Honor Among Thieves

[PsiUmbreon]

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Chapter 16
The Gathering

Within Ter’ast, sentries had been awaiting the return of the Bogcrow with the group members. The sentries had all but given up by now. As they stared impatiently, only remaining at their posts due to the mayor’s orders, their robes flapped in a gentle breeze.

“Screw this, I gotta go pee!” one of the sentries complained.

“Wait! I see something!” The other one exclaimed.

“You know, it’s only funny the first 500 times… now, I’ll be right back,” The sentry replied in a listless voice.

“No, look!”

As the other sentry turned his back to leave, several Bogcrow touched down. Two of them were empty. The other four had passengers – Spike, Rad, Lucia, and Blaze. The sentry turned around to face them.

“Mayor, they’ve arrived!” The sentries both called out.

The Bogcrow immediately took off to their homes, tired and disgruntled. Soon after, the mayor ran out to greet them. “Welcome back… wait, aren’t you missing people?”

“Long story. We’ll tell you inside,” Spike replied.

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Momentarily after the four who had just arrived went inside, a sudden gust caused the sentries to lose balance. The four dragons carrying the rogue citizens of Spiropolis touched down. Just as abruptly as they had appeared, they vanished into the mist, leaving their passengers behind.

“Okay, so like, where are we?” Eva asked. Others asked the same question.

“This place is scary…” Kyra shivered. Moonlight’s rings began to glow a bright yellow that made it visible from afar even in the thick fog.

“Halt! Just who are you anyways?” The sentries, who had been knocked off the platform, had climbed back up and were brushing the mud off their robes as they spoke.

Just then, a door nearby opened. Everyone was startled as a man wearing an elaborate red and black robe came out – the mayor.

“…Who are you people?” The mayor of Ter’ast asked them suspiciously.

“Where are we? Wait…”

“What are you doing here?” The mayor demanded. The two sentries stood behind the bewildered rogues, and they looked threatening.

“Umm… I dunno… some dragons just brought us here and then left. We’re from Spiropolis and we just escaped from there.”

“From Spiropolis? Wait… how am I to believe you?”

“-Kyra? Is that… it can’t be!” came an interruption. Spike’s gang came out the door and couldn’t believe their eyes.

“That girl is who you were trying to rescue?” The mayor asked Spike. “Well, in that case, your story is believable. You may stay.”

“Thanks!” Scout exclaimed. The others nodded in agreement.

Spike and the others rushed over to Kyra, surprised to see her safe. “How’d you get out?” was the main question they asked her.

“Umm… well this one boy helped me get out… then there were these people here…”

“Thank you… whoever you are…” Blaze spoke with gratitude.

“No problem, really… we just happened to find her. And without that Umbreon we probably wouldn’t have been able to escape.” Yuri responded.

“Wait a minute,” Arion interrupted. “Is that… Lucia? The granddaughter of Lisabella?”

“Hey, you guys are familiar,” Lucia replied. “You knew my grandma?”

“Yes. When Team Judgment got her we knew that we’d had enough.”

“Yeah… you know, she died helping us get out of there… then we go back and get caught again… if it weren’t for that power outage, her sacrifice would have been for nothing,” Lucia looked mournful as she replied.

“Oh, power outage?” Eva chimed in. “Yeah, that was us,” She winked.

“Whoa, no way! You guys shut down their power?” Blaze exclaimed. “You’ll have to tell us how sometime.”

“That’s right.”

“And you brought Kyra out too… wow!”

“All right, it’s gettin’ kinda cold… can we go inside?” Rad complained.

“Yeah, good point. Let’s go inside.” Everyone crowded into the nearby city hall.

Just then, another person swooped down on a Bogcrow of his own. It was none other than Talon, who had also been able to escape. Kyra saw Talon land and exclaimed, “That’s him! The other boy who helped me!” Some of the people who went inside rushed outside, including the mayor.

“Talon, your parents are very worried about you,” The mayor stated matter-of-factly.

“I know, I know… I’m gonna be in trouble… well, I just wanted to help!”

“I’ll have to explain the situation to your parents then. We shall see,” The mayor responded.

“Oh yeah, I saw a huge group of other people leaving the tower. They’re coming this way too,” Talon added.

“Ahh, more prisoners of Team Judgment escape? Very well, I’ll tell some of my men to escort them in from the edge of the swamp. They may stay here for a few days.”

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Sure enough, through the evening and overnight, hundreds of prisoners and townspeople alike flooded into Ter’ast from Spiropolis. The refugees included Team Magnet, who had also managed to retrieve their Pokémon and escape. Their reputation for being criminals had not spread to this area of Altairon, so they were largely viewed as heroes for their help in fending off the Litaria. The inn was packed with people, with many sleeping on the floor. Some slept in the city hall. Some generous townspeople offered their homes to other refugees.

During the twilight hours, one of the mayor’s aids came and woke the mayor up. “Someone’s here to see you!” he exclaimed.

“At this hour? The mayor asked, half awake.

“He says it’s urgent and can’t wait.”

“What could possibly be of more importance than my sleep? Send them in the morning.”

“Under-“ the aide was interrupted by the sudden appearance of two people in front of his bed. The humans were dressed in gold colored robes and had elaborate dress clothes on underneath.

“Great leader of Ter’ast, forgive us for the abrupt appearance. However, this cannot wait, seeing as though this concerns the fate of your city.”

“Huh? Who are you, and how dare you appear in front of me uninvited?” The mayor stared at them with eyes wide open.

“Forgive us for not introducing ourselves. I am Elder Karakov, of Telluria City.”

“And I am Elder Terrance of Telluria City.”

“What is your business?” The mayor asked, springing up from his bed.

“I must inform you that your city will be targeted by Team Judgment. They will strike at daybreak, and I foresee a large amount of casualties,” Elder Karakov reported. “We have arrived to offer our aid. We will send some of our trained psychics to assist you in your city’s defense.”

“May I speak to your leader?” the mayor asked, still half asleep and not quite comprehending the situation.

“You wish to see our leader? Very well.” At that moment, an Alakazam teleported in front of them. He clasped golden spoons and had golden bracelets hanging from his narrow wrists.

“A Pokémon? Is this your idea of a joke?” The mayor boomed.

“Greetings. I am Mystos, leader of Telluria City. Please do not be alarmed.” The Alakazam communicated telepathically, his psychic voice bearing a tone of importance.

“This is nonsense! I will not accept aid from a town run by a Pokémon! Why should I trust you?”

“Please. I beg you to put aside your prejudice and listen. The fate of your people is at stake.”

The mayor had no comment.

“I see. You do not take me seriously. Well, I must tell you nonetheless. Our prophecy predicts devastation of catastrophic proportions the entire world over. A great battle will be fought. I foresee a need for your city’s warriors… humans who can commune with Pokémon of the Ghost-type, as well as the Pokémon themselves. The forces that threaten the entire world are comprised of the Miracle-type. Only a combined force of Psychic and Ghost types may stand against them. So you see, our motives are for the good of the entire world.”

The mayor still stared in disbelief.

“You do not believe me. I can tell.” The Alakazam read the mayor’s mind.

At this point, the mayor was creeped out.

“Team Judgment seeks retaliation. They know where all their escapees went, and they will strike not to recapture them but to destroy them, and this entire city as well.”

“Why should I trust you?”

“Please. If you do not trust me, your city will be destroyed. You and all the other citizens will perish.”

“Go away, and let me sleep.” The mayor responded.

“I can see that you need additional convincing.” The Alakazam replied telepathically. At that moment, a Gardevoir also teleported into the room.

“Elder Destiny, please use Hypnosis.” Mystos suggested to the Gardevoir telepathically.

“I cannot, for it is truly immoral to convince a being to act against his own will.” Elder Destiny responded.

“It is also immoral to allow the world to be destroyed. As the guardians of the balance between light and darkness, it is our duty to prevent Team Judgment from killing all of us. Without Ter’ast forces, the world will fall,” Mystos reminded.

“I will show him the future and he can decide for himself whether to accept aid,” Elder Destiny suggested instead. Her eyes began to glow a bright blue and the mayor’s eyes matched the Gardevoir’s. Brief images of the future came to the mayor’s mind.

A large, black spire was engulfed in flames. People were screaming in terror, and a large chunk of the spire collapsed. Soon, a white flashed replaced this image with one even more terrifying. Litarias were striking people with Light Spears, and they were collapsing onto the floor, dead. Again, people were screaming in terror. Another white flash, and the mayor now saw a forest burning to the ground, with Pokémon fleeing it in terror. That image was soon replaced with Telluria City – or rather, the remains of it. Golden pieces of rubble, lit up by various brightly colored flames. A few obliquely shaped buildings were still standing, but they were engulfed in blue flames.

“This is all a trick!” The mayor yelled.

“I have just one more image for you.” Elder Destiny replied. One more vision greeted the mayor in a flash of white. Splintered wood as far as the eye could see. Some of the wood was decorated in different colors. The sky was a bright gray, but not a cloudy gray. A few bodies were also in the picture dressed in red and black robes. Some were impaled on stands; others laying face down in mud, and others still were buried in wood, with expressions of terror frozen to their faces.

“That is your city in the future. Team Judgment will destroy everything. Is this what you want?” Elder Destiny pleaded.

“You’re lying. A Pokémon could never be in charge of an entire city. This is a hoax!” The mayor roared. “Get out!”

“I see now that I have no choice,” Elder Destiny replied grudgingly. The Gardevoir’s eyes then began to glow a shade of fuchsia, and the mayor’s eyes matched this glow.

“Wow… I suppose I understand. Our forces won’t be enough alone,” The mayor gave in. Very well, we of Ter’ast will help as best we can.

With that, the mayor climbed out of bed and ordered his aides to gather everyone and prepare for a battle. At the same time, several battalions of psychics from Telluria appeared wherever there was room for them to. The battalions included both humans and Pokémon. The mayor looked upon the many soldiers that appeared with reverence.

“Impressive, no? We Tellurians may be peaceful by nature, but we can fight when it is called for,” Elder Karakov boasted.

Alongside those psychics stood (or floated) a decent amount of people from Ter’ast, combined with many Ghost types and some Bogcrows from the nearby swamp. Some of the refugees even crawled out of bed to help, and those joined the other numbers and formed a makeshift army. Among those were Spike, Blaze, Lucia, and the group of townspeople who had made this gathering possible. Rad was dragged along too. Team Magnet, after debating, decided Ter’ast had nothing of value to them and so they decided to help too instead of staying behind to plunder the city as originally planned.

“Are you all ready?” Mystos announced to everyone telepathically. “We shall do battle at the edge of the fog, and hold the line there. We will warp you all there. Close your eyes…” A white flash sparked suddenly, and then everyone in the makeshift army were warped to the edge of the mist, where the grassy plains met with the muddy swamp. The army hid behind the mist, with a few sentry Bogcrow in the air watching for Litaria.

“I will be at the home front of Telluria. I leave Elders Karakov and Terrance in charge here,” Mystos telepathically conveyed his plan to the mayor, who with the help of the two elders of Telluria, would lead the makeshift army to battle. The warriors all began to form into platoons with the help of the elders telepathically coordinating everything.

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“But I wanna help too!” Talon complained to his mother. He was still at home and was not liking it one bit.

“No, it’s much too dangerous!” his mother scolded. “Besides, you aren’t even allowed to leave this house. You’re grounded.”

“But mom…”

“No, you aren’t leaving this house.”

“I’m sick of sitting on the sidelines while all the grown-ups get to do all the cool stuff!” Talon complained.

“Well, when you’re older you will understand. Now go to your room!”

“Yes, mother.

“I’ve got to get out there! This is much too cool to pass up!” Talon thought to himself as he walked to his room.

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Meanwhile, a very different conversation was taking place within the confines of the Team Judgment executive meeting room.

“…But I thought you said the southern reaches were unimportant?” one of the Executives complained.

“Fine, I’ll say it again. Lord Emmanuel says that unless we stop them now, the Angel of Darkness will rise,” Grand Cardinal Peter responded. “So we must crush them all so that the Day of Judgment is not interfered with.”

“We must amass our Litaria and descend upon the two strongholds of evil – Ter’ast and Telluria City.”

The holographic map in the center of the room began to shift from showing the large areas of the world claimed by Team Judgment to a close up of one of the few areas that wasn’t. The southernmost portion of Altairon remained free of Team Judgment control. The map began to show labels on Ter’ast and Telluria, as well as positions of any enemy forces.

“According to our intelligence, they are gathering within the two centers of evil, conspiring against us as we speak. They must be planning on attacking our beloved Spiropolis. While at this point, that target holds little strategic value to us; Lord Emmanuel commands that we attack them. If we bring the fight to them instead, they will be unable to attack us. We will strike them down with our massive army of light. Unprepared and shaken, their darkness shall be no match for the light of Team Judgment!”

Peter paused after the dramatic moment in his speech. The positions of the Team Judgment forces and the planned attack formations began to show themselves on the map. He then continued, “Battalions 1 through 12 will be deployed around Telluria, while battalions 13 through 22 will be sent Ter’ast. Our Guiding Light abilities shall pierce the dark veil over Ter’ast as much as possible. Then, with our Light Screens deployed, we shall begin our purging of the heathens that plague our world!”

Cheers emanated from all the executives in the room as they prepared to take control of their battalions.

“Prepare your troops! I will lead the army of light. The will of Lord Emmanuel shall be done… where the blazes are Maria and Michael? Noah, go speak to them.”

“I find it suspicious that they aren’t present as well. I shall go and see what is the matter with them.”

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“Yesss… the program is just about ready,” Maria spoke. “Thank you, Shade, for your help. We will see to it that you are compensated.”

“Anything you want… money, rare Pokémon, jewels… I will see to it that your earthly desires are fulfilled,” Michael added.

“Are you sure you’re done with getting pleasure out of your sick and twisted mind games?” Shade asked.

“The thought of having our son back from the darkness is plenty pleasure for me,” Michael countered. “So what would you like? Power? Money? Fame?”

“All right, it’s my turn…” Shade thought to herself. “I have but one simple request,” Shade replied. “I would like… to see Lord Emmanuel for myself.”

“Ludicrous!” Michael replied. “The thought of mere human laying eyes upon our Lord and Savior… blasphemy!”

“Look. I already know you guys speak to him directly somehow. What I would like are directions to see Lord Emmanuel for myself and speak to him.”

“I am afraid this is something I can’t allow,” Michael replied.

“We had a deal. Lying is a sin, is it not?”

“Only the Executives and Grand Cardinals have such a privilege. To allow anyone else is a far greater sin.”

“Fine. I guess you don’t want your son back from the darkness…” Shade replied slyly. Suddenly, her Gravecall and Sableye appeared before her with charged Shadow Balls ready to be launched directly at the top of the capsule containing Vyle.

“You wouldn’t!” Maria and Michael both screamed as all the Litaria in the room converged around Shade. “If you so much as take a step, you and your Pokémon will suffer divine wrath!”

“Yeah, but I’m afraid your plans will be ruined if you do that. The Shadow Balls will release if you hit us… oh and guess where they’re aimed? A Shadow Ball will cause the capsule to explode, killing Vyle.”

“You are playing a game you can’t possibly win. You will still perish, and your reward will be meaningless then. Your dark and hollow soul will be pierced by Light Spears until there is nothing left.”

“But you won’t get your son back then,” Shade replied.

“…” The Grand Cardinals were silent.

“…” Shade was silent as well. They were now engaged in a struggle of wills, with Shade’s life as well as Vyle’s on the line. “Sorry I have to do this, Vyle, but it’s the only way… hang in there…” She thought to herself as the room was completely frozen still.

“You wouldn't sacrifice your own life for this. You don’t have the guts.” Michael spoke.

“Care to test me? I dare you,” Shade beckoned.

“You would sacrifice your own life to spite us?” Maria jumped in. Shade nodded with an evil smile on her face.

“Let’s make this more interesting. I’ll give you 10 seconds to decide. Gravecall, Countdown Seal!” The four remaining flames around Gravecall began to rotate. “You have exactly 10 seconds to tell me how to get to Emmanuel. I can abort the countdown at any time. However, if you don’t respond in 10 seconds, everyone and everything in this room will perish.” With that, one of the flames poofed out of existence and a transparent number 10 appeared in front of Gravecall and the room darkened.

“…Ten…” Shade began to count

“…Nine…” As the transparent number in the air changed, Shade began to count alongside it.

“…Eight…”

“…Seven…” Each passing second seemed like an eternity.

“…Six…”

“…Five…four…three…two…”

“…One…”

“Okay, we give!” The Grand Cardinals both shouted. With that, the countdown ended. The ghostly number one disappeared and the room brightened. Gone, however was the Countdown Seal from Gravecall. It could only be invoked once before dissipating. However, it had done its job. The normally revered and might Grand Cardinals were reduced to sniveling, groveling feeble old people who were now literally wetting their pants in fear. They slowly regained composure.

“We’ll tell you how to get to Lord Emmanuel. But you’ll have to get there on your own,” Michael trembled as he spoke.

“You see, the true location of Lord Emmanuel is… not in Spiropolis at all,” Maria continued. “Lord Emmanuel resides… above the clouds… in the heavens.” Shade looked puzzled.

“You must fly there on your own. Most Flying-types cannot reach that height, especially not with a human on their back,” Michael continued.

“So where in the sky is it?” Shade asked.

“On, it moves around. A field of clouds below it always conceals it from view from the ground below. Only few know of its existence,” Michael continued.

“So where is it now?” Shade demanded.

“The sky base right now is hovering in the skies near Telluria,” Michael responded. “Good luck getting there.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll figure it out,” Shade responded slyly.

“Right. You got your reward now. So be gone.”

“…Not yet.” Shade paused. “…I want you to release Vyle.”

“What? You’re mad! Why do you think we needed you to be a double agent working for Team Judgment?”

“I’ll ruin your project if you don’t.” Shade spoke coldly.

“Considering our project would be pointless without him, I don’t think that’s going to happen,” Michael countered.

“Well then after the project is complete… promise me you’ll return him to me? Or at least let me see him?” Shade begged. Her emotions were interfering with her plan and she knew it but was powerless against her own attraction for Vyle. “I guess I’ll be on my way now.”

“Seize her!” Grand Cardinal Michael bellowed, with an evil smirk on his face. “You thought we’d just let you leave?” The Litaria converged around Shade.

Shade backflipped over the circle of Litaria before they launched their attacks. Several Light Spears all converged in midair, creating a small explosion that made the entire room rumble and pushed the Litarias back. One of them crashed into the capsule, but the capsule did not break. Shade gracefully landed on the ground behind the Litaria as they turned around and faced Shade. But she was one step ahead of them. She leapt onto the top of the monitors as all the Litaria in the room tried to aim for her. She was much too fast. The Light Spears all hit the wall behind the top of the monitors and dissipated.

“Get her! Rrraaah!” Michael roared in frustration. But Shade was simply too fast. She leapt from monitor to monitor, from machine to machine, all the while a barrage of Light Spear attacks trailed her every move. Finally, she hopped onto the dormant Purification Ray. The ray pivoted slightly with her weight. And then, as the Litaria missed yet another time, Shade leapt straight into stained glass window…

…And burst right through it. Her two Pokémon appeared and hovered behind her, following her out the window.

Outside, Shade was simply falling head first, as though she were diving. She fell past the spires around her, but none of them caught her. “This is it... well, I tried my best,” She thought to herself as the ground drew closer. A clump of trees was visible. If she was lucky, the impact from the fall would kill her. If not, she would die with a tree sticking right through her, a much more painful death. Her ghostly Pokémon could not catch her. Nothing could be done to save her as she closed her eyes and prepared to embrace death.

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The elders of Telluria had convened within their massive meeting room. Virtually the same map as Team Judgment’s was being projected above their leader. This map, however, showed where the soldiers under their control were instead.

“As you can see by the map, our warriors are placed here and here. I foresee a Team Judgment attack from the north. They will descend upon us from above,” Mystos conveyed to the elders in the chamber.

“However, they shall not be anticipating our troops to be quite as ready for them. On the Ter’ast front, they are concealed by fog. And we have psychics placed in our towers here. They will not expect an attack from the towers as well,” The elderly Alakazam continued.

“Leader... why have you ordered most of us elders not to be on the front lines here?” one of the elders in the council, also an Alakazam, asked.

“Forgive me for not explaining sooner. I have foreseen a need for us elsewhere. We must save our energies for the final battle, which could happen at any moment. My senses get cloudy from there, but I foresee that the leader of Team Judgment himself will be present… alongside a fearsome power not even we will be able to defeat ourselves…”

“Very well. We shall trust your judgment, Leader.” The elder Alakazam responded.

“For the fate of the world! We shall stand tall!” All the elders chanted as they teleported out of the chamber.

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Shade has closed her eyes as the trees got close to her. She continued to feel the falling sensation for a couple of seconds, then could feel it no more. Instead, she felt like something had caught her and she began to float. “So this is what happens when you die…” she thought as she opened her eyes and her feet seemed to touch the ground.

Around her, trees were visible in all directions. Shade looked up and saw the sky, a shade of morning blue. Below her were… a pair of wings? She then realized she was sitting on the back of something flying. The wings were black, but they weren’t wings from any Dark-type she recognized. The creature then set her down gently. Her feet touched the ground, and she no longer was certain that she was dead.

In front of Shade stood a Litaria- but not just any Litaria. This one was entirely black as opposed to the usual creamy white. And instead of their usual acquiescent green color, this Litaria’s eyes matched the bold shade of red of the orb atop its staff. It was then Shade realized exactly what had happened. She had been rescued by a Litaria- but not just any Litaria- a shiny Litaria.

“Whoa…” Shade was awestruck.

“Do not be alarmed. I mean you no harm.”

“Huh?” Shade was even more confused. She didn’t realize that this Litaria had just communicated with her… somehow.

“I sensed a fellow creature in danger, so I did my best to rescue you.”

“Whoa, you talk?”

“I ‘talk’ though the heart. It is an ability possessed by some Miracle types. It is not unlike telepathy.”

“Huh? The other Litaria I’ve seen can’t do that.”

“That is strange…” The shiny Litaria responded. “Well, then again, my species is supposed to reside in the clouds, and yet here I am.”

“What do you mean?”

“My coloration… from where I came from, it is an abomination… I was cast out of the clouds… where I was born. So I live on the earth, alone. I have been living alone all my life, avoided and loathed by all other Pokémon.

“That’s… pretty sad,” Shade remarked.

“Grave…”

“Sableye…” Gravecall and Spook sighed in agreement with Shade.

‘Well, I suppose I should head back into the forest now…”

“Wait!”

“You don’t want me to go?” The Litaria was puzzled.

“Why would I? Didn’t you just save my life?”

“Forgive me. Everyone else whose life I save seems to want me to just go away. I’m used to that…”

“No, I want you to stay here. You’re really not like the other Litaria. You’re kind… and you seem to have feelings.”

“You want me… to stay?” The Litaria shed a single tear from its left eye.

“Of course.”

“Wow… thank you. It means a lot to me… oh, I suppose I should introduce myself? Sorry if I seem rude, I haven’t been around, well, anyone, in a long time.”

“No, you’re not rude at all.”

“They call me Lucifer… anyway, pleased to meet you. And you are?”

“Shade.”

“Shade? That’s an interesting name… so… umm… where do you come from? I hope I’m not being intrusive. I’m assuming it’s not every day a human falls from the sky?”

“Oh, it’s a long story,” Shade proceeded to explain everything to the Litaria. Gravecall and Spook started to get bored and so they drifted off and began to horse around with each other.

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Elsewhere, massive numbers of normal colored Litaria were flying south. Some of them had Team Judgment members mounted on them. Leading the entire flock was Grand Cardinal Peter. Several Executives mounted on Litaria were behind him. Below and in front of Peter loomed Telluria City, its golden, oblique towers sparkling in the early morning sun. Small cars could be seen hovering on the roadways. Beyond Telluria City was a sparkling blue sea.

Grand Cardinal Peter then pointed to his right, towards a familiar dome of clouds. The flock began to diverge, with roughly half of them now oriented towards Ter’ast. The other half headed straight forward towards Telluria.

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Down below the fog of Ter’ast, Spike, Blaze, and Lucia were in a row, alongside the group of seven who had destroyed the power crystal in Spiropolis. They had been swapping their stories of how they escaped, until they were advised by the elder to be on their guard. Next to them, Team Magnet was stationed. Rad wandered away, hiding behind a battalion of Tellurian psychics. He was very much afraid of Team Magnet- probably more so than Team Judgment. The four dragons were flying overhead. They decided that their departed trainer would have wanted them to fight, and so they were prepared.

“I… I have a really bad feeling…” Mirlite seemed distressed.

“They’re coming?” Lucia asked.

“That too… but no, it’s Vyle… the last time I was near him, I felt this powerful darkness… it was so strong… it was inhuman. And right now they must be torturing him, feeding that darkness further. His soul will soon disappear completely… and then I’m afraid to conceive of what happens next.”

“Oh… I don’t want to think of it either. Poor Vyle…”

Mirlite backed up. “I sense darkness… a lot of it… and it’s coming closer.”

“Now! We must strike now!” Came a loud telepathic call from the elders.

The army of Litaria had reached the cloud of fog. Soon and almost blinding white light was visible through the fog. The Litaria had used their Guiding Light skill to brighten the whole field. The executives ordered a direct forward charge into the fog.

The Pokémon and people of Ter’ast, the former prisoners of Team Judgment, and the Tellurian psychics and Pokémon were busy using Calm Mind. Soon the first Litarias came into view, brushing the fog aside. Several of them were immediately vaulted backwards with a Psychic attack; others were shot down by various Pokémon attacks. The executives were caught off guard. Some of them also fell to the ground.

However the army protecting Ter’ast was soon overwhelmed. The soldiers were no longer caught off guard. Soon, the Litaria had put up several Light Screens, and some of them converged and formed a huge wall of Light Screen that was heading straight forward. A glittering rain of Light Spear attacks fell on the forces below. Meanwhile, some Judgment members descended from their Litaria and were using their own Pokémon to fight as well, clashing with the defenders of Ter’ast.

The cataclysmic battle was just beginning.

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[Sike Saner]

First of all... Fwee, Lucifer! Definitely glad to see that character in the picture; that guy's very cool. ^^

And now for the other highlights and such that I felt inclined to comment on...

Within Ter’ast, sentries had been awaiting the return of the Bogcrow with the group members. The sentries had all but given up by now. As they stared impatiently, only remaining at their posts due to the mayor’s orders, their robes flapped in a gentle breeze.

“Screw this, I gotta go pee!” one of the sentries complained.

That chapter opening still cracks me up. XD It'd be right at home in an af;lkjglk;uer chronicle, actually. Serious paragraph followed by silly line? Definitely af;lkjglk;uer material.

“You wish to see our leader? Very well.” At that moment, an Alakazam teleported in front of them. He clasped golden spoons and had golden bracelets hanging from his narrow wrists.

“A Pokémon? Is this your idea of a joke?” The mayor boomed.

“Greetings. I am Mystos, leader of Telluria City. Please do not be alarmed.” The Alakazam communicated telepathically, his psychic voice bearing a tone of importance.

“This is nonsense! I will not accept aid from a town run by a Pokémon!

And Ter'ast's mayor still strikes me as an asshat. X3 Especially considering that this is an alakazam he's talking down to, a being that could basically make your head explode with less effort than it would take him for to fart. X3

“Please. If you do not trust me, your city will be destroyed. You and all the other citizens will perish.”

“Go away, and let me sleep.” The mayor responded.

...I want to throw a shoe at the mayor's head, but mine aren't quite big enough to make the kind of impact that I think the guy deserves. Maybe one of Rionette's shoes would be better-suited, if he even wears any. Plus a fictional character's shoe might work better against another fictional character, so yeah. X3

We shall do battle at the edge of the fog, and hold the line there.

There's just something epic about that line.

“Let’s make this more interesting. I’ll give you 10 seconds to decide. Gravecall, Countdown Seal!” The four remaining flames around Gravecall began to rotate. “You have exactly 10 seconds to tell me how to get to Emmanuel. I can abort the countdown at any time. However, if you don’t respond in 10 seconds, everyone and everything in this room will perish.” With that, one of the flames poofed out of existence and a transparent number 10 appeared in front of Gravecall and the room darkened.

That attack is so fucking cool. *__* And heh, that's the second time today that something has reminded me of the drowning sequence from the Sonic games. X3

The normally revered and might Grand Cardinals were reduced to sniveling, groveling feeble old people who were now literally wetting their pants in fear.

...XD

Shade backflipped over the circle of Litaria before they launched their attacks.

Nice. ^^

Gravecall and Spook started to get bored and so they drifted off and began to horse around with each other.

Heh, cute. ^^

A glittering rain of Light Spear attacks fell on the forces below.

I like that phrase. ^^

The cataclysmic battle was just beginning.

An epic note on which to end a chapter.

[PsiUmbreon]

OMG SIIIIIIIIKE! thanks for giving me a page 2, lol. And no, I wasn't waiting for your review to post the next chapter, I just procrastinated... a bit... though certainly not as much as the last time I procrastinated... one year ftw. Don't ever ask me to get anything done, I'll procrastinate til I die.

Chapter 17
Darkness Unleashed

“Whoa, now they mean business!” Spike exclaimed as he dived out of the way of a stray Light Spear. Nightclaw fired a retaliatory Ice Beam in the general direction of the light projectile.

A line of brave psychics dashed in front of Spike, alongside some Alakazam and Gardevoir. A huge wall of Litaria was heading right for Spike’s position with a Light Screen protecting it. The psychics from Telluria channeled their telekinetic energy at the line of Litaria, slowing their advance. However, it was not enough. The psychics all extended their hands as if they were pushing the wall of invaders back physically. A few of the psychics were struck with Light Spear attacks. As they collapsed from exhaustion, both from the Light Spear and from pushing their mental limits, the Litaria began to gain ground.

“Holy shit…” Spike muttered. His impulse was to run, but he knew he had to help the psychics at all costs. At his command, Nightclaw fired another Ice Beam. However, the collective Light Screen wall that the Litaria put up was so strong that the attack simply bounced off. More psychics, both human and Pokémon, collapsed.

Two streams of fire suddenly whizzed past Spike’s head. He looked over to the side, and Blaze was there with her two Fire-types. The streams of fire did little to help the psychics, however.

Lucia was present at the front lines, tending to the fallen alongside Grace and Mirlite. She was not unlike a combat nurse. Mirlite assisted the psychics by putting up a Light Screen of her own above them.

Not far to the right of them was Rad. And behind Rad, some Litaria. They were firing Light Spears at him while he ran, dodging their impacts. He frantically ran in circles around the battlefield, barely avoiding Light Spear blasts.

Some very strong blasts of electrical energy passed Rad, making his hair stand on end. Those blasts struck the Litaria that were chasing Rad head on and they instantly collapsed. Rad looked behind him and saw the source of those blasts: Team Magnet. Several Magnetons hovered in front of Rad and his Magnemite.

“Shoulda just let you die,” Murphy muttered, the contempt for Rad clear in his voice.

“After this battle, you’re SO gonna get it!” Elektra added. Rad shied away from them, embarrassed.

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A similar battle had begun on the grounds of Telluria City. Litaria had begun to swarm the city. Judgment members ran around the streets, attacking anything that moved as they shouted phrases such as, “The Light of Judgment is upon you! Sinners repent!”

But the Tellurians were in no way backing down. Several Litaria had been snagged by Psychic-type attacks as they flew into the city. Others had been shot down by Psybeams. They landed in the streets below. On the ground, psychics had begun to engage the Judgment members. Rainbow-colored Psybeams and iridescent white Light Spears criss-crossed the avenues, occasionally causing small explosions.

The Elders leading the defense of Telluria were doing better. Their psychics stationed in the towers had caught Team Judgment by surprise. They were unable to put up as much of a defense with their Light Screen attacks, and the Psychic and Psybeam attacks were tearing through their lines. The Litaria were unable to withstand the super effective strikes on their own. They could be seen, spiraling out of control into the streets below, smashing into buildings and vehicles, dropping their riders as they themselves fell.

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“I do not understand Mystos’ reasons for not being present at the defense of the city,” One of the Elders spoke to another one. They were inside one of the buildings near a window. The battle could easily be seen outside.

“Neither do I… however, we seem to be doing fine. Team Judgment’s will seems to be weakening. They seem to be… retreating,” another Elder responded, using his psychic powers to sense the battle conditions.

“Mystos will inform us when he sees fit,” another Elder in the room responded.

The Elder was very much correct about Team Judgment retreating. Outside their tower, an executive atop a Litaria decorated with gold ribbons on all its extremities ordered a retreat. He motioned for everyone to fall back. The Litaria turned around and began fleeing the city, dodging rainbow colored Psybeams and a few other elemental attacks. The city itself suffered minimal damage. A few fires had erupted, lighting up some of the streets with various colored flames. Some windows had been shattered and some vehicles had been demolished, but for the most part, it was nothing the Tellurians could not repair quickly.

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“At last… the program has finished compiling,” Maria gleefully spoke as she gazed at Vyle in suspended animation in the capsule, completely restrained by beams of light, which surrounded his body and neutralized his dark aura.

“Does this mean he will be purified now?” Michael asked anxiously.

“In just a few minutes. Final preparations must be made.” Maria then rolled her chair over to the control panel for the capsule and began punching keys. Meanwhile, Michael stared at Vyle. Through the beams of light energy that surrounded him, Michael could see his face. His eyes were completely closed and his face was in a calm expression, as though he were in a deep sleep. Since his hood was off, his scarred face was clearly visible. His dark brown hair was long and messy. The Grand Cardinals were correct about one thing-the man imprisoned before them was no longer the son they knew. The streets had transformed him.

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Meanwhile, in the patch of forest below Spiropolis, Shade had just finished explaining herself to Lucifer, the shiny Litaria who had not only rescued her but befriended her as well.

“I sense that your intentions are good, and… I trust you,” Lucifer responded in the way a Litaria could. “Now, let us find your friends.”

“Do you think they escaped the tower?” Shade asked. “If so, then they probably went south. And I know where, too.”

“Let’s check south first then,” Lucifer suggested. “It’ll be faster to look there than in that tower. Climb on my back.”

“In a minute,” Shade replied. First, there’s something I must do. Shade then quickly unfastened her white Team Judgment robe and then flung it off into the bushes as hard as she could, revealing what she had on underneath: black tights and a thin black top which left her stomach exposed. “White’s just not my color…” she commented. She then climbed aboard the black Litaria, calling back Gravecall and Spook into their balls as she did so. They then took off from the patch of forest and towards the foggy area to the south known as Ter’ast.

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After Lucifer had flown a little ways, he suddenly slowed down. “I sense… something… disturbing.”

“What is it?”

“A ton of negative energy coming from… the south. Where we’re going.”

“What could that be?”

“Hostility… it must be a huge battle of some kind.”

“Go closer,” Shade ordered.

“Closer? Why?” Lucifer sounded unsure and reluctant to proceed.

“I’m sure my friends are involved in that battle. There’s a good chance of it,”

“Very well.” Lucifer swallowed his reluctance to continue and progressed a bit further. Soon, tiny streaks of light were visible, flashing back and forth.

“There’s definitely a battle going on down there…” Shade muttered.

Lucifer drew even closer, and soon, tiny figures could be seen both hovering and on the ground. Those figures were the sources of the tiny beams of light, which now looked a bit larger.

“I don’t believe it…” Lucifer sounded astonished. “Those are… other Litaria battling. My own kind… battling another army of some sort. I had better help them.”

“No… wait…” Shade stopped Lucifer. “The Litaria are probably fighting my friends.

“But why would they… my kind would never hurt anyone they know is innocent!”

“Maybe they don’t know. Team Judgment has probably forced them to fight, or tricked them somehow.”

“Oh no… you’re probably right I’m afraid. My own kind… on the side of evil.” Lucifer was clearly disheartened.

“Well, let’s find my friends in that mess,” Shade responded. The battleground became clearer as they got closer. The faint glow of Light Screen could be seen in front of most of the Litaria. As they neared the battle, they could see the other side of the battle: the psychics and other forces defending against the Litaria, protecting Ter’ast behind them. Once neatly arranged into platoons, they had begun to scatter as casualties mounted and the Litaria pressed them back into the swamps, driving away the fog with their Guiding Light skill. The perfect dome of fog over Ter’ast was now eroded and lopsided.

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Meanwhile, back in the thick of battle, an exhausted Spike continued to dodge Light Spear attacks as they were shot. Behind him Blaze’s Pokémon launched streams of fire. Blaze herself was as tired as Spike. They had both just taken out a small group of Team Judgment soldiers on the ground. The white clothed bodies were strewn about the battlefield, their collapsed Pokémon lying next to them.
“Fall back! Fall back!” came a loud shout from elsewhere in the battlefield. Other troops had been forced back from an onslaught of Litaria. Spike’s group had seen battle before, but nothing like this. They and their Pokémon had begun to wear out.

“Retreat! Retreat!” Spike shouted. Blaze, Rad, and Lucia began to back up. Lucia had just finished restoring a fainted Espeon’s health. The Espeon thanked her telepathically then leapt back with everyone else as well. Team Magnet, who was nearby, had also begun to retreat. Their Pokémon may have been especially strong thanks to the Rare Candies, but they were flanked and were feeling worn as well. The seven townspeople who had escaped Spiropolis were also in deep trouble, as the Litaria converged upon them. They had never experienced much combat like this before.

Unfortunately for them, a large flock of Litaria blocked their retreat. They flew over the retreating group’s heads and floated in front of them. The Litaria behind them were already firing Light Spears. Several Team Magnet members were hit. It looked like the end for Spike’s group.

“Whirlwind!” came a cry from far away. The flapping of wings could be heard. A tornado appeared quickly, and the Litaria blocking the retreat were sucked in. Most of them dropped their staves as they were sucked in and then spat out by the tornado that appeared suddenly and then disappeared as spontaneously when all the Litaria in front of the retreating warriors were gone.

Next, a couple of blasts of dark energy came from the fog and shot down some of the Litaria chasing them, breaking through the Light Screen which was beginning to wear off. More of the Chaos Shot attacks were being launched, sending more Litaria crashing to the ground. Mirlite then channeled her energy into another Protective Screen, blocking a barrage of oncoming Light Spear attacks from the Litaria.

Soon the sources of those surprise attacks were visible. The figures of Talon and Kyra appeared in front of them. Their Pokémon were beside them.

“Kyra! I thought I told you to stay…” Spike started before realizing that Kyra saved them.

“Hey, isn’t that… that Talon kid who helped you?” Blaze asked.

“I wasn’t gonna miss this for anything in the world,” Talon responded.

“Uhh… guys, we still got company!” A Team Magnet member shouted. “Err… never mind…”

Something had just obliterated the remaining Litaria chasing them. It was the four dragons, those that belonged to Lucia’s grandmother. The dragons touched down next to Lucia as she took the opportunity to heal the wounded with Mirlite and Grace.

“You’re going… to help?” Lucia asked the biggest dragon, Durandal. The imposing dragon gave a nod.

“I see some people over there that need our help!” Yuri shouted.

“Let’s go!” Spike ordered. Behind him were Lucia, Rad, Blaze, the group of townspeople, Talon, Kyra, and Team Magnet. They all rushed in to help the struggling Psychics who could not pierce the Light Screen bearing down on them, and they were soon faced with ground soldiers armed with Sparquartz and Sharine.

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Lucifer flew close to the ground. The battle had moved from where he was already, but the bodies of Litaria, Team Judgment members, and psychics from Telluria littered the ground. A couple of them twitched. “Oh, no…” Lucifer muttered, saddened by the battleground.

“Hey, look, some battling over there!” Shade pointed to the distance, where different elemental attacks could be seen happening through the hazy sky.

“This is… so… sad,” the shiny Litaria sounded upset.

“C’mon! That could be them!” Shade shouted. “Pull yourself together!”

“I’m sorry… all this death… suffering… no one should have to fight like this.” Lucifer shed a single tear, which sparkled once it hit the ground.

Down on the ground, Spike’s group was engaged in battle with a flock of Litaria when suddenly, a barrage of Shadow Ball attacks knocked out their enemy, ending their battle. He could see a black shape heading towards him from the corner of his eye. “I sense a strong sadness from that… over there…” Mirlite informed everyone.

“Wait a minute… that black thing… looks like it’s another Litaria… with someone riding it!

“And there’s… two Pokémon hovering beside it!”

At long last, Shade could see her former companions at the edge of the battle. “There they are! My friends!” Shade pointed to the crowd ahead.

“Shoot it!” Arion shouted.

“Wait.” Mirlite halted them. I can tell that Litaria is not with Team Judgment.

“A black Litaria! Team Judgment would never let one live!” Lucia added. She was a bit scared of the alternate colored version of that Pokémon.

“Who is that riding the Litaria?”

“Aww… hell no.”

“Shade!”

Shade hopped off her ride as soon as she was close enough. Lucifer touched down next to her, and Gravecall and Spook hovered above her.

“What the hell are you doin’ here?” Spike demanded.

“Listen. I have some info that could help us all.”

“I don’t trust you,” Blaze responded.

“Okay, if you don’t want to get this Lord Emmanuel guy…”

“Huh?” Came the collective response from several.

“I’m listenin!” Spike replied.

“Lord Emmanuel? That’s impossible! No human can…” Lucia trailed off.

“She seems like she’s telling the truth. I can sense no deceit.” Mirlite responded.

“But…” Lucia protested.

“Listen up. Maybe we can take the fight to them.”

“Hey, that’s a good idea!” Sam shouted. Let’s tell that elder guy.”

“I still say look out for a trick,” Blaze warned.

“I’m telling the truth. Still don’t trust me? I… understand,” Shade replied, looking downward.

“Grrr…” Spike grunted, unsure of Shade’s motives. “Fine, what’cha got?”

“Lord Emmanuel is somewhere in the clouds, hovering over us.” Shade pointed upwards. “He’s too high for regular flying types to reach, though.

As soon as Shade had said something, Sam had gotten the attention of a psychic. “Hey, could you get the Elder’s attention?”

“For what?”

“The Lord Emmanuel guy is up there… you know, that guy Team Judgment babbles about.”

“Very well, but I doubt the Elders would waste their time with rumors,” The psychic replied in a tone that seemed to say ‘leave me alone’. Then he telepathically began to summon the Elder in charge of the operation.

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“Almost ready,” Maria delightfully squealed.

“Yes, my love… soon we can be a family again,” Michael commented. “Soon…” He drew closer but was interrupted.

“What is the meaning of this?!” boomed the short, balding figure of Grand Cardinal Noah. “You two have been here all this time?”

“This is official business,” Michael’s face soured as he replied.

“This is a test of my latest purification device,” Maria explained.

“Purification device? There’s no need for one of those now. The end is near. Explain why you were in here during our last meeting.”

“You dare question orders from Lord Emmanuel himself to test this?” Maria shouted back. This tactic stopped executives and lesser members from further prying, but it would not work on someone of equal rank.

“I’ve not heard of such an order from Lord Emmanuel,” Noah responded skeptically. Now, if you do not abandon your operations with this wretched human at once, I will bring the soldiers of Judgment against you rogues.

“I’m afraid you won’t be leaving here to do that,” Michael ordered the Litaria in the room to block Noah’s exit. The Litaria crossed their staves in front of the doorway.

“I’m afraid I will be leaving here.” Noah ordered the Litaria to step aside, canceling out Michael’s order. The Litaria were trained to take orders from Team Judgment, but they were also trained that a Grand Cardinal’s order overrode all other orders. However, they hadn’t been trained in case Grand Cardinals disagreed with each other, and so they did whatever the last thing one of them told him. Noah then vacated the room.

“No matter. Soon, we shall be a family again,” Michael shrugged off the intrusion. He thought it futile to continue to power struggle with Noah on ordering the Litaria back and forth, so he let them be.

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Elder Terrance, who was in charge of the front on Ter’ast, had just listened to Shade.

“That’s great news. I shall inform Mystos. The tides of battle are turning. We have just received reinforcements from Telluria, and the Litaria are retreating. Please scout out the location for us. It would be most appreciated.”

“Sure. After we rescue Vyle, though.”

Elder Terrance frowned, but reluctantly allowed them to do so.

“Wait…” Spike replied. “We could check out the location real fast on our way.”

“But Vyle…” Shade protested.

“I don’t trust her… she’s leading us back there for something…” Blaze replied.

“All right, fine. We’ll go up there real fast, THEN go rescue him. Please?” Shade offered.

“She’s lyin’,” Spike replied.

“No, wait. She is not lying. I sense no deceitful emotions,” Mirlite responded.

“Wait… it all makes sense now… you were a double agent!” Blaze exclaimed, to which Shade gave a sly look as a response.

“Well, how can we get there?” Lucia asked.

“Ordinary Flying-types can’t get up that high. But… what about Dragon-types?” Shade looked up at the dragons flying overhead.

“I hope they’ll ride us up there,” Lucia wished. She called on the dragons, which this time respectfully responded to her call, swooping down in a semicircle around her.

“All right. Can you take us up high?” Lucia asked. Durandal gave an inquisitive snort.

“Wait a minute! Where y’all goin’?” someone interrupted. It was Rad.

“YOU want to come?” Blaze asked skeptically.

“I hope you weren’t thinkin’ of leavin’ the great Rad behind,” Rad confidently replied.

“Allow me to travel as well,” Lucifer interjected. “I have… a feeling I should go.”

It was then almost immediately that the five of them hopped onto the powerful Dragon-types (with the exception of Shade, who traveled on Lucifer) and took off almost vertically upward. They soon were above the clouds, flying towards Telluria in a V-shaped formation, with Spike in front, mounted on Durandal, with Blaze and Shade beside him. Lucia was behind Blaze, and Rad was behind Shade. Although still a little bit untrusting, they were happy to be reunited with Shade.

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“Any idea where we’re goin’?” Spike yelled out. They were far above a carpet of clouds, perforated with small windows of clear sky every so often, giving them a sense of how far above the ground they were.

“I… sense… something coming from that direction… I do not like it much… but there’s something to that formation of clouds…” Lucifer spoke to everyone through their hearts, pointing to an oddly shaped cloud formation in the distance. The group immediately flew towards it.

“That’s no cloud,” Blaze yelled out. Soon, they could see what that strange formation really was. Just as the Grand Cardinals had told them, the base was almost directly above Telluria City, which could be seen through a break in the clouds. Its golden towers shimmered in the partial sunlight.

The base itself seemed like it was embedded in a cumulus cloud. It was almost entirely obscured from view. But several golden towers, cylindrical in shape with a domed roof, protruded from the top of the cloud. They were slightly reminiscent of Telluria. The largest tower had a blue, glowing ring on the perimeter of the tower, near the top. A windmill was also visible. To the side of the base, what seemed like an observation room protruded from the side of the cloud. An enclosed bridge connected the domed roof with the rest of the base. Upon closer inspection, the base seemed to be creating the clouds around and below it in order to obscure its view from the ground. Wisps of mist slowly descended from the base, pouring into the cloud formation below.

However, the five of them had no time to marvel at the surreal sight in front of them. Almost as though it were an ambush, dozens of Litaria emerged from beneath the clouds and surrounded them.

“You are surrounded. There is no escape,” came a strange voice communicating with them… somehow.

“What the?”

“Do as I tell you or you shall plummet to your deaths.”

The group had no choice but to comply. There were simply too many Litaria. They could not risk being sent hurtling to the ground. Furthermore, if they had decided to try to fight through the ambush, they would have been in trouble, as these Litaria were at a higher experience level than those below the clouds.

“Follow the angels in front of you,” echoed the voice in their minds. The Pokémon seemed to have heard it, too, since they were following the Litaria in front of them already.

The Litaria lead them forward into the clouds obscuring the base. They were enveloped in mist for a short time. When they emerged, they were in a landing area within the base. The walls and floor around them were a metallic silvery white. Blue, glowing lines ran across the metallic surface in different places.

At this point the Litaria separated the group from their Pokémon. The group was directed into a teleport chamber similar to the ones in the Team Judgment base, except with silvery metal walls instead of marble. The Pokémon were directed into a holding pen area. As soon as the group entered the teleport chamber, they vanished.

The group rematerialized in a very different area. The hallway in front of them was very classy looking. Stone sculptures of Litaria lined the entire stretch of hallway. At the very end of the hallway, a large, ornate portrait of the legendary Miracorn covered the entire wall. Chandeliers hung from the ceiling, lighting the room brightly with light from the white torches that were fixed to it. In between the Litaria statues were various portraits depicting different scenes from the scripture of Team Judgment.

The five captives were led on down the hallway by the Litaria until they came to the center. Two large, wooden doors with Team Judgment logos on them were suddenly opened at the side of them, letting in a bright light, which forced the group to squint. The five of them were led inside the bright room. “Soon, you will believe in my power!” the voice boomed in their minds, startling them.

Before them was a sight that no one outside of Team Judgment had ever seen. The group looked around the room. A long, carpeted staircase stretched in front of them. It was impossible to see where the staircase led to, because a bright, intense light shone from it in an otherwise dim room. The five of them were in the altar of Lord Emmanuel himself; the very altar to which the Grand Cardinals themselves prayed to.

“Do you know why you are here?” boomed a voice coming from the top of the altar. It was a very loud, demanding tone, and the sound was directed in such a way to be most intense at the bottom of the room. Behind them, the large oak doors shut. Four Litaria hovered in the room with emotionless stares.

“What do you want with us?” Spike demanded back, but his voice was puny compared to the voice at the top.

“The five of you have evaded my grasp for the longest time. But now, you will finally be judged. While the Angel of Darkness slumbers, you will face justice.”

“Not if I can help it!” Spike roared back, rushing up at the altar.

“I’ll do the talking here!” The voice from upstairs roared back. A mysterious force threw Spike off the stairs and into the pair of doors. They rattled as Spike slammed into them. He fell to his knees, grunting in pain.

“Do you know why you are here?” the voice continued. “You’re here because you are all horrible sinners, writhing in agony under your own evil hearts. And you need to be saved. I am offering you one more chance for salvation… before you writhing scum are purged from the planet. All you must do is confess your faith in me as your one true savior.”

“I confess. You are the savior and the one true Lord over all!” Shade timidly yelled out. Everyone looked at Shade, surprised and slightly offended.

“You lie! I sense the deceit in your lying heart!” Lord Emmanuel threw Shade against the door as well. “You must willingly accept me into your heart.”

“The real Lord Emmanuel is kind! He would never do this!” Lucia yelled out furiously.

“I AM the real Lord Emmanuel!” Lucia was thrown against the door as well, landing on Shade, who was just trying to get on her feet.

There was a few seconds of stunned silence as Lucia staggered to her feet, also grunting in pain.

“Now, if there are no further outbursts, I would like to continue,” Lord Emmanuel bellowed furiously.

“You may not even realize it, but you are all burdened with terrible sin. You are imperfect. You are horrible. And no matter how much good you do, you will always be sinners. There is only one way to be saved from your sin, and it is through devotion to the ways of Team Judgment. Darkhor may have tainted my creation, but I have created a path for all my creations to become saved from the taint. But you must choose to serve me under your own free will, because I, your loving creator, would never force anything upon you. I know all your sins, and only I can purge them.”

There was a moment of defiant silence.

“You do not believe my power? Well, allow me to demonstrate,” Emmanuel continued. A huge, clear orb materialized in the air, hovering above and in front of the group. "I know all your sins and I can recall them upon this orb. Let us begin with you.”

At that moment, a spotlight coming from the huge floating orb in the room shone at Lucia. She was bewildered and confused as her memories played on the surface of the orb.

“Your temptations forced you from the path of salvation, and now look where you are. You are foolishly arrogant, just like your grandmother. You thought that your way was right. Instead of listening to my teachings, you listened to your sinful heart. You questioned the ways of Team Judgment, and in doing so strayed from the path greatly. You forgot one of the most important teachings of Team Judgment: Lord Emmanuel knows best. You foolishly and arrogantly thought my way was wrong. Because you aided the impure, you are now one of them. You shouldn’t have listened to your grandmother, the heathen.”

At that point, Lucia began to cry. She stumbled onto her knees, covering her hands with her face. Tears dripped onto the carpet.

“Aah, the tears of shame from a sinner and traitor.” The rest of the group looked at Lucia with pity.

“Well well… next, we have Blaze. You think you’re so smart, don’t you?” The spotlight moved over to Blaze, consuming her in a powerful blinding light as her memories began to show on the surface of the crystal.

“A life of crime that has finally caught up to you here. You are not only a thief, an outlaw, and a murderer, but a prostitute as well… and you thought you could hide it from everyone. But the Light of Judgment reveals all.”

“No… it’s not… true…” Blaze muttered. She began to cry in shame as well.

“Your memories reveal otherwise.” Lord Emmanuel directed everyone’s attention to the crystal. “You couldn’t get rid of the shame. And you never will unless you pledge yourself to Team Judgment.”

Blaze huddled in the corner of the room in silent tears. The rest of the group looked at her in pity as the spotlight left her and hit Spike.

“You seem to enjoy being a sinner, don’t you? You’re proud of yourself for being the leader of your own vile criminal organization. So much arrogance. So much pride in being outside the law. You think your ‘successful’ criminal lifestyle can compensate for the fact that you like to defile yourself with other men. Such foolish pride and arrogance…”

“I’m not gay, dammit!”

“The fact that you consider what’s showing on the crystal right now to be a pleasant memory would suggest otherwise,” Lord Emmanuel replied smugly.

“I’m gonna KILL YOU!” Spike charged up the stairs again, only to be hurled back into the door twice as hard.

“Oh yes, your ‘macho’ attitude really compensates for your sick sexual preferences,” Emmanuel remarked sarcastically.

“Why bother getting up?” Spike thought to himself as he lay sprawled on the floor face down. The intense spotlight left him and targeted Shade next.

“You are indeed quite a lost soul. Once you were on the path of light, but now you are heading towards eternal darkness, lost and confused, ashamed even of ever having followed the ways of Team Judgment. You are a liar and traitor. You even betray your friends, and the one you love. You conceal your true past even to your friends. I know the real reason you left your home. You were too proud of your occult abilities and thought you could do better somewhere else. You really could have, too, if you had remained under the command of the Grand Cardinals themselves. But you were too proud. The temptations of the streets got to you. Instead of turning in the evil ones, you defended them. You even had your chance to make it up to the Grand Cardinals, but you betrayed them again. So great is your contempt for everyone, you even sold out the one you love just to get back at me, thinking you could get revenge.”

“Your plan to destroy the world must be stopped at all costs! You think you’re doing good but really you’re murdering millions of innocent lives!” Shade snapped back, struggling to hold back tears.

Lord Emmanuel hurled Shade against the door once again. “Innocent? Destroying? Truly you are lost. No, I am only purging all the sin on this planet. Those that don’t choose to worship me are choosing to hold onto their sin, and so with the sin they must be purged. No, it is exactly what it seems. You are rotten to the core and are too proud to admit it.”

Shade fell to her knees. She began to cry silently, wishing she hadn’t been born.

“Next, we turn to you,” Rad was illuminated by the intense spotlight. “In case you’re wondering, you truly do belong with the others.” Rad looked astonished, as Lord Emmanuel had just seemingly read his mind.

“You are a lying scoundrel who has no sense of shame whatsoever. You backstabbed your own criminal gang for your own personal gain. You are above nothing in your search for instantaneous pleasure. And I know you don’t care. Right now you are thinking about trying to flee this room. Do not bother, for it is futile. Truly you are a coward.”

“Do you know what happens to those who do not accept me when they die? They get to writhe in suffering forever, consumed by darkness, while Darkhor tortures them endlessly. Souls who are not saved wish they had accepted me into their hearts when they had the chance. I know that you are scared deep down inside, like all sinners are. You are afraid of the Light of Judgment just like everyone else. Like shadows, you flee once the light appears. But you cannot escape.”

Rad said nothing. For the first time in his life he felt ashamed and pathetic, and unable to look at the other group members or even himself.

The spotlight left Rad, and the crystal dematerialized. “Truly you are all scum. Your pathetic lives of sin show me only that there is no honor among thieves.”

Emmanuel paused for a second. “Now, choose. Wallow in your own misery, consumed by darkness for all eternity, or join Team Judgment and be saved.” Silence fell on the room as each group member was too ashamed to even look up.

“HOLD IT!” came another voice, interrupting the silence. It was Mirlite, and she had materialized in front of the group of five shattered souls. “You may have broken their spirits, but you will never break me!”

“Foolish Pokémon. Why do you align yourself with scum?”

“YOU are the real scum here!” The Litaria in the room reacted to that and instinctively shot Light Spear attacks at Mirlite. The Light Spears had as much effect on Mirlite as a Magikarp’s Splash. Seeing that their primary attack had no effect on their target, they then switched to Gust. Mirlite phased into an immaterial form, dodging the blast of air.

“I don’t know who or what you are, but you have no right to torment people and take advantage of their emotions. You are the evil one here!”

“Your senses are tainted. If you think getting rid of evil is evil, then you are misguided.”

“You are the misguided one here. Stop your evil at once!” Mirlite cried out. “You are going to wipe out the entire planet! How can you consider that good?”

“The planet is evil. Evil must be vanquished,” Emmanuel countered.

“I will stop you myself then!” Mirlite called out. She shot a Light Spear at the spot above the altar. “I see you for what you really are. You are no god. You are… a… human!”

“Could a human do THIS? Impudent fool… face the Light of Judgment!” A bright mass of light energy congregated at the ceiling above Mirlite in the form of a sphere. Then the light energy quickly unleashed itself in the form of a huge, shattering beam of light, which broke the stairs underneath Mirlite. She was, however, unaffected by this powerful Miracle-type attack.

“You… know Judgment?” Mirlite was shocked. Whatever you are… you are still evil at heart. I can sense it!”

“You sense nothing. Out of my sight!” Emmanuel pushed Mirlite away with a psychic force.

“Urrggh!” Mirlite struggled against the force. She knew that the only way to stop him was to call upon the other of her elements-the ghostly one. She had never done it before, as she was not particularly fond of that ability, but she knew that she had no other choice. While resisting the full force of that Psychic attack, she channeled the dark, ghostly energy required to use a Shadow Ball. She then sent the sphere at Emmanuel with her hand.

Emmanuel released Mirlite from his psychic grip. “You cannot hurt me with your puny attacks. I am your god!” Mirlite collapsed to the floor, unable to hold her fully immaterial form.

“You five… will you follow me to salvation?” Emmanuel asked the group below.

“Hell no…” Spike got up. Everyone had watched Mirlite take a brave stand against Emmanuel, and their spirits had been rekindled.

“Then bathe in the searing light of Judgment!” Emmanuel bellowed. A huge congregation of light energy appeared above all of them, then quickly sent a beam large enough to swallow all five of them down. But Mirlite was faster. She blocked the attack with her Protective Screen. The heavily damaged Mirlite could not take the recoil from using that skill, and so she fainted, collapsing onto the floor into her purple crystal form. But the five of them were untouched by the Judgment attack, which carved a crater into the floor below them and knocked the huge oak doors off their hinges.

“The Angel of Darkness stirs. I must descend. The Grand Cardinals are truly incompetent. The time for the Final Judgment begins… now!” With that, Emmanuel suddenly vanished. The room became dim, only lit by a few torches. And at the top of the altar, there was an empty throne. It was just they, the fallen Mirlite, and the four Litaria in the room.

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“Let the purification commence!” Maria declared, overwhelmed with joy. She flipped a switch, and a machine began to stir to life. The capsule in the center of the room began to glow brighter. Inside, Vyle’s robes began to flutter faster, as though a gale was blowing upward inside the cylinder. Control panels nearby lit up, displaying various statistics such as vital signs. His heart rate was steady according to the EKG, having been in suspended animation for over a day now. Both the Grand Cardinals looked on at the capsule in glee.

“Begin the purging process!” Maria shouted as she flipped another switch. The device she had built was set to low. A beam of light shot out from the top of the capsule, piercing right through Vyle’s skull and appearing again at the bottom of the capsule.

Inside Vyle’s dormant mind, he had barely been stirring at all. The stasis field they had him in halted nearly all brain activity. When the beam of light surged through him, it was as though he had been awakened by being dunked into a bath of searing flames. His whole body burned, and he could think about nothing but the intense pain he was suffering.

“It’s not working fast enough!” Maria looked at the control panel, frustrated and impatient. Vyle’s heart rate had elevated, and his vitals reflected someone under extreme stress. But the graph Maria was most concerned with-that of the amount of darkness within him-was still giving the same extremely high reading. Maria switched the power to medium, and the beam of light intensified and got wider.

The pain that Vyle thought could not be worse intensified. He wanted desperately to escape, but he could not even move. He could not even scream. None of his senses were working. He could only feel one thing: pain.

“It’s still not working fast enough!” Maria roared frustratedly.

“This won’t kill him, will it?” Michael asked, looking at Vyle trapped in the clear cylinder, seizing in pain.

“Pain is the cleanser! The only way to purify him is for him to suffer!” Maria yelled out maniacally. She switched the machine to its highest setting. The beam of light became so bright and intense that the only thing visible in the cylindrical capsule was his silhouette. The beam enveloped his entire body.

Vyle’s life flashed before his eyes. One by one, his memories played out before him before vanishing from his mind. His memories-his very identity-was being destroyed. He saw his parents punish him. Then that memory was gone from his mind. He felt his life on the streets vanish from his mind. Then he forgot it ever happened. Then his more recent memories were ripped from his mind. He could no longer feel the pain anymore as his body spiraled out of consciousness. The last thing he recalled was being frozen by Shade’s curse, and feeling the betrayal stab what was left of his heart. And then, that memory was stripped from him like the rest as Vyle felt his consciousness escape into blackness. Nothing was left in the chamber but flesh.

“He’s… gone…” Maria muttered as she stared into the machine. None of the vital signs were showing, and the EKG was flatlining. The beam of light still enveloped his limp, lifeless body.

“No… it can’t be…” Michael stared at the capsule containing the empty, lifeless body of Vyle. His eyes had rolled into the back of his head. The room was seemingly frozen in time.

A quiet beep interrupted the moment. Vital signs were once again registering. They were soon in the normal range, but then began to elevate once again. Both the Grand Cardinals stared at the readings. The darkness gauge detected absolutely nothing. “We did it! He’s alive!” Then they stared at the capsule once more.

But their happiness was short lived. The darkness gauge quickly shot up and was soon off the charts completely. “It can’t be! That must be a mistake!” Maria exclaimed. The beam was still on Vyle, but the darkness was rising and not falling. Michael watched in horror as Vyle’s eyes opened. Two intensely glowing red lights stared back at him, shining through even the beam of light. Cracks began to appear in the glass. Danger lights were flashing on the control panel and alarms were beeping furiously.

“What’s going on?” Maria demanded.

Snapping noises could be heard as the glass began to give way. Soon the light beam surrounding Vyle was overcome by an aura of darkness that enveloped him. Almost immediately, the glass around him shattered completely, spraying glittering shards all over the place. The Grand Cardinals shielded their eyes with their sleeves. Several shards tore at their elaborate uniforms and slashed their skin.

When they opened their eyes and put their sleeves down, the Grand Cardinals saw Vyle completely free from the chamber. Wires coming from the top of the broken cylinder snapped off, until there was only one left intact. A fiercely burning dark aura completely enveloped him. His skin was now a pale shade of purple, and his eyes glowed a soulless red.

“Who am I? Where am I? What am I?” The newly awakened Vyle thought to himself. His mind was a blank slate. The only thing he remembered was awakening just now and seeing two strangers standing before him in a strange room with many odd looking gadgets.

“K…Kyle? Is… that you?” Grand Cardinal Maria muttered, aghast. She clutched Michael tenaciously, despite his being equally afraid.

As soon as he heard that name, a memory flashed through Vyle’s mind. Intense pain was being inflicted on him. He was being whipped. Then he recalled further. A furious voice shouted, “You don’t even deserve the very name we gave you!” Then a bright flash, and the roar of thunder. “Kyle? No, Vyle is a much more suitable name for you!” came a second booming voice.

Vyle came to and stared at the strangers in front of him. “There is no Kyle,’ he uttered slowly in a deep, gnarled voice-not his own.

The Grand Cardinals cowered as Vyle approached them. He looked around the room curiously, until his attention centered on the purification ray. Another memory flashed before him. That very weapon was pointed directly at his chest, glinting in the light. As it began to crackle and gain energy, he could recall struggling in vain. A voice sounded, “You cannot escape your past. You cannot escape your sins. And soon, the light will fill your soul, cleansing and tearing the darkness from within your heart!” The next thing he remembered was intense pain as he came to once again.

“He must not remember,” Michael uttered, in denial of the demonic figure standing before him.

“We are your loving parents,” Maria uttered, trying to negotiate with the beast that was once her son. “Don’t you remember?”

Vyle stared at the two people in front of him coldly. They were complete strangers to him, but something in their voices seemed familiar. After thinking for a moment, and recalling all three of his memories, he had pieced together that the two strangers in front of him were the ones that had caused him pain. His aura began to flare up and increase in size. He drew his knife from its sheath at his side, and it suddenly grew, transforming into a long, black sword that was almost as long as his body was. He held the sword out, slowly approaching his parents.

“Destroy him!” Michael yelled at the Litaria. They all fired Light Spear attacks directly at Vyle. But the Light Spears dissipated once they reached the aura surrounding him. Vyle then quickly turned his head and noticed the Litaria trying to hurt him. He stretched his sword forward, and blasts of pure darkness came forth from it and struck all the Litaria on one side of him. The Litaria collapsed instantly as they felt the cold embrace of darkness, dropping their staves. He stretched his other hand forward, and more blasts of darkness hit the Litaria on the other side of him. The staves clanged as they hit the cold marble floor slightly after the Litaria did.. With no more distractions, Vyle resumed his advance toward the people that had done this to him.

“What are you doing?” Michael shouted the question in fear. He trembled as he backed into the cold wall. “Kyle, stop!”

“There is no Kyle,” Vyle insisted in his new deep, inhuman voice. “Die now.” Michael looked on in horror as Vyle slashed him, cutting his heart open. Another quick slash, and the last thing he saw was his own body laying in front of him.

“I’m sorry…” Maria cowered in the corner, whimpering.

“It’s too late for sorry. Die, bitch!” Vyle swung his sword in a circle over his head. His sword swing ended with the blade piercing the Grand Cardinal’s heart. Maria’s eyes rolled back in her head as she felt the cold, dark blade cutting off her life. She then collapsed, slumped over in the corner, sitting in a pool of her own blood.

“What… am I?” Vyle thought to himself. He looked around the room and saw no answers, only corpses of Litaria and humans.

Only a few knew exactly what he had become.

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[Sike Saner]

That last scene remains one of the most memorable parts of this story for me. Epic, epic stuff there.

Highlights:

Rainbow-colored Psybeams and iridescent white Light Spears criss-crossed the avenues, occasionally causing small explosions.

Ooh. Sounds kind of pretty. o.o

“I hope you weren’t thinkin’ of leavin’ the great Rad behind,” Rad confidently replied.

That line. Oh God, that line... XD

Vyle’s life flashed before his eyes. One by one, his memories played out before him before vanishing from his mind. His memories-his very identity-was being destroyed. He saw his parents punish him. Then that memory was gone from his mind. He felt his life on the streets vanish from his mind. Then he forgot it ever happened. Then his more recent memories were ripped from his mind. He could no longer feel the pain anymore as his body spiraled out of consciousness. The last thing he recalled was being frozen by Shade’s curse, and feeling the betrayal stab what was left of his heart. And then, that memory was stripped from him like the rest as Vyle felt his consciousness escape into blackness. Nothing was left in the chamber but flesh.

I like this paragraph, and I especially like that last line--it's very cool.

Michael watched in horror as Vyle’s eyes opened. Two intensely glowing red lights stared back at him, shining through even the beam of light. Cracks began to appear in the glass. Danger lights were flashing on the control panel and alarms were beeping furiously.

This is both an epic "oh shit" moment and an epic "hell yes" moment.

When they opened their eyes and put their sleeves down, the Grand Cardinals saw Vyle completely free from the chamber. Wires coming from the top of the broken cylinder snapped off, until there was only one left intact. A fiercely burning dark aura completely enveloped him. His skin was now a pale shade of purple, and his eyes glowed a soulless red.

Awesome.

His aura began to flare up and increase in size. He drew his knife from its sheath at his side, and it suddenly grew, transforming into a long, black sword that was almost as long as his body was. He held the sword out, slowly approaching his parents.

Whoa. o.o That's another epic moment right there.

[PsiUmbreon]

TPM does not have a character limit on posts? this is amazing! Readers on SPPfail had to have this fic split into two posts. Also no swear filters. Freedom of speech for the win! Anyway, hope you enjoy this, it starts to get all climactic here, see you next whenever I get off my lazy ass and post another chapter.

Chapter 18
Emmanuel’s Descent

As Lord Emmanuel had mysteriously vanished with a cryptic remark, the group was left in the throne room, surrounded by Litaria. Hostile Litaria. The four Litaria that were in the room began to approach and encircle the hapless humans.

“Uh-oh, we’re done for…” Rad shouted out, looking at the purple Mirlite crystal on the floor.

“Not if I can… aah, what’s the use…” Spike conceded. A sharp pang of shame had kept him immobilized.

“Wait… these Litaria aren’t attacking us…” Lucia pointed out. The Litaria in the room really had no intention of attacking. It was as though the battle with Mirlite had awoken a deep sense inside of them. The four angelic Pokémon converged around the crystal on the floor, and invoked a power locked away inside of them. The orbs atop their staves glowed as they restored Mirlite’s energy. Mirlite then returned to its human-like ghostly form, shimmering in iridescent light.

The five of them looked at each other uneasily, as though they were anticipating ridicule from everyone else. But they stopped long enough to agree on one thing – they had to get out of there. Mirlite hovered in front of them, directing the Litaria to escort them to where the captive Pokémon were normally kept. They walked over the fallen oak door and were on their way out.

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Meanwhile, in the holding pen where the Pokémon were held, Lucifer eyed the four dragons uneasily. They were intimidating to him, despite Lucifer being equally intimidating to just about anything else. Litaria were patrolling the corridor outside of their cell.

Lucifer backed away from the dragons slowly. Backed away so far, in fact, that before he could realize it, his wings were protruding through the light energy bars keeping them imprisoned. And he did not feel a thing.

Terra the Flygon had noticed this, and snorted to Lucifer as to say,” Hey, your wings are sticking out through those bars!”

“Huh? Oh, dear, I did not notice,” came the response from Lucifer.

All four of the dragons then thought the same thing. Tigris was the first one to hiss out, “Hey you… will you sssshut off those barsssss… ssssso we can essssscape?” Just out of earshot was a Litaria, who hovered over to the cell suspiciously. A few seconds later, the Litaria was satisfied and left to patrol the hallway.
“Go for it. We’ll back you up,” Seiryu the Dragonite snorted. Lucifer was afraid and reluctant.

“Please?” Terra begged. Lucifer still refused.

“I’ll handle this,” Durandal growled. Easily the most intimidating dragon in the group, he let out an intimidating growl. “Do it, or we’ll pulverize you.”

“Oh, dear…” Lucifer uttered in response. He turned around and passed through the bars as though they did not exist.

“You!” The Litaria in the corridor all yelled in Pokémon, but it was audible to humans as only a hum. “Stop right there!” Their humming did not match the urgency of their demand too well, at least to the human ear. Lucifer was paralyzed, and stood there in the corridor. The Litaria shot him with Light Spears, but Lucifer stood there, staring at the dragons pleadingly.

It took the Litaria a few seconds to notice that their attacks had no effect, so they charged Lucifer, ready to assault him with their staves. At that point, the dragons all let loose streams of fire from behind the cell, barbecuing all the Litaria. They dropped to the ground, their feathers singed enough to make them look like Lucifer.

“Now! Let usss out!” Tigris hissed. Lucifer obeyed, and hurriedly flew to the switch, pressing it with the orb on his staff. The light energy bars holding the dragons back vanished. Soon, they stomped out of the cage, causing the area around them to rumble. Four powerful fire-breathing dragons were now on the loose, and they were rampaging through the base with the equally intimidating Lucifer, who aided them by healing their injuries and using Light Screen.

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To the south of Telluria, on a small, almost circular island, Team Judgment members were flocking in by the thousands atop Litaria. Boats were also heading to that island, filled with legions of people from all around the world who were either faithful to Team Judgment from the get-go, or were recently converted. A white glow had been seen in a cloud above this island, meaning only one thing to the followers of Team Judgment: that Emmanuel was set to arrive from the heavens. They were all gathering on the west side of the island, surrounding a shimmering white crystal monument with a cavern entrance facing north. The ground surrounding the monument was a barren, rocky dark soil. Mountains divided the island roughly in half. On the other side, lush, green trees that bloomed hundreds of beautiful white flowers all year round covered the ground. Almost directly north of the white crystal monument, on the forested side of the island, was a similar monument of black crystals with a glowing, black, ultraviolet aura around it. There was a cavern opening on the south side, the side facing the rocky, barren half of the island where Team Judgment and their followers had gathered. From above, the island looked like a yin-yang symbol.
“Welcome to Yin-Yang Isle, followers of Lord Emmanuel!” boomed Grand Cardinal Peter through a loudspeaker. “Soon, the mighty Litaria, Gabriel, will descend, announcing the coming of Lord Emmanuel.”

Thousands of cheers responded to this call as the rocky, barren side of the island filled up. Thousands more were on boats surrounding the island, as there was not enough room for every follower of Team Judgment. Some began to climb the mountain to get a better view and avoid crowding.

“Lord Emmanuel shall now awaken Miracorn, who even as we speak, sleeps within this monument. And then… the Final Judgment shall begin!”

The crowd cheered again as more Judgment members descended from their Litaria. The only one who was not excited, however, was Peter. He was anxious, as the other Grand Cardinals had not shown up yet.

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Vyle stood in the center of the now desecrated Ex-Pur lab, staring into a shard of glass at his own cold, soulless reflection. A flaming, flickering dark aura still cracked around him as he reviewed his memories repeatedly, asking himself, “Who am I?”

The sound of the door to the Ex-Pur lab bursting open interrupted the ominous silence, which was permeated only by the occasional flicker of Vyle’s aura. Team Judgment members and Litaria flooded into the room, only to be shocked at what they saw. They had been looking for the two rogue Grand Cardinals. Instead they saw a dark, humanoid figure in front of them, seemingly brooding. They hardly noticed the shape of the utterly destroyed room of the corpses of the Litaria and their own Grand Cardinals in the corner. Team Judgment members gasped in shock.

Grand Cardinal Noah pushed himself through the crowd. “You are under arrest under the authority of-“

Noah, who was visibly shorter than everyone in the room, had been startled. The Grand Cardinals were nowhere to be seen – until Noah glanced at the corner. He then looked at the dark form of Vyle several feet in front of him. The horrible sights in the room had taken his ability to speak temporarily.

Vyle stared into Noah’s fearful eyes. “Who are you?” He inquired in his demonic, low growl. He couldn’t help but notice that Noah had on the same uniform as the two Grand Cardinals he had slaughtered.

“Did… you do this?” Noah stammered. Vyle barely nodded, keeping a remorseless expression on his face.

“Foul beast! Destroy him!” Noah ordered the Judgment members and Litaria, who then filled the room and fired Light Spears while stepping over the corpses of the fallen.

Vyle merely shrugged off their attacks. A deep, dark power welled up inside of him. Two dark, purple flames hovered above his shoulders, eventually materializing into his two Pokémon. Bogcrow immediately attacked Team Judgment, aglow with the same aura as Vyle, with the same cold, red eyes – abnormal even for a Bogcrow. Squeak stood in the middle of the room. A dark power was gathering within him. The power was so strong that Squeak’s body began to change. Squeak’s body was glowing. The glow of evolution enveloped his body, which was also still surrounded by a blazing black aura. Squeak had been forced to evolve by the dark power, which made him into a much more fierce rat like Pokémon, several times larger and having an appearance that was vaguely possum-like. Two gnarled, beige teeth protruded from his upper jaw. Black, fur, red eyes, and an evil aura abnormal for his species made him look fiercer.

The newly evolved form of Virat, Rataver, charged into the Team Judgment members alongside Bogcrow, slicing through them easily, cutting and clearing them until they collapsed.

Vyle then stared straight into the eyes of Grand Cardinal Noah, who was shuddering in fear. He slowly approached Noah, pointing his sword directly at the terrified Grand Cardinal, shrugging off the occasional Light Spear hit as though it weren’t there.

“Please, Emmanuel, spare me!” Noah begged for his life, staring straight up and hoping his faith would reward him with a divine intervention. But as the last of the Litaria collapsed, Noah felt the cold, dark metal as it sliced through his neck and severed his windpipe. He gasped for air, staring at Vyle as though begging to be taken out of his mercy. His pain did not last long, however. Vyle stood over him, watching him die. Blood collected in a pool in front of the door.

“Need… answers…” Vyle then leapt out of the Ex-Pur lab and into the hallway. His two possessed Pokémon followed suit. He reached a dead end with a teleport chamber. But this did not stop him. He simply smashed through the walls around him, leading him to other rooms. He wandered around the nearly deserted base, slaughtering any lingering Team Judgment members and Litaria in his path. He somehow made it to where the prisoners were being kept. They had been simply deserted, locked into their cells by Team Judgment. Vyle simply walked past them, ignoring their pleas for freedom.

“Who are you?” someone asked.

“Foul… beast…” Vyle muttered in response, remembering Grand Cardinal Noah’s words.

“Are you here to help?” An innocent looking young girl shouted out from a cell crowded with large, ugly men.

“…Help…?” Vyle questioned as he walked past, staring at the girl. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she backed away in fear. Compared to him, the large, ugly men were much less scary.

“…Foul… beast… help…” Vyle muttered as he walked down the hallway of wailing prisoners trapped behind light energy bars. He spotted a switch on the wall.

“Help…” he muttered as he raised his sword, blasting the switch with dark energy. The whole section of wall blew out. The light energy bars all vanished at once, freeing all the prisoners in that area. And none too soon, as one of the men in that cell was about to grab the young girl in a fit of lust. “Thank you!” The girl exclaimed, and then ran down the hall. Vyle’s dark aura wavered a little.

“Foul… beast… here to help…” Vyle mumbled. He continued to free all the prisoners in all the cell blocks. As he did so, he also cleared the base of any Litaria that were abandoned by Team Judgment. The Litaria still instinctively tried to shoot Vyle – which was their undoing. He randomly smashed down walls in a fit of rage, still confused, as he had lost his memories.

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Meanwhile, the five group members, led by Mirlite and four Litaria, were lost in a seemingly never-ending maze of teleporters. Each teleporter led to a different room each time it was used, so it was all the more confusing. It wasn’t long before other, hostile Litaria had attacked them. Their Pokémon escorts defended the group.

“We’re… lost, aren’t we?” Blaze uttered.

“I sense something through that wall…” Mirlite spoke into their hearts. “Wait here,” she ordered everyone else as she proceeded to phase through the solid wall.

On the other side were countless nests containing eggs. The nests were incubated and thus made the room very warm. Mirlite wondered what was in those eggs. She could tell, however, that those were Miracle-type eggs. They were almost purely white, but had feather patterns on them.

Mirlite continued exploring what seemed to be a giant rookery. She phased through another wall, and saw practically hundreds of Archid – the first form of Litaria. “So that’s what those eggs must be,” she thought. But what was sad was how deplorably they were being treated. The room was so crowded and small that the Archid barely had room to fly. It was very untidy in the room. Not only that, but countless TV screens were showing a loop of sort of program. The program seemed to be droning the same things over and over. “Serve Lord Emmanuel. He is your master. Punish all sinners and all who disobey him. Obey Team Judgment.”

But there was more. Within another room, more Archid were being punished… by Litaria. The Litaria were beating the Archid with their staves. Their tiny, underdeveloped wings were crushed by the orbs. Archid were very small Pokémon, not more than a foot tall. They had tiny, feathered wings and they carried bows with which to shoot Light Arrow attacks. She could hear something about how those Archid had disobeyed the will of Emmanuel.

“Stop this madness!” Mirlite cried out to the Litaria in Pokémon. She rarely used Pokémon speech, but emotion got the best of her. The Litaria ignored Mirlite’s plea, and continued to bludgeon the Archid. Mirlite grabbed one of the staves, but the Litaria was physically stronger, so Mirlite could do nothing to stop them at this point. She tried protecting some of the Archid, but she knew that the battle would be a losing one. But she also could sense another Miracle-type nearby that was not under the brainwashing influence of Team Judgment, and so she called out to that other Pokémon.

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Durandal had cleared out the two Litaria in the room that were guarding a metal door labeled, ‘Rookery’. Lucifer stood in front of the dragons.

“I sense… pain… anguish… coming from around here. Something’s also calling out to me. Please, we must go in here!” Lucifer ordered, for the first time actually speaking up since he was terrified of the dragons.

“Why? We gotta find the humanssss…” Tigris hissed.

“Please… I must do this… the voice is getting stronger!”

“Perhaps we should. It’s warm in there and I’m feelin’ drafty anyways. This altitude is not for me.” Durandal contemplated aloud in a low growl. Seiryu did a Slam attack on the wall, breaking it down. Lucifer immediately recognized the room through the wall.

“This is… oh, my… the place where I was hatched… I never thought I would find it…” Lucifer uttered emotionally.

“Huh?” he sensed that voice calling out to him again. He could tell it was from another Miracle-type not tainted by Team Judgment. “Free… them… help… me… please…” the voice called out.

“Something… coming from there.” Lucifer pointed to a wall in the incubated room. Seiryu broke that wall down as well, leading to a room with tons of Archid. The tiny Pokémon backed away. “Eeeeek!” Bad one!” They shouted. The truth was, they were more afraid of Lucifer than they were of the dragons.

“In the next room!” Lucifer pointed at the wall with his staff. The dragons sailed over the hatchlings and burst the wall, leading them into the next room, which seemed like some sort of punishment room. Mirlite was there trying to defend the Archid, but to little avail. As soon as the Litaria laid eyes upon Lucifer, they immediately shouted, “Dark one!” and launched Light Spears. The four Pokémon, which should really have been more feared, then blasted the Litaria to smithereens with their attacks. The bruised and beaten Archid in the room cowered in fear.

“So it was you who I sensed…” Mirlite spoke, in Pokémon, to Lucifer.

“Yes. This is deplorable! Hatchlings mistreated like this! It must be stopped!” Lucifer cried out. The dragons agreed and proceeded to burst all the walls down. In another room they found Archid and the second stage of the Litaria line, Archyre, practicing their aim with Light Spear attacks. Archyre was somewhat bigger than Archid and carried a musical instrument called a lyre, which is used the same way as Archid’s bow surprisingly enough. The lyre would play a few notes whenever Archyre attacked. Being the transition stage between Archid and Litaria, Archyre’s body was starting to take on a more humanoid form.

“You’re all free to go! Lucifer shouted jubilantly as the dragons dispatched the Litaria guards quickly, then busted down a wall which led outside. Blue sky and clouds could be seen below. Most of them stayed put, however, out of fear. A few Archid did escape through the gap, however. The dragons proceeded to create holes in all the rooms of the massive rookery and training ground for Team Judgment’s army of Litaria, freeing the Archid and Archyre from confinement. A whole flock of tiny Archid flew out of an opening in the side of the base. Some were still afraid and stayed behind, however.

“I feel relieved now,” Lucifer stated.

“This must be how the Litaria we have encountered so far have been so hostile. Their true hearts are sealed away here. Their senses of good and evil are dulled, and they follow Team Judgment, thinking that they are good and the rest of the world is evil. And because their hearts are locked away, most of their Miracle-type powers are unusable, including being able to speak through the heart,” Mirlite explained.

“And to think… if I weren’t… oddly colored… I would be one of them… I am thankful… that I was abandoned now.” Lucifer spoke solemnly.

“All right, let us find the humans now,” Durandal growled deeply. It wasn’t that he didn’t care about the Archid, but it was not his nature to show such emotion.

“This way,” Mirlite pointed to a wall, which she proceeded to phase through. The dragons then busted it down as well, revealing Spike and the others on the other side.

“C’mon, let’s get out of here! Next stop, Spiropolis, and hurry!” Shade shouted. The group took off from the same hole that the Archid made it out of, flying away from the highest tower of the glittering golden base. Along the way, Mirlite explained what had happened there and how the Litaria were brainwashed and how their hearts were sealed away to an astonished group.

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On the opposite side of Yin-Yang isle as Team Judgment, a different kind of gathering was forming. Tellurian psychics and elders began appearing near the obsidian monument. They didn’t need any transportation, as they knew how to teleport there. The elders served as mental guides for the new arrivals, ensuring safe teleportation. Also teleported in were the remnants of the makeshift army that defended Ter’ast. The channelers and Ghost-type Pokémon stood beside the psychics, crowding the forest for a view of the obsidian monument.

The sagely leader of Telluria City appeared near the entrance to the monument. The expression on his face clearly showed he meant business. He briefed them all telepathically, with the elders amplifying his psychic message so that it could reach everyone.

“This is where the final battle shall be held. It is as I feared. Emmanuel has found a way to control Miracorn, and will awaken it soon. The only way to stop Miracorn… to stop Emmanuel… is to awaken Darkhor. However… I fear that none of us can awaken Darkhor. We shall need someone… special to release the seal of Darkhor. I doubt even the natives of Ter’ast among us could release this seal. We shall need the Angel of Darkness. Until the angel arrives… we must battle to stop Emmanuel from unleashing Miracorn!”

“Emmanuel is on the other side of these mountains. We must engage him and his minions in battle. Now, we cross the mountains!” Suddenly, everyone there began to lift off the ground. The elders and psychics were levitating everyone so that they could fly across the mountains.

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On the other side of the island, thousands waited as they saw a beam of light descend from the clouds, shining directly onto the glowing white monument. Following the trail of light, a single Litaria descended. But this was no ordinary Litaria. A glittering halo adorned this one. It had on pure white silk robes. In its other hand, in which it was not carrying its staff was a golden horn that appeared to be ceremonial in use. As it descended, it put the funnel-shaped instrument to its mouth and began to blow. A haunting, low wail emitted from it, which could be heard throughout the island.

The crowd of Team Judgment followers, who had been silent once they saw the light, began talking amongst themselves again moments after the horn had sounded. They were excited with anticipation.

“It’s the legendary Litaria…”
“Gabriel!”

“This is it… Emmanuel is coming… may we be judged worthy!”

The crowd was silenced once again as a white sparkle of light appeared near the cloud at the top of the beam. The small glimmer quickly became an overpowering light source as it descended, following the path of the light ray that extended from the cloud to the monument. It was as though the sun itself was descending. When the light finally reached the bottom, the followers had to squint. The light from the body, which had descended, was so overpowering, it not only outshone the monument below it, but the sun itself. Embedded in that bright, burning ball was an angelic silhouette.

Everyone on the island (including the group bent on stopping Emmanuel, who were atop the mountain now) watched as the bright sphere dissipated, revealing the possessor of the silhouette. Hovering slightly above the tip of the monument was the figure of an elderly male human, no more than five feet tall at the most. The top of his head was bald, and what little hair he had left at the side of his head was a pale grey. Deep wrinkles were in his face. He had a long, flowing beard, which extended down to his chest. He wore a plain white robe and some leather sandals. Glowing white wings extended from his back, sparkling in rainbow colors. In his right arm he wielded a staff similar to that of a Litaria, but more elaborate. A white aura enveloped his entire body. He stared at the crowd with his cold, penetrating blue eyes. The followers of Team Judgment all bowed. Emmanuel’s true form had been revealed.

“Greetings, loyal followers. You are about to witness the start of a new era – an era of paradise for all of you – and an eternity of suffering for those who defied me. Stand back and behold as I reawaken Miracorn before your very eyes…” Emmanuel bellowed in an important sounding voice, loud enough for all to hear, yet not too loud for the people close to him.

The crowd all cleared a circle around the monument as Emmanuel began to channel energy. Spheres of glowing white energy appeared from the air and congregated at the red orb atop Emmanuel’s staff. When the red orb glowed completely white, Emmanuel pointed it at the monument.

“You will do no such thing!” an equally imposing, important voice boomed in everyone’s mind. An abrupt psychic force pushed Emmanuel away from the monument, throwing his aim off. A harmless beam of light was released from Emmanuel’s staff into the atmosphere, where it dissipated. A stunned crowd watched as an Alakazam warped in front of Emmanuel. It was Mystos.

“Arrgh! Begone!” Emmanuel demanded.

“I’m here to put a stop to this madness, Emmanuel!” Mystos insisted.

“That’s Lord Emmanuel!”
“You are no god…” Mystos snapped back. “You were once my colleague… my friend… but your insane quest for power has twisted you. You are nothing but a monster.”

“Lies, this evil Pokémon speaks! I will not tolerate such blasphemy! Seize him!” Emmanuel called out to the Litaria. However, an equal number of psychics teleported to Mystos’ aid. The Litaria and psychics clashed all around Mystos and Emmanuel, who were slowly ascending amidst the chaos.

“You are foolish to think you can control the power of a legendary Pokémon,” Mystos scolded Emmanuel.

“You were always talking like you knew better than me,” Emmanuel responded. “But you were wrong. The only way to attain peace… is to cleanse the world of evil!”

“Without evil, there is no good! You are toying with the balance of light and darkness… and you will be sorry for that!”

“You’ve changed… you once strove to fight evil… like me. Now you’re defending it?”

“I’m not defending evil. I’m defending the world from idealistic fools who aim to destroy it!”

“You’re the only fool!” Emmanuel shot a huge blast of light energy at Mystos. He simply crossed his arms, blocking his face. The two spoons he clasped completely absorbed the blast. Mystos retaliated with a large, equally powerful Psybeam. Emmanuel blocked the rainbow-colored beam with his staff. The red orb absorbed the blast completely.

“It wasn’t always this way…” Mystos sighed. Memories of a time two centuries since passed flashed in both their minds. The two enemies’ thoughts were synchronized, remnants of a telekinetic bond they once had shared.

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A much younger Emmanuel who still had all his hair was sitting in a chair, across from Mystos, who at that time had regular, silver spoons, still nonetheless regarded as a symbol of an Alakazam’s power. At the time, they were both elders of Telluria. They were drinking tea in a room overlooking Telluria City. Many of Telluria’s high-rise buildings were under construction at the time, and some hadn’t even been conceived of yet. The cars below on the streets did not hover. Telluria’s buildings were not rounded, oblique, and golden, they were rectangular and wrought of ordinary steel.

“So… Emmanuel… what would you do if they elected you as leader of Telluria?”
“Ahh, Mystos… this is a question I have given much contemplation. However, what I would do is quite simple. I would strive to make the world a better place… starting with Telluria,” Emmanuel paused. “Why do you ask? Is it perhaps because the elections are coming?”

“You know just as I do that I’ve no desire for leadership. I do not see myself as ready to take on such responsibility,” Mystos responded, sipping tea by psychically lifting the cup to his mouth.

“You’ve always been a modest one, Mystos. You could easily win the election had you decided to run.”

“It is not whether I can win… it is whether I can lead. I do not see the citizenry respecting the leadership of a Pokémon.”

“I have no doubt that I can make a world a better place,” Emmanuel responded boldly after sipping tea, also by using psychic powers rather than hands.

“And how would you go about doing that?”

“I would take a stand against evil. I would lock up those who dare commit acts of evil. I would not allow anyone carrying malice in their hearts to walk the streets of Telluria.”

“How would you identify those carrying malice? Everyone bears some negative emotion towards one thing or another. Surely you would not intrude into the minds of citizens…”

“You and your ‘rights’. It is more important to make sure no crimes are committed than to make sure everyone has ‘privacy’. That is how you make the world a better place. That is how you stamp out evil.”

“I would disagree with you… what value is a society without the respect of personal boundaries?”

“And why stop there?” Emmanuel continued. “I shall use my power as leader of Telluria to ensure that no one anywhere would ever harm another.”

“By force? Violence only spawns more violence. I would conjecture that the best way to a nonviolent world is to lead by example. I would promote peace and understanding, forgiveness and empathy, knowledge and tolerance among all Tellurians… then other societies across Altairon would look upon Telluria and model their societies after this one.”

“That would never work. We must actively pursue to destroy evil, to fight injustice, and to control society. People would always be free to pursue their own selfish ends if there is no control.”

“Well, the citizenry shall decide whether your stance… your philosophy is appropriate,” Mystos replied, following that with another sip of tea. Their disagreement bred an awkward silence, which lasted several minutes after.

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Several months had passed. Emmanuel and Mystos sat around the circular table in the council of elders, along with the other elders at the time. They were all different from the ones that now sat at the circular table. There were a lot more humans than Pokémon back then, as Pokémon in any sort of authority was a new concept, even for Telluria. Emmanuel was clearly discontent, and Mystos was sitting beside him, trying to comfort him.

An elderly human teleported into the center of the circle. He had on elaborate blue and gold robes, as he was in a position of authority above the elders. “Greetings… as you know, the induction ceremony is tomorrow. Elder Cornwell will be succeeding me as leader of Telluria City.

Elder Cornwell was one of the many elderly humans sitting on around the table. His hair was only partially gray. A golden-brown tint still prevailed in his hair. Like all the other human elders, he wore a royal blue robe, and he had on a blue headband. Emmanuel gazed upon him with jealousy and contempt.

“I wish to contest the results of that election!” Emmanuel roared.

“Elder Emmanuel… do you need to excuse yourself from the council? I sense much emotion clouding your judgment…”

“You do not see it the way I do, either. I shall take leave of this corrupt council. My loss is a victory for evil!” Emmanuel shouted. He then left the council chamber.

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On the next night, during the induction ceremony, Emmanuel was sitting in the bedroom of his own residence elsewhere in Telluria. He was hysterical. Mystos was there as well, trying to calm him down.

“They will see! Without me as their leader, the world will suffer!” Evil will prevail!” Emmanuel yelled.

“There will be more elections…” Mystos replied calmly.

“Not for me. They’re plotting against me! Plotting to expel me!” I could sense it!”

“I do not think so… the council seemed forgiving.”

“You don’t sense it? They’re going to get rid of me!”

“You need to calm down. Emotions are clouding your senses.”

“I didn’t expect YOU to understand either. You did not even support me in the elections!”

“I could not condone intrusion of the mind or punishment by death, among other things. I apologize, but your stance was against my values.

“Hmph. You betrayed me! I thought you were my friend!” Emmanuel shouted in a way unbefitting of an elder of Telluria.

“I did not betray you. I warned you I would not support your campaign if you continued on your platform. Even now, I am skipping the induction to console you.”

“It is the only way to rid the world of evil! You do not see that because you are against me too! You are on the side of the council, trying to expel me!”

“That is not true. I am on your side… I always have been, as your friend. Your emotions are clouding your senses, they are betraying you. Please listen to me!”

“I’ll show you! I’ll show all of you who dare to expel me! My vengeance is upon this council and that snooty elder who thinks he can run this place! I will take my leave now!” Emmanuel then teleported away from the room. Mystos could not sense where he had gone to. Emmanuel had severed the telepathic bond they shared as friends, and was now actively blocking him. Despite Mystos’ curiosity, he knew better than to attempt to find Emmanuel, who he knew desired to be left alone. However, the severing of the telepathic bond had left Mystos with guilt and emotional pain. He did not return to the induction ceremony, but rather spent the night in his own residence, contemplating his decision.

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Several years after Emmanuel’s disappearance, Mystos once again sat at the council of elders. A female still in her youth had replaced Emmanuel in the council. She had purple hair tied in a ponytail and two bangs which descended down the sides of her face. It was in the evening, and the current leader, Cornwell, had been planning their briefing on Emmanuel’s disappearance for quite some time, particularly since Mystos had alerted him of a vision involving Emmanuel.

“Emmanuel has been gone for quite some time. He seemingly vanished even from all our psychic senses. It seems as though he is blocking us from finding him somehow,” the leader spoke telepathically.

“Last night… I sensed him… he was calling out to me… he said he would be back here, and that his power had grown tremendously, and that no one could stop him,” Mystos informed the council.

“This is a most severe threat. We cannot afford to take it lightly. We must prepare-“ Cornwell suddenly froze. A psychic aura was surrounding him, restricting him.

“Emmanuel! Come out of hiding, you coward!” another elder bellowed.

“Hmph. I warned you all. You who side with evil, you must be removed from Telluria’s leadership.” Emmanuel spoke to everyone telepathically.

“You will do no such thing!” Mystos responded back to him telepathically.

“Oh, really? I have grown stronger in ways you cannot imagine. I will be the one to purge the world of evil. You will see. I am already amassing followers in Spiropolis. Once you are deposed, I will seize control of this place, and then all of Altairon! I will purge the world of evil!”

The elders all concentrated on Emmanuel’s presence, but they could not get a psychic lock on him. Cornwell was slowly being strangled to death with psychic force.
“Emmanuel! You are committing evil as we speak!” Mystos boomed back to him telepathically, finding his source and blasting him with a Psybeam. Emmanuel let go of the elderly leader of Telluria, snapping his neck. He died instantly.

“You truly are a coward!” another elder replied, and then used a psychic force of his own on the spot where Mystos had launched a Psybeam. Emmanuel, however, was too powerful, and broke free of the psychic force.

“The light of Judgment on all of you!” Emmanuel replied. He then summoned a beam of light energy from his hands, blasting through the chamber. Several elders were hit. Mystos managed to avoid it.

“What sort of power is this?” Mystos asked.

“It is the power of goodness… the power which will cleanse the world of evil! You will all see one day, all of you who remain alive, that is!”

“You are using it for evil!” Mystos responded, grabbing Emmanuel in the binding aura of Psychic. Emmanuel could not move as Mystos slammed him into the wall of the council building. Emmanuel eventually broke free of Mystos’ psychic grip, hurt but still able to fight.

“Stop this! You only want power!” The young female elder who had replaced Emmanuel shouted. She then tried the same thing as Mystos, but her power was not yet strong enough. Emmanuel broke out of her psychic grip with no problem.

Emmanuel then channeled his new power above the council headquarters. White spheres of energy quickly congregated above the building. “Move!” Several elders shouted. They could psychically sense disaster coming. Most of them were able to teleport out of there just before a beam of white light came rushing through the center of the headquarters, causing it to explode. The whole tower came crashing down. However, still inside it were Mystos and the young female elder. Mystos had tried to save her, but he was hit by the white beam of light, as was the elder he was trying to save. Both of them went down with the tower.

Emmanuel then turned his powers to the city. However, instead of destroying it, Emmanuel psychically took several of the golden, oblique buildings that had just been built. “These will do nicely… for my new sky base…” Emmanuel spoke to himself as he used powerful psychic energy to detach the towers from their foundations. He did not care about the people inside those towers as he took the towers into the sky with him psychically.

Mystos would eventually wake up from the impact of that light energy, which had knocked him out. However, the female elder would not. She had been struck dead on with Judgment.

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Their bond had severed once again, and they stopped reliving the memories of the final days of their bond. They stared each other down, once again as mortal enemies.

“I told you someday I’d come back more powerful and purge the world of evil!” Emmanuel yelled. “I have absorbed Miracorn’s power! And I command a whole hierarchy… a whole city… no, the whole world… and a flock of Pokémon police to reinforce my control! I have more power than you could ever dream!”

“Surely you jest. Surely you could not have taken the horn of Miracorn!”

“Aaah… even better. I have drunken the blood of Miracorn! I have tasted its flesh! And… I have absorbed the ultimate power… the power of goodness! The power of love! The power of all that is good… the power to purge evil from this world, once and for all!”

“You are mad. There is no way you could sustain such power within your body.”

“You are mistaken. I control the power… totally and completely. Would you like a taste?” Emmanuel summoned light energy above Mystos, which congregated quickly then turned into a large beam that descended downward, probably killing a few followers. Mystos evaded the attack with ease.

“Judgment… I see now. You do control the power of Miracorn. It is as I feared.”

“That’s right. And you will now experience the full extent of it!” Emmanuel shot a large Light Spear attack straight at Mystos. He countered with Psybeam. The attacks cancelled, creating a large explosion that sent both of them backwards.

“Not even your Psychic-type can stop the power of Miracorn!” Emmanuel launched more Light Spears at Mystos. The Light Spears were easily as tall as Emmanuel was.

“Urggh!” Mystos grunted as he put up a Light Screen, successfully absorbing the attacks… barely. The Light Screen dissipated at the last Light Spear.

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Far below, on the ground, the psychics of Telluria were occupied as well. Litarias, as well as anyone else who could do battle, were engaged with the psychics, seeking to destroy. They were angry with the intruders for delaying the event they had long awaited. The psychics, however, had reinforcements. The people from Ter’ast had descended down the mountain, which was not that impressive, but served as a divider between the two sides of the island. They had their Ghost-types with them. The ground below was now nothing short of a battlefield. Casualties mounted on both sides as the battle progressed, but neither side was close to victory. Kyra and Talon were there as well. Also eagerly fighting were the seven ex-residents of Spiropolis who had escaped.

Several of the elders had already suffered grave wounds from a particular Litaria. It was Gabriel, probably the most powerful out of all the Litaria controlled by team Judgment. It was said to be at level 100, the highest possible experience level a Pokémon had been known to reach before. He had cornered Elder Destiny after taking out several of her companions. And she wasn’t strong enough to take out Gabriel, even with Psychic.

“Are you ready to perish, infidel? Gabriel spoke in Pokémon language to Elder Destiny.

But what Gabriel did not know was that Elder Destiny had a trick up her sleeve. She began to glow with a magenta aura. “Yes, I’m ready. How about you?” She responded back telepathically.

“Destiny Bond? It… no… I must…” Gabriel hesitated at the realization that if he struck her down, the effect of Destiny Bond would take him down as well.

“Do you fear death?” Elder Destiny taunted back. “I do not.”

“I will strike you…” Gabriel raised his staff, but then hesitated again. That hesitation cost him. A yellow creature had hit Gabriel in the back, square between the wings, with a Thunderpunch. The blow did not do too much damage, but it paralyzed Gabriel, who collapsed. His horn landed several feet away. Elder destiny then hit Gabriel with a Psychic, causing him to be put out of commission for the time being. Elder Destiny gazed upon the creature that had helped her. It was an Ampharos.

“Are you okay?” The Ampharos’ trainer, Janine, asked.

“I’m all right…” Elder Destiny responded telepathically, but her voice reflected that she was in great pain.

“Use Healing Light!” Janine told the Ampharos. Its tail began to glow with a soothing light. Elder Destiny felt reenergized by the light.

“Thank you, Janine…” Elder Destiny spoke telepathically.

“How did you know my…”

“I apologize. That was rude of me to read your mind. Sometimes I cannot control it.”

“It’s all right,” Janine replied, embarrassed, wondering what else Elder Destiny now knew about her.

“I am Destiny, and I am one of the elders in the council of Telluria City. It is a pleasure to meet you.” She proceeded to shake Janine’s hand.

Janine looked over nervously. “My friends! They’re in trouble!” She shouted, interrupting their meeting.

“Allow me to aid you,” Elder Destiny offered, and hovered over to where Yuri, Lloyd, and Arion had suffered grave metaphysical wounds from a Litaria. Several more Litaria were heading towards them to finish the job. Elder Destiny shielded them with her body, blocking three Light Spear attacks. She shrugged them off and held the Litaria in place with a mighty Psychic attack, before she slammed them into the ground with psychic force, killing them. Janine proceeded to heal the wounded with her Ampharos.

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“Urrgh!” Mystos grunted after blocking a constant barrage of Light Spears from Emmanuel with Light Screen. Each attack from Emmanuel was so powerful that it caused the Light Screen to break on impact, and each attack came so quickly that Mystos could not retaliate fast enough.

“Exhausted, are we?” Emmanuel taunted. “I haven’t even begun to exhaust my power.”

“Some day… you will regret absorbing Miracorn’s power…” Mystos responded. He was utterly exhausted and could not invoke any more Light Screens. He closed his eyes and channeled all his remaining psychic energy.

“You think Calm Mind will stop me?” Emmanuel replied. He then released with all his might a large, powerful Light Spear attack. It enveloped Mystos entirely before passing through him. Mystos was done for…

…Or so Emmanuel thought. Mystos opened his eyes, which were glowing fiercely blue. Soon Emmanuel was wrapped in a matching color aura. Mystos held him in place, causing him telekinetic damage with Psychic, before causing him to hurtle into the ground. He slammed Emmanuel into the side of the mountain, causing rocks to fly.

“Urh!” Emmanuel grunted at the sheer power of that experienced Alakazam’s Psychic attack, ascending to the lofty point above the island where they were doing battle.

“You must stop this! Relinquish Miracorn’s power to its rightful owner!”

“Never!” Emmanuel broke free of the binding aura of Psychic, shrugging off the telekinetic damage Mystos had inflicted.

“Is that the best you can do, my former friend?” Emmanuel taunted. “It is time for you to be purged. You once were my friend… but now you are just in the way. You are on the side of evil, and like everyone else, you must be purged.”

Mystos was exhausted and could not summon the strength for another attack. He had given Emmanuel his strongest attack, and it was not enough. Emmanuel raised his staff into the air. The staff glowed brightly. Spheres of light energy gathered everywhere in the atmosphere surrounding Mystos. He managed to evade a surge of white light shot downward. Similar surges of light shot down all around Mystos as he evaded the blasts. Emmanuel had unleashed several Judgment attacks at once, with no regard for who was down below. The Judgment attacks, powerful enough to at least cause fainting with only one hit, showered the battlefield below, striking both friend and foe. And Mystos was powerless to stop it in his weakened state.

“You can’t escape the light of Judgment forever. Eventually, it will catch up to you… all the evil that you have done!” Emmanuel then unleashed a Psychic attack of his own upon Mystos, holding him in place. “I’ve gotten stronger. I could never have done a Psychic like that… without Miracorn’s power!” Mystos, who once could easily break free of Emmanuel’s psychic grip, could not move. He only hovered in place.

“You are… no longer human!” Mystos replied back at Emmanuel, breaking free of his psychic grip. But it was too late. A surge of light completely enveloped Mystos. He hurtled toward the ground, unconscious and tumbling. Emmanuel gazed upon Mystos with contempt. “I am the wise one here…” he thought to himself.

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“Mystos!” Elder Destiny shouted in Pokémon language. Her Gardevoir voice, which she rarely used, was very feminine sounding. She dived and caught Mystos in her arms. Everyone nearby turned when they heard that voice.

Mystos was sprawled out in Elder Destiny’s arms. His thinly built body was limp, and his arms dangled like noodles. He dropped his golden spoons to the floor. But he still spoke with a very faint telepathic voice.

“You must not… fight Emmanuel… he is… too strong… stall… until the… Angel of Darkness arrives…” He spoke. Even his telepathic voice was strained.

“Don’t die, Mystos!” Elder Destiny shouted, overcome with emotion as she sensed Mystos’ life force fading.

“Recharge, use Healing Light!” Janine yelled. The Ampharos’ tail lit up as it tried to heal Mystos.

“My time is up… do not waste your effort…”

“We can’t give up!” Elder Destiny replied.

“I understand… such is the spirit of human and Pokémon alike… but alas, I haven’t enough strength left. Save your energy for others, young Ampharos.”

“It can’t be…” Elder Destiny replied.

“Shhh… I can see the future clearly now… you will… take my place…” Mystos replied. “You will… lead the elders in this battle…”

“Does that mean I will succeed you as leader of Telluria? But I cannot…”

“That… I cannot say. Knowing the future may change… things for you…”

“I understand,” Elder Destiny sighed.

“Here… is my final present to you… I impart… my memories of Lord Emmanuel… onto you… “ Mystos and Elder Destiny then glowed with a blue aura simultaneously. “And now… my final present… to the world…”Mystos opened his eyes, which were bright purple, as though he were invoking something. “Tell… Emmanuel… I forgive him…” Mystos’ eyes then rolled back in his head as he passed away.

“Nooo!” Elder Destiny shouted in Pokémon again, clutching Mystos’ body.

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Shade and the others had made it into the Ex-Pur lab, where they had thought Vyle still was. The four dragons could not fit into the lab, nor could they destroy the walls. Everyone looked around and saw the carnage that Vyle had left. Every machine in the room was destroyed. Some were still shooting off sparks from loosened wires. The purification ray was on the floor, shattered. The chamber in the center of the room had clearly been broken out of. Most obvious, however, were the corpses of dozens of Litaria and humans. Blood was all over the floor, and some corpses had spots on them where a cold blast of darkness had hit. Those spots still glowed ultraviolet.

“I don’t like the feel of this place…” Mirlite told them.

“Oh, my…” Lucifer commented at the destruction. “I’m with… uhh…”

“Just call me Mirlite, for my name cannot be pronounced by… those outside my kind…” Mirlite was embarrassed.

“Right then…” Lucifer awkwardly responded.

Shade walked forward. “Did Vyle do this?”

“There’s no way…” Spike replied in disbelief.

“Something is watching us!” Shade exclaimed.

“I sense it too… a very dark, dark presence!” Mirlite exclaimed.

“Me too…” Lucifer hovered close to everyone else.

“Whatever is watching us… come out! We know you’re there!” Blaze shouted.

The only noise was that of the crackling, destroyed machines in the room. They saw an ominous shadow appear for a split second and then disappear.

“The chair!” Lucifer pointed to the chair in front of the collapsed purification ray, to where he had seen a silhouette. But the silhouette had disappeared.

The next thing anyone knew, a shadowy creature with a flaming black aura was standing in front of everyone, wielding a long sword.

“What the fuck?” Spike uttered in shock.

“You’re on your own…” Rad uttered and slipped backward, as though hiding would protect him from the horrible creature in front of them.

“That… can’t be… it… can’t be Vyle…” Blaze uttered next.

“Oh, Lord…” Lucia cut herself off.

“Vyle… what have they done to you!” Shade exclaimed.

“So… much darkness… it hurts…” Mirlite told them.

Before the group stood the gaunt and withered away Vyle. His skin was a pale, lifeless purple, and his hood was off, revealing his hair and scarred face. Cold, soulless red replaced the blue in his eyes. He had a forlorn look on his face.

“Vyle, please… speak to me!” Shade exclaimed, approaching Vyle. Vyle held up his sword at Shade’s chest, preventing her further advance.

“Back away from him… Vyle is dead… I sense no… life,” Mirlite warned.

“No! It can’t be! He’s somewhere in there!” Shade responded. “Vyle, please, speak to me!”

“…vile?” he replied in his demonic voice.

“You… don’t remember?”

“remember…” Vyle’s memories flashed through his mind.

“I’m Shade, remember?”

“Shade…” Vyle thought. For a moment, nothing came up. Then, he remembered something. A new memory flashed in his mind. Vyle remembered being on the platform in Ter’ast… with Shade. Then the rooftop. More memories came back to him. He remembered their kiss. Vyle’s aura diminished, and he started to relax…

Then, another memory came to his mind. He recalled being frozen, unable to move. He recalled seeing Shade in the Team Judgment uniform, the one responsible for him being unable to move. He recalled being transported to the chamber and sealed inside, all the while completely powerless.

“You… remember me?” Shade spoke, approaching Vyle.

“Don’t!” Mirlite shouted.

Everyone looked on in horror as they saw the cold metal tip of Vyle’s sword pierce Shade’s back. Vyle had stabbed her in the heart. Shade collapsed on her knees, clutching the blade. Vyle pulled the blade out, and Shade fell face down onto the floor in a widening pool of blood.

Vyle’s face turned from anger to sadness. “I am a… foul beast…” he uttered cryptically. He then hopped up into the air. A purple flame appeared underneath him. His Bogcrow then materialized underneath him. Similarly, his Rataver appeared on his left shoulder. Vyle fleetingly took off from the Ex-Pur lab on his Bogcrow. He blasted a huge whole in the ceiling, through which daylight poured onto Shade’s body. And then, Vyle was completely out of sight.

[Sike Saner]

Yep, no swear filter! Just one of the many reasons why I prefer this place. ^^

Anyway, great chapter there. Really liked the amount of focus on characters who happened to be pokémon in that chapter, first of all. Good to get a nice helping of backstory on Emmanuel and Mystos, too. Plus there were the noteworthy tragic elements that this chapter had, and I think you know how I feel about that kind of stuff in fiction. :3

Also, rataver = cool, including the name of that species.

And damn... those poor archid, getting beat by the litaria like that.... And furthermore, said litaria were brainwashed, so there's a measure of pity for them, too. So yeah, in short, Team Judgment is shitty towards pokémon. And towards humans, too, for that matter. *chucks shoes at them, taking special care to aim at Emmanuel* THE LIGHT OF JUDGMENT CANNOT STAND UP TO MY FRICKING SHOES!

Other highlights and et cetera:

Two dark, purple flames hovered above his shoulders, eventually materializing into his two Pokémon.

Pretty damned cool way to summon one's pokémon.

Meanwhile, the five group members, led by Mirlite and four Litaria, were lost in a seemingly never-ending maze of teleporters. Each teleporter led to a different room each time it was used, so it was all the more confusing.

Which made me think of Phantasy Star II--whose soundtrack I was actually listening to as I read that part this time around, furthermore. X3

Soon Emmanuel was wrapped in a matching color aura.

Latest addition to the "I misread that in an amusing manner" files: "Soon Emmanuel was wrapped in a menacing odor."

...Do I even want to know what kind of odor would qualify as "menacing", brain? X3

“Tell… Emmanuel… I forgive him…” Mystos’ eyes then rolled back in his head as he passed away.

Wow. o.o Potent final words there...

[PsiUmbreon]

Here we are, the second to last chapter. In this chapter... no one is safe. That's all I can tell you.

Chapter 19
Rapture

“Shade! It can’t be!” Blaze yelled out. The group raced over to her.

“She’s… dead…” Spike muttered grimly. He grabbed Shade’s wrist. There was no pulse. Lucia began to cry. Lucifer tried to heal Shade, but to no avail. He began to cry as well.

The crystal around Shade’s neck began to glow. The glowing was visible from under her. Mirlite soon rematerialized from the crystal, hovering directly over Shade.

“It was… not her time to go…” Mirlite spoke solemnly. “I must… bring her back.”

It took a few seconds for that sentence to register with everyone else. “You can bring someone back to life?” Blaze exclaimed. The others were still too dumbfounded to talk.

“Yes… but only at a cost…” Mirlite responded cryptically.

“What kind of cost?” Blaze asked.

“Are you going to use… Sacrifice?” Lucia asked.

“I will try… for I have never done it before.” Mirlite closed her eyes and began glowing with a bluish-white aura. Her entire body was glowing brightly, so everyone had to squint.

“What’s happenin’?” Spike asked.

“Mirlite is going to…” Lucia started, stunned. It took a few seconds for her to finish the sentence. “Mirlite is going to exchange her life for Shade’s.”

“What? No! You…” Blaze responded to that, but she couldn’t finish either.

Soon, the bluish-white aura had engulfed Shade’s body as well. White sparkles issued from both of them, rising upward. A white circle with what looked like ancient writing appeared around Shade and Mirlite. “Bring back her soul from the spirit realm!” Mirlite spoke, invoking power from her body. Mirlite arched her back and what looked like a white fireball exited her body. It drifted slowly towards Shade’s corpse.

“Please… stop Emmanuel…” were her last words as Mirlite’s form dissolved into the air in the form of rainbow-colored sparkles.

“No! Mirlite!” Blaze exclaimed.

The sphere that was Mirlite’s life force entered Shade’s body as strange geometric patterns appeared within the glowing circle on the floor, as though they were symbols of some kind. A beam of light extended upward from the center of Shade’s body. Then, the light show ended abruptly. The circle vanished and the light stopped shining.

“What’s goin’ on?” Spike was still dumbfounded, too numb to process what was going on.

Then, all of the sudden, Shade’s hand moved. Her body began to stir. Slowly, she climbed to her feet, as though she were awakening from a deep sleep. Gone from her clothes and the floor was all the blood she had lost. It was as though she had never been impaled by Vyle’s sword.

“Huh? What happened? I had a… dream…”

“The Sacrifice worked… never in my life would I have thought I would see an actual… Sacrifice…” Lucia uttered.

“Huh? Sacrifice?” Shade responded, bewildered.

“It’s good to see you again…” Blaze responded. “But…”

“Mirlite… she sacrificed herself so you could live…” Spike finished.

“What the… Mirlite? But… why?” Shade finally registered what had happened. “I… I shouldn’t have lived.” Shade responded. “I… screwed everyone over. It was because of me that Vyle…” Shade could not finish her sentence without crying. “Mirlite… should have lived… she’s protected us many times…” Shade finished while sobbing.

“Hold on. I know why Mirlite used Sacrifice there…” Lucifer put his hand on Shade’s back. “You were right. Vyle… he was somewhere in there. A tiny flicker, at least.”

“That means there still must be time to save him!” Blaze inferred. “His soul is not completely gone yet!”

“Really?” Shade responded, brightening up a bit. Everyone else was feeling slightly better as well.

“I did sense a small flicker of life in that sea of darkness there. I’m sure Mirlite sensed it too…”

“Well, in that case… what are we waiting for? Let’s go!” Blaze exclaimed.

They soon took off on the backs of the dragons and Lucifer, from the huge hole in the ceiling created by Vyle, leaving all the carnage in the room behind. The room had darkened, with the lights having been knocked out. The only light in the room came from the broken stained glass windows and the opening at the top. Faint sparkles flickered in and out of existence in that very spot where Mirlite had used Sacrifice, where the light from the opening in the ceiling was shining.

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Emmanuel nonchalantly hovered down from the skies, watching the battle below. The attacks looked like flickering lights going back and forth, for the most part, but as Emmanuel got closer to the ground, the attacks began to be more distinguishable. All kinds of attacks were being launched. Meanwhile, the humans were brawling with each other, using whatever they could find on the ground as weapons. “All the dead means less work for Miracorn,” Emmanuel thought to himself. As he reached the monument, he began to recover from the injuries he sustained from Mystos’ psychic onslaught. His attacks were powerful, but not in the class of Emmanuel’s. Having some of Miracorn’s power, he held the strength of a legendary Pokémon, far more powerful than any other kind of Pokémon.

“Lord Emmanuel… you are ready to unleash Miracorn?” Grand Cardinal Peter, who had remained in the comfort of the obelisk’s glow, asked as soon as he saw his mysterious leader descend once again.

“That is correct, my one remaining Grand Cardinal,” Emmanuel replied. Peter was confused.

“My Lord… if I may… asked as to the fate of the… others? They have not shown up.”

“The other Grand Cardinals have fallen. Their life forces have been snuffed out.”

“Wha?”

“Do not grieve. They’ve fulfilled their purpose to me, and so they were no longer needed.”

“Yes, my Lord,” Peter replied, forlorn.

“Those blundering fools… particularly Maria and Michael. The only reason I hadn’t removed them earlier was because it wasn’t worth my effort. That may have been a mistake, however.

“Whatever do you mean, my Lord?”

“They were horrible sinners who deserved what they got. Trying to hide their affections, their motives… those fools didn’t realize I could see right through their transparent, sinning souls.”

Peter was speechless.

“Make yourself useful and fight while I unleash Miracorn!” Emmanuel bellowed.

“Yes, my savior!” Peter left the shrine area and headed towards the battle.

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“Lord Emmanuel is preparing to unleash Miracorn!” Elder Destiny pointed at the monument and the angelic figure above it. Several Elders were by her side, as well as a good portion of the remaining forces on their side. They launched a frontal assault on the shrine in an arrow formation, with Elder Destiny at the lead.

However, the remaining Team Judgment faithful had other plans. Countless Litaria swooped in on them as they advanced. Team Judgment soldiers and their Pokémon threw themselves in front of the advancing line, doing everything in their power to slow them down before they were obliterated by Psychic, Dark, or Ghost attacks.

“They just… keep coming!” Elder Terrance, the human beside Elder Destiny, grunted as he dealt with another Litaria with telekinetic energy.

“Aaaah!” The other elder at the side of Elder Destiny, another Alakazam, screamed as he was struck with a barrage of Light Spear attacks. He didn’t stand a chance.

“Elder Pantorum! Noo!” came a shout from behind him, only for that shout to be cut off as well.

“Got to keep… moving forward…” Elder Destiny conveyed to the group, struggling to keep focus as she psychically smashed two Litaria together and avoided a Light Spear attack at the same time. Both Litaria fell to the ground, their staves landing with the sound of metal clinking against rock.

“KRAAAH!” came a shout as a brarrage of Shadow Ball attacks rained down in front of the elders. Ghost Pokémon, most of them wild and indigenous to Ter’ast, were hovering above the elders. Their attacks gave Elder Destiny a window in which she could strike Emmanuel. As soon as she saw the temporary clearing in the line of Team Judgment defenders, she channeled her most powerful Psychic attack straight at Emmanuel.

“Hmph. Foolish creature. Get out of my way!” Emmanuel shouted as he felt himself gripped psychically by Elder Destiny. He extended his empty hand forward and blasted the Gardevoir with Light Spear. Her telekinetic grip immediately dissipated as she stumbled.

Barely conscious, she managed to hover off the ground. Through her blurred vision, she could see an overpowering light coming through the crowd of people and Litaria filling the gap between her and Emmanuel. She knew it was too late now.

“Come forth, Miracorn!” Emmanuel shouted in triumph. The ground began to shake. Fissures and cracks began to appear in the monument. Emmanuel held his staff to the sky. A wide column of white light shot up from the monument straight into the heavens. Bright light enveloped everything. All that could be seen was white. People stumbled as the ground shook more intensely. A humming noise grew louder and began to ring more and more intensely in everyone’s ears. The monument completely crumbled to the ground, now nothing but shards of white crystals. The light then lessened in intensity, but the sound emanating from the area – precisely the sound of intense ringing in the ears – did not. People opened their eyes, and an equine silhouette was visible within the column of light amidst the rubble of the monument.

“We’re too late!” exclaimed one of the Elders. Everyone not aligned with Emmanuel was thinking the same thing. Everyone on Emmanuel’s side, however, was jubilant.

Standing in the center of the immense column of white light was Miracorn. Only its silhouette was visible. But its silhouette alone left everyone on both sides in awe. The legendary Miracorn was easily taller than a one-story house. Its blue eyes were glowing. A large horn grew on its forehead between its ears. On each set of hips were three curved, spiked protrusions, which reached to the same height as its head. It stood on its four powerful hooves facing Emmanuel.

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“Look at that! What is it?” Blaze pointed out to the horizon in front of them, where a huge column of light could be seen extending all the way from the ground to beyond the clouds. The entire sky began to change from blue to white.

“Oh…” Lucia covered her mouth at the realization of what happened.

“Whoa, that’s one crazy light,” Rad, who was silent the whole time, commented.

“That’s… no… it can’t be…” Lucia struggled to get the words out.

“I have a feeling I know what that is…” Shade replied. “And it’s not good.”

“This is it! The day of Judgment!” Lucia exclaimed. At this point, fear got the best of her, and she regressed to the ways she knew before.

“You can’t mean…” Spike replied… “Their cock-and-bull story about a legendary Pokémon… is true?”

“Forgive me, Lord Emmanuel, for I have sinned!” Lucia exclaimed. “Spare me your Judgment, please!”

“Calm down, calm down. No one’s gettin’ judged if I can help it!” Spike replied.

“Lord Emmanuel, spare us!” Lucia closed her eyes in prayer as they flew forward. The fear had caused her to revert from her change of heart.

“Lord Emmanuel is just some creep,” Shade reassured. “We know that now. Just like what Mirlite said.” Shade’s tone turned to mourning as she remembered Mirlite, knowing that it was through Mirlite’s sacrifice that she was alive had given her a heavy heart.

“You mustn’t say things like that!” Lucia corrected. “Surely that was just an illusion. One of Darkhor’s tricks to lure you from salvation.”

“Uh-huh, y’know what?” Shade responded, with a note of sarcasm. “We’d better get moving. And fast.” She reached for her belt and summoned her Gravecall, now with only three curses left. “Enhancement Seal!” Shade called out. Gravecall first looked at Shade, astounded to see that she had not gone to the spirit world as he’d thought, giving the expression of ‘I coulda swore…’ But the floating skull was really overjoyed at that fact and merely didn’t want to express it.

“Oh, right,” Gravecall thought to himself, and released the floating ball of flame. It burst in front of him, sending power to every nearby entity. Spike suddenly felt himself going twice as fast, but at the same time able to hold on just the same. Everyone else then felt the same sensation.

“That should enhance our attributes, but only temporarily,” Shade informed. “Like our speed, for instance.”

Gravecall was feeling a little tipsy after releasing that seal. After all, the seals stabilized his form, and now he had two left. He retreated to the safety of his ball.

“I mustn’t let the demonic power get to me...” Lucia muttered to herself in prayer as they careened closer to the source of the column of light. “I must beg Emmanuel for forgiveness…”

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Emmanuel turned to the crowd of people gathered behind him. “Miracorn has been awakened!” he proclaimed to a cheering crowd. He basked in the sea of praise for a moment, raising his hands into the air.

“This is it,’ Elder Destiny spoke to everyone after recovering. Janine’s Ampharos had healed her once again. “We must stop Miracorn from unleashing Judgment… at all costs!” Elder Destiny pushed forward. At the sound of her telepathic call, all the able-bodied people and Pokémon charged forward into the barricade of Litaria. Among them were Kyra, Talon, Murphy and Elektra of Team Magnet, and Janine, Scout, Eva, and Sam. Their three friends were gravely wounded and unable to stand up – but their Pokémon were among the crowd fighting as they were being cared for at the other side of the island.

But the Litaria barricade pushed back equally hard. Many on both sides fell. But Elder Destiny was no closer to Emmanuel or Miracorn.

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Emmanuel faced Miracorn once again. “Now, prepare to unleash Judgment upon this sinful world!” He pointed his staff at Miracorn and pressed a tiny button hidden under one of the fancy decorated crests under the orb.

Miracorn stared back at Emmanuel with a determined look. “I’m not going to… AAAAAH!” The legendary unicorn spoke into Emmanuel’s heart, and then gave a horrific, piercing neigh, which could be heard for miles. A crackling noise could be heard as the column of light suddenly intensified.

“Uhhh!” Miracorn struggled, pleading with Emmanuel. “You know what is right. Please... release me… return the power which is not rightfully yours… aaaaaaagh!” Another piercing neigh tore through the sky, rattling the eardrums of anyone nearby. The sound could even be heard by the group that was fast approaching.

“Time to say goodbye to this pitiful, evil-laden world,” Emmanuel responded to Miracorn.

“No… I will not… AAAAAAH!” Another bellowing noise could be heard. “You can’t… make… me… AAAAAIIIIEEEEEE!” The noise that came from that was even more startling – a painful, otherworldly scream.

“Cannot hold on…” Miracorn resigned to the force controlling it – the force of Emmanuel. Miracorn closed its eyes and fell into a trance. Bright light once again enveloped all. Even Spike and the others were swallowed by a dome of light, which kept inflating exponentially. Soon, it could be seen from space, like a large nuclear explosion.

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“Where there is light, there must be darkness. It is the darkness that gives the light meaning. This very balance of life has been upset. The power of my brother, the dominion over light, has been exploited. Now I, with dominion over darkness, must awaken. Come forth, my vessel, and release my seal, so that I may fulfill my duty and restore the balance…”

“…Vessel?”

“You are my vessel… when you were killed… the first time… it is I who held the pieces of your soul together. It is I who kept you from going to the spirit world. But I could not awaken into the living world just yet. When you died yet again at the hands of your corrupted birthgivers… that was when my power could awaken in you… when you could be reborn as my vessel into the living world.”

“I am… a vessel?”

“That is correct, Vyle.”

“…Here to help…” Vyle repeated to himself. His consciousness was in the netherworld, surrounded by oblivion.

“Correct. You are here to restore the balance between darkness and light. For there cannot be one without the other.”

“...I am… here to help… I am… a foul beast…”

“You are more than that. You are… the Angel of Darkness. Your power…. My power… will be unleashed… once you accept your destiny.”

Vyle’s memories came back to him once again. All of them. But he could feel nothing.

“You will be needing those… for vengeance is your strength. All those who have wronged you… were puppets of Emmanuel… who you must now destroy. All your pain… it was Emmanuel’s doing. Emmanuel controlled your birthgivers… and the one you call Shade had to do what she did because of Emmanuel… yes… that’s right… channel your anger, your hate, your vengeance, towards the being who has wronged you.”

An intense rage, the likes of which he had never felt before, surged within Vyle.

“Yesssss… the rage is your strength… the desire for revenge… your power. You will be at your full potential once you accept your destiny. Once your release yourself, and become one with the darkness… now, release me… from my seal…”

Vyle felt his consciousness leaving the netherworld. He then appeared next to the shrine of Darkhor in the living world, which was now empty, as everyone was still on the other side of the island. Light engulfed the entire island still, except for the black shrine aglow with ultraviolet. Vyle walked into the shrine’s opening, descending down the staircase. Inside the cavern was a circular room with a towering obsidian crystal, with a glowing purple diamond barely visible inside it. Chiseled on the front of the crystal was an epitaph. It read, ‘Only one with a heart consumed by darkness, consumed by the sorrow and pain of existence may awaken the embodiment of darkness itself’.

Vyle placed his hand on the front of the crystal. Nothing happened. Then, Darkhor’s words echoed within him. “Release yourself, and become one with the darkness…”

“One with… darkness…?” Vyle questioned.

“Let the darkness consume you. The anger. The hate. Your life has been twisted, tortured, destroyed by Emmanuel.”

Vyle let the rage boil inside him. There was so much anger that he could feel his consciousness slipping away. He slipped into a trance of pure anger, and then put his hand on the shrine again. Darkness engulfed the room.

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The thick column of white light ascending from Miracorn became a more concentrated beam of golden light. This energy permeated itself throughout the entire sky. All over the world, earthquakes could be felt. The people left in the cities who did not gather around Yin-Yang isle, or who were imprisoned by Team Judgment, were mostly oblivious to what was going on. They did not know that Team Judgment’s prophecy was self-fulfilling… and it was about to come to fruition. All over the world’s atmosphere, golden spheres of energy congregated at points. Then from those points, a destructive shower of light energy fell. The light of Judgment had fallen over the entire world, and no creature or thing was to be spared.

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A large column of Judgment descended on the eerily silent Techno City. The column pierced the center of the massive tower, causing chain reactions of explosions within the belly of the man-made mountain. Countless explosions ripped through all parts of the spire. People began pouring out of their homes, trying to outrun explosions and avoid falling debris. The people remaining there were mostly the ones who did not heed Team Judgment’s warning.

Segments of railway collapsed, one by one, crushing people and tearing up the sides of the city as they tumbled to the earth. Countless explosions sent deadly obsidian rains of metal and glass down upon the citizens. It wasn’t long before a large explosion ripped off one of the protruding branches of the spire. This spire collapsed to the earth below, where it exploded, kicking up dust. Several more nearly simultaneous explosions rattled everything before the entire structure itself was sent crashing to the ground. A wave of ash and dust issued forth in a full circle around the city. It wasn’t long before the top of Techno City collapsed under the cloud of smoke. Now, a part of the Altairon skyline was no more, replaced by a cloud of thick smoke amidst a background of falling beams of light.

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Spiropolis, too, was being pelted by the destructive shower. Pieces of marble came cascading down in an avalanche as the beams wrought their destruction. There were still many prisoners inside trying to get out, some trapped in the corridors and lost in the endless maze of passages. Passages collapsed as panic spread among the prisoners. That little girl who was saved by Vyle was standing in the center of a passage, crying. A second later, she was no more as a beam came through exactly at the point she was standing. The entire passage was, in fact, no more.

Then, almost as though to put the towering city out of its misery, a beam shot directly through the center. Countless cracks appeared in the marble surface of the city. The entire tower began to implode, coming quickly down to the ground. White ash and dust filled the air. A wave of ash and dust coming from the tower engulfed the surrounding forests, fields, and villages. Spiropolis was reduced to dust, and there were no survivors.
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The Elders could only watch as Judgment descended upon their beloved Telluria City. Although it was evacuated almost completely, it was still tragic to see it go up in flames. The tower that the Elders convened in was struck directly, causing it to instantly come crashing to the ground. Golden shards of building peppered other nearby buildings, causing them to go up in flames and collapse as well. Another obliquely shaped building was toppled over by a beam, causing it to collapse on other buildings, creating a domino effect. The entire city was now golden rubble lit up in flames. In some places, the metals used to create the buildings chemically reacted to the flames, causing them to turn blue. The destruction of Telluria City was eerily beautiful.

Several Judgment attacks had caused the dome of fog around Ter’ast to disperse. Beams of light reduced the city in the swamp to mere splinters sticking out of the mud. Those that hadn’t left Ter’ast really had no chance. Bodies lay face down in the mud, some impaled by wooden planks or support beams. The scenes of Ter’ast and Telluria being destroyed were not far off from what Elder Destiny had envisioned and showed the mayor of Ter’ast.

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The same scene was going on all over the world, in every city. Deadly columns of light came down like bombs, causing everything nearby their impact site to explode. One beam sent the most prominent building in the partially defiant Saffron City, Silph Co., crashing to the ground in an instant. Another turned the famed radio tower of Goldenrod city into a pile of rubble. Yet another caused Mt. Chimney in Hoenn to erupt, destroying the nearby Verdanturf, Lavaridge, and Fallarbor towns to be choked by ash before being covered by molten lava. The deadly shower of light was triggering natural disasters all over the place, creating even more destruction and panic.

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Even areas only inhabited by Pokémon were unsafe. Throughout forests all over, the scene was the same. Bird Pokémon flew as the Judgment beams caused the trees to ignite. Pokémon on the ground ran from the flames chasing them. Flames came in on them from all sides as more beams of Judgment struck trees. Flaming trees fell over, blocking some of them from escaping. Caves collapsed on themselves, sealing their Pokémon inhabitants within. The beams of light even penetrated the sea, striking the ocean floor. Lava poured out of underwater fissures, and undersea Pokémon swam away from huge clouds of silt and ash underwater. More volcanoes erupted on land, filling the atmosphere with ash, and earthquakes were triggered. Lava consumed everything in its path, destroying everything that the Judgment hadn’t destroyed already. More beams of light showered the deserts and plains, kicking up huge clouds of dust. Beams struck the mountains, causing deadly avalanches of rock, snow, and ice. Nowhere was safe from the Judgment unleashed by Emmanuel except for Yin-Yang Isle.

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Miracorn stood in the center of it all, with a panoramic view of the apocalypse unfolding around it. The sky was still raining down death. Surges of light could be seen coming down in every direction. Plumes of smoke, ash and dust shot up all over the land. The column of light surrounding Miracorn had cleared, giving everyone a clear image of the saddened legendary as people all around it began to open their eyes. Miracorn had short, glossy white fur all over it. Its hooves were aquamarine blue and crystalline, matching its eyes and its horn. A silvery mane stretched from the back of its neck all the way to its long, silvery tail. Most troubling, however, was the fact that its legs were shackled to the floor in such a way that it could barely move them from their position. A strange machine, helmet-like in a way, was wrapped around the back of Miracorn’s head. Electrodes extended from the machine and attached themselves to its head. The machine crackled with electricity. A white, glittering aura, similar to the one Mirlite had, surrounded the legendary, but this aura seemed to be flickering and fading away. Miracorn also seemed to be out of breath, panting excessively. It had a forlorn look.

“Must… fight… control…” Miracorn’s voice, not a calm, pleasant, and neutral voice like normal, but a tired struggle, could be heard by everyone.

“You have done well…” Emmanuel spoke to Miracorn, surveying the destruction around the world for himself.

“No more… cannot take… any more…” Miracorn’s legs buckled and it collapsed onto its belly. It closed its eyes and it wore a look of sorrow on its equine face.

“Prepare for the coming of the new age! One where I will rule, and peace will be universal, and everyone will be free of sin!” Emmanuel began to talk to the survivors around him, amplifying his voice telepathically. “Prepare to experience paradise! Prepare to-“

Emmanuel was cut off by a sudden earthquake. People stumbled as the entire island shook once more. On the other side of the island, a column of blackness laced with purple ultraviolet light ascended into the bleach white heavens. A loud ringing could be heard once again, as a dome of darkness enveloped them. People covered their ears in vain, trying to stop the deafening cacophony. After a few moments the earth quit rumbling and the ringing abated, but the column of antilight was still visible. Darkhor, the antithesis of Miracorn, had been awakened.

“Curses… the evil ones have awakened Darkhor!” Emmanuel yelled. “But alas… darkness is no match for the power of light!” I shall put a stop to this myself!”

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On the other side of the island, a circle had formed around the shrine of Darkhor, which was also now rubble. Elder Destiny had teleported everyone on her side just before the light had consumed them. Also joining the crowd were the Underground members, led by Spike, and the four dragons and one shiny Litaria they had traveled in on. A silhouette, similar to the shape of Miracorn, was barely visible in the current of blackness that ascended from the ground. Darkhor had definitely been awakened.

A purple flame appeared in front of Darkhor, quickly materializing into the form of Vyle. He stood in front of Miracorn’s counterpart, facing the Underground members, ablaze in his dark aura. His sword was plunged into the ground in front of him. Vyle held the sword at its hilt. With his cold, soulless red eyes, he turned to Shade.

“There is no time for that!” Darkhor declared to Vyle, speaking through his heart. “You must fulfill your destiny, and let the darkness completely consume you, as when you awakened me.”

Vyle closed his eyes, and then turned his attention toward the mountain range. The sensation of slipping completely to the darkness scared him, and so he was resisting it. He reopened his eyes as the column of antilight faded, revealing the form of Darkhor. It was similar in shape to Miracorn, however its texture was vastly different. Instead of soft, glossy fur, it had hard, lustery obsidian glass. The spiked protrusions on Darkhor’s hips were bent at a slight angle instead of purely curved upward like Miracorn’s. It had a shorter horn on its head than Miracorn’s, shaped like a diamond, and was amethyst purple, matching its hooves. Its ears were longer and pointier, like horns, almost. Its face and body as a whole were more angular and less organic than Miracorn’s. It had a black mane running along its back similar to Miracorn’s. Its tail consisted of long black hairs as opposed to Miracorn’s silver. A blazing black aura like Vyle’s crackled around Darkhor.

“That is it. The Angel of Darkness…” Elder Terrance pointed at Vyle, who was facing away.

“That… that’s Vyle!” Kyra spoke, sobbing. “What… happened?”

“Sssh… it’ll be all right…” Janine said to Kyra. “Don’t worry about a thing.” Although in truth, she was worried too. She didn’t know how to explain it either.

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The people on the other side of the island were once again fixed on the fallen Miracorn as the column of darkness faded. They could not forget its screams – screams that sounded like pain. They looked around, and a panoramic view of the destruction unfurled before them. Beams of light still rained down upon the rest of he world. Even the boats surrounding the island were not safe. Several had already been sunk or were going under, struck by Judgment attacks. The sky was now a pale white, but clouds of dark vapor were punctuating it. The people were confused. This didn’t at all seem like the beginning of a global age of paradise.

“Please do not fear. Put your faith in me. Darkhor has been awakened, and this is his final attempt to destroy us, and all that is good. All who keep their faith shall be immune. All who stray from my word shall be claimed by Darkhor.” Emmanuel spoke to everyone. He did not need a loudspeaker, as his voice was telepathically conveyed.

“My Lord… Miracorn looks like it is in pain. May I comfort it?” Peter looked at Miracorn, feeling bad.

“No you may not. This is all supposed to happen. Miracorn will be all right.”

“Understood, my Lord,” Peter tried to hide his discomfort. Emmanuel scowled at him, sensing it easily.

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“My brother iss sssssuffering… made to do bidding of… humansssss…” Darkhor spoke to everyone. Its voice was a low, demonic growl.

“Did you just say… brother?” one of the Elders, and Alakazam, asked.

“Miracorn… yessssss… brother… for lack of a better human word… now I mussssst go sssave Miracorn…”

“We shall assist you!” Elder Destiny declared to the Dark-type legendary. But Darkhor turned around and faced the mountain range. It then raised its head and bellowed out an earthshaking, deafening roar. People then leapt out of its path as it galloped off towards other side of the island. With each step, it shook the earth around it. In the blink of an eye, it leapt from the ground, landing on top of the mountain range overlooking Emmanuel. As it landed, it shook the earth, letting everyone know that it was there.

Vyle then gave one last somber look to Shade, and then to Kyra. “Must… fulfill… destiny…” He spoke as normally as he could. Sorrow was present in his voice, as he was sure that these were among his last moments of being conscious, if barely even so. He then vanished in a wisp of purple flames.

“Wait…” Shade was nearly moved to tears. “Goodbye… Vyle… and… good luck…” Shade spoke under her breath, but within the earshot of Spike. Spike then put his arm on Shade to comfort her.

Emmanuel pointed up at the mountain range, where Darkhor and Vyle stood, ablaze in dark auras. “The final battle… it approaches!”

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Author's note: Like most legendaries in the canon, Miracorn and Darkhor do not actually have genders, despite being Miracorn being referred to as 'brother'.

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[PsiUmbreon]

Today, within the last minutes of the last year in this decade (for me, anyway) I will post the last chapter of the last thing I have ever written (that is coherent). It is also the first thing I have ever written that wasn't done for school or anything. Somehow I had motivation to finish one fanfic, but never done anything else since. Ah, well, anyway, here is the final and epic conclusion. Put on some Sephiroth battle music and enjoy (cause that's what I did when writing this).

Chapter 20
Vyle, the Angel of Darkness

The sky slowly grew darker as clouds of dark purple vapor began to fill the sky. The dust, ash, and soot kicked up by the sporadic columns of destructive light energy and the natural disasters they triggered began to rise and choke out the light. White columns were still falling, still pounding the already devastated landscape. The glowing light of the fires engulfing large portions of the planet and the erupting volcanoes started to give the skies a hellish crimson look. The stage was indeed set for the cataclysmic clash between Emmanuel and the Angel of Darkness.

“You… did this… to me…” Vyle slowly but loudly called out to Emmanuel. “And now… you will pay!” Without hesitation, Vyle leapt from the mountain peak, sword first, charging at Emmanuel.

Emmanuel parried the oncoming sword with his staff. The impact forced Vyle back. Vyle executed a backflip and landed on his feet, displaying his agility.

“You did that to yourself!” Emmanuel boomed back, spreading his angelic, iridescent wings all the way back. Silvery sparkles issued from his wings, and dust was kicked up. “You embraced the darkness… you embraced sin. Your fate is your own, as I have bestowed free will upon everyone!”

Vyle had no words for Emmanuel. He simply rushed forward in a fury, slashing at Emmanuel. Flickering embers of darkness trailed from his flame-like dark aura. Emmanuel easily parried each blow, and a resonant clinking noise accompanied each clash of metal.

Darkhor’s attention was elsewhere, however. The legendary Dark-type stared at the body of Miracorn, chained and confined. Darkhor gave another earthshaking howl, then galloped down towards Miracorn.

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“This is it,” Elder Destiny spoke to everyone. “It is out of our hands now. It is up to the Angel of Darkness… and Darkhor. We should remain here for safety.

“Hell nah, I wanna watch,” Spike rebelled.

“So do I,” Blaze agreed.

“And I would like to cheer Vyle on… see him one last time… before his soul disappears…” Shade also added.

“It is too risky. Any of their attacks would destroy you instantly. I myself can barely withstand one of Emmanuel’s attacks.”

“I would like to watch, too. All us four, actually,” Janine spoke on behalf of her three companions who were standing.

“No way am I missin’ this!” Murphy chimed in. “C’mon, gang, front row seats on this action!” Team Magnet then took off in the direction of the calamity.

“Elder Destiny… our help may yet be needed,” Elder Terrance argued. “I, for one, would not like to sit here like a coward.”

“You are indeed correct… I cannot hide here. I must be there. Though I am exhausted, I must lead. It is… what Mystos would have done. Whoever wishes… come with me.” Elder Destiny replied.

“Wait… I wanna go too!” Talon pulled on the Gardevoir’s dress-like growth.

“Yeah, me too!” Kyra added.

“You two should stay here,” Elder Destiny scolded. “It’s far too dangerous for children.

“I’m not scared!” Kyra replied. Moonlight can help too!”

“Umbreee!” The canine Pokémon barked in agreement.

“Tough resolve resides in the hearts of these two. You should allow them to come,” One of the surviving elder Alakazam advised.

Elder Destiny closed her eyes for a second. “Yes, you’re right, Elder Altus. They… should be allowed to come too. I sense I would not be able to prevent them from doing so.”

“You comin’ with us, Rad? Lucia?” Spike turned to the two of them.

“Hell yeah, gimme some popcorn and a front-row seat, and I’m there. Volt here can kick some ass too.” The Magnemite buzzed in response.

Lucia closed her eyes for a moment to reflect. “I… I must go. I must speak with Emmanuel.” She said in a resolute tone.

“Oh dear, wait for me!” Lucifer called out to Shade. “I… I can protect you all! Along with my fellow Pokémon.” The black Litaria pointed behind him at Durandal, Seiryu, Terra, and Tigris. The reptilian beasts nodded and snorted; smoke issuing from their nostrils.

“Very Well. Everyone who wishes to join me over there… gather around. I only have enough energy to teleport once more,” Elder Destiny ordered. The majority of people then crowded together. A number of Pokémon joined them as Elder Destiny invoked the power of teleportation once again. An entire crowd vanished almost instantaneously, rematerializing a little more gradually on the other side of the island, still a safe distance away from Emmanuel.

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“Miracorn! Ssssssspeak to me!” Darkhor beckoned. Miracorn was still unconscious.

“Pleassssse… wake up!” Darkhor seemed distressed. Frustatedly, it howled loudly once again.

Miracorn remained still for a few seconds. And then, it began to stir a little.

“Yesssss… wake up… brotherrr…”

The unicorn suddenly opened its eyes. Its pupils were not visible. It stared at Darkhor through glowing blue eyes. Then, it sprang up onto its feet. Miracorn gave a fearsome roar, higher pitched than Darkhor’s but still otherworldly in quality. Darkhor backed up.

“RRRRRRAAAAAAAHH!” Miracorn issued another roar, and then stood up on its two hind legs, breaking the shackles around its front legs. Once it landed on all fours, it howled at Darkhor.

“What issss the meaning of thissss? Brother, wake up!”

Miracorn broke free of its two hind shackles, and then charged, horn first, at Darkhor. The earth shook as the Miracle-type’s hooves pounded the ground. Darkhor charged back to counter the impact. The two collided with a mighty clash.

“What hasss gotten into you?” Darkhor demanded. But Miracorn was silent. It seemed to be in a berserker rage, unable to hear anything. The machine on its head crackled with electricity. It charged Darkhor once again. Darkhor backtracked a few steps from the shock of the impact as it collided with the glassy surface of Darkhor’s head.

“Ssssstop thissss madness!” The giant obsidian horse roared back, shaking its head. But Miracorn charged again. Darkhor responded with a fierce blast of dark energy – Chaos Shot. The attack caused chunks of dirt to fly as it traveled along the ground. The attack struck Miracorn while it was charging, sending it flying backward. It landed on its side, causing a tremor.

“Wake up, brotherrrrr!” Darkhor pleaded, its voice sounding as pleading as possible for Darkhor. It knew what it had to do – it had to fight Miracorn to snap it out of its rage.

The giant white unicorn quickly stood up once again, seemingly even more enraged. It then turned tail and charged at the crowd of Emmanuel supporters, kicking up a cloud of dust behind it as the earth rumbled. Screams could be heard from the surprised crowd as it began to clear a path for it.

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Several minutes of nonstop parrying went by in the fight between Emmanuel and Vyle. The Angel of Darkness furiously slashed and slashed at Emmanuel, but was countered seemingly effortlessly each time.

“Had enough yet?” Emmanuel taunted. Vyle then performed an overhead slash with all his might – but Emmanuel blocked with both hands on the staff and pushed Vyle back. Emmanuel then took the opportunity to kick Vyle, flying into him with his wings. Vyle then flew back, landing on his read. While Vyle was on the ground, Emmanuel rushed him, bringing his staff down and impacting his head with the orb of the staff. Vyle fell onto his back.

“Too easy…” Emmanuel sighed as he extended his free hand, blasting Vyle with Light Spear. But Vyle was not about to give up. He blocked him with his sword, negating the blast. His red, glowing eyes glowed more intensely. The aura around him grew larger, thicker, and darker. He sprang to his feet almost instantly, and now Emmanuel was on the defensive again.

“You… die now…” Vyle hissed. He sent the retreating Emmanuel back with a Chaos shot from his free hand. Emmanuel flew back several meters before landing on his back and skidding to a halt.

“It’s time to unleash… my FULL POWER!” Emmanuel snapped back, flying up from the ground. As he hovered about two feet above the ground, he extended his angel wings all the way out. A shining white aura appeared around him, and his wings shimmered iridescently. His body seemed to stretch, and he grew a whole foot taller. Around his staff, sharp protrusions the shape of angel wings grew from the decorated crests. Emmanuel really meant business now.

“I WILL have my Age of Paradise!” Emmanuel declared.

“Give in… to darkness… full power… needed…” Darkhor’s voice echoed inside of Vyle’s consciousness, beckoning him. It was true that Vyle was holding back. But Emmanuel wasn’t. So Vyle was left with no choice. As what was left of his soul submerged itself in a well of pure, untapped darkness, yet more power began to surge through Vyle. Wings of dark matter emerged from Vyle’s back as he screamed. The sensation was largely unpleasant but at the same time, satisfying – a release of great power from within. A ring of dark antilight appeared a couple of inches above his head, also engulfed by a flaming aura. Now Vyle was truly the Angel of Darkness.

Their eyes locked, both of them ascended simultaneously into the post-apocalyptic crimson sky. Flashes of lightning began to appear, striking the ground alongside the Judgments.

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“What’s going on?” Shade asked as she saw the two figures, one dark and one light, ascend into the sky. “Lucifer, can you still sense Vyle?”

“I’m trying… it’s so dark… aah!” There’s some life force, but it’s being swallowed by… darkness… I can’t tell for sure… aaah…” The darkness was so strong that it hurt to try to sense it, much like a strong smell can hurt the nose.

“Hang in there Vyle…” Shade muttered.

“He probably does not have much time at all,” Lucifer spoke.

“What’s THAT?” Talon shouted as a white shape was rapidly approaching, causing the ground to shake harder and harder.

“Holy SHIT get out of the way!” Spike yelled. Everyone began to scatter as Miracorn charged in a berserker rage.

“No… not them!” came a familiar, low demonic voice. Suddenly, Darkhor came down from the sky after leaping in front of them, landing between the scared group and the white steed. The ground shook massively, and some fissures opened up in the ground. Darkhor then blasted forth a Chaos Shot. Miracorn could do nothing to change its velocity as it was struck head on with the Dark-type blast. Coming from the legendary Darkhor, it was truly of epic proportions.

Miracorn charged straight into the Chaos Shot. The cold, isolating darkness of the attack enveloped Miracorn as it passed right through the beam. The attack had the effect of slowing Miracorn to a halt. Miracorn stood there, staring Darkhor down, still as berserk and confused as before.

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“Your darkness will never, NEVER defeat my light!” Emmanuel taunted as they continued to ascend, their eyes locked in a staring contest. “You might as well give in now.”

“I will… never… NEVER… allow you to get away with this. You killed me… you destroyed the world. My rage is the world’s rage. My rage is Darkhor’s rage. And you will pay – for I am the Angel of Darkness!” The angel spoke.

“You will be purged along with the rest of this sinful world!” Emmanuel responded. “Are you prepared to meet your fate?”

“Yessss… are you?” came the response, deep, demonic, and hissing. The voice now had almost no resemblance to Vyle’s.

At that moment, both angels charged at each other. From the distance, it only looked like a collision between a light and dark sphere of energy. The two of them clashed weapons once again, fighting each other to the death amidst a background of destruction and chaos. Lighting crackled in the clouds, thunder shook the ground, and deadly blasts of Judgment cascaded down around them.

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Meanwhile, the fight between Miracorn and Darkhor intensified. Miracorn leapt out of the way as a Chaos Shot came at it. Still in midair, it reared its head and retaliated with a cataclysmic Light Spear of its own. Darkhor leapt out of the way of that attack. The attack crashed into the hill behind Darkhor, causing a small rockslide and kicking up large amounts of dust. Both of them then fired their attacks at each other simultaneously as Miracorn landed on the ground. The attacks collided in midair and created a huge explosion. The smoke from the explosion enveloped them both before dissipating. Both of them were still standing.

“Brother! I beg of you! Ssssssnap out of it!” Darkhor pleaded, to no avail. Miracorn narrowed its eyes. It then roared as it called forth Judgment. Spheres of golden energy converged above Darkhor. But Darkhor leapt out of the way when the beam descended, colliding with the ground and kicking up huge chunks of dirt.

“I must fight back…” Darkhor sighed. It reluctantly called forth its answer to Miracorn’s Judgment. The ground around Miracorn began to turn black, and a swirling vortex of energy appeared. Miracorn leapt out of the way just as a large spike of antilight jutted out from the ground hundreds of feet into the air, quickly receding back into the ground. The vortex of darkness faded. Darkhor had called forth the equally devastating power of Oblivion.

Miracorn glared at Darkhor, challenging it to do its worst with Oblivion. The machine cracked fiercely. It was then that it occurred to Darkhor that the machine was hurting it.

“Gotta destroy that…” Darkhor leapt out of the way as a column of Judgment descended from the air. Darkhor then responded with another Oblivion. Miracorn evaded the attack with ease as it let loose yet another Judgment. Soon they were both releasing several Judgments and Oblivions at once, dancing around each other’s attacks with ease. The two of them were engaged in a deadly tango that could not end well.

“Gotta hit that ssssomehow…” Darkhor hissed to itself as it galloped through a gauntlet of descending Judgment attacks. Darkhor then sent several spikes of Oblivion up into the air at random places in the hopes of confusing Miracorn. From a distance, the bystanders could see the two shapes dancing around columns of light and spikes of darkness.

It was then that Darkhor launched a single Chaos Shot attack aimed at the back of Miracorn’s head. However, the attack missed its intended target, hitting it square in the belly. Miracorn staggered a bit, then it assumed Darkhor was upping the ante in their deadly game. Miracorn retaliated with yet more Judgment attacks in random places. Each attack pounded the ground, kicking up chunks of dirt and creating small craters. Darkhor dodged all the attacks. But Miracorn then responded by striking the Dark-type dead center in its chest with Light Spear. Darkhor staggered. Blasts of dark and light energy were added to their deadly dance. Darkhor leapt over a Light Spear as it crashed into the mountain, sending rocks tumbling Darkhor’s way.

Darkhor then had an idea. It galloped up the mountain range, leaping from rock to rock as Judgment attacks and Light Spears exploded on the steep slope of the mountain, causing large boulders to break loose. As it anticipated, Miracorn gave chase, firing Light Spear attacks as it galloped up the mountain, hopping from one falling boulder to the next. Darkhor was upping the ante once again, adding a perilous mountain to the mix.

But as Miracorn ascended, Darkhor had another idea. It stood on its hind legs, giving a furious roar as it then slammed its front hooves into the ground. Numerous cracks and fissures appeared in the side of the mountain, and the whole island shook. Darkhor had used the Earthquake technique.

As the rocks Miracorn was using to ascend came loose, Miracorn lost its balance and slid down the mountain, desperately trying to regain footing. More of the mountain collapsed, and along with a shower of boulders came Darkhor, tumbling down the slope as well.

But even though Miracorn fell first, Darkhor was the first to regain balance. It now had a clear window to attack. As rocks cascaded down, shattering against Darkhor’s obsidian surface, the legendary horse targeted the gadget on Miracorn’s head, then let loose a Chaos Shot, which hit its mark dead on. The machine shattered into tiny pieces, crackling with electricity. Miracorn collapsed as well, closing its eyes and fainting. Darkhor had outlasted the confused, berserked, and drained Miracorn, and succeeded in freeing it from the control of that strange machine.

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Up in the skies, the battle raged on. Emmanuel and Vyle parried even faster now, sending sparks into the air around them. They were also circling each other as they swung their weapons.

“DIE!” Vyle demanded.

“I will purge you!” Emmanuel declared in response.

“Kyaah!” Vyle slashed into Emmanuel’s hand, nearly clearing it right off. A dark line marked the spot where the black blade had sliced. But Emmanuel instantly regenerated his lost skin.

“Hah!” Emmanuel stabbed Vyle right in the chest with the sharp protrusions of his staff. He then twisted, cutting a full circle in his chest before pulling his staff out. A circle of light marked the wound inflicted by Emmanuel. “Let’s see you regenerate. Darkness can only destroy. Light can regenerate restore, and repair.”

Darkness filled the area where Emmanuel had struck, replacing the white, glowing scar with blackness. Purple flesh soon grew over the scar. Vyle was able to regenerate completely. Emmanuel was astounded.

“I will not die as long as the world is enraged!” Vyle taunted.

“No matter. You’ll soon be purged. Resistance is futile!” Emmanuel backed away and started shooting Light Spear attacks from both his staff and his free hand. Vyle sliced through the initial ones with his sword, then fired back as Emmanuel backed away into the storm of lighting and Judgment attacks falling. The attacks from Vyle and Emmanuel clashed, exploding on contact with each other.

Vyle followed Emmanuel into the maelstrom. The sky was a dark, sinister red with a black tint, and the clouds swirled and churned as Judgments pierced the canopy and struck the earth. Lightning flashed and the sound of thunder rumbled throughout the devastated land as Vyle chased Emmanuel over the decimated landscape of Altairon. Emmanuel occasionally shot a Light spear back at the Angel of Darkness, but he swerved out of its path each time while navigating around falling Judgment attacks.

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“Miracorn!” Darkhor called out desperately. “Speak to me!” But Miracorn was unconscious. It was unable to hear or respond to Darkhor. Meanwhile, a crowd began to gather around Miracorn. The Elders, and some others who were brave enough approached the area where they had done battle. The ground was cracked, and rocks and boulders had been strewn about. But that crowd now had other things to attend to. A large flock of Litaria was headed in their direction. It was led by Gabriel. It seemed as though Gabriel had gathered up the remaining Litaria and decided to go all out. Soon, the Litaria descended on them, and the people and Pokémon were once again locked in combat.

“No! That one’s too strong for you!” Elder Destiny ordered everyone back as Gabriel charged toward them. She was preparing to fight off Gabriel once again.

“We will help you. You are drained from combat. You cannot possibly face this one alone!” Elder Terrance insisted. Six other elders were behind her.

“Foolish heathens… die!” Gabriel responded to all that. He held his staff up high, and it began to glow bright. Soon Elder Destiny and the other Elders were engulfed in light. As the light began to fade, all of them were struck. Each one of them, save Elder Destiny, collapsed, clutching their chests. Elder Destiny was hanging onto consciousness.

“We… meet again…” Elder Destiny declared, panting. In the background, humans and Pokémon were being thrown about, knocked out by various attacks from both sides. Elder Destiny prepared her secret weapon once again.

“Not going to work this time…” Gabriel replied. He instead unleashed a flurry of glowing feathers upon the Gardevoir, which seemed to have the effect of slowing her down. Feel the Sacred Feathers technique, evil one!”

Elder Destiny held her ground, continuing to use Destiny Bond. However, both of them knew that she could not keep it up forever. Gabriel decided to disrupt the rest of the battle by using Gust attacks and Light Spear attacks everywhere. People were blown away and struck by the deadly shimmering attacks. When her Destiny Bond ran out, Gabriel turned back to her.

“It is time for you to meet the same fate as all the other sinners in the world…” Gabriel declared, pointing his staff directly at the exhausted Gardevoir’s face. Elder Destiny closed her eyes and prepared to accept her fate.

“A black blur interrupted the experienced Litaria’s final blow. This was followed by a distant scream. “Moonlight! No!” Then, several streaks flew by Gabriel, damaging him only slightly.

“Be gone, interlopers!” Gabriel cursed. He then readied another Sacred Power. Light engulfed everyone nearby as Talon’s birds swooped in for another attack, and Kyra ran towards the fallen Umbreon. Elder Destiny was blown back, and Talon’s Flying-type Pokémon instantly dropped like stones. Gabriel glowed in a white aura for a second afterwards as his defensive stats rose, an occasional after effect of the Miracle-type attack.

“Moonlight… return…” Kyra exhaustedly uttered, having been partially hit with the Sacred Power attack. Talon had been far enough to avoid the attack. But Elder Destiny was not so lucky. She bore the brunt of the attack, and lay on the ground. She was too weak to continue resisting gravity. She stared upward, clinging to life. Gabriel ignored everyone else and went straight for Elder Destiny to finish her off.

“You will face your –“ Gabriel was cut off by the sudden rush of air and rumbling as four shapes descended around him, causing the earth to rumble a bit. They were none other than the four Dragon-types. They glared at Gabriel, itching to battle.

“Hmph. More of you. Be gone!” Gabriel readied Sacred Power. The orb on his staff glowed. But the four of them had other ideas. Two Flamethrowers and two Ice Beams came straight at Gabriel. He flew upward to avid them, and the attacks converged where Gabriel was standing, creating an explosion of energy.

Gabriel then responded with a Light Spear attack aimed at Durandal, who countered the attack with another Flamethrower. Meanwhile, the other three shot Gabriel with more Flamethrowers and Ice Beams. Gabriel sustained minimal damage, repelling the streams of fire and ice with his wings. His defensive stats were raised, so even the high level dragons teaming up against him could do little.

Durandal then charged at Gabriel, deciding to try a physical approach. Seiryu then joined in with another Slam attack. Gabriel repelled both Slam attacks with his wings, then slamming Durandal back to earth with his staff. The orb struck Durandal in the head, dealing considerable damage. Next, the tiger-striped Salamence rushed and flew into Gabriel, tackling him. The desert dragon joined in with a Dragon Claw attack. Gabriel again shrugged off the damage.

It was now Gabriel’s turn to strike, and he released Sacred Feathers once again, slowing the mystical reptilian beings down, making their movements more sluggish. Using that opportunity, he unleashed another Sacred Power. The light knocked Tigris, Seiryu, and Terra back to earth, where they joined Durandal. They were down, but not out.

All four of them then tapped into their Dragon element to unleash their power. They had all used the mystical Dragon Dance. Several circles appeared on the floor around them, inscribed with ancient symbols. The symbols circled all four of them, invigorating them. The effects of the Sacred Feathers were effectively countered. Now, they could deal more damage to Emmanuel’s lead angel. They all charged Gabriel, unleashing their powerful physical attacks. Gabriel was knocked around, but still did not take too much damage. It hurt enough only to anger Gabriel. He blasted Durandal with a Light Spear, and he tumbled, slamming into the ground on his back. The impact created a small crater. Next was Seiryu. She went down with another crippling Light Spear. Then Tigris and Terra fell as well. Gabriel was done and ready to finish off Elder Destiny... or so he thought.

“Hold it!”

“Huh? Gabriel looked up. An ominous, near mirror image of himself, only cast in black and with red eyes, stared down at him. It was Lucifer.

“Accursed black one. You shall perish!” Gabriel replied.

“Maybe. But I will oppose you to the death. No one does that to my friends!”

“Hmph. Your ‘friends’. Pathetic sinners. But you… cursed one… are even more pathetic. You are laden with sin, and your dark color reflects that. And I will show you now!”

Gabriel hurled a barrage of Light Spears at Lucifer. All of them passed straight through Lucifer, and he remained unfazed.

“Impossible. Only a true Miracle type can resist Light Spear!”

“I… I may not look like it… but I… I am a true Miracle type!” Lucifer trembled as he spoke. He was shy and not used to combat.

“Then show me. Defeat me now!” Gabriel responded. The cream colored Litaria charged the shiny Litaria, staff stretched forward. Lucifer then charged Gabriel similarly.

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“Quit running and fight, coward!” Vyle hissed at Emmanuel.

“As you wish!” Emmanuel then charged Vyle, staff stretched out. Several blasts of Chaos Shot issued from Vyle’s free hand. Emmanuel slashed through them all with his staff. Vyle then charged Emmanuel, slashing through his body with his sword. A black streak pronounced itself across the path the sword took. This would have cleaved Emmanuel in two, but he easily regenerated himself.

“Not bad, scum!” Emmanuel shot back. Soon, they were locked in combat once again, parrying each other’s blows. Vyle slashed at Emmanuel’s left, and he blocked with a sideways swing of his own. Then, Emmanuel slashed at Vyle’s right side. Vyle blocked the blow with a similar sideways swing. While Emmanuel’s staff was out of the way, Vyle swooped in with his feet, kicking Emmanuel in the chest. Emmanuel was knocked back quite a ways downward, but was still afloat.

“That’s it!” Suffer… the divine wrath of Judgment!” Emmanuel taunted. He held his staff up, and then pointed it at Vyle. The staff glowed white. Several columns of light fell down around Vyle. One of them grazed his wing as he dodged; another one got him in the back of his shoulder. The attack burned heavily as Vyle tumbled to the earth below with only one wing.

But Vyle managed to regain his balance and landed on his feet in the center of the ruins of a small village. The impact cracked the ground around him. Vyle looked at the devastation around him, and anger boiled within him. His wing regenerated quickly. Before he knew it, he triggered several spines of dark energy to rise from the ground. He had unintentionally unleashed Oblivion.

Realizing he could control the spines, he commanded several of them to shoot up around Emmanuel. The spines shot up all the way from the ground to past Emmanuel’s height, and soon he felt the cold darkness of Oblivion as a spike pierced his leg. Another one pierced his wing, and left a circular hole there.

Vyle then flew up at Emmanuel. But Emmanuel wasn’t done. He nailed Vyle head on with a precisely timed Judgment. Vyle dropped from the sky, spiraling out of control.

As Vyle tumbled to the ground below, Emmanuel flew at him, slashing repeatedly. A white streak appeared in each place he slashed. Soon, Vyle hit the ground. Dust was kicked up, and a small crater was formed where Vyle had landed. The Judgment had burned through his aura, and the slash marks cut through his clothing and shimmered on his purple skin. Vyle’s sword tumbled through the air before plunging directly into his chest, hilt facing upward. Vyle screamed.

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Darkhor and Miracorn were alone. Darkhor seemed to be pining over the fallen Miracorn.

“Treacheroussssss humansssssssss… you will all pay!” Darkhor growled. Its aura began to flare up. It let out a fearsome howl, and leapt into the air, landing next to the fighting humans. Spikes of Oblivion shot up fiercely from the ground, impaling random people in the crowd. Most of them were Team Judgment members, but a few had misfired, as Darkhor was enraged. It launched a horrific blast of Chaos Shot, causing a Litaria that it hit to instantly collapse.

“Brother… you mustn’t bear your wrath at them… they are but misguided…” Darkhor heard a voice and then turned around. Miracorn was speaking to it… the unicorn’s voice was faint, but began to grow louder.

“Miracorn?” Darkhor responded to the call.

“Yes. It is I. Please heed my call. They are undeserving of wrath. They are misguided… many of these people… have a good heart, underneath what Emmanuel has corrupted them with.”

Miracorn began to climb to its feet. It was as though a spell had been lifted.

“I apologize for hurting you, brother.” Miracorn replied.

“No need…” Darkhor responded.

“I… I must stop them all from killing each other. I must stop their fighting.” Miracorn then summoned its energy. The shimmering white aura it once possessed returned, and began to flare up.

“Brother! You are too weak!” Darkhor replied.

“I must… do what must be done…” Miracorn responded. A shimmering barrier appeared between the two warring sides, Emmanuel’s supporters and his opposition. This barrier, many times more powerful than an individual Reflect or Light Screen, prevented either side from hurting the other.

“Hey, what’s the deal?”

“Did you do that?”

“My attack… it won’t go through!” people replied in awe as the barrier blocked their aggressions.

“Please… cease your fighting. You all must… stop fighting…” Miracorn pleaded.

“Miracorn?”

“There is… no more reason to fight. No reason… to kill. What has happened is done. No… more violence, please.”

“Infidels must be purged!” A team Judgment member argued.

“Aww man, I don’t get to bust any more of them muthafuckers,” Spike replied to that insult, feigning disappointment.

“Brother! I need your help…” Darkhor pleaded. My… my angel cannot fight.

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Vyle’s consciousness was in the netherworld once again. Blackness surrounded him. Blackness that was consuming him completely. His arms and legs had already been consumed, and the darkness was oozing up his torso, slowly inching up the spectral form of his soul.

“No… more…” Vyle pleaded to Darkhor.

“You musssst… accept your destiny…”

“But tapping into the darkness… aah! It… hurts…”

“Typical… humanssssss… afraid of death….” Darkhor then faded away. Vyle struggled and squirmed as the darkness crept up his body, slowly consuming him. It climbed up his stomach and arms, black and sticky like tar.

“I… I give…”

Suddenly, Vyle felt a soothing sensation come over what was left of him. The blackness temporarily stopped its advance. A more soothing voice began to speak to Vyle.

“I will heal you. I will make the pain stop. I will restore your strength."

“Huh?”

“Indeed I do not approve of Darkhor’s action… however, right now, it is the planet’s only hope. You are the planet’s last hope, that is. And indeed, by invoking Darkhor’s power, your human soul will vanish. That makes me sad.”

“Will you… help me? Save me… from darkness?”

Miracorn sighed. “That… I cannot do. I can only restore you long enough so that you may awaken and defeat the one who is using my power for evil.”

“I do not want to fight any more! Please restore my soul completely!” Vyle pleaded.

“If I restore you… Darkhor’s power will vanish. Emmanuel will defeat you and rule the world.”

“I will die anyway.”

“You have a choice to make. I can try to restore you completely… though I am weak now. And once I do, you will lose Darkhor’s power and die by Emmanuel’s hand. Or I can revive you without restoring completely. You will be able to defeat Emmanuel… but your soul will undoubtedly be consumed and you will vanish from existence. It would truly be your final act. I will not force you to act either way. I am confident you will make the right decision, no matter what it may be.”

Vyle paused for a moment. He thought about it. “I… I will die… but… I… will… NOT… let everyone down. I will… protect the world. I will… avenge… I will… inflict wrath upon Emmanuel!”

“Very well. The world thanks you for your courage. You shall not be forgotten.”

Miracorn channeled the wills of all who supported him into Vyle, and he could feel their wills pressing him, reviving him. Soon, he was sucked into a vortex of light. He was exiting the ethereal suspension of the netherworld. The darkness was still in the process of consuming him completely, but he did not care. He was ready to do what needed to be done.

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Emmanuel hovered over Vyle’s corpse, gloating. “Hah. I have defeated darkness. Now I, the light, shall reign supreme!”

Vyle’s body started glowing. A white aura appeared around him, and iridescent sparkles of energy shone all around.

“Hey, what’s the deal here?” Emmanuel’s face turned from a grimace to a shocked expression.

Black fire then engulfed Vyle. He was reanimated. He sprang up from the ground. The sword was still impaling him. Birdlike wings of dark matter once again appeared from his back. Embers of black fire fell from them as a bird’s feathers would. He stared up at Emmanuel with contempt.

“Huh? Not done yet? No matter. You are weak in comparison to me. Now suffer!” Emmanuel taunted as he called forth Judgment from the sky.

Vyle said nothing. Fully tapping into the darkness once again, he commanded Oblivion to come forth from underneath him. The spike of inky blackness engulfed him before converging with the ray of light and canceling it out, creating a very large explosion that sent particles of both light and darkness flying in all directions.

“It will take more than THAT… for I am the rage of the world. I am the rage of everyone you have wronged. I am the undying flames of hatred and resent that will burn forever! I am Vyle… the Angel of Darkness… and I will exact the world’s revenge… on YOU!”

“Yeah yeah, you’ve used that line before. Light will always overcome darkness.” Emmanuel responded wryly.

Spheres of dark energy appeared in Vyle’s hands as he ascended upward at Emmanuel. He hurled those spheres, each one a deadly Shadow Ball, directly at Emmanuel. Emmanuel blocked those with his staff. Vyle then blasted him with Chaos Shot. The resulting blow caught Emmanuel off guard and struck his arm. Emmanuel recoiled in pain and lost his grip on his staff. The staff tumbled and then stuck itself in the earth below, its orb facing upward.

“Now… we fight with no weapons… Vyle replied. He left the sword embedded in his chest and sticking out his back, as he felt no pain from it. Spheres of dark energy collected in his hands as he lunged upward at Emmanuel with his wings tucked back.

Emmanuel summoned glowing orbs of light energy into his fists. He was ready to brawl. The two angelic creatures then launched punches at each other with the glowing orbs covering their hands. They ducked and swerved, and flew at each other furiously.

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No such wall of light from Miracorn appeared between Gabriel and Lucifer, who were now high above, locked in combat. Lucifer was obviously at a clear level disadvantage. But he was not willing to give up. He disdained all fighting, but he did not back down.

“Tell me… cursed one…” Gabriel began as the two Litaria continued to block each other’s shots with their staves. “Why do you battle me… when you know you will lose?”

“I fight… to protect my friends… those that did not shun me. I may die for them… but I know I am doing the right thing.”

“You are a fool,” Gabriel replied. “You would lay your life on the line for those heathens, those savages? It’s no wonder you are so dark.”

“They are NOT savages…” Lucifer hotly contested, grunting from a hard blow from Gabriel’s staff.

“I do not want to kill you…” Lucifer pleaded. “Even if you want to kill me.” He then unleashed an attack he did not previously know he was capable of – the Sacred Feathers. Glowing white feathers flew from Lucifer’s wings in a flurry.

“You are more of a fool than I suspected. Evil must be purged! It is the only way!” Gabriel responded with a Gust attack, which scattered the glowing feathers. Lucifer was blown back by the blast of wind, knocking him off balance. He teetered and spun out of control for a bit. The normal-colored Litaria then took that opportunity to lunge at Lucifer. Gabriel’s staff struck Lucifer, and the shock from the blow caused Lucifer to drop his staff. It fell to the ground below, making a clanking noise as it impacted the hard surface, bouncing for a bit afterward.

“Now you are defenseless. Prepare to be purged, cursed one!” Gabriel taunted.

Lucifer said nothing. He closed his eyes and prepared to accept his fate.

Gabriel raised his staff, preparing to slam Lucifer in the head. The blunt force was the only way he could kill Lucifer since his other attacks would do very little or nothing. Lucifer’s words echoed through Gabriel: “I do not want to kill you… even if you want to kill me.”

Gabriel swung his staff… but stopped it mere inches before it connected. He hesitated. “He is willing to die for those infidels…” He then remembered a similar battle – his fight with Elder Destiny. He remembered his hesitation. He was not willing to die – but both the Gardevoir and the black Litaria that stood before him were.

“Is his cause… really worth dying for? Is mine?” Gabriel thought to himself. Lucifer remained in front of him with his eyes closed, awaiting his final blow.

“No… I must serve Emmanuel… even though he never showed me compassion,” Gabriel debated. “Compassion… it is something that beings should have towards one another… Emmanuel… I don’t remember sensing it… but within these… heathens… I can sense it… why?”

Gabriel continued to struggle with himself. He raised his staff and then lowered it.

“What if… I am wrong?” Gabriel thought. The words echoed deep within his consciousness. The words resonated as he looked around him. A devastated landscape, seemingly bleak and devoid of any compassion shown towards it unfolded below. A dark, swirling sky, gloomy and seemingly anger-filled, churned above him. Just then, his resolve, his beliefs, and his views were all shattered, like so much broken glass, and a power deep within him was released. This was the sense that all Miracle types had. It was the sense that the Litaria on Team Judgment’s side were conditioned into ignoring, the sense that was replaced by the mindset of Team Judgment. Indeed this sense, common to all Miracle-types, was trampled and imprisoned by Team Judgment. And now, Gabriel’s had been released.

“I… I cannot kill you.” Gabriel spoke to Lucifer. “I was… wrong…”

“You… are not killing me?” Lucifer jubilantly asked.

“No… I cannot kill… one of my own kind. You act as a true Litaria should, despite your… outward appearance. I know this now.” Gabriel replied. “Come with me… we shall fly down… and I shall make amends.”

“Please do not kill anyone else…” Lucifer pleaded.

“I do not intend to,” Gabriel replied, awakened by a new feeling released from within.

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Grand Cardinal Peter had been hiding behind a rock near Darkhor and Miracorn the entire time. The two legendaries knew he was there, but paid him no heed, as though he were a fly on the wall. He was bewildered on why Darkhor and Miracorn seemed friendly to each other. He struggled to reconcile what he saw with his beliefs, which had been reinforced on him all the way from the beginning of his life into his old age.

Lucia, who was also not fighting, had spotted the quivering Grand Cardinal. She ran up to him. “Grand Cardinal! Please… forgive me for betraying you! For betraying Emmanuel!”

“Huh? Oh, it’s you… you… huh?” he was caught off guard by Lucia’s pleading words and apologetic tone, and most of all by the fact that she was groveling at his feet.

“Please… I know I sinned… let me speak to Emmanuel!” Lucia pleaded.

“Emmanuel… is battling right now. He cannot talk.” Peter replied.

“Let me speak to Miracorn then!” Lucia begged. “Please, your holiness!”

“Miracorn… is over there.” Peter pointed out the legendary unicorn. Darkhor was next to it, and they both seemed to be conversing with the Elders of Telluria.

Lucia paused for a moment. “Do… you forgive me?” Please, I don’t want to be purged! She broke down in tears.

This moved Peter, and it was obvious. Another fact that was toying with the foundation of his beliefs. A frightened young lady, reduced to tears, by the threat of Team Judgment. It seemed so right – yet did not seem right at all at the same time. Their beliefs were supposedly based on love, forgiveness, and goodness and purity – yet those very beliefs have left the blond-haired teenager in front of her in tears. But Peter could not allow himself to pity her. “No… I mean… yes… I mean… go speak to Miracorn! Please leave!”

“Yes, your Holiness…” Lucia walked off crying, heading towards Miracorn. Peter sat there racked with guilt. He had shown weakness. He had questioned the actions of Lord Emmanuel. He was guilty of the very same thing that the girl walking away from him was, something so serious that it warranted a manhunt for her.

“Please forgive me Emmanuel! I shall not question your ways. I shall not show weakness! Darkhor has no power over me!” Peter shouted out, trembling.

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Janine’s Ampharos, and a couple of other Pokémon that could heal, had gathered around Elder Destiny. Lucifer and Gabriel came down and began to heal her as well. What she needed the most was rest. Meanwhile, everyone on both sides of the light wall Miracorn had created was now staring at Vyle and Emmanuel in the distance. From their vantage point, their battle looked like two balls of energy constantly clashing against an apocalyptic background. Peals of thunder came down from the clouds alongside columns of white light. Spines of dark energy came up from the earth to match the columns of light sometimes colliding and creating a destructive blast where they met.

“So, uh… how’d Emmanuel get your power? I mean you no disrespect or anything…” Blaze walked up to Miracorn and spoke.

Several people gathered around, anxiously awaiting Miracorn’s response.

“It is all right. I shall explain all that I know.” Miracorn replied.

A much younger Emmanuel stood before the iridescently glowing shrine of Miracorn. Within the shrine, Miracorn was dormant, hibernating within a white crystal, in a similar fashion to Darkhor.

“So here it is… Miracorn… the Pokémon with the power to purge the world of evil.” Emmanuel spoke, trembling in awe as he walked into the shrine and approached the crystal. It was glowing so brightly that Emmanuel had to squint. There was an inscription on the front of the crystal, as with the shrine’s dark counterpart.

“Only one who is pure of heart, an innocent spirit free of prejudice and hatred, may awaken the embodiment of light itself.” The inscription read.

Emmanuel placed his hand on the crystal and did his best to awaken Miracorn. He pleaded for it to awaken. “Please awaken, o holy, divine spirit Miracorn. Please deliver salvation from evil.” But the shrine made no response whatsoever. Miracorn still laid dormant.

It was after several minutes of waiting that Emmanuel made telepathic contact with the spirit within. “Miracorn… why will you not awaken?” Emmanuel spoke telepathically.

“mmm… aah… huh?” A faint voice responded, seeming as though it was just awakening from a long slumber.

“Please awaken, divine Miracorn. Destroy evil!”

“Who is this that speaks to me?” Miracorn replied, much more alert.

“I am Emmanuel. I wish to protect all that is good from the ravages of evil. I wish to banish evil from the world. And that is why I seek your aid, oh great Miracorn.”

“You are not worthy of awakening me. The shrine has judged you impure. Please, leave me to my slumber.” Miracorn replied.

“Impure? Why… I only wish to rid the world of evil.”

“There is much you need to learn. Evil cannot just be ‘rid’ of. It is up to each individual which path they choose. Ridding evil with force only spawns more evil.”

“But you can overcome all evil! No one would choose evil if you purge it all!” Awaken! I command you!”

A sudden rumble caused Emmanuel to stumble. “You are not worthy. No amount of telepathy will release me. You are but a young, naive psychic with much more to learn in life. Be gone from my presence!” Miracorn boomed, a tone of anger clear in its voice. A surge of light swept Emmanuel off his feet. His psychic contact with Miracorn was broken, and he could no longer sense its presence. Miracorn had broken his telepathic contact completely. Humiliated and bewildered, Emmanuel crawled out of the shrine.

“That thing sounded just like that accursed Mystos!” Emmanuel remarked.

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“That flash had disabled his psychic powers temporarily,” Miracorn continued. “But Emmanuel was determined. He eventually recovered his powers. More determined than ever, he conspired to awaken me, and to use my power for his own misguided purposes. Several weeks later, I was visited by a young girl.

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A girl no older than five years of age approached the shrine of Miracorn. She was wearing tattered white robes. Her hair was blond and her eyes were sparkling blue. She approached the shrine with a tear in her eye. She looked around, squinting. She eventually placed her hand on the shrine nervously.

“Uhh… please wake up pretty horsey.” She nervously muttered in a way only a little girl could.

The shrine made no response.

“What did I do wrong?” She spoke aloud. She did not have the gift of telepathy, and so she could not get an answer. Tears began to stream down her cheeks.

“The scary man said if I didn’t wake up the horsey, he would kill me! I’m scared!” The girl pleaded to the shrine, but to no avail.

A voice boomed telepathically in the girl’s head. “You miserable little runt! You failed!” Be gone with you!” A blue aura enveloped the girl and she began to float in the air. Someone was psychically cutting off her breathing. She gasped and choked, squirming helplessly in the air. Her face began to turn purple.

“Please… I’m… sorry!” The girl cried, gasping for air. At that moment, the shrine began to respond.

“Young, innocent soul… your wish shall be granted,” came a voice from the shrine. The earth was trembling. Once the shrine reacted, the psychic grip on the helpless child loosened, and she fell to the ground, catching her breath.

“I will protect you!” Miracorn boomed, and the shrine began to crack. The girl scrambled to get out as the shrine crumbled to the ground, revealing the silhouetted form of Miracorn. The light around it dimmed, and Miracorn was fully visible, this time unshackled. A shimmering iridescent aura enveloped its entire body, and it sparkled in the colors of the rainbow. Its shimmering silver mane fluttered gently in the breeze. It stared at Emmanuel, its blue eyes aglow with righteous fury.

“YOU! You were behind this!” Miracorn bellowed. The aura around it intensified.

“Yes. And now that I have awakened you, you WILL purge the world of evil!” Emmanuel responded.

“You are a coward, preying on that innocent child. And now I will make sure you will never do that to anyone else!” Golden spheres of light congregated in the sky above Emmanuel. Then, Miracorn’s righteous fury came down in the form of Judgment. Chunks of earth flew in all directions. But Emmanuel had teleported out of the way just in time.

“NOW!” Emmanuel called out to a group of people who were assisting him. They all had on the same tattered white robes as the young girl. Four machines switched on, one in each corner of a square. They were shaped like spotlights and pointed at Miracorn. Blue bolts of electricity came forth from the machines, and Miracorn let out a deafening neigh. It was in pain.

“Now… submit to my will!” Emmanuel called out. He was now boring into Miracorn’s soul with his psychic powers.

“I… will… NEVER… submit!” Miracorn resisted. It fired Light Spears in all directions. Several of Emmanuel’s men fell to the ground, dead instantly.

A dome-shaped force field went up around Miracorn, shimmering in pink. Miracorn fired more Light Spear attacks, but to no avail. The Light spears bounced off the force field and kept going back and forth. A burst of light came forth from Miracorn, shattering the force field. But another one came up instantly. Miracorn was weakening, with the electricity zapping it and Emmanuel attacking its mind. It was still, however, much too strong to be contained. Another burst of light energy shattered the second force field.

“Stop it!” The little girl protested. But to no available. Miracorn brought a Judgment down at the spot where Emmanuel was, but he sensed it and escaped it through teleportation. Several others, however, were not so lucky. A burst of light came forth, shattering all four of the machines. Miracorn was not about to go down.

“Backup power, men!” Came a shout from one of Emmanuel’s grunts, followed by a scream as a Light Spear went through him. Then, several more generators came on, and four more bolts of lighting zapped Miracorn.

“Don’t do that to the horsey!” The little girl cried. She ran up to Emmanuel and began kicking him repeatedly.

“Seize her! She’s breaking my psychic control!” Emmanuel called out. Several men ran up to her and grabbed her, dragging her away. She screamed and cried.

“Silence her!” The men then taped her mouth shut and began to tie her up.

Miracorn then blasted one of the backup machines. Now only three machines were zapping it. More force fields appeared one by one, generated by more sets of machines set up all around Miracorn, and Miracorn shattered them all with more bursts of light.

After several hours of struggling, Emmanuel had finally managed to weaken the mind of the mighty legendary. The few surviving men congratulated him for subduing Miracorn. The little girl had watched the whole time, bound and gagged.

At that moment, a black helicopter came down on the island, near Emmanuel. A balding man with oily grey hair, wearing an expensive black business suit stepped out of the copter. Behind him, an elegant, well-groomed feline Pokémon hopped out, with long white whiskers matching the color of its fur and a shining red jewel on its forehead. It stood next to the man and purred. Accompanying the man were several people wearing black uniforms with a red “R” embroidered on the front. Their uniforms came with matching black berets. A large flatbed truck pulled up nearby with an extremely large cage loaded onto it, driven by another person with the black uniform.

“Aah, excellent work, Emmanuel.” The man, who seemed to lead the black-uniformed people, spoke in voice as deep and imposing as Emmanuel’s. “You have subdued Miracorn. Now, we shall take the Pokémon to my labs for examination.”

“Leave Miracorn here, Giovanni!” Emmanuel commanded back.

“I’m afraid not. Miracorn belongs to the both of us. It was, after all, my funding that produced the inventions that helped you subdue it. My funded research, my trial and error. I had failed to capture Mewtwo… then Darkrai… then Kirojin… with this technology. But this time… I have succeeded.”

“Leave Miracorn here!” Emmanuel insisted. The Persian at Giovanni’s feet hissed at Emmanuel and then let out a low growl.

“I’m afraid not. Our deal was that we examine Miracorn first, then unleash its power to conquer the world.”

“And what makes you think I will comply with you, blackheart!” Emmanuel responded. “I’m only using Miracorn’s power to purge evil, and I’ll NOT let you perpetuate it.”

“Oh, so you double-cross me… Rockets, advance on Emmanuel and his men. Kill them all!”

“You don’t want to do that.” Emmanuel replied as the Rockets began to rush him.

“You are outnumbered badly and no doubt exhausted from the battle with Miracorn. It is YOU who should not defy me.”

“You underestimate my powers greatly.” Emmanuel came back.

Miracorn began to slip out of consciousness. Its eyes closed as a great battle began to erupt. Pokémon were summoned, and loud banging noises and explosions could be heard, no doubt from human inventions. Screams were the last thing Miracorn heard as it blacked out.

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“And the next thing I remember was being confined and imprisoned. I was in a physical place, underground as it would seem. I was completely restrained and confined. My powers were being blocked by something, of which I could not tell what. I must have spent over a century in such a confinement. Emmanuel had restored the shrine, or somehow made a replica. Apparently he had won the conflict with those that called themselves ‘Team Rocket’. Miracorn had finished explaining.

“Oh… I had no idea…” Blaze replied

“Such treachery.”

“That bastard will pay!” Spike yelled out.

After seconds elapsed, during which people and Pokémon who heard the story commented.

“Hold on a second!” Lucia ran up to Miracorn. “That story… I… was just about to… oh, never mind. My grandmother told me that story… It was true all along…” She exclaimed with joy. “That little girl… I’m one of her descendants! That is why grandma never believed. I… I have made up my mind.” As she spoke those words, all her faith in Emmanuel was shattered. “Emmanuel… is a fake.”

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Rain began to descend from the clouds above as a particularly loud crackle of thunder shook the ground below. It was a dirty brown rain, laden with the dust scattered through out the atmosphere. One column of light descended right in between Vyle and Emmanuel, exploding the ground below. A black spine ascended from the ground, slicing the air near Emmanuel before descending once again.

“This rain… each raindrop is a bloody tear, shed by the earth you have violated. The world is crying out in pain. Can you feel its bone-shattering cries? The world is bleeding. You have wounded it. And now it wants revenge!” Vyle pulled the sword from out of his chest. The hole was still there, however, and it wasn’t regenerating. “You will pay for what you have done to the world!”

“I’ve only purged the evil from the world. All of it – except for YOU!” And when I’m done with you, the world shall THANK me!” Emmanuel retorted as he psychically summoned his staff from below. It flew straight into his hands just in time for him to block Vyle’s sword. They slashed several times at each other, parrying faster than anyone’s eyes could track. Each of them flew backwards as they simultaneously kicked.

Both of them stared each other down from a distance. It was clear that they were about to charge at each other. Their auras both flared up, and their wings arched back. Each aura assumed the shape of a bird with glowing eyes as they prepared to charge. Then, quicker than the blink of an eye, the two forms collided. A blinding flash emanated from the collision, and the two forms flew backwards. But they weren’t done. They continued colliding with each other. Each collision resulted in a blinding flash. When Vyle tried to come at Emmanuel from below, Emmanuel would come back at him from above. Then when Emmanuel came at Vyle from below, Vyle charged from above. The two continued clashing until one huge impact, and they both tumbled from the sky.

Vyle and Emmanuel both crash-landed in the ruins of Telluria City with a thud. Blue flames blazed all around them. Burning remains of buildings were visible through a thick haze of smoke and dust that blanketed the atmosphere. They easily came to their feet.

“Die!” Emmanuel yelled, then psychically lifted huge chunks of rubble before hurling them at Vyle.

“I am already dead.” Vyle responded, slicing through each piece of rubble, busting all of them into tiny fragments of concrete and metal.

“Then disappear!” Emmanuel yelled out. He arched his wings back. Golden spheres appeared around Emmanuel’s hands, converging into a single, shining ball, almost as tall as he was. He then let loose a wide beam of pure light which warped the ground around it. It was so powerful it incinerated anything nearby its path. Vyle leapt into the air to avoid it. The beam impacted what was left of a building, creating an explosion. The shell of the building collapsed, swinging towards Vyle, but he busted through it as he flew upward.

Vyle came back once again. Dark energy swirled around his palms in a vortex. He then let loose a black beam of equal proportions. Emmanuel jumped out of the impact zone just in time as dark energy expanded out from the blast uniformly. Anything near the blast was blown away, obliterated into a million pieces. Burning vehicles and rubble flew in all directions.

Both of them were charging their beams, infused with the powers of Judgment and Oblivion, respectively. The beams let loose simultaneously and collided in midair, exploding on impact. The explosion, which completely engulfed them, did not faze either of them. They just kept firing. The two beams were pushing against each other, impacting exactly between them.

“Light… will always… overcome…” Emmanuel grunted, pushing his beam forward, exerting more power into it as it opposed Vyle’s beam. Darkness and light splashed in all directions from the point where the two beams collided.

“The world will… be avenged!” Vyle responded, pushing back. The dark beam moved closer to Emmanuel. The two were struggling. They both knew that whomever between them gave out first would sustain a great amount of damage.

“You… after you avenge the world, then what?” Emmanuel spoke to Vyle.

“Then I will… have fulfilled my destiny.”

“But then what?”

“I… will vanish out of existence.” Vyle’s beam began to retreat.

“That’s right. You won’t care after you win because you won’t exist. So why not give up now?”

“I cannot… do that…!” Emmanuel’s beam was almost to Vyle. He pushed back. His beam advanced back towards Emmanuel. The collision point of the two beams went back towards Emmanuel.

“And why not?” Emmanuel responded. “Why struggle? Why prolong the suffering of your existence? Why not put your soul out of its misery?” The impact point of the two beams began to accelerate towards Vyle. Eventually, it reached Vyle. He grunted as the beam of light overcame him. The beam engulfed him completely, and he vanished into the stream of light.

“And now, I have won!” Emmanuel responded as he stopped unleashing huge amounts of energy. Vyle was nowhere to be seen.

“WRONG!” A voice responded. Vyle arose from a nearby pile of rubble. Half his face was burned off. Most of his clothes were burned off as well, revealing smoldering, charred skin. Remnants of sleeves loosely dangled from his arms, and his legs were almost completely exposed as well. Vyle burst out of the rubble, ascending straight into the air. His wings were now larger than Emmanuel’s and were shaped like bat wings now. Black horns of energy protruded from his head. The ring of darkness around his head became a ball of red fire between his two horns. His sword was now twice as long, and a lot wider. “This is what darkness is all about… not caring what happens to you, so long as you get your revenge.”

But Emmanuel could not change forms anymore. He was at his full potential as well.

“You are not pure light… so you cannot become any more powerful. And here’s where I finish you off!” Vyle flew at Emmanuel. Black and red embers trailed him as he flew at Emmanuel. Emmanuel could only retreat and block the dark angel’s blows. Vyle swung the large and heavy black sword, no smaller than a helicopter blade, wildly around.

“No… it can’t be! I am… PURE! Emmanuel responded. He shot Light Spears at Vyle. He tried in vain to take on more power, but no more power came to him. Vyle effortlessly blocked them all with his giant weapon.

Vyle’s wings were burning off as he chased Emmanuel. The two beings were now over water. The fierce, black ocean parted as Vyle zoomed across it, creating large waves and kicking up water everywhere. Emmanuel took note of the fact that Vyle’s wings were shrinking, leaving behind that trail of embers. If he endured this stronger Vyle’s onslaught for a little longer, he knew he would triumph. He ascended high into the air, with Vyle changing velocity quickly and ascending after him, sending water in all directions as his wings pushed against the air.

But Emmanuel could not endure. Time seemed to slow down as the red orb atop Emmanuel’s staff shattered from the impact of Vyle’s sword. Red crystal shards flew in all directions, sparkling with reflected light from Emmanuel’s body. Emmanuel put the staff out to counter Vyle’s blade, but the staff was now powerless, and was instantly cut in two. Vyle came at Emmanuel with an overhead swing from his sword. Emmanuel tried to avoid the swing, but the sword came down and severed Emmanuel’s left arm. Another horizontal swing from the mighty weapon cut across his chest. A huge black gash appeared where the sword sliced through his heart. The two both hovered over the water as they stared each other down; Emmanuel clutching his grave wound with his other hand.

Simultaneously, both of them began to fall. The last of Vyle’s wings dissolved, leaving a red and black trail behind as he fell. Emmanuel spiraled downwards, flying toward Yin-Yang isle.

The charred corpse of Vyle plunged into the murky ocean. The wings, the aura, and the horns were all gone. The lifeless corpse had a satisfied smile on its face. The mighty weapon he held reverted back into an ordinary knife and sank into the ocean with him. Its polished silver surface shimmered a little before sinking into the murky, lightless depths along with Vyle’s remains.

Emmanuel skidded into the surface of Yin-Yang Isle. Still alive, he climbed to his feet. His clothes were in bad condition, and the huge black gash in his chest began to ooze black liquid. His heart was slightly visible through the slit, and it pulsated rapidly, only still functioning due to the fact that Emmanuel still had considerable power within him. His left hand was a blackened, cauterized stump. His aura flickered, but his wings were still intact, glowing brightly. He began to walk towards the center of the island, clutching his chest with his right hand.

“Must… recover… energy… must heal…” Emmanuel muttered. He began to heal, using his remaining power. His healing rate was not as fast as it could be, and he appeared to be poisoned by the sword slash.

“Emmanuel… he’s still alive!” people pointed towards him. Even from a distance they could see he was in bad condition.

Shade started to cry the moment Vyle plunged into the water. She knew he was now gone. More frustrating was the fact that Emmanuel wasn’t gone. Her crying was contagious, and several others began to cry as well. Even the battle-hardened Spike shed a tear.

Emmanuel began to recover his energy. He stretched his arms out. Multicolored spheres of energy appeared, absorbing themselves into Emmanuel’s body. His white wings shimmered with new life as he used Recover. He then flew up into the air and pounced on the crowd of people. “Perish!” He yelled out. The yell was painful for him, but he enjoyed it nonetheless. The crowd scattered in all directions.

“Behold! I have triumphed over darkness!” Emmanuel called out as he blasted Light Spears downward into the crowd, striking random people and Pokémon. One was headed straight for Elder Destiny…

But someone dived into the path of the Light Spear meant to finish off the exhausted, fainted Gardevoir. The person who took the attack was launched several feet into the air, landing with a thud and skidding several feet afterwards. Everyone turned and looked at who had absorbed the blow, and saw to their dismay that it was none other than Grand Cardinal Peter. Having been struck with the Light Spear, he had time to utter a few words.

“I… know realize… how wrong I was… how wrong we all were… farewell, Emmanuel.” He closed his eyes for the last time.

“What?” Emmanuel bellowed. HE was not happy with that. His own Grand Cardinal, the last one, died to oppose him. His temper flew out of control. Light Spears were hurled everywhere. But then, Miracorn leapt into the path of several of them, blocking all of them. Darkhor also leapt onto the scene. A powerful Chaos Shot from him clipped Emmanuel’s right wing. Emmanuel fell to the floor. He was now missing his right wing, and could not easily regenerate it thanks to Vyle’s critical wounds.

“Out of my way!” He flung Miracorn back with telekinesis. But Darkhor was unfazed by the psychic attack. Emmanuel knocked it back with several Light Spears, however.

Emmanuel flew into the air once again, still with only one wing. He used his own psychic powers to levitate himself. He began to use Recover. At the same time, a strange rumbling shook the entire island. Something was coming, but no one could see anything. No one there knew what was going on.

Just then, a surge of purple light struck Emmanuel like an oncoming train. He tumbled to the ground once again. The purple light vanished as abruptly as it appeared.

Emmanuel was the first to realize what had happened. He stumbled to his feet. “Accursed Mystos… even in death, you oppose me!” He shouted aloud.

“Huh?” came the response from several people who were watching. Elder Destiny, who had recently awoken, recalled the purple glow in the elderly Alakazam’s eyes just before he had passed away.

“Of course… it was a Future Sight attack…” she managed to convey to everyone telepathically.

Emmanuel staggered to his feet. “No matter. I will forever regenerate each time, for I have the power of light! I am your god, and I have triumphed over evil!” However, his aura began to fade, and his other wing began to fade. Black ooze poured slowly out of his wound, and his beating heart was visible to all. It was a sickly dark color now. Emmanuel clutched his chest in pain, as the wounds from the Angel of Darkness, exposing his darkened heart for all to see, began to take their toll. Emmanuel was filled with overwhelming anger and hatred, and his regenerative powers slowed.

“Please… help me… your lord,” he groaned. He gazed at all the surviving Judgment members, but they stood and did nothing, simply staring at his heart. He then gave one last pleading stare to Lucia.

“Obey me… help… your lord… and you will… be forgiven…”

“I can see into your heart now. You are nothing but evil. You pretended all this time to be a god, when really you’re just a power-hungry freak! You deceived me! I hope you die!” Lucia then ran up to him and kicked him as hard as she could in the crotch area.

“Ugh… you fool… I AM a god!” Emmanuel declared. Up at his feet once again, he prepared to unleash another devastating display of his power. A glowing orb appeared in his right hand.

“Time to make sure you will never hurt anyone else ever again!” Miracorn declared.

“Time to make you pay for the destruction of the planet!” Darkhor growled.

“No longer will you manipulate or torment anyone else!” Miracorn shouted. Its eyes glowed with righteous fury once again, and the iridescent aura around it flared up. Sparkles of all the colors of the rainbow flickered around it. “JUDGMENT!”

“No mercy for you! Prepare to be sent into OBLIVION!” Darkhor roared.

A black vortex swirled beneath Emmanuel’s feet. Simultaneously, spheres of energy gathered in the sky above Emmanuel. Then, both legendary Pokémon let Emmanuel have it. A spike of pure dark energy impaled Emmanuel’s soul. He could only scream for a split second before a huge blast of white light engulfed him from above. His silhouette could be seen writhing in pain as he was completely swallowed by the attacks.

“Nooo!” He screamed. His screams trailed off. After the attacks finished, there was nothing left but a smoldering crater. Emmanuel had been completely disintegrated.

There were a couple of minutes of pure silence. Immediately after Emmanuel’s demise, the rain stopped, and the lighting ended. The dark clouds brightened a little, and the crimson hue began to slowly fade. No more punishing beams of Judgment descended from above. There were a few breaks in the clouds, and sunshine poured through the cracks in the cloud canopy, revealing the desecrated landscape.

“Poor Vyle…” Shade observed. She remembered the times she spent with him.

“Wow! The horseys killed the mean nasty old man! Kyra cheered. It was overall a melancholy moment, a bittersweet victory for everyone. The daunting task of rebuilding the world lay ahead of them. The people remaining on Yin-Yang Isle were more than likely the last remaining mortal life. The falling Judgment had destroyed all other life everywhere else. But before anyone could rebuild the world, they had to rebuild themselves. The chaos had shook everyone’s soul to the core.

People from the Team Judgment side came over to Miracorn and Darkhor, who stood staring at the horizon. “We’re sorry… we were deceived by Emmanuel. We will never let what others say take the place of our own reasoning!”

“That is all right.” Miracorn replied.

“So… we’re forgiven?”

“You are forgiven by your actions in the new world. You must all work for a better tomorrow. Apply the lessons you have learned here. Remember, forgiveness is earned. It can’t just be granted by someone saying so. No magical being is going to just say ‘you’re forgiven’. Forgiveness is something you work for. Salvation is something you earn yourself. True salvation comes from within. Remember my words, please.”

“We… understand.” They all spoke.

Shade ran up to Miracorn, crying. “Uhh… Miracorn?” Shade trembled as she spoke.

Miracorn nodded at Shade, acknowledging her.

“Umm… the Elders over there had a suggestion…” Shade spoke, teary-eyed, as she pointed to where the surviving Tellurians gathered around Elder Destiny. Janine and her six friends were there as well. Gabriel and Lucifer were healing some of them. “They said… I could ask you… if… you could restore Vyle.”

Miracorn closed its eyes in deep contemplation. “Unfortunately, I’m not at full power. Emmanuel… sapped some of my energy, and I do not know if I can recover it. Even then… I cannot restore Vyle. He sacrificed himself to fulfill his destiny.”

“Oh…” Shade walked away crying.”

At that moment, a break in the clouds produced a beam of sunshine at the spot Miracorn stood. Darkhor stood next to it, gazing out over the destroyed lands.

“Brother… Darkhor… I feel… I must do something.”

“Yessss, brother?”

“I feel my full power coming back to me. I think I can do something now.

“Will you bring back… Vyle?”

“No, something much greater. However, this will require you to go dormant once again.”

“Brother… for you… I ssssshall.”

“I must make the balance even once again. I must heal the destroyed planet. Farewell, Darkhor… brother… farewell, humanity… farewell, all my Pokémon brethren.” Miracorn began to light up. It closed its eyes, and a bluish-white aura appeared around it. A circle of light formed around Miracorn on the ground. The circle then widened and stretched themselves out into infinity. Everyone turned and gazed at Miracorn. The bluish-white aura expanded indefinitely, engulfing everyone. Then, suddenly, Miracorn’s form vanished. A gigantic sphere, flashing in all the colors of the rainbow, hovered before everyone. It was blazing with a multicolored, iridescent aura. The sphere began to sink into the ground. Once the ball sank completely into the ground, a patch of grass dotted with wildflowers appeared. Everyone stared at the patch of grass for a few seconds.

Suddenly, the patch of grass began to expand. Grass sprouted up all over Yin-Yang Isle, penetrating the damp, rocky soil. The circle of grass expanded at a faster rate, soon covering the whole isle. A wave of restorative energy swept into the ocean, cleaning it out. The wave swept across the nearby land, increasing in speed, leaving behind a quickly fading trail of sparkles. Grass and wildflowers grew in its wake. The buildings that once stood where the ruins of Telluria were regenerated completely. Forests and rivers were restored, and newly active volcanoes became dormant, their lava disappearing as the restoration spread across the planet. The dark clouds dissipated, opening up to pristine blue sky. Everyone had to squint their eyes to readjust to the normal sunlight. The wave of restoration brought about by Miracorn’s Sacrifice eventually encompassed the entire planet, bringing it back to the state it was in before the Judgment destroyed everything. Everyone killed as a result of the power of Miracorn was now resurrected by that same power. Darkhor vanished as well as two shrines reappeared on each side of the island, each once again glowing brightly.

“Wow… was that…”

“Miracorn used Sacrifice and restored everything back to the way it was!” Blaze exclaimed.

“Not everything,” One of the Judgment members replied. “A lot of us… on both sides… are still dead.

“Miracorn cannot resurrect someone who sacrifice themselves willingly for a cause,” one of the Elders pointed out.

“So this means Miracorn is… gone?”

“Miracorn is not gone. A legendary can never disappear completely.”

“Where is Miracorn then?”

The Elders all reflected on this question for a bit. It was then that Elder Altus, one of the surviving Alakazam, replied, “Perhaps there is a little of Miracorn inside all of us… within everything on this planet, both living and non-living. That is where its power now lies, within the souls of all of us.”

Shade walked away from everyone. She was still sad and wished to be left alone. She looked out over the ocean towards Telluria as the bright sunlight reflected off the buildings. Everyone else proceeded home, but Shade stood at the same spot overlooking the coastline until the sun began to set.

Just then, a shape emerged from the waves at the shore. Shade looked out onto the shore. She could not believe her eyes.

“We can break the rulesssssss… thissssssss time… Together with both our powersssss, we can defy death, and ressssssstore sssssssomeone… from the memoriessssss they have left behind. Yourssssss in particular…”

Shade ran to embrace the figure at the coast. Sure enough, it was Vyle. His soul was restored to its former state, before the Purification Ray hit him. His body was restored to before Emmanuel had burned him with Judgments. Every last trace of Darkhor’s power was gone from Vyle. Vyle’s two Pokémon reappeared from the netherworld beside him. The two people were finally reunited as the sun set.

The knife Vyle had possessed was now on the bottom of the sea. Gone now was his old livelihood. He could now start fresh. A new life awaited Vyle, a more honest one, proving that there indeed can be honor among thieves.

~~~THE END~~~

[Sike Saner]

Eeee... I love all the destruction in Chapter 19. It's just frelling awesome. And I liked the amount of variety that there was among some of the different destruction scenes, like how Telluria's destruction had all this rather pretty imagery and had apparently very few casualties, whereas Ter'ast was described as being essentially left as a mass of broken sticks in the mud with dead bodies strewn about. Nice contrast there. ^^

I also rather like how Darkhor talks. I just do. Both with regards to the kinds of things it says and the hissiness of its voice.

...I just realized something: Darkhor has given me a reason to use the phrase "hissy horsey". HISSY HORSEY! 8D Say it; it's fun. :3

Lots of battleness (whether that's a word or not >:3) in the final chapter, which was neat. And I'd say that my favorite moment amidst those battles was definitely Gabriel's epiphany during his fight with Lucifer. I love that scene to little pieces--it's easily one of my favorite scenes in the entire story. ^^

Highlights:

Soon, the bluish-white aura had engulfed Shade’s body as well. White sparkles issued from both of them, rising upward. A white circle with what looked like ancient writing appeared around Shade and Mirlite.

Cool. o.o

“All the dead means less work for Miracorn,” Emmanuel thought to himself.

Creepy thing to say... o~o;

“Where there is light, there must be darkness. It is the darkness that gives the light meaning. This very balance of life has been upset. The power of my brother, the dominion over light, has been exploited. Now I, with dominion over darkness, must awaken. Come forth, my vessel, and release my seal, so that I may fulfill my duty and restore the balance…”

Awesome Darkhor quote is awesome.

Countless explosions sent deadly obsidian rains of metal and glass down upon the citizens.

"Deadly obsidian rains"--I like that.

That little girl who was saved by Vyle was standing in the center of a passage, crying. A second later, she was no more as a beam came through exactly at the point she was standing.

...Yep. That is quite a "Holy shit!" moment right there. o_______o

Then, almost as though to put the towering city out of its misery, a beam shot directly through the center.

I like the use of that phrase that I bolded there.

In some places, the metals used to create the buildings chemically reacted to the flames, causing them to turn blue. The destruction of Telluria City was eerily beautiful.

Beautiful, indeed. God, I love that image... <3

Bodies lay face down in the mud, some impaled by wooden planks or support beams.

And there's a nice, disturbing image.

“This is it,” Elder Destiny spoke to everyone. “It is out of hour hands now. It is up to the Angel of Darkness… and Darkhor. We should remain here for safety.

“Hell nah, I wanna watch,” Spike rebelled.

X3 I like his response there.

“You comin’ with us, Rad? Lucia?” Spike turned to the two of them.

“Hell yeah, gimme some popcorn and a front-row seat, and I’m there. Volt here can kick some ass too.” The Magnemite buzzed in response.

And heh, I rather like Rad's response there.

“What’s THAT?” Talon shouted as a white shape was rapidly approaching, causing the ground to shake harder and harder.

“Holy SHIT get out of the way!” Spike yelled. Everyone began to scatter as Miracorn charged in a berserker rage.

X3 And I like Spike's reaction there.

“I will not die as long as the world is enraged!” Vyle taunted.

I love that line so frelling much. <3

All four of them then tapped into their Dragon element to unleash their power. They had all used the mystical Dragon Dance. Several circles appeared on the floor around them, inscribed with ancient symbols. The symbols circled all four of them, invigorating them.

One of the coolest descriptions of that move that I've ever seen--possibly the coolest, in fact.

“Aww man, I don’t get to bust any more of them muthafuckers,” Spike replied to that insult, feigning disappointment.

...XD

Black fire then engulfed Vyle. He was reanimated. He sprang up from the ground. The sword was still impaling him. Birdlike wings of dark matter once again appeared from his back. Embers of black fire fell from them as a bird’s feathers would. He stared up at Emmanuel with contempt.

Cool image... o_o

Gabriel raised his staff, preparing to slam Lucifer in the head. The blunt force was the only way he could kill Lucifer since his other attacks would do very little or nothing. Lucifer’s words echoed through Gabriel: “I do not want to kill you… even if you want to kill me.”

Gabriel swung his staff… but stopped it mere inches before it connected. He hesitated. “He is willing to die for those infidels…” He then remembered a similar battle – his fight with Elder Destiny. He remembered his hesitation. He was not willing to die – but both the Gardevoir and the black Litaria that stood before him were.

“Is his cause… really worth dying for? Is mine?” Gabriel thought to himself. Lucifer remained in front of him with his eyes closed, awaiting his final blow.

“No… I must serve Emmanuel… even though he never showed me compassion,” Gabriel debated. “Compassion… it is something that beings should have towards one another… Emmanuel… I don’t remember sensing it… but within these… heathens… I can sense it… why?”

Gabriel continued to struggle with himself. He raised his staff and then lowered it.

“What if… I am wrong?” Gabriel thought. The words echoed deep within his consciousness. The words resonated as he looked around him. A devastated landscape, seemingly bleak and devoid of any compassion shown towards it unfolded below. A dark, swirling sky, gloomy and seemingly anger-filled, churned above him. Just then, his resolve, his beliefs, and his views were all shattered, like so much broken glass, and a power deep within him was released.

Again, so much love for this part. <3

“Hold on a second!” Lucia ran up to Miracorn. “That story… I… was just about to… oh, never mind. My grandmother told me that story… It was true all along…” She exclaimed with joy. “That little girl… I’m one of her descendants! That is why grandma never believed. I… I have made up my mind.” As she spoke those words, all her faith in Emmanuel was shattered. “Emmanuel… is a fake.”

*cheers*

“This rain… each raindrop is a bloody tear, shed by the earth you have violated. The world is crying out in pain. Can you feel its bone-shattering cries? The world is bleeding. You have wounded it. And now it wants revenge!” Vyle pulled the sword from out of his chest. The hole was still there, however, and it wasn’t regenerating. “You will pay for what you have done to the world!”

Another Vyle quote I like the hell out of, particularly with regards to the part I bolded there--I love that line. <3

Both of them stared each other down from a distance. It was clear that they were about to charge at each other. Their auras both flared up, and their wings arched back. Each aura assumed the shape of a bird with glowing eyes as they prepared to charge.

Another cool image.

“Die!” Emmanuel yelled, then psychically lifted huge chunks of rubble before hurling them at Vyle.

“I am already dead.” Vyle responded, slicing through each piece of rubble, busting all of them into tiny fragments of concrete and metal.

“Then disappear!” Emmanuel yelled out.

Heh, I rather like that little exchange there.

Vyle arose from a nearby pile of rubble. Half his face was burned off. Most of his clothes were burned off as well, revealing smoldering, charred skin. Remnants of sleeves loosely dangled from his arms, and his legs were almost completely exposed as well. Vyle burst out of the rubble, ascending straight into the air. His wings were now larger than Emmanuel’s and were shaped like bat wings now. Black horns of energy protruded from his head. The ring of darkness around his head became a ball of red fire between his two horns. His sword was now twice as long, and a lot wider.

Holy crap. o__o Yeah, that's yet another awesome image.

Time seemed to slow down as the red orb atop Emmanuel’s staff shattered from the impact of Vyle’s sword. Red crystal shards flew in all directions, sparkling with reflected light from Emmanuel’s body.

Cool. And pretty. ^^

“Obey me… help… your lord… and you will… be forgiven…”

“I can see into your heart now. You are nothing but evil. You pretended all this time to be a god, when really you’re just a power-hungry freak! You deceived me! I hope you die!” Lucia then ran up to him and kicked him as hard as she could in the crotch area.

...I think this moment calls for some celebration music! 8D

“Wow! The horseys killed the mean nasty old man! Kyra cheered.

That quote makes me smile every time. X3


I'm always glad to see a fanfic reach its completion, and it was good to read all the way through this once again. ^^ I've congratulated you before for the job well done with this fanfiction, and I'll do it again: Congratulations. ^^ I shall now conclude this post and depart this thread with a little bit of silliness on my part:

Miracorn began to light up. It closed its eyes, and a bluish-white aura appeared around it. A circle of light formed around Miracorn on the ground. The circle then widened and stretched themselves out into infinity. Everyone turned and gazed at Miracorn. The bluish-white aura expanded indefinitely, engulfing everyone.

Does this mean that everyone has slept? :3