Authors' Note: If there are any questions, please leave a review and we will do our best and try to answer it!



Disclaimer: We don't actually own Pokemon.

Chapter One: In The Beginning

A small pool, out on an isolated island unknown to all except the sacred ones, was filled with freezing, crystal-clear water. Twelve multicolored rivers, all rippling in the golden sunlight, flowed from this pond into the sea. Each riverbed was filled with peculiar stones of all shapes and colors, and glowed with tremendous power, surprising for such insignificant objects.

Other than the rivers, this tiny island's only decorations were several patches of small, colorful flowers and an old, stooped willow tree that resided in the middle of the pond. Its pale green leaves were soft and their pinnate forms glowed in the golden sunlight, and the island moved soundlessly and smoothly along the saltwater around it as if adrift.

This island, in fact, was not connected to the bottom like all the other islands and great continents. It hovered on the topmost layers of the ocean, and moved like a mirage―sometimes here, sometimes far away, sometimes nonexistent. This was the very reason why no Pokemon had yet seen this soulful island.

And why was this island so special?

Far, far under this tiny island, a great, mystical being rested among the murky waters of the deep ocean, in a crystalline cave whose image wavered like heat waves. This great being could be recognized as a dragon, or a large bird. Being a bit of both, this giant of power spent most of its days in slumber. Its pale white body was submerged in the crystalline light its environment gave off, giving it a fearful luminous glow which all aquatic Pokemon had learned to stay far away from.

This Pokemon, neither a water nor dragon type, was a legendary. A god, as the mortal Pokemon would reverently murmur in hushed tones. There were many gods and goddesses in this Pokemon world, and many more minor deities and mythical beings who were not as revered as those gods and goddesses.

The god, commonly known as the Guardian of the Seas, was also the Guardian of the Seer.

And the island above, a creation by the Guardian, was the Birthplace of Prophecies.

And on this island, resting in the willow tree, was a creature known to travel through time.

It is known as the Seer of Prophecies.

The Seer of Prophecies was a strange being. It resided nowhere and everywhere at once. Time, after all, was very fluid. For now, it was calmly meditating in the willow tree. The brilliant sunlight casted warm rays against its pale green skin, and the dark marks around what were its eyes seemed to hide many, many secrets. The Seer's translucent wings fluttered in the breeze. It was a genderless creature, one among the few Immortals that are genderless.

The Seer of Prophecies wasn't the controller of Time. That belonged to another god. A greater Immortal. But this Seer knew Time. It knew the Past. The Present. The Future. It often flew from one timespan to another in order to prevent disaster. That was its job. And that was why it was named the Seer of Prophecies.

Naturally, this mythical and magical being did not have power greater than many of the other Immortals that lived in this world. That was why it merely transmitted waves through time, where it could be sensed by other beings. Some mortals had the ability to sense its warnings, and of course, the Guardian below the Seer's island could sense it as well.

The dragon-bird legendary stirred in his underwater cave uneasily. The indigo plates and spikes that adorned his body lifted and settled down in his unease. Something dark and forbidding was submerged in the depths of time, which held violent currents and rapids much like the water in the real world.

His subconscious stirring, the god raised his white head, which was decorated with two long, dark blue spikes―almost invisible in the crystalline waters. His dark eyes opened warily, and with a great sigh he stretched his stiff white wings, unconsciously whipping up a massive storm far away from the island. He turned his attention quietly to the island that he had made, so long ago. The willow tree was bending slightly as the Seer wandered about in agitation. A dark, ominous sign. The god narrowed his eyes and directed his consciousness to flow through the different levels of the sea and land on the island to see what had happened.

The water drops from an earlier rainstorm had not yet evaporated from the willow tree, whose age was much, much older than any Pokemon could guess. They fell slowly into the pool, every sound loud and clear. And as every drop created a ripple, the god far below and the Seer in the willow tree remembered the history of the world together. From the past... to the present.

Splish.

In the beginning, this newborn world had been empty. Silent. Dark. The universe centered around a single glowing egg that seemed so insignificant to the vast darkness around it. This was the birth of the first and ultimately the strongest God. As he woke and reared forth from the small prison that had trapped him since a time lost in the past, the entire universe was lit and flooded with pure energy that had never been seen before. This small globe of energy, though relatively small compared to the dim and horrifyingly gargantuan galaxy around it, was a main factor in the Creation.

Splash.

Slowly, though surely, more gods, goddesses, minor gods, minor goddesses, and mythical deities began to emerge from the darkness. The first two, created by the Ultimate God, were the dark twins of devastatingly great power. One of the twin gods, gracefully indigo with a diamond armor of silver and stripes of light blue, came into existence with a thundering roar. Thus, Time began to flow, much like the twelve rivers that flowed on the small island with the willow. The other twin, rose-colored and silent, was born timidly and quietly. Yet unknown to his twin, he was bitterly unwilling to be outdone by its twin. Lashing out with a brilliant magenta blade of energy, the rose-colored twin lunged at his brother. The blade of energy, meant to wound the Time God, was stopped by the blue twin's temporal power and instead shattered into a thousand shards of bright light and energy, scattering in every direction. Then, Space was created.

Sploop.

For ages, while the Ultimate God perfected his universe even further by creating a new mythical being―the First Goddess, a pale pink Pokemon inferior in size to her great brothers―gentle of heart, who, in her turn, would one day create the first mortal Pokemon, the two twins fought. Space and Time clashed against each other in rose and azure beams of light that wound itself through the entire universe. Equal in power, yet struggling to become dominant over the other, the two gods fought a terrible battle as the First Goddess watched on helplessly. She felt that she, of all Pokemon, must do something. Yet she had not matured enough to wield a power greater than her two elder brothers. She tried to comfort herself by synthesizing the damaging bursts of stray power and transforming them into small black creatures―the first Pokemon with no great power or immortality: Unown.

Splip.

While the lone goddess played with her creations, frisking about the dark recesses of the galaxy and creating more Unown from the power of her brothers' battle, the Ultimate God saw that the two dark twins must not battle anymore, lest the entire universe be destroyed. With his powers, he created new dimensions. The Ultimate God banished the blue twin to a dimension made by Time, of Time, for Time. The rose twin was exiled to another dimension that knew only the fabric of Space. Then, to support those two dimensions and ensure that the blue and magenta twins would never clash in battle again and tear the thin, delicate fabric of the newborn world, the Ultimate God created a third god that could control Matter―or, as the young Goddess playfully spelled out with a language she had made up by using her Unown―Antimatter. Wielding his massive power, the Ultimate God created a third being, a young, moody God who would control Antimatter, ultimately balancing out his elder brothers' dimensions.

Splerp.

Peace finally reigned in the empty dimension that now only contained the young Goddess, the newborn God of Antimatter, and their father. The Ultimate God saw this to be fit to his image and prepared to surrender to slumber. But the now lonely and sad young Goddess gently whispered to her father that she wished to find herself company. Yet still, her powers were not great enough to do so. Reluctantly, the father gave her a power that allowed her to unleash her brothers' powers. After giving up the key, the father resumed his slumber.

Drip.

The rose and azure twins fought immediately as soon as their sister released them from their dimensions, and this time, the young dark god joined in. The battle was violent and beams of powers shot everywhere as the equal beings fought. But this was all according to the young goddess' plans. This new, second clash of power, joined by the dark god, succeeded in creating Matter. Planets and the main planet that would one day be named Earth came into existence.

Drop.

The Time and Space twins were suddenly satisfied. They saw how strangely their destructive powers could flow together and created such order out of chaos. Determined to, for once, use their powers for the greater good, the twins worked together and created a wonderful new world on the planet the young goddess called "Earth". Life flourished on the planet. Now satisfied, the two twins retired to their respective dimensions, content at last. Things would've been peaceful, yet, the youngest god, still riven by the wild battles fought earlier, was unsatisfied. Stretching out all his wings, which would morph into tentacles at his will, he roared and moved towards the newly life-filled galaxy, thirsty for destruction. Hungry to consume power, he focused his aim on his happy sister.

Plish.

The young goddess screamed for help as her dark, younger brother overpowered her so easily she might as well have not been in his way at all. During her futile attempt to protect her new planet, the Ultimate God woke up. Though he was surprised at the change of scenery, it did not take him long to spot the trail of devastation left behind by his youngest son. The Ultimate God borrowed the rose twin god's powers of Space and teleported in front of his precious daughter just before the son dealt a devastating blow that would've ultimately been the sister's demise. But to the Ultimate God, the blow had as much force as a drifting feather. Angered that his youngest son, created to maintain and balance the powers of his brothers, would rise against the father himself, the Ultimate God banished him to a dimension known as the Distortion World, where he hoped that the moody god would be able to focus his work on balancing his brothers' dimensions.

Plosh.

All crisis averted, the young goddess and the Ultimate God began working together. The goddess created new beings of lesser power and mortality. The Ultimate God created three new immortal beings, hatched from the same egg. He blessed them with the powers over Willpower, Emotion, and Knowledge. The three new goddesses, the first Minor Immortals, would bestow fragments of their abilities on the mortal beings that roamed the brand-new planet. The young goddess created mortal duplicates of herself and allowed them to roam and evolve into other beings on the delicate planet.

Plash.

And so, life came to the once-barren universe. Minor goddesses and gods sprung forth, being formed from great recesses of power. Major gods and goddesses were born with greater powers that enormously contrasted that of their minor cousins. Almost every great place of power gave birth to Immortals that would control it. Even Life itself formed a beautiful god who would represent the living, while Death created a mysterious goddess who would represent the dead. More and more Immortals sprung forth, and their battles against each other would help form the young planet. Satisfied, the First Goddess created an island and slumbered, awakening occasionally only to play and wander the world.

Plop.

The world soon expanded and shaped to a point where it was almost perfect. As soon as most of the Immortals went into their own respective slumbers, the population of mortal Pokemon started to flourish and create their own civilizations. Many eras passed: Iron, Glacial, Tribal, Enlightened, Mystery Dungeon, Dark, and so forth. The positive and negative auras that emitted from the legendary Immortals would often shape the histories of the mortals. For instance, the major Celestial Goddess of Dreams would often clash with the minor Lunar God of Nightmares. Those clashes were common during a certain era, but soon the major goddess suggested a truce with the minor god, and after signing a compromise, the two disappeared from the mortal Pokemon's sights, opening the way to a new era.

Ploop.

After the last traces of the Immortals stopped influencing the world immensely―though mystical beings like the deity that represented Music and Dance continued to teach mortal Pokemon the way the arts―the mortal Pokemon began to change the world themselves. Those mortal Pokemon were very much like their elder cousins. There were ones with positive auras; ones with negative auras. Some Pokemon, much like the dark god of Antimatter, became corrupted. Other Pokemon, like the young Goddess of Creation, rose up to face the corrupted ones. Between them, the civilizations of mortal Pokemon rose and fell. Rose…

Pitter.

And fell.

Patter.

Such an empire was slowly extending its reach across this world of Pokemon. A legion of Pokemon who controlled the dark forces that were unseen by the others until it was too late. They started out good, as all groups do, but slowly, steadily, they grew corrupted. Hungry for power, they started a conquest to control all Pokemon. And they were succeeding.

Plash.

This force used to be the savior of all Pokemon. The knights of justice.

Splatter.

But that was the past. It is no longer this way now.

Plish.

They used their powers and the faith that other Pokemon had in them to overwhelm the world and create it as their own image. Their name used to make one happy, because they used to represent justice. Rights. Light.

Plosh.

But no longer. They have fallen into the dark. At least, most of them did. Some still tried to represent justice, but like candles on a windy day, they have eventually flickered out. But the others?

Plip.

Drowned by their own greediness. Lost their sense of justice. They are no longer the knights of integrity, but the dark chevaliers of nightmares.

Plop.

They are known as the Shadow Force.

Splash.

And soon…

Splish

A deal would be struck, shaking the foundation of legitimacy to its root. The world would be wrapped in shadows. And only one Pokemon would gain from this.

Sploop.

Who was he?

The Seer's consciousness stared into the pool. The ripples from the water drops had formed a single face, with arctic blue eyes, and a body made of white smoke as bright as snow, red like scarlet blood, and pure black... like shadows.

In a temple near the Turnback Cave…

A translucent gray dragon slithered above several glowing orbs that had the ability to project his image from the Distortion World to the mortal world. His golden plates, black tentacles, and red stripes glowed darkly with power as he swirled around a cautious Darkrai, who was nervous of a certain plan, yet he was sure it was the right thing to do.

Darkrai had done something no legendary, major or minor, had ever done before. He had been elected by the Pokemon as the Supreme Leader―the boss of the mortal world. The one in charge of all advances―technical, financial, and emotional.

Yet doubt and uncertainty still prickled him. Should I make so many changes so soon? He thought warily. He nodded his head, trying to shake away his unease. He was certain this was the right thing to do. It was the first step of the staircase that would lead to a brilliant future he had seen for himself and all mortals.

He looked up at the flying dragon, still hesitating.

"Will I truly become what you promised me?" Darkrai asked, hopeful of what he had been promised. For so long, he had raged over his rank as a minor legendary. A minor god, when his counterpart was a major goddess; when his counterpart was worshipped as a great celestial being that every Pokemon had loved. Darkrai, driven by his hatred for the moon goddess, had long forgotten what it felt like to serve the mortals. But now, he could imagine a world where every Pokemon was happy, was equal. It would be the greatest empire that had ever been form in history. And he was sure that it would last forever, with the Pitch-Black Pokemon as its centerpiece―an undying immortal, controller of great mysteries many other, fragile Pokemon feared to know.

Giratina's eyes glowed, lamplike. He had long suffered as well, trapped in that dimension where there were no other living beings to talk to. The First Goddess, Mew, had been caring enough to build a shrine where he would be able to spectate the mortal world from. Yet, the dark dragon's hunger was not yet succumbed. He had a plan, different from that of Darkrai's, but pretty much equalling to the same things - a world of no segregation, an image of himself, where everybody could be happy despite being different.

Giratina paused before speaking in his echoing timbre. "Of course, you can be a great being of all power, no matter who you, who you've been, what you've done, and how you've acted. There is always a chance to change. Just sign the contract, and you will have all you have been promised." Giratina spoke the words carefully. He knew he mustn't scare Darkrai. In the land of shadows, the many fearful objects that lurked there scared away even the bravest ones. But this Pitch-Black Pokemon seemed to have the courage to keep on talking to him. Perhaps it was because he was a minor god and could not die. But Giratina wisely refrained from speaking those words. He decided that he would treat Darkrai the way he would treat an equal being of power. This was the start of a new era, after all. An era of shadows and hope.

"You will hold up your part of the deal, helping me win at any cost?" Darkrai questioned, not because he suspected Giratina, but because his past experiences of being abandoned and backstabbed had given him more than enough lessons to be suspicious.

"Of course, as long as you sign the papers." Giratina's eyes gleamed. One of the greatest deals would soon be struck. He would gain, Darkrai would gain. It would benefit both of the dark Pokemon...though Giratina had more cards to play than the other, minor god, he thought, had.

"Very well then," Darkrai said, with a bit of excitement in his voice, "I will comply." He had not felt so excited since his last battle with the Goddess of Dreams - his counterpart Cressalia. He was sure of great things to come. All doubt vanishing from his mind, he proceeded to make the final act that would celebrate the new beginning.

The minor god dipped a Honchkrow feather into the inkwell, the traditional way a formal document should be signed, and inscribed his name in a firm, loopy cursive. The deal was sealed...

Several days after…

Darkrai took to the stage, hopeful of his winning luck, as he needed it now more than ever. He had promised his supporters something grand, but this was about to shake this land to the core. Never in history had an event like this unfold―a legendary, taking the role as the leader of the world, quite literally. Many protesters had tried to provoke and trouble Darkrai during the elections, but they had all failed. There were still several military complications in some other regions, but here, in Unova, there were none. Darkrai had resolved to solve the problems in the other regions, but the with the moment in Unova at hand, he did not pass up a chance to display yet another item from his plan. An item that would make every Pokemon finally equal.

"I, as the now elected representative of this grand province, now declare my first act as 'the Pokemon' in charge." Darkrai spoke as confidently as he could, trying to let his audience see that he wasn't afraid of anything. In the crowd, he could see several of his closest supporters - a Staraptor, Greninja, and….He scanned the crowd, then realized with a sinking heart that one of his closest friends wasn't there. It wasn't like he had been expecting him, since that Pokemon hadn't contacted him since their separation many years before, but he had hoped that his best friend would come.

Yet, his hopes were dashed when he saw the empty seat beside the Staraptor.

Darkrai took a deep breath, feeling the Odd Keystone which contained a Spiritomb, his trusted advisor, in his pocket. Reaching his hand out for a new bill he wished to pass, he was rewarded with a sheet of parchment from a smartly groom Chatot by his platform. The crowd let out a startled murmur as the document became visible to them. Never had a Supreme Leader tried to pass a bill within 48 hours of their becoming of title, let alone a mere ten minutes after.

But Darkrai was more ambitious than any of the former leaders. And he was not just a normal Pokemon. He was the one and only Darkrai, Conjurer of Nightmares, Emperor of the Dark. He was not your normal Pokemon. He did not share your normal thoughts. He was, in a very extreme and peculiar way―different. But different was good. Different meant change, and Darkrai intended to change many things.

"This document shall change all of our lives for the best. We... as a whole... shall honor the ones who control the unseen as a requirement by law. Yes," He paused, smiling strangely. The crowd murmured to themselves, shuffling uneasily, unsure of what he was mentioning. Darkrai addressed their concerns. "Yes, the Ghost and Dark types. The ones who are closely linked to the unseeable, and the ones who have lived under our shadows, should be welcomed to any occasion as a guest of honor and great power for anything."

He let his words settle down on the Pokemon. He was surprised at their hesitation. Surely they, like him, had seen how badly the Dark and Ghost types had been treated. He could not imagine any better way to push for equality by first demanding respect for those innocent Pokemon.

Much of the crowd gave indistinguishable murmurs, some of disgust, some of consideration. There were a few exuberated cries from around, some from Dark and Ghost types, while others came from the loyal followers of Darkrai. Others in the crowd were just plain confused by the whole thing that had just gone down. Still others pokemon in the crowd were getting up, as if to "hastily" stop what they thought was Darkrai's pure nonsense.

Darkrai looked at the crowd hopefully, needing just a few more supporters for this to work; he had at least half of this province on his side already. He was happy though, and when the crowd seemed to start to partially agree, he let out a sigh. He was positive that, when the Pokemons placed their vote, the bill would be passed.

We will have the time of true power soon. Just you wait Giratina, he thought darkly, just you wait...

Far away, in Nuvema Town, just a day after…

"What do you mean the bill can't be overwritten?!" yelled a Pokemon in a secluded hideout. He had two strong, black paws with sharp claws. He had a silver spike protruding from his cream-colored fur and from the backs of each paw. His jagged blue tail whipped around angrily and his red eyes glowed. He was very outraged by the entire thing that had just gone down like Deoxys' meteorite. He was a Lucario named Ralph, the leader of a small group of pokemon that was against the government, the Shadow Force, and especially against Darkrai becoming the leader.

"Ralph, I have read this bill multiple times, " his adviser, an elderly Kricketune, replied anxiously, "IT CAN NOT BE OVERWRITTEN!" she emphasized firmly.

"If this so-called 'bill' cannot be overwritten, Charlez, the ghost and dark types might as well start enslaving the rest of us!" Ralph growled. He was angry at his powerlessness to overwrite the bill. He imagined Darkrai laughing at him. Did you think that you could stop me from gaining the ultimate power to rule the world? Ha!

In fact, Darkrai knew nothing about Ralph. He was not aware Ralph's protesting group even existed, since they were quite small in numbers and very insignificant compared to Darkrai and the Shadow Force - which contained Darkrai's loyalest followers and also happened to be the nation's main military force.

However, Ralph, in return, had no idea Darkrai didn't know and didn't care much about his existence. His group of loyal protesters, who were against having an immortal as the Supreme leader, seemed to him as an immense group filled with pride. Unfortunately, they were considered gangsters and often attacked and jailed by the Shadow Force Police.

While Ralph was still fuming, a Snivy suddenly barged into the room interrupting the conversation, "Ralph!" he gasped, out of breath, his leaf-shaped tail drooping, "The protesters... ugh... there was an explosion..." The Snivy managed to say through deep breaths.

"Did anyone get hurt?" Charlez asked, but Ralph interrupted her.

"How many of our friends were injured?" Ralph questioned. "And what happened? This could be a great detail which could ruin Darkrai's political career if it had caused by one of his loyal supporters." Ralph inquired.

"Ten Pokemon were injured, but I don't know who caused it." Victor managed, still gasping, "Darkrai's not important right now... the Pokemon!"

That jolted Ralph into action. He darted out of the hideout along with Charlez and a gasping Victor at his side.

Somewhere in a bedroom, at the same time…

A Riolu slept soundly in a dark room, unaware of the situations that have just occurred. His snores are loud enough to be heard halfway across the house. The Riolu's sleep was suddenly interrupted by a loud tremor at the table. On a table laid a phone, a buzzing and vibrating communication device used to talk to other Pokemon over big or small distances. Riolu got up, let out a huge yawn, and stretched. He bumbled sleepily over to the table and picked up the phone.

"What issssss it?" he complained lazily.

A loud shout coming from the phone made Riolu jump and nearly drop the phone.

"Jason, get over here, we've got a problem!" The Riolu recognized his brother's voice as Ralph yelled through the phone. "And hurry!'

Jason noted the urgency in his brother's voice and rushed his morning routine before leaving the place he and his brother live in; a place which they called home.

Jason sprinted toward the area of attack, which had been devastated from what seemed to be a Shadow Ball attack. It was currently filled with clerics, doctors, paramedics, and police officers. They were treating the injured and blinded Pokemon, and sending them to the hospital.

Having arrived at the scene and having absolutely no idea what was going on, Jason started looking for his brother. He spotted him, Victor, and Charlez standing several feet away from him. He scrambled over quickly, his tail waving.

"What took you so long?" Ralph snapped as soon as he spotted his brother approaching them.

"I can't start a day without meh morning poffins and waffles, and you can't either." Jason replied innocently. Ralph looked at Jason angrily at first, but then remembered how badly his brother was obsessed with pastry (Read: Poffins and Waffles). Trying to stem his anger, Ralph growled at him. "What's more important: your breakfast, or the fact that ten Pokemon were injured by an explosion during a protest?" he asked.

"Poffins," he replied, almost literally, until he noticed Ralph's look of pure shock, in which he replied quickly, "Nah, I'm kidding. Of course the injuries were very important. Many of those Pokemon were some of our most loyal supporters." he noted. "That's sad. I never got to share waffles with them. Hey, do you think I can bring waffles over to the hospitals?"

"Have you ever been serious in your life?" Victor asked.

"What's a serious?" Jason wondered out loud. "A type of waffle?"

Victor threw his paws up. "We're screwed."

Charlez coughed. "Not now, children. Focus, please."

"I think I left a waffle on the kitchen counter," Jason piped up. "May I go home and grab it real quick?"

"Jason!" Victor complained.

Ralph, meanwhile, was in full investigation mode. "Who's that Chandlure?" Ralph pointed at the pokemon floating around the area of devastation. "I've never seen him around before…"

"I've heard about him." Charlez noted, casting a sideways glance at the floating Pokemon. "He came here a few days ago to serve as the Head Cleric of the Nuvema Chapel. All the way from Sinnoh, I've heard."

"And he's coming over here!" Victor hissed under his breath. All four of the protesters stiffened as the Chandelure approached them.

"Good afternoon gentlemen, I am Lumiere," The Chandelure spoke in a formal, gentle voice. "I was wondering if any of you are acquaintances with any these injured Pokemon?" Lumiere inquired in a very formal tone.

"Yes, I do. They're some of my most loyal supporters in my protesting group." Ralph replied.

"A protesting group?" Lumiere repeated, seemingly surprised and interested. "How intriguing. Protesting the new bill, I presume?"

"Yes."

"The new bill has been the most ridiculous law I've ever heard of since the Queen of Kalos demanded that the peasants eat Poke Puffs!" Lumiere suddenly said with a fierce outburst that seemed contradictory to his gentle-looking personality.

"Poke Puffs are good." Jason offered. Ralph shot him a look that said, Really. Enough about food.

The conversation was suddenly interrupted when Ralph spotted a purple figure in the distance wearing a nervous look, probably worrying about something that would result in severe consequences. Ralph narrowed his eyes at the Gengar lurking in an alley. He could sense the Ghost type's shameful aura even from so far away. Taking precautions, the Lucario walked slowly up to him.

"Can I have word with you?" Ralph asked, curious about what this nervous Gengar is up to. Lumiere, Jason, Victor, and Charlez trailed him anxiously.

The Gengar, spotting them, started to walk casually away from them. Then, as Ralph started to give chase, the purple Pokemon jumped and broke into a dead sprint, running straight through a telephone pole while the unfortunate Ralph slammed into it. The Gengar ran down a dark alley and disappeared.

"Guys!," Ralph yelled, sliding off the metal contraption he'd given an unintentional hug to. "Don't just stand there! Something fishy's going on! Help!"

Lumiere, Jason, Victor, and Charlez followed him, though Lumiere and Charlez seemed reluctant to have anything to do with the Gengar. Ralph sprinted towards the dark alley, suspicious of it, and the rest followed a few steps behind. The five chased the strange Gengar around town, through what seemed like every alley and road in Nuvema Town. The Gengar attempted to slow the group down by pushing a Gardevoir into the way at one point. Lumiere floated over her while Jason, Victor, Ralph, and Charlez crashed into the Fairy-type pokemon.

"Sorry!" Ralph yelped, and ran after the Gengar.

The chase ended at a alley way when Victor tackled the Gengar with a smartly calculated Leaf Blade and pinned him to the ground with Vine Whip so the others could interrogate him. Victor smacked the Gengar furiously, his small mind quickly guessing that the Ghost type was the culprit for the Shadow Ball attack.

"Why'd you do it!?" Victor yelled, immediately labeling the Gengar as a bombing suspect.

"I c-c-can't tell you, man," the Gengar answered shakily with a city-type accent. Victor smacked the Gengar again in an attempt to get him to talk. The Gengar winced, but stayed silent.

Irritated, Victor snarled furiously. "You better tell me or I'll―"

"Listen here, sir," Ralph said in a calm tone, "We just want to ask you some questions. There's no need to get all violent." he added, with a glare at Victor. Victor muttered something under his breath, but let go of the Pokemon.

The Gengar retained his nervous look, though he seemed to be calming down. He attempted to back up, but Victor snarled a violent warning. Seeing that there was no escape and the tiny Snivy half his size was rearing to rip off his limbs and make soup out of them, he started talking, fast. "Look guys, if I tell you why I'm doing this, I'll end up―"

Ralph interrupted him, understanding where the Gengar was getting to. His aura was radiating pure shame and anxiety. "I know that you've been through a hard time," he said those words, understanding that many Ghost types were unable to get jobs around Unova. However, that was no excuse for blowing up the town square. "But what's more important; innocent Pokemon getting hurt or your own benefit?"

The Gengar wore an expression of guilt as he thought about his actions. He soon realized that although he had been in a needy situation, that wasn't an excuse for his terrible deed. "Okay fine…" The Gengar said nervously, shaking like a frightened Bidoof. "There was this guy who told me to take care of a group of terrorist pretending to be protesters. That's why I did it." The Gengar held up a sack of coins and showed it to the protesters. "I was paid this much to do the job."

"Who is this guy?" Ralph questioned, suddenly angry. He just couldn't understand what sane being in the world would want to purposely hurt and kill so many Pokemon. "Who ordered this?!"

The Gengar shuddered as the Lucario unsheathed his claws. "I-I-I don't know. She just came to me in a robe telling me what I have to do... and there was money..."

"She?!" Ralph yelped.

"That's all I know, man, okay?" He started whimpering. "Y-Y-You're not gonna turn me in right? I... I really needed the money!"

Ralph was strict, but not cruel. He felt bad that a Gengar who could've achieve great things by the look of his smarts had been dragged down to the level of a criminal. This was a fault of the social racism, Ralph decided, not the Gengar. He made his decision quickly.

"Don't worry, we won't." Ralph said decisively. "Thanks for the information. C'mon guys, let's go help the injured at town hall."

Thoroughly disturbed, the Pokemon left the Gengar and retraced their steps back towards the devastated scene of the bombing. Ralph's mind was swarming with a single question: Who was she? He wondered. And what kind of Pokemon would want to blow up the Town Square, along with several innocent Pokemon? Who could be so heartless?

"Hey, Ralph?" Victor asked nervously.

"Yeah?" Ralph replied absently.

"Do you think it'll happen again?" He asked slowly.

He has a point, will it happen again? If it does, what can I do? Ralph thought in frustration, What can I possibly do?

"Ralph?" Victor asked, his question unanswered.

"I-I don't know," Ralph answered hesitantly, "If there will be another incident, then all we can do is just help the injured."

Hopefully, the situation won't get worse, Ralph thought privately to himself, But I do wonder why would someone do such a thing...

"Let's head for the hospital instead." Charlez suggested as they neared the bombing scene. "It looks like the police are investigating the matter." she gestured at the yellow tapes that framed the obliterated pavement. "

"Agreed." Lumiere said. "And the Nuvema Chapel as well. Actually, I should probably get back to the Chapel soon, or my subordinates will get worried."

"Uh, hello?" Victor waved his tail. "We just released the culprit?"

"Silence, child." Charlez told him gently.

"Hey!"

"Have a waffle!" Jason bounded up and shoved a pastry inside the Snivy's mouth, effectively shutting him up.

"Speaking of which, is the hospital full?" Charlez inquired, completely ignorant of Victor's flailings as Jason cheerfully crammed more poffins and waffles into the poor Snivy's mouth.

"Yes," Lumiere replied gravely. "Pokemon from all over Southern Unova seemed to have been caught in those mysterious bombings. We can only pray that whoever is directing those tragedies will stop."

Charlez nodded, looking sad. "Let's pray that nobody dies today." she said. "Is it not enough that this world is in such terrible shape already? Do more innocent souls have to leave us today?"

"You never know." Lumiere warned darkly. and the rest of the journey was spent in silence.

The group soon found themselves approaching the hospital. Ralph prayed and hoped with all his soul that the Pokemon caught in the blast were still alive. He swore to himself he would investigate the bombing to its roots.

"Hey guys, look! We're almos―" Jason was hopping forward cheerfully as Victor trailed him, screaming bloody murder, when they were interrupted by a loud explosion. Lumiere flew backwards, startled, while Charlez tripped and fell on Victor. Jason dropped a poffin in his shock, and Ralph could only stare in horror.

Before their shocked eyes, the entire hospital rumbled with an unearthly sound and was blasted into the air, sending plumes of smoke and bits of carnage flying as it turned into dark, purple flames and exploded. Smoking planks and giant, jagged pieces of concrete crashed to the ground and disintegrated from the blast.

"Look!" Victor suddenly shouted. A dark figure was standing nearby, covered with a dark robe and seemingly watching the explosion with satisfaction. It turned and stared at Ralph and his group with gleaming eyes, then disappeared.

A note fluttered down from the destroyed hospital, landing in front of a stunned Ralph and his friends. Ralph gulped and picked up the note. Its words, written in clear, thin red, read:

Did you honestly think that you, a frail Lucario and a tiny group of protesters, can go against our Great Lord, Darkrai?

Think again… I'll be watching you…

~Doomsday

Credits:

alpha2275: LoG Representative on Fanfiction and Fanfiction Manager

MarcusUCOD: Dialogue Writer

Esther Hung: Chief Writer, Editor, Video Maker, and Character Creator

Anisa Krieg: Writer, Artist, Editor, Character Creator, and Tweaker

(More TBD...)