The Redwood Saga-Chapter 102 - 66: An Ominous Interlude

Gilboa Town - East of the Master Plateau, Era Before the Dark Times

A Rolycoly let out a rocky greeting, at the human child standing before it. Beside it was an Omanyte, who wiggled in what seemed like excitement. And then last, on the far right, was a Snowver, who peeked shyly at the human child out from under its snowy leaves.

Professor Gilboa, shrouded in a robe that blended white and light yellows and browns, smiled at young Cassius, and gestured at the Pokémon. "The Tamer of Arceus has chosen these partners for you. He and I foresee you will all do great things together."

"I get to train all three of you." The child said with a smile. The young Pokémon cheered in unison, and melded into a group hug.

Thousands of miles above them, the Alpha Pokémon floated beside his Tamer, in all his golden glory.

Is it wise to start him with three?

The human nodded, confident of his decision. "Magical Creatures of Water, Grass, and Fire. As you advised, Arceus."

The Alpha Pokémon remained silent for a long moment. His human was used to this, as the divine being tended to think, extensively, before he spoke.

And you are sure he will be the One to succeed you? His future is…clouded by Dark Energy. It's impossible to see through.

The tan skinned desert dweller smirked, and adjusted his long brown hair. "You said that your next Tamer would be one of if not the strongest Psychic that Humanity has. You were adamant that it was not Imperator Neoth, or the Sigilite, so this boy was the next strongest. His potential is measured even greater than mine."

Arceus glanced over at the golden machine his Tamer had used to find and measure the psychic potential of humanity's masses. Square in shape and with two canisters that the one being measured held on to. It had confirmed what his Tamer had seen with his Future Sight. The child had potential.

I shall trust your judgement. He finally responded.

Several Years Later… - Royal Caldera Arena, Fire Nation, Koria Region

"Carbonis! Earthquake!"

"Return it to them, Zaron."

Cassius watched in disbelief as his Coalossal stomped into an Earthquake, only for the Sun Lord's partner to dodge it with its aerial advantage, and hit them with a quake of their own. "You've got this, Carbonis! Rock-" He paused, as he saw the Sun Lord chuckle, his Charizard roaring in victory. It was then that he noticed his living coal mountain was unconscious. Nautilus was already KO'd, which just left his ace.

"Optimus! Come forth!"

The Abomasnow materialized from the magitech crystal that acted as a place he could rest between battles and traveling. His roar echoed across the arena, and the Charizard opposite him looked his way as the sound of challenge got his attention. The orange dragon grinned, and roared back. As he did, the lava that the Sun Warriors had suspended the arena over responded to his power by shooting geysers of molten rock into the air.

Optimus seemed to hate this environment, but Cassius needed the Sun Lord's Mark to prove he was a strong wielder of magical creatures. Strong enough to be worthy of partnering with Arceus.

"This is it, Optimus. I know you hate fire…but we have plans for Fire Type creatures. Don't we." Abomasnow roared in agreement, and then he Ingrained himself into the field.

The Sun Lord smirked. "Try whatever you like…bringing a creature so weak to Fire into the Fire Nation was not a wise choice."

"That's what you think! Optimus! Stone Burial!" His Abomasnow smashed the arena, and large pillars of stone shot up from the ground of the suspended arena.

The Sun Lord smirked. "Now it just looks like our training area. Zaron! Burn the entire arena!"

Optimus looked back at his Trainer, but Cassius was unflinching. "Wait for it…" Most magical creatures, he'd noticed, had to charge up their energy before unleashing their Magic Moves. Charizard was no exception. Fire colored energy built within his body, and that moment was when they struck. "Now, Optimus! Launch the stones!"

From all sides, the Charizard was hammered by pillars launched into the air by Optimus via his vines. He crashed down to the field, hard, and Cassius saw their chance. "Now! Root Wrap!"

The Sun Lord smirked. "Burn your way out."

The Abomasnow's vines surged up and around the Charizard, but at his Wielder's command, flames erupted around him, and he roared into the air.

"Shield yourself!" Cassius shouted over the roar of the heat, and Optimus brought the rocks around him in close, forming a layer between himself and the intense heat Charizard was now giving off. Cassius watched, waiting for the 'zard-made Heat Wave to die down.

"Finish this, Zaron! Flare Strike!"

"Now, Optimus!" Cassius roared. The Abomasnow appeared again, roaring as the heat was still quite painful to experience. His vines burst out of several rock pillars, clutching large pieces of them, which once more closed in on the Charizard.

However, the flaming fire lizard lived up to its reputation, even in ancient times. The boulders melted rapidly as they got close and the molten rock damaged the vines, and Optimus' focus. With one powerful, self damaging move, the Charizard won the match, and ended Cassius's attempt at glory.

The Sun Warrior spectators cheered, Zaron roared, victorious, and Cassius recalled his fainted partner and made to leave, but the irritatingly handsome royal had already jogged towards him. Cassius was quite aware that a single etiquette breach, like leaving now, could potentially result in his capture or banishment. And he intended to try again, so he needed to stay cordial.

Sun Lord Aluzon was shirtless, his physique on display for all to appreciate. Gold bands encircled his arms, and his clothes were, of course, shades of red. "Successor Cassius! That was a fine performance. Had you saved that creature with the shell and the spines for Zaron, I think you would've won."

Cassius shook his head. "But I didn't win. At this rate, I won't be the Successor. What kind of Wielder has to constantly retry for a Mark? It's pathetic…I'm still too weak." He'd had a similar problem in the other nations. Even the Air Nomads had proven quite hard to beat.

The handsome royal put a companionable hand on Cass's shoulder. "I have seen weak Wielders. Your team is strong. But perhaps another would help you?"

Cassius shook his head. "I've…tried, but the only creatures that would obey me are simply too weak."

The Sun Lord gave him a look. "Any Creature can be powerful. I don't like to speak of it…but Zaron was once bested by a strange, thin, effeminate Fairy, with equally strange black and red flowers. I believe her Wielder called her a Florges. My point is…there is strength where perhaps you least expect it." At that moment, one of the Sun Lord's harem approached them, cradling what Cassius realized could only be a Creature Egg. "We received this little one from the Northern Water Nation as a gift…but I do not require a Water Creature. I know you already have your shell Creature, but I think you'll find this one quite useful, once it grows. You can even ride on its back, once it's grown, and it will have enough stamina to even cross oceans!"

Cassius gently took the Egg, but frowned. "I don't see a reason to cross the oceans. Where would I even go? America is a smoldering ruin, and the southern continent isn't much better."

The Sun Lord chuckled, loudly. "And how do you know? Sure when last we heard from that part of the world, they were struggling. But we have all struggled. Do not assume the Americans will stay down forever. Their lust for conquest is insatiable. If you still lack power, I recommend visiting Hisui, the northernmost Region in Japan. They have legends of a powerful Hero in that land, who left behind his Magical Creatures when he died. They, if nothing else, will give your partners the experience needed to beat us."

Cassius was quiet for a long time, but then he nodded. "It has been an honor to Battle you, Sun Lord Aluzon. Once we return from this Hisui place…I'll earn my Mark."

The Sun Lord chuckled. "I look forward to our rematch." From above, the showboating Zaron roared at Cassius. "Zaron is eager as well! Interesting…he's not easily impressed. Safe travels, Successor."

Several Weeks Later… - Somewhere in the wilds of Hisui

Cassius…was lost. His Egg had hatched into a little Squirtle he'd decided to call Shellraiser. Upon becoming a Wartortle, the boastful turtle had taken the challenge of crossing from Koria to Japan head on. And to his credit, he had made it, but now he was too exhausted to swim back, their food was running low, and Cassius had yet to see another human. Or any sign of society, really. It was strange, though…the rest of the world believed that Japan had long been irradiated by the multiple nuclear reactor disasters they'd experienced after the Fall of mankind, when the war with humanity's first attempt at space colonies ended with said colonies being turned into superbombs and dropped at various points across the planet.

Some places had ended up more intact than others, thanks to the apparent efforts of Old Earth's defenders…but it wasn't enough. Professor Gilboa, and his Master, had taught him that only Arceus had saved the Earth from the chaining natural disasters that had all but guaranteed human beings would either die out, or revert to primitives. He'd expected radiation and dead cities…but this Hisui place was absurdly lush. Magical Creatures flourished wherever he looked, and many of them were quite violent towards him.

Shellraiser needed to rest, so Optimus was out of his ball, and strolling beside his partner, driving off wild creatures in the process. The inhabitants of Hisui were quite aggressive to him, and to each other, more than most magical creatures he'd seen. This latest one though…unnerved him.

All he knew…was that it was gold. Gold, and fast. The one time he'd seen its silhouette, it looked vaguely humanoid shaped, but smaller. What really made Cassius nervous though, was that other creatures seemed to avoid it, when they sensed it. Not in fear…he'd seen them react fearfully before and this behavior was different.

It was almost like…disdain, or pity. At least, that's what he sensed with his burgeoning powers, but given that he could barely lift a pebble without accidentally launching it into space or crushing it, he didn't trust his impression.

It eventually revealed itself, after Shellraiser, while camping, suddenly rose from his lethargic state and nailed the invisible creature with Squirt Gun. The first thing Cassius noticed, was that it seemed to be wearing clothing, or more specifically, accessories. Golden rings hung from its golden horns, and one even larger and thicker gold ring was around its stomach. Its other parts of the body were sandy dark brown, but its eyes were crimson, belying an innocent face with a mischievous smile that was currently frowning in anger.

Before Cassius could react, the strange floating humanoid pulled one of the rings off its horns and somehow it began glowing in its center. A torrent of something came hurtling out of the ring that Cassius realized had to be a portal of some kind.

After a moment, he realized; it was a torrent of food hitting his watery turtle. Donuts, specifically. Seeing this, the creature frowned in disappointment, as if it had expected much more, instead of just donuts. It still not so subtly grabbed one of the sugary snacks and started nomming.

Then, Cassius realized, it was staring at him, and his three starters. As it floated toward him, Optimus let out a growl. "Ssnnnnoooooow." Cassius held up a hand though.

"Easy, Optimus. I think he comes in peace."

Silently the creature looked between the three of them, and then back at the child. The look on its face could only be described, by Cassius, as unpleasant determination. Though the reason for such an expression eluded him. With a fading grimace, and surprising deftness, the creature snatched up a donut, and handed it to Cassius. Thankfully, it was on the top of the pile and not covered in dirt.

"Hoopa." It said after a beat, shaking the glazed confection in Cassius's direction.

Slowly, the teenager took the donut. "Thank you…Hoopa." The creature visibly perked up, but still had that same expression. As if this kind act was something it had never done before. Cassius's eyes narrowed. He couldn't sense anything wrong with the creature, but it did feel…strange. As though its power was in two different places, and this tiny shard was all it was allowed to possess. As for where that power was? He assumed it was somewhere in Hisui, but he had no idea why it was split, who had split it, and for what purpose. Great caches of power usually led to disaster when good-intentioned strangers went poking at them.

One by one, Hoopa delivered donuts to the other three creatures, but not Shellraiser. He was still tail-deep in donuts, and they'd stuck to his well kept tail fur. Cassius helped him and cleaned him, as Professor Gilboa had shown him. It hadn't taken much time or investigation to realize magical creatures adored getting scritches and being groomed.

Once he was clean, the Hoopa floated over, and his ring deposited a new donut in his fingerless hand. Bedecked in Oran Berry frosting, sprinkles, and shaped like a Squirtle's face, Shellraiser was practically drooling as he stared at confection perfection. "Hoop. Hoopa." The suspicious Wartortle glanced at the strange creature, but then quickly snatched the donut, and chomped down immediately on it. His tail swished back and forth, and the two creatures seemed to come to some sort of truce. They were much friendlier after that.

Hoopa stayed with them as they camped around the donut pile. Naturally, it attracted wild creatures, but Hoopa each time made that expression, as he handed out donuts. The other wild creatures were far less grateful than Cassius and his team, indeed, they seemed almost disdainful of Hoopa and his efforts. The younger ones, while wary of Cassius, just stared at him as they quietly took a donut and left, though in true baby fashion, the same few young Bidoof kept coming back for more, until they waddled off content, with distended bellies.

As the party readied to sleep for the night, curling up around Cassius, Hoopa hovered awkwardly at the edge of the small encampment by his donut pile. Cassius pretended to sleep, and then sat up suddenly as Hoopa visibly deflated.

"Come join us, Hoopa."

The golden creature perked right up, hesitated for a moment, then floated over to the group. Carbonis was their heat source, and the Coalossal gave a friendly rumble to the Hoopa as it stopped floating, and began to rest beside Cassius.

The human shifted, as he pulled out something from his pack. A golden crystal, that made the Hoopa's red eyes widen in surprise. "If you enter this…you could travel with us." Cassius said quietly, as his team watched with intent. "You'd travel, eat, and even Battle, alongside my team. Will you?"

One by one, Hoopa looked at the other magical creatures, and the four of them sounded off in approval. Then, finally, Hoopa nodded, and touched the ingrained ring mark on his forehead to the crystal. He vanished inside, and then Cassius brought him out again.

"Welcome to the team…Shahir."

The golden Hoopa's mouth, which had been perpetually frowning or a neutral line since they'd met him, now curled slightly upwards.

Several Weeks Later… - Celestica City

"There it is, Shahir. Civilization." Cassius looked over the simple and yet also rather impressive town that sprawled before them. The buildings were carved from a sturdy looking white stone. The entrance, the only one Cassius could see from his crouched position, was flanked by a pair of guards, with long spears and tall shields. Cassius squinted, as he spied strange spheres on their waist as well, but he could tell they were experienced.

As Cassius snuck closer, too focused on the human settlement to notice Hoopa's growing fear, he realized that the main thoroughfare of what he was now realizing was more like a city, led to a pair of massive opposing white stone buildings, within which seemed to be statues of two massive magical creatures he didn't recognize. He knew of the Guardians that Arceus had appointed to protect and enhance various parts of the planet, but these were unfamiliar to him from this distance. Professor Gilboa had an idea for a kind of creature encyclopedia that he could hand out to new Wielders. Something they could use to seek out or peacefully interact with the relatively new species introduced to their planet.

Cassius felt sorry for whatever gullible fool got roped into making such an encyclopedia for him, as he was well over a century old.

"Hoo…pa."

Cassius turned, surprised at the melancholy tone in his partner's voice. "What's wrong my friend? We can finally eat something other than donuts! I like them, don't get me wrong, but they're not really survival fare, you know?"

Shahir stayed quiet, arms drooping as he floated reluctantly behind Cassius. Finally, he had a thought. "Wait…Shahir, do you know these people!?" His Hoopa nodded sadly. "Alright…in that case, hop back in your crystal for now. Wait for me to call on you." Hoopa looked deeply uncomfortable, but after looking into Cassius's eyes for a long moment, Shahir finally nodded, and entered the stasis-inducing crystal. He, for obvious reasons, had a fear of confinement, but Cassius was not like most humans. He would call him out again, when it was safe to do so.

Unfortunately, the flash caught the attention of the guards, as Cassius was now much closer to the white stone entrance gate of the city. "Who goes there! Show yourself!"

Before Cassius could so much as open his mouth, one of the spheres on the guard's waist flashed, and a Lucario emerged, eyes closed, but wholly focused on Cassius.

The guards paused as Lucario stepped forward, and then bowed. "Lucario, wha-!"

His Wielder was interrupted, as the Aura hound spoke, in telepathic Common, "He is the Successor. Must show respect."

The guards shared a look. "Successor to who…?"

Lucario turned to face them. Cassius sighed inwardly, as he could guess what came next.

"To the man who tamed the Alpha.."

The guard's eyes widened. "Successor to…uhh, right, uhh, wait here, um…sir." One of the guards ran off then, and Cassius just nodded along. He had hoped this far from the supercontinent he'd be less famous. But apparently not.

In short order he was walking with one of the head council members of this city, Celestica City, as they apparently called it, a man by the name of Girolomo. He was tall, blonde, and had styled his graying platinum blonde hair in a manner reminiscent of the Alpha himself. His outfit was surprisingly light, for living in a colder climate. The inhabitants of Celestica had mostly robes on, as well as sturdy looking sandals, and golden adornments. Girolomo in particular had a circlet on his brow, also gold, of three triangles, stacked in a manner that made them form a larger triangle when combined (think Triforce).

They stopped in the middle of two massive white stone statues, and Cassius was amazed at the sheer detail. It was clear, whatever artist had done these, was intimately familiar with Palkia and Dialga. Cassius had always been taught that they were in entirely different dimensions, that orbited his, like Arceus's realm was said to. So why were such detailed depictions here?

Girolomo's ancient voice rasped through the space, as the flow of citizens continued past them. To avoid constant stares and attention, Cassius had been given robes, though he wasn't enjoying them. They were almost…too loose. Some things needed more layers of protection, and the robe offered nothing. Moreover, from what Cassius had seen with stolen glances, nobody else seemed to be bothering with undergarments either.

"The God of Time, Dialga, and the God of Space, Palkia. Tell me young Cassius, were you aware that they have Tamers as well?" The teen shook his head, and the old man continued. "The Doctor and Dialga have saved this timeline and uncountable others since they first partnered together. He came hurtling into Dialga's realm from another reality, not by choice, and it was Dialga who saved him. They've been partners ever since."

The old man ahemmed, and turned smoothly towards Palkia's statue. "Palkia's Tamer is a bit less…respectable. Professor Sanchez had a bright future in Galar's universities…but all that changed, when he lost his wife. It's a sad story, and while it informs his actions since…it does not forgive them. But Palkia remains loyal, if distant. Theirs is a…different kind of partnership. Sanchez won't restrict Palkia with a capture sphere, but they have arrived to save each other in times of dire need more than once."

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

The old man turned back to Cassius and smiled. "We all look forward to the great things you will achieve, with the Original One."

Cassius's brow furrowed. "But how do you know all of this, Councilor?"

Girolomo smirked, and gestured up a set of white stone stairs that led to a higher portion of Celestica City. This led them to what was apparently the residential part of the city, with houses that went several stories up and seemed to support multiple people or families. Another thing he noticed…was that nobody seemed to have money. If there was a system of trade, it seemed to be barter-based, and cordial. Cassius could sense it as they'd passed the business part of the city; there was a noticeable lack of pervasive greed, here.

From Wyndon to Ba Sing Se, Cassius had sensed it in every large hub of humans he'd traveled through. An obsession with currency. It drove everything. But here, in this place at the foot of Mount Coronet's summit, which he now saw was capped with a massive white stone temple, the people lived in harmony. Creature Wielders seemed to be the norm, and most telling of all, was how happy the creatures looked.

That too, was something he'd learned. If one wanted to gauge the state of an area, one only needed to look at the emotional norms of the local fauna. Magical Creatures were much more…expressive than the animals they'd evolved from. And there was no question as to their intelligence.

At the end of the long straight road through the housing areas, the path split. One, led up to the summit itself, and the area beyond turned immediately snow-covered, and colder. The other path, the natural end of the long roadway, was a circular space, occupied by a large tree.

"This, is the Moonview Sanctum. Here, our Psychics wield their power to divine future events, and record them. We then send them on, to Eous. Our job is to transcribe, not react, or become involved. This invaluable skill is prized by Kingdoms all over the planet…and in return for related event transcriptions, we get supplies that we need. This is what has allowed us to slip the yoke of currency for our people."

Cassius chuckled awkwardly. "I see…unfortunately, I can't do much more than launch a pebble into low orbit, with my powers…apparently I lack control. I can only imagine what would happen if I tried Future Scry with them."

Girolomo smirked. "You would experience a torrent of images that would likely only come to make sense in time, if you even remember any of them. But, in processing this flow, your mind would learn control. It will try to process what it sees on instinct, and with practice, you'll find your control becomes more reasonable, something you can hone like the others do." The old man snapped his fingers.

A moment later, a young boy with similarly blonde hair rushed over. Girolomo didn't wait for him to speak. "This is my apprentice. Volo. You'll be learning together. We don't yet know if Volo possesses Psychic power, and Professor Gilboa, if we eventually hosted you, wanted us to test your aptitude. This requires the same trial, and thus, the same preparation, which you will undergo together. Volo. Show the Successor to Arceus's Tamer to his quarters, and fetch him at dawn. Return here, and I will tell you your task."

The Next Day… - Celestica City

"You first, Volo."

Girolomo gestured to the meditation circle carved into the dirt below the Moonview Sanctum tree.

"Just focus on Abra. Try to see what it's dreaming about. Let the image form in your mind. And Abra, no helping him."

The sleeping magical creature waved a three-fingered hand nonchalantly, but otherwise seemed asleep. Volo focused, his freshly ten years old face scrunched up in concentration, but after a minute, he sighed. "I failed. I have no idea what it's dreaming. I don't have powers…"

Girolomo patted his clearly disappointed disciple. "Not everyone possesses the gift, Volo. There are other ways to contribute to our society. Now then, you next, Cassius. Be as descriptive as possible."

Cassius closed his eyes, and focused. Within ten seconds, he started talking. "It's…a castle? A…school? I don't…"

"Take your time, Cassius. Sometimes, the meaning of a dream is revealed by time, despite our attempts to understand."

Cassius sighed, and continued. "It's…a school of some kind, within a castle. Made up entirely of Abra, Kadabra, and younger Alakazam, judging by their facial whiskers. It's weird. They're all…wearing clothing. Robes with red, blue, yellow, and green highlights…a sorting system of some kind. Abra is…in blue trim. They're…being taught Psychic Moves by older psychics…"

Girolomo nodded sagely, sure in his wisdom as he said, "Clearly a self-constructed dream this time, and not a vision. But we know now you can sense a Psychic's dreams and peer into them. That's good. You must've been in deep to extract such details, and all without Abra seemingly feeling any pain. Very well done."

Then, suddenly, the scene paused. Everything froze.

Reality itself appeared to stop moving, and the deep, slightly irritated voice of Proditor filled the air in response to his pupil's unasked question.

"You wish to ask something, Nico?"

Nico Mancadreigo was now clad in an ancient purely black hooded robe that had somehow remained intact in the intervening eons that Proditor had been gone from his old power base, which was where they were currently hiding out. The forces arrayed against Proditor had sacked much of it, but apparently had never found his item caches. Some were dust, but the clothes had remained intact and usable.

"It's not that I don't appreciate the history lesson, but can we get to the good part already? I wanna learn how to actually wield the Shadow."

Proditor gave his apprentice a look. "Do not be so eager to infuse your friend with Shadow. Magmar will hate you, for a time. Pokémon are naturally tuned for the Light. It takes personal power, and aligned goals, to effectively wield a Shadow Pokémon."

"As you've said…Master." Nico treaded carefully, as the old man hated repeating himself. "I just…feel like I'm missing something. I wanna know more, not just about my powers, but about all of…this." He gestured to the circular carved stone chamber, which they were in the center of. The center of the room was a circular pit of sand, which they had been training upon. "Who lived here? How long ago? And why…why are we embracing Shadow, instead of Arceus, and the Light? Isn't the Light…good!?"

"Good…Evil…these things are subjective." Proditor's face split into a wide, unnerving, razor sharp smile. A third crimson eye popped out of his forehead with a narsty squelch. The room warped, the details blurring and fading into the backdrop of what Nico perceived the room to look like. "You shall learn Our story…or a part of it, anyways. Some secrets…you are not yet ready for."

"That's BS!" Nico countered. "I need answers dude, or I'm out. This is already sketchy as Froslass."

"All you need to know about Arceus, little Nico, is that He is a hypocrite. You wanted power. You wanted to learn to wield your potential. Watch. And learn."

The scene around them shifted again, showing still images from the Successor's memories as Proditor's face shifted back to his human one with a look of discomfort.

"Under Master Girolomo and his apprentice Volo, I learned to hone my Psychic powers. They were part of what Japanese Historians call the 'Celestica People'. Girolomo was the one who first taught me about the being they called Almighty Sinnoh, and its two creations, Dialga and Palkia, Guardian Pokémon who control Time and Space. But it was little Volo who told me of a fourth member of this pantheon…and this…this moment…was when I finally managed to contact it."

Nico's eyes were drawn to the displayed vision around them, as it shifted and focused again. Helpfully, the vision displayed the location in a Shadowy font as it appeared.

Turnback Cave - Hisui Region

"This way, Cassius." His friend Volo whispered, even though they were quite far from any other people. They had become fast friends during Cassius's time in Celestica, and now, after questioning some inconsistencies with the city's lore in regards to Legendaries, and Hoopa, Volo had insisted on showing him a cave where, supposedly, the fourth member of the pantheon was known to appear.

The entire area seemed suspicious to Cassius, but this was where he'd sensed the other half of Hoopa's power. The walls were lumpy black stone, and pillars in the style of Celestica's civilization lined the relatively flat cave. The pillars glowed with psychic blue energy, swirling in patterns that had no rhyme or reason to Cassius.

Then, the air suddenly became colder, and the patterns on the pillars pulsed. The symbol of Arceus appeared on the floor, lines of energy snaking between it, and each pillar. Volo's eyes were manic, and Cassius tensed as he realized the kid had a dagger of some sort. It looked wrong, though, black and twisted. Cassius saw an aura of dark purplish energy around it.

Volo, for his part, approached the symbol on the cave's floor. "Can you feel it, Cassius? The chill of power in the air…the eldritch presence just beyond us, reaching out!?" He raised the knife. "Shadow of our World! Listen to my words! Giratina! I willingly open the paths between our realms! Break!"

Cassius just watched, spellbound by the scene, his body unresponsive to his instinctive desire to move, to stop Volo. Stabbing the symbol of the Alpha with a weird knife seemed like a bad idea, but as he looked at the source of his inability to move, he saw Shahir by his side, a downright evil, expressive grin on his face as he used his psychic powers to hold the teenaged human still. Before Cassius could even react to what seemed like a betrayal, or perhaps what Hoopa had been hoping to do all along, reality ripped apart with a brief sound like a knife through leather, and then a whoosh of air.

The air of Hisui was sucked through the dark yawning portal before them, which had opened above the fading symbol of Arceus. As the air regulated and the cave fell silent, the portal seemed to exhale, and a truly noxious odor seeped out from it. Along with suspicious purple gas that seemed somehow both corporeal and not, simultaneously.

Shahir shouted at the tentacles as they appeared. "Hoopa!"

As if they were sentient, the shadow tendrils pointed towards Shahir, and then suddenly arced and shot upward into the ceiling. Slowly, they dragged something down from above. To Cassius, it looked like a bottle a primitive civilization had made. There was a nondescript face on the stopper, complete with ringed horns on either side, and what looked like a representation of hair at the top, also bound with a ring. The body of the bottle was round like a donut, with three rings on either side of where the loop connected to the stem. The top part was light gold on top, while the bottom was more the brownish gold color that matched Shahir's body.

Ignoring Cassius now, Shahir lunged for the bottle imprisoning his essence, only to be violently and painfully hurled across the cave by a golden energy barrier in the shape of Arceus's symbol. Furious, Shahir opened a portal to attack…and all that came out was a stream of donuts that bounced uselessly off the same shield. With the same force, the confections were launched back at Shahir, who seemed to take damage from the now divinely glowing rounded dough circles.

Only further enraged by this, Shahir shouted, to his astonishment, in perfect Common.

"Give! It! BACK!"

The bottle shook, as if taunting Shahir, and started floating back upwards, but the shadowy tendrils kept it in the chamber.

As Shahir readied to fire more projectile donuts, Cassius put a hand on his shoulder. "That's where your power is?" Shahir nodded. "You'll need help to open it. It's going to keep repelling you." Cassius paused for a long moment. "Have…you been able to speak Common this entire time?"

Shahir shook his head. "Learned from you. Your…mind." He said, taking his time to choose his words.

Cassius nodded. "That's because we're partners. We're bonded. Why did you stop me from moving?"

Shahir's eyes narrowed. "Humans no good! Always take!" He gestured angrily at the bottle. "Give! Now!"

Cassius narrowed his eyes this time. "Manners will get you everywhere. Try using some."

Shahir growled. "Please. Give. Back." He visibly deflated. "Please." He finished, more genuinely.

Cassius squeezed his shoulder. "That was always the plan, my friend." Shahir looked up at him with hope, as Cassius walked towards the Prison Bottle.

As Cassius approached the bottle, his vision was overcome by darkness as soon as he touched it. The lingering Shadow clinging to the bottle, along with Shahir's latent power, slipped into Cassius's being without anyone even noticing. In the present, Proditor commented on his past self, "Interesting. I hadn't realized you infected me so quickly." The voice in his head responded, but in a manner only he could hear. "You're right. It doesn't matter when it happened. It was always going to."

The scene shifted back to Cassius's point of view, and Nico gasped, as he saw the Shadowmind's first host appear within the portal between the worlds. Giratina. The Renegade. In the present it wasn't nearly as ominous looking, but seeing it like this…Nico started to understand why it had been locked away.

The Renegade's small, burning crimson eyes started glowing, as it spoke, in a tone Nico recognized as the Shadowmind.

"You desire power…both your own potential, and your partner's…I can give it. You desire knowledge. I will share what I know. All I ask in return…is total loyalty. You will fully embrace the Shadow. Your partners will embrace the Shadow…and by doing so, you shall gain all that you seek."

"I…" Proditor began, "I just want Shahir to be whole again. Tell me, Giratina…who did this to my partner!?"

"The Original One. The Alpha." The very air trembled as Giratina uttered the true name of that being in a tone of pure rage, "ARCEUS!"

Cassius furrowed his brow, and looked at Shahir. "Arceus…? But why? What was so horrible that it warranted…this!?"

"Uncork the bottle…and Shahir can tell you himself…"

Determined for answers, and for his friend to be whole, Cassius gripped the bottle's cork, and pulled. That's when several things happened at once.

At the cave's entrance, Girolomo and several guards, with a Lucario each, filled the space. "What is this heresy!?" He shouted, eyeing the scene.

Volo, holding the knife, dropped it as he saw his mentor, the loud clatter drawing their gaze just long enough for Cassius to uncork the Prison Bottle, and unbind Hoopa.

Girolomo continued, angrily stomping into the cave. "Volo! What are you-" He paused, as he finally saw what Cassius was doing. "What!? Hoopa!? Here?" Anything else anyone said was drowned out as a low howl ripped through the air, like a sandstorm through a desert.

Girolomo shouted, as dark energy started swirling about Turnback Cave. "We need to bind the Prison Bottle, and close the portal! Lucario!"

The pair of aura hounds shared a look, and then pressed their respective right and left paws together, while raising their free paw towards the scene. The bottle's top in Cassius' hand started to move back towards its counterpart, while the hole in reality glowed blue on either side and was slowly forced closed.

Cassius watched as a massive cloud of Shadow struck Shahir, and the dark energy around his golden Hoopa suddenly surged into him. His eyes burned crimson, his form grew taller, almost too tall for the cave, his psychic presence, more powerful, his arms, more numerous, and each of the six arms that floated slowly out of his torso and formed six three fingered hands had two rings on them, one at the base of the arm and one at the wrist.

"FINALLY! REVENGE!" Shahir roared. All six arms flexed, opening portals to Arceus knew where. Being psychic in nature however, the portals also shared the psychic type's weaknesses. From the mouth of the cave, three golden fairy-like magical creatures that had yet to lose their golden luster struck at the forming disaster within. Behind them, floated two square objects radiating power, to Cassius's eyes. Dark and bug energy, if his guess was accurate.

Six pulses of dark energy hammered Shahir's rings, shorting them out instantly, while the central golden foating creature, the one known to Celstica as the Bringer of Knowledge, hit the Unbound Hoopa with a Signal Beam as it drew power from the lime green object behind it. This was the same method Arceus had used, when he'd had to subdue this Hoopa, and his brother.

As the rings floated back onto Shahir's arms, the Bringer of Emotion and the Bringer of Willpower combined with their counterpart to form an even greater Signal Beam. Shahir fell to one knee, snarling in disbelief that this trio of weaklings could stop him. As strong as he was when unbound, the Lake Guardians were cheating. Hoopa knew the power they used, and it was not theirs. Was not honorable. He seethed as he struggled against his quadruple weakness, but as before, was unable to break free of the Alpha's power.

"Stop! Stop it, you're hurting him!" Cassius shouted, jumping in front of the beam. The trio immediately stopped it, but Cassius still took damage from the bug typed energy. Being a psychic himself, it also hurt quite a bit, despite the meager Barrier he'd summoned in front of him, the Lake Guardians had shattered it instantly. Shahir watched, his evil eyes widening in surprise as Cassius protected him. Even after he'd held him in place earlier. Even after revealing through his actions that this had all been a plot to recover what was taken from him.

Cassius turned to his Hoopa. "Shahir…I know you're angry. I understand why. They took your power…but Professor Gilboa says great power comes with the responsibility to restrain it. You can't just rampage around destroying the homes of creatures and Humans! Show them you're not a threat. Show them you're in control. Show them you can handle being your true self." He put a hand on the lower part of his friend's strange torso. "I will vouch for you. Partner."

"Partner…" Shahir's eyes went wider, then narrowed again as he snarled at the three floating creatures. "It won't matter…they will take my strength again. They fear me."

Cassius gently patted Shahir, and the strange dark psychic flinched, unused to physical contact that wasn't an attack, especially in this form. To Cassius, he was still just Hoopa. Bigger, yes, a natural mean expression…but that was no reason to imprison his essence. "Please, bud…let me speak with them. Things will go better if you let me talk."

The cave was tensely silent, and then the gold and pink fairy-like creature chirped at her counterparts, and the pair of Lucario. Her counterparts stood down immediately, and after a shared look, the Lucario let their Aura Spheres dissipate.

Girolomo stepped toward Cassius. "You…bonded with Hoopa, of all creatures!?"

Cassius nodded. "I did."

Girolomo pinched his brow. "You…have no idea what it has done, do you?" Cassius shook his head. "If you did, you'd release it…Hoopa unbound like this is a disaster waiting to happen. And things have been set into motion, now that it's once again whole…"

Cassius narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"

Girolom sighed. "I mean…we are a nation of laws…and Hoopa is intelligent enough to understand, and break said laws. It already did so…but because of the Alpha's intervention, both it and it's sibling were spared Human justice…so long as they remained bound. Now that it no longer is bound, it must be held accountable. There will be a trial. And as its Wielder, you shall represent it."

Back in the present, Proditor spoke again. "We can skip all the pomp and circumstance. The sentencing is the only part of that Mukking farce that matters anyway."

The scene shifted forward, and while Nico was curious about the images between the scenes, his Master was right. The sentencing spoke for itself.

As they refocused on Proditor's enhanced Recall Sight, the scene was definitely dire. Stone stands lined the Moonview Sanctum that hadn't been there previously. They were filled with historic personages that Nico recognized at least a few of. The iconic golden gladiator armor of the First League Champion, and his Rhydon helmet.

Professor Gilboa, who seemed to be in deep discussion with a man in yellow and orange robes that had a light blue arrow tattooed on his skull, and arms. Above them all, with eyes that seemed more sad than vengeful, was Arceus himself. Massive, golden, and radiant by his very nature, silently but intently watching the mortals below, and the choices that would be made.

Girolomo was the head of the proceedings, while Shahir was kneeling, and bound with some kind of glowing blue rope. There was no sign of Volo, and Cassius was standing in front of Shahir, behind a wooden pulpit. He seemed distressed, angry, and by the looks of things, his arguments had been unsuccessful.

Then, suddenly, the scene moved forward, and Girolomo spoke. "You were given the chance to be magnanimous, like your brother. To benefit Humans and their partners, not harm them. To follow your Creator's mission, or at the very least not impede it. You were told only not to go to one specific place with your awesome powers, and you went anyway, putting our entire planet at risk of infection. You caused unchecked destruction across multiple Regions. You tricked the Successor into Taming you to try to escape your Binding. And perhaps most damning of all…you remain completely unrepentant-"

"Objection!" Cassius shouted, "Shahir has demonstrated that he-" But Girolomo held up a hand, psychically silencing the teen's outburst. Slowly, Shahir's golden head rose, and his red eye focused on Girolomo.

"There are no objections in the closing sentencing. You've made your case, Cassius. I-"

A low, psychic baritone rumbled through the stadium-like trial area. "Let. Him. Go."

Girolomo's eyes narrowed. The Unbound Hoopa turned to face him. "Let. My Friend. Go. Let him speak. He speaks truth." Shahir's eyes then shifted up at Arceus, lording over them all. "More truth than others."

The stadium erupted in murmurs and shouts of protest, but they silenced as Girolomo held up a hand. "It's a simple enough request. Very well, Hoopa. So long as your friend obeys the rules of the court."

He gestured at Cassius, freeing his voice, and put his hands on his own podium then. "As I was saying. Hoopa, your crimes are numerous and your guilt is certain. However, this court acknowledges your desire and Sentient right to be whole, as your true self. Therefore, we will imprison you, as you are, for all of time."

The court erupted in cries of approval this time, and Cassius looked at each of them. From the Sun Lord to his own master, the Tamer of Arceus himself, all were in agreement about his Hoopa's fate. What was worse, was that they acknowledged he could make his own choices, and yet insisted on ignoring any progress or signs of change he'd made. Cassius looked down at the podium, gripping the edges tight. "So in the end…nothing changed at all…"

He spoke quietly, to himself, but only Shahir heard him. Cassius had used his power to peer into the past and future, but in every timeline, he had seen himself helpless, as his friend ended up imprisoned for eons. The manner changed from timeline to timeline, but the result was always the same. He'd tried to change the course of events but it seemed this point in time was irritatingly solid, and not at all wibbly or wobbly. On either side of them, the Lucario guards wielding Aura Bones connected to the rope binding Shahir shifted into a ready stance.

Shahir's eyes began to glow crimson as he looked at his partner. In his head, the dark djinn rumbled, "If we are rebelling against this…the time is now. Partner."

Cassius tried to think of an alternative. A path to freedom and peace for his Hoopa that didn't involve wanton destruction and death. He found none. And in that moment of despair…something dark his past self wasn't aware had latched onto him, spoke.

You desire the power to save your friend's freedom.

Cassius's eyes shot up to look at Hoopa suddenly. That voice had come from within his friend's mind, of that, he was sure. But it was in no way Hoopa. He'd heard it before. The Renegade was in Shahir's head, yet…they did not seem to be at odds. Vaguely he heard Girolomo say something about it being time to release Shahir's capture crystal to them, so he could be bound for eternity. Cassius drew the golden crystal sphere he'd made himself. He'd intended it for Arceus…but he'd met Hoopa, instead. And frankly, after watching this joke of a trial in total silence, Shahir was more worthy of being his partner. He answered the voice in his head. "I do."

All I ask…is for absolute loyalty. You, Successor, shall become the Champion of Shadow. You will expand its influence. You will enact the will of its Master. You will embrace its power, to wield as you deem fit. You will do this…or you will die.

Do you accept?

Proditor gave his answer, and chose the path of betrayal. A hurricane of Shadow surged up and around Shahir and his Tamer, severing the aura binding the dark djinn. Then, it crashed into the ground, obscuring everything. Chaos reigned, as people panicked, or tried using their own powers to dispel the darkness. Then, as suddenly as the Shadow arrived, the Light shone through it in a focused beam that systematically burned the darkness away.

Arceus was in the air, behind his Tamer, as his symbol, burning and golden, burned behind the man's back. The Alpha was focusing his power into that symbol, and his Tamer used it to Purge the Shadow and heal the mortals and magical creatures. Yet, of Hoopa, there was no sign.

Arceus surveyed the scene, and then whirled on the only other source of Shadow nearby, understanding finally, why his sight of this moment had been so warped. Everyone below followed the deity's gaze, and murmurs of fear started to grow.

Arrayed across a now thunderous sky full of dark clouds, were Landorus, Tornadus, and Thundurus. To the right of the Forces of Nature were Lugia, Ho Oh, Kyogre, and Yveltal. To the left, on the ground, were Regigigas, Heatran, Xerneas, and a white fifty percent form Zygarde that seemed quite large.

Floating in the exact middle of his mind-controlled Legends, two arms crossed, as the other four were out of sight, Shahir grinned at his maker.

"Go on, admit it…you were surprised."

Shadow energy surged out of each Legendary creature, and the scene devolved into chaos, as the gathered Legends were forced to attack Arceus. Arceus however, was barely winded, as his Tamer was strong, and their bond was solid. He shifted between typings, hammering his creations with the most powerful attacks known to his kind. Moves that would come to be known as Blast Burn, Hydro Cannon, or Earth Power. As that chaos unfolded, Shahir and Proditor made their escape. Shahir didn't have many friends, but he had met a Zoroark once that ended up owing him a favor, and also was not a fan of their creator. With his power restored, Shahir called in that favor. If Arceus noticed the deception, he didn't act. Even his divine senses were probably more focused on the multiple Legend tier attacks constantly aiming for him, and he had to divert them from hitting the city, as best he could.

Yet, as always, when Legends clashed, it was the people who suffered. The Shadow infused Legends fought Arceus over and above the city, as the humans and creatures below scattered in terror. Buildings toppled. Aeroblasts and attacks of equivalent power missed their mark, and found someone's home.

The scene ended, with Proditor and Shahir escaping to the other side of the planet. Even Arceus had trouble finding a wayward Hoopa, especially when his new Shadow powers allowed him to bypass the side effect of being bound: not being able to travel through his own rings. In the present, Proditor ended the vision, and narrated the rest.

"The Legends rampaged. Celestica never fully recovered. Arceus managed to stop the chaos, but it left a scar over what we know as Sinnoh. A…wound in the fabric of Time and Space. One that apparently my old friend Volo poked at, for some reason."

Nico tilted his head. "Y'know, apparently there's some big deal museum thing in Lumiose all about ancient Sinnoh. It sounded lit."

Proditor nodded slowly. He was pretty sure 'lit' and 'fire' were apparently good terms, and not associated with actual flame at all, in the modern era. "Museum…in Lumiose, hmm? Then to Lumiose we'll go."

Nico crossed his arms. "Hold on, I still have questions."

Proditor turned, like a snake that until that moment had been pretending it hadn't noticed the little mouse behind it. He was mid-portal creation, as Nico spoke. Proditor simply read his mind, and let out a heavy sigh. "Again with the Light. You saw for yourself what it did to Shahir. Instead of trying to tame his power, Arceus and his Tamer chose to bind him forever. And do you want to know why? We never got to that part in the flashback. He did go on a bit of a rampage, it's true. But against wild Pokémon. They were Battling and got a bit carried away. No, his actual 'crime' was daring to enter the Reverse World. He just wanted to explore it a bit. But Arceus went all but berserk. My old Master had to use quite a lot of his power just to keep the Alpha from destroying Shahir down to the last atom."

At that moment, Shahir spoke for himself, as the massive golden Hoopa appeared from one of his rings, evidently now finally rested, and recharged. "He called me, and my brother, a Mistake, Nico Mancadreigo." The dark djinn stared the child down as his psychic baritone thundered in his skull. "The Shadow is Power. When unchecked, power can be quite dangerous…but only the unworthy fear wielding it. "There is no good or evil here. Just two sides of the same coin, always, forever, vying for control against each other."

Nico sighed, heavily, as he looked at the ground. "But we're not just…like…murdering random people, right?"

Proditor turned fully to face his apprentice. "What you do with the power is your choice…but you will have to follow the Shadowmind's edict."

Nico raised a brow. "Which is?"

"In so many words…for as long as I have known it, it's only base command to myself and those like me…was to infuse as many Pokémon with Shadow Energy as possible." Proditor answered.

The teen's brow furrowed. "But…why though?"

Again, Proditor face split, and his third eye manifested, but it seemed smoother now. The human eyes glanced up briefly, but still seemed cogniscent, even as the Shadowmind spoke with Proditor's mouth. "That, is a story we do not have time for. Lumiose…is Exactly where we want to be, for what comes next."

Proditor chuckled, as the entity in his head took the back seat again. "In time, you will find, you end up fulfilling the Shadow's desires regardless of your path. Once you embrace the Shadow, it will dominate your very Fate." On that note, he stepped through the portal that Shahir had opened for him, almost effortlessly.

Nico nodded. "Then it's too late to go back." He followed his Master through the portal, leaving the ancient base abandoned once more.