//------------------------------// // In the Shadow of Zekrom // Story: My Little Pokémon: Grander World // by Amarvax //------------------------------// Kalos. Azure Bay. Nightfall. The Moon had finally risen. After the Sun said its final goodbyes for the day, the advantage that the Dread League had over others finally arrived and their weakness was gone for now. And speaking of which, Zekrom had encountered the Dread League. Opal Vivacity and her party loomed over the Deep Black Pokemon who was forced to the ground, forming a massive crater here. And yet, he was completely fine despite the massive fall. From what Zekrom could gather, there were no innocents here. It was incredibly empty here at Azure Bay, so whatever comes next, he was free to go all out. The Deep Black Pokemon narrowed his eyes, trying to see if he could hear Rosa Maledicta somewhere. But this time, the Lich Queen would not join in. "You'll never get to see Reshiram again once we're done with you. Well, maybe you will once you're both skeletons." Opal taunted, holding her hoof out at Zekrom while hovering high in the sky. Just then, the vampires would all go after the clouds, interacting with them in the same way a pegasus would. With their control over the skies, they would form a massive storm cloud that came crashing down. But this storm cloud would also possess some of their own magic with dark green lightning crackling out of it. Quickly, Zekrom would ascend, avoiding the incoming tempest as it struck the sands. The sands were elevated, forming a sand tornado. And with Opal's eyes flaring, she would capitalize on this massive tornado, controlling it for herself. All she did was throw a piece of her mane onto the Sand Tornado, altering reality. Zekrom gasped as the white flash went off once more. He knew that fate was about to change once more, but he didn't seem quick enough to stop it at the moment. The Sand Tornado disappeared before reappearing in a flash behind the Deep Black Pokemon. Zekrom found himself engulfed by the tornado, filled with dark magic. The magic within and the furious sand would beat on him constantly, refusing to give him time to have some space. However, Zekrom would make his own space. After being pummeled by the sand, his red eyes would glow as blue lightning was beginning to emerge. With a flash of lightning, Zekrom blew away the Sand Tornado while summoning lightning bolts to fly everywhere. The vampires gasped as the bolts nearly struck them with how frantic and erratic they were. Zekrom appeared with all the sand leaving his body, menacingly glaring at the vampires above him. Opal gasped as the Deep Black Pokemon would take flight, no longer staying grounded. He wanted to get up close and personal with this. And the best way to do that was by using Bolt Strike. The electric generator inside Zekrom's tail starts to spin and glow light blue with electricity, enough to overpower any thunderstorm. Zekrom then clenched his fists which was then followed by his body being surrounded by a golden electricity with large azure lightning bolts coming off of him as well. Naturally, Opal wanted to avoid this at all costs and she had the means of doing it. By using the power within her mane, she would quickly change fate once more. A flash went off, sending the vampires to the other side of the sky which resulted in Zekrom missing his attack. Zekrom growled before turning his head to see where the Dread League ended up. An annoyed Zekrom knew he couldn't do much thanks to Opal Vivacity's special ability. That Fate-Changing Mane was an issue, essentially making Opal invincible for the most part. "M-Miss Opal...He probably knows about your mane and might go after it." A nervous vampire added, pointing out how Zekrom definitely knew about Opal Vivacity's Fate-Changing Mane "Obviously, that's what he wants to do. But I can assure you, he doesn't have the means to stop me completely. I-" Before Opal could finish her sentence, Zekrom sent a Thunderbolt her way, attempting to get a quick hit-in. The beautiful vampire grimaced, moving to the side and narrowly avoiding it. Her mane had been grazed by the Thunderbolt with tufts of it falling out. Zekrom eyed her down as he certainly had the means to damage it. Granted, Opal could just grow it back but Zekrom was already emanating a strong sense of tenacity. "Cheeky Little...!" This slightly angered and intimidated Opal Vivacity. Zekrom was prepared for another quick hit when necessary. And to him, any moment was necessary as long as he could land one. The other vampires didn't matter much to him except for Opal. "Your mane...You need time to grow it back, don't you? What's stopping me from electrocuting it all off?" Zekrom said to the beautiful vampire who would grizzle her teeth. Opal quickly regained her composure, acting cocky once more. "Unfortunately, we don't have the Box of 100 Demons with us anymore, so I can't call upon any extra assistance. But, before we lost it...I already used the Parasite Demon on a few things just for myself. And I know it won't go to waste. Respond to this if you can, Zekrom!" Opal Vivacity had more to offer. She has already used the Parasite Demon for a few things, mainly on Pokemon to gain their abilities. The most notable was Fluttershy's Bayleef but she has certainly gone above that for her own pursuit of power. With her hooves out, she would summon what appeared to be a Psychic Wave, implying that she has used the demon on Psychic-Types as well. Zekrom prepared himself, believing that this Psychic wave was coming for him. However, the wave would soon materialize into something. Corrupted Psychic Energy was flowing in the air, replacing parts of the wind. Zekrom suddenly heard the abrupt silence of the wind. No longer was it howling. It was as if it had been cut off. And the one to thank for that Opal Vivacity who would then close her hooves together. With those hoof movements, Zekrom suddenly felt himself being constricted. The Deep Black Pokemon grunted as his body felt a harsh and mighty grip as if a giant snake was holding onto him. When in reality, it was Opal's control over the air itself. She would hold the Deep Black Pokemon in place, preventing him from moving while squeezing with a Psychic Air. With Zekrom restrained, the other vampires would take advantage of this. Once again, they went after the clouds in the air, controlling them. They pushed the clouds towards one spot that was right above Zekrom so that he was the only target of the storm above. The thunder above would crackle as Zekrom looked up to see this fierce black cloud hover over him. The vampires would lace the cloud with their magic before unleashing a dark green lightning bolt that came crashing down. Zekrom was struck by the lightning, closing his eyes as the darkness within was certainly dealing a heap of damage. Not exactly the lightning since he was immune to it. Continuous streams of dark magic with lightning as the main weapon would continue crashing down on the Deep Black Pokemon, attempting to take him out. More and more, Zekrom was being battered by the storm while Opal was going an excellent job at keeping him still. Zerkom was struck by three different forces. A Psychic Wave, a storm and Dark Magic, making this a rather brutal beatdown. "What's wrong, Zekrom?! Aren't the skies your speciality?!" Opal taunted while the vampires all laughed, refusing to cease their attacks on the Dragon of Ideals. "By the time you're crushed, the Moon will still be young!" But Zekrom did not respond. Not yet at least. He continued to take this beating, showing no signs of retaliation. But the urge to retaliate was indeed there. Zekrom would rather be crushed than let them roam free and cause destruction and harm to everyone else. And in this case, the first option was out of the picture since it was already happening to him. Shalour City. Nightfall. The closest civilization to Azure Bay was Shalour City. The City of Awakening. The seaside home of the Tower of Mastery, where the legend of mysterious stones lives on. And usually, it would be a peaceful night for Shalour's residents as they would prepare for tomorrow's light. But tonight, the peace was being disturbed. Korrina was fast asleep in her bed, was one of the first few to sense the disturbance in the distance. A storm unlike any other was crashing far from here, enough to wake almost anyone up. A crash of dark thunder would alert the citizens, forcing them to wake up. "W-What is that?!" Korrina looked out of her window, stunned at the event in the distance. It wasn't just the sounds that alerted everyone, it was the view itself. The Psychic Wave was visible, having that signature deep pink aura while also being corrupted and flashes of green lightning were seen too. What really stuck out was the massive storm tornado. It hid Zekrom from everyone else, who would usually be large enough to see from this distance with how big he was. No one was sure why this storm suddenly appeared but they only thought about how Pokemon could be causing this. "It must be Lugia! The Sea Spirit's Den is the closest to Azure Bay!" One of the people here suspected it to be Lugia, who was known for causing storms. However, this was not Lugia's doing. And the more the storm raged on, the further it went. It wasn't just the sound that approached Shalour City, but also the force of it. The vampires added more pressure onto the storm with their magic Korrina closed her eyes as the gales of destruction could be felt even from this distance. Everyone here flinched thanks to the storm as it didn't seem like it would slow down at all. Not when the Dread League were aiming to destroy Zekrom and they would keep at it until he was down for good. This was to the detriment of the people and Pokemon of Shalour City, who were unable to sleep because of this. In fact, it looked like they were in a bit of jeopardy now since the storm would keep on raging. Again and again, Zekrom found himself being pummelled relentlessly, staying silent. If there was one positive in this, it was that he didn't make any sounds that involved pain. And the vampires were loving this. Beating on a Legendary Pokemon was rather satisfying due to how powerful they were. Zekrom seemed powerless here and it didn't even take an hour to get him in this state. Opal especially loved this as this was only boosting her ego. At the same time, her hooves were twitching. The only reason why Zekrom was truly stuck was because of how Opal Vivacity had to use this to control her Psychic abilities. They may be stolen but she was an expert on them since this kind of control wasn't too far from telekinetic control. "Hah! You're resilient! But that's to be expected with a Legendary Pokemon. Either way, even Legends can fall! Yveltal can prove that when the Black Crusade is fully realized and Reshiram proved it to us especially when I changed his fate!" Bringing up Reshiram caused Zekrom's red eyes to flash for a moment. Opal was already in hot water after what she did to Reshiram and the actions she pulled back at the Pokemon Festival, but now she was practically dipping in lava at this point. Having enough, Zekrom's true intentions were revealed. The storm that struck him was starting to diminish all of a sudden. The clouds that the vampires gathered were being evaporated right before their eyes. The vampires gasped, beginning to lose control over the Dark Storm they created. The lightning within was also beginning to vanish before their eyes. "W-What's going on?!" A vampire exclaimed. That was when they all saw the reason for this. This whole time, Zekrom hasn't been fighting back for one reason. He had the strength to do it this whole time as the storm didn't seem to bother him one bit. There was just something he took his time with and now was the time to unleash it. He has been absorbing the lightning instead. All of the lightning from the storm was being pulled into the Deep Black Pokemon, granting him power. Zekrom was a walking storm and this was just beneficial to him. The vampires looked in shock and horror at this, gently flying back as they lost control of their storm. They believed they were in control this entire time, pummelling Zekrom. But in reality, Zekrom was in control, taking all the power for himself. The only thing that truly kept him steady was Opal Vivacity's Psychic Hold. Once he absorbed all the lightning, Zekrom finally unleashed the power within, letting out his signature roar. Zekrom's roar went to great distances to the point where those at Shalour City could hear it. And speaking of which, it didn't take long for them to spot the Deep Black Pokemon. Zekrom released an outburst of lightning that blew away Opal Vivacity's Psychic Wave and grip on him. Opal felt a pushback from this, but not as much as the other vampires who got a taste of their own medicine. Zekrom generated his own pressure just from his roar alone and it didn't stop there. The lightning bolts he summoned would hit the vampires as well, knocking them out of the sky. Over 400,000 volts of lightning crashed into their bodies, leaving them paralysed in an instant. The impact even lit the sky up, letting out a thunderous boom which was bound to startle anyone, dwarfing the previous thunder easily. Opal watched as her fellow vampires would drop like flies, crashing into the sands of Azure Bay and even the water. All it took was one attack for Zekrom to make it clear who was sitting on top of the pecking order. After knocking out all those vampires, his eyes drew attention to the biggest threat of them all. Opal Vivacity. She was the only one left, breathing in and out after having to hold Zekrom. And being the only vampire here, Opal knew that all possible attacks would flock to her and her only saving grace was her Fate-Changing Mane. Her first instinct was to gain some distance away from the Deep Black Pokemon and that was done by flying as fast as she could. This only prompted Zekrom to pursue her, refusing to let the beautiful vampire escape. The Dragon of Ideals was the predator and Opal was the prey. The roles quickly changed once it was just Opal and no one else to assist her. The sands below would be lifted up by Zekrom's movements, representing his anger. Even the lightning that was bursting out of him was full of rage. The seas would rise as well, creating brief tsunamis that washed onto the sands of Azure Bay. The clouds in front of Zekrom were blown away with ease once he charged through them. It took Opal's flying skills to try and evade the lightning bolts. And she was surprisingly good at doing so. The vampire evaded these bolts which tore through the clouds, burning them until they evaporated. Zekrom couldn't seem to land a hit in, not even on her massive mane. "You red-eyed freak...you won't law a claw on me!" Opal growled at the Deep Black Pokemon before using her main magic at last. This whole time she has been relying on the Fate-Changing Mane and another power she stole thanks to the Parasite Demon. Now it was time for her natural magic to show itself. It started with her sensing a wave of magic from her wings, attempting to consume Zekrom in them. Zekrom, refusing to let her get another hit in, blew away the waves with a Thunderbolt. After destroying it, the Deep Black Pokemon used Bolt Strike, zooming faster through the air while Opal Vivacity slowed herself down for a moment just to use her magic. With a terrified grimace, she couldn't afford to have herself be hit by this attack. Thus, she relied on that reality-altering power once more. By quickly removing a tuft of it and placing it on her horn, she changed fate to how she wanted. And it was a close call too. Zekrom was a few feet away from Opal Vivacity. Opal ended up on the other side once more but that wouldn't stop Zekrom's pursuit. It was at this point, she wished that she had the Box of 100 Demons with her. "Those darn Changelings are the ones who are keeping it from us. If I ever find them...!" "Opal." Speaking to her at last was the Lich Queen, Rosa Maledicta. She saw this battle pla out and decide to get some words in. "Your majesty?!" Opal said with glee. She was glad to hear the Lich Queen's voice as she needed some assistance dearly with the other vampires down for the count. "Ah, you're here to help!" "Not this time." Alas, Rosa Maledicta was still choosing to stay out of it. "I must conserve my magic. But you won't be able to beat Zekrom on your own. You only succeeded against Reshiram because of my presence and the other vampires there." "I know...He's incredibly tricky!" Opal Vivacity groaned before putting up a shield to block the incoming Thunderbolt. The shield didn't have much power put behind it since the bolt was so fast it was impossible to prepare something equally as strong. It did manage to protect her from the bolt, but the power behind it broke the shield, knocking Opal back. Opal Vivacity hurled through the air, feeling a bit of a sting even if the Thunderbolt did not directly hit her. And to try and finish her off, Zekrom went for Dragon Pulse, summoning a blue blast from his mouth that took the form of a serpentine dragon. The beautiful vampire would flap her wings to the side by recovering quickly in the air, narrowly evading Zekrom's Dragon Pulse. Another close call on Opal's part as she didn't even need her Fate-Changing Mane to be this lucky. "You will need help. But not from me. From the Pony of Shadows." "The Pony of Shadows?!" Opal Vivacity gasped as a rather big name was brought up in this. Not just the Lich Queen, Zekrom or Reshiram. "He's getting active recently. He will assist you greatly, by bringing out the shadows in everyone. I've already decided to do one thing only. I already called him here minutes ago. In fact...He's already here." "Oh, splendid, your majesty!" Opal would gladly do so if it meant she could get out of this mess. Zekrom would approach once more, this time with Dragon Claw in mind. A powerful draconic energy surrounded his claws, ready to tear at Opal Vivacity. But with a wicked smile, Opal Vivacity knew she would be fine. Realistically, she would always be fine thanks to her ability to return to Magehold by combusting, but the true fear was taking damage from Zekrom and what he could do to her mane. But now, that was not an issue anymore. Not when she had the best backup she could ask for. In between the vampire and the Deep Black Pokemon, a sharp outburst of pillars would arise, flying out of the seas. Zekrom's attack was halted as these shadows blocked his way to Opal Vivacity. The shadows then began forming the head of a pony with a devious expression, cackling at Zekrom. The Pony of Shadows was here. At least, a conceptual version of him. He wasn't exactly a full-on pony, missing the rest of the body and only having a head. But that didn't make him all the more intimidating as his shadows coloured the seas black, removing them of their vibrance. Following the shadow outburst were the Water-Types that were missing. It was no longer a mystery as to where they were. They rose from the water, having a nightmarish energy around them with hollowed-out eyes, not appearing as their usual selves. In fact, they were almost identical to Nightmare Moon or even Nightmare Rarity as shadows were also leaking out of their hollowed eyes. Zekrom gasped as a sea of Nightmare Pokemon appeared, all influenced by the Pony of Shadows. Zekrom was now outnumbered once more. And this time, it greatly surpassed what the vampires had. Speaking of the vampires, those who fell into the sand and water were brought along. They were free from drowning while also being in control of the shadows. They returned, but not exactly with their own power at their disposal. Zekrom felt an unusual flow of power coming from all of them. It was rather strange as he couldn't exactly make out what it was. "I can't afford any slip-ups here. The attack on Equestria and the rest of the world has already begun, Opal. They've all tried my patience and held me back for too long. Now is the time for the Dread League to advance." "So...The Black Crusade has already begun?!" "It very much has." "The Black Crusade is starting?!" Zekrom gasped after hearing what Opal Vivacity said. He didn't think it would be tonight but it has finally arrived. In its infancy though but it was not to be ignored. Rosa Maledicta had officially kicked started the Black Crusade. And from behind, another shadow would appear, exempt from all the others that had shown up. Zekrom, who was too busy focusing on all the Pokemon and vampires surrounding him, failed to see the hidden shadow that came after him. Before he had the chance to do so, the shadow suddenly struck the Deep Black Pokemon in the back of his head. Zekrom was alarmed by this as the shadows, like a disease, would rapidly fly around his body, followed by the sinister laughter of the Pony of Shadows. At this very moment, the shadows were attempting to find something within Zekrom. "Are you trying to gain Zekrom's shadow? I need him gone in case he makes a comeback." Rosa Maledicta stayed behind for a bit just to speak with the Pony of Shadows, who wasn't exactly planning to destroy Zekrom. "Why not? Let me use one of Equestria's greatest weapons against them. It will only add to my catharsis!" But the Pony of Shadows wished to do this just to exact revenge on Equestria. He wanted full satisfaction and using a great ally to Equestria was one way to do it as he searched for Zekrom's shadows. And there was certainly something in there. Zekrom was being reminded of an unfortunate event he was forced into. The Invasion of Equestria. Controlled by Empress Twilight Sparkle, Zekrom was tasked with destroying Equestria against his will. He had no control over what he was doing as he was only a mindless force of destruction at that time. It took the combined efforts of Ash and Reshiram to free him. Zekrom absolutely refused to go through that again. He refused to let a dark force control him once more as these were certainly not ideals. This is not what Zekrom fights for. The Deep Black Pokemon fought back against the Pony of Shadows, sparking electricity from his body. Electricity that was unparalleled by many. Opal Vivacity squinted her eyes at this flare of lightning which was also a form of light that could threaten her greatly. The Pony of Shadows expected retaliation from a Legendary Pokemon. It would only make sense that such a creature would have such resilience. But that only made the Pony of Shadows more eager to control him. Seeing that Zekrom was putting up a good fight, the Pony of Shadows commanded all of the Water-Types to attack Zekrom. Altogether, they used Water-Type attacks from all angles, showering the Dragon-Electric-Type. In any normal circumstance, this would mean nothing to Zekrom. But these attacks were fueled by darkness, giving them an edge that made Zekrom alarmed. And yet, he would still fight back, using his electricity as a shield and a way to counterattack. The shadows around him were being burned away by his lightning each time they attempted to bring out the worst in him. Zekrom's purpose for existing refused to let this kind of power overtake him. In response, the Pony of Shadows used the shadows in a different way seeing that Zekrom was too resilient to have himself be fully influenced just yet. Some roughening up was needed. And in the distance, he saw Shalour City, having an idea. With the shadows under his control, he used them to launch the Deep Black Pokemon as far as he could. The Water-Types moved out of the way as Zekrom went flying with his only destination being Shalour City. Zekrom knew what this would mean. The longer this went on, the more destruction will follow. He couldn't afford to let this happen and have some of it guilt him. In his mind, Zekrom thought to himself. "I have to warn them about the Black Crusade. The only one I can possibly call for...is Princess Luna!" There was only one individual that came to mind right now that Zekrom could reach was Princess Luna. At this time, she was definitely available with how she was patrolling the dreams. Zekrom just had to reach her and inform her while also attempting to recover. The shadows wrapped around his wings, disrupting his flight which made it hard for the Deep Black Pokemon to slow down. Korrina and everyone at Shalour City gasped and were in shock at what was coming their way. It looked like their city was prone to some destruction which then prompted panic to ensue. Thankfully, Zekrom's strength allowed him to make a recovery. It was not a full one as he just managed to break the shadows around his wings while near the ground. The Deep Black Pokemon hit the earth, landing right near the city and right on the Route. It was a powerful fall, even bigger than what Opal did to him earlier. Everyone at Shalour City would run for cover as a giant wave of dust and earth would arise thanks to Zekrom's impact. The Pony of Shadows made sure it was a hefty one too. Roofs of the buildings were knocked off by the flying earth, already showing signs of gradual destruction. This was only one part of the Black Crusade and how it planned to obliterate everything and everyone. Zekrom was still safe, but a bit bewildered. The Pony of Shadows instantly reappeared, using the leftover shadows around Zekrom's wings to make an appearance here at Shalour City. Zekrom would be rather busy and now it was a matter of keeping everyone safe since he was here at Shalour. A powerful new enemy appeared in the form of the Pony of Shadows. And to make matters worse, the Black Crusade had begun, starting here in the Kalos Region on this fateful night. It was only the beginning of something that planned to take everything out. As the journey continues. Chapter 122 End.