Your Memories Are Not Enough

[Superkeeleybro]

Chapter 23: Lost Inside the Soul

They entered the realm of spirits. The ground was flat and grey, at least until it faded away into the fog that surrounded them. There was no sun or moon, yet a dim light shone over everything. They continued on until they grew weary. They stopped and slept for a few hours, but were awakened when Draconis began yelling.

?Stay away from me!? Draconis slashed at the air, but the others saw nothing. ?I?ll show you!? Draconis then ran off into the fog.

?Wait, Draconis! Come back,? Hurdy said as he ran after the fading glow of Draconis?s tail.

Corvon kept the others together, calling out to the two. After a few minutes of getting no reply, he led them in the direction the two disappeared.

?Hey, what?s that?? Chiro said before dashing off into the fog. Kita ran after to try and stop him, but then was lost in the fog, too.

?Gather around and watch each other!? Corvon said. The remaining four stayed close, but suddenly they each began to see something in the fog. They called out the names of the others, but received no response. Instead, the images grew clearer for each of them.

?It looks like some grass pokemon are out there in the fog, waiting for me,? Annox said.

Peoria was also looking closely. ?Hmm, that?s also what I see. Do you think we should go to them??

Lucario suddenly stepped closer to them. ?No, stay here. If the spirits want to talk to us, they?ll have to do it while we?re together. Besides, I don?t even see the same thing. I see another Lucario, beckoning me to join him. Perhaps this is all just a trick.?

?It?s a good trick, then,? Leon said. ?I see something else. It looks like my mother.?

Corvon squinted and tried to make out the shape he saw. ?Hmm, all I see is a lone swordsman with a strange blade.?

They stood and waited for a while, but got nowhere. Each felt the compulsion to walk off into the fog alone. Corvon and Lucario held the group together, but their will began to crumble. ?This isn?t getting us anywhere,? Corvon said. ?I suppose we?ll have to face the spirits on their terms.? Corvon walked forwards and vanished. Everyone else soon followed.

*   *   *

In the fog, Draconis kept seeing the figures of pokemon. They all looked familiar, then he recognized them as those he had killed. They all seemed to be whispering different things. ?Killer? Murderer? Demon?? Their whispers angered Draconis, who swiped at them with his claws. The forms vanished and reappeared further away. He tried a few more times, wearing himself out. The forms slowly drew closer and Draconis resisted them until he had no more strength. He collapsed and each figure walked by, brushing through Draconis.

As each spirit went through him, Draconis felt the pain he had caused them. In his mind he felt the burns and slashes he had dealt to so many. He screamed in agony and collapsed on the ground, just wanting it to end.

*   *   *

For the others, the fog held no malice. Peoria and Annox found that as soon as they had walked away from the group, the figures began to solidify. The spirits of many kinds of grass pokemon surrounded them, but Meganium and Torterra were particularly common. A massive Torterra stepped forward. ?Ah, it is good to see some of our living descendants come visit. What brings you here to the spirit realm??

?Ho-Oh needed someone to check something out for her,? Peoria said.

A Meganium stepped out of the crowd. ?Ah, we are well aware of that problem. If you mean to face it, you will need to learn all the grass techniques that we know. Even that may not be enough. What lies ahead is a mysterious and unknown danger.?

?We?d be glad to learn from you, honored ancestors, but will you tell us what happened to our friends?? Annox said.

The Torterra now spoke. ?They each should be having experiences similar to your own here. Spirits are free to speak with the living here. They will be fine, and you should focus on what we will teach you.?

The Torterra and other spirits around each took turns explaining many grass techniques. Annox and Peoria both practiced as they were taught. It seemed like weeks passed, yet sleep seemed to be the only necessity here, as neither Annox or Peoria grew hungry or thirsty


Chiro was also having a similar experience. His ancestors spoke to him, saying a little about a mysterious danger ahead. Instead of strict training, the spirits that came to Chiro had some ingenious games that helped improve his abilities a little over the weeks he spent with them.


When Espeon wandered off, she thought she had seen Forde in the mist. It seemed his outline was always just ahead of her in the fog, and she chased after it for days. Slowly she became aware of a mischievous laughter that sometimes came from the outline as it vanished. With this, she finally realized that some spirits had just been playing tricks on her. It was when she came to this realization that large rock appeared with an Absol on it.

The Absol smiled. ?I see you?re dealing with losing Forde well.?

?What? How do you know that?? Kita said, glaring at the Absol.

?Oh, we spirits are completely ignorant to what happens to our descendants. It?s not like they aren?t involved in a struggle to save the world.? This Absol just oozed sarcasm as he said these words.

Kita thought a moment. ?You must be the Absol that was one of the heroes? and I?m your descendant? Interesting??

?Ah, yes, you have both beauty and brilliance. I can see why Glint and Lucario like you so much. You?ve grown strong, but against an unknown force, strength may not be enough. I have a few things to teach you before I send you on your way. Oh, another great thing about this place is that only your spirit matters, so your body will not need food or water.?

Kita stood attentively before the rock. ?I see there are no secrets here, so I?ll listen to whatever you say.?


Hurdy quivered in excitement when he saw the spirit that stood before him. ?You?re? no it can?t be? are you? Ben??

?I am,? the Swampert said. ?It?s good to be able to meet my descendant. Now I?m sure you have plenty to ask, so what do you want to know??

?Well, umm, I?d like to hear your story. Even if it is legend now, I want to hear it from you.?

?Let?s see? okay, I shall tell you. Feel free to ask any questions. It began when?? Ben continued to tell his story for a few hours, answering many of Hurdy?s questions along the way. After the story was over, Ben allowed Hurdy to rest.

Hurdy awakened a bit later. Ben was looking off into the distance before turning to face him. ?Now it is time for you to listen to me. Ahead of you lies something we spirits can?t get near, so we have no information on it. It appeared rather recently, too. Though we may not know what it is, I?m going to train you and teach you as much as I can. If you just give this your best effort, everything should work out.?

?Okay, I?ll listen to every word you say,? Hurdy said. ?If I had paper I?d take notes. Before we begin, I think I?d like to ask a few more things.?

?Well, what do you want to know??

?Do you think you could teach me how to change from pokemon to human like you could??

?No, I don?t think I can. I was a special case, a person between two worlds. None of my descendants have ever had that power. Besides, there?s a lot more to being a human than just looking like one. You?d stand out immediately.?

Hurdy seemed a bit sad. ?Well, I just thought it would be fun if I could be one for a while. Their world is so different than ours.?

?True, but you should be happy with what you are. You?re a strong and smart Marshtomp, so I?m going to train you how to be better with what you have now. Are you ready??

?Yeah! Let?s get started!?

?I?m glad you?re excited. To be honest I never really trained much. Most my strength came from the tasks I had to do. Now let?s begin.?

*   *   *

Another day passed, and Draconis sat alone, waiting for his torment to begin anew. He was beginning to know each spirit. Many of them had been like him when he had killed them, merely caught up in a war they didn?t understand. The first spirit of the day, a Pikachu, appeared and walked through him, making Draconis relive its last memories.

Draconis shuddered, since he had already seen the scene several times. The Pikachu was commanded to charge the breach, and it slowly climbed the rocks, hesitant to battle. Suddenly a cold claw touched its neck. It was then tossed away, unable to breathe and sputtering in unthinkable pain. Everything went black and the memory ended.

Looking around, Draconis saw some other spirits approaching. Would it be better just to end this? To turn back and leave his friends? He wasn?t getting anywhere here. Another spirit passed by Draconis, bringing a fresh dose of pain and remorse to him. He awakened from the memory, and gathered his energy again.

?I won?t let my friends down, and none of you will stop me!? Draconis shouted as he blasted fire at the nearest spirit. Draconis continued running, trying to get away from the spirits again. As he ran, it grew warmer and the spirits stopped coming. Draconis paused for a second and noticed the ground now radiated with a calming warmth. A voice called out to him from the fog ahead.

?Draconis.? It seemed almost like his father?s voice, yet not quite the same. Draconis walked forwards towards it. A large Charizard stood waiting. ?Ah, at last you?ve made it. So young, yet you?ve killed so many. You?ve already felt the pain from them, so its time I teach you what fighting is really about.?


Meanwhile, Leon met and spoke with his mother. She knew what had gone on in his life, and it gave Leon great comfort knowing that she still watched over him. After a few days, she led him to a gateway and said that beyond it he would meet his companions and find the disturbance. Leon bid farewell and walked through the portal.

As he did, he found himself in a place that resembled a home, but with no windows. The only ways in or out were the portal he had come through and an ominous black door. Corvon, Lucario, and Kita were already waiting comfortably on a couch. The two pokemon were cuddled together, asleep.

Corvon seemed in a good mood. ?Well, that didn?t take long, just as my ancestor said. Did you have a good time with the spirits that came to you??

?It was my mother,? Leon said. ?It was nice to get to speak to her again. At least I know now how much she watches over me.?

?It seems your spirit has a more direct connection to you than mine did to me. I met with Eridel, the ancient hero. We?re related in some way, although it?s been many generations. He had some advice for me and trained me a little in sword technique before releasing me to wait here. He said the others would be along shortly, no matter how much time had seemed to pass for them.?

?It seemed a few days to me,? Leon said. ?The strange thing is that we don?t have to eat here.?

?Yeah, that makes it easy to lose track of time, doesn?t it? A few days went by for me like nothing. Someone else seems to be coming.?

The portal flickered and Chiro came through. Chiro told them all about his wild games, waking Espeon and Lucario as he talked. After listening to Chiro a few moments, everyone was beginning to grow tired, and Lucario decided to tell his story, providing the perfect change of subject.

Lucario began. ?I met the old Lucario talked about in the legends. He analyzed my fighting technique, revealing a few of my weak points. I worked most of them out by the end, and he sent me here.?

Lucario stopped explaining as Annox and Peoria stepped through the portal. They looked much stronger than the last time the others had seen them.  Peoria was the one to offer the explanation first. ?Nice to see you all again. After nearly a month of training, me and Annox have gotten a lot better.?

The others all had confused looks, so Annox tried to fill in the silence. ?Didn?t the spirits you meet train you for a few weeks??

?It seems each of us had our own unique encounters,? Leon said. ?For some of us it seemed only a few days. Why don?t we share stories while we wait for Hurdy and Draconis??

Annox and Peoria agreed, but before anyone could begin talking, Hurdy came into the room. ?Good to see you all,? Hurdy said. ?It?s been a while. My time was well spent, though. I understand so much more after talking with Ben.?

Lucario seemed impressed. ?So, you also met an ancient hero? They seem to have taken a particular interest in our endeavors, haven?t they??

Kita, who had been silent, finally spoke. ?I met Absol.?

?Hmm, that?s an interesting hero. It wouldn?t be easy to guess that you?re descended from him,? Hurdy said. ?I suppose the lines crossed somewhere with some Umbreons and then??

Espeon gave Hurdy a look that quieted him. ?Well, he didn?t explain the specifics. What worries me is the mysterious force he mentioned.?

?Hmm, I was also wondering that,? Hurdy said.

They all shared information, but it seemed that no one knew any more than the others. A mysterious force that the normal spirits couldn?t approach was ahead, and each had been warned not to continue through the black door without the entire group.

?Draconis sure is taking a long time,? Hurdy said. A short time later, a Charizard walked through the portal and smiled.

?At last, I?ve made it,? Draconis said. ?If I had known how terrible this place is, I would have not come.? Draconis told them of the torment he faced until he finally found the spirit of his ancestor. ?With his training, I evolved. It wasn?t just getting stronger, though. I had to learn to fight with pride and honor.?

?After our training, I think the rest of us aren?t too far away from evolving, either,? Peoria said.

?Regardless of our strength, we?ll have to face whatever lies ahead with what we now have,? Leon said.

Corvon stood up. ?We can expect no help in facing whatever lies behind that black door. We shall rest and hope for the best when we set out tomorrow.?

The others agreed and shared more of their stories over the day of rest and waiting. Now and then, someone would walk by the black door, but then would back away. The area near the black door seemed to unnerve anyone that stood near it for any amount of time.

The next day Corvon and Lucario stood at the front of the group. Corvon turned to address everyone. ?Now we face what is behind this. Losing is not an option.? Corvon reached out and slowly turned the handle to open the door.

[Pokemaster218]

Heh, I was right about it all. they meet enemies, heroes and even those that they loved. I wonder what the disturbance is? Any hope of a hint?

[Superkeeleybro]

A hint? Well it's not something you'd want to find...

[Superkeeleybro]

Chapter 24: All That Lives Shall Succumb

Beyond the black door lay only a path of black stone. It floated in the air, leading forwards. All else around them seemed an infinite and endless blue sky. Chiro went and looked over the edge. ?Whoa! There isn?t anything holding this up. We?re floating!?

?It looks like the only path is forwards,? Corvon said, leading the way.

They continued walking for hours and the path slowly widened until they could no longer see the edges. They soon noticed something up ahead. As they got closer, they could make out the figure of Arceus, fallen and engulfed in a ball of some strange ooze. As they got closer, neither Arceus nor the gel stirred. Whatever it was that covered Arceus, it looked about the color and consistency of syrup.

?So this is the spirit of Arceus,? Kita said. ?This slime must be what?s causing it to act strangely in the real world. We?d better try and get it off.?

Kita used her psychic energy, blasting away a chunk of the slime. As soon as the slime was separated from the rest, it faded away into nothing. The attack did not go unnoticed, however. The ooze started shifting, forming into a strange web between them and Arceus.

?What?s that?? Draconis pointed to the center, where a large eye opened in the middle of the web.

?It?s an eye?? Hurdy said as the eye began to move, noticing each of them. ?It sees us!?

Lucario suddenly pushed Corvon aside as a strand of the slime lashed out at his friend. Corvon was knocked down and out of the way, but Lucario was engulfed by the gelatinous tentacle. Corvon watched as Lucario struggled a moment and then went limp.

Corvon swung his sword. ?No, Lucario!? The blow sliced through, and the gel that held Lucario vanished. Corvon caught his friend. He was still alive, but just sat, unresponsive. Corvon dragged him away from the battle. ?Lucario! What happened?? Corvon shook his friend, trying to awaken him. ?Answer me, Lucario!?

The others were busy fighting their own parts of the thing. When their attacks hit it, parts would vanish, but it regenerated as quickly as they were destroying it. Chiro and Kita stood, destroying strand after strand.

?I?m going in,? Chiro said. ?Super Fang!?

?No! Don?t touch it!? Kita shouted, but too late.

Chiro jumped forwards, hitting the gel with his teeth. A small portion vanished, but another caught Chiro before he landed. Once surrounded by the gel, Chiro had enough time to send out a wave of electricity before going limp. His final attack freed him from the slime, so Kita rushed over and picked him up in her mouth. Kita looked around. The others were barely holding it off, and Corvon sat a little ways off, still trying to get Lucario to wake up.

Kita ran next to Corvon. ?Lucario!? She paused a moment, but then dropped the unconscious squirrel. ?Watch over Chiro. That thing got him. I?ve got to get the others out of there.?

Corvon looked at Kita. ?This thing is far beyond our abilities. I don?t know what it did to Lucario, but make sure the others don?t touch it.?

Kita ran off to the others. Draconis flew in the sky, blasting it with flame and staying far enough away that he seemed to be out of range. Leon also kept his distance, aiming for the eye with his bow. His shots always seemed to get blocked by strands that moved to cover the core. The other three stood together, fending off attacks from nearly every direction. A strand slowly slid behind them and escaped their notice. It suddenly lashed out, but Kita blasted it away at the last moment. ?Get out of there!? Kita yelled.

They began to back up as they fended off the lashings of the strands. Peoria tried a vine whip, but as soon as the attack hit the creature, it sent its own strands down the vines, and Peoria was suddenly surrounded by the ooze.

Annox yelled in rage, suddenly bursting with a white light. He was no longer a Grotle, but had become a Torterra. He unleashed a maelstrom of razor leaves, cutting away the ooze from Peoria. This did not stop whatever effect the ooze had from taking hold. Peoria slumped over.

Draconis dived from the sky to pick up the unconscious Bayleef. ?Annox, I?ve got her. You and Hurdy get out of there.?

Draconis flew off to where Corvon waited. The others slowly fought their way out of the range of the creature, which was unable to follow them. The creature resumed its vigil over the captured spirit of Arceus, but its eye continued to watch them.

?They aren?t dead, are they?? Annox asked.

Corvon checked the three more carefully. ?No, they are alive. Alive? but not waking up.?

?How are we ever going to beat this thing?? Leon asked. ?It grows back just as fast as we injure it. Maybe the eye is a weak point, but it blocked every shot I took before it could hit the center.?

Kita licked Lucario?s face, try to awaken him as her tears dropped on his face. ?Why? Why did this have to happen now? Now you won?t be around to help me with??

?Unless this thing took Arceus by surprise, then not even the strength of a god was enough to fight it,? Draconis said. ?We need something, I don?t know what, but something else if we ever hope to fight this.?

Hurdy turned from looking at their distant foe. ?Our only other option would be to consult the other legendaries again.?

?We have no other options,? Corvon said, looking down at Lucario. ?Maybe they?ll be able to awaken our friends. Let?s get out of here.?

The group now departed the strange land in the depths of the spirit realm. Annox carried Peoria on his shell, Draconis carried Lucario over his shoulder, and Leon carried Chiro. They went back through the door and the portal, but this time their trip through the misty area only took a few minutes. Soon they were back at the entrance.

They stepped back into the physical world. Ho-Oh had been up in her nest, but immediately noticed them and flew down. She looked over their defeated expressions and fallen comrades. ?What happened??

?That disturbance you sensed,? Kita said, ?It was? terrible. Some beast made up of a dark slime. It has captured Arceus?s spirit, and when we tried to fight it, any hit by it ended up like them.?

Ho-Oh now looked closer at the fallen. ?Impossible! Their very souls have been damaged. It must be a terrible abomination if it can do that. Forgive me for sending you.?

?Can we do anything for them?? Annox asked.

?Perhaps with several of the legendaries, we could. We have a meeting planned right now, for when your group returned.?

?Let?s go then,? Corvon said.

Ho-Oh and Draconis took a few trips carrying everyone down to the shore and once they were all there, Mewtwo and Mew appeared. They both looked exhausted, yet they teleported everyone with ease back to their island.

?Okay, now everyone?s here,? Mewtwo said as he floated over to his spot in the circle of legendaries that was gathered and then slumped to the ground.

?Your spots are here,? Mew said before she also took her spot.

Most the other legendaries looked worn down, like Mewtwo and Mew. Uxie, Mesprit, Azelf, Lugia, Rayquaza, Zapdos, Articuno, and Moltres all were there. Ho-Oh stood up, beginning the meeting. ?During the two weeks that they were gone in the spirit realm, we made the crystals to protect the human cities. It took much of your energy, but I ask again for your help. In the battle against the creature they found in the spirit realm, Lucario, Chiro, and Peoria have had their souls damaged. I think we have enough power to restore one of them. We?ll leave it to them to decide.?

?I believe Lucario will be the most helpful,? Kita said. ? I? no wait, we need him back.?

Annox suddenly shouted. ?I want Peoria back!?

?We must not let feelings decide,? Hurdy said. ?Peoria is the weakest of the three. Between Lucario and Chiro, it?s difficult to tell, but I also vote Lucario.?

The others agreed and so Lucario was brought to the center of the group. Each legendary concentrated and an immense power filled the air. A light shown from within Lucario, and he awakened.

Lucario got up, and both Kita and Corvon stepped forwards and embraced him. ?Lucario, I thought I might have lost you for a second,? Corvon said. ?If we hadn?t been able to bring you back??

?If we hadn?t been able to? then I would have been alone while?? Kita said as Lucario scooped her up in his arms in a warm hug.

?No, you don?t need to dwell on that,? Lucario said. ?I?m back for you Kita. We need to focus on what we do next.? Lucario set Kita back down and sat down next to her.

Mewtwo spoke. ?So what did you find out in the spirit realm? The poisonous fog spreads further every day, despite our best efforts. Alagarde, Zapdos?s village, and Rinn would be gone if we did not make the crystals to protect the villages. Is there anything you learned to help stop this??

They each told of their experiences in the spirit realm, ending with their hopeless fight against the strange entity. The legendaries each listened carefully. They had no response to the terrible revelation.

Mewtwo sighed. ?So now we have to defeat something that has captured the soul of Arceus? We need more power. Having Forde back would be nice. I propose we find and awaken Dialga and Palkia. They will be our best hope to end this.?

Uxie, Azelf, and Mesprit spoke among themselves a moment before Azelf floated forward. ?We could help find those two, but are you sure you?ll be able to convince them to help? They don?t like to be disturbed.?

?I think we should find Forde,? Moltres said. ?He has a strength and understanding that we won?t get from gathering legendaries.?

Articuno suddenly caused a cold wind to blow. ?What a foolish plan. We have no idea what happened to him. We?d need Dialga and Palkia just to find him.?

?Just think, though,? Zapdos said. ?He might be able to defeat that thing by himself. It damages the soul, right? But Forde?s different than any of us. He could win.?

Rayquaza growled. ?You put too much faith in one person. I say we attack the thing ourselves after resting a bit to restore our energy.?

?No, that wouldn?t work,? Lugia said. ?They said it didn?t seem to be hurt, no matter how much their attacks did. I say we get everyone we can, try to find Forde, and then have him help us with our plans.?

The legendaries broke down into arguing. Each always wanting shifts in the plans, or some not even wanting to compromise with the others. Mew shook her head, and then shouted for silence. ?What about the strange energy we sensed in the desert?? Mew said. ?Shouldn?t we send someone to look into that??

?Oh, yes, that. We could send our helpful little group there.? Mewtwo gestured towards Leon, Corvon, Kita, and the others. ?We?ll work on reviving the other two or whatever other plans we make, but I?m not sure if we?ll be able to do much for them for some time. Only reviving Lucario took almost all our remaining energy and we still need to help protect some other places. We?ll send them along if we can revive them, but don?t count on it happening for a long time. For the rest of you, it?s off to the desert. You?ll need this.? Mewtwo made two small white crystals suddenly appear and float over to Corvon.

Corvon grabbed it out of the air. ?What?s this?

?You?ll need that to drive off the fog,? Mewtwo said. ?Without it, you?d die quickly.?

Leon grabbed his crystal and pocketed it. ?I?m anxious to see Elomir again, so let?s get going.?

Annox went over and looked at Peoria one last time. Kita did the same for Chiro before turning to Annox. ?Well, it looks like we?re fighting for our friends. Don?t lose hope, Annox.?

?That?s easy for you to say? you got Lucario back. I know he was the best choice on who to revive, but I?ll miss Peoria every second I can?t be with her.? Kita didn?t have anything to say to this, so the two of them went back to the group.

Mewtwo looked them over. ?You seem to have enough supplies, so now just focus on somewhere in the desert and I?ll send you there.?

Leon thought of the scrawny palm trees of the oasis near Elomir?s den, and closed his eyes. A feeling of nausea briefly went over him and he opened his eyes as he felt the hot desert sun on his head.

[Superkeeleybro]

Chapter 25: New Creatures

Looking around, they  were back in the desert. The strange fog obscured things further away, but it didn?t seem to block out the sun at all. The crystals Mewtwo gave did their job, creating a small pocket of fresh air for Corvon and Leon.

?Elomir and Allia live just up this way.? Leon led the way, looking quickly at any shadow or movement around them, hoping each was Elomir.

They began walking, but soon a Flygon circled above them. Leon waved. When it landed they saw it was Elomir. Leon ran up and embraced his old friend. ?Elomir! It?s great to see you! You seem to have trimmed down a little while you?ve been here.?

Elomir licked Leon?s face. ?It?s good to see you, too! What brings you to the desert? Your numbers seem a little thin, too. What happened to Forde, Chiro, and Peoria??

?Well? Forde disappeared in a fight with Arceus. Chiro and Peoria were hurt in a battle. I?ll explain it more later. We?re here because the legendaries sent us to look into a strange energy they sensed here.?

Elomir paused and thought for a second. ?Hmm, maybe it?s related to those strange monsters that appeared West of here. Why don?t we discuss it over lunch up in my cave, where it?s safe??

?Won?t Allia get angry if we come up there?? Leon asked.

?No, she?s more worried about the creatures than you. I?ll just tell her you?re here to try and do something about them. Now, it looks like we?ll have to fly up to my cave. That Charizard could help. Is that you, Draconis??

?Yes, it is,? Draconis said. ?So we?re going up to that cave? This will take a few trips.?

Hurdy was scratching his rapidly drying skin. ?Draconis! Take me first. It?s too dry out here in the sun.?

Draconis picked up Hurdy gently. ?I?m still not sure if I give the most stable of flights, but off we go.?

Leon hopped onto Elomir?s back. It didn?t feel quite as sturdy as before. ?Just like old times, isn?t it Elomir? You seem a little more bony now. Have you been eating enough??

Elomir thought a moment. ?Well, we?ll get to that later. Now off to the cave.?

Leon, Draconis, and Hurdy stayed at the entrance while Elomir went in. He soon returned. ?It?s okay to go in. Me and Draconis will go get the others.?

Leon and Hurdy walked into the back, where Allia sat, curled around one egg and playing with a small Trapinch. She looked up as the visitors entered. ?Ah, come have a seat, Elomir says you?ve come to help,? Allia said.

Leon sat on a outcrop of the rock. ?Nice to meet you, Allia. I?m Leon, I?m sure Elomir told you many things about me.? Leon only hoped it hadn?t been the embarrassing ones.

?Yes, he does talk about you quite a lot. And you must be Hurdy??

?Yes, I am,? Hurdy said. ?Nice to meet you.?

?So what?s the little one?s name?? Leon asked.

The Trapinch had hid behind his mother, but could be seen peeking out from Allia?s side. Allia hugged it gently and set it down. It went back to hiding behind her as soon as it was on the floor.

?Yes, our first egg hatched. Since it was a boy, Elomir wanted to name it after you, but I didn?t want it to have a human name, so I made him change it a little. His name is Leonill.?

?He looks cute,? Leon said, thinking how the little Trapinch didn?t even look like the Flygon it would grow up to be.

Outside, Elomir and Draconis had got the others up, but everyone was wondering how to get Annox up to the cave. Not an easy thing to do, considering he was now over 600 pounds. They had been stuck without a solution for a little while. Kita looked down at the two dragons struggling to pick up Annox. ?Why don?t I had my own psychic powers to your efforts? Then we might get him up.? Everyone agreed that it was a great idea, so they tried to lift Annox again. Annox was set down in the cave with a thump.

?Next time, we should just leave you outside,? Draconis said with a smile as everyone headed in the cave.

Elomir went over and sat by Allia. ?Would it be alright if you share some of your food? We?re rather low on our own supplies. Hunting?s been so difficult with those creatures around.?

?Sure, we have plenty of supplies and you?re both looking pretty skinny,? Corvon said. ?I?ll get the food ready, but would you mind explaining what these creatures are??

?Well, whatever they are, they only appeared when the fog spread to here. They?re vaguely shaped like humans. Two arms, two legs, no hands. Instead of a head they have a strange mask with glowing circles and lines drawn on it.?

Allia now added her voice. ?They attack anything that gets too close to them. Their attacks pack quite a punch. I got a nasty bruise the other day when I ran into one when I was gathering food. I still have it, right here.? Allia pointed to a discolored spot on her belly. ?I killed the one, and it just vanished in a puff of smoke.?

?At least they aren?t like the thing in the spirit realm,? Annox said.

Lucario shuddered. ?That thing was terrible??

Elomir looked at Annox. ?Spirit realm? I thought only the dead went there.?

?Ah, well, it?s a long story, but it looks like we have time,? Leon said. Leon then proceeded to tell Elomir all that had happened with Ho-Oh, the spirits, and the other legendaries. During the course of the story, they finished lunch.

Once it was all over, there was a long silence. Elomir sighed. ?That?s quite a lot to think about. Maybe there?s a connection. I heard Palak and Malak had traveled a bit more into the area where the creatures live, so maybe we should go find them. Let?s do it after a nap.?

?A nap? Are you joking?? Draconis said.

Allia smiled. ?You might be fine with the heat, but I?m sure your friends would quickly get exhausted. It?s best to wait until the sun starts to set before doing much, so that?s why we have a long nap after lunch. Now just settle down and you can go out when it cools down.?

?Yes, that sun was really drying me out,? Hurdy said. ?A nap will be for the best.?

They all lay down and got comfortable. Elomir curled up around his son and wife. Leon sat next to them and smiled before going to sleep. They looked happy together. A while later, Leon was awakened by a small tugging on his cloak. He rolled over and saw that Leonill was attacking it.

?Hey there little guy,? Leon said in a soft voice. ?Do you want something??

The little Trapinch growled and continued attacking the cloak. Leon laughed, and the others started waking up. The nap was over; everyone was refreshed.

?I see that he likes you,? Elomir said before picking up the now feisty Leonill. Elomir handed him to Allia before licking the side of her face. ?Take care, we?ll be back before too long.?

?We?ll be waiting for you. Stay safe.?

In a few minutes they were back outside. Elomir led the way, leading them over to where Palak and Malak lived. They stopped at the oasis and Hurdy took an extra large drink, since he was getting dehydrated much faster than any of the others.

They set out over the sand and rocks. The land seemed even more devoid of life than before. No pokemon could be seen. They continued on, but soon ran into one of the creatures. It looked like a person had started melting and then been covered in tar. The mask that took the place of it?s face and partial circles joined with lines that glowed with an ominous green light.

The creature noticed them and began running, flailing its arms like two thick whips. Leon pulled out his bow, seeing an easy opening. Striking it squarely in the chest, the shot seemed to have little effect; the creature continued forward.

?Leon, they?re tough creatures,? Elomir said. ?Keep firing and it should go down.?

Corvon also pulled out his crossbow, and soon the creature was full of arrows from the two weapons. It collapsed and vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving a pile of the ammunition that brought it down. Leon and Corvon picked up their ammo.

?Hmm, strange creatures,? Lucario said. ?Do they have a name??

Elomir looked at where the creature had died. ?We started calling them darklings.?

Lucario looked around cautiously. ?At least these Darklings can be killed. Do they ever travel in larger groups??

?Yes, they do, usually more towards the center of the land they now infest. I?m leading us around that area, so we shouldn?t run into more than one or two at once.?

The group continued on, and Kita walked close to Lucario. He looked at her from time to time, until he decided to talk with her. ?Kita, are you doing alright? You?ve lost both Forde and Chiro now.?

?It seems so quiet without him, doesn?t it?? Kita said. ?The legendaries should be able to revive him, so I?m not worried. I?m much happier that they chose to bring you back first.?

?Ah, yes, you were the first to suggest it, I?m told. And after our time together while waiting for everyone in the spirit realm, I?d be surprised if you didn?t.?

Kita laughed. ?Shh, the others don?t need to know about that yet.?

Lucario thought for a moment. ?It?s going to be hard to hide it as more time passes.?

?I?ll tell them when the time is right.?

?It was our decision, and I?m glad we made it.?

?That?s one thing I like about you, firm and quick decisions.?

Kita and Lucario rejoined the group after their private discussion. It was getting dark now, so they traveled away from the area where the darklings were and set up camp.

(continued below)

[Superkeeleybro]

?I forgot how long it takes those who can?t fly to get around,? Elomir said. ?We should be able to reach Palak and Malak?s lair by mid-morning tomorrow, before it gets too hot. I?ll take the morning watch, so I?m going to sleep.?

?Lucario and I will take the middle two,? Kita said.

?We spoke about it earlier,? Lucario added.

Corvon got out his sword and started polishing it. ?I guess I?ll take the first one, then.?

The next morning, as a dim light appeared on the horizon, Elomir decided that it was time to get the others up. As he had been on watch, he noticed that Kita and Lucario had slept embracing one another as their watch ended. He decided to wake them up first.

?Good morning, how are you two doing?? Elomir said as they got up.

Lucario smoothed his slightly tangled fur. ?We?re fine.?

?Did you two become lovers or something during the time I was gone?? Elomir asked.

?I guess it?s obvious now, so I?ll tell you,? Kita said. ?We?ve decided we love each other. In fact, we decided that back in the spirit realm.?

?Ah, yes? love.? Elomir looked off the way they had come. ?I hope Allia and Leonill are alright without me.?

They awakened the others, and were off. They crossed a patch of dunes, and reached a new set of yellow sandstone cliffs. Elomir led them up a wash that had cut a narrow divide between the cliffs. In a few of the shadowy bends of the wash, small pools of water could be seen. After going past a few narrow spots, the slot canyon widened and up near the top of the cliff was a large cave.

?Well, that?s where Palak and Malak live,? Elomir said. ?Let?s hope they know something useful.?

They climbed the cliff to get up to the cave. Immediately they noticed this cave wasn?t nearly as clean as Elomir?s and Allia?s cave. Piles of bones were against the wall, most likely leftovers from successful hunts. As they stood at the entrance, the two Flygon came to greet them.

?Why do you have to come so early, Elomir?? Malak said, half-asleep.

Palak looked around. ?Oh! It?s not just Elomir. Leon?s here, too, and some others. Who are all these people??

?I brought them here because you two know more about the darklings than I do,? Elomir said. ?These are my friends and they are looking for something here in the desert.?

Palak growled. ?Yeah, we know the area where the darklings are.?

Malak continued the thought. ?It used to be our best hunting ground until they came. What do you want to know??

?We?re looking for an unusual energy, as Mewtwo put it,? Draconis said.

Annox walked forward. ?That seems rather vague, though.?

?Has anything new besides the darklings appeared?? Hurdy asked.

Palak and Malak talked quietly between themselves a moment before Palak spoke. ?Now that you mention it, there have been a few unusual things.?

Malak added in his voice. ?Right when the darklings came, there was a huge sandstorm.?

?When it was over, there was these strange new cacti growing in one area.?

?And in another, it looked like some strange rocks and some old ruins were uncovered.?

?We also found a new plant growing near one of the old water holes in the area, but that part was particularly full of the darklings.?

?Would you mind taking us to where these things are?? Elomir asked.

Malak smiled. ?Of course. Each day we go kill a few anyways.?

?Yeah, we?re trying to get rid of them all, but it doesn?t seem to be working,? Palak said.

?At least it makes us stronger. After all, we need to be in top shape to impress Carthia and Selene.?

?So things are going well between you two and them?? Elomir asked.

?Yes, thanks for introducing us to them,? Palak said. ?Anyways, let?s get going.?

They started heading out of the cave. Leon stayed close to Elomir, and asked, ?Who are Carthia and Selene??

?Oh, they are Allia?s younger cousins that live up in the North desert. I introduced Palak and Malak to them in return for when I sent them to help you.?

Leon finished climbing down the cliff. ?Oh, I was going to give something to Palak and Malak for helping me when I came back here, but I didn?t quite expect to come back so soon. Maybe I have something they?d like.?

?I think the main thing they?d like would be anything they could give as a gift to help them impress Allia?s cousins.?

?But you didn?t need anything to impress Allia.?

Elomir chuckled. ?Well, having a good body and an even better history worked well for me.?

They began walking again as everyone finished climbing down. They headed back through the narrow canyon and then headed South. A large open area of desert lay there, mostly filled with sand dunes and the occasional set of cliffs. Black figures could be seen in the area, both near and far.

?You must be excited to fight these,? Hurdy said to Draconis.

?Fighting just to get stronger doesn?t mean as much to me anymore,? Draconis said.

Annox smiled as Draconis said this. ?When you were a Charmeleon, you used to scare me.?

?Yeah, I was quite terrible back then, wasn?t I? My time in the spirit realm changed me, and not just because I evolved. I?m a much better person now. I fight with honor.?

?We?re going to have to go back to the spirit realm again, though,? Hurdy said. ?We still have to free Arceus, but I still don?t see how we will be able to.?

?That?s for the legendaries to worry about.?

Suddenly, a familiar voice came from behind them. ?We?re working on it, so all of you just do what I sent you here to do.?

Draconis spun around. ?Mewtwo!?

Mewtwo floated above the sands. ?I came to check if you were doing alright. Hmm? those creatures look interesting. I think I?ll take one back with me for the legendaries and me to examine. Now I came here to give you this stone. Use it to contact me if you find anything.? Mewtwo suddenly looked over at Kita and Lucario. ?I must have been too tired to sense this at the meeting, but you two have become mates now, haven?t you??

Kita looked up at Lucario. ?I suppose now?s as good a time as any to tell them, isn?t it?? Lucario nodded, so Kita continued. ?I?ve chosen Lucario as my mate.?

?I knew something was going on, but I didn?t expect this,? Corvon said quietly.

?It?s not something you have to make a big deal out of,? Lucario said. ?We have a mission to get done, so let?s focus on that.?

Mewtwo began to float ahead of the group ?Yes, focus on that. I must be off, but I suppose I?m taking a souvenir.? Mewtwo floated towards one of the darklings. He picked it up with his psychic powers and both him and the creature vanished a moment later. Everyone stood in silence a moment.

?Corvon, you seem unhappy with my decision?? Lucario said after thinking over what he had heard earlier.

?Is it really going to work between a Lucario and an Espeon??

Lucario turned away from Corvon and went back over by Kita. ?It works. Now just stay out of it.?

?I didn?t really mean it like that.? Corvon looked at Lucario, who didn?t even look back at him.

?Well, uh? the strange cacti are over near there.? Malak pointed to the closest set of cliffs.

?And if we kept going that way, we?d find the strange rocks and ruins.? Palak pointed out an area in the center of the many sand dunes. ?Although the ruins are really just some fallen blocks and such.?

?Not to mention the other rock formation over near those other cliffs.?

?And even further South is the oasis with the strange plant. So which place should we go first??

?We?re running low on water, so the oasis sounds good,? Leon said. The water in his almost empty canteen swishing as he took each step.

?I?m sorry that I used it all up,? Hurdy said. ?Even with all of it, I still feel like I?m drying out.?

They set off towards the South, easily picking off the lone darklings that came to attack them. The number of darklings was increasing the further they headed. Soon, they drew near to the rocks and ruins that had been mentioned earlier. They found themselves suddenly surrounded by twenty of the darklings.

?Stay together and we?ll fight them off,? Corvon said as he readied his sword.

Elomir, Draconis, Palak, and Malak took wing and launched their breath attacks at the darklings, bringing down a few. Leon shot a few arrows into the oncoming swarm of enemies. The darklings now were close enough that the others engaged them. Kita sent a few flying backwards with her psychic attack. Lucario was by her side and blasted a darkling away with an aura sphere. Corvon parried the swing of another, but his arm nearly went numb from the force of the blow. He dodged another blow before striking true with his blade.

Guarding the rear, Annox charged and rammed one of the darklings with his wood hammer attack. The mighty blow caused the darkling to vanish, but Annox felt dazed afterwards. Hurdy, unable to lose much water, could only use his physical attacks. He landed a solid blow with his arm, but the darkling shrugged it off and retaliated with one of its own. The blow struck Hurdy directly in the chest, and he was sent flying backwards.

Leon helped Hurdy back up and remembered Forde telling him to look over the pokemon. ?Be careful.? Leon then proceeded to shoot a two arrows at the darkling as it drew nearer. Hurdy hit it with another blow and this time it went down. Hurdy suddenly glowed with an inner light. Another darkling approached, but this time Hurdy sent it flying with a single blow.

A darkling got through the outer line and headed towards Leon. Leon was forced to jump backwards as he avoided a few of its swings. There was no time to get an arrow in. He dodged one too slow and was knocked down. The darkling kept coming, but Elomir swooped down, clawing it from behind with his back legs. The creature fell and vanished and Leon got to his feet again, his heart still racing from the fear. ?Thanks, Elomir,? he shouted.

As the battle ended, Hurdy looked over himself, he was now taller. His arms and legs were more steady and stronger than before. His fins had also gotten bigger and his coloring had changed towards a darker blue than before.

?Hey, you?re a Swampert now,? Draconis said.

?Yeah, I feel a lot stronger. This desert still is drying me out, but I think I?ll be able to last longer than before.?

Annox walked up slowly. ?Ugh, my head hurts. Wood hammer is a strong attack, but it takes a lot out of me.?

Corvon sheathed his sword. ?Is everyone alright? Those things pack quite a punch.?

Leon massaged a large red mark on his arm where the darkling had hit him. ?I think this will be a nasty bruise, but other than that, I?m okay.? He didn?t want to sound weak, but the bruise stung so much it was distracting.

Everyone else was fine, but the sun was getting hot, so they passed by the ruins and strange rocks so that they could reach the oasis faster and replenish their water supplies.

[Superkeeleybro]

Chapter 26: Darkling Battle

?I think that?s it? up ahead,? Hurdy said. The hot sun and fighting off groups of darklings had worn him out. ?But look at all those darklings. There?s even some bigger than any we?ve fought before.?

Leon put his hand on Hurdy?s shoulder. ?There?s nowhere to rest besides that oasis that?s nearby. One more battle and we can stop for a while. Elomir, why don?t you go see what we?re up against??

Elomir nodded and did a circle above the oasis before returning. ?About thirty darklings are around the oasis. Five of the larger ones, but the rest are the same as the ones we fought already.?

?We?re in for a rough battle,? Corvon said. ?We need a plan before we arrive.?

?If we can break through to the water, then I could fight a lot better,? Hurdy said.

?Okay, that sounds like a good first move, then.?

They walked closer, stopping behind a sand dune so the creatures wouldn?t notice them. Corvon made a diagram of the oasis in the sand. ?Okay, here?s the oasis. Those who can fly will circle around to this side and draw away the darklings. Leon, you?ll fly with Elomir, since you?ll be safer off the ground than on it. Everyone else will wait until they are distracted and then rush over this hill and get to the edge of the water. Since the creatures don?t swim, the water will provide at least one direction they won?t attack from. Does everyone get the plan??

Leon as the fliers took off with Elomir, circling high above the other side. Leon shot an arrow, hitting one of the creatures directly in the face, and suddenly getting an idea. ?They seem ground based. Why don?t we just stay up here and attack them??

?I?ve missed your good battle plans, even if I really didn?t do any battles,? Elomir said before unleashing a dragonbreath attack onto the crowd of darklings below. Draconis nodded in agreement with the plan, blasting each target for several seconds before it vanished. Palak and Malak twisted through the air, throwing in some acrobatic dives that almost put them in reach of the enemies.

Corvon peeked over the top of the sand dune on the other side of the oasis. ?Maybe they can just take them out without our help. The enemy doesn?t seem to have a plan to counteract flying creatures. Let?s just watch for now.?

For another minute, Leon, Elomir, Palak, Malak, and Draconis were untouchable in the sky. The flames of their breath attacks and Leon?s arrows defeated a good number of enemies, but the rest seemed to be watching and waiting for something. Leon saw no way for them to win. Victory would just be a short time away. The glowing colors of the masks had changed to red, not a good sign. The creatures waved their arms through the air, launching several black spikes that had somehow grown at the tips of their arms.

?Everyone, watch out!? Leon yelled.

The first volley filled the sky with the inch-long spikes. Each of the fliers twisted, shielding their vital spots, but were hit with the projectiles. The spikes pierced their scales easily. As soon as the spikes got as deep as they would go, they vanished, causing a flare of intense pain. Malak was caught in the thickest part of the attack, and began faltering as the spikes began to vanish. Palak caught him before he fell. ?I?ll get him out of here. Kill as many of those darklings as you can for us!?

?Elomir are you alright?? Leon asked, looking at a trail of blood dripping from Elomir?s shoulder.

Elomir growled. ?It hurts, but I?ll manage.?

?We?ll have to watch out,? Draconis said. ?Now I really wish I?d practiced more flying maneuvers.?

?It?s time, move out,? Corvon said as he stood up and readied his sword for a forward charge. The enemy had all drawn over near the fliers, so they jumped and slid down the steep sand dune and reached the oasis.

Hurdy dived into the water. ?You have no idea how good this feels! I?m ready to take them on now!?

?Watch out Draconis!? Leon warned. Draconis dodged part of a large spray of spikes, but many caught him, a few directly in his chest. Draconis growled as pain flared through him. Suddenly another spike, one shot by one of the larger darklings, caught Draconis near his wing joint.

Draconis shrieked in pain this time, his wing quickly losing strength. Each movement caused extreme pain and brought more blood dripping down his side. ?Ah! I?m going down!? Draconis glided down, twisting out of the way of another storm of spikes that was aimed at him. Elomir had to suddenly drop, causing Leon?s shot to miss as he also dodged another attack.

Kita led the group on the ground, shielding them from the spikes that were thrown. Lucario was right at her side, taking down any that drew too close. Corvon guarded Kita?s other side, slashing the darklings with his sword. Hurdy stayed in the water, diving down into the muddy depths whenever an attack came his way. He?d pop up a moment later, blasting the enemies with powerful blasts of mud and water.

?Hey, wait for me!? Annox said, finally rolling back over after flipping upside down on his charge down the hill. Annox built up speed, slamming into a darkling. Draconis landed next to Annox, crushing an enemy that was about to attack beneath his back claws while burning up another, his hot breath melting part of the sand.

?I?m going to kill them for messing up my wing!? Draconis said before blasting another wave of searing flames at an approaching enemy.

The darklings, reduced in number to about ten normal ones and four large ones, paused again except for two smaller ones that continued firing at Elomir and Leon. Their spikes retracted and their arms lengthened before they charged at Corvon?s group. The transformation gave them much more strength and stamina. They dealt with a few of the small ones with a little trouble. Two of the larger ones ran forward, whipping their arms around. Lucario jumped over the attack and Corvon jumped back, but Kita was sent flying backwards, twisting in the air and yelping in pain. Draconis and Hurdy also faced a similar attack. Hurdy braced himself and took the hit, feeling dazed. Draconis jumped back, but the massive blow caught his leg, which twisted at an odd angle with a sickening pop.

Draconis moaned and didn?t move from the spot he was knocked back to. A smaller darkling got past Annox, heading straight for the vulnerable Draconis. Suddenly a blur of green tackled the darkling. Palak was back and right behind him was Malak, ignoring the earlier injuries with a rush of adrenaline. The two slashed at the darkling, finishing it off quickly.

?Hold position!? Corvon said as Lucario jumped backwards and ran to where Kita had fallen. Lucario did not return, so Corvon dived forwards, stabbing the darkling with his blade while avoiding its flailing attacks. Corvon was quickly tiring, the sand giving him poor traction for his rolls and jumps. He started backing up, trying to find another way to continue avoiding blows. A blast of mud hit the darkling, distracting it a moment for Corvon to strike a blow directly to it?s chest. It vanished and Corvon looked over and nodded at Hurdy in thanks.

?Ha! In this water, I?m invincible!? Hurdy boasted before almost getting hit by a spray of spikes. ?Oops? need to stay focused.?

Lucario reached Kita, who sat on the ground moaning. ?Kita, are you alright??

Kita became silent a moment, glowing with energy. After a moment she looked better. ?I?m okay. I landed so that it wouldn?t hurt me or our??

?We wouldn?t want to lose that. Be a little more careful, Kita. They?re in trouble. We should get back in the battle.? Lucario helped Kita up and the two ran back to help the others.

With Draconis down, Annox faced the large darkling alone. He backed up a few steps before unleashing a storm of razor leaves and charging the enemy. The leaves distracted it, and Annox slammed directly into it with his powerful wood hammer attack. The darkling was knocked on its back, leaving Annox enough time to focus and drain it with giga drain. Annox could feel for a moment the energy that held the creature together as it broke down and flowed into him. The energy stopped flowing and the creature vanished, leaving Annox feeling almost like he hadn?t been fighting yet.

Elomir and Leon evaded most of the spikes from the two remaining enemies. They soon defeated them, leaving them free to harass the enemy from behind. They combined their attacks with Hurdy?s, killing the last of the smaller darklings. Now only two of the larger ones remained.

?Everyone take down the one on the left!? Corvon yelled. A barrage of attacks hit the darkling, taking it down. Corvon held his sword up to face the final darkling, but as he dodged a swing of its arm, the attack caught his sword, snapping it in half and sending the broken piece flying off into the side of a distant sand dune.

?Shoot!? Corvon was put off guard by his weapon breaking and was hit directly with the next attack. He hit the sand and rolled with a painful thump.

?I?ll kill you!? Lucario ran and unleashed a fully-charged aura sphere, knocking the darkling back. Lucario unleashed a flurry of spheres after the first, defeating the final enemy. He stood, panting from his furious assault, and ran over to check Corvon.

Corvon moaned. ?I?m alright Lucario, well, except for maybe my shoulder.? Corvon?s arm hung loose, his shoulder dislocated. ?Help me put it back in place.?

?Okay, but it?s going to hurt.? Lucario grasped Corvon?s arm tightly. Corvon groaned as it popped back in place.

?Ow? thanks Lucario. You and Kita are good together and I shouldn?t have doubted that. Let?s check on the others.?

?Okay, I?ll make sure Kita is fine.? Lucario walked back over to Kita, hugging her for a moment as he fell to his knees.

?I?m okay, only my side got hit, not my belly. Although maybe I should avoid fighting for the sake of??

?Yes, I want you to keep back. It?ll be easier for it to be harmed as it comes along, so I beg you to stay back.?

Kita licked Lucario?s face before he set her back down and they approached the others. The fliers all had many bleeding injuries from the spikes, and Draconis looked to be in the worst condition of all of them.

?Hmm, it looks like we?ll have to use the plants at the oasis to help heal and splint his injuries,? Malak suggested.

?We?ll help move him,? Palak added.

[Superkeeleybro]

Chapter 27: Aftermath

?Okay, how?s that feel?? Corvon asked, tightening up the wrappings on the splint for Draconis?s leg. It reminded Leon a little of a time when Elomir had been hurt.

?Stiff? but that?s how it should be,? Draconis said.

Elomir licked a few of his smaller wounds before looking up. ?Well, we can?t really move. Your wing is hurt and your foot is hurt.?

?We were going to rest here anyways,? Leon said. ?That should give us plenty of time to see the strange plant. Is that it over there?? Leon pointed to a shoulder-high green bush with thin blade-like leaves on the other side of the oasis. It had one large bud that looked tightly closed.

?I think Kita and I will stay here. She needs to recover after the battle.? Lucario sat and brushed a hand through Kita?s fur.

?I?m not feeling up for much either. My shoulder needs some rest, and I need to think about what to do with this.? Corvon looked down at his broken blade, rubbing a finger over each of the little nicks in the blade. He seemed not to be listening anymore.

?Hmm, I guess only a few of us need to go, and I?m good with plants,? Annox said. ?Why don?t just me, Leon, and Hurdy go over??

?As long as I get to stay in the water, then I?m happy. I?ll race you over there!? Hurdy dove under and the ripples of his movements quickly went over to the other side.

?Hey, no fair!? Annox began stomping around the oasis to the other side.

Leon looked at the bandaged Elomir. ?Are you coming or do you want to rest here??

?It?s just a plant, so I?ll just rest here. We?ll yell if we need anything.?

?Okay, I?d better go see what?s over there. Have a nice rest.? Leon walked off quickly after Annox, who was almost to the plant. He moved pretty fast for a turtle. By the time Leon got there, Hurdy and Annox already seemed deep in discussion.

??and I?ve seen plants like this. They need something to trigger their blooming,? Annox said.

Hurdy turned to Leon. ?Well, here?s Leon, maybe he might know. Have you seen any plants like this before??

Leon bent down, examining the fuzzy leaves of the bud. He turned over the waxy blades of the plants main branches and then ran his thumb over the waxy root tendrils that ran along the ground. ?Hmm? I?m not too much of a plant person, especially desert plants. I?d say you two know way more than me.?

?Well, I can name similar species of plants,? Hurdy said. ?And Annox can tell a little about the growth and blooming habits of this particular one, but we don?t know the exact trigger for the bloom.?

?If it?s based on sunlight or moonlight, we may have to wait weeks or even months for it to bloom,? Hurdy said.

?But why is it important that it bloom?? Leon was perplexed by why that matter seemed so important.

Annox smelled the plant and closed his eyes. ?You?ll have to trust me? but I feel a certain energy locked inside this blossom. I think we?ll find something important if we can make it bloom.?

?But we don?t know how?? Hurdy said.

Leon looked over the plant some more before standing up. ?I?m going to think over this and go rest with the others. Want to come along??

?Well, I want to stay here and think over this some more, I think I?ll go ponder it while I sit in the mud. I always seem to think better there.? Hurdy walked out into the water, burrowing down into the bottom of the oasis a little.

?I?m feeling tired after running over here and I have a headache from the battle, so I?ll just stay here too. That mud does look very tempting, so I?ll join Hurdy.? Annox went and sat in the water next to his friend, looking like a little island with the tree sticking out of his shell.

Leon left the two to their relaxations in the water. He was tired himself and as soon as he reached the shady area where the others were, he sat down next to Elomir and rested against his friend. It felt comforting to be next to his friend again and soon he was asleep.

Leon awakened in the late afternoon, with the sun low on the horizon. Some of the others seemed to have been awake for some time. Hurdy swam in the oasis with Palak and Malak. The three of them seemed to be having fun. Elomir was awake, looking interested in the water. ?Shall we join them?? Leon said, smiling.

?Ah, it?s like the old pond during summers. Let?s go!? Elomir ran into the water, creating a large wave that splashed the others.

Leon took a little longer as he stripped down to his underclothes and then ran and jumped in, creating a smaller but higher splash than Elomir did. ?Ah, this feels great. Swimming after the heat of the day, just like we used to.? Leon repeated his old trick, diving under and grabbing Elomir?s tail.

Elomir squirmed and tried to reach behind him, but Leon had already come up a few feet away. Elomir growled and pounced at Leon, dunking him under. Leon came back up, sputtering and laughing. He looked over to the others on the beach. ?Do you want to join us??

?Does it look like I enjoy the water?? Draconis said before closing his eyes again.

Corvon experimented with his hurt shoulder, wincing as he moved it a little. ?I?d better stay out. This arm of mine still hurts.?

Kita and Lucario sat in the shade on their own and didn?t seem to have noticed Leon?s call, so he just gave up and dove back in. Hurdy joined in the fun, spraying both Leon and Elomir. Leon and Elomir looked at each other and nodded. Their target was now Hurdy, who swam away and popped up again.

Hurdy grinned. ?Are you both after me? Let?s see if you can catch me. Annox is on my team.?

Annox slowly drifted away from the group. ?Umm? you?ll just catch me anyways, so I?m staying out of this. Hurdy, you?re on your own.?

?Well, they?ll still never catch me. In fact, I can probably play a few tricks on them.? Hurdy dove back under the water.

Leon suddenly was flipped under the water when something pulled at his legs. He was back up almost instantly, but looking downwards. ?Hey, my shorts!?

Hurdy came to the top of the water twenty feet away. ?Oh, what?s a human going to do without his clothes? You?ll have to catch me to get them back.?

?Hey! Give those back!? Hurdy stuck out his tongue and swam backwards. ?I?ll get you back for this, Hurdy! Elomir, you go left.? Leon swam to the right of Hurdy. They tried to close in on him, but the water pokemon was too fast. They continued chasing Hurdy for almost an hour. They finally caught him as he became more reckless.

?Alright, you can have these back,? Hurdy said, handing back Leon?s clothes. ?I have to admit, humans do look pretty silly without clothes. I can see why you wear them over those parts.?

Annox laughed. ?I agree with Hurdy. Humans are silly without clothes.?

Leon blushed and put on his shorts again under the water. ?Well, we?d better use up the last of the warm sun to dry off. And if you really want to know about people, there?s plenty of books back home I could give you.?

?Books? I love new books! You could give me any books anytime.?

They reached the shore and everyone but Hurdy left the water to go sunbathe and get warm and dry again. After all his swimming Leon fell asleep in the sun almost as soon as it began to warm him. When he was awake again, he was completely dry. He stood up and brushed the sand off before putting on the rest of his clothes. The others had already gone back over by Corvon, who seemed to have somehow made dinner, even with his hurt arm.

Corvon handed Leon a bowl of food. ?I saved this for you. With all these pokemon, I probably could easily make any amount and not have any to spare.?

?They do eat a lot, don?t they?? Leon said before he took a bite out of a biscuit. He chewed carefully, finally speaking to Kita and Lucario after his mouth was clear. ?How are you two doing? I haven?t heard much from you today.?

?Oh, we?re fine,? Kita said. ?We had a little scare, but our egg should be fine.?

Lucario played with Kita?s tail. ?We?d both be devastated if we lost that. I don?t even like thinking about it.?

?We?ve been thinking about names while we rested today. Our little Eevee will sure be a cute one.?

Leon felt nervous talking about something he didn?t really know anything about. ?Uh, maybe you should ask Elomir for advice now that he?s a parent.?

?We?re making you nervous, aren?t we?? Kita asked. ?Any particular reason why??

?No, not really.? Leon didn?t really feel like explaining the complications with royalty and marriage.

?Well, okay,? Kita said.

Elomir walked closer. ?Leon, are you going to finish that??

?Of course I am.? Leon sat down and looked over the lake. Even if adventuring was hard, it was simple in its own ways, and Leon liked that. Life was going to be more complicated after this was over, that much was certain. The only complicated thing now was the puzzle of Arceus, the spirit realm, and the puzzle here in the desert. Mysteries without an answer.

?Hurdy can do the dishes,? Corvon said. ?He?s perfect for the job.?

?Okay, I?ll have them cleaned up in no time.? Hurdy took the bowls and pot and went to clean them. He returned about five minutes later and handed them to Corvon.

Corvon packed the dishes away. ?Okay, now anything else to discuss before we decide who gets what watch??

?Not really,? Leon said. ?When we find something important, I sure we?ll know.?

The others volunteered for their watches and the night seemed almost too quiet after the long journey and battle they had been through. Leon was up early, making the breakfast. As Leon got some water, he noticed Hurdy was still out in the oasis, so he called out to him.

?Didn?t you get any sleep after your watch?? Leon asked.

Hurdy swam up slowly. ?Well, no? I didn?t. I?m not tired though. I wanted to stay awake because I was thinking about things. Nothing important, though.?

?Well, breakfast is just about ready, so why don?t you come help me finish it??

Hurdy agreed and soon the breakfast was done. Everyone ate quickly, and Corvon stood up. ?My shoulder is feeling much better, but my sword is still broken. I don?t have the right tools to fix it. I think we should try to get some help from Mewtwo before trying to take on any more large groups of darklings.?

?My wing bled again when I tried stretching it a little. I don?t think I could fly with it yet,? Draconis said. ?I feel ashamed to be holding the group down, but we?ll have to stay here for at least another day.?

Lucario stood up. ?Actually, we have a second problem. Kita?s injury was worse than she thought after we checked on it some more. We?re worried about our egg. What if it got hurt??

?We decided that I should move as little as possible, in case something did happen,? Kita said from where she was lying on the ground.

Palak looked over Kita. ?That sounds terrible? a damaged egg??

Malak was right next to him, as always. ?Is there anything that can be done if it is??

?Looks like resting will be for the best. I wished I knew more to help you,? Elomir stated.

?Looks like all we can do is pray that the egg is okay,? Lucario said. ?With my aura sense, I at least can tell there is some life.?

?At least we have a little hope with that.? Kita closed her eyes.

It was agreed to rest for at least one more day, so the injured spent most the day sleeping. The younger and less injured once again enjoyed some games in the water. Night came and dinner passed uneventfully. Only when everyone was getting ready to sleep did Mewtwo and Mew finally appear.

?Ah, here you are!? Mew seemed relieved. ?We sensed that your group hadn?t moved all day, so we were beginning to worry. Yet here you are, safe and sound!?

?But not uninjured?? Mewtwo muttered. ?Seems like it was a tough battle.?

Corvon pulled out the two pieces of his sword. ?Yes, it was. We could use your help and knowledge to fix a few things, like this sword.?

Lucario jumped up. ?Wait, first, me and Kita need your help.?

?And I guess I?ll just wait?? Draconis said.

Mew looked over all of them. ?Well, the sword will be easy enough, but we can?t do quite so much for injuries here. Maybe we should head back to the island a bit and get some of our medicines there??

?Those aren?t easy to get, though. Are we sure they need them?? Mewtwo asked.

Mew frowned. ?Oh, quit being difficult, Mewtwo. We need them as healthy as possible, especially with all the things the other legendaries have been finding.?

?Oh, fine then, let?s go.? Mewtwo waved a hand through the air, creating a glowing circle on the ground.

?We?ll deal with things at our island, and then can return you here if you wish.? Mew closed her eyes, adding her own power to the circle. Everyone felt a sudden jolt and a pulling feeling and the desert vanished in an instant and was replaced with the island.

?Okay, now what exactly is wrong with Kita?? Mew asked.

Kita remained laying on her side, even after the teleport. ?We?re worried about my egg. It may have been harmed during the battle. That?s why I haven?t been moving.?

Mew landed and placed a paw on Kita. ?Well, I?d better deal with this then. Mewtwo wouldn?t nearly be as good with things of this nature. He can help the others.?

Mewtwo smiled in a strange way. ?I thought you taught me enough about such things so I could do things like this.?

Mew glared back at Mewtwo. ?That?s only for emergencies, now shoo! Go help them instead of arguing with me.?

Mewtwo turned to look at the others, leading them a little ways away from Kita, Lucario, and Mew. He silently looked over Draconis?s wing and placed an arm to his leg for a moment and then moved on the look at the two pieces of Corvon?s sword. Finally he spoke. ?Well, the sword is easy to fix, although I could just get you a new one. I can help speed up Draconis?s own healing with my powers, which should fix his wing quickly, but not his leg. I should also go get those medicines.?

Corvon looked coldly at Mewtwo. ?I have a lot of history with this blade. I?d never feel comfortable with a replacement.?

?It was custom-made for you? you paid for it with your own money, too?? Mewtwo said. ?Okay, I can see why now after looking through you mind a bit.?

?What about me? ?With your healing I could at least move around, so let?s get started!? Draconis said.

?Okay, but it will take a while and you?ll have to rest.? Mewtwo began, and both he and Draconis glowed. Draconis curled up on the ground and fell into a deep sleep. With this done, Mewtwo turned to Corvon. ?Okay, fixing this is easier. Just give me both halves.? Corvon handed the blade to Mewtwo who concentrated again. The blade floated in the air. ?Hmm? this will be easier if we borrow some fire from our friend?? Mewtwo focused on Draconis again, who stirred a little and shot a jet of flame out with a yawn before settling down again. Mewtwo caught the fire, forming it into a sphere that he placed around the break in the sword. The middle of the sword began to glow white hot and Mewtwo held both his hands out, twisting them as he began to sweat a little. The fire slowly vanished and the blade was whole again.

The blade landed in front of Corvon. ?It?s done, but wait for it to cool down,? Mewtwo said. ?I?m going to need to rest a little bit myself. Been doing too much, lately. We?ll have to tell you more about that later. I can?t go too far from Draconis if my powers are going to help him, so I?ll rest right here I guess. Have Mew get medicine for your smaller injuries once she finished over there.? Mewtwo landed on the ground, resting against a tree, keeping one hand on Draconis.

?Thanks, Mewtwo. I?d feel a bit empty without this blade. You earned this rest.?

Mewtwo, not quite asleep, made a grunt of acknowledgement.

?Not much for us to do either, I suppose,? Leon said. ?Let?s get some rest.?