle and Dusknoir. Lucario's aura flared brightly around him as he launched off Aura Sphere after Aura Sphere, blasting huge holes in the swarm of soldiers. "Bring it on, maggots, bring it on!" Lucario howled savagely.

"Calm down, Lucario!" Mew snapped. "And besides, this is how you crush an army." The energy orbs circling her began to glow and the soldiers around her were immediately blasted away by Flamethrower, Aura Sphere, Water Pulse, Solarbeam, and Earth Power. She turned to Lucario and smiled wildly.

Lucario glared back at her. "Show off."

"On your tail, Twinkle-Toes!"

Lucario and Mew both spun around to see Grovyle and Dusknoir blast away almost a dozen soldiers who had somehow managed to sneak up behind them. "You're welcome!" Dusknoir called.

Meanwhile, Piplup and Chimchar were facing down a party of almost fifty Shieldon. "Any plans?" Chimchar asked his partner.

"Alpha-G8?" Piplup asked.

Chimchar nodded in agreement. "Excellent choice."

Piplup moved first. He leapt into the air and rocketed forward, spinning rapidly as he gained momentum for his Drill Peck. Behind him, Chimchar let loose his Flamethrower...directly at Piplup. The oncomng Shieldon gasped at the sight of Chimchar attacking his own ally.

So they didn't have the slightest moment to react as the flaming missile Drill Peck crashed into them, sending them flying in every direction.

"Ingenius!" Chimchar applauded.

Piplup turned around and was about to give a bow, when suddenly, he saw another Shieldon appear behind Chimchar, with a Cranidos at its side. "Look out!" He quickly let loose his Hydro Pump, which missed Chimchar's head by mere inches. It crashed into the two soldiers, slamming them to the ground.

"What was that for?"

"Oops," Piplup frowned, hurrying to Chimchar's side. "88? 89? Is that you?"

The Cranidos rose to his feet, pulling the Shieldon up with him. "No, we're just casually asking our enemies why they're attacking us."

"Sorry," Piplup apologized. "We really need a way to distinguish you from the other soldiers."

"That may not be necessary before long."

The four turned around to see Grovyle, Dusknoir, Lucario, and Mew gathered behind them. Before Piplup could say a word, Grovyle pointed a single finger forward. Piplup turned around.

The entire army had amassed before them. The soldiers which they had just fought off had apparently been merely a dispatchment of soldiers from the actual battalion. Rampardos and Bastiodon were still visible standing atop their podium, and their wicked smiles were visible even from a great distance.

"You have fought valiantly!" Bastiodon cried. "But even you know that there is no way you can defeat 300 soldiers at once!"

"We will give you two options!" Rampardos declared. "Your first option is to fight, and be killed."

Piplup and Chimchar looked at each other and gulped. "I don't like that one," Chimchar whimpered.

"Option Two! You surrender, and we still kill you, but you don't have to waste precious time and energy fighting."

"That one's not much better," Piplup grimaced.

"Answer now!" Bastiodon roared. "What option do you choose?"

"Option Three: They kick your sorry butts!"

Piplup, Chimchar, Grovyle, Dusknoir, Lucario, Mew, 88, 89, Bastiodon, Rampardos, and every single Shieldon and Cranidos soldier all looked up at once. They could all just make out a large group of blurry figures on the roof of a nearby structure.

"That voice!" Dusknoir gasped.

"It can't be!" Chimchar gasped.

"But it must be!" Grovyle gasped.

"But it is!" Piplup gasped.

The lead figure stepped out of the shadows, revealing himself to those below. "Friendly friends!"

"Wigglytuff!" Dusknoir, Chimchar, Grovyle, and Piplup gasped.

"Can we quit all this gasping?" 89 gasped. "I can't catch my breath!"

With a sudden rumble, Diglett and Dugtrio appeared directly in front of Piplup and Chimchar. "Yikes!" Chimchar yelped.

"Hi Chimchar!" Diglett said. "Hi Piplup!"

"Um, hi Diglett," Piplup stuttered. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Apparently," Dugtrio spoke. "We're saving your behinds from certain destruction."

Piplup shrugged. "Fair enough. We're happy to have the help."

Wigglytuff, Loudred, Corphish, Sunflora, Chimecho, Croagunk, and Bidoof leapt down from the building where they were perched, landing just in front of Diglett and Dugtrio.

"Hey hey hey!" Corphish greeted. "Long time no see!"

"Eek! I really wish we were meeting under better circumstances," Sunflora squeaked.

"Pah!" Croagunk scoffed. "I like these circumstances. A battlefield reunion is more dramatic."

"I AGREE!" Loudred whooped. "LET'S GET THIS DONE!"

"We've got your backs, Piplup and Chimchar!" Chimecho assured. "And you too, Grovyle and Dusknoir!" She paused. "And you too, other Pokemon who we don't know!"

"Gosh, golly, gulp!" Bidoof babbled. "There's a lot of those guys to fight!"

Piplup smiled widely. "It's good to have you guys here to back us up!"

"It's good to be here to back you up!" Wigglytuff beamed. "I spent too much time doing nothing, when I should have been doing something! Like helping you, or eating Perfect Apples, or exploring, or eating Perfect Apples, or eating Perfect Apples-"

"Come on, Guildmaster, we've got to act now!" Piplup sighed. "If we attack together, we may just be able to finish it in one shot."

"You heard the 'mon!" Wigglytuff bellowed. "Fire!"

One by one, the attacks flew. Piplup's Hydro Pump, Chimchar's Flamethrower, Grovyle's Energy Ball, Dusknoir's Shadow Ball, Lucario's Aura Sphere, Mew's Water Pulse, 88's Flash Cannon, 89's Dragon Pulse, Bidoof's Hidden Power, Chimecho's Psychic, Corphish's Bubblebeam, Diglett's Earthquake, Loudred's Screech, Sunflora's Razor Leaf, Croagunk's Sludge Bomb, Dugtrio's Tri Attack, and Wigglytuff's Hyper Voice all launched together, combining into a single wave of white energy.

Bastiodon and Rampardos looked at each other. "Oh crap." They dove off of the podium and into the ranks of the soldiers. They burrowed deep within, using their own soldiers as cover. "Protect your leaders!"

Then, the wave hit.

The soldiers were scattered and thrown about like rag dolls. Cranidos and Shieldon flew in every direction, bouncing off of buildings and skidding across the dirt. Rampardos and Bastiodon were both sent bouncing, but they somehow managed to stay conscious. They slowly rose to their feet to see a horrible sight: their entire army lay unconscious before them. The two governors took one look at Piplup and the others and immediately turned around and began to run away. They didn't make it far before two Aura Spheres crashed into them; one silver and one blue. They fell where they stood, slamming hard into the stony earth.

Piplup and Lucario began walking towards the fallen commanders when something caught their eye. The shadows around them began to writhe and flit about wildly. "Something's wrong," Piplup frowned. "These shadows are reacting to something."

"More than that, my suspicions are confirmed," Lucario cut in. "The old Bastiodon and Rampardos were no cowards; they wouldn't try to flee, and they certainly wouldn't use their own soldiers as shields. Those two must have been possessed by something...something wicked. And that is what these shadows are reacting to."

"Something evil?" Piplup said. "That would be Darkrai. I don't know of any 'possessive' powers that he has, but if shadows have anything to do with it, it's Darkrai."

The two governors moaned softly and slowly sat up. "Wha-what happened?" Rampardos groaned.

"I-I have no idea," Bastiodon muttered.

"Bastiodon! Rampardos!" Lucario snapped. "Are you awake?"

"Lucario?" Bastiodon frowned. "Is that you?"

Lucario nodded. "Yes, it's me. Do you remember what just happened here?"

"I remember preparing the army for battle," Bastiodon said slowly.

Rampardos closed his eyes in thought. "Yes. There was a very strange wind blowing through the Core, and we assumed the worst. It was paranormal."

"You don't remember anything that's happened since then?" Lucario gasped. "Not even attacking us?"

"Attacking you?" Bastiodon gaped. "What in the world are you talking-"

Bastiodon was cut off by an earth-shattering roar. Chunks of rubble fell from the buildings and something enormous whizzed by in the darkness overhead.

"Oh no," Lucario gulped. "It's arrived."

"What?" Rampardos asked. "What has?"

"Who else?" Lucario growled. "Rayquaza."

And then, the serpent was upon them.


Hope you guys all like it!

[Charoshi]

Great chapter once again, GalladeRocks. One thing I noticed.

"Now," Bastiodon declared, turning to the door. "We got to war."

Is that supposed to be got, or go?

No.89 held up a business card. It read No.88 and 89's Traveling Services: Annoying Our Companions Since 2009. It also had a picture of the two soldiers with wide toothy grins. "Well, it's in our job description."

Got a good chuckle out of this part.

Grovyle grinned, but continued speaking. "No, think about it. We're fighting against an army of those guys." He pointed at 88 and 89.

The effect was immediate. "Oh!" Piplup, Chimchar, Lucario, and Mew all gasped simultaneously.

"I have the feeling that we should be insulted," 88 frowned.

BEST PART OF THE CHAPTER!! I laughed real hard at that.

So it seems Wigglytuff and the guild showed up just in time. Now lets see how the Rayquaza match goes.

[AstralEon]

Whoa. Huge battle, seriously. I can almost picture the whole battle scenery. Such chaos and devastation. o.O

Something's telling me that Darkrai will be the one fighting with Rayquaza.

Awesome chapter. Can't wait to see Rayquaza in action.

[Mi10ticFan]

What a scene! Too bad that you can't get the book to finish by Monday... But still, I love the massive amount of updates. At least try so that I can finish reading the whole trilogy by the end of this year next year will be rather busy for me

Lol'd at the business card part xD

[~Silver Aura~]

lol I gotta say this...Bug's Life For the Freaking Win!.

Anyway great chapter and a funny one too.

[scizorstrike]

Certifiably awesome. how come, in all games and fanfictions, the reiforcements arrive at exactly the right time? and where's Sceptile ended up? *mind explodes with unanswered questions*

[GalladeRocks]

Charoshi-Thanks for pointing out the mistake. It's been corrected.

scizorstrike-Because if the reinforcements didn't arrive at exactly the right time, there would be no excitement. And as for Sceptile...Don't expect to see him again any time soon. But Abomasnow and Machamp may have once more chance to make an impact in the story...


Chapter 28
The Monster Revealed

Another roar shook the cavern as Rayquaza fired off a Hyper Beam. There was a massive explosion and the bodies of unconscious soldiers were flung in every direction. Then, it turned to focus on Piplup and his party.

Lucario glared up at Rayquaza and formed an Aura Sphere between his hands. "Hello, Rudy...I mean, Rayquaza."

Rayaquaza roared in response and fired another Hyper Beam. Lucario let his Aura Sphere fly and it crashed into the Hyper Beam. They exploded violently, destroying a nearby skyscraper.

Mew turned to face the others. "Okay, here's our plan. There are still townspeople trapped somewhere in the city. We need to split into two groups."

"Okay," Grovyle agreed. "Piplup, Chimchar, Dusknoir, the Guidl, and I will remain here and help Lucario. Mew, Bastiodon, Rampardos, 88, and 89 will go search for the townsfolk."

"They'd be in the jail," Rampardos said. "But what are they doing in there?"

"I'll explain on the way," Mew assured. "But right now, we have to-"

A Hyper Beam blasted the ground in front of them, showering them with rubble. "I could use some help over here!" Lucario growled as he launched another barrage of Aura Spheres.

"Move!" Mew finished. She quickly floated away with the governors and soldiers following behind her. The fighters quickly sprang into action. Piplup joined Lucario in firing off a barrage of Aura Spheres, while the Guild and Chimchar circled around behind and began firing off their combination attack of Super-Ultra-Tri-Hyper-Sludge-Hidden-Psychic-Flame-Razor-Bubble-Bomb-Screech. Carrying Grovyle with him, Dusknoir quickly ascended to the top of one of the undamaged towers, putting themselves on an equal level with Rayquaza. Then, they unleashed a non-stop blast of Energy and Shadow Balls. With attacks raining in from all sides, Rayquaza found himself with no option of escape or attack. Enraged, he roared and struggled to free himself from the onslaught, smashing into buildings as he did so. Rocks tumbled down, sending the Guild members running for cover. Meanwhile, the building on which Grovyle and Dusknoir had positoined themselves collapsed completely, apparently catching the two in the falling rubble.

Piplup and Lucario watched the destruction in horror. "This isn't good," Lucario gulped. The Guild members hurried to join the two, and the intangible Dusknoir and Grovyle floated over from the wreckage, thankfully unharmed.

Up above, Rayquaza went into a frenzy, firing off random Hyper Beams in every direction. One exploded directly in front of Mew and her posse, only barely being deflected by her Protect. "Come on, guys, we've got to hurry."

"With the Monster in a frenzy like this, it could destroy the entire town!" Rampardos gulped.

"But first we have to find the trapped citizens," Bastiodon said. "The jail building is just up ahead. Once we get there, it should be simple to let loose the prisoners."

Mew noted the building which Bastiodon had gestured to. It was completely missing its front wall, but the inside was covered in shadows, obscuring it from view. "If the wall is down, they might have escaped on their own."

"Not likely," Rampardos shook his head. "The cells only start about half-way through the building, so the Pokemon are probably still trapped."

They hurried into the jail building just as a Hyper Beam tore open the ground behind them. 89 nearly passed out at the sight. "Over there!" Bastiodon exclaimed. There was a large stone desk, and just behind it was an iron door. Mew hurried to it and yanked on the handle. "It's locked," she announced.

"I'll take care of this," 88 declared. His head glowed white and he charged. His Iron Head struck the door and slid off, leaving not a scratch on it. 88's face smacked straight into the stone desk and he slumped to the floor, unmoving.

"Maybe I should take care of it," Bastiodon offered. He charged with his own Iron Head, aiming straight at the door.

CLANG!

The door crumpled with the impact and it collapsed inward. There were a few yelps from inside. "Everybody out!" Bastiodon roared. "Quickly! There's shelter at the capitol building!"

The Pokemon inside the cell stared at the governor as if we was insane, which as far as they were concerned, he was. "Don't worry about the drastic personality change from your last encounter with the governors!" Mew growled. "Just run!"

The prisoners needed no more coaxing. One by one, they rushed out of the room. In quick succession, there were three Aipom with hair bows, an Ambipom, a Flareon, a Venonat with a missing antennae, a dozen Burmy of varying appearances, a Ledyba, five Nincada, and a one-eyed Hitmonchan. As the Hitmonchan stepped through the door, Bastiodon eyed it carefully. "Hey, I actually remember putting you in jail." He frowned. "Didn't you rob the bank of something?"

"Uh, no?" the Hitmonchan guessed.

Rampardos shrugged. "Good enough for me. Now get to the capitol!"

As Mew and the governors rushed the citizens towards the looming capitol building, Rayquaza's violent rampage was growing worse. Hyper Beam after Hyper Beam rained down upon his attackers, sending them scattering as they looked for shelter.

Then, the presence returned.

Rayquaza only had one moment to feel the fear before the dark, overpowering shadow took control once again. All at once, he stopped moving. Piplup, Lucario, and the others below all stared up in confusion at the motionless monster. Then, before their eyes, a stunning transformation took place.

A shadow ran down Rayquaza's body, like ink running down a page. A deep blackness painted itself over his emerald green skin, and the yellow symbols along his body glowed crimson. The last thing to change was his eyes. One minute, they were empty and black; now, they shown a brilliant and icy blue. Without making a sound, Rayquaza held up his hands and a dark black sphere formed between them.

"Is that an Aura Sphere?" Lucario gasped.

Piplup shook his head. "No, not even close." He knew the attack all too well. "That is Dark Void."

Rayquaza fired down a barrage of Dark Voids. They flew in every direction, crashing down all around Piplup and Lucario. Grovyle and Dusknoir quickly ducked behind a building, and Chimchar barely escaped as the rest of the Guild was consumed by the darkness. When he turned back, all of them were lying on the ground, trapped in a deep slumber. "Wigglytuff! Bidoof! Everyone!" Chimchar yelped. He started to turn back to his friends, but another Dark Void slammed down from nowhere, barely missing him. Gulping, Chimchar hurried to join Piplup and Lucario, as did Grovyle and Dusknoir. They were also suddenly surprised to find Wigglytuff standing with them.

"Wigglytuff?" Piplup frowned. "Didn't you just get put to sleep?"

Wigglytuff grinned. "I only take power naps. There's too much fun to be had in life to waste time sleeping."

"Okay, whatever works," Piplup shrugged. "Okay, I'm convinced now. Rayquaza's been possessed by Darkrai."

"We probably should have just assumed that from the beginning," Dusknoir pointed out.

"Well, we know now, and that's all that matters," Piplup snapped. "So, we're now dealing with the sneaky, conniving mind of Darkrai, along with his sleep-and-nightmare-inducing Dark Voids, inside the massive body of Rayquaza, with the power to raze villages with single attacks."

Chimchar gulped. "Way to make it sound easy."

"So here's the plan," Piplup continued. "We continuedly bombard him with our attacks until he is unconscious, leaving Darkrai no hope for victory unless he comes out of Rayquaza."

Lucario frowned and put his arm on Piplup's shoulder. "Piplup, you know what this must come to."

Piplup shook his head vigorously. "No. I refuse to do it. Not after last time."

"You must do it," Lucario growled. "And you know it, too."

"What are you guys talking about?" Chimchar frowned.

"Just stay quiet," Grovyle ordered quietly. "This is a private affair."

Piplup turned to face Rayquaza, who was preparing another Dark Void. "Let's just go with my plan first, okay? Yours will be a last resort."

"Fine," Lucario nodded. "But if anything bad happens in the course of your plan, it's on your chest."

"I'll accept that responsiblity," Piplup said. With that, he formed the largest Aura Sphere he could muster and fired it. It met Rayquaza's Dark Void with a massive explosion. Piplup followed up with another volley of Aura Spheres, which blasted Rayquaza directly in the head. He reeled back, and before he could move, he was struck by Flamethrower, Hyper Voice, Energy Ball, Shadow Ball, and Aura Sphere. Again and again, the attacks battered him, forcing him back and leaving him no room for retaliation.

"One more shot!" Lucario roared. Once again, all of the attacks slammed into Rayquaza, knocking him backwards into one of the tall stone skyscrapers. As he hit the building, it crumbled and collapsed. Tons of rubble tumbled after Rayquaza, crashing down on top of him as he hit the earth below.

"Yes!" Piplup whooped. "I told you guys my plan would work!"

Eventually, the dust cloud settled, revealing Rayquaza's head and arms sticking out of the wreckage. The rest of his body was buried within the rubble. "He's unconscious," Grovyle announced as they closed in around the fallen dragon. The apprentices, having just awoken at the sound of the tumbling building, hurried to join their companions in standing over Rayquaza.

"He's unconscious, Piplup," Lucario urged. "Now is the time to do it."

"I already refused!" Piplup growled. "You know the risk!"

Lucario sighed. "Yes, Piplup, I am fully aware of the risk. Just as you are fully aware of the necessity."

"The necessity," Piplup repeated. He stared at his feet, lost in thought.

"Do it now, Piplup!" Lucario repeated. "Before it's too late."

Piplup didn't answer.

The rubble suddenly shifted and Rayquaza stirred slightly. "Now, Piplup! He's waking up!"

But Piplup was a world away.


"You've put in a good day's work, Piplup," Lucario grinned, bowing to the smaller Pokemon. "Your Aura skills may even surpass mine someday."

"Thank you," Piplup thanked, bowing in return. "It's your great teaching that's gotten me this far."

The two stood outside the ruins, with Chimchar, Grovyle, Dusknoir, and Mew watching as always. They had just finished the day's training, with Piplup having finally perfected the Aura Shield and Aura Wings.

Dusknoir stretched his arms and yawned. "Well, today's excitement is gone now. Time to hit the hay." Before Grovyle or Chimchar either one could react, Dusknoir picked them up and floated off into the ruins. "Good night, everybody!"

Mew smiled and turned to Lucario. "Good night, Lucario. Don't stay up too late." She turned to look at Piplup, who was beginning to head towards the ruins. "And don't strain Piplup," she added in a whisper.

"I won't," Lucario assured. As Mew floated away, Lucario called out to his apprentice. "Piplup, come back over here, will you?"

Piplup turned and looked at Lucario inquisitively as he walked back towards him. "Something wrong?"

"No, nothing wrong," Lucario replied. "I just have one more technique for you to try out."

"Aw, but it's late!" Piplup moaned. "I'm tired!"

"You'll have to learn this one at some point or another," Lucario said. "And we're running out of time."

Piplup sighed dramatically. "Oh, fine. Just one more technique." He punched the air, jousting with an invisible foe. "What's this one going to be? Aura Punch? Aura Kick? Aura Nuclear Bomb?"

"Not quite," Lucario grinned. "This one is called Aura Heart."

"Ooh!" Piplup marvelled. "Mysterious."

"Now, listen carefully," Lucario ordered. "To perform the Aura Heart requires total concentration. You must will your very consciousness into your Aura. Then, when all concentration is there, force your Aura forward to envelope your opponent. It is at this point that your consciousness then makes the jump from your Aura to your opponent's, and then from their Aura into their mind."

Piplup frowned. "Um, Lucario, I think I'd pick up on this a lot better if you demonstrated it for me, rather than explaining."

Lucario shook his head. "I'm afraid I can't do that. You see, my Aura is not strong enough. I cannot perform the Aura Heart."

"What?" Piplup gasped. "You're expecting me to do something that you can't do? How could I pull off something that difficult?"

"Your Aura is far more powerful than my own," Lucario explained. "I have every belief that your Aura can handle the strain. Now try doing what I just explained."

Piplup shrugged. "Alright, if you say so. But when I fail, you-"

He fell completely silent as his Aura flared around him. The silver glow filled the air, reaching out and completely engulfing Lucario. He groaned, but stood firm, allowing Piplup's energy to overwhelm him. Finally, the glow of the Aura died away, and Piplup and Lucario both stood motionless. As Grovyle watched from his hidden position near the doorway into the ruins, both Piplup's and Lucario's eyes began glowing silver.

Piplup looked around in confusion, finding himself in a blank white room. "Um, what's going on?"

"We're inside my consciousness."

Piplup turned to find Lucario standing behind him. "So right now, we're inside your mind."

"Yep," Lucario nodded. "At least, I think so. I've never been on either end of the Aura Heart before, so this is new to me too. However, I have studied up on the rules of combat while in the Aura Heart."

"Combat?" Piplup frowned. "You mean we could fight in here?"

"In a manner of speaking," Lucario said. "It's really just a clash of wills, really. The stronger will prevails, and the loser is cast out of the conscousness."

"Cool," Piplup nodded. "So right now, if the two of us were having a fight, what would happen if you won?"

"That's easy," Lucario replied. "You're sent back to your own body, while I retain control of mine."

"And if win?"

Lucario frowned. "That's a little tougher. If you were to win, then I would be expelled from my own body and you would take control. Your body would become a lifeless husk while your consciousness inhabits my body, and my spirit would be left to wander aimlessly until my body was opened again."

"That doesn't sound very appealing," Piplup frowned.

Lucario shrugged. "That's the way it is." He suddenly formed an Aura Sphere in between his hands. "Now come on, let's rumble."

"What?" Piplup gasped. "But what about all of that stuff you just said? One of us will be left to wander aimlessly as a spirit!"

"That's true," Lucario nodded. "But the winner can return to their own body at will. As soon as they return to their body, then the loser will return to their body. Sound fair enough?"

"It's still a little freaky," Piplup said. "But I'll try it." He formed an Aura Sphere of his own. "So this is an Aura Sphere made out of willpower?"

"Yep," Lucario said. "All attacks in here are made of willpower. It's just the user's choice of what form the willpower takes."

"Okay, let's try this!" Piplup whooped. He and Lucario both launched their Aura Spheres. The two attacks struck head on, pushing back and forth in a desperate attempt to overwhelm the other.

"My will will beat yours!" Lucario roared.

"No it won't!"

"Will too!"

"Will not!"

"Will too!"

"Will not!"

Suddenly, Piplup staggered and his Aura Sphere disappeared. Sensing that something was wrong, Lucario quickly reabsorbed his Aura Sphere before it could strike its target. "Piplup! What's wrong?"

"I don't know!" Piplup groaned. The air around him was sparkling, creating tiny orange flames in a few spots. "It just got so hot..."

"Your Aura is almost used up!" Lucario gasped. "The strain of performing the Aura Heart has been too much! Your life force is almost gone!"

Piplup could no longer speak. He flopped over backwards and began panting.

"Piplup! Return to your body, now!"

"I...can't...move..."

Lucario quickly formed another Aura Sphere. "Stay calm, Piplup! This is for your own good!" He launched the attack, and the world went black.

When Piplup awoke, he was lying on his back on the floor of the cave. There were scorch marks in the ground around him. Lucario and Grovyle stood over him, relieved looks on their faces. "Oh, Piplup!" Lucario gasped. "You're okay! You gave us quite a scare!"

Piplup tried to speak, but found that he couldn't. The pain was just too much.

"Don't worry," Lucario assured. "You're just weakened from your Aura running low. It'll regenerate as you sleep, and you'll be all better by the time you get up."

Finally, Piplup found the energy to speak. "I...won't have to do...the Heart....again...will I?"

Lucario shook his head. "No," he sighed. "Of course not. I was foolish to make you try." He turned and took a few steps away.

Grovyle followed him. "Are you telling him the truth?"

"I...I don't know," Lucario admitted. "It may be necessary for him to do it again."

"It would be best to tell him now, then," Grovyle whispered. "Piplup may have a strong sense of justice, but he's stubborn. He won't do the Aura Heart just because you say that it's necessary."

"I'll...consider it," Lucario answered. Grovyle nodded slowly, then turned around and re-entered the ruins. Lucario and the already-sleeping Piplup were not far behind.


Piplup turned on Lucario. "You said I wouldn't have to do it!" he snapped.

"I was wrong!" Lucario admitted. "And I knew it, too! I knew you would probably need to use it on Rayquaza!"

"Well I refuse!" Piplup growled. "We'll just keep fighting until we beat Darkrai out of him!"

The rubble began to shift and Rayquaza growled softly. Then, his eyes opened.

"Please, Piplup!" Lucario begged. "Just do it! Now may be our only chance!"

"NO!" Piplup screamed.

With a roar, Rayquaza began to struggle around. The tomb of rubble around it began to collapse, tumbling aside as the serpentine body within writhed.

"DO IT NOW!" Lucario bellowed.

"I can't!" Piplup exploded. "I'm just too weak! I can't do it!"

Then, Rayquaza's tail smashed out the back of the pile. He was almost free.

Out of nowhere, a chilling wind blasted Rayquaza. It carried snow with it, causing him to roar out in pain and annoyance. He fired off a Dark Void in the direction from which the Blizzard had come, but the storm would not relent. Before long, the rubble began to freeze over. Then Rayquaza himself began to freeze. Finally, after a few moments of an unrelenting Blizzard, Rayquaza was left frozen in an enormous sheet of ice.

Piplup, Lucario, and the others all turned to see where the attack had come from. Their mouths fell open in shock as they saw who the attacker had been.

"You guys?" Chimchar gasped.

"What are you doing here?" Lucario gaped.

The smiling figure of Abomasnow stepped forward to join the group, with Machamp right behind him. "Saving your skin, apparently."

"How did you escape?" Lucario demanded. "We left you two tied up back at the ruins!"

Machamp grinned and flexed his muscles. "No rope can hold these in."

"But why did you help us?" Piplup inquired.

"We're not bad guys," Abomasnow pointed out. "We're bounty hunters. We'll work for anybody, good or bad, as long as it pays. We figured that if taking down a bad guy saved the planet, it would pay off in the long run."

"Good assumption," Piplup said. "And thanks for your help."

Grovyle stepped forward to face Abomasnow. "Have you met Sceptile since escaping?"

Abomasnow shook his head. "Nope. That dirty little rat abandoned us. He escaped on his own and left us as prisoners. I hope to never see him again."

"For your sake, I hope you don't too," Dusknoir cut in. "Sceptile is one bad hombre. You don't want to get involved with guys like him."

Mew suddenly reappeared, with Bastiodon, Rampardos, 88, and 89 following behind her. "Wow, looks like you guys made decent progress."

"We got all of the citizens holed up in the capitol building," Bastiodon said. "And it looks like you guys have Rayquaza down and out."

Lucario shook his head. "Not quite. We still have to expel the force possessing him." He turned to Piplup. "You still have to do this, you know."

"Actually, he doesn't."

The voice seemed to come out of thin air. All of the shadows writhed and squirmed, then seemed to center on the frozen Rayquaza. "It's him," Piplup growled. "It's him."

A column of shadows suddenly exploded upwards from Rayquaza, refracting off of the ice and shooting around in every direction. One by one, all of the shadows disappeared, until only one remained, standing above the still unconscious Rayquaza. However, the monster had now returned to its normal green coloration. Which could only mean one thing...

"So we meet at last," Lucario growled. "We've heard a lot about you."

Piplup stepped forward, glaring at the shadow. "It's about time you showed your ugly face."

"Hello to you too, Piplup," Darkrai laughed, his eye glowing an icy blue. "Hello to you too."


Hope you guys all like it! I'll try to have another chapter up tonight, but if I don't, expect two tomorrow!

[GalladeRocks]

Chapter 29
The Secret of the Ruins

"So we finally meet again," Piplup said. "I'm sorry to say that it's not good to see you, Darkrai."

"You could show me a little compassion!" Darkrai sniffed. "I have feelings to, you know!"

All of the gathered Pokemon stared at him icily.

Darkrai looked out across the crowd, taking in their reaction. "Oh, who am I kidding? I don't have feelings."

"You don't need to tell us," Grovyle said, stepping forward. His Leaf Blade was already extended.

"My, my, Grovyle," Darkrai tut-tutted. "You're seeming a little quick to anger today."

Grovyle's expression was cold. "Just because you don't have feelings doesn't mean that we don't."

"Oh, you must be talking about that little girlfriend of yours," Darkrai scoffed. "Celebi, right? Ah, yes, she's a sweet one. Too bad I can't allow you to see her again."

"Darkrai, you know me," Grovyle growled. "You know that I am a compassionate person. But I have no issue with killing you."

Darkrai's expression didn't change at the comment. "That's a little dark for you, isn't it Grovyle? It's not exactly your nature to actually kill anybody."

"Then don't fight Grovyle. Fight me."

Over the years, Darkrai had trained himself to keep his face expressionless in the face of any kind of news. But even he couldn't keep the shock off his face as Dusknoir placed himself in front of Grovyle. "Seems as though Grovyle isn't the only one acting out of nature," Darkrai said.

"Dusknoir, what are you doing?" Grovyle hissed.

"I'm keeping you from doing something that you'll regret," Dusknoir said. "Look, you've never actually killed before." Dusknoir paused. "I have. Once you've committed such an act, it haunts you forever. Leave this to me."

"But Dusknoir-" Grovyle began, but was cut off.

"That's not all. I'm the reason that Celebi is frozen in time. She sacrificed herself to save me from Darkrai." Dusknoir turned back to face Darkrai. "I have to make it up to her. This battle is mine."

Darkrai cracked his knuckles. "Alright, Dusknoir. I accept your challenge."

Dusknoir tried to crack his knuckles, but instead he popped his elbow, causing him to yelp in pain. "Uh, right!"

Chimchar turned to Piplup. "He's in way over his head, isn't he?"

"You hit the nail right into the lid."

"Okay, people, clear some room!" 88 yelled loudly. "This is gonna be a big one!"

Piplup, Chimchar, Grovyle, Lucario, Mew, Wigglytuff, the Guild apprentices, Rampardos, Bastiodon, 88, 89, Abomasnow, and Machamp all backed away, forming a circle around Dusknoir and Darkrai.

"Okay, Dusknoir, let's dance!" Darkrai taunted, circling his opponent. "I'll lead!" He quickly fired a Dark Pulse, striking Dusknoir before he had a chance to react.

The Core's citizens flooded out of the capitol building at the sound of the attack, eager to see what was going on. Their attention was drawn to 88 and 89, sitting at a wooden booth on the outside of the circle of viewers. A paper banner strung across the top read:

DUSKNOIR VS. DARKRAI
DUSKNOIR 2:1
DARKRAI 3:1
PLACE YOUR BETS HERE

As a crowd formed around the booth and Poke coins were exchanged, the battle raged on. Shadow Ball met Dark Pulse, Fire Punch met Shadow Claw, Focus Blast met Charge Beam. Lucario took a casual step towards the booth, but he was quickly yanked back by Mew. "Don't even think about it."

"Sorry."

Suddenly, there was a loud cheer from the crowd as Darkrai hit the dirt, having just taken a direct hit from a Focus Blast. Dusknoir loomed over him, another Focus Blast at the ready. "I must say, Darkrai, this battle has been a disappointment."

With a grunt, Darkrai pushed himself back up. "It's not over yet, Dusknoir." He fired off a Dark Pulse at the same time that Dusknoir released his Focus Blast. The two attacks collided with a massive explosion, sending both opponents reeling.

"So it isn't," Dusknoir grinned. His fist became engulfed in flames. "But this shall be the final attack."

"Yes," Darkrai nodded. A shadowy claw formed over his hand. "Yes it shall."

For a moment, the two remained motionless, only staring at each other. Then, at the same time, they lunged. Dusknoir unleashed Fire Punch. Darkrai swiped with Shadow Claw. The two leapt at each other and lashed out with their attacks. They both made contact.

Neither Pokemon moved. They simply stood, facing away from each other.

Thud!

The entire crowd gasped. Then, they cheered.

Dusknoir was the victor.

He stood, smiling, as Piplup, Chimchar, and Grovyle rushed to him.

"Incredible!" Chimchar whooped.

"You were awesome!" Piplup cheered.

Lucario stomped forward to face Dusknoir. "Great fight, Dusknoir. You cost me a lot of money, but it was still a good fight." His smile was clearly strained.

"Thank you for your compliments, all of you," Dusknoir bowed. "But really, I-"

He froze.

Grovyle frowned. "Dusknoir? Something wrong?"

Piplup suddenly noticed a small pool of liquid on the ground beneath Dusknoir. It was red. "Dusknoir, you're bleeding!"

Dusknoir's mouth opened slightly. "I feel...cold."

And then, he collapsed.

Menacing laughter filled the air. There was a sudden ruckus in the crowd as more money was exchanged.

"You were fools to believe that you could defeat me. And now you have paid the price."

Darkrai rose into the air, his shadow writhing wildly. "I tried to pick you off, but Sceptile is a failure and Abomasnow and Machamp are traitors."

Abomasnow looked to Machamp and shrugged. "Maybe if you'd payed us a little more, we would have been more loyal."

"Shut up!" Darkrai snapped. "This does not concern you!" Regaining his cool, he turned back to Piplup and Chimchar. "Anyway, I didn't want to get my hands dirty. But you've forced me to get involved."

"You shouldn't have done this, Darkrai," Grovyle snarled. "Now I have to kill you twice."

"No, Grovyle," Piplup said. "Remember what Dusknoir said. It'll haunt you forever." He turned to Darkrai. "Besides, he's not worth it."

Darkrai grinned. "I do say, Piplup, I may hate your guts, but you make more sense than anyone else I've met in a long time. You'd make a wonderful ally."

"I thought we'd already gone down that path once before, Darkrai," Piplup said. "I would never join you."

Darkrai shrugged. "I know, that's what you said before. Your as stubborn as a rock, and you'll fight to the death for any cause that is worthy enough for you. You're a lot like me."

"I am NOTHING like you," Piplup spat.

"Besides, there's a lot of differences," Chimchar cut in. "Everybody likes Piplup, but nobody likes you."

Darkrai contemplated the fact. "Yes, I suppose that you're right. I wonder why that is?"

"It's simple, really," Grovyle stated. "You two aren't that different, it's true. But where Piplup has optimism and kindness, you have nothing but malice and greed. Sometimes, that makes all the difference."

"Oh, go preach to your girlfriend," Darkrai snapped. "But alas, I'm done here. But before I go, let me give you one little nugget of knowledge: You were sitting right on top of the Wheel of Time all along."

Piplup was taken aback. "What do you mean?"

"The Wheel of Time," Darkrai scoffed. "It's inside the ruins."

"That's impossible!" Lucario declared. "Mew and I lived in the ruins for almost two weeks! Besides, the legends say that the Wheel is deep within the Core, far away from the city and the ruins."

Darkrai shrugged. "The legends were just that: legends."

Mew frowned. "You know, I guess there was that one giant disc set into the wall in my room in the ruins. It had these three gear-shaped indentations in it."

Lucario's jaw dropped to the ground. "And you never thought to tell me this?!?!?!"

"What?" Mew shrugged. "I just assumed it was decoration, and I didn't think guys cared about decorations."

Piplup, Chimchar, and Lucario all smacked their foreheads. "Women," they all groaned simultaneously.

Mew's eyes glowed dangerously. "Excuse me?"

"Uh, guys?" Grovyle interrupted. "There are other things to worry about right now."

"No, please, don't let me interrupt their fun," Darkrai said. "I'm just trying to take over the world, that's all."

Piplup stepped forward. "Come on, Darkrai. We took you down once before, and we'll do it again. Just give us the Time Gears and give it up."

"Do you honestly think I'll just give up?" Darkrai asked.

"Not really," Piplup admitted. "But it couldn't hurt to ask."

"If you want to fight me, then follow me," Darkrai challenged. Before anyone could tell what was happening, he had dashed away. He reappeared in front of the exit which lead to the ruins. "But I'd be a little more worried about your friend Dusknoir." With that, he was gone.

"Okay, we've got to act fast," Piplup said. "Who's going where?"

Lucario stepped over to the fallen Dusknoir. "Mew and I will stay here. She has lots of healing prowess, and I can perform an Aura Shift if necessary."

"We'll stay too," Abomasnow offered. "I have some medicinal training, and Machamp can...well, he can hold stuff."

"I sure can!" Machamp beamed proudly.

Bastiodon grimaced. "Rampardos and I are a little old to be chasing down scoundrels like Darkrai. We'd probably better stay here."

"That all sounds good," Grovyle nodded. "I'll stay here to supervise...and to be with Dusknoir."

Piplup nodded in understanding. "So that leaves me, Chimchar, and the Guild to take on Darkrai."

"And us!" 88 and 89 chimed simultaneously.

"And the chowderheads," Piplup sighed. "Now we can't lose."

"Come on!" Wigglytuff whooped. "We're burning daylight!" He paused and looked around, remembering that rather than sunlight, there was luminescent moss. "Er, we're burning mosslight!"

Grovyle gestured towards the tunnel. "Go on. We'll take care of Dusknoir."

Piplup grinned. "Thanks, Grovyle." He turned towards the tunnel. Wigglytuff, Bidoof, Chimecho, Sunflora, Loudred, Diglett, Dugtrio, Corphish, Croagunk, 88, 89, and Chimchar all smiled, ready to charge into battle.

"We're right behind you, Piplup!" Chimchar assured, giving a thumbs-up.

"Alright!" Piplup whooped. "Let's roll!"

The party charged off into the tunnel, hollering war screams all the way. They didn't stop until the ruins were in sight.

"Okay, here's the plan," Piplup said, taking charge. "Darkrai will be inside the ruins, using the Wheel of Time. Me, Chimchar, and the chowderheads will go inside and fight him. Wigglytuff and the Guild will wait outside in case Darkrai tries to escape."

"Sounds like a plan!" Wigglytuff beamed. "Let's do this!"

Without a word, Piplup, Chimchar, 88, and 89 stepped into the ruins. Piplup lead the way, running past the stunning murals of legendary Pokemon which he'd marvelled at only a week before. "The back room is Mew's," Piplup whispered. "Darkrai's in there, I'm sure of it."

"So we're going in," Chimchar nodded.

"I'm ready!" 88 agreed.

"I'm not!" 89 gulped.

"Too bad!" Piplup grinned. "We're going in." With that, he charged in.

But it was empty.

There was no sign of Darkrai anywhere. But ingrained in the wall, clear as day, was the Wheel of Time. There were three gear-shaped outlines in it, which glowed blue. "That's gotta be the Wheel," Chimchar said. "It looks just like the one at the top of Temporal Tower. And the Time Gears are already placed in it!"

"But where's Darkrai?" Piplup wondered.

"Surprise!"

The four fell back, screaming, as Darkrai suddenly materialized from the shadows. "WE SURRENDER!" 89 cried.

"Man, I love being me!" Darkrai laughed. He glared at his opponents. "Now watch in horror as I paralyze the planet yet again! And there's nothing you can do about it!"

"Oh yes there is!" Piplup argued.

"Oh no there's not!" Darkrai countered. He inched closer to the Wheel. "All I have to do is turn it and the world will be mine!"

"All we have to do is turn it back and the world will be saved!" Piplup pointed out. "It's useless!"

Darkrai grinned as he put his hands on the Wheel. "But turning the Wheel will do more than just paralyze the planet."

"And just what else will it do?" Chimchar inquired.

"Maybe you should have read those legends that you quote so often a little closer," Darkrai scoffed. "If you had, you may have come to the realization that Rayquaza isn't the only Monster of the Core."

"WHAT?" Piplup, Chimchar, 88, and 89 gasped together.

Darkrai beamed, enjoying every minute of his triumph. "Yes, there is! And turning the Wheel will unleash its terrible power!"

"Now Darkrai, don't do anything too hastily," Piplup urged, holding his hands up in truce. "We're all friends here."

"It's too late for truces now!" Darkrai declared. "Prepare to meet your doom, and all that jazz." Piplup and Chimchar lunged forward simultaneously, but it was already too late. With an enormous scraping of stone-on-stone, Darkrai wrenched the Wheel sideways.

Nothing happened.

Piplup smiled. "Is that it? That's all it does?"

"Hey, don't laugh!" Darkrai snapped. "Right now, the surface world is frozen. Trust me."

"And how do we know?" Chimchar challenged. "We can't exactly see the surface world right now. For all we know, you twisted the Wheel the wrong way and freed Celebi and Chatot!"

"You'll know that I twisted it the right way when the Monster appears," Darkrai assured.

"And where exactly is your 'Monster'?" Piplup smirked. "Hmm?"

At that moment, there was an earth-shattering roar and the ground began to quake. Darkrai smiled evilly. "Apparently, it's right beneath your feet."

"Oh crud," Piplup gulped. Then, in an explosion of earth, it rose.

Darkrai quickly melted into the shadows, but the others weren't quite as lucky. An enormous fist appeared out of the ground, smashing them upward. They blasted (quite painfully) through the stone ceiling of the ruins, which then proceeded to collapse as the earthquake grew even stronger. After a few moments of free-fall, Piplup, Chimchar, 88, and 89 slammed down directly in front of Wigglytuff. As Piplup looked up, he saw something in the Guildmaster's eyes which he had never seen before: Fear. Piplup turned to see what Wigglytuff was staring at and gulped. Standing there, where the ruins had been just moments before, was an enormous, hulking monster. Just as Darkrai had promised.

"I know that Pokemon!" Chimchar gasped.

Piplup nodded. He too recognized the figure. It's body was yellow in the middle and white on the sides and its gigantic legs were covered in moss. It has three gems on each side, colored red, blue, and gray. "Yep, we fought one of these before. It's Regigigas." He paused, thinking. "This must be the secret that Regirock, Regice, and Registeel said they were guarding."

"Regigigas," Chimchar breathed. "Meh, we took the one on the surface down."

"But we were aided by Team Charm then," Piplup pointed out.

Wigglytuff stepped forward, smiling. "But this time, you've got the entire Wigglytuff Guild backing you up!"

"Plus the two of us!" 89 added, grinning. Piplup glared at him.

"Now I'm not saying that Team Charm is weak," Wigglytuff continued. "But I'd trust us over them any day!"

Piplup grinned. "Of course, Guildmaster." He turned towards the looming figure of Regigigas. "Now let's take it down."

"Oh, you won't be taking me down anytime soon."

The entire group gasped. "Seriously!" 89 gasped. "We've got to quit all of this gasping! It's gonna give me an asthma attack!"

"Darkrai!" Piplup roared. "What have you done?"

"The same thing I did to Rayquaza!" Darkrai's voice boomed. But the voice didn't come from Darkrai's body; it came from Regigigas's. "I melted into his shadow. And once you've entered the shadow, it's a short trip to their mind." Regigigas stepped forward with great, earthquake-inducing footsteps. He made his way closer and closer to his opponents, laughing all the way.

"We took down Rayquaza, Darkrai!" Piplup cried. "We can take down Regigigas too!"

Without a word, Regigigas fired off a Hyper Beam. Piplup prepared for the impact, but it never came. Instead, the blast hit the celing. There was a deep rumbling and Piplup looked up in horror to see a massive rockslide falling directly towards them. "HIT THE DECK!" he screamed.

CRRRRRRAAAAAAAASSSHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Before the dust had even settled, Piplup was back on his feet. "Chimchar! Wigglytuff! Anybody!" He hurried around, desperately hoping to find somebody uncrushed.

"Piplup?"

"Chimchar!" Piplup hurried to where the voice had come from. He ran face first into Chimchar and the two fell to the ground. Groaning, they sat up.

"Where are Wigglytuff and the others?" Chimchar inquired.

"WE'RE OVER HERE!"

The Hyper Voice scream was deafening. "We can hear you, Wigglytuff!" Piplup cried. "There's no need for the Hyper Voice."

"Er, sorry!" Wigglytuff apologized. "We're in the tunnel! The apprentices are all over here! The chowderheads too!"

"Hey!" 88 growled.

"Are you guys still in there?" Wigglytuff inquired.

Piplup gulped. "Yeah, we're still in here! And we could probably use some back-up!"

"Don't worry!" Wigglytuff assured. "We'll break through the rockfall!"

"It would be nice if you hurried!" Chimchar urged. Suddenly, the air was squeezed from his lungs and he found himself being lifted into the air. "Agh! Piplup! Help!"

A hand suddenly slapped Chimchar in the back of the head. "I'm stuck here too, doofus."

"Oh. That's not good." Chimchar paused and looked around. "Where exactly is here?"

After a few minutes, the dust cloud settled. Piplup and Chimchar simultaneously screamed at the sight of Regigigas's face staring straight at them. They were held in his giant white claw of a hand, preventing them from even moving. "Well this doesn't look good," Piplup gulped. The hand squeezed them even tighter.

"How do you like the Crush Grip?" Regigigas/Darkrai inquired. "It's my most powerful move. And it will be the last attack you ever experience." He paused dramatically. "Piplup, Chimchar, I'm sorry that it has to end this way."

"No you're not!" Chimchar spat.

"You're right," Darkrai admitted. "I'm not." He paused dramatically once again. "Any last words?"

Piplup turned to face Chimchar, knowing what had to be done. Chimchar nodded. "Do it."

"Okay, Darkrai," Piplup declared. "These are my last words. Now tell me: What are yours?"

The air suddenly crackled with electricity as Piplup's Aura glowed silver around him. In an instant, both Piplup and Regigigas froze. The Crush Grip loosened, dropping Chimchar and the limp body of Piplup to the floor.

Chimchar grinned. "Yes! You did it, Piplup!" Piplup's eyes were glowing silver, as were all seven of Regigigas's.

The Aura Heart was under way.


You guys realize what this means, right? Tomorrow will be the last chapter! I may have time for the epilogue too, if my timing is right.

[~Silver Aura~]

Woah shocking stuff I can't wait to see the next chapter. Go for it Piplup!

[AstralEon]

Oh man, intense.

Chapter 28
Should had figured that Darkrai was possessing Rayquaza.

"Okay," Grovyle agreed. "Piplup, Chimchar, Dusknoir, the Guild, and I will remain here and help Lucario. Mew, Bastiodon, Rampardos, 88, and 89 will go search for the townsfolk."

"Guild" was spelled wrong. The only problem I found.

Cool chapter.

-----

Chapter 29
(Didn't find any mistake)

Darkrai cracked his knuckles. "Alright, Dusknoir. I accept your challenge."

Dusknoir tried to crack his knuckles, but instead he popped his elbow, causing him to yelp in pain. "Uh, right!"

I chuckled.

As a crowd formed around the booth and Poke coins were exchanged, the battle raged on. Shadow Ball met Dark Pulse, Fire Punch met Shadow Claw, Focus Blast met Charge Beam. Lucario took a casual step towards the booth, but he was quickly yanked back by Mew. "Don't even think about it."

I loled.

This was an exciting chapter. I forgot all about Regigigas, I thought Giratina would appear. =P

And wow, you actually made it. Excellent work.

[Mi10ticFan]

Two chapters oh yay

Other than the mistake that AstralEon pointed, I see nothing else wrong.

Oh, and... No. 88 and 89 making a Darkrai VS Dusknoir bets booth made me laugh. Those two sure do their business well as stated in their business card xD

[scizorstrike]

i hate to break it to ya, GalladeRocks, but it's Monday where i am, and this dosen't seem quite finished to me. although i will forgive because of the sheer WIN of these chapters. and that includes all posted recently.

[GalladeRocks]

AstralEon-Thanks for pointing out the mistake, I'll get it fixed.

scizorstrike-I didn't say that I'd have it finished by Monday, I said I'd finish it on Monday. And besides, my Monday is the only Monday that counts. So for those people who have like a twelve hour time difference from where I'm at, I apologize. Just as a point, it is currently 11:15 AM on Monday in my time.

I'll try to have the last chapter posted before midnight tonight, so that it's offical that I finished it before tomorrow. I will not allow myself to cheat on this!

[treeco123]

I think you watch the Ice Age films too much...
what happened too Giratina anyway? I thought he would be the second monster.

[GalladeRocks]

I think you watch the Ice Age films too much...
what happened too Giratina anyway? I thought he would be the second monster.

Just because I watched all three Ice Age movies in one day last week doesn't mean I'm obsessed!!! ... Does it?

Giratina's story will be revealed in detail in the next book. All that I'll say right now is that he has been lost to time, but his legacy lives on in the hearts of his followers...But just who are his followers?

[JD]

Aura Kick and Aura Punch made me lol a bit so Darkrai was possesing Rayquaza and Regigigas? So was the Regigigas possesed by Darkrai the leader of the three Regis that appeared awhile back in the story? So Giratina will be introduced in the next book it would be cool if you Introduced Zoroark in the next book but it's your book so it's your choice what you want to do.

[GalladeRocks]

Mudkip43-I might just have a role set aside for Zoroark in Book 3. He won't have a huge role, but it'll be an important role. Without giving too much away, Zoroark played an important part in a past event involving Piplup, Grovyle, and Darkrai.

And now, here it is: The Final Chapter!


Chapter 30 (AKA: The Final Chapter)
The Final Chapter (AKA: Chapter 30)

He opened his eyes and looked around the blank white room. It was just as it had been before, except for one strange thing. A shadow imprinted against the wall. Then, it peeled itself away, revealing its true identity.

"Impressive, Piplup. Truly impressive."

Piplup and Darkrai stood opposite each other, neither one moving. They only stared, flexing their fingers and/or flippers. They looked like a hero and a villain squaring off before the final showdown in an action story.

"So are we just going to stand here all day, or are we going to finish this?" Piplup inquired.

"I'm readying myself!" Darkrai snapped. "Just give me a minute."

Piplup sighed. "What do you need to ready yourself for?"

"My mental jabs!" Darkrai explained. "How am I supposed to win without mental jabs?"

"You're not supposed to win," Piplup pointed out. "You're the bad guy."

Darkrai scoffed. "Maybe in your world!" A Dark Void formed between his fingertips.

Piplup developed an Aura Sphere. "I assume you are familiar with the rules of Aura Heart Combat?"

"Of course I am!" Darkrai assured. "I'm an evil mastermind! I know all!"

"What's two times two?"

Darkrai paused. "L?"

"Close enough."

They fired off their attacks at once. They collided halfway between their targets and stopped in their tracks. Each one shoved forward, but neither made progress. Piplup and Darkrai both glared at the attacks, willing them to break through.

"Bow down to the force of my will!" Darkrai howled.

"I will not!" Piplup replied. He snickered at his own joke.

Darkrai gave a thumbs-down. "Dude. That was terrible."

"Sorry."

"Now, bow down!" Darkrai yelled again. "I have the strong will to rule the world! That determination is impossible to defeat!"

Piplup frowned as the attacks slowly began to move towards him. Darkrai's will was prevailing. "Your will may be powerful," Piplup admitted. "But I have a duty to my friends! Celebi and Chatot are trapped, and everybody else in the world will be doomed to a miserable existence when the planet becomes fully paralyzed. I can't afford to lose..."

Darkrai frowned as the attacks stopped moving. Then, surely, they reversed direction.

"...And my will becomes indomitable!"

The Aura Sphere grew larger and larger and it began pushing the Dark Void back even more quickly. Darkrai gulped. "This doesn't look good."

Piplup grinned. "Face it, Darkrai! You just can't win!"

"You don't have to rub it in!" Darkrai growled. "I have feelings too!"

"We've already been over this!" Piplup said. "You already admitted that you have no feelings!"

"That's not true!" Darkrai snapped. "I have a feeling right now!"

"And that is?"

"The feeling that I am about to do something involuntary...and messy."

Piplup had to laugh. "You know, Grovyle was right. We are a lot alike. You'd probably be a fun guy to be around if it weren't for the whole 'world domination' obsession."

Darkrai nodded. "I'm an interesting guy."

The attacks of willpower were only a foot away from Darkrai, and they were still moving closer. Piplup gave a mock salute. "See you on the other side."

Then, there was an electrical buzz and the Aura Sphere stopped.

Piplup had only an instant to realize this before an excruciating shock ran through his body. He fell to his hands and knees, screaming.

Darkrai was almost speechless. "Who...what...how...what in the heck is going on here?"

"It's...just like...last time," Piplup groaned. "When Lucario and I..."

Darkrai snapped his fingers. "Of course! Your Aura is burning out!" He laughed.

*****

Chimchar was sitting by the limp body of Piplup when his Aura suddenly sparked. "Uh, Piplup?" Chimchar frowned. "Oh wait, you can't hear me. I guess I'll just have to talk to myself." He paused. "Wow, I'm not a very exciting person."

"YOOM-TAH!!!"

There was a massive explosion and the rock fall blocking the exit into the tunnels was suddenly blasted into smithereens. Chimchar whirled around and screamed in terror. "I SURRENDER!"

"Hey! That's our line!"

88 and 89 stepped out of the dust cloud and grinned. "You two!" Chimchar gasped. "You broke through the rock slide?"

"Actually, they did," 88 admitted, gesturing back towards the tunnel. The dust cloud had settled, revealing Wigglytuff and the Guild apprentices. They rushed into the room, with Abomasnow, Machamp, Mew, Rampardos, and Bastiodon right behind them.

"Guys!" Chimchar grinned. "You're here!"

"Not all of us," Mew said sadly.

Chimchar frowned, then gasped in horror. "Not Dusknoir?"

"Yes, Dusknoir," Mew nodded. She turned and pointed back to the entrance.

Grovyle and Lucario stood there. Between them they carried the unmoving figure of Dusknoir. They strode forward slowly, Chimchar watching them in horror all the way. As they lay the limp body on the ground, Chimchar fell on his knees and beat his fists on the ground. "Why? Dusknoir, you can't do this!" He peered forward into Dusknoir's face. His eye was closed. "Dusknoir!"

Suddenly, the red eye snapped open. "'Hoy, small fry!"

Chimchar screamed like a little girl and fell over backwards. The other Pokemon all laughed uproariously."

"Dusknoir!" Chimchar beamed, hugging him. "I'm so glad you're okay!"

"I'm glad that I'm okay too," Dusknoir grinned, floating into the air.

"You didn't have to pull such a horrible prank, though," Chimchar pointed out. "That was just cruel."

Dusknoir glared at Chimchar. "Cruel? I'm the one who almost died! When you almost die, then you can call me cruel!"

Grovyle stepped forward and pointed to Piplup. "What's wrong with him?"

Chimchar turned away from Dusknoir. "What? Oh, you mean Piplup?" He knelt down again by his partner. "He performed the Aura Heart on Regigigas after Darkrai possessed him."

"The Aura Heart?" Lucario gasped.

Chimchar nodded. "Yep. Apparently, he got over his fear. But then his Aura started sparking like crazy just a minute ago."

"Out of the way!" Lucario ordered, knocking Chimchar aside. He held out his hands and closed his eyes, which were glowing blue. After a moment, he gasped. "This is terrible!"

"What's wrong?" Chimchar asked. "What's happening?"

"His Aura!" Lucario exclaimed. "The strain is too much! It's burning up his Aura!"

Wigglytuff frowned. "And that means...?"

"If we don't do something," Lucario screamed. "He's going to die!"

*****

Piplup managed to look up as the pain continued to overwhelm him. He could barely make out the shape of Darkrai looming over him. The attacks were gone. He knew that the Aura Sphere had dissipated as his Aura had sparked, but the Dark Void had disappeared as well. "Why..." Piplup groaned. "Why aren't you..."

"Attacking?" Darkrai finished. "It's quite devious, really." He turned away and smiled. "If my attack hit you, you would be knocked back into your own body. Then, your Aura would no longer be in use, and you would be all happy again, once your Aura had regenerated."

Piplup gasped, realizing what Darkrai was getting at.

"But if I leave you here," Darkrai continued. "Then your Aura will simply burn itself out and consume you. Then I never have to worry about you again."

Piplup tried to speak, but found that he had lost the energy to. It was all he could do to keep his eyes open.

Darkrai laughed evilly. "The irony is cruel, isn't it? Your willpower is indomitable, and that is your downfall. Your will is simply too strong for your Aura to withhold."

Piplup's arms gave out and he fell onto his chest.

"And now, all the willpower in the world can't save you."

*****

"It's not working!" Lucario roared.

His Aura was flared brightly around him. It flowed from his hands and into Piplup's own Aura, but it burned away just as quickly as it flowed in. "What do you mean it won't work?" Chimchar demanded.

"Exactly what I mean!" Lucario snapped. "The Aura Shift won't work! Piplup's Aura is burning away too fast to keep the energy from my Aura!"

"We've got to do something!" Mew screamed.

"After everything Piplup's done for us, we've got to do whatever we can for him!" Chimecho agreed.

Tears sprung from Bidoof's eyes like a fountain. "Yup yup! He's a good people, he is! You don't find good people like Piplup very often!"

Sighing, Lucario pulled his hands away and the Aura Shift was broken. "I'm sorry. I've done all that I've can."

"It can't end like this!" Diglett yelled.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!!!" Loudred wailed incomprehensibly.

"What he said!" 89 whimpered.

Chimchar stared at Piplup emotionlessly. He looked to Grovyle and Dusknoir. "Guys? You've gotten us this far. What do we do now?"

Grovyle sighed. "I've spent a long, long time with Piplup. I'm just not sure what to do without him backing me up."

"I don't have anything funny to say," Dusknoir admitted. "That's all I can really do. Without Piplup, I can't even do that."

Chimchar turned to Lucario. "Lucario, you know all about Aura Heart Combat. What can we do to help?"

"There's nothing we can do," Lucario said. "Aura Heart Combat is just a battle of willpower between two minds. There's no way we can help."

"You may be wrong about that." Chimchar rose to his feet and stood over Piplup's body.

"What do you mean?" Mew inquired. "Lucario just said that-"

"Willpower," Chimchar stated. "Piplup needs willpower."

Corphish frowned. "Hey hey, I'm pretty sure that we can't just hand over some willpower and make everything better."

"It's worth a shot!" Dugtrio exclaimed. "Diglett, where did you put my spare willpower?"

"Chimchar, I think you're having a breakdown," Lucario said. "Just calm down."

Chimchar shook his head. "No, think about it. Willpower is a part of life force. Without willpower, nobody would have anything. Now, Lucario, you more than anybody else knows what life force is."

"Aura," Lucario nodded. "But I don't see how-"

"If we focus our willpower into Piplup's Aura-" Chimchar began.

"Then it strengthens his Aura!" Grovyle finished. "That's ingenious!"

Dusknoir frowned. "More like insane. But I'll give it a shot."

"Dusknoir's right," Lucario cut in. "It's insane. That could never work!"

"That doesn't matter," Chimchar pointed out. "Do you have any better ideas?"

Lucario was silent.

Chimchar nodded. "That's what I thought." He turned back to Piplup's body and closed his eyes. "PIPLUP! LISTEN CLOSE!"

*****

"Piplup! Listen close!"

Piplup's head jerked upwards. He knew that voice.

Darkrai had apparently heard it too. "Chimchar?" he frowned. "Why can we hear Chimchar?"

"Piplup!" another voice screamed.

"We're here too!" a third added.

Piplup managed to speak the names. "Grovyle and Dusknoir!"

"Friendly friend!" a deep voice rumbled.

"Piplup!" multiple voices chorused.

"The Guild!" Piplup said. He sat up slowly, wincing in pain.

Darkrai frowned. "This is odd. They must be yelling right in Piplup's ear."

Two more voices spoke up now. "We're backing you up too!"

"Lucario...and Mew!" Piplup identified. "Everyone's...speaking to...me!"

"Not that it does you any good," Darkrai growled. "Your doom is already upon you."

Chimchar's voice spoke up again. "Piplup, listen to us. You're on the verge of death. I'm guessing that you and Darkrai are both aware of that by now."

"See?" Darkrai scoffed. "Even your best friend has given up on you."

"But we haven't given up on you!" Chimchar's voice cried. "We believe that you can snap out of this!"

Darkrai sighed dramatically. "Oh, the heroes just can't go quietly can they?"

Piplup glared at Darkrai. "Shut...up!"

"Piplup, if you're hearing us right now, just know that we believe in you," Chimchar continued. "That I believe in you! Let our will be yours!"

"Oh, can this be any more cliched?" Darkrai moaned. "Piplup, do me a favor and just die now. I realize that that's cruel for me to ask of you, but..." Darkrai trailed off as he realized that Piplup had risen back to his feet. "Eh?"

"Their will is mine," Piplup grinned. "That's good enough to me."

"Oh, come on!" Darkrai roared. "This can't be happening! This is too freaking cliched!"

Piplup shrugged. "Every story has a cliched ending. They wouldn't be exciting if they didn't."

Darkrai started to speak, but then shrugged as well. "Meh, when you're right, you're right."

Piplup's eyes glowed silver. "My energy, my will...They're returning!"

"Yeah yeah, your power is indomitable, blah blah blah," Darkrai grumbled. He charged up a Dark Void. "I realize that this attack will be futile, but I would be dumb to try not to fight back." He launched the Aura Sphere.

Of course, it never hit its target.

"This ends now!" Piplup roared. He fired off an Aura Sphere that was bigger than he was. It struck Darkrai's Dark Void and completely engulfed it.

"Noooooo!" Darkrai wailed as the blast overwhelmed him.

Then, the world went black.

*****

Piplup's eyes snapped open.

"He's awake!" Chimchar screamed.

"I'm awake!" Piplup screamed.

"You're okay!" Chimchar screamed.

"I'm okay!" Piplup screamed.

"You're alive!" Chimchar screamed.

"I'm-"

"That's enough of that!" Dusknoir interrupted. "Spare us the scream-fest!"

Chimchar smiled. "Er, sorry. I was happy."

"Me too." Piplup nodded.

"No time for idle talk now," Grovyle cut in. "Where's Darkrai?"

Piplup frowned. "Probably in Regigigas's shadow."

"Well, he'll have to come out eventually," Grovyle said. "All we have to do is wait."

"Waiting is fun!" Wigglytuff whooped. "Let's sing!"

Sunflora grinned. "Er, let's not."

"We'd probably better head back and check on the townspeople," Bastiodon said.

Rampardos nodded. "They tend to get a little panicky in situations involving giant flying monsters and rampaging armies."

"We could help out, if you need us," Abomasnow offered.

"I've got a lot of muscle to offer!" Machamp added, flexing.

"Right now, we need it all here," Mew assured. "When Darkrai shows up, we'll need all the help we can get."

"We've come a long way in the past couple weeks," Piplup said, addressing Chimchar, Grovyle, Dusknoir, Lucario, and Mew. "And it all comes down to this."

Grovyle smiled. "Yep. So what are we going to do when all of this is over with?"

"Same thing as always, I guess," Chimchar shrugged. "Go back to the surface world and explore the unexplored."

"Fun as that sounds, I think I'll reopen my Aura dojo," Lucario grinned. "I'm guessing that a lot more people will want to control their Aura after the part it played in saving the world."

Piplup frowned. "So you won't be coming back to the surface with us?"

"Our place is here in the Core," Mew answered. "But we can always visit each other, right?"

"Yes, I suppose," Piplup nodded.

"Honestly, I'll miss this place a little bit," Dusknoir cut in. "I kind of liked the ruins."

Suddenly, Piplup and Chimchar's eyes snapped open. "The Wheel!" they gasped. The two hurried over to the wreckage of the ruins.

"The Wheel?" Lucario frowned.

"Of course!" Grovyle exclaimed. "We forgot to turn back the Wheel!"

"You'd think we'd remember that, considering that two of our closest friends and the entire world depends on it," Dusknoir mused.

88 and 89 ran forward to join Piplup and Chimchar. "We want to help!" they screamed. They caught up to Piplup and Chimchar, who were staring at the one standing wall that remained of the ruins. Of course, it was the one containing the Wheel of Time.

"You two watch," Piplup ordered 88 and 89. "We'll turn the Wheel. No offense, but you guys would probably mess it up."

"You're probably right," 88 admitted.

"We're a wee bit accident prone," 89 added.

Piplup and Chimchar turned to each other and nodded. They reached up and grabbed the stone wheel.

Suddenly, Regigigas took a trembling step forward.

It fell forward, slamming down hard on its face. The ground quaked at the impact.

"That can't be good," Piplup gulped. "We'd better hurry." He yanked the Wheel. Slowly, with the sound of scraping stones, it turned. Further and further, to the point where it had originally been set. Then, he turned it further still.

Click!

It stopped.

Piplup turned to Chimchar. "Is that it?"

"Is time restored?" Chimchar wondered.

"I guess the only way to find out will be to return to the surface," Piplup shrugged.

"Sorry, but you guys will never see the surface again."

Piplup and Chimchar whirled around. A pitch-black shadow rose from nowhere, looming over them. Of course, it was Darkrai.

Everybody reacted at once. Grovyle, Dusknoir, Lucario, Mew, and the entire Guild charged together. Piplup, Chimchar, 88, and 89 leapt at Darkrai. And Darkrai merely laughed.

Suddenly, a dark black orb opened in the air above Darkrai. He grabbed Piplup and Chimchar out of the air, clutching one in each hand.

"What are you doing?" Piplup gasped, struggling.

"Sorry," Darkrai grinned. "I can't tell you that." He turned to face the crowd charging at him. "Farewell, fools!" he roared. "This is the last time you'll ever have to see my face. But I'm taking these two with me!"

"NOOO!" Grovyle screamed, lunging ahead of the rest.

88 and 89 looked at each other and nodded. They sprung back into the air, heading straight for Darkrai. But they found themselves moving upward suddenly. The black orb over Darkrai was sucking them inwards. In a matter of seconds, they'd been absorbed.

It was a portal.

"Grovyle!" Piplup and Chimchar screamed as one.

"I'll get you!" Grovyle called. He sprung into the air, heading straight for Darkrai.

"Farewell, Grovyle," Darkrai sneered. "It's been fun while it lasted."

Then, he jumped at the portal.

Grovyle whizzed through the air where Darkrai had been only a moment before. But he passed straight through and slammed into the hard stony earth on the other side.

Darkrai was gone.

And so were Piplup and Chimchar.



TO BE CONTINUED!!!

I'll get the epilogue up tomorrow.

And I finished before midnight! I'm so proud of myself!

[~Silver Aura~]

Woah! Talk about De ja vu Darkrai virtually did the same thing Dusknoir did way back. Anyway awesome chapter. Can't wait for more.