The Uprise of Cipher (PG-13)

[Orion]

Hi there, everybody. I'm back into writing, for I'm somewhat inspired after a long while.

I bet you've forgotten about me after so long, but that's OK. I'm dishing out my other Fic completely. As for this one, I'm going to give it my all. Actually, the launch of Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness injected so much life in the actual plot that I went and revised what I had so far. Thanks to it, the story has expanded a lot, and it's added MANY elements that make it more intense. I know you'll like it more than before. Not that I had much anyway... but well. Some might remember that I did post this story a while ago...

This story takes place in Orre, ten years after the events in Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness. It grabs elements and plot from both Pokémon Colosseum and Pokémon XD. This surged because I really like those games. However, many things were wrong with them. That's why I decided to write it: to expand the plot of said games and create a whole new story in the process.

This isn't a Trainer Fic. It's based in Pokémon, but it's more like Adventure and Dark mixed, with a few "Trainer" kicked in. It'll be limited to battles mostly, though. The main focus is a big mission that will decide Orre's destiny. I rated it PG-13, as it's bound to contain a few swears and quite a bit of violence.

I can't say more without spoiling stuff, so, come and read about...

-------------------------------------------------------------

The Uprise of Cipher.

Prologue: Chronicles of Orre.

“We got him at last!” Claimed the leading grunt, the Rogue Soldier, which commanded the blue forces behind him. A group of five guys had an old man apprehended. All of them wore blue armor-like clothes, and had a weird helmet covering their faces. One of them didn’t wear the helmet: a young guy with short, blue hair. All of them wore the orange scarf: the sign of Cipher’s Army. They were crossing through the open arena that used to be the Deep Colosseum. Completely abandoned now, the old subterranean area now just served one purpose: the entrance to the Headquarters further underground. The group went through the hollow space quickly, and reached an elevator. All of them got in, still keeping hold of the old man that had given up by now.

“The Boss will be really pleased! We’ll manage to get out a big heck of information from this coot.” Said another grunt. As the leading one pushed the elevator’s “Down” button, one of them was really ashamed of all that. The blue-haired guy felt bad for doing the dirty things he had to do. But there wasn’t anything else he could do: if he disobeyed, his life would come to a sudden end. He just refrained from making any comment on that issue, until the moment came. As he looked at the flashy lights around the elevator, it stopped. The group then got into Cipher’s Underground Headquarters.

As they went down, they got into a huge room. There was a lobby with tables and chairs. White neon lights illuminated the place, as an endless amount of people chatted and drank in the lobby. Many of them were Cipher Soldiers like the ones that formed the group. Many pictures of Pokémon and people surrounded the lobby’s wall. The atmosphere was quite dark, though, because the place was many meters underground. At the far end of the big room, assorted in a neat way, a bunch of elevators could be seen. However, they weren’t regular elevators. The group stepped into the biggest one, and all of them disappeared just like this.

The group re-appeared in another room. It was a long hall, with many Cipher Soldiers hanging all over it. The hall had light bulbs instead of neon lights, which made it way darker than the previous room. There were many automatic doors at both sides of the long hall. As the group walked on, they chatted, very pleased with themselves because of the successful mission.

“We’re just some steps away from the Boss’ office.” Said the Rogue Soldier. They were approaching a big door that glittered with blue and gold sparkles all over it. As they were nearer of that door, the blue-haired guy stood back: he just hoped that the other soldiers would notice…

One of the soldiers turned back, as he noticed that the helmet-less comrade stopped walking all of a sudden. “Won’t you come?”

“Nope. You can’t go in like that…”

“Who says so?”

“I bet the Boss must be busy right now… how about you allow me to torture our hostage a bit?”

The Rogue Soldier turned back, angry about what had just popped out. He walked toward the blue-haired guy, but it was unknown if he was angry at all, since the helmet he wore covered his eyes. “Look, Ray: you’ve betrayed us before when you say you’re going to ‘torture our hostages’. We’re not going to fall for it this time!” The voice of the soldier proved that he was indeed angered.

“But this time I’m serious!”

“Don’t start with that crap again. You’ve allowed the escape of our latest hostages… you’re lucky that the Boss hasn’t ordered your execution by now. You did a great job in this mission. Don’t let it go to waste!”

“Trust me… I’m not going to allow escape this time.”

The angered soldier thought about it for a while, until he shook his head with a sign of disapproval, and said: “OK… I’ll trust you a last time. If you allow him to escape, I WILL get you executed! Go into your room, and make a good job. A good opening torture will soften him, and he’ll reveal the information we need. I’ll be back in one hour!” The leading soldier went back with the group and sent them to their rooms, while he got hold of the old man and handed him to Ray.

Ray got hold of the old man before he could move. He then went slowly inside his room, which was behind a door out of many in that long hall. As he entered, he closed the door with key, and released the old man from his seemingly strong arms.

The old man screamed and tried to escape, but as he saw that Ray didn’t start any sort of torture, he calmed down. The room was almost filled in complete darkness, as a low-power bulb was the only light source. There was a bed, and a computer. A bunch of clothes and magazines were spread out all around the messy place. Ray was a very untidy person.

“Sit down in the bed, please… I want to know a few things I’m sure you’re informed of.” Ray was serious, like he hadn’t been before. The old man felt a weird trust towards Ray: he couldn’t explain it. Deep within him, however, the old man hoped that the blue-haired boy that was talking to him would become a hero, and save Orre, as the Legendary Hero did back then…

The old man finally took a seat in the bed of that gloomy, poorly illuminated room. “OK, boy… I feel like I can trust you on that. You seem to be just a beginning soldier after all.”

Ray got hold of a chair that was near the room’s computer, and went near the bed. He then sat in front of the old man, and started the conversation: “Your name is Harland, isn’t it?”

“Yeah. I’m Orre’s spokesman. I keep track of all events and situations that concern this very region…”

“I see. That’s why Cipher wanted you. Um…”

“Before you keep it going, kid, I have a question: are you dissing Cipher?”

Ray just smirked at that question, and limited himself to nod at the old man’s assumption. “I see… that’s why you’ve released all the previous hostages, and you haven’t tortured me.”

Ray now felt burning from inside, and expressed his reasons at Harland, with a burning fury from deep inside his heart: “Yeah… Cipher ruined my life. They killed my family, destroyed my Pokémon from inside and obliged me to work for them. I have no other choice… I wouldn’t be there if I had refused.”

“My most sincere apologies… I guess you want to know the current situation of Orre. You would’ve preferred death than this destiny, I feel. There must be a reason for you to remain alive…”

Ray was still looking at Harland with his red eyes. Still, he couldn’t deny it: he wanted to stay alive. One reason was his Pokémon and all the other corrupted Pokémon that now plagued Orre. And the other reason was a friend… his only friend. “Sorry, but…”

“You don’t need to tell me your reasons, Ray. I understand how you feel. Still, I want to help you, as it seems you’re the only one capable of it. I feel it…” Harland had a strong will. It could be easily noticed: his black eyes, even if a bit hammered by the pass of the years, projected full determination. His overall body complexion showed he wasn’t ordinary old man. His hair still brimmed in a radiant black tone, despite his advanced age…

“You really think so?” Ray had helped other hostages, but no one had shown as much trust as Harland did. Even he was impressed, and now confirmed what Harland had just said: “Yeah… I want to know how did Cipher rise from its downfall at Wes’ hands. How did that organization took over the whole region… I want to know.”

“I see… Nascour must keep a big amount of the information for himself.”

“You know Boss Nascour?” Ray was completely shocked with finding that a complete outsider was well versed about Cipher’s hierarchy and the very Boss.

“I know more than you think, Ray… anyway. Guess I have no time to lose, as the Rogue Soldier will come in less than one hour.”

“That’s right! We must hurry… please tell me. What do you know about Cipher’s up rise and the inability of Orre to respond? I want as much details as possible, please…”

“And you’ll have them…” Harland cleared his throat for what would surely be a long chronicle: “As you know, Cipher managed to control a big part of Orre about fifteen years ago. They started as an underground syndicate founded by the most renowned miner of the Under: Evice Es Cade. The miner was formerly part of the Es Cade family, the governors of Phenac City. However, he was abandoned as he bestowed completely evil tendencies. Evice promised revenge to his own family, and with the years, he formed a huge wealth in the formerly mining town of the Under.”

“With his endless wealth, Evice managed to form a big group. He hired many criminals of the Orre Region, and even managed to lure in many powerful Trainers of the now cancelled Orre League. One of them is the actual Head of the organization: Nascour. With the aid of those criminals, Trainers and even a bunch of scientists, Evice created Cipher. The new organization started as an underground group, but it grew without control in a small lapse of some months. The ones that conformed the organization recruited Trainers all over the region, and also formed an alliance with the expert thieves of Team Snagem. They provided Snagem with the technology to actually steal Pokémon off their Trainers. They just had to give Cipher the best Pokémon they could steal in return.”

“In addition, the leader of the scientists hired by Evice, and last champion of the Orre League, Ein, created the Shadow Pokémon. They would work wonders for Evice’s scheme. Soon enough, Cipher had grown to be an unstoppable organization, having an army of humans and Pokémon alike. However, they couldn’t go further in their feat of conquering Orre. They had control over the Under and Pyrite Town, but soon enough, a former member of their affiliate Team Snagem, the Orre Hero, Wes, unearthed their intentions and trumped the whole organization, little by little.”

Ray was listening with an attention rare in himself. Not even the current situation of the Region could shift him from knowing the background of this awful age. The dark underground room was out of his mind now: Harland’s story was his only focus. “You have any questions up to here?” Said Harland. He was concerned about Ray’s thoughts…

“No. Not really. It’s interesting to know Cipher’s beginnings… but I hope you can tell me about their up rise from their slump now…” Ray was impatient to know how they could go unnoticed by Wes, and how no one in the whole region could stop them at all.

“OK… I’ll tell you. I just wanted you to know some of Cipher’s background. Let me continue. As Wes brought Cipher down in a lapse of mere weeks, the organization almost stumbled. Even their further efforts of taking Wes down were proved useless, as Wes himself disposed of the last traces of both Team Snagem and Cipher. Evice had lost ALL control he ever had over Orre, and was now in jail, seeing as how his escape plan was stopped by the legendary Ho-Oh, whom was watching over Wes and his friend, Rui.” Ray was quite impressed with that claim. He couldn’t help but ask: “Ho-Oh? The Legendary Ho-Oh? But, why it protected someone like Wes, whom used to be a criminal like Evice himself?”

“Yes. It’s weird as of why did Ho-Oh choose Wes. To this day, that mystery remains unsolved. Still, Ho-Oh observed Wes’ determination. He wanted to save the Shadow Pokémon, to revert them to what they used to be. It’s also unknown as of today why Wes betrayed Team Snagem and went into his quest for saving all the Shadow Pokémon. Still, Ho-Oh has been named as the Protector of the relationship Pokémon-Human. As it saw Wes’ desire, Ho-Oh knew it was right to support his success. At least that’s what I think…”

“Interesting… sorry. Please continue.” Harland took a deep breath, wheezing strongly. Ray was concerned about him, and went into his mess of clothes and magazines. As Ray went through the dirty stuff, he got a small bottle of water out of it, and handed it to Harland. “Please, drink some.” Harland grabbed the bottle, and drank a big amount of water off it. “Thanks, Ray. You’re very kind.”

“It’s the least I can do for you. If you need something else, tell me.” Ray then went back to his chair, still eager of hearing more of the story he completely ignored. Harland cleared his throat and started to talk again: “Wes freed the Region from Cipher’s menace. However, there was a fact that he ignored completely. A fact that would soon turn things around: Evice had a back-up plan.”

“A back-up plan?” Things were starting to get interesting. Inside the faint and messy room of his, Ray would finally hear the truth… “Yeah. Wes actually had a chance, but he ignored that the apparently former Cipher Admins were still working for Cipher’s rebirth. He defeated them for the third time in the Deep Colosseum. Apparently, they didn’t work for Cipher anymore, and just became full-on Trainers. Or at least that’s what Wes thought.”

“The Deep Colosseum? You mean the entrance of the Headquarters? Did it exist 15 years ago?” That impressed Ray too.

“Yes, and it was instrumental in Cipher’s recovery. Wes never went beyond the Colosseum, but there, those very Headquarters were being built. Evice and Nascour, whom were in jail at the time, knew it wouldn’t be long before they could escape. Their plan consisted on fooling Wes in that Cipher and Snagem were done for. The Admins managed to keep Wes off their real intentions. It took about five years, but the basic structure for those Underground Headquarters were completed without Wes knowing a thing about it… and then, the second phase of Evice’s plan was executed by his childhood friend, Deathgold.”

“Deathgold? You mean Nascour’s Left Hand?”

“Yes. It was ten years ago. Deathgold followed Evice’s commands as the organization started its slow recovery. Deathgold formed a new group, and stood as the new boss of Cipher. He dismissed all the old Admins to avoid suspicious thoughts from people. His objective was to keep the development of Shadow Pokémon still active. You probably know about that big Pyramid that’s being ran by Cipher, and Nickeldark Island?”

“Yes, I do. That pyramid is where Shadow Pokémon are mass-produced. Nickeldark Island is the second Headquarter of Cipher.”

“Indeed. Deathgold built both places, in his attempt to bring Cipher back to power. His isolated plan was stopped, though. A small kid named Tom, a good friend of Professor Krane, stopped the plans of the new Cipher. However, he also ended up clueless in the actual plot of Cipher. Deathgold’s plan succeeded, as they managed to create the most fearsome Shadow Pokémon.”

“What? What’s it about? Deathgold created an even more fearsome Shadow Pokémon?”

“He surely did. With the help of Ein, of course, who worked in the background. The Shadow Pokémon with code name: ‘XD-001’. It was the Legendary Lugia. It was a terrifying creation, out of the sick mind of those scientists. I believe they’re now producing more Shadow Pokémon under that classification, but I’m not sure. Even so, Tom managed to bring them down, Snag the Shadow Pokémon produced for that feat, and even purify XD-001, with the help of Prof. Krane’s Purify Chamber”

“I see. Well… I don’t remember much of it. I was 4 years old back then, and I just heard of an attack in the Pyrite TV Station…”

“Yep. It was just a work in the shadows. Cipher is actually glad that it wasn’t spread out at all. Plus, as you must be aware, the Under was abandoned around that time. That was perfect for Cipher, as they now would have their HQs completely unknown from everyone…”

“As Deathgold’s plan was foiled, both Evice and Nascour escaped from jail. The escape had all of Orre in expectation. Even Wes, whom was now resting in Agate Village, got on his feet to find the escapees. However, neither was found. Tom also helped, but couldn’t find them either. Wes, Tom and the police thought they probably died in the vastness of the desert before they could even make it to their scarce followers. But they were completely wrong…”

“Evice and Nascour made it to the Under, which was now completely abandoned. Then they went into the just-finished Underground Headquarters. Down there, the up rise had just started. Unnoticed by Wes, Tom, and Orre as a whole, Cipher started to gather more followers than ever. Of all conditions and status, people started to flow inside the organization. Soon, their members highly outnumbered the last batch when Wes defeated them. It was also helped when the leftovers of Team Snagem merged with Cipher. Gonzap, the boss of Snagem, became the newest Admin, and with both criminal organizations now together, there would be trouble… but everybody in the surface ignored that.”

“It took Cipher about two years to create an army of Trainers, criminals and Pokémon. Ein managed to improve the Shadow Pokémon. The drawbacks were pretty much eliminated, and Shadow Pokémon now could double as normal Pokémon. The Snag Machines were improved to such a degree that now it’s almost impossible to distinguish between a Snag Machine and a normal glove. Cipher was ready to strike Orre with all they had. But they had a few worries: Wes and Tom. They probably could stop Cipher in its tracks again… but they had plans for them too.”

“It was the first thing Cipher did in the surface. A group of Elite Soldiers infiltrated into Agate Village, in one of Wes’ usual strolls through the sacred forest where he had purified all of the old Shadow Pokémon. There, the Peons attacked in a surprise strike. Wes couldn’t retaliate and fell in their hands. They also got hold of all of Wes’ Pokémon, while Cipher’s hackers got the Pokémon he had stored in the Personal Storage System. Wes has never been seen ever since. The notice of Wes’ apparent death stroke Rui, whom had just lost her grandparents: Eagun and Belluh. Rui went into a state of mental insanity: all the people she cared for was gone… forever. She’s still in her grandparent’s house to this day, completely out of herself. A huge sadness has rendered her completely unaware of the things that would come…”

“Then, in another swift attack, they surprised Professor Krane. As Tom and his mom lived there, it was a very fast mission. They destroyed Krane’s Laboratory, and the Purify Chamber. Tom and his mom were apprehended and sent to jail, alongside Krane. They also got hold of all the Pokémon Tom had saved, including Lugia. It still surprises me how they didn’t kill them all, as they did with Wes…”

Ray couldn’t believe what he was hearing: apparently, Wes was dead. The great hero of Orre was gone. Tom, the other guy that had stopped Cipher, was now in jail. “So, that’s how Cipher managed to take control?”

“Yes… but that was just the point of the iceberg. As soon as Wes and Tom got out of their way, their take over was immediate and reckless. Their next action was so awful, so dreadful, that it still remains in the memories of the people that witnessed it and managed to survive…”

“What? What did they do that was so terrible?” Ray could swear he saw a silent tear slipping from Harland at that point. The old man whipped it with his arm, and then kept on going: “They attacked Phenac City in an indescribable rage. They used Shadow Pokémon to destroy the whole city and kill about 85% of their inhabitants. They just allowed the youngsters to live, and some people managed to escape their wrath. To this day, this event is proof of Cipher’s power and domain over the whole Orre Region. Such event is known as the “Phenac Raid” among the survivors. The youngsters Evice allowed to live are now on Cipher’s files… at least most of them.”

“That’s awful! How could they do that? Destroying a whole city and their people…” Ray felt a sudden fury within himself. He now hated Cipher even more. There was another feeling: he felt his friend was related in some way to Phenac City. He thought it was just a weird feeling created by his sudden rage… only that. Ray tried to calm down, and asked gently to Harland to continue: “The event was so awful that Evice died that very day. He probably couldn’t withstand seeing so much destruction created by him… showing he was human after all. Still, Nascour took control of Cipher, and the conquest of Orre continued.”

“Next was Agate Village. Pretty much all the Orre population but Cipher members were completely scared off what they could do to them if they didn’t obey. In addition, the former Agate Elders were dead; Wes was nowhere, probably dead; and Rui was so immersed in her own messed mind that she didn’t even move from her grandparent’s house. Dakim took over the village with ease. Then, Miror B. recovered Pyrite Town. It was easy, since neither Duking nor Silva could do anything. The Orre population was scared, and they just stood back in fear as Nascour took over the entire Region.”

It was unbelievable. By means of fear, Cipher had managed to have Orre at mercy. Wes and Tom were gone, and no Trainer seemed to stand up to their wrath. Ray felt more fury with every word of Harland. He now hated Cipher more than he ever did… “Well… Venus got the ruined Phenac City. She hasn’t cared for the rebuild of it, save the Stadium and her own facility. This way, everyone won’t forget of what Cipher is capable of. Gonzap took over the Eclo Canyon, where a concealed prison exists. That was the prison where Evice and Nascour used to be caged. Also, Gonzap rebuilt the destroyed Snagem Hideout, and it became another Base for the organization.”

“Ein became Nascour’s Right Hand, and was now free to reopen the Shadow Pokémon Lab, and in the course of the coming seven years, a city was built from the Laboratory. That city is known as Opal City nowadays, and Ein governs it. That way, Ein managed to legalize Shadow Pokémon in Orre, and it still conducts awful experiments in Pokémon. Wazzle, one of the Admins that worked under Deathgold’s orders, took charge of the old Orre Colosseum, which used to be the place for the Final Tournament of the Orre League. A mirage for many, it’s unknown whether it still exists or not…”

“Gorigan, another of Deathgold’s cronies, took over Mt. Battle. That place is now an area where new recruits are trained roughly so they can attain their full potential… you must’ve been there at one point.” Ray just nodded. He still remembered the awful years of training, ever since he was 7 years old, eight years ago.

“It didn’t end there, though. Lovelina took over the Gateon Port, which interrupted communication between Orre and other Regions, confining everyone to Cipher’s reign. Chobin, a scientist obsessed with mechanic Pokémon, is in charge of the Pyramid, and is supported by one of Deathgold’s bodyguards, Aldos. Deathgold is in charge of Nickledark Island, of course, and is protected by his most loyal bodyguard, Eldes.”

“I guess that’s it… I know what I wanted to know all thanks to you. My deepest gratitude, Harland…” Ray was burning from inside, and he wanted to burn his pile of clothes and magazines, in hopes for Cipher to burn with it. Harland got another gulp from the water bottle that was left near him. He looked at Ray, and saw a big desire of saving everyone: Pokémon and people alike. “Wait… there’s more.”

“No. You’ve told me more than enough. It’s been almost an hour… and I won’t allow you to get killed. Get up, Mr. Harland… come with me.” Ray got up of the chair he was at, and Harland got up from the bed. The small bulb that gave light to the small room went off as Ray flipped the light switch. He was completely used to his room already, and he knew what to do. Going through darkness, and after tripping with the pile of clothes and magazines, Ray took Harland to a secret passageway. Harland didn’t know where they were going, but he trusted Ray somehow. The young blue-haired guy walked long meters through a tunnel he dug up by himself. He had helped many hostages to escape through that tunnel before, just after the teleporters in each room had been removed because of them being used by Ray for releasing the hostages. Still, Ray was an astute person, and he made that tunnel that took to the surface. He could’ve left long ago, but he didn’t want to leave without her… his dearest friend.

After two minutes of walking, light could be seen at the tunnel’s end. A few minutes after that, Ray and Harland were out. The evening Sun was now hiding behind the mountains in the horizon. The isolated wasteland that was Orre’s desert shone in a deluded orange color, like the setting Sun. A small sandstorm whipped permanently all over the desert. Harland was saved: he could escape now.

Meanwhile, down in Cipher’s Headquarters, the Rogue Soldier had been calling at Ray’s door without answer. He was infuriated, and he knew what that meant. With a powerful kick, he brought the door down. As the soldier saw a room enveloped in darkness, he was now sure. He turned on the light of the room, and found the tunnel. When he walked through the untidy room, he just smirked as he thought, “You’re mine, Ray…”

Harland was soothed by Ray’s help. Not only he didn’t torture him, but Ray also helped him to escape. “Thank you, Ray. I’ll go back to my place. If you ever get out, you know where to find me…” Harland smiled at Ray, whom was impressed of the old man’s trust toward him. “Don’t lose time, Harland! Escape.” Harland nodded and got a Poké Ball out of his long jacket. He threw it to the ground… “Go, Flygon!” The Ball opened, and the Dragon Pokémon spouted out of it in a shining flow of energy. As it took form, it let out a shriek: “Fly!” The majestic Pokémon contrasted with the orange shine of the desert, and its green body was glowing in a deep, dark color. Its big, red eyes looked at Harland, and it responded by bowing: Flygon probably knew what to do.

Harland climbed on Flygon’s back, as the Pokémon extended its wings. It then took off with a powerful flap of its wings. Its long hair moved with the flow of the sandstorm. Harland looked back at Ray before getting on the way, and gave him a last word: “You can do it, Ray. Wes and Tom did it. You can too… I’ll be looking forward to see you again. Thank you…” Flygon flapped its powerful wings again, and it flew through the sandstorm. It then disappeared, with Harland on it. Ray waved timidly at the now invisible Trainer and Pokémon. As he looked at the setting Sun, he made up his mind: it was time to take action. He had been waiting so much for that, and now he knew exactly how awful Cipher was. He couldn’t stop the governing organization alone, though. Maybe he could convince her… and then, that feeling he had of his friend’s relationship with Phenac City returned. He had to look at it next.

Ray was so immersed in thoughts, that only when someone grabbed him from his arms and then wrapped his neck with the long, red outfit that covered the stalker’s arm, he returned to reality.

“I knew I shouldn’t have trusted you. I KNEW IT! But now I’ve got you. It’s over for you, Ray. We’re off to see Boss Nascour!”

-------------------------------------------------------------

That's it for the beginning. I hope you like it. Reviews are appreciated. Until next time!

[mr_pikachu]

Now how could we forget you, Orion? Welcome back! It's always good to have you here in Fanfic.

I haven't forgotten this fic, either. You've added quite a bit to the backstory with the release of XD, I can see. It's very clear that you've updated it, although some bits are the same. I suppose I don't have to tell you that, though. You're probably right to take it slow with Ray's backstory for now. There's enough information to absorb in this chapter; adding anything more to our knowledge of Ray could overwhelm readers. Having read a previous version of this before, I think I know where this is going, although I'm looking forward to seeing if you throw any new twists into it. Good use of the setting overall, and nice establishment of a foundation for the story.

It could still be improved a bit, though. Some of the word choices seemed a bit awkward, especially small words (like "who", "which", "guy", etc.). Sometimes things that seem too small to worry about can trip a reader up. But it's understandable since English is your second language. It's just something to work on.

On consistent thing that I saw, though, was the continuation of sentences beyond quotes. When you do that, you can't end the quote with a period, and the next word needs to be lowercase (unless it would be capitalized anyway, like in the case of a proper noun). Let me show you what I mean.


“We’ll manage to get out a big heck of information from this coot.” Said another grunt.

There are a few things to notice here. First, the overall sentence doesn't end with the quote. It extends beyond the quote, with the phrase "Said another grunt." This is an example of what I was talking about. When you continue a sentence beyond a quote like this, first of all, you can't end the quote with a period. (Ellipsis, or "...", are questionable. I've been putting off looking into whether it's really grammatically legit to end a sentence with that.) Any other end punctuation is okay, such as "?" or "!". But you can't end the quote with a period when the sentence continues further. If the quote would normally end with a period, you should use a comma instead.

Also, notice that here, the word "Said" is capitalized. The thing is, this word would only be capitalized if it began a sentence - and when used like this, it doesn't. It only continues the sentence. So, it should be lowercase. An exception to this rule would occur if the phrase after the quote began with a proper noun. For instance, if the phrase was instead "Ray said," the word "Ray" would remain capitalized, since that's a person's name.


But despite minor things like that, I still like this story idea. There aren't many fanfics around that use the Colosseum/XD plots (although I did glance at one recently that seemed to be an extension of those games), so it's nice to see a bit of originality. As far as I can remember, the original version of this was the first fic here that used those games as a foundation, so you've definitely got that working for you. Ray seems to be as good of a character as ever, and the upcoming chapters should prove to be a real treat. I'm looking forward to seeing whatever changes you've made. It'll be good to have this fanfic back on the forum. Well, I'll keep reading this. Until the next chapter!


P.S. Sorry if that was a bit complex. I've been staying up late studying for a test, and I'm pretty tired at this point. So if what I'm saying is completely incomprehensible, I'll try to make it simpler once my sanity returns. Like that'll ever happen.

[Dark Sage]

Well, this is certainly interesting...

You've got a lot of ground to cover... I hope this fic is a successful one.

- Dark Sage

[darktyranitar]

Nice start, altough the starting is a bit long. Hehe...I have never played the XD game, so I might not understand some of the aspect in the fic.... :p

Alright, let's see how this this fic will turn out.

[Orion]

Hi there. Thanks for the replies! I'm very sorry for the long delay, though. I seemingly forgot to come here, and I also went into a very long hiatus with my latest chapter. However, I now bring you Chapter 1 to make up for it!

Thanks as always, mr_pikachu. Thanks for receiving me again... I knew you'd find the few changes I did. Still, the other chapters remained almost the same. The changes were mostly in the story's structure, and in the chapters that'd come way later on. However, XD has added MANY elements that makes the story even more intense. Thanks for the advices as well. I'll try to put them in practice. And it's OK, hehe. Your replies are always helpful. I would still be a sad wannabe if it wasn't for your help and advices. I hope you can keep on reading after this awful delay. Thanks again!

Hey there, Dark Sage. Thanks for the reply. I know I have many things to unveil, but I know you won't be disappointed. This Fic will explain everything the games didn't, and I'll do my best for it to become successful. I hope you can keep on reading!

Hi, darktyranitar. Thanks for the reply too. Yep, it was a bit too long, but I felt it was needed to fill the background of this story. As for not playing XD... I knew I had forgotten something! Anyway, I'll tell you now that, while it's rather advisable to know what those games are about, it's not needed. After all, I'll explain many things regarding the background of all characters in the games, not to mention those deep plotholes. The events of those games will also be referred at the pertinent time, so you don't have to worry about it. Thanks for the support, though. I hope you can keep on reading!

And well... now here's Chapter 1! What'll become of Ray? You'll have to read...

-------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 1: The last day.


The Rogue Soldier went down through the long tunnel Ray had dug up by himself. He still had the young recruit completely disabled. Ray tried his hardest to release from the commander’s strong arms, but without success. As they crossed the dark, yet ample tunnel, the pair got into Ray’s room. The door was broken, but everything else was in the same place: the mess of clothes, the magazines, the PC, and the bed. The soldier still held Ray with his strong arms, and got him through the broken door of his room.

They went through the hall with doors. It was still a bit dark because of the small bulbs that were the only source of light. They were going toward the big door with blue and gold sparkles on it: it was the door of Nascour’s room. The Rogue Soldier increased the strength on his right arm as he released Ray from one of his arms. He got a card out of his belt and passed it through the door’s card slot. Some mechanic sounds came from the door, probably the engine that opened the gate. Ray could spit out something before the Rogue Soldier wrapped him again: “Let me go! You’re not gonna…!”

The door finally opened. It was like all automatic doors of the region: it opened from the middle and hid the two halves behind the mechanism. The pair kept on walking, and they were now in a hollow room: it was a small square that was lit by a lone neon light of high power (Compared to the pitifully weak bulbs in the rooms and the hall.). In front of them was a small teleporter, like the ones they took to be transported into the hall from the entrance room of the Underground Headquarters, but this one was fairly smaller. The Rogue Soldier walked straight to it, and then pushed Ray inside it: “You go first!” Ray fell inside the teleporter, and then he felt as if everything around him disappeared in a dazzling move of light. Shortly after, he couldn’t see anything, but he could feel that his body, somehow, moved somewhere else. It was a sensation he was used to already, after being an apprentice soldier for five years, but it was still impressive to experience. After a measly two seconds that seemed to be at least two minutes, Ray appeared in another room.

It was a huge room, like the Headquarters entrance room. It had gold statues that depicted Legendary Pokémon all around: Raikou, Entei, Suicune… among others. The walls were of a beautiful white color, and had gems of all sorts incrusted on it: rubies, sapphires, opals, agates, pyrites, diamonds, emeralds… it was a beautiful sight. Greek-style columns held the office’s roof atop. There were windows at both the left and the right side, and the orange afternoon sky could be seen in them. Was Nascour’s office in the surface? That’s what Ray thought… but he couldn’t think much about it. The Rogue Soldier got teleported soon enough, and got hold of Ray yet again. They then walked through the big room, stepping on a red carpet with yellow stripes on it. Ray still struggled to release himself from the Rogue Soldier, but it was useless yet again.

They went through the room, when they finally reached a big desk. It had two statues of Legendary Pokémon on both sides of the desk. The statues depicted two similar Pokémon: bird-like creatures with long, stick-like wings. Their feet were like spikes, and their face was a bit reptilian. Their hands were small. Both had triangles on their bellies, and some sort of symbols on top of their head. One statue had a fierce expression, while the other looked calm and serene.

The desk was long and had many crystal ornaments all over it. In the front, a big window revealed they were, indeed, in the surface, high meters above ground, because Ray could see the vast desert that conformed most of the Orre region. In front of the desk was a big, black seat: Nascour was currently looking at the window in front of him. His white hair waved above the seat, and it was the only thing that could be seen of Cipher’s boss so far. The Rogue Soldier stepped to the front, and finally allowed Ray to get away. However, Ray was screwed, and he knew it…

“Boss Nascour. Sorry to interrupt you now, but I have someone that’s caused trouble down in the HQs.”

The spinning black seat suddenly turned to the right, and the figure of Cipher’s boss slowly appeared sat on it. Ray would never forget the first time he saw Nascour, back when he was obliged to join Cipher. It was the scariest moment of his life: Nascour infringed fear upon anyone that managed to gaze at his red, evil eyes. This time was no exception: Ray felt that same fear, but amplified. Back then, he just saw Nascour from a considerable distance. Now, he was face-to-face with Cipher’s boss. His long, white hair still floated above his head, which bestowed those awe-inspiring eyes. He wore purple clothes, which were almost attached to his body. Even after 15 years, Nascour’s appearance was something to admire and fear. He looked with his red eyes at Ray’s crimson-colored pupils. They were the same color, but Nascour’s glowed with a supernatural light.

“Your name, soldier…” Said Nascour, still gazing at ray. His voice was cold, and hearing it directly increased Ray’s fear.

“R… R… Ray.” His fear was put on in that reply. Ray couldn’t stand it…

“I see… what brings you here?”

The Rogue Soldier stepped front, and called on Ray’s fault: “He allowed Harland’s escape, as he has done with many of our hostages. I ask for immediate execution!”

Nascour smirked. Still, he was thoughtful, as if he didn’t want to kill Ray in that very moment. “Hmmm… seems like you’ve wasted your last chance at loyalty, Ray.”

“I’m… sorry.” Ray didn’t mean it, of course. He just thought he could survive if he said that…

“There’s not going to be more concessions with you. You’ve caused too much trouble already… let me explain something to you.”

Nascour’s eyes now shifted to one of his crystal ornaments in the desk. It was like a big crystal orb supported by smaller balls. He moved all of the other ornaments apart, but Ray was impressed in that Nascour did so without even touching the ornaments, and didn’t even move from his seat. His eyes still shone in red, but he was apparently focusing his mind on moving the ornaments. Did Nascour have powers beyond the average man?

When he was finished, Nascour looked back at Ray. After a short sigh, he started to talk: “Look at this ornament, Ray. Think of it as Cipher. The big sphere that’s supported by the smaller ones is the organization as a whole. It works fine: Cipher is above everything, as it should always be.” Ray was about to respond to that claim, but his fear didn’t allow him to do so.

“However, for Cipher to remain above it all, smaller but numerous supporters are needed. They are the small crystal orbs… and you resemble one of them. All Cipher members are one small orb. It works fine as long as the smaller spheres are loyal to the big orb, and don’t move away… but what happens if a sole small orb moves away of the support all of them provide to the big sphere?”

Nascour’s eyes focused on the ornament. Using what seemed to be mind powers, he moved away one of the small crystal orbs. He then sustained the small orb on the air, floating with an unseen force. As soon as the orb was removed from the group, the other orbs shook for a short time. Soon thereafter, they all crumbled down and collapsed the once-strong ornament. The big sphere fell and crushed a fair amount of small orbs, before breaking itself too as it collided with the bunch of small orbs and the desk.

“That’s what happens when one part moves away, or doesn’t follows orders. ALL the other parts come down! And Cipher as a whole crumbles away! And you, Ray, have contributed to that. This won’t do at all. When one part isn’t working to support the others, it’s needed to get new parts to replace it… and as for the disloyal parts…” Using his unknown powers again, Nascour opened his eyes wide, and the small sphere that still floated above the desk, shattered in many parts. Ray gulped as he saw that: Nascour was referring to him being disloyal to Cipher, and his immediate destiny was clear. He had blown it: he’d die at once.

“You’re dissing Cipher, but that’s going to end soon!” Nascour’s eyes now shone differently: a white sparkle surrounded his red pupils all of a sudden. Ray then felt as if someone grabbed him with unbearable strength. Ray was lifted in the air by Nascour’s powers. Nascour then raised his right hand, pointing at Ray. He was still sat as the once-orange sky that could be seen behind the room’s big window turned all black, and neon lights of an intense white color turned on automatically and illuminated the room. The Rogue Soldier was impressed, but pleased at the same time. He surely had never seen Nascour’s hidden powers.

“That’s what happens when you don’t obey. I could kill you right now, but… I like to see sorrow and pain. Show me some!” Nascour closed his once open right fist, and Ray felt an unbearable pain: he felt as if an outside force crushed him. “AGGGHHH! NOOO!” He couldn’t stand the pain anymore. He felt as if his whole body was torn out completely from the outside: Ray thought he would explode sooner or later. He had the sudden thought that he wanted to die now rather than suffer…

Nascour’s fist opened again, and then he moved his arm roughly to the right. Ray was cast away, flying a short distance until he collided with one of the various columns in the room. He was badly hurt by that, but the psychic force that held him ceased. He didn’t move after falling to the floor from the mid height he collided at, though. The column had a small fissure resulting from the crash. With his head down, his nose and mouth bleeding, and his body hurting all over, Ray knew he was still alive, somehow…

“Get up, you scum!” Nascour called on as he got up from his seat. He walked toward the badly hurt Ray, and then raised Ray’s head with his hand. With a fixed glare on Ray’s eyes, he kept on talking: “I’m really angry for what you did. You’re not going to be forgiven this time! Still… I like to see people like you in a tight spot. You think you’re smart and brave, going up against our desires, when you’re no more than a scared scrub that’s afraid of the higher commands…”

“That’s why I’ll postpone your execution. It’ll be much better for tomorrow. Not only you can develop your fear and pain even further, but I’ll make it so the rest of Cipher recruits don’t lose that event.” As he finished with that speech, Nascour laughed softly, with a malicious tone that only made Ray even more afraid. The Rogue Soldier, whom was looking at the recent aggression of the boss, overheard Nascour’s words, while he thought it was some kind of joke. But as neither Ray nor Nascour moved afterwards, he had to ask something: “Boss… don’t tell me you’re letting him have another day of life.”

“I am… I’ve decided. Plus, I can cause more sorrow to that fool that way. Psychological fear is as harmful, or even more so than physical wounds. Any objections, commander?” The soldier didn’t know what to do. He’d never defy the boss, but he had seen many of Ray’s actions before, and he knew Ray was really astute. Nascour was surely underestimating him; not that it could be helped, though. The Boss barely had contact with regular soldiers, not to say apprentices. However, the commander knew it was a bad idea to get on Nascour’s bad side. He limited to shake his head from side to side, slowly, as Nascour just smirked in response. “Take that traitor back to the HQ. Be sure to keep an eye on him…”

“Got it…” The commander got hold of Ray, whom still lay in the column’s feet, nearly unconscious. Still, Ray’s mind was completely active. He ignored the commander’s continuous harassments, and the constant pushes he got throughout the room and into the teleporter. He had to figure a way out. If there was any desire to finish Cipher within Ray, it was the time to execute such wish. Else, his whole life would’ve been for naught. He had only one chance… if she agreed on helping him; he had a slim chance of survival. Then, that thought came into him again… it was time to take actions.

***

Back in his room, Ray delved a bit more into that feeling: his friend was related to Phenac City in some form or way. He had that feeling when Harland told him about the Phenac Raid, and it had invaded Ray’s thoughts three times. It couldn’t be just the average feeling… maybe it was true. Ray was sitting on his bed, as he though about what he could do to escape the Headquarters and start wearing down Cipher little by little. He couldn’t escape through his tunnel anymore: as he had the meeting with Nascour, his door was fixed back, but his tunnel to the surface was covered completely. He couldn’t dig as much in a few hours, as it took him about one month to finish that pathway back then. And his Pokémon wouldn’t be of help either: being Shadow Pokémon, they only obeyed in battle, and not in other things. Also, a soldier now guarded his door, so he couldn’t go for a full-on escape either. He had another plan, though… but he had to make some research first.

Ray logged on his computer. The Cipher Network executed instantly. The Network had a bit of background of the organization (Though most was hidden, as Harland revealed MANY things Ray didn’t read in the network at all.), and information of all the people that conformed the organization. Ray knew there was a big amount of information that was secret, though: Cipher’s higher ranks had zero to no information about them besides their names and their Pokémon… and it could be true to other recruits. Those that were recruited by Cipher after the Phenac Raid… or so Ray thought. There was only one way to find it out.

Ray entered in the Recruits Database. “Snaggers… Class A… there she is.” Ray clicked on the name “Teal ‘God’s Hand’ ”. For the first time, he noticed it had her name and pseudonym, but not her last name. As he clicked on his friend’s name, her profile appeared. A front picture of Teal appeared on the screen: she was quite beautiful. She had short, dark green hair, and black eyes. She smiled in that picture, because she was quite a legend among Cipher’s files. Besides her photo, a lot of information about Teal was displayed on the screen: Ray pretty much memorized all that data, but he checked it again, with outstanding attention.

“Name: Teal ‘God’s Hand’… no last name.”

“Age: 14. That’s right.”

“Role: Snagger… check.”

“Hometown: Unknown. Now there’s something fishy.”

“Familiars: None? Nonsense!”

“Position and other information: Class A Snagger. Expert Pokémon Catcher. Retrieved Raikou, Entei and Suicune from their mass outbreak one year ago… that’s true too.”

Ray now assured there was something hidden. His familiars, though killed by Cipher, were listed on his profile, and so was his former hometown: Pyrite. Why didn’t they include such information on Teal’s profile? He had to find it out… and the teachings he got from a hostage he helped long ago would come in handy. Such hostage was Nett, the former founder and leader of the Kid’s Grid: a small group conformed by kids that used to be active in the Under. That group was instrumental in Cipher’s defeat at Wes’ hands, and in the recovery of the first group of Shadow Pokémon. They then became the new TV network that transmitted news to the whole Region: the ONBS (Short for Orre News Broadcast Syndicate.). It dissolved as soon as Cipher got into business again, and they managed to track their leftovers down. Ray caught Nett, but he also helped him to escape the Headquarters. It had been about five months since then, but Ray had the small hacking lesson he got from Nett still fresh…

“Well… if I ever needed to hack something, it is now.” Ray got out of Teal’s profile, and then moved through the database: he had to get into Nascour’s PC, where he assumed all the hidden information would be stored. There was another section where he could access the computers of the Cipher Leaders. Still, most links inside each PC were broken, or popped up the message “Forbidden access.” However, Nett taught him how to access those links. Ray did exactly as Nett told him back then, and managed to access Nascour’s PC (Which was completely locked.), where he hoped to find answers.

There was that link: “Recruits Profiles”. Ray got inside it, and went through a similar dropdown menu: “Snaggers… Class A…” He found Teals’ profile at last… but though he found what he wanted, he was completely sure that he didn’t like it:

“Name: Teal ‘God’s Hand’ Robinson.”

“Age: 14”

“Role: Snagger.”

“Hometown: Phenac City.” That was it… He was now almost sure of that feeling’s accuracy… but he went on.

“Familiars: Father - Lenny Robinson… Mother – Tania Natshel.”

“Position: Class A Snagger. Expert Pokémon Catcher.”

“Services to Cipher: Snagged many Pokémon off the tournaments in the vicinity of Orre. Most notably in the Kanto, Johto and Hoenn Leagues. Retrieved Raikou, Entei and Suicune from their mass outbreak one year ago.”

“Other: Teal’s parents were killed in the Phenac Raid. Teal was recruited right away. Her right arm suffered a severe wound and was rendered useless. Such arm was extirpated and a bionic arm was implanted on its place. Such arm had Snag technology already programmed, and also doubled as a regular arm. Teal ignores all the information about her parents, and her origins. That desire of knowing the truth derived in a necessity to help Cipher as much as possible, as the organization promised to help her on finding information about them someday….”

Ray felt a sudden anger as he finished. Nascour was hiding the truth from Teal… and fooled her so she would do stuff for Cipher. How could he be so evil? Teal ignored everything… but now Ray knew her truth. He was unsure as if he should tell her or not. Probably, she wouldn’t believe him, but… he knew Teal very well. With the first hint of her past, she’d go directly with Nascour to confirm…

Ray printed the information of the profile, and he got a last look at the paper that just got out of his printer. He turned off the PC as soon as that. Everything was in order: the information printed without trouble, and accurate. He had to show Teal…

Ray moved his big pile of clothes and magazines away from their current place. He was pleased because the soldiers didn’t find his other passageway. There was a circular vault, and as Ray lifted it up, a hole with stairs could be seen, much like the entrance to a sewer. Ray went inside it, going down through a long stair. After a while, he was immersed inside a dark hole. Nothing could be seen, but it seemed as if he knew where he was going. Eventually, he made it to solid ground… or tubes. There was a division, but it was too dark to assure that. Still, Ray pretty much knew where he was going, and after turning right, left, right, he managed to find another hole going upwards. In the gloomy, wet atmosphere of what seemed to be a sewer, he was slowly getting into another room.

The hole going up was much shorter than the one on his room. He finally reached another vault, and knocked on it as if it was a door. “Teal, open up.” Ray waited a bit, and then the vault opened. A hand extended from the light that had just spouted through the hole, and Ray grabbed it. That hand dragged him out, and he was in the place of his friend, Teal. “Hi Ray! I was wondering what had kept you so long this time.” Teal smiled to him, as she waved her short, dark green hair. Her outfit was a bit torn up. She wore a marine blue shirt, which had a few scars here and there. She wore jeans, which were torn up so much on the left leg that they could be half jeans, half shorts. Ray cleaned up a bit with a towel Teal just handed to him.

“Hi Teal… sorry. It’s been a busy day.” Ray sat in one of various chairs that were around the room. Compared to Ray’s messy and empty place, Teal’s was a luxurious, big room. About three times bigger than Ray’s room, it had a big bed, a modern PC (Compared to Ray’s last year model.), a big table, a bookshelf, white neon lights, a big armoire, a fridge, a stove, and many pictures of Pokémon and people all over the wall. It was understood: Teal was one of the top Snaggers of the organization. Teal sat in front of Ray, as they both took a place in the table.

“Busy day? Oh… another mission? Don’t tell me you went against Cipher’s desires again.” Ray just smirked while he nodded in affirmation. Teal was giving him a look in disapproval: “You should stop, Ray. As your friend, I can’t let you go on anymore. They could do something against you… even execute you! Please stop it.”

Ray was about to burst in anger: she was with Cipher. If only she knew… it was time to reveal the truth. Ray looked at Teal with complete sincerity, and unfolded the paper he just printed back in his room. He handed it to her… “Look at that, Teal. Nascour’s been lying to you all this time. The truth of your past is all in this paper.” Teal let out a sound of surprise as Ray said that. She couldn’t believe it. Either way, she looked at the paper, and was utterly shocked: it had her last name, her parents’ names, her hometown, and even many things she completely ignored: the paper claimed that Cipher destroyed Phenac and that her parents died there. It also said something about her arm being a bionic arm. It also had words about Cipher using her desire to know her past to their advantage… it was too much to be true.

But if that was false, why was all the other information true? She retrieved the Pokémon Beasts one year ago… she had Snagged many Pokémon off big Tournaments. Teal couldn’t help but ask Ray about that: “Ray… where did you got that from?” Ray still looked at Teal with a concerning glance, but then told her the truth: “I got it directly off Nascour’s PC. I hacked my way into it… he’s been hiding many information from you and many others.”

But Teal was skeptic. It couldn’t be true: “You… you must have modified it!” Ray negated it as he moved his head from side to side in disapproval: “Maybe you have such software in your PC, but mine doesn’t – I just can execute the regular actions of checking and printing the information I see on screen. I couldn’t even hack my way into Nascour’s PC if it wasn’t for a certain hostage I helped five months ago…” Ray was being as honest as he could. Still, Teal didn’t seem convinced of it at all… though the feelings of doubt and curiosity had just appeared: she couldn’t argue with Ray anymore, because he was being honest. His PC couldn’t do much… and so it was impossible for he to manipulate the information. And as she went through the bionic arm bit again, she felt that her right arm was different for the first time… it felt artificial. Also, the fact that she didn’t have to use a Snag Glove as all the other Snaggers made it even more suspicious.

Ray then remembered that a soldier was guarding his door from outside, and he couldn’t get caught into more escapades, or he’d be killed right now. “Sorry, Teal, but that’s all I can tell you for now… we’ll talk later. I must go back!” Teal was impressed at such sudden decision, and tried to stop Ray: “No, Ray. Wait up! I have many questions.” But he was back into the internal sewers of the HQ. He went down the stairs as fast as he could, ran back to his access tunnel in those small, wet tubes. He went up as fast as he could, and finally made it into his room again. As he got out from the mess of clothes and stuff (He left it on the hole so the soldier wouldn’t suspect anything.), he was relieved that the soldier wasn’t inside. But as soon as he got everything arranged and was back on his bed, the soldier busted in.

“Ray! Where have you been? I heard a big ruckus inside.”

Ray made up something: “I just tripped over with my mess. And well… can’t I go to the bathroom a last time?”

“OK. Don’t try to fool us, Ray. If I see the slightest proof of escape from your part, I’ll get boss Nascour!” the soldier got out and slammed the door on his way out. Ray was safe for now, though he was unsure on trusting Teal to save his life. Even so, he had known her for such a long time… and he was sure she was on her way to Nascour’s office by now.

“Master Nascour… I have something to ask you.” Teal was inside the long, luxurious office of Cipher’s Boss. The neon lights contrasted with the starry night that could be seen on Nascour’s big window. The boss was on his seat, and turned his front to Teal, who looked really concerned and doubtful. Nascour’s red eyes infringed fear upon Teal too… but she wanted answers. She handed the paper Ray gave her to Nascour. “Tell me, Master… is the information written in that paper true?”

Nascour looked at the paper thoroughly: it was Teal’s profile. However, it was the profile that only he had access to. How could Teal get such profile? Did someone hack inside his own PC? So many questions popped into Nascour’s head, but he couldn’t answer them… he had to conduct a research on it later on. Though Nascour felt the urge to lie to her again… he noticed Teal was checking her right arm. It would be no use to lie… he realized as much. “Why, yes… it’s your true past.” Nascour smirked a bit, and the laughed with an evil, strong tone.

Teal’s world collapsed at the sound of that claim. She tried to contain her anger, her sadness, and her tears… “Thanks for the confirmation, Master… I’ll go now. Sorry for the inconvenience.” Teal turned back, and left the luxurious office at once, as she burst in tears of anger, sadness and hatred. She knew the truth now, but at what cost? Nascour realized she was suffering, and laughed even more. Teal left into the teleporter as soon as she could, and went back to her place. She was too sad to think: Nascour had been hiding that from her ever since day 1… and it was because of Cipher that she was in such situation. Teal lay down on her bed, crying like she never had before.

***

It was 10 PM already, and it was in that very hour when Teal heard the knocking on the floor’s vault. “Are you there, Teal?” It was Ray… he was back. Teal was still too sad for words, but she opened the vault anyway, and Ray came in. He looked at Teal’s face, and that was enough to ensure one thing: she had just found it was true. “I’m sorry, Teal… I never wanted you to suffer. But you couldn’t keep on serving them without knowing the truth.”

Teal sat in her bed, and Ray sat next to her. Teal’s face showed an unbearable sadness, and the markings of her tears were still noticeable all over it. “Thanks, Ray. I don’t blame you, though… you did what you had to do. But Cipher… they fooled me all this time. I served them with all my will, with hopes that they’d show me the truth someday. I went up in the ranks with that in mind… I gave them my services. They’re… they’re…” Teals’ voice was cut off: she couldn’t go on. Tears came out her eyes again, and her sadness grew with every second. Her hatred grew too…

Ray was commoved by his friend's sadness. He patted Teal on her right shoulder, and left his arm on her shoulder, as if he wanted to console her with a hug. “I’m sorry for that, Teal… but it’s all Cipher’s fault. When the hostage I helped today told me about the Phenac Raid, I felt you were related to it in some way. And I couldn’t believe Cipher could be so evil, so reckless… and they hurt you also. Still… it’s no use to cry. We’ve cried too much for their cause already. We must do something. We must stand against them…” Ray was never so serious before. He was now determined. Teal now knew the truth, and maybe she would help him.

Teal was still sad, but she recovered her voice. “You think so? But what we’ll be able to do?”

“We just have to fight them. Wes did it, and succeeded…”

“But Wes confronted a greenhorn Cipher. We’re up against a Cipher that controls all of Orre. We don’t stand a chance, Ray!” Though he didn’t want to accept it, it was true. Wes challenged a growing organization: Cipher didn’t control the whole region back then.

“I know it, Teal… but still. You can stay here, suppress your hatred and help them on going even further. I just can’t stay here anymore. Not only I’m fed up of them, but…” Ray was unsure if he should tell Teal about his sentence.

“But what, Ray?” Though she was still unconvinced, Teal also wanted to destroy Cipher: the organization that killed her family…

There was no other choice… “OK, I’ll tell you. If I stay here any longer, I’ll die. The help I lent to today’s hostage wasn’t accepted nor forgiven by Nascour… he’s much more powerful than I though. He used super-natural powers to hurt me, and claimed I had gone too far. Still, he settled my execution for tomorrow… he thought I’d suffer all alone and that pleased him.” Teal was really shocked. Would they kill Ray tomorrow?

“That’s awful! But I understand you…” Teal remained silent for long minutes. She met Ray in the Mt. Battle Training Complex, when they just started their training and services to Cipher. It had been seven years ever since, but she still remembered that day. Ray had always been a nice person to her… and deep within herself, she had a special feeling towards Ray. If Nascour killed him… she’d be alone for the rest of her life. She couldn’t bear to live with that. She wanted Ray to remain alive… she just couldn’t think of a life without him. Though she was unsure about the future, and knowing of what would happen if they failed, Teal made up her mind.

“Now that I’ve thought about it… I’ll help you Ray.”

Ray was impressed at that change of thoughts: “Really? Are you sure?”

“Yep. I’m sure. I’ll help you on that situation. After all… I hate Cipher too. And I think it’s better to do something than to stay here motionless, helping the enemy.”

Ray couldn’t help but to hug Teal all of a sudden. Teal blushed strongly, but managed to hide it from Ray’s sight. “Thanks, Teal! I knew I could count with you!” He finally let Teal go, and they sat again, thinking on what they could do.

“Let’s go to your room, Ray. I’ll tell you what we’ll do on the way.” Ray nodded, and both friends went to the hole on Teal’s room. They were going through the sewers, and Teal was listening to Ray’s story: Nascour had psychic powers, and they had to stop that somehow in order to escape.

“OK… it seems to be a tight situation. But I know what we’ll do: I’ll use my Wigglytuff. She can use the Hyper Voice. The sound waves will disrupt Nascour’s concentration, and then I’ll release you. Then, we can escape as Wigglytuff keeps everyone dazzled with the powerful sound waves. We’ll go to the elevator as soon as possible and we’ll escape in my motorcycle. We must do it fast, though. If we don't, they could get us. But trust me… that’ll work.”

“I hope so…” Ray was unsure, but it seemed to be a good plan. They went through the sewers and onto Ray’s room after a fast stroll. Teal helped Ray on packing up the important stuff, and Ray also gave Teal his Pokémon, in case something failed. Teal took the packed-up backpack and Ray’s Poké Balls. They were prepared for giving it their all… regardless of the difficulties their feat implied.

Teal talked with Ray before going back to her room: “OK… we’ll do as we accorded. No matter how few, we’ll do something for Orre, and for us.”

“I’m glad you finally opened your eyes, Teal. And yes: we’ll do as much as we can… and our Pokémon will help. Maybe someday… they’ll be freed too.” That was one of Ray’s wishes: to open his Pokémon’s hearts. Whether Cipher finished his family or not, that was in the past already. However, their Pokémon were still alive, and with their heart shut… they were only battle machines. They were probably suffering from deep within their hearts. Ray hoped that they could save all the Shadow Pokémon that now populated Orre.

Teal smiled at Ray, and went inside the hole, ready to go back to her room. “Well Ray… see you tomorrow. Don’t be afraid, and trust me.”

“I will… good night, Teal.” As Teal went down the hole, Ray covered it with the vault and the pile of clothes. He then lay on his bed, thinking of the destiny he had chosen… was it right? Even if he wanted to bring Cipher down badly, it was a bad thing to get Teal involved, even if she was willing to do it. As he was immersed in thoughts, the fears Nascour had been talking about haunted him all of a sudden.

What if Teal stepped back in the last moment? What if they were caught? What would happen if they couldn’t escape? He could bear it if he just died, but Teal… she didn’t earn such destiny. He was scared. Ray felt that everything would go wrong, and that his death was now assured… and Teal’s. It was his fault…

No matter how much he tried to get those thoughts away, Ray couldn’t. He couldn’t sleep as he was tormented by those fears. Still, he had to do it: it was escape or die. There was no other choice. As the darkness of his room enveloped his thoughts, and when tiredness overtook his mind, Ray went to sleep, with hopes of succeeding on this feat…

***

It was very early still when loud knocks woke Ray up. Though he just slept about four hours, he got in all his senses. Ray was ready to execute the plan, but it was Teal’s responsibility for the most part. He trusted her completely, yet he was still scared… but there was no turning back now. The Rogue Soldier busted into the room, and called Ray:

“The time has come, Ray. Follow me…”
-------------------------------------------------------------

That's it. Yet another cliffhanger, hehe. Anyway, I'll have next chapter up in the next few days. Promise. I hope this delay hasn't discouraged you.

Replies are always appreciated. Until next time!

[Dark Sage]

Interesting. Nascour has certainly become a more competant villain (in "Colloseum", he was no more than a puppet for the true villain). I liked the physical description - almost exactly the way I remebered him.

I can't wait to see how this goes - but I have a few questions...

Will we be seeing the other villains from Collosseum? I'm talking about Miror B., Dakim, Venus, and Ein, of course. (I'd ask about the villains from the new game, but I have yet to play it yet. I will once I find time.)

How long do you expect this fic to be? Can you make any predictions? (I'm not going anywhere.)

Anyway, update soon.

- Dark Sage

[Orion]

Thanks for the reply, Dark Sage. I'm glad you liked the way I protrayed Nascour. It is one of the points people like the most. I always felt he had this sort of powers, seeing his Pokémon Team. Plus, he earned much more than being merely a sidekick.

As for your questions... you'll see every villain of both Colosseum and XD. In fact, Dakim is very important in the story, but I won't spoil you. Venus, Ein and Miror B. will also appear. You'll see how it goes as the story goes on.

The length? Well... I must say it's VERY long. I can't help it. I did a rundown of chapters a while ago, and the rough estimation is 130 chapters. Might be more, might be less... it'll depend on how the story goes. I hope it's not too long for your tastes.

Thanks again for the reply! I hope you can keep on reading. ^^

And for everyone else, I hope you enjoy it too. Replies are greatly appreciated too. I'll have Chapter 2 up in two days at most. See you around!

[Shuppet Master]

I've read your story on Serebii.net, and I know what happens with Dakim, but I won't spoil it.

Great story, though. Keep it up.

[Orion]

Thanks for the reply, Shuppet Master. So, you've read it in SPPF? Great. I wonder who you are... just a closet reader?

Still, thanks for the props! I hope you can keep on reading.

Well people, here's Chapter 2 as promised. Maybe a bit too late, but not THAT late. Will Ray survive? Come and read to find out...

-------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 2: When it all ends...

Ray got up from his bed at the command of the Rogue Soldier. The red helmet he wore just allowed to see his mouth, since a black cover had his eyes in complete darkness. Nonetheless, his evil smile showed that the soldier was really happy to see Ray in such situation. At last… Ray would die. Still, the blue-haired guy wasn’t afraid, and didn’t even sweat at the thought that he could die in a matter of minutes. He wouldn’t show any trace of fear, however hard the situation.

They got out of Ray’s room and into the hall that had many doors all over it. It was early in the morning, though it was hard to notice so in the depths of the Headquarters. Many soldiers were out already, and they all were gossiping about the upcoming event: Ray’s execution. As the soldiers looked at Ray, they all chuckled and pointed at him. Ray just ignored them as he walked behind the Rogue Soldier. He knew it was useless to try anything, because there were too many recruits all over, and he’d be stopped in his tracks.

Ray was unsure whether he’d survive this mess or not. Still, he had all his trust on Teal… she had never let him down. He still remembered their days in the Mt. Battle Training grounds. If it weren’t for Teal, he would’ve given up long ago. She was quite a strong-willed girl, and proof of that were her restless services for Cipher in hopes of learning about her past… that she found out yesterday. Teal sounded quite sure of helping Ray on this feat. At this thought, Ray felt better: his growing fear diminished. It wouldn’t be easy, but he had a chance at living.

Ray came to a halt when the Rogue Soldier was in front of the teleporter. The capsule-like device was big enough to fit two persons inside. “Come with me.” Ray did as the soldier said, and went inside the crystal capsule. Instantly, he felt that weird sensation: everything went invisible, and only a sort of moving light could be seen. Ray felt his body moved over somewhere else. When he was in such situation, he couldn’t even think… Ray and the soldier then appeared in the main room of the HQ.

“OK… we’re almost there. Still, we can’t take risks.” The Rogue Soldier got hold of a long rope that was hanging on his back. He tied Ray with it: the hands and the body. A small string remained, and the Rogue Soldier got hold of it. He then kicked Ray to the front: “Move out now!” Ray went on, with a small itch in the back, where the soldier just kicked him. They got in the lobby of the main room, where another bunch of soldiers were chatting. Many of them pointed and looked at Ray…

The luminous room was in a tense atmosphere: everyone was going to witness the death of a traitor. Ray didn’t notice before, but now he felt as if there were many people behind him. He turned back and saw many Cipher recruits, walking slowly behind the Rogue Soldier. There were both Soldiers and Snaggers, and all seemed to be very excited. He was in quite a difficult situation, and to make it worse, he didn’t see Teal among the Snaggers… that wasn’t good. His execution was near, and his friend wasn’t even there.

As Ray found himself in the Lobby of the main room, he stopped, awaiting instructions from the Rogue Soldier. He now looked at the elevator that took to the abandoned Colosseum. If only he could run on and escape… but he was tied now. “Turn right here.” said finally the Rogue Soldier, and Ray followed suit. They went through a small hall, and then found themselves in front of a big door. It was automatic, yet very rusty. It seemed that it was rarely used at all. What would lie inside? The door opened all of a sudden, moved by what seemed to be an extra sensorial power…

It was some sort of circular room, which had a whole lot of space in it. Though it was kind of arranged as a battlefield, there was no place for the watching public. Two big reflectors turned on. The light was blindingly intense. Ray closed his eyes from the surprise, and when he opened them, he was in the very center of that spacious room. Almost as soon as that, he heard a big ruckus behind him. Ray turned back and saw all the Cipher recruits entering the big room. They all formed a column formation, as the obedient soldiers they were.

The Rogue Soldier still had Ray tied up, and held the rope with force. It seemed that everyone waited for something in that big room. Ray was getting the creeps: he scanned all over the formations and couldn’t see Teal anywhere. Ray started to get worried, but his problems had just started…

All of a sudden, a small white spark appeared in front of him. That spark slowly materialized and took the form of the person Ray was afraid of the most. Nascour’s purple outfit, red drags, wavy hair and awe-inspiring eyes formed in front of Ray, and the blue-haired guy gulped with dismay. It was the end… Teal was nowhere to be seen. Cipher’s Boss looked at Ray’s fear, and he limited himself to smirk fast before starting the ceremony. As the recruits all over the room noticed the presence of Nascour, all of them applauded and caused a big ruckus in the place. Nascour then raised his arms and everyone calmed down. His shinny red eyes inspired fear on everybody.

“The traitor is here, Master Nascour. Whenever you want…” The Rogue Soldier bowed and handed the rope to Nascour. Cipher’s Boss got hold of the rope, and he then closed his eyes. A blue aura flown though the rope, and when it touched Ray, he felt a big pain. Ray screamed and twisted in the floor, where he had dropped due to the pain. The flow of psychic energy was crushing the apprentice soldier’s body, as the rope constrictions became even stronger with every second. Ray thought it was the end… he couldn’t stand it anymore. Still, he was aware that Nascour enjoyed pain, and that it was just the first punishment.

The flow of energy stopped, but Ray didn’t get up. His body still hurt in an immeasurable manner. Nascour then laughed sarcastically. Ray wanted to kill him, but he was unable to move…

As Nascour finished, he finally talked to the bunch of recruits that formed Cipher: “I’d like to welcome all the Cipher forces to this public execution. Though we didn’t have to resort to this activity for a long time, a new situation has arisen. Ray Espenur, with the apprentice rank of the Soldier class, has been found guilty of high treason against Cipher’s interests.”

“Ray Espenur helped in certain missions vital for Cipher. Such missions consisted in capturing important opposition leaders all over Orre and hold them as hostages in the HQ. However, Ray was found to help the hostages to escape more than once. Yesterday, Ray allowed the escape of Harland, Orre’s Spokesman. Our Commander, the Rogue Soldier, took the traitor to an audience with me. There, it was decided to execute Ray Espenur today.”

It was over… in mere minutes, Ray’s life would come to an end. He’d die in those lofty depths, inside that big room, surrounded by the Cipher forces. He was ashamed: Teal wasn’t here, which meant she stepped back at the thoughts of their new life. He had failed. His Pokémon would remain alone for many years to come, and they’d be still afflicted by their closed hearts. Teal would be obliged to work for Cipher even more, and she wouldn’t be able to get out by herself…

“Stand back. I’m going to consume this traitor’s life. Using only my right fist, he shall know destructive pain and power. That’s your reward for trying to play smart on us, fool. Good bye, Ray!” Nascour’s eyes shone in that dreadful white again, like the day he had the audience with Ray. His right arm enveloped in a red aura. He then opened his hand, that now shone in that red aura, and pointed it at Ray’s head. He knew that was it. It was all over. When Nascour’s hand closed, the pain would be immediate and reckless. His death would come afterwards, but he wouldn’t manage to save himself at all.

Ray saw his life passing through his mind in a fast dazzle: the happy days he had with his parents 9 years ago, the day they died and he was recruited in Cipher. The awful years at Mt. Battle and how Teal helped him in those difficult moments. His small efforts to thwart Cipher’s desires by allowing the hostages to escape… it was all for naught at the end. He despised Teal, but he understood his friend’s motives after all. It would’ve been much too impossible to oppose Cipher at this rate… but he so wanted to at least make the effort. Nascour’s hand started to close. Ray started to feel the psychic aura around his body. It’d be over soon. A sole tear of impotence slipped through his chin. He just hoped that Teal would take care of his Pokémon and herself…

“WIGGGGGLYTTTUFFFF!” It was so sudden that Ray couldn’t believe it. An ear-ripping sound surrounded the room completely, exactly before Nascour could close his hand completely. The evil Boss lost the focus immediately: Ray was freed from that psychic power. Teal was helping him after all! Still, he was completely entangled by the rope, and couldn’t get up. All the soldiers were having a hard time on focusing their attention. Wigglytuff’s shriek was unbearably strong. Nascour tried to stop Ray whom had just started to slip through the floor like a land worm. The powerful sound waves and the awfully high scream were too much for Nascour to bear: he couldn’t concentrate his mind power at all. It was piercing Ray’s brain too, but he did his best to get over it an try to escape at any cost.

All of a sudden, the shriek stopped, but everyone’s ears still hurt and had an inexistent sound locked on them. No one could react fast enough for when they saw a Wigglytuff materializing near Ray’s body. Along the pink puff Pokémon, the Class A Snagger, Teal, materialized too. Everyone was too surprised for words, and couldn’t even move because the ring of Wigglytuff’s voice still haunted their heads. Teal touched Ray, and Wigglytuff touched Teal. “Teleport to the Entrance now!”

Immediately, the three of them disappeared. Ray was still tied up, but he was now going somewhere else. Alongside him were Teal and Wigglytuff. They all traveled though a black realm, much like the one that appeared whenever Ray used a teleporter. He also felt that same sensation of psychic movement. All of them materialized somewhere else. They were now in the entrance of Cipher Headquarters. It was the rusty, old arena that used to be the Deep Colosseum. Teal untied Ray so fast he even felt a small pain. When he was untied, Teal held his arm and got a Poké Ball on her left hand.

“Come back, Wigglytuff. Great job! Now come with me Ray. There’s no time to lose!” Teal pulled Ray from the arm, and ran at a place rightwards the old arena. Though the old structure was quite spacious, it was empty for the most part. However, as they ran though it, they finally made to a big door. Teal got out some kind of remote with a button, and she pressed it. The door opened slowly, and it revealed a long garage that was automatically illuminated as soon as the door opened completely. Vehicles and motorcycles of all sorts filled the room, and Teal, still pulling Ray from the arm, ran towards one cool motorcycle. It was of a radiant red color, and was long enough to ride two people.

“Get up.” Teal climbed in the front, and Ray sat in the motorcycle’s back. Though a bit too close and uptight, they fitted in the vehicle well enough. Teal then turned it on, and started to accelerate. All of a sudden, a big bunch of Cipher soldiers came into the old Colosseum though the elevator. “Stop now! You’re not going to escape!”

Teal put a helmet on her head, and told Ray to do so with another helmet she had. The soldiers were approaching the garage, and as soon as both friends noticed it, Teal released the handbrake and started to ride through the garage. In front of them was a smaller passage that surely took to the surface. They crossed it and got into a long hallway. It was so dark that only the motorcycle’s light could shed some light on it. After crossing countless columns and faint bulbs of light, they finally made it to another passage. Such passage at the end was illuminated by the light of day, and they were so near of it! Only a few meters, and they’d be out of Cipher’s HQ.

However, the passage’s door started to come down. Someone (Probably the soldiers that were pursuing them.) was shutting it down. Teal didn’t lower the speed, though. “Lower your head, Ray. We’re gonna pass though that passage whatever it takes!” Ray obeyed his friend, and ducked so his head wouldn’t crash in the now lower passage. Teal lowered her head too, and then pressed a button in the right maneuver. The motorcycle then launched on in a very high speed! Such speed allowed them to go under the passage and get out of the Headquarters at last!

“We made it! You rock, Teal!”

“I know.” She just giggled afterwards as she kept on riding.

As they were crossing the vast desert, their worries didn’t stop. The intense heat and the blinding sunlight were a bit of an obstacle. They were out now, though. However, after a measly two minutes, they could hear the sound of several motorcycle motors behind them. Ray looked back and gasped.

“We better hurry up. They’re following us!”

“No way!” A horde of what seemed to be smaller, faster motorcycles was behind the proscribed recruits. Cipher soldiers rode them all, as their blue helmets and orange scarves distinguished them. The Cipher soldiers were quite skilled at the road, and they were nearer Teal and Ray with every second passing: their motorcycles were way too fast. Teal tried to lose them by gearing and turning around various hills and dunes, but it didn’t work: the soldiers were still tailing them with ease.

“They’re coming at us! What can we do now?”

“Don’t worry, Ray. I’ll take care of them!” Teal lost the track a bit as she got a Poké Ball out of her jacket. “Go, Rapidash!” The Poké Ball opened as Teal held it on her hands. In the desert, a Pokémon materialized. “Rappid!!” The horse Pokémon and its crimson flames appeared running on par with its owner’s motorcycle. Rapidash seemed to be eager to battle: an expected trait, because it was a Shadow Pokémon.

Teal looked at Rapidash, though she knew her Pokémon wouldn’t respond, or even recognize her. “Rapidash, those persons behind us are our enemies. Attack them.”

Rapidash then came to a full stop. Teal lowered the motorcycle’s speed a bit as her Pokémon turned back to the prosecutors. Its eyes then showed a deep anger. The soldiers didn’t stop, regardless of what could come. Rapidash’ flaming mane started to twist and burst in flames all around the Pokémon’s surroundings. The horse Pokémon then ran with such agility that the soldiers didn’t even see it coming. Rapidash crashed with the menacing group of pursuers, and burned everything in its path. All the motorcycles exploded, and the soldiers were all scorched, yet still alive. Rapidash cried out and then charged back with its owner.

“Superb job, Rapidash. Come back.” Teal called her Pokémon back to its Poké Ball. As the red beam took the elegant horse Pokémon back into the sphere, Teal made a full stop. Ray and Teal looked back, and both were quite relieved to see no more prosecutors, just a seemingly visible pile of burning motorcycles and the group of soldiers scorched in the floor. The heat of the desert was hard to ignore, though.

“Teal… thanks.” Ray didn’t have words for what his friend just did for him. She had saved his life. He’d never be able to pay her…

“You have nothing to thank me for. We’re together on this.”

“You’re right. Well, I guess we better find a place to hide.”

“You’re right. We don’t want Cipher spotting us so fast, do we? Let’s go!” Teal accelerated, and her motorcycle ignited again. The two friends then went through the vast desert, with hopes of finding a getaway…

***

“WHAT? What do you mean that they escaped?” The Rogue Soldier was really furious. The soldiers he fetched off to capture the proscribed traitors failed on getting them, and returned all scorched…

“That Teal girl used her Rapidash…”

“And it impacted with us on said prosecution. We ended up like that…”

“You’re pathetic!” A tense feeling filled the lobby of the HQ’s main room. Many Soldiers and Snaggers that were eager to watch the execution of Ray were very excited and furious too. Nascour was in the same table as the Rogue Soldier and the defeated Soldiers. Though quiet, his eyes were filled in a deep anger. However, Nascour was going over the current situation, mixed in with his big fury. Two traitors were on the loose. He had a bad feeling about that situation… he had to take actions.

“OK. Enough of that! We better figure out what we’ll do about this.” Nascour’s angry voice went though as a knife in the Soldier’s throats. Even those that were in other tables muted completely.

“But we’ve lost them, Master. I doubt we’ll find them. At least today…” The Rogue Soldier was very angry too… but he knew Ray well enough. He was sure that this wouldn’t be easy.

“If you say so… I’ll send the call to all our Admins in Orre tomorrow. The escapees will surely turn on a city in hopes to defeat the Admin settled in the place.” Nascour was sure they’d be captured. Ray wasn’t his main worry. Teal, on the other hand, would not only hinder the overall operation, but now with her on the loose, he was sure that many of the strongest Pokémon would be snagged.

“As of now, get ready. I’ll send in a special team to look for them right now. We can’t underestimate the escape of our second best Snagger…” Nascour then got up and walked away. The Rogue Soldier just smirked… it wasn’t something to take lightly. The soldiers that stood in the lobby kept on drinking and discussing the matter for long hours. The HQs never were that concerned about a break-over… not that they had experienced one before.

***

Night slowly fell over the vast Orre region. The citizens, all under Cipher’s command, went back home as soon as the sunset took place. It was a world of crime as soon as darkness came over the cities. They had hopes for a better future, but after 11 years of Cipher’s domain, the hopes slowly faded. Could it be that their sought-after hero was in the desert?

No one knew… but two persons were willing to oppose Cipher and tear it down. As they hid in a rocky hill like many all over the desert, the two individuals thought about their new life. Both former Cipher recruits, they had a rough idea of how things were. As they lay in the low-height mount, they conversed of many things.

Ray, the blue-haired guy, started to talk: “So… what do you think?”

The girl by his side, Teal, replied: “Though I’m scared, I know we’re doing a good thing…”

“Scared? I see…”

“Yeah. We’re against a big enemy.”

Ray was aware of that, but he was very convinced of doing what he was doing. “Teal… if you don’t want to help me, it’s OK. I don’t want to put you in trouble.”

“No. I want to help you. Now that I know my past… I can’t forgive Cipher for what they did…”

“I know. They’ve gone too far to reach their actual position.”

“It’s going to be hard, but we must stick together…”

“Yep.” Ray was pleased to see that Teal supported him. “And… thanks for everything. If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t be here now.”

Teal giggled, and then got up, sitting on where she used to lay. “You thought I would leave you there to die? I‘d never do that…”

“For a moment, I thought you had left me there… sorry for distrusting you.”

“No problem. If I were in that position, I would be very worried too. But you know you can trust me in everything you want…”

“Thanks, Teal. Maybe we’re on our own, but with you by my side, I feel that I still have a family…”

“Really?”

“Yes. I can’t explain it. You’ve been there with me whenever I needed you.”

Teal was feeling well. Ray did appreciate her. Still, she couldn’t let him know her true feelings, at least for now… “We’re friends, Ray. I’ll always be there for you. And I know you’ll be there too!”

“I know… anyway. Guess I’ll tell you tomorrow’s plan.” Ray got out a map from the backpack he handed to Teal yesterday. He opened it, and it turned out to be a map of the Orre region. It marked all the cities of the region, and places such as the Realgam Tower. “Here’s the Map of Orre… however, I need to have a rough idea of our current location.”

“Don’t worry about it, Ray. The exit we went though went northwards. We were nearby Pyrite town. If we went to the north, we’re the closest to Agate Village now…” As Teal said that, she marked the route with her finger. “Roughly, we’re halfway between Pyrite and Agate. If we get up early tomorrow, we should reach either at 10 AM.”

“I see. Are you okay with going to Agate first?”

“Not really. I think we should go to Pyrite first. Miror B. is much weaker than Dakim. Remember he’s got Entei…”

“Don’t be afraid, Teal. Though Dakim will be tough, I know we’ll be able to beat him if we work together. Also… I’m curious about Dakim.”

“Curious? About what?”

“You’ll see…”

“Ray… we really shouldn’t take so high risks.”

“Believe in me, Teal. Agate must be our first point of action… there’s no other way.”

“How so?”

“The few support we got reside there, albeit secretly. Nett and the Kid’s Grid moved to a hidden oasis near Agate. Rui, though demented for the loss of Wes and her grandparents, is there. Even Dakim could end up helping us… you’ll see.”

Though Teal was still unsure, she knew she could trust Ray, even if it was kind of crazy: “I’ll believe in you, Ray. I barely heard of Dakim… I just met him briefly when I gave Entei back to him. And well… we will need support if we ever want the slightest chance against Cipher.”

“Then it’s settled. We’ll go to Agate first hour tomorrow!”

Though very immersed on their conversation, Teal and Ray were tired after so many things that happened today. They looked at the star-filled sky, with a beautiful crescent moon on top. The night was cold, but they were burning with hope. As the two friends sat on that hill, Teal looked at her right arm. Her face showed a big feeling of shame and impotence. Teal knew she had stolen other people’s Pokémon with that arm, which was placed on her by Cipher. Still, she, not her arm, did the damage…

“Is everything OK, Teal?”

“Yes… it’s just that I’ve done awful things.”

Ray just stood quiet. He didn’t know what to say without hurting Teal’s feelings. He just placed his hand on her right shoulder: “We’ll solve it along the way. Everything Cipher obliged us to do…”

“But…”

“But nothing! You had a reason for helping Cipher. So did me. We’ve served them long enough…”

“Guess you’re right… sorry.”

Teal felt quite sleepy now. She grabbed one Poké Ball and threw it as she said: “Go, Dragonite.” The ball opened, and a white burst of energy materialized in the air, as it revealed the bulky, powerful, albeit a bit dumb-looking Dragon Pokémon. Dragonite descended to the mount its Trainer was at, and then lowered its head as it said “Groww!” softly. It then proceeded to let its Trainer rub its head… Ray thought that Pokémon was much too docile for a Shadow Pokémon.

“Teal, that’s impressive! You’ve managed to make a Shadow Pokémon actually trust you!”

Teal giggled and looked back at Ray. “Not really. Not all my Pokémon are Shadow Pokémon. I managed to save this Dragonite up to this day. He’s always been with me… he’s the only thing left of my past life. My life before Cipher recruited me… my dad gave him to me since he was a Dratini.”

“And how you’ve managed to hide it from Ein all this time? Even today he runs periodic checks for pure Pokémon to corrupt…”

“He’s a good actor. Whenever Ein came, he acted all mean and nasty! That’s how.”

“I see… you’re smart. But why did you release him now?”

“Security. Nascour won’t lose any second. Dragonite will be on the lookout while we sleep. He’ll be able to fend off anyone easily. Not that they’ll find us anyway… but we can’t take risks for now.”

“That’s the way. I thought of that, but since all of my Pokémon were corrupted, I didn’t know what we could do. Good going, Teal.”

“Thanks!” As she finished, Teal yawned strongly.

“Well… you’re tired. We better get some rest. Tomorrow will be a hard day.”

“I’m with you.” Teal turned to her Dragonite and gave him some instructions. “Look all around, Dragonite. If you see someone suspicious in the vicinity, attack it at once. Protect us at all costs… if things get out of control, wake us up.”

Dragonite nodded, and proceeded to stand on the hill, looking all over the surroundings. Over time, he set of and flew around. Teal was sure of their safety for that night. “Now let’s have a nap, Ray. Everything will be OK.”

“I know, Teal. Good night.”

“Sweet dreams.” The two friends lay on the hill and slowly closed their eyes. Teal’s loyal Dragonite stood awake and willing to protect his Trainer and her friend. Though it was a peaceful night overall, they both knew hard times awaited them. Still, their old life had ended that day. The desire for a new life and a better future awoke in them that night… and tomorrow, the first day of their new life would take place.

-------------------------------------------------------------

That's it. Expect some intense chapters next. Replies are always appreciated. Until next time!

[Dark Sage]

Not bad. This feels like some sort of Indiana Jones flick with a pokemon feel.

Teal's guilt at what she's done in the past is natural, but it shouldn't concern her too much. (After all, I have a feeling that Wes committed a lot of crimes before he started his road to heroics. Someone should tell her that.)

I'm eager to see the next chapter, and more than eager to see how Dakim fits into all this. Update soon!

[Orion]

Thanks for the reply, Dark Sage. Glad to see you're still reading. Teal is indeed ashamed of what she has done, but she'll soon find this skill rather useful in this feat. And you'll see the deal with Dakim sooner than later. I hope you can keep on reading.

OK. Those that followed my last posting of this Fic must remember that the previous chapter was the last one I posted. Well... it's all new from now on. Here's chapter 3. How will our pair fare in Agate? You'll see...

-------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 3: The Agate infiltration.

The morning sun showered the elegant room on top of the Orre Region. The faint light crossed the big window on top of Realgam Tower: a structure that had Orre under it, representing the control of Cipher. The room, filled with precious stones, Pokémon statues and a desk, was the personal place of the most powerful man of Orre. A man that controlled the region at will, and whose fearsome red eyes were enough to cause fear upon anyone that saw them. A man whose powers went beyond the physical plane, and actually had a mental reach. The man with wavy white hair, however, was very angry, but he was about to take actions against the recent events.

Nascour grabbed a microphone that was on his desk, turning it on. Way down below ground, in the HQs, the various loudspeakers started to transmit the message of the Boss. The concerned Soldiers of the most powerful organization of Orre were eager to hear words from the very mouth of Nascour…

“To all recruits: as you must be informed of, the Headquarters experienced a breakout yesterday. The escapees were Ray Espenur and Teal Robinson. The former is an apprentice Soldier, while the latter is a Class A Snagger. They’re loose somewhere on Orre, and we must find them. The recruit that finds them, dead or alive, will be gratified with a BIG reward. Be on the lookout whenever you go to the surface… look for them EVERYWHERE! I’ll reward any hint on their location too. As of now, I’ll inform the other Admins of Orre of this situation. Remember that if you get them, Cipher will reward you. Go on and look for them. This was Nascour. Out…”

The fuss was immediate: everyone went to their rooms and prepared for a search all over the desert. They all wanted that reward, and coming from Nascour himself meant it should be a very big prize. He was sure that Teal wasn’t a pushover, and he had to get support from the other Admins because of that. He was clueless on the direction they could’ve taken, though. He had to resort to call his right hand, Ein, first. Unfortunately, Nascour ignored the fact that the escapees were more westwards than that…

Indeed, Teal and Ray were crossing the oasis that preceded Agate Village. It was the only place of Orre that had a green lush and a beautiful, vegetation-filled landscape. The nice morning breeze was pretty much unheard by both of them, because of the motorcycle’s speed. Teal and Ray had a good night thanks to Dragonite. When they woke up, they noticed a bunch of motorcycle parts and many blue helmets scattered all over the area of the hill they slept at. Still, they had a good night thanks to the powerful Dragon Pokémon of Teal. Now, they were going though a line of palm tress and some lakes around the escapade.

“We’re almost there, Ray.”

“That’s great.”

“We can still go back… unless you’re REALLY sure of doing this.”

“I’m sure, Teal. Agate is the only place we can go to, if we ever want a small chance against Cipher.”

“As you wish… look! That’s the mountain.

The palm tress slowly faded behind, and the lakes were left on their back too. The scenario was still green and full of life, but now, a mountainous atmosphere started to form. The trees were now those that were a common sight anywhere else but Orre: those with the top like a cloud. As the friends went on their way, they found themselves running on par with a long river. This river went way up, to the mountainous region of Orre. The small hill that started to stand out below the big mountains far away was Agate Village: they were almost there.

Teal stopped when they made it to the bridge. As they stepped down of the motorcycle, a Cipher Soldier came in. He wore the usual uniform: blue helmet that covered the face, armor-like blue outfit, and the orange scarf. He looked at Teal and Ray with an evident suspicion, as if they were intruders of sorts.

“Who are you?”

Both were prepared already… “Hi. I’m Teal Robinson, Class A Snagger.”

“And I’m Ray Espenur, apprentice Soldier.

The guard was still adamant about it, even after they revealed their ties with Cipher. “Show me proof that you’re actually Cipher members, and I might let you pass…”

Teal and Ray got their ID out, and handed it to the guard. He checked them for a while, and then handed them back. “OK then. You might pass.”

The guard just stood in the side, as the two recruits went through the bridge, into the small hill that was Agate Village…

***

Deep under the beautiful green town, Dakim was meditating. He was in his room, attempting to attain a high level of concentration for today’s training. The room that seemed to be made of ancient, rusty rocks, with many plants all over it, and a circular stone that appeared to be old and creaky, was a very adequate place to heighten one’s mind. A very faint gas lamp lit the place. Dakim had his eyes closed. He was considerably tall, and his body bestowed amazing muscles. The bulky man had a necklace made of Poké Balls, a white outfit and red marks on his face. His blazing red hair was one of the few visible things on that room.

Suddenly, a ring cut the soothing silence of the room. Dakim reluctantly got up, moaning for the sudden interruption of his daily meditation. He went to a corner, where the telephone rested on, and still making noise. Dakim picked it up, and a screen turned on. Slowly, the only man Dakim feared materialized in the monitor’s screen. His red eyes had always intimidated him, even if he always tried to stand strong to them. After the short glance, the two men started a conversation through the telephone.

“Good morning, Master Nascour.”

“Good morning, Dakim. I have something to inform you of.”

“What is it, Master?”

“Yesterday, two Recruits escaped of the Headquarters. One was Ray Espenur, accused of high treason against Cipher. He escaped of his own execution yesterday, alongside his accomplice, Teal Robinson, Class A Snagger.”

“I see…”

“I want you and your men to be on guard, and look for the escapees all over the vicinity of Agate Village. I’ll send you their profiles through the screen. Be sure to look for them, Dakim. I’m counting on you…”

“OK, master. I’ll inform the soldiers right away.”

“Don’t fail, Dakim… or you know what’ll happen.”

“Count me on, Master Nascour. Out…”

As the screen loaded the profiles of the two traitors, Dakim was thinking to himself: “Why am I still doing this? It’s wrong… but I can’t betray Nascour. Else, My Pokémon will…”

Dakim grabbed a radio that was on a dusty table. He had to call the guards. He knew Nascour could see him wherever he was, so he had to take actions fast. He didn’t want to… the feeling of serving the person he hated the most was very discouraging. But he had no other choice…

***

Ray and Teal were now inside the village. Their first destination was the house on top of the hill, a house that was built inside a rusty tree. The town was as deserted as it never was, though. It was as if Cipher got rid of all the people that formerly lived in that place. Could they be as evil as to practically eliminate the old people for their heinous needs? The thought was just too awful, but they kept on going. Few Soldiers were around, and all of them were sure Teal and Ray were recruits, as the guard had informed them already. They just saluted the running friends, as they went up the small hill.

It was then when the radios of all the soldiers started to sound. They all were wondering why for, but they responded either way. Teal and Ray were going up, but stopped nearby, trying to catch up the conversation.

“What’s it, Master Dakim?”

“Look out for two escapees. I want a team to go outside and look in the vicinity. Another team must stay and stand on guard for any signs of them.”

“What are their names?”

“Ray Espenur and Teal Robinson.”

“OK, Master. Out…”

The two friends were on a tight spot: Nascour didn’t lose any second. They had to go on and try to avoid as many soldiers as possible. It had to be fast, because they were getting another call from the bridge guard now.

“Damn! Now he tells us to stop them. They’re inside the village! I let them pass…”

“Roger. We’ll get them now!”

“Hey, you two! Where do you think you’re going?”

“We have to run, Teal!” Ray and Teal went upwards, as a group of about 10 Soldiers was chasing them. They crossed two bridges, and many pathways that went up. Albeit peaceful and calm, the village was now a site of prosecution. Teal and Ray were finally intercepted on top of the hill, by another group of soldiers.

“We have you now.”

“Did you really think you could escape? Master Dakim will be pleased.”

They were outnumbered and surrounded. Still, they had one way out…

“We must fight back, Teal. Send your Pokémon out.”

“I know, that’s our only chance.”

“Let’s go. Gengar!”

“Go, Jynx!”

Their Pokémon was their only chance at survival. They didn’t want to resort to dirty tactics, but it was that or death. The soldiers were caught off guard, and they tried to reach their Poké Balls, but it was too late.

“Shadow Ball!”

“Ice Beam!”

The Pokémon attacked. The Shadow Pokémon, Gengar, smiled with even more emphasis than usual, and he created a big ball of ethereal energy on his hands. The sphere thrived in darkness, and the Shadow Pokémon hurled the sphere when it was of a considerably big size. The ball hit a group of soldiers, and the explosion was massive enough to send them flying and leave them unconscious.

Jinx closed her eyes, and concentrated on her hands. They slowly formed a small blue orb, which was gathering cold air in the surroundings. The orb became bigger, and then Jynx focused her powers, expanding the orb and shooting it as a beam. It went fast through Teal, whom felt a small shiver, and then hit the soldiers that were in front. They all ended up frozen, and unable to move.

“Whew…”

Their Pokémon were still willing to battle, and destroy those that they considered enemies. Being Shadow Pokémon, they couldn’t help it… their battle desire was insatiable. The Trainers called their Pokémon back, as they knew they could end up damaging themselves, or even their own Trainers. Teal was almost hit by her Jynx’s attack…

“Well, that’ll teach them. We’re on top at last. Let’s go visit Rui.”

“You think she’ll be of any help? You told me she’s completely demented, and hasn’t moved out of her grandparents’ house for years.”

“We should try at least.” Teal was still against it, but she nodded afterwards. They went through the frozen soldiers, and on to the biggest house in the village. It was an old, rusty tree, which stood out above everything in that small hill. It had a door in the front and some windows on both sides. Ray knocked the door, but didn’t get any response. He did it again… nothing. The third knocking wasn’t any good either.

“See? She’s completely out of this world. Not to mention her ability is futile now that pretty much every Pokémon in the region has been corrupted.”

“I don’t want to see her for her ability of seeing the darkness of Shadow Pokémon. I trust her to give us imperative information.”

“If she knew anything, Cipher would’ve taken care of her long ago…”

“We don’t lose anything. I’ll break the door.”

Ray tackled the door with force. He did it another five times before it went loose and fell down. The fall of the door raised a big cloud of dust from inside the house. Teal closed her eyes, and after the dust faded out, she helped Ray on getting up. The two friends entered the house, which was completely ridded by dust. The place was completely dark, and an unusual hollowness could be felt. Teal and Ray lurked around, bumping with each other many times. At last, Ray found a light switch, and he pressed it. The dusty bulb was very faint, but it allowed enough visibility.

There were some stairs, and what seemed to be a living room. The place was filled with dust, accumulated for years, and that nobody cleaned off. There was nobody inside. A broken TV was in front of the couches in the living room. The place was so dusty and old; the wood walls were creaking and falling over at some places. It was as if nobody lived there for almost ten years…

“Maybe you were right, Teal.”

“Let’s just go upstairs… there’s bound to be something.”

“OK then.” The two went through the stairs nearby, still surrounded by the accumulated dust, which lifted whenever they stepped, and thus they had to cover their nose and mouth to not be affected by it. The stairs were short, and they made it into a small hall that had two doors. Ray went into the one in front after going up. He knocked on it… nothing.

“Guess she’s out, on her own world…” Teal was getting a bit impatient, and she was sure that right now, even more Soldiers were looking for them.

“Man. I never expected she would be THAT demented when Harland told me about it.” Said Ray as he opened the door. It was a completely empty room. There wasn’t anything… except for a few pictures. They were photos: all of them filled with dust. It was actually hard for both friends to find them in the completely gray room, but they managed. As they dusted them off, they noticed they were all photos of Wes and Rui’s deceased grandparents. They were all cut off from certain sides, as if someone had ripped a part of the photo.

“That’s scary… it seems she couldn’t get over it.” Ray was a bit scared now. It seemed Rui was demented beyond recovery. All of a sudden, they heard a sound of something crashing on the floor in the next room. Teal jumped out of fear, but then she calmed down. They couldn’t believe it, and were too wondrous on how could Rui be after so many years on solitude.

“Let’s see if Rui is still alive…” They went out of that empty room. As they walked through the hall that was the second floor, with a very annoying crack of the rusty floor at every step they took, they were sure that Rui was bound to be in the last room of the house. After the short walk, Ray knocked the door of the other room. The door squeaked, and opened slowly. The place was so old that it was an expected happening… then the voice was heard.

“Is it you, Wes?” The voice was that of a woman. A bit raspy (Probably because of the accumulated dust of all those years.), but it could still be identified as a woman’s voice. Teal was very scared… she knew it wouldn’t be nice when Rui found it wasn’t Wes. It was impressive that Rui was still alive, though…

Though a bit reluctant and not willing to, Ray opened the door and went inside the room. The room had two beds, a long table, and a clear window. The table was completely filled with food of all sorts, and a big water jar. A mature woman was sitting in one of the beds: her orange hair with two pigtails ending in spikes, her purple top, white mini-skirt and more importantly, her blue, big eyes, were proof that she was, indeed, Rui. She was much more mature than what Ray was aware of… it had been 15 years after all, and he just knew how she looked like 15 years ago. Her clothes were old and torn out, and her skin was so white it seemed she had been living long years without proper feeding (Despite the food-filled table in front of her.).

Rui was looking at the floor, but she raised the sight when she felt the presence of someone else. She looked at Ray with her big eyes… they seemed to be tired, but they also projected a deep sadness and unawareness of what was going on. Rui fixed her sight on Ray’s eyes… apparently looking for someone, for something. It took her quite some minutes to react, while Ray was having the chills: those eyes were quite scary to look at. They were abnormal, inhuman… and they somehow absorbed Ray. Rui mumbled, and then whispered something neither Ray nor Teal could hear: “No… I was mistaken again. It’s just them.”

“Huh? What did you say?”

“Rui, we need your help… Orre is being controlled by Cipher! We’re trying to oppose them, but we won’t be able to do much without help from others.” Ray tried to get around her deep blue eyes as he talked to Rui. But it was as if he hadn’t said anything. Rui still looked at him, like some sort of clueless kid. She muttered again: “They’re just trying to fool me. They’re not real. Just ghosts that want me to join them…”

“She’s truly crazy…” Teal whispered, as Ray tried to make Rui react by touching her shoulders, but Rui didn’t respond. Instead, she just covered her ears, and started to cry, “Leave! Leave!” nonstop. She closed her eyes, and started to twist around the bed, as if someone had taken control of her mind.

Ray raised his hands, trying to grab her, and attempted to make her come back to senses: “Rui, please understand! We’re here to help you!” Rui didn’t hear Ray’s pleadings, though. She kept on screaming, “Leave! LEAVE!” and then started to grab and throw away the dishes, food and glasses that were in that long table in her room. Teal and Ray had no other choice, but to run away. As the plates flew away through the door, the two friends went downstairs and left the house in a heartbeat.

“She’s very crazy, you know?”

“It seems so. I guess we’ll have to…” But as the previous shock faded, they noticed they were completely surrounded. The Soldiers that were chasing them were back, with reinforcements. Some were shivering as they just were thawed off the ice prison they were subjected to. Others were sweating, and agitated. They were those that were cast away by Gengar’s attack. Alongside them, five fearsome Soldiers stood in front of Teal and Ray. The uniforms of those five were different, though: their outfit and helmet was white, and it had red stripes forming weird shapes all over them. Their scarf was red instead of orange too. Some guys, some girls (As implied by the longer hair and the lipstick-painted lips.), all of them looked angry. Teal and Ray walked back, thinking that it was all over. They had no escape, and no one to help them…

-------------------------------------------------------------

Rather tight situation. Expect some intense chapters next!

Replies are greatly appreciated. Until next time!

[Dark Sage]

That was simply too short. We want more than that.

I'm intrigued what Dakim's stake in all this is, but that's pretty much all I got out of this chapter.

Do more, and I'll reply with more detail next time.

[darktyranitar]

Hey, Orion. Been a while since I replied. I'll try to keep reading, even if it reach 100+ chapters. Hm, I wonder where this story would go to.

Although Rui appears to a mentally disoredered person, I have a feeling that she would play an important role in the future. Dakim also seemed like an intersting character. What will happen to Ray and Teal? Guess I have to wait for the answer.

Anyway, the chapters are coming along great. Keep it up! :smilie:

[Orion]

Thanks for the replies, people! As long as I have a few followers, I'll keep on posting.

XD. It seems many people found Chapter 3 very short. But don't worry. Chapter 4 here will make up for it. Prepare, for this is a very intense moment. Expect several battles in the next chapters too!

-------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 4.
Battles beneath Agate.

“You two…” Said one of those white-dressed soldiers. He had a very hard, masculine voice, and had quite a body: his muscles stood out. He was very tall too. Ray thought he would resemble Dakim with untapped accuracy. “We were informed by Master Dakim that there were two escapees inside the Village. Those must be you.”

“And what if we are?” Ray stepped front, ready to take everything on.

“You don’t know who you’re messing with, boy.” The girl soldier that was at the left side of the strong guy stepped in.

The strong, tall guy broke in again: “We’re a group of Elite Soldiers trained by Master Dakim himself. You’re in for a world of pain!”

“Dakim told us that Boss Nascour would reward anyone that got hold of you.” Said the white soldier that was at the right side of the strong guy.

“Amazing. Nascour didn’t lose any second on tracking us down…” Teal was quite scared of the current situation. She was unsure whether they’d make it out or not…

“Either way, we won’t go down without fighting! No matter how strong you are, or appear to be… we’ll battle!” Ray was determined to do everything on his hands. He wouldn’t give it up so soon. Still, it was just the first obstacle, and they were already in a very hard situation.

“OK then… if you want to. Actually, Dakim is willing to have a word with you. However, if you’re that interested in having an audience with our Master, you better be sure you’re ready to have a hard time against us.”

“You’re saying you’re not going to get us now?”

“Indeed. There would be no fun in doing that. We’re eager to see if you’re actually up to opposing Cipher. I sincerely doubt it, but I’m willing to attest it by myself.” The big Soldier let out a loud laugh after that. He apparently was looking forward to it.

“OK then. You’re on…” Ray was looking for a Pokémon Battle long ago…

“Right on. You all must leave now, Soldiers… we won’t need you.” Though in total disagreement, the shivering and the fatigued Soldiers left the spot reluctantly, alongside the other 20 soldiers that served as reinforcement. The five soldiers with the white outfits stood there, though…

“Let’s see you trying to reach Master Dakim. You’ll have to defeat all five of us if you really expect to have a chance against our Master. But that’s not all… you’ll have to find where’s our Master too.”

“Yeah, whatever… we’ll do it!”

“OK. Now… disperse!” Four soldiers ran in different directions and scattered all over the hill where the Village was on, all going downwards. Two of them vanished after running to the lowest level: a small pond below a bridge. One of them stood in the spot. He seemed to be the youngest of them all. The short guy smiled while he got two Poké Balls out.

“OK, I’m first up, escapees. You may call me Naze. I’m the latest recruit of Master Dakim.”

Ray grinned and let out a small laughing sound. “Then you’ll be easy…”

“You think I’m an amateur like you? Master Dakim wouldn’t recruit someone as young as me into his very own Elite body for no reason. I’ll show you that I’m no pushover!”

“OK, kiddo. Bring it on!”

“I’ll let both of you battle together against me, you lovers. You’ll see I’m hot stuff!”

Teal and Ray blushed slightly, but they assumed battle position, in the edge of the hill, while Naze stood in front of the tree house. The sun was already on full bright, albeit it was still early. The long-silent village was about to experience some action like it never had for long years.

“Here I come!” Naze launched his two Poké Balls.

“We’re not going to lose!” Ray threw his…

“It’s been long since I had a battle. Hopefully I haven’t lost my touch. Go!” And Teal threw hers. The four Poké Balls opened, releasing a burst of white energy, which slowly took form. Naze’s Pokémon materialized first. One was a very weird Pokémon. It had the shape of a crescent moon, and its mouth was a long nose-like protuberance. Two red eyes stood at both sides of its weird head. The Pokémon floated, sustained by an unseen force. It also spun in a weird pattern. It was the rare Lunatone. His other Pokémon was a round one. It had four red tubes of sorts spouting out of its metallic shell. It also had two big eyes. The rest of its body was covered by its tough shell. It was a Forretress, and it also floated in mid-air. Both Pokémon looked very vicious and nasty: they were Shadow Pokémon, as most Pokémon in Orre.

Afterwards, Ray’s Pokémon took form. It was his most loved Pokémon, though he was a Shadow Pokémon, like all his other Pokémon. A crimson color, a red flame on the tip of his tail, a duck-like face, and a highly developed brain topped with two flame-esque crests. The Pokémon was quite big, and stood on two legs. His arms were kind of long, and bestowed a few sharp claws. He was a Magmar. The Flame Pokémon looked unbearably vicious and eager to battle.

Teal’s Pokémon materialized last. It was very small. The Pokémon had a green body, and a skirt formed by petals of yellow and green petals. It had small hands and two red flowers on both sides of its head’s top. Its eyes were small, but they formed an angry expression. Such awe-inspiring eyes were a very unusual trait in the usually cute and cheerful Bellossom. But Shadow Pokémon were known for such nasty and careless tendencies…

“How nice… but anyway. We better get this over with. Lunatone, use Shadow Wave. You, Forretress, use Shadow Crush on Magmar!

Teal then ordered a move to her Bellossom: “Use Magical Leaf on Lunatone.”

Ray was the last one, as he ordered a move to his Magmar: “Flamethrower on Forretress now!” The Pokémon all moved and performed their attacks. Magmar was the fastest one, and he turned to Forretress, whom was charging dark energy within itself. Magmar then blew a lot of fire off his mouth, which went straight towards Forretress. The Armor Pokémon, though good at the defense, was extremely weak to Fire attacks. The flames were reckless and fast, scorching Forretress at contact. The Pokémon stopped floating and dropped to the floor. Everyone felt a small tremor, as the heavy Pokémon fell down, fainted.

“You lucky *******…” Naze called his Forretress back to its Poké Ball. As he did it, Lunatone was performing its attack. A black aura surrounded it, and then, a small burst of black energy spouted out of its body. The burst floated slowly towards Bellossom and Magmar. The Flame Pokémon was agile, and avoided it with ease. Bellossom didn’t run with the same luck, though: it was hit by the black blob, which then caused some sort of disturbance in the Flower Pokémon’s body. That damaged Bellossom, but it just retaliated a bit. The small Pokémon got up, still showing its angry face, and then screamed loudly. As Bellossom did that, its petals and flowers started to move and spin around its own body. Afterwards, a round of shinny, colorful leaves appeared above Bellossom’s body. It then used its powers to hurl them at Lunatone. The leaves went straight, and they left a beautiful sparkle through their path. The colorful leaves hit Lunatone right on its eyes, and they caused a fair amount of damage, as the Moon Pokémon almost lost balance.

Teal and Ray were winning, but Naze wasn’t eager to give up. “Now use Psychic on Magmar!”

Ray just smirked. “It’s over, Naze. Use Shadow Break!”

Teal went on with Ray and said: “Use Magical Leaf again, Bellossom.” Both Pokémon attacked recklessly. Bellossom’s petals and flowers spun again, and then the colorful leaves appeared again. It hurled them towards the Moon Pokémon, while Magmar ran straight at Lunatone, shrouded in a black aura. The leaves and Magmar collided with Lunatone at the same time. It didn’t even have a chance to focus its mind and attack Magmar. As Lunatone fell down because of Magmar’s overwhelming attack, the Flame Pokémon stood near it, apparently ready to give out another attack. Lunatone had fainted already, though.

“No way!” Naze called Lunatone back, as he muttered and grunted. He couldn’t believe he had lost.

“That was easy…” Said Ray as he called his Magmar back. Teal just nodded, and returned her Bellossom to its Poké Ball.

“I just underestimated you. I expected a Class ‘A’ Snagger to be at least that tough. You’re way too strong for an Apprentice Soldier, though…”

“I just remain an apprentice for sheer unreliability…” Ray then laughed softly. As he stopped, he went directly to Naze: “Now, tell us where to go next.”

“You think I’d tell you that? Ha!” Naze then laughed, but stopped soon. He seemed eager to talk, though. “Go down, if you dare. I doubt you’ll be able to stand against my comrades. They’re way better than me.” Naze grunted, and then ran to the right. He was going down even further.

“Let’s follow him.” Said Teal, and both went on behind the young Soldier. They crossed a small inclination that went on to a small patch of land. They then noticed Naze going down below, near a bridge. Teal and Ray tried to catch him, but as they reached the mount, they were stopped by another of Dakim’s Soldiers. This one was a girl. She looked a bit older, but not as old as Teal or Ray. Her hair was long and orange. She also had an orange-painted mouth. Her uniform was the same as that of Naze and the others: white outfit, red marks on the helmet, and red scarf. She blocked another landslide near the bridge, as soon as she spotted Ray and Teal. “I’m not letting you pass.”

Ray wasn’t stopped by her claim, and went near the girl, almost to the point of pushing her aside, while saying: “Then don’t let us. I bet you want to battle…”

“Bull’s-eye! I’ll battle you, and forget about seeing Dakim. I’ll be enough for both of you.” She then started to laugh loudly.

Teal busted in as the girl laughed: “Want to battle after you saw how we defeated Naze? Fine then…”

“He’s new. No one expected him to even stand against you. But I’m another thing. My name is Flaria, of Dakim’s Body. Yep, that’s our code name among Soldiers.” She then giggled and got two Poké Balls out of her belt. “You ready?”

“Yes. Go, Marowak!” Ray threw his Poké Ball, which materialized into a quite impressive Pokémon. It had a brown body, long tail, and strong legs and arms. It held a long bone on one of its hands, and a white skull covered its head. Its eyes were piercing and angry. “Marow!” it shrieked as it fitted the sight on Flaria.

“Our turn, Electabuzz! Teal called her Pokémon as the Poké Ball opened. It revealed a yellow Pokémon with many black thunder-like patterns going through its body. It had long, strong arms and two weird protuberances on its head. It had a small tail too. The Pokémon looked at Flaria with anger, identifying her as the enemy. It screamed “Errebb!” while looking at the orange-haired girl.

“Pretty impressive. Let’s see if they’re as powerful as they look. Go, Houndour and Camerupt!” Flaria threw her two Poké Balls, and they unleashed the burst of white energy that slowly took the form of a Pokémon. One of them was a sleek, black one, similar to a dog with bone-like things on its back, and a white skull in its forehead. It bestowed a fierce appearance, which was even more fearsome for the Shadow Pokémon trait. The other was a massive Pokémon with a red body and two volcanoes hanging on its back. It had a somewhat dumb face, and big teeth. The Pokémon stood dangerously close to a small pond below the bridge, as they were too big to fit in the patch of land above, where Ray and Teal stood.

“You start, girl.” Said Ray. Flaria, apparently steamed by Ray’s guts, shouted: “Camerupt, use Earthquake. Houndour, use Protect.”

“Jump and hit Camerupt with Bonemerang, Marowak.” Shouted Ray, while Teal called: “You jump too, Electabuzz, and then use Brick Break on Camerupt.” Every Pokémon did as told. Marowak and Electabuzz jumped high, while a faint green barrier surrounded Houndour. Camerupt, whom was below the jumping Pokémon, stood on its hind legs, and then crushed the ground with its front legs. The impact generated waves throughout the ground, which then broke into a big fissure in the entire pitch of land. Unfortunately, it didn’t hit any Pokémon, because they were jumping or protecting themselves. Houndour’s green barrier protected it from the powerful blow. As the earth shake ended, Marowak grabbed its bone and threw it with unbearable power at Camerupt. It was hit directly in the head, and bounced back. In the confusion, it didn’t notice that the bone came back and stroke in the back of its head. The strokes were very hard, as Camerupt moved from side to side, a bit dizzy and weakened. And for Camerupt’s disgrace, it wasn’t over: Electabuzz fell like an arrow down its neck, and attacked with its arms positioned in a way that formed the shape of a cross. Camerupt screamed out of pain, and walked back a few steps, almost to the point of slipping down the small pound behind it. The Camel Pokémon was very strong, though: it still stood up, and was ready to keep it going. As soon as all the attacks ended, the green barrier that protected Houndour faded away.

“You’re evil. Use Hidden Power on Marowak, Houndour! Camerupt, use Shadow Rush on Electabuzz!” Electabuzz and Marowak were too close of Camerupt, and then, the giant Pokémon performed a tackle against Electabuzz, while surrounded by the black aura. The attack also reached Marowak, but it wasn’t affect much by it. Ray’s and Teal’s Pokémon flew back a few inches, still surprised. Houndour then performed its attack: its body shone faintly, and then, 10 shinny balls of energy spouted out of its body. The energy balls flew directly at Marowak, whom didn’t manage to avoid them, and was hit thoroughly by them. Though it stood up, it seemed as if the Bone Pokémon had been severely damaged.

“Are you OK, Marowak?” Ray asked. Marowak just got up reluctantly, and fit his sight on Houndour, as if Ray hadn’t said anything. “Fine then… use Bonemerang on Houndour, quickly.” Marowak followed suit, and surprised the Hound Pokémon by launching his hard bone wit his strong arm. The bone flew straight at Houndour’s head, and the Dark Pokémon was cast away by the force of the impact. The attack was actually too strong, since Houndour didn’t get up at all after the first blow. The bone flew back to Marowak, whom grabbed it skillfully.

“Houndour!” Flaria screamed. Teal took advantage of the girl’s concern, and called on her Electabuzz: “Use Ice Punch on Camerupt!” The Lightning Pokémon was very fast, and jumped off in a glimpse. Camerupt wasn’t well-aware of its surroundings as it just had tackled both of its opponents. Electabuzz’s right fist then glowed in a faint blue light. The Lightning Pokémon went a short distance through mid air, and then connected its blue fist right on the Camel Pokémon’s cheek. The impact was cold and powerful. Camerupt walked back again out of the shock, and this time, it fell down in the small pond. The water doused off any energy it had left, making it faint.

Flaria fell down her knees, looking at her fainted Pokémon. She got up shortly after. “You’re very good… I must admit it. Come back, both of you.” Flaria got two Poké Balls out, and a red beam spouted out of them. They touched Flaria’s Pokémon, and just like that, the creatures turned completely red and entered a state of energy. In this estate, they were sucked back inside the storage device. Teal and Ray did the same with their Pokémon, proud of their recent victory.

“But don’t think you’ve won. You still have 3 more battles ahead. Good luck.” Flaria left as soon as she finished with those words. She went directly into the cave beyond the pond. It was a very mysterious place, engulfed in darkness from Ray’s perspective. There was another pathway below the bridge, which went through the pound and into the cave. “Well… it seems that cave is our next target.” Teal just nodded at Ray’s assumption, and the duo went through the green patch of land. They crossed the pond, and got inside the cave.

They couldn’t see very well, though the few things they could witness were illuminated by faint bulbs of light. It was a weird spectacle: the cave was almost intact, but the mark of people was evident. The inside of the cave was all noisy, which was caused by a river inside the cave. This river was one of many around the village. The rocks were filled with musk and small grass. “Let’s go on.”

They hadn’t even taken the first few steps when they were stopped by a third Soldier. This one was considerably tall, yet a bit fat too. “Your feat ends here!” The deep voice revealed a guy was beneath the white helmet. Teal and Ray backed up, but were ready to battle. “I’m Roke. Get ready.” Roke got out 2 Poké Balls, and threw them off to the floor of the cave. The Pokémon turned out to be of the Rock Type: one was formed of gravel, and had a seemingly round shape. It had four arms and stood in two small feet. It bestowed two menacing eyes, as it looked evilly at Ray. The other was a huge and long Pokémon. Made entirely of rocks, and with a sharp head that had a long horn, the Pokémon roared strongly as it looked down upon the enemies. Graveler and Onix were ready to take everything on.

“Go, Starmie!” Ray threw his Poké Ball, and it opened in the air. Flying out of it, a star-shaped Pokémon formed. It was purple and had a beautiful, shinny gem incrusted in the middle of its body. One part of its body was constantly spinning, while it stood up with the other part. Teal got out a Poké Ball as she looked at Ray’s Starmie: “Time to come out again, Bellossom.” Teal’s Poké Ball opened in the air, and it released the small Grass Pokémon again. Bellossom looked angrily at Roke’s two Pokémon, unable to contain her battling desire.

“Attack, Graveler and Onix. Shadow Break!” Said Roke, as the Pokémon were overridden by black energy. Ray and Teal commanded their Pokémon too: “Use Bubble Beam against Graveler!”; “Magical Leaf at Onix now, Bellossom.” The Rock Pokémon were too slow for Ray’s Starmie, and the Star Pokémon spun faster. It then released a powerful burst of countless bubbles out of its gem. The bubbles flew in a straight trajectory, as if condensed in a powerful beam. The attack hit Graveler directly, as it was increasing the darkness within. The impact sent it flying back a few inches, but it was enough to weaken it completely. The bubbles incrusted in the Rock Pokémon’s body, and caused even more damage. Graveler fell down shortly after, fainted.

“Impressive… I now call Armaldo.” Roke got out another Poké Ball, and sent out a very rare Pokémon. It was blue and silver, and resembled a big, resistant armor. It had two long eyes spouting off the top of its head and a long tail. White-and-red feathers adorned part of its body. As the Pokémon formed, Teal’s Bellossom and Roke’s Onix were attacking each other. Bellossom received a direct blow with Onix’s massive body. The Flower Pokémon was affected badly by the enveloping darkness. Even so, Bellossom managed to perform her attack, releasing a bunch of shiny, beautiful leaves, which were sent straight at Onix.

“That won’t work. Use Dig, Onix! And you attack Starmie with Shadow Fist, Armaldo!” The giant Pokémon rose above everyone, and for a moment, it stood as even bigger than before. It then crashed down on the ground and went underground. Teal just smirked as she saw the glittering leaves going through the hole Onix had just dug. On the other side, Armaldo focused a huge amount of dark energy into its right fist. It then stretched the claw enough to hit Starmie right in the sparkling gem. The Star Pokémon flew away and crashed in the cave’s roof. It then fell down, and it seemed as if it hadn’t made it.

“Starmie!” Cried Ray. Starmie got up slowly, but it still showed enough energy to keep it going. “Try a Hydro Pump now.” Starmie rose up a few inches above the wet floor of the grotto, and then, it pointed the top tip of its star shape body at Armaldo. Starmie then blew off a powerful and pressurized blast of water. As powerful as a water pump, the swirling blast hit Armaldo directly, and the Armor Pokémon was blown away to fall into the river behind it. Armaldo was badly weakened by Starmie’s attack, and even more so after falling right into the river.

As if that wasn’t enough, a huge outrage shook the ground below the Trainers: “GRUOOWW!” It seemed that Onix was hit by the Magical Leaf attack, since they had followed the Pokémon down below ground. Roke was stunned, while he was looking at his fallen Pokémon. “Get up, Armaldo.” He said. The Rock Pokémon got up, but it was severely weakened after Starmie’s blow. “Finish Armaldo with Psychic, Starmie.” Said Ray. In a swift move, Starmie was surrounded by a white aura. It then generated a white ball of energy in front of its gem. The sphere was then hurled directly at Armaldo, with the mind power of Starmie. The ball stroke easily, as Armaldo was just getting up. The blow toppled it down, and made it faint with a big splash of water on the river. As soon as that, Onix rose up from the ground, roaring with a huge noise. However, it didn’t last long and fell down. The attack was too much for it, and fainted instantly.

“How? How could I lose?” Roke was so ashamed he just called back his Pokémon and walked on, without even looking back. Ray and Teal tried to follow him, knowing that’d take them to Dakim. However, as they went on, they found themselves into a dark labyrinth of countless doors inside the very cave. Looking around, they knew it wouldn’t be easy to find Dakim.

“What should we do now?” Ray asked. They had lost Roke already, and didn’t know where to go now.

“I guess our only alternative is to look in every door…” And as Teal suggested, the duo went on and started opening doors. They looked at one… nothing. They went to the nearest one… nothing inside. That went on for about 10 doors made of rusty and old metal. The cave was very big, and it was filled with doors all over, much like the barracks in the Cipher’s Underground Headquarters.

“This is endless…” Said Teal in delusion.

“We must keep on going… we’re close. Don’t give up now, Teal.”

“OK…” And they kept on opening doors. When they were about halfway the cave, and near the river, a door revealed a room made of stalactites and stalagmites. It seemed empty, though.

“Nothing here…” Muttered Ray and he pushed the door. Teal stopped the door from closing, though.

“What’s this, Teal? There’s nothing here.” Teal denied Ray’s assumption, and then opened the door completely. She got a lantern out of her backpack, and turned it on. Ray was impressed as he saw the room. The stalactites and stalagmites all over the room sparkled, as if made of precious minerals. But that wasn’t anything when they noticed the presence of someone inside: it was another white-dressed Soldier. The fourth member of Dakim’s Body, they thought. The Soldier got up, swinging its long, brown hair around. “Good of you to come.” The girl then let out a faint giggle. She was about the same height as Ray and Teal. Her hair was long and abundant, like an endless waterfall. She had the lips painted in a deep red color, and a horn protruding above her helmet.

“Who are you?” Ray asked, though he pretty much knew the answer. The girl smirked and went on: “I’m Terra, of Dakim’s Body. I must say you are strong. However, you’re up against me. My skill is like the land, whose peaceful nature encases a devastating power. I find it hard to believe… two former recruits are now against us. And to make it worse, you’re not the average apprentice. You wouldn’t be here if you were…” Terra looked at Ray while she said this, or at least that could be inferred. “But well… I shall try my best to stop you in whatever you want to achieve. My Master has full trust on my skills, and has raised me since I was a child. I shall show you now…” Terra grabbed 2 Poké Balls from her belt, and launched them without saying anything. The Balls opened, and the burst of energy slowly formed another pair of Pokémon. One was a sleek-looking one. It had a brown body, and countless spikes on its back. It bestowed very long and sharp claws in both paws, and had two deep, black eyes. The other was some sort of cocoon, but was apparently made by a tougher hide. The Pokémon had a blue color, and two evil eyes focused in Teal and Ray. Both were Ground Pokémon: Sandslash and Pupitar.

“Our turn!” Shouted both friends, and they threw their Poké Balls. They opened and revealed another couple of Pokémon. Teal’s choice was her pink and cuddly Wigglytuff. She was the Pokémon Teal used to get herself and Ray out of the Headquarters yesterday. Ray’s Pokémon was a human-like one. It had a gray body, and long extremities. Its head was topped by some sort of pink hat, and it also had a pink pattern on its legs, which looked like pants. Yellow dots adorned the outfit, or whatever it could be. Medicham looked very tranquil and thoughtful, though it also had an insatiable battling desire.

“Pretty good indeed. But it’s not about having impressive Pokémon. It’s about knowing how to use them. Let’s get it on. Use Slash against Wigglytuff, Sandslash. Use Crunch against Medicham, Pupitar.” Teal commanded her Wigglytuff right away: “Use Water Pulse in Pupitar.” Ray came up next: “Hi Jump Kick against Pupitar!” The Pokémon attacked inside that room filled with spike formations. A bit cluttered and likely to be hurt, Ray then realized Terra’s strategy: the Pokémon would get hurt easily if they fell from high above or if they jumped too high. Regretfully, it was too late. Medicham jumped very high, and what Ray expected happened: Shadow Pokémon weren’t very well aware of the battle terrain, and always focused their efforts and attention on the opposing Pokémon. This caused Medicham to crash on the pointy stalactites above, and he fell down like an arrow. Medicham then collided with the stalagmites below, and was badly hurt just by that. Pupitar took advantage of his opponent’s mistake, and jumped constantly until it managed to be near Medicham. Pupitar then opened a mouth-like section in its shell, and bitted Medicham with those strong and rocky spikes. Medicham screamed out of sheer pain, but that shriek was his last stand. He stood in the stalagmites, motionless. Medicham had fainted.

“Damn. Come back, Medicham.” Ray got his Poké Ball out, and by pointing it at Medicham, the red beam took the Pokémon back inside the sphere. Pupitar was happy for the victory, but for that, it was hit by surprise: Wigglytuff let out a soft cry, and she focused power in her mind. Shortly after, she let out a round wave of water. The wave flew straight at Pupitar whom was hit in the back, and cast away very fast. Pupitar crashed directly with a stalagmite, and didn’t get up afterwards. Sandslash then approached Wigglytuff very fast, and slashed her with its big and sharp claws. Wigglytuff was damaged and flew back a few inches. She got up, though. In the meantime, Ray got out another Poké Ball, and threw it away: “Go, Gengar.” The Poké Ball released the same Ghost Pokémon that had cast away the Soldiers that ambushed Ray and Teal before. With a mean sight and a sarcastic grin, Gengar was a good choice since he was floating.

“You’re good. Come back, Pupitar. I now call my next Pokémon: Vibrava. Go.” Terra called back her Pupitar, and also sent out another Pokémon. This one was similar to a dragonfly, and stood in four legs. It had big, green eyes, and had two emerald wings. Vibrava looked at its surroundings, and flew calmly above the stalagmites. Teal commanded her move first this time: “Ice Beam on Sandslash!” Terra then called: “Attack Gengar with Dragon Breath, Vibrava. Use Slash on Wigglytuff again, Sandslash.” Ray came out last and said: “Ice Punch on Vibrava.” The Pokémon then performed their attacks. Vibraba was about to blow out a big amount of breath, but Gengar was too fast for it: he floated towards Vibrava, and with his right fist sparkling with a blue light, he connected a cold blow against it. The attack was very strong, considering Gengar’s abilities and Vibrava’s intolerance to cold. Though badly weakened, and even after colliding with the stalagmites in the floor, Vibrava got up, but was too weak to attack.

On the other side, Sandslash was connecting another powerful slash at the poor Pink Pokémon. Wigglytuff backed up, and she almost fainted. But she got up, much to Sandslash’s dismay, performing her attack all of a sudden: Wigglytuff blew off a cold beam formed of condensed cold air, and it hit Sandslash directly. The Pokémon flew off and was hurt by the stalactites above the room. As Sandslash fell right into the stalagmites below, it barely stood up afterwards, with shaky legs and dizzy moves. Teal commanded fast: “Finish Vibrava with Shadow Sphere, Wigglytuff.” And Ray did so: “Defeat Sandslash with Shadow Ball, Gengar!” The Pokémon were fast and took advantage of Terra’s team weariness. Wigglytuff produced a small, dark sphere in front of her. Much like a small black hole, the ball was hurled at Vibrava. This minuscule sphere flew very fast at the Vivration Pokémon, and it didn’t have a chance to avoid it. After the hit, Vibrava was further damaged by a dark energy deposited on its body by the sphere, and it fainted shortly after. The floating Ghost Pokémon then proceeded to generate another dark sphere, but this one was considerably bigger. Gengar hurled it at Sandslash very fast, and the collision created a small explosion. Sandslash flew right near Terra’s feet, and didn’t get up at all.

Terra grunted, and then called back her Pokémon with the red beam of her Poké Balls. “Most excellent… I can’t believe how strong you are. Go on. Dakim is close.” Ray then shouted: “Give us a hint! We’re completely lost here. We just found you by pure fluke!” Terra just shook her head, but then said: “Go to the far end. The answer shall appear upon you by itself. Now, if you’ll excuse me…” Terra walked through the ominous stalagmites, and then went though Teal and Ray, without even looking back. Teal was about to follow her, but she noticed she went to the cave entrance’s direction.

“Well… it seems our objective is further ahead. We’re almost there.” Ray said, and then both went out of Terra’s room to get into the cave’s main corridor again. They went through many doors, but they knew they had to look for the last door. They walked on, following the river, which went way up throughout the cave. The darkness and wetness of the cave was somewhat frightening, but both friends kept on going. Running through the cave, they finally reached another exit. They went through it, and they found themselves in what seemed to be a forest shrine: It was a small bridge of ancient rocks which took to a round pedestal nearby. It all was below the shinny, tall forest trees. A peaceful pond surrounded the scenery. Teal and Ray were soothed by it…

“What a beautiful place, isn’t it Ray?” Ray just nodded, impressed by the beautiful nature and the pure feeling of the place. It seemed as if something had left the place, though: a smaller circle was in the middle of the pedestal, and it seemed as if something was removed from it. “I wonder what that could be.” Ray got closer to the pedestal, but then Teal stopped him. “We’ll have time for that later. I think Terra meant this place when she said ‘far end’. We shall go to the door before this exit. Dakim is probably there…” Though a bit reluctant, Ray nodded, and then led the return to the cave’s entrance. They found the last door almost immediately. This one wasn’t a mere steel door: it was of a red color, and had a few rubies incrusted on it. They knew Dakim was there…

“Let’s go.” But as they opened the door, they found out it wasn’t what they expected. Four beautiful torches lit the room, one in each corner. The room had a rocky floor, and was fairly big. Dakim wasn’t there, though. A very big and strong individual stood in the middle of the room. He was the same guy that challenged them back in the surface. Probably the first and most important member of Dakim’s Body. The guy turned around. As with most Soldiers, his helmet covered his eyes, but his mouth showed a smile of satisfaction and surprise. His uniform was the same as the other Soldiers of Dakim, but his helmet bestowed two long horns on both sides.

“You’re last. Where’s Dakim?” Ray asked. He didn’t know why he was somewhat frightened by the giant guy’s aura, though. Crossing his arms, the big guy answered: “You won’t know you ‘till you beat me. I doubt you will, though. I must say I’m impressed. I never expected you to get past Roke, actually…”

“We’re better than that. But if we have to take you on too… then so be it.” Ray’s comment made the Soldier laugh hard. “I’m not the average Soldier. I’m the most loyal and the closest man of Dakim. My name is Kimu. You might have lucked out against my partners, but I’m different. Dakim’s been with me since I was born. I won’t let him down. Ever…” Teal then noticed a necklace on Kimu’s neck: it was a bit short, but Kimu grabbed it as he called on Dakim’s name. It had a ruby on the end. “This ruby is Dakim’s most treasured gem. It was the last memory of his family. And he gave it to me… I’m like a son to him.” And then, Kimu made something neither Ray nor Teal expected: he placed his hands on the helmet, and removed it. What the helmet concealed was just heartbreaking: Kimu was exactly like Dakim. He had a hard faction, red hair styled in upward spikes, and red marks on his face.

“Are you sure you aren’t actually Dakim’s son?” Teal Asked. Kimu just denied it with the head. “I’m not… Dakim never married. But as far as I’m concerned, he’s my father. And that’s why I’ll beat you down: for Dakim’s honor. I just took my helmet off because I respect you, and because it’d be a fault from my part to not show my face to my strongest opponents so far. For mere beginners, you’ve got guts. Opposing the biggest power in Orre without thinking twice. Not even those so-called peacemakers like Duking or Silva had so many courage. Even so, I doubt you’ve got what it takes. I shall show you with this battle. I respect my partners, but they still have a long way to go. But whatever… none of your business.” Kimu grabbed two Poké Balls from his belt, and looked defiantly at Teal and Ray: “Whenever you want…”

Teal and Ray were impressed by Kimu’s loyalty. There were no doubts in Ray’s mind now: Dakim was more than a mere Admin. He had formed a cult on his own. He also noticed how concerned and caring all of Dakim’s Body Soldiers were about their Pokémon, and how they weren’t big-heads. Even so, he had to battle Kimu now, and though neither he nor Teal wanted to admit it, they were considerably tired now. They had to go on, though: no one said it’d be a walk in the park. Inside the luxurious room, they got out their Poké Balls, eager to battle against Kimu. “You’re on, Kimu!” Screamed both friends, and the Poké Balls were launched…

-------------------------------------------------------------

I'm abusing cliffhangers, I know. That was one of the reasons for last chapter's shortage. Oh well...

I shall comment on the replies later. As of now, I hope you enjjoy this chapter. Until next time!

[Dark Sage]

Hmm...

Seeing as Ray and Teal found the Relic Stone missing and not smashed to pieces, and the shrine still seems to have some of its magic left, I assume that the Stone has not been destroyed. But this leaves a lot of questions... Like exactly why Cipher decided to simply store it, and exactly where it is now. (I have a feeling Dakim may have something to do with it, and he might turn out to be an ally after this arc is over).

I have a suspicion that Kimu will not go down as easy as those other four henchmen, and to make matters worse, the heroes have one pokemon unconcious and most of the rest tired. (Even if they win, they'll be in bad shape to face the big guy himself if it comes to that.)

But I anxiously await the next chapter... See you then.

[darktyranitar]

Can't believe it took me so long to read this...

Well, that was a really intense moment. I wonder if they will get past Kimu. But then, there's Dakim, who is surely very hard to defeat, especially with their state after battling Kimu. I have a strange feeling about how the battle turns out...

Really looking towards the next chapter. Don't keep us waiting for too long!