//------------------------------// // Chapter 24 // Story: Absolution 2 // by ed2481 //------------------------------// The doors opened automatically as Matt hobbled his way through on his crutches. A small troubled look was on his face but it faded as he gave an acknowledging nod over to Jerry before heading down the grey walled hallway to Roxanne’s main lab. He opened the door and looked through, spotting the black haired woman on the far side. Applejack was sitting in the middle of the room inside of an odd chalk circle while Belle and Ohm remained a little off to the side talking with each other quietly. Xemnas simply stood near Applejack, his eyes closed. “So, it seems you hit a breakthrough,” Matt commented as entered “With any luck,” Roxanne replied, a frown on her lips as she worked a pair of small levers, clearly trying to get a certain result from the screen above them. She ran a hand through her hair and then looked over and gave him a small smile. “And I hope your match went well today.” The blonde man frowned and let out a sigh. “Cres nearly killed one of my challenger’s Pokemon,” he said, raising a hand and rubbing it down the back of his head. Roxanne blinked in surprise, shocked by the news, but Belle beat her to a reaction. “What?” Belle exclaimed, her eyes looking up at Matt with concern and disbelief. “How?” “We were fighting a Donphan, and during the middle of the match it used Magnitude. It turned out to be a strong one and... it triggered something in him from what happened in the nightmare last night. Before I knew it he went up and nearly cut through the main artery in the Donphan’s neck,” he explained, his voice tired. “Oh...” Belle closed her eyes for a moment before walking up to the man. “May I see my mate please?” Matt nodded his head and reached down to his belt of Pokeballs and pulled out Cres’s. “Come on out Cres.” He pointed the ball downward and it open in his hand, a flash and blur of energy shooting out of it as the white Absol materialized in front of the man’s leg. Cres looked down, refusing to meet Belle’s eyes before he moved up and pressed himself against her. He closed his eyes and pressed his face against her back, leaning into her for all he was worth. The the light red Absol leaned back, nuzzling comfortingly into his neck, occasionally moving her head up to give him several licks on his cheek. “Well, that gives us all the more reason to get this right,” Roxanne said, looking away from the pair of Absols and back to Matt. “We’re almost ready to get this started.” The man looked over the set up with his green eyes. “What exactly are you doing anyways?” he inquired as he looked back over at his wife. “Channeling some more power into Xemnas,” Roxanne answered, turning back to the console in front of her. As she said it, a bolt of electricity launched itself out of the machine and hit Xemnas who kept his eyes closed. “Hopefully, he’ll be able to repulse this thing’s attacks on Applejack and then with both of us here we can disable or capture it.” Matt took a step back as the bolt hit the metal Pokemon, blinking in surprise. “Okay...” he said, rolling along with Roxanne’s explanation. “I guess that’s what I’m here for?” “That, and giving me something handsome to look at while I do this,” she replied, winking jokingly though he could tell that there was a definite edge of nervousness to her voice. “You usually do that really well.” The man smiled at her. “Hey, it’s all natural,” he said going along with the joke with a light chuckle. He pushed himself a few steps forward with the aid of his crutches to stand next to Ohm, who was looking at the tired orange mare in the middle of the room, his tail slowly swishing back and forth. “You okay?” he asked the Luxray. “I am fine,” Ohm said, not moving or even glancing up at the man. Anxious and worried... not good, Matt thought to himself, starting to scratch Ohm’s head as he glanced up to Applejack. The mare was leaning heavily forwards within the chalk, her eyes red and puffy. Her head sunk down before it snapped up and her eyes opened wide before the cycle started over again. I can see why... He gave Ohm a good scratching before patting his head. “Roxanne’s smart, if she’s working this hard for something, it means she believes it will work,” he assured the Luxray. The electric lion didn’t respond to that, though in the corner of the man’s eye he could see the tail slowing down just a bit. Matt glanced over at Roxanne. “So, when do the fireworks begin?” “I suppose that depends entirely on Applejack and when her body finally gives out.” Roxanne said with a glance backwards over at the mare. “Technically, Xemnas has enough energy built up within him to take out almost anything but more is always better.” “Yeah but... I don’t think she wants to let that happen,” Matt said as he looked back at Applejack, who was too out of it to really hear what they were talking. “Maybe you should let Xemnas induce her into going to sleep.” I was unsure if that was a good idea or not, Xemnas mused from his spot in the room before he walked over to Applejack, his four long legs easily keeping him towering over her, one leg on each edge of the chalk outline. Roxanne pulled the levers down and stepped away from the machine. Matt and Ohm took a few steps back from the chalk circle as well. “Well, look it this way. Either we wait for Applejack to fall asleep and fight whatever is causing this, or do it now and get the same result,” the man stated. “Overall, I would like to get it over with so we can help Applejack get some well deserved sleep.” “Agreed,” Cres said, his voice hard and determined. He moved over to sit down on his rump beside Ohm, and leaned up to nuzzle the Luxray gently before turning his eyes on Applejack. Belle followed, standing beside her mate, giving him a small smile before looking over at Roxanne and nodding her head. “Yes... let’s see if our theory works. It’s all or nothing Roxanne,” she said before turning her head to watch the mare.   “Well then, Xemnas, Hypnosis,” Roxanne said. Very well, Xemnas said. Applejack was conscious enough to feel what felt like a small flick to the back of her head before the blurred world dropped away from her. Subject is entering REM. Reinforcing protective walls. Everyone just stood there and waited, watching the mare as she lay on the floor on her side breathing peacefully. Foreign presence detected, Xemnas said. Foreign presence is attempting to break through walls. Power levels detected high. Very high. Swirls of dark energy began to swirl around the pair in the center of the room. The chalk circle glowed a purple tinged white within the dark energy. Hostile presence is attempting communication. Blocking, said Xemnas. Hostile intent is growing. “This is new,” Roxanne murmured as she moved up beside Matt. “That is not ghost energy swirling around them. It’s also not psychic energy.” Matt frowned as he watched the energy swirl and dance around the Metagross and the mare. “No... it’s not... yet I feel like I have seen it somewhere before,” he said, feeling the need to take a few steps back. “That’s because it’s Dark Energy, I know the feeling of it well enough,” Cres said. His voice was low. “Matt, Roxanne, leave now!” Matt didn’t need any more convincing as he reached out a hand to grab Roxanne, doing his best to turn around and run to the exit. Roxanne frowned for a moment before nodding, gripping his hand tightly as the pair moved as quickly as they could towards the door. However, as they tried to open the door, they found that it wouldn’t budge an inch. “What the hell?” Roxanne demanded, pounding on the door as hard as she could. It didn’t budge. Hostile presence is growing frustrated, Xemnas said. The Steel Type’s voice emerged in their minds in a stilted, pained tone. Darkness is beginning to win. Attempting counter strike. Hyperbeam. The swirling darkness was suddenly interrupted by something very close to a scream of pain as a lance of bright orange light speared out from the Metagross and slammed straight into a previously unseen form within the swirling darkness. There was a brilliant flash of light followed by a loud crash. Hostile presence located. Attempting termination, Xemnas said, turning his gaze towards the wall that was now sporting a new crater. The others were already looking as a misty black form rose up from the crater. It looked like a billowy black mist given form with a red fog collar around its neck. A cruel teal eye glared out at the room from behind an indistinct white haze as it floated away from the crater. It regarded everyone in the room for a moment before a giggling noise filled the air. The thing began to bounce up and down in the air, its physical form shifting and vaporous as it moved ever closer to the group of Pokemon blocking its way. “Unknown Pokemon Species,” Roxanne murmured to herself as she pressed her back against the wall. “Body made of mist and darkness. Clearly a dark type. Teal eye. Not sure if there is another beneath the hair-like mist or not.” “I don’t think now is the time to identify it honey,” Matt replied, his hand gripping tighter around hers. Cres and Belle moved in front of their masters and took defenses stances, snarling at the unknown dark type. Ohm stayed in front of Applejack, electricity running through his fur. The giggling became louder and louder until it filled the entire room and became a full fledged laugh. “Oh, oh, don’t worry about it, haha, you’ll all be dead before it matters anyways,” the voice from Cres and Applejack’s nightmares whispered, seeming to crawl through everyone's ears. Cres’s pupils shrank as he recognized the voice, but his snarl grew deeper and blood curdling. “You will not survive this,” Cres growled, Belle’s snarl reaching the same crescendo as his. “Promises, promises kitten,” the dark Pokemon said, its voice still a strained, semi-insane whisper. Then it turned its eyes on Xemnas. “And you, pathetic organic computer, you just had to go and ruin my fun didn’t you?” Command not recognized, Xemnas said, more than a hint of humor in his voice. Please try agai- The Steel Type was sent flying through the nearest wall with a blast of darkness that lanced out before it could even finish its sentence. Ohm had a fraction of a second to duck down to avoid being hit by the large Pokemon, but the shockwave of the blast sent him back a few inches. He pushed himself back up as his electricity started to crackle and he took a more cautionary stance. “Xemnas!” Roxanne shouted as her Pokemon was blasted out of view. “It’s not a good feeling to have your fun interrupted is it? Think about that next time!” the dark being shouted, its voice ringing in all of their ears. “Now then, who first, who first?” he pondered, tapping its phantom fingers against its chin as he looked around the room. “The noble lion? The pair of idiot lovers, though, I suppose that’s a little vague...” All three of the Pokemon bristled and Cres began to advance, snarling louder with Belle at his side.  The Dark Pokemon didn’t even seem to notice them or care as it turned its eyes to Roxanne. “Ah, the pregnant one or...” his looked over at Matt. “The birth defect... so many good choices.” Roxanne’s fist clenched so hard around Matt’s that it hurt. “Who are you?” she shouted at the dark being. “Who? Moi? Oh, I don’t know, no one gave me a name,” the being replied with a shrug of its shoulders. “Heck, you should be honored, you’re the first ones to ever see me in the flesh, hah, as it were.” “Then why are you doing this? What’s the deal with bringing Applejack here and the nightmares?” Matt ask, pulling Roxanne back and standing in front of her. “Oh, well, I felt like it,” the dark Pokemon replied with a laugh. “Don’t tell me that you never feel like moving through realities, picking up some poor sap, setting em down somewhere new, and then killing them horribly.” He laughed again, as if it were all some great joke. “Or am I the only one who does that? I could have sworn that someone else did, eh, oh well. I’m the best at what I do!” A sense of dread overcame Matt’s heart, rendering him speechless. Roxanne grit her teeth and glared at it, her intelligent eyes gleaming fiercely within the fluorescent lights. Belle and Cres were almost close enough to Ohm that they could put up a strong defensive effort. Good. “Ah, I see,” Roxanne said, stepping out in front of Matt and letting go of his hand. “So, you’re a bully with no motivation outside of self satisfaction. I have to say, I’m rather disappointed in that. Here I was expecting some kind of mastermind and all I get in return is you? A half-corporeal morning mist?” The teal eye locked on her and for a moment boiling anger formed within that orb. Then the thing through back its head and let out an even louder laugh. “I’m a half-corporeal morning mist? Heheheh, I hadn’t heard that one before, good, very good, I might just remember you in a week,” the Shadow Pokemon grinned and held up its hand. “Dark Void!” The very walls and the floor of the lab were suddenly engulfed in shadows. A blast of hypnotic power swirled through the room and before they knew it, Matt, Roxanne, and Belle were falling into nothingness. “Belle!” Cres shouted as his mate collapsed beside him, Ohm’s growl filling the air from behind the Protect he’d been prepping. “Aww, two survived,” said the living shadow. It was barely visible in the inky darkness, distinguishable only by the flowing white mist above its head and the teal eye. “Ah well, I guess I’ll just toy with the kitties in the flesh, heh.” The Luxray’s growl deepened, his electricity crackling as it arced into the floor itself. His yellow-red eyes glowed as they locked onto the dark Pokemon. “You won’t get far.”   “Really now? Is that a fact?” the dark Pokemon asked, suddenly directly in front of Ohm, a blast of shadows lancing towards Ohm’s chest. “I think it may be an exaggeration.” Ohm was sent spiraling into the air but he twisted his body around in mid-air and let out a devastating lighting blot right back at the creature. It was such a bright bolt of lightning that the entire room went white and Cres was left blinking in its wake. Unfortunately, The bolt hit nothing but the back wall, detonating explosively as the creature dissolved back into the inky blackness all around them. Cres let out a low growl. “Ohm, it’s going to toy with us, that’s what it likes to do,” the Absol said. His eyes were scanning the room in search of the enemy. Ohm landed back on his feet, his fur positively charged as he too scanned the room with his cat eyes glowing. Using the inherent ability of Luxray eyes, he could see through the choking darkness and view the world through an entirely different wavelength. Everything in the room turned black, grey, and white, with the black swirling around like an angry flame. His eyes traced the blackness to see it moving around the room teasingly before it charged forward to Cres. “Cres, protect!” Ohm shouted to the Absol while his fur crackled, charging up for a move. Cres’ eyes widened as he leapt away from where he’d been standing, his body wrapped in a protective aura. The Absol was grabbed out of the air and thrown straight into Ohm, his body impacting hard. Ohm took the impact and let out a pure beam of electricity at where the attack had come from. The beam of energy passed harmlessly through Cres’ protected form and slammed into the shadows. The shadows shivered in agitation from the hit before they dissipated and swirled around the two. Cres rolled to his feet and let out a low growl. “Ohm, we need to end this now. The longer we fight it the less chance we have of winning,” he said. The Absol’s fur was up and his eyes were scanning around the blackened room. “We need to hit him in a concentrated blast; ready your best move and find where he will strike next,” the Luxray instructed. A laugh shook the room. “I could say ‘that was the plan’, but that seems a bit, corny? Is that the word? I think it is.” A blast of darkness slammed into Ohm’s right side, followed quickly by one against his left. As the blows rained down, Ohm quickly brought up another protect, standing there taking the rest of the blows as he charged his electricity to power his move. As this happened, Cres got back to his paws and surveyed the room. Belle, Matt, and Roxanne were still unconscious, Xemnas was nowhere to be seen, and Ohm was in the center of the room taking blow after blow. The Absol let out a low snarl and felt his inner fire boiling. “Ohm! Fire!” he said, leaning his head back before a blast of mighty fire raged out from between his jaws. The flames lit up the utter darkness of the laboratory and surged towards the shadow assaulting Ohm. “Gah! That burns!” the Dark Pokemon shouted as its form became illuminated again, wreathed in flames as it turned back towards Cres. “For that you’re going to die first! Fitting!” It charged towards Cres. As it turned its back on Ohm, the Luxray dropped the Protect and switched the power to another move with a simple thought. He let out a roar as a lightning bolt shot out of his fur and directly at the dark Pokemon’s form. It hit him mid charge and he froze in mid ‘stride’, a scream of pain leaving his lips. Cres grinned and let out another blast of fire at the dark Pokemon, engulfing it in a spinning, screaming, inferno of electricity and flame. The form within the flames and lightning shrank smaller and smaller until it was consumed utterly and completely by them and they dissipated. Light returned to the room. Cres and Ohm panted heavily as they looked over at each other. The Luxray spoke first. “Too easy...” “And there goes the surprise, you are just a tremendous party pooper aren’t you?” the dark Pokemon asked from beside him before talons of darkness slashed into Ohm’s side, leaving a trail of blood in their wake. Ohm’s eyes widened as the blood gushed out and he staggered to his left, collapsing to his knees. “Ohm!” Cres shouted, charging forwards. The dark Pokemon grinned and sent out a ball of pure darkness at him. Cres gritted his teeth and focused his dark energy to his blade. “ARCEUS GIVE ME STRENGTH!” he roared, bringing his blade sweeping through the ball of darkness. The ball split in half and each side detonated in a blast of swirling black energy as Cres closed the distance between himself and the enemy. “Oh, I don’t think dear old grand dad cares too much about you,” the Darkness replied with a chuckle, hovering back away from the blow, moving from side to side in time with Cres’ slashes. “You will not win this!” Cres said, his teeth clenched as he leapt to the side and then used a Quick Attack to send himself at the other Pokemon’s unprotected flank. The creature simply turned and grabbed his still glowing blade by the base in mid blow. It brought the struggling Absol up to its head level and then slammed him face first into the ground with a sickening slam. “And a concussion for you! My, I am so very generous,” the dark Pokemon commented, bringing Cres’ head up to his again and laughing. “Then again, I’ve heard you’ve been running through your life half-concussed for a while now so I’m not sure it’ll do much.” The dark Pokemon slammed Cres into the ground again, and then again. That done, he tossed the Absol up in the air and his claws slashed along Cres’ side. Cres let out a scream of absolute pain as the claws tore through his side leaving a bloody swath in place of his pure white fur. Cres tumbled across the floor, leaving a trail of blood in his wake until he came to rest against Ohm’s bloody side. “Of course, I don’t think you’ll really be in a position to live much longer and appreciate the gifts I’m giving out but hey, at least you knew you had them right?” the dark Pokemon asked as it hovered closer to the pair. Cres’ head was spinning as he looked up at the advancing Pokemon. It was hard to make out much of anything through the blurry vision but he thought he saw something in the corner of his eye. The creature brought up a clawed hand and prepared to end them with a single blow when a figure suddenly stepped in front of them. A large green dome formed around Cres and Ohm and the creature’s blow bounced harmlessly around the shield. “Enough!” a familiar voice spoke, echoing through Cres’ ringing ears. His blurry vision picking up a pair of dark hooves with holes in them and he glanced up to see an strange equine figure standing before him. The dark Pokemon blinked before it looked down at the pair of cats beyond its reach. “Now that’s just not fair at all, you didn’t let me finish playing with my toys,” he said. His eyes locked on the figure in front of him. “Guess I’ll just have to make my own out of you, dad.” Giratina's changeling eyes narrowed at the figure. “Let’s take it outside then.” His horn lit up and the two teleported high in the sky, his wings buzzing to hoover in the air. A large lake lay serenely beneath them. “You are just such a buzz-kill, you know that?” the figure asked with an annoyed scowl in its eye. “And you talk entirely too much!” Luna’s voice rang out through the air and a steel blade slammed through its chest, sending it spiraling downwards, screaming in pain. The mare teleported into place beside Giratina. “You have a son?” “Apparently,” he replied, sounding just as surprised as she was. “I did say whoever this thing is was related to me somehow, son would fit in.” He glowered at the dark Pokemon. “Though how that came to be we can question later, right now we need to contain him and send him back to where he should be.” “And keep me there how I wonder?” the dark Pokemon asked from beside his head. “I mean, I can go pretty much wherever I want after all.” A pair of dark claws suddenly tore at Giratina’s side, or rather, they would have. Instead a glowing green shield surrounded the Changeling. “Damn, stupid forcefields. Everyone uses them and they’re not-” Before the Pokemon could go on Giratina let out a stream of dragon fire, the purple-blue flame scorching the dark Pokemon’s form. A low and terrible growl filled the air and in the midst of the flames the dark Pokemon fell backwards through the sky before unleashing a blast of darkness at the dragon fire. As he did so, he failed to notice the blue and silver blur sweeping in from the left, Luna’s cold steel slashing straight through his incorporeal form. “STOP THAT!” the creature screamed out in anger and pain as its head turned to try and track Luna’s rapidly moving form. He extended a hand and launched two or three dozen blasts of dark energy at the mare. Giratina teleported in front of the mare and cast protective wall in front of them, each ball of shadow coming closer and closer to shattering it. Luna had the good sense to wait until there were only a few left before launching herself forwards through the sheild, her sword swirling around her and slashing through the few remaining balls. “Come and show the Princess of the Night your power, beast of darkness!” Luna said. “Oh, I like you, I’m going to KEEP you!” the dark Pokemon shouted right back as it appeared in front of her, claws slashing at the mare. Luna’s blade clashed and clanged with every blow, the creature’s dark claws being shredded with every hit causing it to grow even more angry. Meanwhile Giratina flew up with an angry scowl. “Get away from her!” he shouted as a large dragon’s claw formed from of his right hoof and he swiped it at the creature, sending a massive blue shock-wave in the wake. “Gah!” the creature said. It was launched backwards through the air and let out a scream of fury. Luna appeared in the air behind it and slammed her sword straight through its chest as her horn glowed and a blast of energy crashed into it. The dark creature screamed in pain and tried to inch its way backwards towards her down the blade impaling it but she kept the blade easily outside of its reach. “I have it!” she shouted to Giratina. The changeling nodded his head and his horn glowed brightly green. “Return to the depths of the Distortion world where you came from!” he chanted out, a magical green chain forming between his horn and on the creature. Giratina yanked his head back and then threw his head downwards, towards the large lake. The dark Pokemon let out a scream as it was jerked roughly off of Luna’s blade and the green chain began to wrap around it’s body, restricting its movements. It struggled impotently within its bonds as it slammed into the surface of the lake, emerging in the Distortion world rather than creating a tidal wave. Luna hovered there in the air panting for a moment before glancing over at Giri. “Well, that settles that I think.” She gave him a sour look. “Why in Equestria were you so worried about me?” The changeling kept his gaze at the lake water. “Because, you can never be too certain.” He closed his eyes as his horn re-lit with light as he began to cast another spell to make sure his seal wouldn’t be so easily broken. “Well, I think we ought to go make sure that he stays there,” Luna said as she began to fly back towards the surface of the lake. “Come on.” “You do that, I need to see to Matt and the others,” Giratina replied before he teleported back to Roxanna’s work lab. The lab was in shambles and a crew of paramedics were already on the scene, gently lifting Cres and Ohm on a pair of stretchers. Several large holes in the walls and a team of Machamp looking rather smug at their own destruction stood around while several Machoke were already in the middle of clearing away the rubble while some of the humans were trying to wake up Roxanne, Matt, and Belle, while also looking at Applejack in bewilderment. Lucky for Giratina no one noticed him as he teleported in and he quickly cast an illusion spell on himself before anyone could. He did some quick scans to make sure everyone was alright in a way they wouldn’t die at any moment. He had to cast a few minor healing spells on Cres and Ohm to stop their internal bleeding fatal. He then cast out a spell to stir the rest from the sleep save for Applejack. While everyone was distracted by a waking moan from Roxanne, he scooped up the mare in his magic and teleported out of the room. He reappeared over the lake with Applejack in his hold and he gave her mind a quick mental scan. Sleeping peacefully... good. A soft smile grew on his face before he flew through the water and entered into the Distortion world. Giratina found Luna standing beside a giant lake, her sword embedded in the ground with the dark Pokemon trapped between the hilt and the stone. The dark creature sent claws and blades of dark energy swirling out at her, but Luna stood calmly through the storm as his attacks hit against a force field. “LET ME GO YOU HORSE!” the creature roared angrily. “Pony, technically.” Giratina corrected as he walked up from behind, still carrying Applejack with him. “Alicorn actually,” Luna said. A smile crossed her face. “So, what do we do with him?” Before Giratina could say anything a familiar warm male voice spoke up. “Ah, leave that to me actually.” The dark Pokemon vanished, leaving Luna’s sword behind and Arceus appeared before them. The changeling looked at Arceus with a sour expression, but didn’t look all too surprised by his appearance. “Luna, I think you should go wait in Equestria, I would like to have a simple chat with my son.” “I would like to-” Luna started to say before both she and Applejack vanished. “And here we are,” Arceus said with a smile, glancing over at Giratina. “How are you doing my son?”