Dimensions of Darkness Book 3: The Explorers of the Beyond

[Mi10ticFan]

The group of Zuruggu looked back and forth for a while and shrugged, then got into a line. The front one stepped up to face Chimchar. "Fear me! I am Zuruggu!"

Chimchar punched him in the face. "Next!"

The next Zuruggu stepped forward. "You have keeled my brother!"

Punch! "Next!"

Another Zuruggu approached. "When I grow up, I'm gonna be a serial killer!"

Punch! "Next!"

An odd-looking Zuruggu stepped forward, sniffing up a drip of snot every few seconds. "Sometimes, I throw up!"

Chimchar paused for a second and stared at the Zuruggu, his expression a combination of bewilderment, exasperation, and amusement. "I like you kid. You've got potential. You could go places."

Punch!

"Next!"

Oh Chimchar, punching those poor Zuruggu just like that. xD

Anyway, great chapter! My bet is that the song is a Lion King reference right? xD

[GalladeRocks]

Oh Chimchar, punching those poor Zuruggu just like that. xD

Anyway, great chapter! My bet is that the song is a Lion King reference right? xD

Yeah, 88 and 89 are pulling a Timon and Pumbaa.

Also, for those who want to know, the next chapter will be the first special Pokemon Show chapter, starring Piplup, Chimchar, Poliwhirl, and all the rest. It'll also feature Clamperl the Teenage Clamperl. I'll leave you to think on that one...

[Resident evil]

Chapter highlight:

The group of Zuruggu looked back and forth for a while and shrugged, then got into a line. The front one stepped up to face Chimchar. "Fear me! I am Zuruggu!"

Chimchar punched him in the face. "Next!"

The next Zuruggu stepped forward. "You have keeled my brother!"

Punch! "Next!"

Another Zuruggu approached. "When I grow up, I'm gonna be a serial killer!"

Punch! "Next!"

An odd-looking Zuruggu stepped forward, sniffing up a drip of snot every few seconds. "Sometimes, I throw up!"

Chimchar paused for a second and stared at the Zuruggu, his expression a combination of bewilderment, exasperation, and amusement. "I like you kid. You've got potential. You could go places."

Punch!

"Next!"

Easily the best chapter in a while.

Overall, a late reply, and this chapter somewhat, if not fully, makes up for the painfully long wait.

[~Silver Aura~]

Lol good going Chimchar. Oh man now I'm in the mood to watch tThe Lion King lol.

[GalladeRocks]

It's that time again!

Skuntank: The mysterious voice from above? It has returned!

Dusknoir: That can only mean one thing! The Pokemon Show is back on the air!

Skuntank: The horror! And that means we're back on preview duty!

Dusknoir: Oh well. At least we'll be bringing home some extra bacon.

Pokabu: Excuse me?

Dusknoir: New Guy, get out of here.

Skuntank: Well, we've got to start at some point. What are we looking at this week?

Dusknoir: This episode seems to be titled Defective Detective.

Skuntank: I'm thinking the stunt man messes something up.

Dusknoir: Yup, Poliwhirl's apparently solving some mystery about the monkey stealing from the audience.

Skuntank: The monkey? Well, this show just lost twice its potential.

Dusknoir: But at least it'll be twice as fun for us! I hope you've got those rotten Tamatos ready.

Skuntank: I wouldn't leave home without them!

Dusknoir: Also, it appears that there will be some guest stars from an underwater school, or something like that. Among them will be Remoraid, Magikarp, Jocktillery, and Clamperl the Teenage Clamperl, whatever that means.

Skuntank: Sounds stupid. I'll be there.

Dusknoir: I wouldn't miss it. Ciao!

[HoennKyogre]

Isn't the "Sometimes I throw up" line from Ice Age 2? Also, that song's from Lion King lol XD

[GalladeRocks]

Yeah, the line's from the beginning of Ice Age 2.

I plan to have the Pokemon Show episode posted on Wednesday. However, it won't be here. Where will it be, then? Why, it will be here. That's right, I've got another fic started starring Piplup and Co. that I will be updating alternatively with this one. The Piplup and Chimchar Variety Hour will be like nothing else seen on this forum before, trust me!

[Lab Master]

May I be on the PM list?

[GalladeRocks]

May I be on the PM list?

Yep, you're on the PM list. Sorry that I never got out PMs, but I got an episode of the Pokemon Show posted in my fic The Piplup and Chimchar Variety Hour. As for the next true chapter of this fic, I could possibly get it up Sunday night or Monday afternoon, but it's extremely iffy.

Also, I have some other fics for you to keep your eyes out for. I probably won't post any of them until after Christmas, but I've got a trio of one-shots planned that ties into DoD. The first is Nightfall, the second is Thrown Together, and the third is Bonds. I've also got another one-shot planned called Seven, but it probably won't come out until after those three.

[GalladeRocks]

By the name of Arceus, I'm early for a change! It's an almost-Christmas miracle!


Chapter 5
Around the Fire (Again)

The fire crackled to life as Chimchar blew on it. He was clueless as to how he’d managed to ignite the rocks and soil inside the small cave they’d found, but he had succeeded. The world of the Beyond was a mystery indeed.

Shadows danced on the wall, causing Piplup to shudder. He still hated this bizarre world he’d been pulled into, but he was glad to at least have shelter. He wearily eyed Dragonite, who sat with his back to the cave entrance. “Are you sure we’re safe in here?”

“We’re fine,” Dragonite assured. “We scared off Scrafty and his cronies, and they won’t be coming back for a rematch anytime soon.”

“What about Combusken?” Piplup inquired. “Or even Darkrai himself?”

Dragonite scoffed. “Darkrai himself? Bah! He may have chased you down in your world, but here, he has a nearly unlimited number of underlings to send in. And Combusken may be a lot of bad things, but he is honorable. That’s what’s got him in the position he’s in now.”

“Okay, so we’re safe from Darkrai and Combusken,” Piplup nodded. “But what about that unlimited number of underlings you mentioned?”

“Oh, they’re nothing,” Dragonite waved his hand derisively. “There aren’t many worse than Scrafty and his gang, and we sent them packing. The ones who are truly strong are away. The Generals are fighting at the fronts, and Darkrai would never send in his bratty little princess. At least not unless he was desperate.”

Piplup frowned. “Is he desperate?”

“Er…quite possibly. But I’m sure we’ve got nothing to worry about.”

*****

High above the cave, the shadowy black figure sat, smiling. She was eager to strike, but she couldn’t attack just yet. Darkrai had a hunch where these fugitives were heading, and if he was right, then she could add yet another outlaw to the execution list. She rose, turning back to the canyon. Before anything else, she had another visit to make.

*****

Piplup held his hands over the fire. Dragonite’s uncertainty was unsettling, to say the least. But at least they had a warm fire and friendly company. “This is better than nothing,” he said aloud.

“That it is,” 88 agreed, settling down next to Piplup. “But I do miss the Core.”

“A world without luminescent moss is just unthinkable,” 89 added. He tried sitting down by the fire, only to singe his tail. He retreated to sit by 88.

Chimchar leaned back and stared up at the ceiling. “This place is messed up, man, messed up.”

“You have ole Giratina to blame for that, not to mention Darkrai and Deoxys,” Dragonite smirked.

“There’s that name again,” Piplup pointed out. “Deoxys. Just who is that?” He paused. “And Giratina? I’ve heard the name before, I just can’t place where.”

Dragonite looked at Piplup inquisitively for a second before realization donned on him. “That’s right, you don’t really know about anyone from here except Darkrai. Well, I’ll start from the beginning. I hope you’re ready for a long story.”

“Please,” Chimchar scoffed. “We’ve got nothing but time.”

“Alright, then,” Dragonite nodded. “I’ll start at the beginning. Long ago, in the time of the original Dialga and Palkia, there was a Pokemon named Giratina.”

Piplup clapped in remembrance. “That’s it! I knew I knew that name!”

Chimchar nodded. “Yeah. Dialga told us in Treasure Town, and then Mew told us again in the Core.”

“Giratina was a wicked Pokemon who rose up in rebellion against Dialga and Palkia,” Piplup continued. “He gathered many allies and attempted to take control of the universe. Dialga and Palkia overpowered him, but they were left weak and defenseless. They could not have stopped Giratina if he’d risen again, so they created a dimension with the last of their strength to act as a prison for Giratina and his army. However, this caused Dialga and Palkia to wither up and die, leaving behind newer, inferior versions of themselves.”

“So you do know some,” Dragonite said. “But do you know where you are right now?”

Piplup stared at Dragonite as if he’d bowed down in worship of Darkrai. “The Beyond, as I believe you called it. Some mysterious dimension of darkness filled with evil Pokemon.” He paused. “An army of evil Pokemon…perhaps descended from an older army of evil Pokemon…perhaps lead by a villainous legendary dragon?”

“You’re a sharp one,” Dragonite smiled. “You’re absolutely correct. The Beyond is the prison created for Giratina and his followers. Darkrai, Combusken, Garchomp, myself, and everyone here is descended from the original rebel army.” He paused. “Of course, not all of us remained evil through inheritance. That’s how the Resistance was formed.”

“The Resistance?” 88 inquired, frowning.

Dragonite nodded. “Yep, the Resistance. We’re an army of rebels bent on overthrowing Darkrai and Deoxys for control of the Beyond.”

“Deoxys again,” Piplup sighed. “You still haven’t fully explained who that is. And what about Giratina?”

“Deoxys is a nightmare,” Dragonite scowled. “He’s an utter genius. He and Darkrai are partners in control of the Army of the Beyond.”

“Darkrai actually has a friend?” Chimchar gaped. “I can’t believe that.”

Dragonite smirked. “Then don’t. Darkrai and Deoxys may be partners, but they’re not friends. They hate each other. However, they mutually benefit from their partnership, so they put up with each other. Darkrai has incredible power and can utilize the darkness to its fullest capabilities. Deoxys is a strategic mastermind, the smartest Pokemon I’ve ever known.” He paused, shuddering. “He’s much more mild-mannered than Darkrai, and I don’t know anybody who has ever seen him lose his cool. But I believe that that is part of what makes him a thousand times more dangerous than Darkrai.”

“More dangerous than Darkrai?” 89 gulped. “That’s…that’s…”

“That’s pretty dangerous,” Chimchar finished.

“You have no idea,” Dragonite nodded. “You haven’t even met him yet.” He turned to Piplup. “And you mentioned Giratina? Well, he disappeared. Many years ago, he simply vanished. Everyone assumes that he finally succumbed to the madness of his prison and died alone. A skeleton was discovered. It’s the proper size and structure, but nobody can confirm that it was Giratina.”

Piplup seemed to be slightly comforted. “So we’ve got Darkrai and Deoxys. I think we can take them on.”

“Don’t forget their entire army,” Dragonite added. “But don’t worry. Once we reach the Resistance HQ, we’ll have plenty of back-up. I can’t wait for you guys to meet my buddies back there. Team Liberty will be just ecstatic to find some new recruits.”

“New recruits, eh?” Piplup scratched his chin. “I think we can fill in that role. I want to be a lieutenant or a colonel or a general. Something important.”

Dragonite smiled. “I’ll put in a good word for you guys, if we get there alive, that is.”

“You sound convinced,” 89 said. “But hey, you’ve got to talk good about 88 and me too.”

“Yeah,” 88 agreed. “We’re trained soldiers.”

Dragonite seemed impressed. “Really? How many battles have you seen?”

The two shuffled their feet nervously. “Real battles?” 88 pondered. “I’d say…maybe…one and a half?”

“Even that’s debatable,” Piplup pointed out. “Those battles were against untrained soldiers, who greatly outnumbered us. They weren’t warzone conditions.”

“Oh,” 89 sighed. “In that case: none.”

Dragonite shrugged. “Don’t worry. My good friend Absol can help with your training.”

“We’ll need it,” Piplup admitted. “We’ve only truly beaten Darkrai once before, and we had help then.”

“I knew you’d beaten Darkrai before,” Dragonite nodded. “News spread fast. They said you fought down an entire ambush party in a volcanic crater. Who helped you?”

“A Psychic type Pokemon,” Chimchar explained. “She helped us flush out Darkrai in the first place to take him on, then joined us to fight him. Her name’s Cresselia.”

Dragonite was taken aback. He nearly fell over backward. “Cresselia? Did you say Cresselia?”

“Yeah,” Piplup said, frowning. “How do you know her name?”

“She’s a legend!” Dragonite gasped. “She was once a major source of inside information for the Resistance, just like I was until breaking out you guys. She disappeared from the Beyond not long after Darkrai managed to find a way out. We assumed she was chasing him.”

Piplup nodded. “She must have been, because she was pursuing him throughout our world when we met them. So he knew her from this world?”

“Knew her?” Dragonite smirked. “Of course he knew her. She was his wife.”

*****

The portal pulsed blue above the bluff. Far below, ocean waves crashed against the cliff-face. Two figures stood before the glowing door, waiting.

“What do you suppose he’s doing in there?”

“I don’t know. He just wanted me to open it up for him.”

The first figure seemed on edge. He wasn’t nervous, though. He simply felt…off. The fact that three of his closest friends were absent probably had something to do with it. He idly fingered the red scar across his eye.

The second hovered in the air impatiently. “He’d better hurry up. Who knows what could happen if I leave this open much longer?”

“Don’t worry, I’m coming.”

A ghostly figure emerged from the portal. He towered over his two companions. Flickering shapes could be seen in the portal behind him.

“Well, Dusknoir?” the first figure asked. “You didn’t come back empty-handed, did you?”

“Think about it, Grovyle,” Dusknoir said. “Would I have asked Celebi to send me forward just for a pointless visit?”

Grovyle thought it over for a minute. “You do have a tendency to waste time, but not in a moment of crisis. So, what were you up to?”

“Well, if our plan ever comes to fruition, we’ll need some help,” Dusknoir explained.

“Wheh-heh-heh-heh-heh!” The strange cackling echoed forth from the Passage of Time, rolling out across Sharpedo Bluff.

Celebi gasped. “That laugh! Is it really-“

Dusknoir nodded. “That it is. I decided to bring in some reinforcements.”

At these words, the Sableye spilled forth.


Hope you all like it!

[scizorstrike]

You're EARLY!!?!?!?! *faints*

So Darkrai was originaly from the Beyond? And Cresselia? And all the rest? That's... interesting... and you brought back the Sableye! The Sableye were my favourite characters originally. Simply because of their maniacal laughing. It's awesome.

[GalladeRocks]

You're EARLY!!?!?!?! *faints*

So Darkrai was originaly from the Beyond? And Cresselia? And all the rest? That's... interesting... and you brought back the Sableye! The Sableye were my favourite characters originally. Simply because of their maniacal laughing. It's awesome.

Yeah, it was freaky. I just sat down and started typing with the intention of merely starting it off, and I ended up finishing it relatively quickly. I realize that it's short, but it's really just a filler chapter that gives out some necessary information. And don't get too used to the Sableye, as they'll only show up a few times. They're merely back-up for Grovyle, Dusknoir, and Celebi for when they launch their plan into action, and they probably won't even play a major role then.

Also, you've probably realized that I didn't send out PMs or even edit my signature during the time since I posted the chapter. That's because posting the chapter was the last thing I got done before my computer was overtaken by a virus and put out of commission until about an hour and a half ago. So I'll be sending out PMs now. Until then!

[Stryder]

Aww so no Lucario or Mew then?

[~Silver Aura~]

Cresselia is Darkrai's wife!? Shock! Horror! Anyway awesome chapter as usual .

[GalladeRocks]

Aww so no Lucario or Mew then?

Nope. Lucario and Mew won't have a very big part in this book. They'll have a couple appearances alongside Grovyle, Dusknoir, and Celebi, but nothing huge. Basically, the stars of the A-plot will always be Piplup and Chimchar, even if others change, and the stars of the B-plot will always be Grovyle, Dusknoir, and Celebi, even if others change. Now, as for the C-plot...

[Lab Master]

It is interesting how Cresselia is Darkrai's wife.

[Torpoleon]

Cresselia is Darkrai's wife?! Interesting. I'm happy that Dusknoir, Celebi, Grovyle and the Sableye will be there for some things. I'm guessing the shadowed figure is Cresselia?

[GalladeRocks]

Cresselia is Darkrai's wife?! Interesting. I'm happy that Dusknoir, Celebi, Grovyle and the Sableye will be there for some things. I'm guessing the shadowed figure is Cresselia?

Still not quite right. The shadowed figure was mentioned in the last chapter, but not by name. I originally intended to include a short scene in the last chapter featuring Wigglytuff, Chatot, Armaldo, Lucario, Mew, and Cresselia, but I ended up cutting it for later use.

[Torpoleon]

Oh. If I had to guess again, I'd say Mismagius, although it probably isn't. The fact that you used "she" when describing some of the character's actions does narrow the field down quite a bit.

[GalladeRocks]

You won't have to worry much longer, I intend to reveal the character in the next chapter. Also, I posted a bonus Christmas episode of The Pokemon Show in The Piplup and Chimchar Variety Hour, if you want to see it. (Hint: To enjoy it fully, you'll have to do a lot of singing in your head.)