Written by Farla and Charles RocketBoy

A large, powerful Raichu sat down on a convenient rock, watching the sunrise.

A smaller, white Pikachu, much younger then the Raichu hopped over. "Mind if I join you?" she asked.

Pokemon may seem nearly identical to humans, but humans seem nearly identical to Pokemon. The basic human shape is remarkably uniform, even if people see many differences in it. Hairstyle and clothing are the only major features most Pokemon notice on a general basis, just like a red and yellow Rattata with long shaggy fur would be noticeable to people.

"Sure. Who are you? I haven't seen you around before," replied the Raichu. Pokemon with distinctive colouring were almost impossible to miss, much as a person wearing only white would stand out in a group of people wearing black.

"I only just got here. I was on the other side of Kanto and couldn't get here for a time." She grimaced. "I'm ElectricAngel," she said, spitting out the name like a rotten berry. "Normally called some stupid baby talk version."

"You had a Lass trainer?"

ElectricAngel cocked her head in confusion.

"A stupid female trainer, generally one who doesn't know anything about battles and who likes cute Pokemon," the Raichu clarified. 

The Pikachu nodded. "Yeah, she was an idiot. Never bothered to train me as a Pichu, just expected me to magically develop into an incredible battler. Didn't even know that electric moves don't work on ground. Of course, I wasn't exactly all that bright back then, either. I actually thought my name -or whatever variant of it she was calling me that day - was nice. Mainly because she thought so, but still. How about you?"

The Raichu shrugged. "My trainer just called me Raichu. I call myself Shockslash. You said your trainer had you as a Pichu? Most baby Pokemon never understand about their trainer. How did you realize?"

"She sent me against a Nidoking. I'd trained myself at night, because I though I was weak, that it was my fault. I was strong by then. I could've beaten him without much trouble, type advantage or no. But she told me to use electric attacks. You'd think she'd get the hint when they didn't work, but no, just started screaming about how I was screwing up. Finally I just ignored her and won. She was furious, screamed and yelled about how everything was my fault, until she finally let it slip that she'd only been raising me because she'd thought Pikachu were strong. I might have been dumb enough to actually think she cared, but I wasn't stupid enough to ignore what she told me. So I Thunderwaved her and ran off." ElectricAngel sighed.

"She got off pretty lightly, I'd say," said Shockslash. "Most of us mangled or mangled and killed our trainers before we left."

"What's your story?"

"Pretty much the same. I thought he was great, then evolved. Unlike you, I didn't see it then. He was an okay trainer, didn't make glaring mistakes. I didn't disobey then, but I kept seeing all the times when he told me to use the wrong attack, all the times I could've won and didn't because of him. But still, he was my trainer, he was the closest thing to a family I'd ever known. So I didn't disobey. Then I evolved again.

"I noticed everything then. How he was just using me, how he didn't care about me. He, who had been mother and father and brother to me my whole life, couldn't have cared less about the little electric rat unless it happened to be winning a match. But the worst thing, I think, was how he was so considerate, so patronizing. Telling me to dodge the attack that was coming right at me, the one I couldn't have missed if I was blind and deaf. Not like he usually remembered to warn me when it was coming from behind and I was about to get knocked out. Like how he'd make me train endlessly after his stupidity lost a match. One day, in a hard battle I was losing thanks to him, he offered me the chance to walk out. He always did, though I have no idea why. I took it. I walked out and would've kept walking but he had to follow, had to tell me that he knew how hard it must have been to walk away, how hard it must have been to know I couldn't win. Telling me about how hard 'we' would train so 'we' could win next time. Because winning those stupid matches was his life, so why wouldn't it be mine too? Because we won and I lost.

"I snapped. Tore him apart, wrote a message in his blood on the side of the stadium, realized what I'd done, and ran."

"Do you regret it?" asked the Pikachu. "I do."

Shockslash sighed. "Looking back, yeah. I'm sorry, I guess. He probably had no idea what he was doing to me. He never really did anything to deserve it, either. It was just everything, building up until I couldn't think. Strict training, disappointment, every little thing he'd ever done to me."

"It's funny," said the Pikachu sadly. "If anyone else had treated me like her, I would have just walked away. But she was special somehow. I don't think I could kill her now, but here I am, ready to kill people I've never even met."

"There's just something about them," agreed the Raichu. "That's what gives Pokemon trainers power. Because we put up with it. Because we'd die for them. Why do we obey them to begin with? If another Pokemon had walked up to me, beat me up, put me in a tiny cage, then told me that they were now my master and while I'd never see my family or freedom again, that I would battle for the rest of my life for them to gain power and feel grateful doing so, I would have either laughed in their face or beat the shit out of them. But I obeyed him. I don't know what it is, but there's just something special about them." Shockslash sighed again, staring at the sunset. He paused a moment. "Anyway, if you don't like ElectricAngel so much, what do you want to be called?"

**************************************************************************************************************

Eon hadn't seen Brock yet. It probably wouldn't be a good idea for her to see him at all, and she knew it. Currently, she was pacing back and forth, trying to figure it out what to do. It didn't help matters that she was looking over her shoulder constantly and staring at every shadow. This was not a good time for her.

Which might well have been the reason Ice chose to appear then. Eon looked over her shoulder once again, turned back and found Ice standing in front of her. Had Eon been in a better mood, she might have noticed that, once again, Ice was standing in bright sunlight, with no shadows she could have appeared from. However, Eon was royally pissed off and the metaphysics of Ice's appearance wasn't something she was interested in.

~ What do you want? ~

Ice shrugged. "The same thing most of us want. To survive. Johto has bought nuclear missiles and is going to launch them as soon as they're sure everyone has evacuated. Which means about six pm today. I'd suggest you get a group together quickly and send them to a major silo."

~ How do you know that? ~

"Does it matter? I don't lie."

~ You have a disturbingly wide view of 'true'. ~

"Facts are facts. Johto will bomb Kanto. They will continue to try until it is made painfully clear that is impossible. Remember, those bombs are just as dangerous to them as to us. More so in some ways. Pokemon aren't clustered in small areas like people."

~ You think that's a good idea? The cities of Kanto burn, but they aren't wastelands. ~

"Do you want them to try again and again until they succeed? If there are no consequences to trying to launch the missiles, they won't give up."

~ Everything has to happen at once, doesn't it? ~ Eon asked rhetorically.

"Well, you can't kill him. You'd like to, but you can't. He's chosen to be neutral, although that doesn't matter to you. You don't even really want Brock to join, but he's shown he hasn't done anything wrong and so can't be killed."

~ Brock hasn't done anything, but he's dangerous. They all are. Just by being what they are. Humans know that Pokemon are dangerous because they are Pokemon. Pokemon need to learn humans are dangerous simply by being human. ~

"Of course. That's why you killed him to begin with, wasn't it? Not for yourself so much as others."

Eon blinked. ~ I have no idea what you mean. ~

Ice shrugged. "One of you does."

***************************************************************************************************************

"Nothing?" repeated Domino. "You have absolutely nothing on Ice? Not even her name?"

The man shook slightly. "Well, that's the odd thing. The name sees to have been deleted. It was there originally. She wasn't called Ice when she started out, she just earned the name by how she acted. I-" he paused. " We think that she might have done it herself, for some reason."

"I thought," said Domino, "That the database was supposed to be impossible to tamper with."

The man gulped. He understood what Domino was saying. The database was impossible to tamper with according to what they'd said. Which meant they were either liars or incompetent. "Well, no system is foolproof. She was part of Team Rocket for many years, and well, she may well have spent that entire time trying to get in. I wouldn't suggest this for a normal rocket, but Ice did plenty of odd things, and this could be one of them. She was very patient."

"And you don't know anything about her family, either."

"We don't think that information was ever entered. It just says her father was killed by her Houndoom. We don't know where the rest of her family is or if they're even alive. For all we know, she might have killed them There's the list of missions, and a large file we're locked out of. We think the former boss did that, for whatever reason. We're currently hacking into it."

"Anything else?"

"Well, I'd like to say that what she did, erasing her name, it doesn't really make sense. There's no reason to do that unless she was planning on leaving, and she wouldn't have had enough time. And even if she could, there's no logical reason to just leave it blank. If she'd put in another name, we'd be researching that one and barking up the wrong tree. The only other explanation, one that also doesn't make much sense, is that the former boss did this, but we have no idea why he would do that."

Domino sighed and considered killing the man, but she needed him to get those pages. She could make an example of him later. "Send me the file once you access it. Dismissed."

The man bolted out. Domino then called the head scientist. He'd better have results with Zorsian and the chips. She wouldn't have a second failure in the same day.

***************************************************************************************************************

"But the death toll," said Shine, her voice horrified. "There are hundreds of Pokemon in the same area."

"If we warned them, they probably would be able to get out," said Rose hesitantly.

"Not the chipped ones," replied Memory. "And we can't release the serum without warning everyone. Even then, Pokemon still in their Pokeballs wouldn't escape and we'd have to search for them."

Eon sighed. ~ The chipped Pokemon have already been killed by the thousands when we try to fight people. And if we lose, they'll stay chipped. If we don't destroy the missiles, we'll lose. ~

"But right now?" asked Shine.

"Yes, we should wait a while," said Ice mockingly. "Till tomorrow or the day after perhaps, long enough for them to launch every one of the nuclear missiles at Kanto."

"We'll need time to even clear the chipped ones out and assemble a group," continued Shine as if Ice hadn't spoken.

~ A group of Electric Pokemon is assembling as we speak. Several Psychics are broadcasting the message to the Pokemon of the area. We should be ready in half an hour. I've also asked Nightflame, Firebringer and her pack to attack a random town, to show that we aren't just going to sit around in Kanto. If they realize we're in Johto, they'll focus their efforts on protecting themselves. ~

**************************************************************************************************************

Shockslash's cheeks sparked. The Jolteon barked, electricity travelling over his spikes. All the other Electric Pokemon had backed away, to form a rough circle. No one wanted to get hit, but no one wanted to miss this, either.

Spike, the Jolteon, lunged at Shockslash, who ducked and dodged right, sending bolts of lightning at the Eeveelution. He responded with Pin Missile.

"Stop this immediately!" ordered a sleek Dragonair named Season. "If you can't find a sensible way to choose a leader, I'll go tell Eon to put Star or Memory in charge," she threatened.

"Fine."

"Fine."

"Good," she said, gliding off.

They waited till she was gone, then blasted each other with Thunder.

****************************************************************************************************************

Wildfire was doing what she usually did when there was nothing urgent, and she didn't really want to deal with the world. She bent her legs then jumped into the air, beating her wings rapidly to rocket skyward. She didn't start to glide or fly in any direction but up. She continued until her wings pumped frantically through the thin air, until her head swam, and still she continued. Finally the air was so thin her wings couldn't hold her up and she was so dizzy she couldn't keep them moving. Then she fell.

Sometime between then and when she would have hit the ground, she regained enough consciousness to open her wings again and pull out of her dive. Then she beat her wings and flew upward again, as high as she could until she fell again.

Flying was wonderful. So was falling. Someday, maybe she wouldn't open her wings, wouldn't stop her plummet into the earth. She didn't want to die, didn't think about cutting open her wrists or diving into the sea. Not in the sense she wanted to actively kill herself. But anyway, what did it matter, one way or another? Her family was dead, she was a murderer. They were just Pokemon, after all. And a Jenny wouldn't do anything wrong. What Wildfire had done was wrong, really. Yet she didn't feel sorry. She really should. But demons didn't feel remorse, after all. Isn't that what they called her?

Wildfire wouldn't have killed anyone. She hadn't. She wouldn't. But that didn't matter. Pokemon weren't worth the life of people. And Jennies were the guardian angels of humankind. Wasn't like they could do anything wrong. Wasn't like anyone would care if they did.

It was comforting, knowing that she could just fold her wings in and steel herself for one sharp flare of pain, and then it would all be over. Death would wrap itself around her and drag her willingly to an icy hell. Maybe it wasn't exactly a healthy attitude, but who was going to do anything? She had few friends, one of which was a suicidal Charizard and the other a serial killer who might not even have emotions and who could well be plotting the death of everyone on Earth, herself included.

Star didn't exactly approve of it all, but while the Charizard wasn't diving from the sky, she liked to take swims when the clouds were threatening a storm. Star understood. It had been their family, after all. And Ice's views on the matter was something about keeping her self- destructive behaviour confined to things that didn't effect anyone else. Ice didn't understand, but the dark elemental didn't understand most human's and plenty of Pokemon's behaviour or reasoning. Ice was used to it. And who else knew?

***************************************************************************************************************

"Now," said a badly singed but triumphant Shockslash, "The main thing is to get out of there before everything blows. Vanish, who is our only teleporter, will bring anyone who gets out back to base before the explosion. You're still inside? You're dead. You're going to be blasted into dust and that dust is going to be blasted into nothing. We have no idea exactly how many bombs are in there, but it's a hell of a lot more then it takes to destroy everything in the area."

"Why can't Vanish just teleport us out of the place?" asked a Voltorb.

Vanish looked at it coldly. The Kadabra replied, "Pinpointing individual minds takes time. Not a lot of time, but time. I'm leaving about an instant before that place blows. Eon's orders. We can't just hope it goes off. There's always a chance people might be able to stop it. So I'm going to wait, and then, about a second before everything in the area is flattened, I'm teleporting everyone in this area out."

"Remember, don't touch the actual bombs. Just short-circuit the computers. When they explode, the rest will go to, and it gives us a grace period that might be long enough to get back outside. Or it might not, but it should." said Shockslash. "Now go!"

The Electric Pokemon tore through the guards. A few of them got shot, but they outnumbered the humans. The corridors did give the people some advantages, forcing the Pokemon to come at the person to get past and restricting the numbers, but it wasn't anywhere near enough. Thunderbolts shook the place, and while the delicate, expensive machinery was still sparking, the Pokemon ran.

Almost all of them made it out. Vanish teleported them back.

**************************************************************************************************************

When Wildfire stopped flying and landed, Ice was waiting for her.

"You don't agree with what Eon is doing," she said.

"Using humanity's own weaponry against them? Or creating a wasteland?"

"Both. You don't understand exactly what's at stake, do you?"

"Well, last time I checked, what was at stake was the freedom of all Pokemon, not to mention my own life. Still, this is just wholesale destruction. The cities of Kanto burn, Ice. I may not be part of them anymore, but that doesn't mean I want... this."

Ice looked at her. "They're still alive," she said abruptly.

Wildfire stared at her for a moment, confused, before it dawned on her. "But they were in Kanto."

"They went to Johto."

Wildfire looked down, saddened. "They probably think I'm dead. They've probably though I was dead for a long time. I guess I am, though. Or who I was. I'm not human." She looked up at Ice. "What will happen to them?" she asked urgently. "Will they die?"

"Yes -"

"Can I do anything to stop it?"

Ice continued as if she had not been interrupted. "-But not from the war. Of old age. It's been a long time, Wildfire. You don't age the same, so you haven't noticed it much, but it's been a long time."

***************************************************************************************************************

While many people fear Dark Pokemon, they are not the majority in Kanto. They are even less in Johto, where people have lived with the type far longer. Most people don't feel either love or hatred for Darks. They just don't care, don't have the time and the focus such active loathing requires. While most people have a sense of vague unease about the dark type and wouldn't want one themselves, they can handle fighting against one or witnessing it in the wild. And in some places, places far off and isolated from the outside world, some people even train Dark Pokemon without strange looks from family and friends. And sometimes when a town adopts a type or species of Pokemon, it will be Dark.

Firebringer, leader of the largest Houndoom pack still in existence, stood fearlessly before the man. She growled slightly, spitting out a tiny bit of fire and taking a step forward. Something was wrong. The man was scared, but he should have been screaming in fear at the threat of a Houndoom. The man was no more afraid then anyone would be, faced with a large and furious Pokemon.

"Go, Doomy!"

Beside Firebringer, Solflame scoffed. "<Doomy? What kind of name is->"

Solflame broke off, staring in horror at the Houndoom before him. Firebringer took a deep breath, blinked, and automatically took a step back.
 The Houndoom was snarling, froth collecting around its mouth. Its legs were tense, claws gripping the soft turf to give it a firm footing. Its eyes focused on Firebringer madly, and then it jumped.

Fenris tackled it in mid-leap, roaring angrily. The smaller Houndoom fought with insane fury, but Fenris matched its viciousness easily. He quickly twisted, getting his teeth on the other's neck. The Houndoom realized somehow, through madness and the chip, that it could not win and must give warning. It threw its head back in a howl. The chipped Houndoom's voice was cut off almost instantly as the dark evolution dug his teeth though the soft flesh of its throat, but the damage was done. Others had heard.

The man, however, had lost his Pokemon. Fear, even terror showed in his eyes as he saw death. Yet as all do, he refused to believe he was doomed. He quickly ordered his chipped Mareep to attack, but was killed before they could respond.

More people came running, sending out their Pokemon. All had at least one Houndour or Houndoom, but they also had Rattata, Caterpie, Weedle and other common Pokemon. It wasn't a small group, either. There were other people who raised herds Mareep or Flaaffy, and they had brought their Pokemon with them. Firebringer and the rest were outnumbered. Badly.

The pack attacked viciously, with the panicked strength of a cornered Vulpix. The trained Darks fought back as if possessed, defending their masters with a foresight chipped Pokemon did not have, fighting even in their death throes.

When at last the fight ended, the canines looked around at the carnage. Everything was dead except them, and many of their own were badly wounded. These people had kept their Houndour, and even when the chips had made the Dark Pokemon into everything they were said to be, vicious, insane, bloodthirsty killers, the people had kept them.

Of all those assembled, only Fenris stood unrepentant, his long tongue lolling out of his mouth as he panted. Suddenly his ears pricked up. He sniffed at the air and bounded off.

Not sure what the huge canine was doing, Darksun the houndour and his half- brother, the Umbreon Blackmoon, followed. As they moved, Darksun picked up the faint smell of fear, both human and Houndour. The place they were leaving stank of fear, but only human fear. It also smelled of blood and rage and madness, from the hounds of both sides. Out here in the fresher air, Darksun was able to find the other scent, which was much weaker.

Fenris turned abruptly, switching direction in mid bound to race through an alley. The two younger darks skidded past him and were slowed down enough that they nearly lost them. Fenris wasn't moving slowly and they were tired from the fight. Finally the Dark evolution jumped over a white picket fence and stopped momentarily at a shed. He quickly ripped the flimsy, two inch thick wood door off, exposing what lay behind it.

Inside huddled a small girl and a Houndour puppy. She stared at the three Pokemon in terror. It was clear she must have had some knowledge of what had happened.

Fenris growled and snapped at the air conversationally, although Darksun and Blackmoon had no idea what he was telling them. The girl seemed to shrink further away, pressing as hard as she could into the far wall. The little Houndour growled fearfully at the three.

Darksun and Blackmoon looked at each other uncertainly. What were they going to do?

**************************************************************************************************************

"They didn't make it, did they?" asked Shrub.

"Not even close. The missiles failed and went off early. In Johto. The entire area is gone. Thankfully it wasn't near a major city, but still, the death toll is incredible."

Shrub closed his eyes mournfully. "All those dead, and by our own weapons. They're killing us using our own protection."

***************************************************************************************************************

"Nightflame did what?" asked Wildfire.

Star nodded. "I know. But it's true. I heard it from Darksun, who was there. None of them wanted to kill a kid, after all."

"Is the kid still alive?"

"Yeah, surprisingly enough. Nightflame's talking with Eon right now. In about five minutes, someone's going to die."

They both flinched as Eon's psychic voice bellowed. ~ YOU DID WHAT? ~

~ What exactly do you intend to do with it? ~ demanded Eon. ~ Keep it as a pet? ~

"We killed everything, Eon. Everything. Her family is gone. Her town has burned to the ground. How could I kill her? How can I kill her?" asked Nightflame softly. Her eyes weren't focused on Eon. Instead, they were staring off into the distance, as if she was beseeching a higher creature for an answer, or reliving the nightmare.

~ Don't you get it! Don't you understand! ~ screamed Eon. ~ We can't be merciful, we can't let them live. There's something in them, something so deep we don't even know what it is, something that makes us worse then slaves. Give them half a chance and it'll be like this entire war never happened! We'll all walk happily at their heel as they lead us into battle with each other! We'll smile as they kill us one by one! It can't happen! I won't let it! ~

"I won't kill her!" howled Nightflame, her voice desperate. "I won't. I can't."

Eon glared at her, the Eeveelution's eyes as hard as stone. ~ You don't believe me, do you, ~ she said. It wasn't a question.

"She's just a child. Just a little child," whispered Nightflame.

~ Just a child? ~ repeated Eon incredulously. ~ Just a child? My trainer had me walking into a lab to die at ten. I watched them bring in Eevee after Eevee. Their owners were children too. How old do you think Cinceon's owner was? Mixeon, Dawn, Dusk, how old do you think any of their owners were? How old was your trainer when he killed the first of you? How old was he when you stood before him willingly to let him beat you to death? Was he 'just a child' then? ~

"She's five years old, not fifteen! She doesn't know!"

~ Yet. ~ hissed Eon. ~ Look at you! She's five years old and she's already got you. By the time she's eight you'll walk off a cliff if she asks you. By the time she's ten she'll have all of us begging to fight for her. ~

"She's just a little girl!"

~ Now she is. Are you going to keep an Everstone on her, knowing that if the stone breaks she'll evolve and destroy us all? Humans grow up to be a thousand times more deadly and cruel then we could ever be. Are you going to keep a demon as a pet, coddling it until it decides to kill us? ~ Eon stalked off, every muscle in her body tense and radiating fury.

Nightflame stared after her for a time, then turned and walked back to Rachel. Her 'pet' would need food and a guard.

***************************************************************************************************************

Mineral, Ruby's liberated Steelix, slithered up to Eon. "Three Tyranitar have joined us recently, two sisters and a brother, and they're very strong, maybe strong enough to be commanders. Their names are Tyra, Terra and Tyrant. Do you want to see them?"

Eon struggled to keep her voice calm. ~ Yes, of course. Send them to me. I'll call the others, see if they agree. ~

The Steelix paused. "Er, is it true?" he asked hesitantly. "About Nightflame and-"

~ IT'S TRUE! ~ Eon snarled furiously, walking off.

***************************************************************************************************************

"Well, I agree," said Memory. "All of you seem very strong. I think you should be commanders."

"Yes, but why don't they go on a patrol first," suggested Shine. "They've just joined, and should have some experience with fighting."

Eon shrugged, not paying that much attention. ~ Sure. ~

Ice walked up to them. She might have been there before, or she might have just come. Even when she was somewhere, she could avoid being noticed. She stared at the three silently for a long moment. Wildfire tensed. Ice had a Tyranitar once. Something had happened to it before Wildfire had joined the Rockets. With a normal person there wouldn't be anything to worry about, but Ice was anything but normal.

Ice stared at them, then vanished without doing or saying a thing. Wildfire relaxed again. It seemed like everything was fine.

**************************************************************************************************************

Mewtwo was enjoying the sunset. It was nice to just sit down and watch the colours slowly darken without having to worry about anything. He wondered absently if this was what a Mew's life was like, perpetually amused and interested in everything without pesky worries, goals or ambitions to get in the way. Truly, ignorance was bliss.

"Deadly, though," commented Ice. "Mews are almost extinct."

~ How do you do that? ~ he asked. ~ You aren't psychic. ~

"I can. Why does 'how' matter so much?"

~ Because asking how is what shows us the way to understand or make something happen. And what were you doing with the Tyranitar? What is their 'fate'? ~

"I don't know," she said. "Death, because I can't see them at all. I'm too close, part of too much of the pattern. Something unexpected will kill them, but I can't see it because my own actions make up too much of it."

~ You're going to kill them? ~ asked Mewtwo calmly.

"No, but I'm connected. Not very much, just enough to block out their immediate futures. They personally make up a small part, but it's very important and effects a great deal of what will happen. So I can't see it."

~ I don't suppose you'd bother to give me a straight answer on how you can see all that, ~ he commented, a touch of annoyance entering his voice.

"Darkness conceals, Mewtwo. Science can't and shouldn't discover it. If they got close enough, they would destroy the very thing they were seeking. Or be destroyed, as the case usually is."

***************************************************************************************************************

Eon stands in a small meadow. It is beautiful, filled with hundreds of flowers. The sun's rays fall softly on the plants. It seems almost like it is impossible for anything bad to happen there.

In front of her stands a very young Eevee.

"<Eevee>" says Eon.

The Eevee looks at her in confusion.

~ Eevee ~ she tries again.

"<Yes?>" asks the Eevee. She is young, too young to have learned to be suspicious of strange Pokemon, but still, there is something that makes her nervous.

~ Eevee ~ says Eon. ~ You have to come with me. Your trainer is going to evolve you. ~

"<I know. When he turns ten and is going to go on his Pokemon journey.>" says the Eevee proudly.

~ No! Eevee, you aren't going to just evolve, you- ~

"<I'm going to be special.>" agrees the Eevee. "<I'm going to be the first one ever!>"

~ You don't understand! It isn't a gift! ~

Eon hears footsteps. The Eevee's trainer is coming. Desperate, she leaps and grabs the Eevee, then turns to run away. The black flowers grow to monstrous heights and block her way. She turns back and-

A young boy runs onto the field. "What's going on?" he demands. Eon tries to run past him, but the brambles wrap around her legs and dig their barbs into her Vaporeon flesh.

The boy sends out a Magneton and orders it to use thunder. Dazed, she drops the Eevee and it runs back. She stares, confused, injured and paralysed. He didn't have a Magneton.

Eon tries to move, but she is stuck fast to the ground. Time races by and the boy and the Eevee grow older. Then it regains normal speed. She tries to scream but she can't. She can't do anything, just watch.

"Guess what Eevee? Today is my tenth birthday! Do you know what that means?" asks the boy.

<I'm going to evolve!> yells the Eevee happily. <I'm going to be the strongest ever!>

And suddenly Eon is back at the lab.

*************************************************************************************************************

Ash trudged stubbornly through the forest. It was pitch black and he kept stumbling over roots and branches. He refused to stop, though. He was almost there. He had to get the base Lt. Surge had talked about.

He had to find Eon. It had done all this.

He heard a rustling sound and quickly turned. If it was a Pokemon, he'd either kill it or catch it. Wild Pokemon might be controlled by eon. They couldn't be trusted. Not taking his eyes off the spot where the sound had come from, he enlarged Pikachu's Pokeball.

Suddenly he was hit from behind, knocking him down and sending the ball flying. He stumbled up instantly to try to grab the ball before it vanished into the darkness but failed. He then spun around to see what had hit him, deciding to make sure nothing would attack before he went looking for the Pokeball.

Nothing.

A low hiss attracted his attention. He turned yet again and saw two silver eyes staring out of impenetrable darkness. He yelped and pulled out his gun.

"What are you?" he demanded.

The eyes said nothing.

"Answer me!" he yelled, feeling the darkness creeping around him. His terror rose. "Answer me or I'll shoot!"

Still nothing. He pulled the trigger, the gunshot exploding like a thunderclap through the dead silent night. The eyes vanished, and he took a step forward, to see the bullet imbedded in the tree in front of him.

"Tsk tsk. Not even silver bullets, yet you expect them to hit me? A mindless superstition, but at least an effort. Why don't you try a prayer? Won't work either, but it's always funny to watch," said a voice behind him. He spun, shooting blindly where he though he heard it.

"Who are you? What are you?" he screamed.

A shadow formed from shadow before him, seeming to merge and vanish again as he watched. Sometimes there seemed to be a shape, but at other times just two eyes. "Who? What?" asked the voice mockingly, "I've been called many things. Demon is as good as any. I've been watching you. Blundering around in the dark, no matter if it's day or night. You need help."

Ash took a step back. He aimed the gun, his hand trembling badly. "Who are you? Answer or I'll shoot you!"

"It didn't kill me the first time and it won't kill me now," said the voice with confidence. "Besides, you aren't in the position to be making threats. You need my help. Among other things, I can get you out of here before the Pokemon arrive to see what's been causing all the noise. In the daytime I'd give you fifty-fifty odds of shooting one before you got killed, but here in the dark? You're blind as a Zubat. They'll kill you before you even realize it."

"I'm going to kill Eon!" he yelled defiantly.

"No," said the voice coldly, "You're going to get killed and maybe, if you're very very lucky, you might be able to shoot in the general direction of one of the Pokemon before you die. Don't be stupid. You can die here, pointlessly, and maybe no one will ever go after Eon. She'll just keep coming and people will keep losing. Or you can decide not to throw your life away, and leave. Come back later with an army of your own and then you can kill Eon."

"If you know so much about what I should do and want Eon dead as well, then why don't you do it?" demanded Ash.

"Little human, don't you know anything? Just because I can dodge a mere bullet doesn't mean I can beat one of the most powerful Pokemon in existence in a fight, especially one surrounded by other powerful Pokemon. Hiding in shadows can mean you don't have the power to fight on equal terms. Just because I'm stronger then one weak human doesn't mean I could pull this off."

"If you're so contemptuous of us, then why are you helping me?"

There was amusement in the voice when it answered. "Ever heard the saying: The enemy of my enemy is my friend? You should keep that in mind. Not just here, but with Team Rocket. They'll end up helping you, to save their own hide. Here-" Two Pokeballs were tossed out. Ash caught them. "Blaine's Magmar and a Jynx. Don't bother chipping them, they're completely loyal to humans, and will obey you as long as you don't try to get them chipped."

"What about Pikachu?" Ash said, his voice frightened.

"Ah, your little electric rat? It was never chipped. It had been brought to you by two Ditto who changed into humans. It was a spy."

"Pikachu would never-"

"Eon is a very powerful Pokemon, Ash. Don't you think it could influence a Pokemon to the point where it thought it was acting of its own free will? Anyway, I'll be keeping it insurance no one hears about this. I prefer not to be hunted. Keep your mouth shut or you won't be getting it back."

"No way!"

"Did I say you had a choice, human? I have it. You can go out and try to kill Eon now, or you can do what I've told you and live to see the dawn. You talk about this to anyone and you'll never see your precious mouse again. Got it?"

Ash nodded. The creature lunged out and grabbed him for an instant, and then he was standing in the middle of Goldenrod.

***************************************************************************************************************

Nightflame growled at the Exeggutor who was trying to get closer. It seemed to consider for an instant actually attacking her, but thought better of it. She looked behind her at the girl, who was still not saying anything. Her name was Rachel, according to her houndour. They were both refusing to do anything but huddle in a corner. Nightflame hoped they'd be all right. It was only last night that their home and family was destroyed, and so this might wear off in time.

**************************************************************************************************************

Ice, watching Fenris, suddenly stiffened and vanished.



Tyra, Terra and Tyrant were surrounded by a legion of Fighting Pokemon. Ice hadn't seen this many in one place since the time Giovanni had demanded she prove that her Pokemon could beat anything. Since the time Tyranitar died because Giovanni couldn't take losing well. Bastard.

They were powerful and they were fighting together very well, but they were nearly finished. There was no way they could win. Without hesitation, Ice attacked.



~ Odd that they haven't come back yet, ~ said Eon.

"Tyranitar are slow," said Shine, dismissively. "So, what were we called here about, other then three Tyranitar?"

~ We need to take more of Johto then just New Back and Cherrygrove. We need to take Violet, which has Bird and Plant types. Who should we send? We don't have many ice types- ~

Ice appeared. She wasn't avoiding notice like usual. Her eyes were jet black without any white at all, and her hands were curved into claws, with long nails, much like a Sneasel. She was staring directly at Shine. Her form was decidedly more feral then her normal one, and seemed to be wrapped in a dark glow. She was furious.

"Filth," she said softly in a voice colder then her namesake. "Did you really think you could get away with it? That the humans would win? That I'd let you live?"

The others stared at her, backing away automatically. Shadows were writhing madly on the walls.

"What-" Shine tried to say.

"They were teleported in. I could feel your aura," Ice hissed, and the shadows reached up and tore at Shine. The Espeon screamed once and vanished. Ice disappeared too.

"What just happened?" asked Fang quietly.

"I think something happened to the three Tyranitar. I think Shine might have been a traitor, and apparently Ice has decided she is," said Wildfire, her voice unsteady. "I guess that explains the jenny and how they were going to shoot missiles at us without knowing our strongholds."

"And if Shine didn't do anything?" asked Rose.

"Doesn't matter. We'll never see Shine again."

**************************************************************************************************************

Abruptly, the missing file appeared on Domino's screen. About time those dimwits earned their pay, she thought. She opened it.

Who said I needed to give a fake name to distract you and make you waste your time? Don't bother looking, you won't find my family anywhere. They're dead. You won't find me either, I vanished from the world not long after I joined Team Rocket.

You really should have considered the wisdom of bothering me. Remember, I was Team Rocket's top assassin. I never failed. Leave me and mine alone, or I'll come after you like I did all the others.

The rest of it was the same sentence over and over again, which was where the size of the file came from.

Do you know what a Houndoom does if you kill one of their pack?

At the bottom of that it said once:

Don't repeat the Mewtwo project.

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE: SINS OF THE FATHERS

~ We must attack Violet. Unfortunately, we don't have many Ice types, which are the only ones that have advantages against both Flying and Plant. To make it worse, the Bellsprout of Sprout Tower seem to be on the human side, though they are unchipped. ~

"Traitors," growled Firebringer softly.

~ At any rate, it wouldn't be a good idea to let them organize. Most of Johto is quietly fortifying but still trying to pretend we don't exist. Violet has already been attacked, and they're right on the edge. I wasn't able to stop the skirmishes the Pokemon there kept causing either. They know we're there, they know they're next, and they know we want to destroy them. The moment we attack, they'll organize. We need a way to distract them, cause enough confusion that they won't be able to tell our attack from what's going on. ~

"Sprout Tower's just made of old, dry wood. I went there once. The floor's even polished constantly. It's a bonfire waiting to happen," said Wildfire. "I can go in and set it on fire. That'll attract their attention."

 **************************************************************************************************************

"Look, I don't know about the rest of you, but the way things are going is starting to worry me," said Gary. "Eon was angry over Brock, and she went nuts when Nightflame refused to kill the girl."

"She did let all of us live," said Jessie.

"Her hands were tied," said Jeanette. "She'd held a trial before a large group. She couldn't just kill us, not after what our Pokemon had said."

"She seemed fine with us as allies," mentioned James.

"With us, yeah," said Gary. "Four humans aren't a threat to her. But what will happen after Eon wins? She won't kill us unless she's gone totally insane, because we're fighting for her. But what will happen to everyone once she wins?" 

"She might not win. Or they might end up with a truce. She'd need an overwhelming victory to pull off a genocide."

"There can't a be a truce," said Jeanette quietly. "One side or the other would break it at the first chance. There's just too much bad blood. And at the rate everything is going, she'll win. Eon seems to know it too, and she's clearly leaning toward genocide. She wanted to kill Rachel. Tell me, what crime can a five-year-old commit?" 

"From what I heard, Eon didn't care about what Rachel had done, she cared about what the kid would do," said Jesse. "And she never mentions what's going to happen after the war. Historically, revolutions have turned on their own when they won." 

"That doesn't always happen. The Americans certainly managed it," replied James.

"That's different," said Gary. "That was an occupied territory that already had its own government starting the rebellion, and besides, plenty of the British soldiers were sympathetic to the cause. Civil wars are always worse. France was torn apart by their attempts. Admittedly, there's no precedence for something like this, a species-VS-species conflict, but it seems to follow the same rules as the underclass rebelling against the aristocracy. No structure other then the leader of the rebellion and whoever they appoint, a group who reveres their leader and will do just about anything for her, and no one has any idea of what to do when they win. We're part of the aristocracy in the equation. We join, fight for the cause, and are then attacked once the rest of them are gone, because by then they won't want to stop hunting us," 

"I don't think the Pokemon would do that," said James.

"As I recall, most people didn’t think the Pokemon would do this."

 *************************************************************************************************************

"How can you be sure no other Nightress will succeed?" Domino demanded.

One of the two men spoke. "She does specialize in Darks. Besides, if there's one thing we do know about her, she doesn't forget. Nightress attacked and failed. She will be able to destroy any others."

"She must be separated from her Pokemon at some point."

"They remain nearby at all times."

"She's paranoid? There's no record of that."

"The records are severely flawed. But we don't think it's paranoia. Something else."

"Companionship?" Domino scoffed.

"Unlikely. We don't know. She may be insane. Her motives are hard to fathom."

"Very well," said Domino, turning the screen off. She then pressed a different button. "Lab? Send someone up here immediately."

It took only a few minutes for the hapless scientist to arrive. He looked like being shot would almost be a relief. "Yes, Boss?"

"How are the clones doing?"

"We've got an adult Zorsian fully trained. But, er, there's a bit of a-"

"Problem?" Domino demanded.

"Not exactly. Just an oddity. The Zorsian is able to travel through objects, but during a fight it remains solid."

"That sounds like a problem," Domino said.

"And the Zorsian…well, it is hit by attacks, but the creature itself…"

 *************************************************************************************************************

He spoke carefully and calmly, despite his fear. "Pokemon are not tools of war," said the Elder solemnly. "You will not be able to win as long as you think of them as mere weapons."

"I agree. So why don't you call off your pathetic Bellsprout defenders?" said Wildfire, perfectly at ease. She looked like a normal human at the moment, since she had wanted to get up to the top without interference. "You should follow your own advice. Besides, it's not like they could stop me."

"Do not be deceived by outward appearances," said the Elder.

Wildfire waved her hand, sending a wide and dilute ember attack at the unchipped plants. They fainted, and the floorboards began to smoulder. "I'm not deceived by outward appearances. They aren't weak because they're Bellsprout, they're weak because you're a really, really bad trainer." She walked off, ignoring the slowly thickening smoke. Once, she would have cared. But if there was one thing she learned as a Rocket, it was that showing uncertainty was bad. You acted like you didn't want to kill them, and they fought back.

Other people rushed past her to the top to see what was the matter. They didn't pay close attention, a good thing as her wings were simply flattened to her back. It was very unpleasant to try to stay in her completely human form, and she never would longer then she absolutely had to. Once she was at the ground floor and certain everyone had left for the higher levels, she used Flamethrower on everything she could see. Then she left the tower. No one would be able to get out. She didn't dwell on it.

 ***********************************************************************************************************

 "Should we say anything?"

"Tell her? If you're that tired of living, blow your own brains out, don't try to drag the rest of us down with you."

"But-"

"Domino wanted the Nightress gone. It's gone. Now shut up and get back to work."

**************************************************************************************************************

"Don't try it," Ice advised.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," replied Kanga, its voice struggling to imitate the cold aloofness, to show its lack of fear. "Are you sure you're all right? Have you been hearing voices?"

Ice ignored it. "You try to switch identities and I will kill you. You foolishly choose Kanga and if your form has little useful knowledge that is because of your own incompetence."

"You're rather confident. Why should we do what you say? You'll die. You're walking on a thin line. Eon will kill you sooner or later."

Ice smiled, as if the words had a private meaning. "If you think Eon could kill me, you're more of a fool then I thought."

"She will. You can’t fight Eon. You can't fight an entire army. You're the only one. All it will take is one single mistake, one error."

"I don't make mistakes."

"You did."

"Whether or not that was truly a mistake is open to interpretation. And besides, there is another one if something was to happen to me."

"That's not what we mean. Wildfire doesn't know."

"I know what you mean. There is another who knows, a third elemental. Weaker then myself, but still strong."

"You lie."

"I don't lie. If there is one thing you know about me, it is that I don't lie. There is another one. One who knows, one who would kill you."

"If I only kill you, what can it do?"

"The other would avenge my death. But it doesn't matter. You can't kill me, Silence, and I won't allow you to kill any others. You are alive right now simply because it is convenient, as the next one will tell Domino everything, not just a few titbits. Don't think you're necessary. The moment you begin to cause trouble, I will kill you."

 *************************************************************************************************************

Justin, a fourteen-year-old native of Violet, ran as fast as he could toward the tower. Visible from anywhere in town, it was quite conspicuous. Especially now, burning bright like a giant torch thrust into the late afternoon sky.

Panting, he stared around at the people. They stood there, looking at the tower. They didn't move.

"Don't just stand there!" he screamed, his breath returning. "Do something! Why don't you do something!"

A man turned toward him, apathetic and beaten. "You think there's anything we can do? It's only been burning a few minutes. It's already nearly falling. Somehow, someone started a bonfire inside. Everyone's on the top floor, you know. We tried to get Flying Pokemon in, we really tried, but there's nothing at all we can do. The top's burning, the bottom's burning- There's nothing we can do."

"You can't. You can't just give up. You can't just let them die. Do something!"

The crowd didn't meet his eyes. They started past him, watching the ancient building in its death throes. A deafening crack came from behind him. The centre pole had broken, and embers sprayed out like a fountain over the people.

"It's falling," said the man. "Come on, you've got to get out of here."

 ************************************************************************************************************

"Alright, they're gathering at the base of the tower." reported Soarad, a Fearow. "Should we attack?"

"Yes," said Season. Ice types were rare, and ice that wasn't part water and tied to oceans and lakes was far rarer. So the Dragonair had been put in charge. "Everyone, remember, let's not keep making the same mistake. This is where our supplies come from. Kill humans, don't destroy buildings. If they go into a building, just follow them. We will burn it to the ground, but not right now."

A chorus of grumbling assent met her words, and the Pokemon rushed into the city.

 ************************************************************************************************************

The fire from Sprout Tower had started to spread, and the people were hard at work trying to contain it. Only a few people weren't there, and they were quickly picked off by the advancing Pokemon, who were forming an almost complete circle around the town. By the time a person managed to get away and warn the rest, it was too late. The Pokemon filled the shadows of the alleys, filled the sides of the desolate streets, and were waiting.

"What's gonna happen?" whined Mark. Justin bent down so he was at eye level with his seven year old brother.

"We're getting out."

"Where's Mommy?"

"I don't know. We'll look for her later, okay? Right now, we've got to get going."

"Where? I'm scared."

"Just to the Pokemart. You're been there a thousand times. It's not that far. Don't worry."

"But what if a big Pokemon comes?"

Justin touched the gun in his pocket. "Don’t worry about that. I've got in under control."

Beth pushed through the crowd, trying to break away so she could look around, see what was happening. Finally she broke free, immediately feeling as if she was bring watched. She spun around, and saw a flash of glowing eyes. They were waiting. Waiting.

She watched as people began to sprint down the deserted streets, going in threes or more. She understood. She wanted to stay with the people there, or, if she had to, go in a group. To be alone, to be all alone when killers lurked in the shadows, it was terrifying. But she also knew that the people here were just people, and the creatures out there were more. Staying in the group gave the illusion of protection, but that was all it was. A deadly illusion. There was no one who could stop the advancing horde.

Gunshots echoed though the city periodically. It was worse when they stopped.

She had to go alone. It was the only way. She stepped out of the shadow of the mob, moved with careful, deliberate steps, trying not to make noise. Toward the tower- toward where the tower had been. That was her only hope. That she was small enough, unimportant enough, for them to miss. And that there was no one between her and the tower. There was no reason to have Pokemon block the way. No one in their right mind would be stupid enough to try to get out that way.

They were more then halfway there when a Rattata jumped them.

Once, before all this, before Eon, before the revolution, its small form would have been anything but frightening. It stood scarcely above ankle-high, and certainly didn't look like a threat at all. When compared to most Pokemon, the Rattata was small fry, a weakling. When compared to a human, however, it was dangerous. A Rattata could kill a full grown human. An unarmed full grown human.

Justin shot it as it jumped, sending it rolling backward along the pavement, nearly broken in two. It twitched for a moment, trying, in Justin's eyes, to fulfil its mission. They watched until it stopped. Then Justin grabbed his brother again and they continued toward the store.

"Go, Hoothoot!" said Falkner. The Pokemon appeared and the flying trainer tied a piece of paper to its leg. "Fly to Goldenrod," he ordered.

The fat, round bird flapped its stubby wings and zoomed off. It did not look aerodynamic, or as if its wings could even hold it up, but it flew swiftly and surely toward its destination. It would make it. Faulkner's chance of survival, on the other hand, was dropping with every second he didn't climb on his Pidgeot's back and fly away. Right now, the Pokemon were busy. Soon, though, they'd be paying enough attention to shoot him down if he tried to fly out. He had to leave immediately.

It only took him a moment to decide. He opened the door and stepped down onto the stadium. His stadium, where battle after battle had been fought, but never for life or death. He looked out at the junior trainers around him.

"I've sent Hoothoot to Goldenrod with a message. We're going to try to hold them off here. The group isn't huge. It's not Eon's true army. Just a bit of it. We might be able to win. We might be able to hold them off until help arrives. We might be able to distract them long enough for some people to escape."

 *************************************************************************************************************

Closer. Closer. Closer. Tense. Aim. Spring-

The Rattata squealed and frantically tried to change direction in midair. It performed admirably, but still landed painfully at Eclipse's feet. Behind her, Rachel scuffled back slightly, torn between getting further away from the Rattata and Eclipse and staying close to the creature standing between her and death. She settled for hugging her puppy firmly.

"You're the third today, Scurry," said Eclipse conversationally. "And compared to you, the others actually looked halfway strong."

Scurry tried to run, but the Umbreon lunged and bit deep into it, then tossed her head, throwing it a good distance to hit the ground a second time. It twitched for a bit, then managed to stumble painfully off, one leg dangling limply. Eclipse melted back into the ground.

~ I'm getting complaints you've been attacking and injuring other Pokemon, Eclipse, ~ said Eon, her mental voice strained with the effort of not sounding irritated. ~ Care to explain? ~

"If I didn't intend to explain, you wouldn't have been able to find and ask me," said Eclipse simply.

Eon uttered a curious sound halfway between a sigh and a growl. ~ What were you doing? ~

"Nightflame is busy. We promised to guard until then."

~ Guard what? ~

"What else?"

~ And you were, what, beating up other Pokemon to pass the time? ~

"As you've guessed, they attacked first. Nightflame can't walk in shadow as we do. I waited for them to attack, then showed myself. If I was to simply let them go, they would have kept trying, as they did with Nightflame. Soon, they won't attack even if she seems defenceless. They'll be too afraid one of us is there."

~ And you needed to break bones to accomplish this? ~

"Well, under normal circumstances, I'd be killing, but that would be counterproductive," said Eclipse matter-of-factly. 

~ What's wrong with all of you? Since when do you care about humans? If the other Pokemon want her dead, let Nightflame deal with it. ~

"Nightflame isn't here, as we both know. So we said we'd guard until she came back."

~ Then who is guarding now? ~

"Glaive. Ice's Scizor. He hasn't been here much. Busy."

~ Is that the best description you can give? ~ asked Eon, sounding both annoyed and vaguely incredulous. ~ That he belongs to Ice? Is that how you define yourself? ~

"He's not my Scizor," said Eclipse rationally. "I'm Ice's, and she's mine. I'm not his."

Eon rolled her eyes and decided to go back to the original topic. She wasn't interested in trying to untangle Eclipse's logic. ~ Did you ever consider the idea that you don't really have the right to interfere with the human? ~

"Why not?"

~ The other Pokemon had normal trainers. They know what humans are. They know. ~

"And I don't?"

~ Exactly. Ice and Wildfire aren't human. ~

"Ice never was, really. But I understand. Perhaps better then you, or most of the others."

~ How could you? Who are you to say that? ~ demanded Eon, beginning to sound angry despite her best efforts.

"Ice never had an Eevee, you know. She never got any of us normally. She found me, just like she found all of us. I was dying. I'd be dead now if it wasn't for her. My first trainer had left me, perhaps assuming I'd die on my own. Or maybe not."

~ And this is why you protect it? You're as bad as Nightflame! ~

"My first trainer," continued Eclipse, ignoring Eon's outburst, "she wanted a Vaporeon. A lot of people in Kanto didn't know about Espeon or Umbreon then. So she didn't think there was any hurry. It wasn't like Eevees could evolve on their own. When I did, by accident, she was surprised and happy. She intended to ask at the next Pokemon Centre. But it was a good distance away. She called some of her friends first, to ask them, see if they knew anything.

"And they explained about me, and she sent me out to kill me. Do you know what I'd do if I ever met her again?"

~ Kill her, ~ said Eon.

"I'd just walk away," said Eclipse. "Just walk away. Do you know what they told her? That I was Umbreon, the evil-type evolution of Eevee. That I was a hellfire Pokemon. That I would kill her in her sleep, run away, and reappear during the dark of the moon to kill babies in their cradles. That if she didn't get rid of me, she would be damned. They told her to kill me. I'm sorry she couldn't trust me, but I understand. And I am grateful to her."

~ For what? ~ Eon said harshly.

"For not killing me. That's why I'm here now. Because she couldn't kill me. Because I had been her Eevee, and she couldn't kill me. She left me, yes, without looking back. I don't know if she ever came back to see if I really had died. I don't know if she ever thought about me again, or just forgot. I don't know if she's sorry for what she did or sorry for not finishing it. And it doesn't matter. Because I'm here now. I'm alive. What else matters?"

 *************************************************************************************************************

The second Pokemon was harder. It wasn't a puny little rat. It was a Nidoqueen in full-blown rage, barrelling down at him. He had emptied his gun by the time it finally slid to the ground, its momentum carrying it almost to his feet.

"They've heard the gunshots," he said to Mark, throwing the gun aside. "Come on."

Beth sped up, walking briskly. Now, she no longer felt like delaying, lingering with the group just in sight. She couldn't even hear them anymore. There was no turning back. She could only go further. Only go on, and hope there were no Pokemon in her way. She started to trot, her footsteps echoing in the silence, almost as deafening as the pounding in her ears. That scared her, spurred her on further. They would hear her, they would come. She had to get away. She broke into a run, sprinting for all she was worth. It was not knowing. She was completely powerless. Blind to attack. She couldn't even see them coming, wouldn't even have a chance to run.

Finally she stopped, heart racing, gasping, exhausted. She tried to take smaller, slower breaths. They seemed so loud in the stillness. She had to move but she couldn't tire herself out like this. They'd – what was that?

She threw herself to the side, and the Flamethrower missed her. Beth's attacker was a Jigglypuff.

When she was little, Jigglypuff had been her favourite Pokemon. They looked like cuddly marshmallows. What could be scary about a big fuzzy balloon?

It scowled at her, then opened its mouth. Beth stared at it from the ground, realizing she was doomed. Nothing could save her now.

As it began to Sing, gunshots split the air in quick session. Then there was silence, and Beth knew the person had run out of bullets and was going to die. But she had enough time to stumble up, clap her hands over her ears and run. Someone else had died and given the chance for her to live.

He twisted the knob of the door frantically. It didn’t seem locked – it couldn't be locked. He smashed the heel of his hand into the door, trying to jiggle it so that whatever was jamming would come lose. It had to be jammed. And it had to open. He twisted the knob again and pushed as hard as he could. The door opened, and Justin almost fell in. He recovered a moment later, grabbed his brother, yanked him inside and slammed the door shut.

He looked around desperately. There couldn't be anything waiting in here for them, not after all that. There could be – what would he do? He didn’t have a gun. He didn't even have a knife.

Suddenly Justin realized the window blinds were up. They'd see him! He rushed over, pulled down the blinds. Then he locked the door.

If there was anything hiding in there, he'd die.

 *******************************************************************************************************

Eon had mostly calmed down. Whatever her Dark Pokemon attacker was, it had not reappeared. She was certain she'd hit it hard enough to at least faint it, so it might have just held on long enough to escape, then died. Anyway, nothing else had happened.

Eon, unfortunately, did not understand that the universe was not governed by physics and probability, it was governed by someone with a truly twisted sense of humour.

Thus, it was a scant second later that the sickly grey form of Zorsian lunged for her.

Zorsian was not like Nightress. The Dark Persian relied on killing instantly without being noticed to achieve her mission. Zorsian, with a total immunity to normal and fighting moves, was less careful about detection. He specialized less in the first hit and more in keeping his prey from escaping or stopping him. So this time, there was warning.

Eon spun around, just in time to see a black blur hit the grey one. Hissing and snarling, the two scratched and rolled, not separating or holding still long enough for Eon to get a good look at either. Finally, Zorsian pulled back. He was a mess. Slices of flesh dangled off him, with no blood seeping into the damaged areas. One eye was smashed, and his throat had been slit, his breath buzzing out of the opening in his windpipe with every breath.

Nightress was hardly in better shape. While her thick fur had protected her far more then Zorsian's scant fuzz, one leg was snapped and her left side was coated in blood. Her tail had been broken and her ear shredded, plus the pain in her chest indicated her ribs were bruised, maybe broken. Yet she was clearly feeling her wounds, while Zorsian gave no indication he noticed his own. Yowling, they both vanished, Nightress into the shadow world and Zorsian into the ground.

Eon stayed where she was, staring at the place they had vanished as if determined to remain until they returned and explained themselves. What was going on?

 **********************************************************************************************************

Falkner shot the Growlithe. His Pokemon were already dead. There were only two or three left. Most of his trainers were shooting the Pokemon now.

He aimed and pulled the trigger, only to hear an empty click. He dropped the gun and drew out his knife, just in time to stab the Pikachu that was lunging at him.

All over, the gunshots began to slow. The others were out of bullets too. It was hand-to-hand combat now.

Finally, she saw the orange glow and the rubble of the tower. She'd made it – sort-of.

Skirting around the larger blocks, she saw a jagged path without any real obstacles. She stepped onto the blackened ground. It was well over a hundred degrees, the charcoal still smouldering all around her. She could feel the heat though her shoes. It was like standing in an oven, slowly roasting alive. She started to move, the warning warmth radiating into her sneakers swiftly graduating to painful. She squeezed through the holes where the metal and wood had missed when falling. Underneath her feet were shards of indeterminable origin, making her stumble constantly, nearly twisting her ankle. The ground was unstable – she fell, throwing her hands out, catching herself, throwing up dust and soot and ashes. She got up swiftly, but still, her hands and knees were throbbing from the triple abuse of the fall, the heat, and the sharp bits that covered the ground.

The rubble got still worse. Soon there was no way around. She began to climb over a huge chunk of still-smouldering wood, and then another. After what felt like an eternity, she saw the edge of the forest. Her hands were red and blistered, as was the side of her face from when she'd fallen. The knees of her jeans were torn out and underneath her skin was bloody and torn. But she'd made it she'd survived it-

Nightflame lunged.

Justin heard the banging and turned just in time to see the door jump again, slamming against the frame. He grabbed Mark and shoved him across the counter, then jumped over himself. He slid under the counter and then pulled his brother after him, squeezing in as tightly as he could, scarcely daring to breathe.

After a few more seconds, seconds that felt like hours, there was a huge crash that told Justin the door had given way. He heard its breathing, soft, almost unnoticeable sniffing sounds, realized it was standing right on the other side of the counter and please god don't let it find us don't let it kill us oh god I'm sorry for everything I've done I can't just die here please-

Mark made a strangled sound of terror. An instant later, they stared into the eyes of a Ninetails.

 *********************************************************************************************************

"So, when anything happens, I did it?"

~ Odds are, you did. ~

"Odds are, you'll blame me for what I didn't do and never realize what I did."

~ Something that wouldn't happen if you just bothered to explain yourself. Now what the hell is doing on? I don't know but I do know you know. ~

A Nightress appeared at Ice's side. She rubbed the top of its head.

Eon glared. The Nightress' yellow eyes were open only halfway, and to one already looking for a threat, seemed to be glaring. It made an indeterminable sound that could be interpreted as a purr or growl. Eon decided on growl.

~ You're still connected to Team Rocket, aren't you? ~ Eon demanded.

"Those weaklings? Hardly. I didn't ask them to make me this one, you know. I took it. There aren't any others."

~ You know Ice, I'd like to know where your loyalties really lie. ~

 ******************************************************************************************************

Ash stared at the silver eyes on the side of the wall. It was night, and the whole room was wrapped in shadow. The entire wall was nothing but darkness.

"How could they, though?"

"Little boy. Not so bright, are you? Psychic Pokemon are strong, yes. But all their little tricks, nagging little voices in your mind, worthless once you know what's going on. Just illusion, nothings."

"Then I can tell my Pokemon that! I can tell Pikachu!"

"Foolish little boy. Would you believe? Believe your thoughts weren't your own? Don't be silly. Once in a while, once, when the thoughts are just so different from the normal once, then, yes, you would realize, you would start to understand. Then you would believe. Until then, little boy, you would think they were your own. You would start to think the same, until your thoughts and their thoughts were the same. Until you truly believed it. And until the little voice vanishes, you'd never realize, would you? Even when the voice stopped, you'd be left with your own thoughts, the ones that had become the same. It might take a lifetime, unaided, to realize. It might take longer."

"Then Pikachu…"

"But stop the voice and prove it's true, prove that the thoughts were not its own, then it would realize. Then."

"Stop the voice…Stop Eon."

CHAPTER THIRTY: TENSIONS RISE

Eon gritted her teeth and repeated, for what seemed like the hundredth time: ~We are not going to move against Lavender Town.~

   “It is the only human settlement left in the entire Kanto region,” protested Firebringer. “It is a threat to security and weakens our position as sovereigns of the island. If we don’t mobilise against it, it could be used as the beachhead for a human takeover of Kanto.”

~The natives of Lavender Town are not our enemies; they have respected Pokemon for generations-~

  “This coming from the very Pokemon who told us to rise up?” Memory shook her great head. “If we let the people of Lavender remain alive, we are admitting weakness, and our enemies will exploit this.”

   Ice sneered at the Dragonite from her place at the table, but said nothing.

   ~Try to understand,~ said Eon. ~Thousands of Pokemon have died in Lavender. The entire area is a focal point for ghosts. I don’t just mean the Ghost Element either- there are thousands of genuine ghosts in the town, both human and Pokemon. From what I have heard, Pokemon Tower is a spectral black hole, drawing the spirits of the dead towards it. If any of our forces so much as breaks a window in Lavender Town, we shall face the wrath of forces we do not truly understand. We may be able to challenge and defeat human armies, but attacking Lavender Town would result in a disaster of Biblical proportions.~

“Biblical, Eon?” Firebringer raised his eyebrow and draw his lips over his fangs ever so slightly. “You use human terms now?”

“Give it a rest,” said Ice. “You’re a Houndoom, a Dark Element. You of all species should understand the significance of Lavender Town.”

“It is not just the town. It is the human whelp of Nightflame’s. A human is allowed to live in our stronghold. Then there is the slowdown in attacks after we took Kanto. The humans that occupy important roles in our forces.”

“You mean Gary, Jessie, James and Jeanette?” asked Wildfire. “They have proven themselves to be loyal allies and brave fighters. You suggest we should turn on them, after all they have done for us? After they turned on their own species for our cause?”

 “Yes,” said Memory, his voice lowering to a growl. “We all know that the very existence of humankind is a threat to us. Eon has repeatedly called for no mercy to be shown. Yet we let humans live. We cannot afford to dither about by deciding which humans are ‘worthy’ and which aren’t. We either let them all live and roll over us like we never strove for freedom at all, or we wipe them all out. There can be NO middle-ground. That will only lead to problems in the future.”

   “Hmmm. Interesting because, you see, I am partly human. Are you saying Ice and I should be killed?” Wildfire spoke sweetly, looking mock-innocent, while her wings unfurled and her claws were drawn out.

  ~STOP IT.~ snapped Eon. ~You are trying my patience, all of you!~

 “I am sorry,” said Firebringer sardonically, “but these are concerns a large number of us feel. Many Pokemon fear that we’re going to stop fighting and leave the humans to dominate our brethren in Johto and the Orange Islands. They fear that you are growing too complacent, Eon.”

~Oh? What would they have me do? Throw large numbers of our troops at Goldenrod with no proper strategy? To incur the wrath of the supernatural forces of Lavender because of a few pacifist humans? If this is what they truly want, then they are welcome to leave and start their own revolution, and do those very things. I will be very interested to see how many of them survive to the end of the week.~

   “You would be surprised,” said Abandon, “at how many of us feel this way. I would rather it wouldn’t come to a schism, but if it did…”

Eon closed her eyes and took a deep breath. It was only a week since the attack on Violet and already she was being criticised for not doing a follow-up. She didn’t like the idea of Lavender Town remaining in Kanto either, but she wasn’t going to risk her entire army by attacking it. The town had a long and bloody history when it came to attacks on it- the most recent where when several Rockets kidnapped a baby Cubone from a Pokemon Centre and shot its mother; one of them was now in a secure asylum kept under heavy sedation, and the other two had never been seen again. She wasn’t stupid, she knew when to avoid battles.

   It was getting harder as of late. There seemed to be dissent among the revolutionaries- some were calling for an end to the fighting and others were clamouring for more violent attacks of the humans. Keeping control involved careful manoeuvring and strategising, but it wasn’t as easy as it once was. The Pokemon were used to her tricks, and she worried about losing control.

  And what if she did? Then they would either lose the war and become slaves again, only now worse than before, or they would win after the deaths of millions of Pokemon and the destruction of the very land they wanted to live in. She didn’t know which was worse, but damned if she’d let either happen.

  ~We shall discuss this further in two days time. Meetings adjourned.~

 *****************************************************************************************************

 “Zorsian failed.” Domino’s voice was expressionless, the skin under her left eye twitching. “And you say our Nightress stopped it, and is now working for Ice?”

 “Y-yes.” The Rocket scientist tried to shrink backwards into his seat.

  “I see.” Domino looked around her office, at the financial reports for this year’s quarter, at the news reports about the revolution, at the statistics of killed humans, and sighed. “Do you know why I usurped Giovanni? So we could get out of the war directly and just go into selling arms and genetically-engineered Pokemon, maybe send in the odd kamikaze assassin. But even that isn’t working. Everything we try is just not working. I planned to use the chips to build our army once the war was over, but that has failed too- the serum continues to be used, and the amount of chipped Pokemon has fallen by 75%.” She buried her face in her hands. “I’ve failed.

  “There’s only one option left to us. We’re pulling out COMPLETELY. No more arms deals, no more challenging Eon, no more activities involved in Kanto, Johto or any of those areas. Team Rocket has bases across Europe, Asia and Africa- it is time we fully relocated there. There is nothing for us in the Pokemon region anymore. We’ll send a boatload of Pokemon we have in storage over there, to get rid of a potential internal threat, to avoid Eon hunting us down when she’s finished and, of course, to bolster her forces so they’ll have a better chance of winning. Scorched earth policy, y’know.

 “Either way, Team Rocket is leaving this war and not looking back.”

*************************************************************************************************

“You are fucking kidding me.”

  Outside of Mt Moon, covering nearly all of the Pewter-side slope, a huge rally of Pokemon was taking place. Nearly two thousand of varying species and elements stood there, led by Memory, calling for change. Calling for more aggressive policies, for an alteration in leadership, for Nightflame to be tried as a traitor and his human charge to be killed, for a great many things. And Gary felt sick.

   “Months of fighting for freedom, and we get this? People campaigning to have us act like the humans have always acted towards Pokemon- no, to SURPASS them in cruelty and malice? I joined Eon to get away from this shit!”

    Jeanette and Bellsprout sat with Gary, looking on mournfully. “This bodes ill for the future. If Eon decides to submit to their demands, then I don’t rate our chances of living very long, or of a Pokemon society lasting long on Kanto. If this mob start to take charge, the entire society on Kanto will crumble and the humans will have no problem taking control again.”

“I don’t like this. We need Eon to work out what she’s going to do once she wins, and work it out soon- otherwise, we could be looking at an internal defeat and our heads nailed to the wall.”

   “…you accept the existence of man in your ancestral home?” called out Memory.

  “NO!”

   And the rally continued.

************************************************************************************************

Rachel inched further into the corner, holding the puppy more tightly to her breast. She hadn’t spoken to Nightflame or to anyone since she’d come to Mt Moon. The distant sounds of the rally were only making matters worse.

   “Don’t worry,” said James, glancing over at the girl. “We’ll keep watch on her while you eat and stuff. If anyone tries anything, we’ll just threaten them with Jessie’s cooking.”

 “Bite me.”

 “You sure you can handle this?” asked Nightflame, worried. “I’d normally get Eclipse or another Umbreon to do it, but they’ve been moved to Johto to help protect our perimeter… This is dangerous work-"

 Jessie patted her machine-gun and grinned. “No sweat. Nobody’s trying anything on our watch.”

Nightflame left, and the Rockets immediately began slouching.

Jessie walked over to the girl and said: “So how are you?”

  Rachel looked up with wide, scared eyes, but said nothing.

  “Hey, relax kid. We’re not gonna hurt you.” She dropped the gun to the floor and raised her hands in mock-submission. “See?”

“’m scared.” Tears were beginning to form in her eyes. “They want to hurt me. Why?”

   “Dey’re arseholes,” called out Meowth.

   Rachel wrinkled her nose. “How can he talk?”

“I became one with the Force,” he said with dead seriousness, before pretending to use his gun as a Light Saber. “Zwing, zwing…”

   “Oh bloody hell…” groaned James.

   “NO, DARTH JIMMY! YOU ARE NOT MY FATHER!”

   “We have to put up with this every day,” Jessie whispered to Rachel.

   “Ah, ya love it…”

   There was a sound of claws clicking on hard stone, and the Rockets turned round. A Croconaw was standing at the cave entrance.

  “Yes?” asked Jessie with brittle brightness in her voice. “Can we help you?”

The Pokemon looked at the child and growled. “So, not only do they let a human child stay in our base, they let fully armed humans guard it. This is what we fought for?”

“Hey, buddy,” snarled James, “don’t talk to me about what ‘we fought for’. I’ve fought for Eon for months now. I lost my arm to the war and had it replaced with a prosthetic. I’ve been involved in some of the biggest battles of the war- what have YOU been doing? Eh? Sitting on your arse in Viridian Forest, pissing about and using up all we fought for?”

   The Croconaw tensed and, without warning, fired a Water Gun attack, knocking James out. Jessie went for her gun but he rammed into her with Tackle, knocking her to the floor. With both Rockets incapacitated, he turned towards Rachel.

  “You belong d-“

   Meowth stepped in his path.

   “Get out of my way,” hissed the reptile.

   “No.”

   Meowth lashed out with Fury Swipe, raking bloody lines across Croconaw’s snout. The attacker roared and blasted him down with Water Gun, but Meowth rolled, leapt up and kicked him in the groin before a tail swept the legs from under him.

   Meowth got to his feet and hissed. A dull rage was burning within him, rage at this piece of shit who dared to murder a child and attack his friends. Meowth wasn’t going to stand for it.

  He unleashed a whirlwind of Fury Swipe attacks, slicing at the Croconaw’s upper body and forcing him to retreat. The reptile fought back with a Double Punch but Meowth ducked, did a one-two punch to the gut, ducked to the side and grabbed James’ gun & jammed it up Croconaw’s nose. The reptile squealed in pain.

   “You come anywhere near my friends or the kid ever again, and I will kill you.”

He pulled the gun out and coldly wiped it on Croconaw’s arm. Croconaw ran off, yelling over his shoulder that “Eon will hear about this!”.

   Meowth sighed and went over to help Jessie up. Bad things were happening within the revolution, and he didn’t like it one bit.

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE: SUFFER THE LITTLE CHILDREN

The boy can't be older then eleven. He has six Masterballs on his belt, and a gun as well, plus three badges. He walks without fear, proudly, even, but not obliviously. He studies everything with caution.

Movement, ever-so-slight; the tiny twitch of long grass, attracts his attention. He turns, and the Rattata, realizing its discovery, bolts. It is lean, bony even, and its fur patchy, not in the best condition but desperation lends speed to its legs.

But this is commonplace, and he has already aimed his gun where it would run. He doesn't miss, for he is far too experienced for such a blunder. The Rattata nearly broken in two, and is undoubtedly dead. He walks on carelessly.

Ice watches calmly.

 ***********************************************************************************************************

"Are you sure?"

"They don't suspect us at all. There's nothing to worry about. If we're attacked, all they'll find is a dead Khangiskhan."

"And you really think this is necessary?"

"We agree that keeping Team Rocket within Eon's range is foolish, and that you were wise to withdraw. But leaving them without surveillance isn't a good idea. They hate Rockets, you know. They'll want you destroyed. It would be prudent to keep a close watch in case anything happens."

"Is there anything you can actually do? Eon has proven to be a formidable enemy. It might not be wise to further provoke it."

"The current situation is escalating. Do you remember Alexander the Great? Conquered all of the known world, died, and his generals promptly fought among themselves, quickly breaking it up into tiny pieces again."

"And?"

"Eon is the only thing keeping this together. They're starting to show discontent now, yes. But all it's showing is the same thing we've already known. Pokemon follow the strong. If Eon goes, Mewtwo is probably the only other who could take control without incredible opposition, and I don't think it would. The others would squabble amongst themselves, break the army into pieces, and fight each other trying to gain control over Kanto. If what the scientists claim is true…we shouldn't show our hand until the outcome in certain. But until then, a watcher is needed."

 *******************************************************************************************************

Dawn came as it always had, soft gold spilling over the edge of the world.

Rachel was up. She was sleeping erratically. It was rare she managed to last longer then a short nap. She wasn't tired, because there was no one saying when she had to be awake. She slept a lot during the day, and couldn't remember her dreams.

Badbadbad. Puppy couldn't help. He was just the same as her. Her Houndoom was strong, but maybe it wouldn't help either. The change thing didn't like her. None of them liked her except the kitty and the people who were going to die anyway and her Houndoom who kept going away. And maybe the shadow things. So they were going to kill her.

But the shadow girl said that wouldn’t happen.

Rachel began to hum softly to herself.

 *******************************************************************************************************

"It's just a rumour. But Darks are pretty much the only ones who can deal with Ghosts. Steel can't usually attack, Psychics are weak, and Normals can't attack at all."

"Why send Winterhart?"

"I know, it's just a child. But it's still a clone of a Legendary. It can fly higher and faster then many adults, and its colouring makes it nearly impossible to see. If anyone could find it…"

"All this just for a rumour?"

"Before when humans might have shot it down, no. But now? There's only one town left with people. And you must understand how important this is. If we can get enough Darks to kill the people of Lavender, this entire thing will stop."

"We've still got Nightflame's pet and the other humans. What do you mean?"

"But Lavender is the catalyst. Besides, plenty of Pokemon don't want to attack either, they're just not the vocal ones. If we can deal with this, the Pokemon will calm down. It's only because of Lavender that they're really getting upset."

"Very well. I suppose a Khangiskhan would never give up one of her charges if she didn’t think it was safe."

 ******************************************************************************************************

"You think they're safe," Firebringer accused. "Harmless."

~ So says the one who had the chance to kill the girl. ~

"Nightflame-"

~ None of you would! Not one! I would have killed her. Any of us would have killed her. You didn't. Don't you think I understand what Lavender means? I know better then you. Stop moaning about them just being there. Don't you see? Sooner or later the humans will start attacking us from there. I know. But I can't find a way to do it without risking the anger of the spirits. ~

"Ghost Pokemon are weaklings. Do you mean to say you fear them?."

~ Ghost Pokemon are tricky and many. Besides, it's not them I'm worried about it. It's the other things, whatever they are. Souls, memories, it doesn't matter. We can't fight them. Nothing at all can. ~

"Everything can be killed. We don't know how. That doesn't mean we can't. Ghosts feel funny. Maybe that has something to do with it. I'll ask Ice why she supports this. She'd know what it takes to kill one."

 ******************************************************************************************************

"Demon!" screamed the man. He stood trembling before it, terrified beyond the point of fighting, beyond the point of fleeing. He fumbled at his neck, finally managing to withdraw a simple silver cross and hold it up with shaking hands.

"It would take the old wards to stop a demon, fool," it whispered, its voice sliding around him like a night breeze. "And they wouldn't stop me anyway. Why should I be paused by a mere cross?"

The man mumbled a prayer to himself desperately, too frightened to even raise his voice. It laughed, making its voice harsh and rasping, as if its throat was damaged by heat and smoke. His voice faltered and dwindled into nothingness, like an ember fading away.

"I know I should have killed you earlier," it said, its voice mockingly apologetic. "But I'm afraid I was busy. Besides, I knew you wouldn't be able to do any harm. Yet what do you do with this grace period, this reprieve, but service your guns and try to incite the weak inhabitants of this town to light torches and take up arms against me? You should have known it was futile, human. Both the efforts to raise a mob and the power of a mob. A group of humans would have been slaughtered. Destiny may not have stopped you, but I knew. Fool." It laughed. "When you came to them to beseech their help against me, they talked of killing you themselves. They spoke of tying you to a tree at the edge of the forest, and letting me do as I would. That was how frightened they were by your words. Did you really think they would help you?" It laughed again.

"Demon!" repeated the man in a quivering voice. "You cannot harm me. The Lord protects me!"

"Oh, I'm not quite a demon. I'm much, much worse," it whispered, sliding closer still, circling him, tasting his fear. "And I am the lord of this forest. Your darling child shot four of my Eevees, and he would have shot more. I understand you two were to go hunting in my forest. I guess he got a trifle excited and jumped the gun, so to speak."

The man jerked. "How-"

"That wasn't all he said, of course. Most of it didn't make sense, but he had a long time to talk. So, your new preacher has been trying to send the people against me, just like the last one." It smiled, placing a finger on the side of its mouth and looking as if it was trying to remember something. He shook slightly, the gesture reminding him of the fact it didn't always take human form. "Whatever did happen to dear old Father Joseph?" It paused, seeming to think. "Didn't they stone him?"

The man nodded dumbly.

"Ah yes, I think I remember. That little incident with the sky and giving sacrifices to demonic idols, correct?"

The man shuddered once convulsively, nearly falling. Bile rose in his throat. He saw it in his mind's eye, just as it had occurred on that fateful day. In a stunned, dull voice he said: "The sky was dark with monsters. The vultures of death blotted out the sun with their black wings. Lighting fell and did not strike the birds of corruption but hit the steeple of the church, melting the cross. No thunder rumbled but the cawing of the demons deafened all."

It shrugged, moving its currently human shoulders in a caricature of expression. Everything it did it did to frighten or manipulate him, and he knew it. It was a demon. "After that they remembered not to shoot Murkrow. Bad luck and all. I didn't even have to tell them what to do. The newly widowed brought half of the crop of corn to the edge of the woods for them. The dear Father tried to stop her, saying they were worshiping a demon, tried to get them to burn down my trees and kill the hellspawn within the forest. Should've known better. They stoned him while Jennifer offered the corn to the Murkrow. And low, the skies cleared and the Murkrow were silenced. I wonder how on Earth that could have happened. And I wonder what they'll do this time, to make sure I'm not angry."

"You-you killed him. Th-they w-wont stand f-for it," he stuttered, remembering how quickly the villagers turned their backs on anyone who angered the demon.

"If they have a problem, they can either take it up with me or leave. Which they won't, of course. And as for killing him, well," it smiled cruelly. "Killing is such a light word."

"What did you do to him?" asked the man, horror growing in his voice, remembering all the tales in the village. Of a creature who killed without a thought. Of a creature who came from darkness and moved without fear of light. Of a creature who could make the dead walk and the living mad.

"Oh, many fun little things," it hissed, putting a devil's grin on its face and just a touch of remembered enjoyment in its now-serpentine voice as it slid around him, just out of reach. "Humans are rather delicate creatures, but that doesn't matter to one such as I. I didn't just kill him, no. I peeled the skin back slowly, then sliced the muscle to ribbons and plucked it off, strand by stand. Oh, how he screamed. For mercy, for death, for me to stop just for a moment. He prayed to die. He said he'd give his soul to Lucifer if only he could just die, said that he'd do anything, anything at all, if only I didn't follow." It paused, then asked, its voice earnest, "Do you want to hear him?"

"What did you do to him?" repeated the man, horror, sorrow, disgust and terror mixed into his voice.

"Well, nothing worse then I'll do to you. In comparison to what I'll do to you, I was rather merciful. After all, you goaded him to attack in the first place, you planned to burn down the whole forest. He said as much, between screams. Pathetic. You know you aren't the first to try, although you may well be the last. Tell me, do you think I should put him by your feet when I hang what's left of you in the Village Square for all to see?" it asked, as if talking about curtains or some other mundane thing. "Or," it continued. "Would that be too much, do you think?"

"They won't stand for this," said the man again. "They'll come for you. They'll burn your cursed forest into ash, and the hides of your hellspawn will adorn their homes."

"Should I be afraid of a bunch of humans? But no, they won't. And not just because I can kill them, you know. That's not it at all. It's mainly because their crops grow easily and their harvests are rich. Because life here has gone to a level where they are no longer slowly dying of starvation and sickness. Because the tax collectors get lost or worse trying to get to this place. Also, but not really one of the more important reasons, I'm currently all that stands between them and Eon's Army. No, they won't mind this much. They are – loyal, you could say."

"To a demon," spat the man bitterly. "God shall smite you."

It laughed again. "Oh, so your precious god will 'smite' me now? Don't you think He is just a tad late?"

"All things serve God's plan. No matter how hard evil tries to destroy Him, it ends up serving His ends. His master plan is always followed," said the man, newfound certainty strengthening his voice.

It rolled its eyes. "I can change your precious master plan at my whim. Here, people serve my ends, and they feel grateful to do so. If He was going to 'smite' me, He's about ten years too late. He should have hit me the moment I came to the village. Or, better yet, He might have bothered to move His fat, lazy ass to 'smite' me the moment I came into existence." A pause. "Stop moaning about your god, anyway. I don't know or care if any god exists, but, aside from myself, I don't really notice anyone watching you. The people here starved and sickened, too poor to leave or even call a doctor. You should be grateful. For all your talk of God, he never seemed to notice you."

"I know He shall destroy you, pagan monster."

"If I'm a pagan monster, why would a cross work against me?" it asked with genuine curiosity. "Shouldn't a cross only work on a Christian monster?"

"All things must obey Him and His power."

"Whatever," it said dismissively. "This town obeys my power. You're even worse then – what was his name? Father John? Or was it Christopher? There were so many – who tried to scare me off by flicking holy water at me."

"If they serve you, Demon, why do you need to frighten them by mutilating me and showing them the corpse?" The man's voice had strengthened. People can only remain in a state of utter terror for so long. Not being attacked had given him courage.

"Oh, that," it said dismissively. "Because I want to see what they'll do this time once they realize you're angered me. Probably burn the church. Aside from the dear, foolish Father, you're the only real Christian left in the town. After all, why pray to a deaf god when you have a resident demon who is actually paying attention to your plight? The adults still ask, of course, but the children pray now. The dear, dear Father, nearly blind and deaf, doesn't even realize how angry they get when he gives one of his 'cast out the demon' speeches. Or perhaps I should say got."

"Don't speak of a man of the cloth like that! You pervert their faith and destroy their eternal souls, Demon! You must stop!"

"But why?" it asked, making its voice into that of a slightly stubborn but cheerful child's. "It's fun!"

The man shuddered at its voice. The demon didn’t have emotions, but sometimes it pretended to. "You damn them, condemn them to the final death. You seduce them with bright things and they follow you like children."

It shrugged carelessly. "Considering my nature, 'bright things' isn't really the best choice of words. They'd be dead if it wasn't for me. I thought your god frowned on suicide. It's the same thing, really. What's the difference between killing yourself and refusing the help you need to survive? Whichever way the storm falls, they will survive it. Countless others, Christian or not, will die."

"But the dead's immortal souls will be safe. As is mine and my son's."

It smiled, mock-sadly. "Oh, is that what you think? Forgive me, I forgot you don't believe most of what the others say about me. I'd think promising his soul to the devil would be damning anyway, so I didn't bother to explain. Let's just say he didn't get his wish."

His voice held dawning understanding, and horror. "You-"

It laughed happily, again sounding like a small child. "Yes, yes, that's right. And you're next."

He held the cross before him, trying to ward it off. It laughed in a voice like a burnt tree breaking, and ripped the cross easily from his hands. It held the cross, the silver flowing like water under its touch and reforming into a new symbol. It showed him.

He screamed.

 *********************************************************************************************************

"...aim….in……in…...ain……aim……in…..in…..ain…..aim…..in…..in……ain……aim….in…"

Nightflame nosed the girl. "What's that?"

Rachel didn't look up, but she raised her voice almost imperceptibly.

"…..line…..suf……ain…..dest…...aim…….fates……wined……lives……line……suf……ain…"

"What?" Nightflame repeated softly.

"…tiny's game fates intertwined lives on the line suffering and pain it's destiny's game fates intertwined lives on the live suffering and pain it's destiny's game fates inter…" she whispered.

"Who told you that?"

"…ves on the line suffering and pain it's destiny's game fates intertwined lives on the…"

"Ice, Eclipse, Apocalypse, Omen! One of you- thanks."

"What is it?" asked Omen.

"…ain it's de…"

"Look, she won't talk to me and now this. Do you know where she could have learned that?"

Omen ruffled his feathers, the avian version of a shrug. "Someone told her, I suppose. It doesn't seem to be anything to be worried about."

"Are you even listening to what she's saying?"

"Before she wouldn't make a sound in your presence. It's very hard for something like this to get worse. Think of it as progress."

"…destiny's game fates inter…"

"Think of that as progress? Are you even listening to her? That is not progress!"

"I'll see who told her that."

"She won't talk to you ei- oh."

Wildfire, appeared, looking confused. She spied Omen. "You know, you could at least ask first."

"Yes, I could. Pull in your wings and ask Rachel who told her the verse she's reciting."

"Why do I have to-"

"Do it," ordered Omen.

Wildfire scowled, pulling in her wings painfully. Then, looking falsely cheerful, she bent down. "Hi sweetie. Could you tell me where you learned that?"

"Shadow girl told me," Rachel mumbled.

"Ice told her that?" Wildfire demanded of the Murkrow.

"No," he replied, bored.

<What did your shadow girl look like?> asked Nightflame. Rachel didn't respond. <Wildfire, if you could…>

"Rachel, what does your shadow girl look like?"

"Looks like a girl."

"How big is she? Is she as big as me?"

"Nuh-uh," said Rachel, shaking her head. "Big as me."

"So not Ice, then."

"Ice?"

"Someone you probably shouldn't meet. She never really stuck me as the maternal type, and that's probably all that would stop her from-"

"Wildfire!" yelled Nightflame.

"Sorry. But if it's not Ice, who is it? There aren't any others I know of, let alone five year olds."

A random passing Girafarig glared at them, the sparks of a charging attack visible between its horns. Rachel suddenly yelled at it: "You're gonna be sorry! All of you! She said so! She told me so! You're all gonna be sorry!"

 ************************************************************************************************************

"No," said Ice, continuing her rather disconcerting game of tossing a knife up, catching it by the blade, then tossing it again. The knife's handle was intricately carved, and the blade itself was perfectly smooth. Eon wondered absently if a serrated blade could have made this more disturbing. Probably not.

~ I don't need your permission. ~

"You don't? They won't follow you. They know what will happen."

~ You'll kill them? ~ Eon guessed.

Ice looked at her for a moment, her expression showing that the idea was too stupid for her to even answer. "They know what will happen to them as a direct and inevitable result if they join. That and the fact I told them not to."

~ Which was more important? ~

Ice shrugged. "That I told them not to."

~ And this is the answer they'll give when I ask them myself? ~

"That is the answer they'd give if you were able to ask them, yes. You won't be."

~ If that's their answer, why don't you want me talking to them? ~

"Because I don't. Who was it, anyway? It didn't stay long enough for them to know."

~ The Articuno. ~

Ice nodded and vanished.

~ ICE! ~

She reappeared in time to catch the knife. The fingers of her right hand were red. "Yes?"

~ I am going. Wouldn't this be easier if you stopped trying to halt me at every step? ~

"Teleport in to the town and you'll be dead before you even know it. Walk in and you'll be torn apart."

~ And if I walk in with an army? ~

"Then the only way you'll get any out of there is bound and dragged over the bodies of the dead. They will fight to the last."

~ That scared of you? ~

"No. What can I do, but kill them? No, better to say they are afraid of you. And what will happen. But that won't happen. I won't allow it."

~ You honestly think you can stop me? ~

Ice tossed the yet blade again. "Something I've learned. All the power in the world is worth nothing when it comes down to a knife in the back."

~ You think you can scare me? ~ demanded Eon. ~ You're bluffing. About all of it. Why would you prevent them from speaking for themselves, if their answer is what you say it is? ~

Ice dug her nails into her left wrist, then tore it open to the elbow. Red and white showed though. The flesh had been ripped down to the bone. She held her arm out, blood dripping down her hands, face perfectly calm. "If I have to kill you, if I have to kill everyone here, if I have to die myself, they are not to be part of this. There is nothing I won't do. Nothing."

 ******************************************************************************************************

"I can't believe you aren't going to do anything!"

"What am I supposed to do?" asked Wildfire.

"Talk to them. Try to convince them that…" Jeanette trailed off.

"If I can convince them to stop this, all it will mean is that humans do have the ability to influence Pokemon and should be killed now. Or at least it will to anyone I don't convince. It doesn't matter I'm not a human. I look enough like one."

"You're not just a human, so maybe they'll listen to you."

Wildfire shrugged. "Maybe they will. And maybe they shouldn't."

"What’s that supposed to mean? You think they should kill us?"

"No!" said Wildfire. "But…they’re right, in a way. Not that you should be killed, I don't mean that. I mean that they can’t decide who lives and who dies every time. They have to win this. If they stop to ask for their opponent's life story every time before they kill, they won't be able to. And it is strange, that they couldn't kill Rachel, after all this. I'd be scared myself if I was them."

"So it's better to kill everyone? How is that right?"

 ********************************************************************************************************

Ice appeared with her knife already in Kanga, piercing its lung. She dragged down.

The wound was fatal but would not kill instantly. If Silence reverted to Ditto form, it would live. If it remained in Khangiskhan form, it would die and leave her with a rather irritating mess to explain. That wouldn't happen. All things seek to preserve themselves.

Silence melted almost instantly into a pink blob. Ice grabbed it, digging her fingers into its jelly-like flesh, the goop smoking under her touch. Not like fire, more like acid. Its mouth was open but no sound came out. 

"You let them send Winterhart as a spy to the town. Fool, you thought I wouldn't find out about this? The clone is dead now before getting anywhere near his target, and now you have become a liability."

Ice grabbed it with her other hand, and pulled.

 *****************************************************************************************************

"Well?"

<You were quite right. There are loyalists in a minority of Eon's army.>

"Of course I was right. Will you be able to lead them?"

<Easily. They aren't the best and brightest of the army, after all, and we do instinctively follow the strongest. But the other end of it->

"Will be dealt with. Leave them alone. And whatever you do, avoid confrontation. This is enough of a mess as it is."

<I know, I know. Fragments. I'll convince my side to follow me, and pretend the other side doesn't exist.>

"Try to keep your story simple. Don't make up an elaborate tale."

<I do need a story, after all. A reason.>

"Your reasons are too complex. A simple story will not be remembered. Don't try to attract attention. If you are discovered you will fail and if you fail-"

<I know what is at stake here. I know what will happen.>

"Only because I told you."

 **********************************************************************************************************

In the shadows of the long grass on Trovita Island, it lay in wait. He was coming, it could feel it. Its eyes peered out between the blades. Waiting.

Rudy walked along the path, inadvertently passing the place the Parasect was. It lunged for him.

And so the last member of the Orange League died.

 ***********************************************************************************************************

"Why?" Ice asked tiredly.

"They're the only thing keeping us out of Lavender. Eon's scared of a bunch of stupid stiffs."

"I'm afraid I can't help you on their destruction."

"Don't you know?"

"Yes. I know how to destroy them. I learned a long time ago. But if you think they will go easily, you are a fool."

"I've fought Ghosts! Don't act as if I'm a child. They're weaklings."

"They will not die easily. You've never fought them truly. You think a mere battle gives you any idea of what a desperate Ghost can do? No. There is a different way to get Lavender, if you really must."

"What?"

"Normal-types. They can't hurt Ghosts, Ghosts can't hurt them. Even Ghost Pokemon can't see them half the time, let alone the true shades, the ones you need to worry about. Normals can't see Ghosts either plenty of the time, but that doesn't matter. The Ghosts won't care about the Normal type. They won't try to stop Lavender from becoming a bloodbath yet again. Their objections do not come from that. Just don't damage anything there, or begin the fight. The ghosts often have an odd attachment to material things, and they value silence. Don't start a battle. The ghosts will not mind if you kill the humans, as long as they attack first."

 *************************************************************************************************************

"Look, I'm on your side!" Tommy protested. "Bently, tell them!"

The Nidoking nodded. "<It's true. He supports our freedom.>"

The Pokemon looked at each other in amusement, then lunged. They weren't going to let any cowardly humans weasel out of their well-deserved death.

***************************************************************************************************************

~ They don't? That is odd. Are you sure, Sabrina? ~ Eon sent. ~ Well, yes, but if it wasn't your fault why did Saffron burn to ashes while you only lost a few? Yes, wilful blindness. I suppose that makes sense. If you could, try to goad them on. Things on this side are getting pretty bad. I need to be able to attack soon. If they try to leave, we can destroy them without worry about the ghosts at all. ~

 ************************************************************************************************************

Ice abruptly felt furious. With an almost inaudible sigh, she identified the feeling and shoved it - not back at the source, of course, that could be disastrous, but deep within herself before any of it could reflect onto the others. As long as she didn't confuse it with her own thoughts, it would be fine.

She took a few steps before kicking the Caterpie into a tree with a sickening snap. Silence hadn't been dead that long. This was quicker then she'd expected. Not that it mattered much.

 ***********************************************************************************************************

~ You are absolutely dead-set against leaving them alone, aren't you? ~ said Eon.

"Every second they are there unchallenged is a second too long. While they prepare to attack, we do nothing!" said Firebringer.

~ And if doing this brings the wrath of the spirits on us? ~

"They're tied to Lavender, I'm sure of it. The further away we are, the less they can do. Yes, it might be hard enough to take Lavender with them angry, but I think you're overestimating the range of their power. Besides, Ice said Ghosts can be killed."

~ It never occurred to you she might be lying about both? ~

"Look, it's self-consistent. Besides, if this goes on, Johto might attack us. If we have this entire area, that's one thing. But if there are trapped humans…haven't you noticed how humans are so much more concerned with saving the living then avenging the dead? And it's a sign of weakness. We have to destroy it at all costs. They're denying our existence now because they don't want to admit they're losing. If they think they can win, they'll stop that and really try to fight back."

~ And you don’t think the ghosts will be upset if we start it? ~

"No. Besides, we won't be starting it. We'll be luring them out. Provoking them. We won't even be damaging anything."

 *********************************************************************************************************

The Rocket looked over his shoulder, then back at the screen. "Yeah, I know what Silence said. But it's not true. There are only four humans here, two trainers and Jesse and James. Ice and Wildfire…they-they-they-"

"What?" snapped Domino.

He looked behind again. "Caterpie isn’t back yet. He was supposed to get more information. But they aren't people. Ice can do things and Wildfire has w-"

There was a crackling sound like metal, glass and plastic were being crushed, and then the almost unnoticeable sound of something heavy hitting the ground. The screen was a black and white blizzard. The camera must have been destroyed.

"Any others sent will be killed before they can report to you," said someone. Then there was nothing but the loud sound of static filling the room.

 ************************************************************************************************************

"This is incredibly important. You do understand that?"

"For the third time, yes!"

"Don't-"

"Damage anything or cause a scene. I get it already. Just kill one or two, get 'em to start chasing me. Once they leave Lavender, they'll be destroyed by the rest."

The Snubbull sneaked into the room. He knew what the perfect one to get would be. That would make them chase him, oh yes. Without a doubt, they would chase him over a cliff after this.

He heard footsteps approaching. Just in time. He scrambled up into the crib and bit down, shattering the fragile skull like an egg. The earth-shattering scream a moment later told him everything. Without bothering to look up, he bolted out of the room, skidded through the corridor, and then squeezed through the slightly ajar door.

All around him, doors opened. He started running toward the ambush, the first gunshot echoing though the air. If he could just get there…

 *******************************************************************************************************

Domino mulled over her next move. Whoever had killed the last agent might be bluffing. On the other hand, she'd just lost two agents, one of whom was the best they had. Yet this was too perplexing to be left alone. Something told her that most of the Pokemon were still unaware of all this. And Team Rocket was out of reach of the army. So…perhaps another agent. No one important this time. Just a run-of-the-miss average. Not someone who screwed up, of course. Just not someone who'd be missed if they were taken out by whatever was doing this.

 *********************************************************************************************************

Perhaps it is the parents who are foremost. And perhaps not. At any rate, the first clump is torn to pieces the second they set foot out of the boundaries of the town. Those behind them stumble to a stop, only to be hit from behind by the next group and pushed past the hidden line.

The humans take out their guns and open fire. The Pokemon seek cover for the moment before responding, and then only with moves like Hyper Beam and Slash. They don't know if it's type or moves or both, and even the Normal type, sceptical of Ghosts, do not want to find out. Then they move forward, checking each house, until the psychics kept by Sabrina and her trainers inform them that there are none left. This time, the Pokemon do not seem to suffer an attack of inconvenient conscience. Or if they do, it is pushed aside.

None of them seem to recognize the irony of going though such great lengths to kill everyone there, only to then leave the psychics unharmed. It’s all a matter of perspective, after all, just as those of Johto refuse to recognize Pokemon as the enemy. If your enemy, or even potential enemy, is weak, then they are killed quickly. If they may give you a tough battle, then you will allow them to remain unmolested.

 **********************************************************************************************************

"Mortal!" screeched the voice of Articuno. "You are the one who dares to attack us!"

Ice looked at him indolently. "Pathetic little pocket god. You would have killed Winterhart yourself if you weren't so weak to have missed it. Stop whining. You've been sleeping far too long. Don't think I'm a foolish little Pokemon who can't see past your legends. They may be too timid to attack their own gods, but I am not."

Articuno's voice quaked with rage. "You think you could even scratch one of us! Insolent mortal I could kill you in an instant!"

"I doubt it," Ice said, flickering out to avoid his Blizzard attack. She reappeared a moment later. Articuno began to climb upward. Ice jumped. Before she started to fall, she popped out, reappearing higher. Faint attack, she felt, was a safer bet then wings. One out of seven, after all. She wasn't a good enough flier to challenge even the sorely weakened legendary Pokemon of this time. They had centuries of experience in the matter, after all. But there was no Dark pokegod. They didn't have experience with her type.

Articuno continued to fly upward, rightly confident Ice couldn't follow him forever. She was swiftly approaching the limit of how far away from shadow she could move. But not yet.

Pushing harder, she appeared above Articuno. In her hand she formed a tiny speck that glowed so brightly the bird was almost blinded, then tossed it at him.

There was a muffled explosion. Ice appeared back on the ground. Even a Legendary couldn't stand against the power of a miniature sun. It was far too small to kill him, but it was enough. Of course, the rest would be here soon. That would be trouble. She didn't know if Sunny Day would take out the rest of them that easily, but it might not come to that. And hopefully they wouldn't come with Mew in tow, but that was probably too much to ask.

 ********************************************************************************************************

"I told you. There's nothing wrong. Aside from Sabrina, there are no more humans left in Kanto except those here. If we-"

~ For the last time, no! They have fought for us. I will not betray them now. Do that and we will be worse then those we fight. ~

"But-"

"Eon!!!" yelled a Blastoise. "Moltres and Zapdos are here!"

~ What! ~ Eon yelped, then turned to Firebringer. ~ Excuse me ~

~ Anyway, it's nice to see you're awake, ~ said Eon, pretending not to notice the fact Mewtwo seemed to be having a staring contest with Moltres. They had both looked like they were a bit upset, and Mewtwo's arrival had only worsened things. Why this was Eon didn't know. She was just glad they weren't focused on her like that.

"We have been asleep far too long," Zapdos screeched. "The world is far different then when we left it. We sensed the humans encroaching even while dreaming, but we had no idea it had gotten this far."

"Yes," agreed Moltres, turning his glowing eyes to Eon for a moment before looking back at Mewtwo. "We have been forgotten, our true power only a memory. It is time to remind the humans of the gods of their Pokemon."

**********************************************************************************************************

Ice opened her eyes halfway to regard the floating plant type. "You dragged Mew into this," she said with disgust.

~ Actually, that's why I'm here. Mew's debt, of a sort. ~

"You dragged Mew into this," Ice repeated. "Of all the things…Honestly, you don't even care about your own. Forcing a child into this."

~ Uhhh…yes. ~ said Celebi. ~ Now, I'm here- ~

"No."

~ I'm not here to bother you about Articuno, you know. I'm here in goodwill, okay? You helped with- ~

"Go. Away."

~ This isn't a trick! Hear me out. I'm giving you a chance to undo- ~

"I know what your offer is. No. Way. In. Hell."

~ You'd kill him again just because you don't trust me? ~ Celebi said, his voice angry.

"We both know what would happen. Don't try to lie to me. Now, go away and leave me be."

~ I'm trying ~

Ice narrowed her eyes slightly

~ to help you ~

Shifted her weight, so that she was no longer leaning against the tree

~ save his ~

And lunged. So much for further avoiding confrontations.

It wasn't long (7.3 seconds) before Eon was confronted by a messenger interrupting her to say that Celebi was there, and someone was trying to kill him.

Before Eon could say that the Vileplume had been seeing things, she heard a furious roar, an explosion, and a scream. Turning back to the plant, she asked. ~ What did it look like? ~

"An Umbreon with big teeth and no rings," said the Vileplume, looking a bit twitchy. It was his god being attacked.

"Celebi! Stand and fight!" screamed something in the distance.

Eon looked at the Vileplume. ~ I have Mewtwo and the Legendary Birds to keep apart, an insane Dark threatening to kill me, a bunch of humans I can't kill, and mutinous generals. Is this something I really need to deal with? Celebi's a pokegod, for Mew's sake. Shouldn’t we be worried about whoever's suicidal enough to actually challenge a Legendary? ~

"I-I suppose," said the Vileplume. Unwittingly, Eon had stumbled on the one way of calming him down. Celebi was the god of the plant type, so the Vileplume was hypersensitive to any danger his god would be in. At the same time, Celebi, being his god, was considered to by his followers to be unbelievably powerful. It would be heresy to even consider a mere Pokemon bringing down the awesome Guardian of Time. "Yes, you're right."

 *********************************************************************************************************

Nightflame looked at the girl in her charge, who had finally managed to fall asleep again. The sun was setting, and Rachel normally didn’t fall asleep this late - or early, depending on how you looked at it. While the others might celebrate the appearance of the gods, Nightflame was scared. There was no Dark Legendary, but there were three Fire. And she knew they would not be happy.

Rachel tossed and turned, mumbling softly to herself. Nightflame didn't know what she was saying, but could guess.

And what exactly did it all mean?

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO: RISE AND FALL; GOD MEMES

“She finally wiped out Lavender Town,” said Memory. “This seems to have appeased all the rebellious elements of the army.”

“For how long?” asked Firebringer. “Eventually, they will realise that she’s lost her nerve. She would once walk into the Pokemon League all on her own, and unleash her full power. Now she sits in Mt Moon, letting the humans remain in power in Johto. We have to face facts- she’s no longer a suitable leader.”

   “Agreed.”

“Oh?” Abandon raised her eyebrow. “And the suitable leaders would be… you two?”

   “We actually know what the people want,” said Memory. “She doesn’t. And, of course, you would be in command too if you and Blade fell in with us, Abandon.”

“That remains to be seen. I want to see what you have to offer before Blade and I commit the support of half the Pokemon air force to your cause. You have yet to mention how you would get rid of Eon in the first place.”

   “We shall simply gain public support, and use that to force her to step down.”

   “And once you have command, what would you do with it that is different?”

 “A complete assault on Johto,” said Firebringer. “Every Pokemon committed to it. No retreat, no relenting and we leave nothing standing. Then we turn our attention to the remaining human-controlled islands in the Orange chain, and then rid ourselves of the humans in our army.”

“And if some Pokemon feel that killing our four human allies is unethical?”

“Then they are traitors, and will be executed as such. There is no room for weakness if we are to remain free.”

*******************************************************************************************************

Sabrina steps out into the streets of Lavender, submerged under a permanent night due to the forces within the town, and smiles. The people of this town are all dead. There had been near four thousand of them, and three thousand of them had been born and raised here- the rest were frightened refugees with no intention of ever trying to move against the Pokemon. The natives of Lavender were peaceful and had respected Pokemon for centuries, never trying to harm or enslave them. They had merely taken care of the town and made it a natural habitat for the spirits of deceased Pokemon.

 And as Sabrina had hoped, the Pokemon had turned on them anyway.

She and her disciples had made sure that the revolutionaries did it neatly, in a way to not immediately anger the spirits or damage the town. She had helped, psychically influencing the people of the town to run to their death and ensuring Eon and her generals that they could do this without incurring the wrath of the supernatural.

Gullible fools. Eventually, the forces of this town would realise what had been done. They would be angry. And there would be a war. The Pokemon might even win it. But there would be a war, and no matter who would win, it would weaken Kanto and leave it open to Johto or Rocket invasion.

But Sabrina didn’t care about that. All she cared about was that the town was now hers.

She had been helping Eon since the beginning, praying for something like this. How else would she complete the noble experiment?

One of the psychics disciples walked over and coughed discreetly. Sabrina nodded and went inside. It was time to get to work.

***************************************************************************************************

Ash was matted with sweat, blood, dirt and shit. He could see, even through the dull madness that held his mind, that he had to make sure he wouldn’t be smelt out by the Pokemon, and had taken great pains to make sure he wouldn’t be noticed, covering himself with natural dirt and Pokemon excreta. He kept to the depths of the forests, never coming out into open space. And any Pokemon who saw him was killed, quickly and brutally, and the body either hidden or eaten.

   He had been walking for fourteen hours now. Always in a straight direction, towards Mt Moon. Towards a last Strike Trainer mission, one last battle.

   To make everything right again.

   To kill Eon.

****************************************************************************************************

“And how would you take Johto?”

“By use of sheer force. A vast wave of Pokemon, using full power, moving inexorably forward.”

“Many of us would die in such a battle.”

“This is war, Abandon. For a total victory, we will need to sacrifice some lives. I wish it weren’t so, but we need to.”

“And once we have this total victory?”

 “Then we turn our attention to defending our borders from foreign invasion. Other human nations will inevitably try to attack us. When they do, we must be ready. Indeed, we shall strike them first, to cripple their chances. I know Eon’s goal is to simply take Johto, Kanto and Orange for our own kind, but having strong human nations out there is simply not acceptable. They must be weakened.”

******************************************************************************************************

Mewtwo walked in on Eon, a thick wad of files tucked under his arms. He came over to her and dropped the file on the floor like it was a used wad of toilet paper. The legend “Legendaries Data” was inscribed across the top.

 ~Here is all the data I have on the so-called Legendaries, as requested.~

 ~Good. If they are entering the war for whatever reason, we need to be prepared in case they turn on us. We still don’t know what they plan to do concerning the humans- they may end up allying with the humans.~

~I wouldn’t put it past them,~ said Mewtwo. ~They don’t really care about anything except being worshipped for being lazy buggers.~

Eon gave him a wry grin. ~My dear Mewtwo, are you jealous?~

   ~NO! I just really, really don’t like them. They’re arrogant, and they expect us all to bow to them just because they can make things blow up real good. Oh, yes, they can control localised weather conditions, but do they ever use these powers? Do they cure droughts and famines with their power? Destroy the League before its tyranny was fully spread? No, they sit in their various little hideaways and spend their days eating, pissing, farting and telling passing Pidgey’s about how they used to be worshipped as gods.~ Mewtwo snorted derisively and pointed at the file. ~You will not believe some of the stuff I’ve discovered about them. I have all known legends of them on file, plus recent scientific documentaries and data from that Rocket lab where Ice found the young Bird clones.

  ~For starters, they aren’t immortal. The Legendary Birds live for many centuries, yes, but they do die. Now, the thing about them is that there is only ever one Zapdos, Articuno, Moltres and Ho-oh- they breed asexually. But the interesting bit is that several months before they die, they begin to grow an egg inside them. It’s kind of like marsupials, only instead of a pouch there’s the Bird’s gut. When the egg hatches, the Bird is devoured by its own infant from the inside. The chick grows fast, becoming full sized in about two days, and is born at a high power level. The parent makes sure to die in a secluded spot, so most people never know that this is happening at ALL.

 ~The peculiar thing is that all the memories of the parent are genetically-encoded onto the chick’s brain. Every time a new one is born, it remembers everything that ever happened to every other one of its species. So they do attain a sort of immortality- everything they ever saw or did are never lost in time, but are perfectly preserved. But the chick will always have a different personality than the parent. This is why several historical documents have had the Birds declare war on a human society over a decade-old blight- the parent may have punished the humans already, but the new chick thinks they need punishing MORE.

 ~Also the Legendaries are all arrogant twats.~

Eon was astounded. This was something she’d never heard before, both the scientific information and the casual blasphemy.

~Can we use this information?~ she asked.

~Maybe, but I don’t know how. I’ve been studying the baby Zapdos and Moltres clone corpses, but I haven’t found a way to duplicate the process. Besides, I don’t think we should really let the Legendaries know we know this. They might get angry.

 ~Anyway, only four of the Birds do this. Lugia is actually a species, and a benevolent one at that- small groups of Lugia’s have been seen. The Mews are similarly not immortal, they just live longer than most, and they are definitely near extinction; there is only one surviving Mew left, and no one to mate with. Frankly, that’s not such a big loss,~ sneered Mewtwo. ~I once fought that Mew, when I was… slightly confused. She told me,~ he hissed, clenching his fists, ~she told me that I and my clones weren’t really alive. That we were just THINGS. Of course, she’s most likely forgotten that, the short-minded bitch.~

~Calm, Mewtwo. This is a military strategising meeting, not a bitching tirade. Please remain calm.~

 He took a deep breath. ~OK, I’m calm… Now, a large section of my file is devoted to ways of fighting the Legendaries. And before you say anything, it IS possible. They may be extremely powerful but their endurance frankly sucks. Remember that the Pokemon Collector Jirarudan managed to defeat two of them with relative ease. I have worked out several military strategies for dealing with the Birds and Mew. Nothing on the Legendary Beasts as of yet, I don’t really have enough information on them for definite strategies. As for Celebi… Well, all anybody knows is that he has limited clairvoyance, can jump across time and space, and is a Plant/Psychic Pokemon. If we have to fight him, I recommend we just him with everything we have and pray it works.~

 ~I don’t pray. I act.~ Eon nudged the file into a corner and nodded at Mewtwo. ~Your efforts are much appreciated. Dismissed.~

As he left, Eon let her professional, cool façade slip and slumped to the floor. She was actually considering fighting the Legendaries and no matter what Mewtwo said about them, she couldn’t help but view them as anything less than gods. And she was considering-

 Big deal, hissed her inner voice. To many Pokemon just last year, HUMANS were gods and you had no problem being the iconoclast there. You aren’t growing soft, are you Eon?

   She growled under her breath and started to read the file.  

**********************************************************************************************************

Sabrina sat down, her chosen disciple next to her, as they waited for the others to finish setting up. Finally, she said to him: “What do you know about evolution?”

 “It is the gradual adaptation of a creature’s body so it can survive in its environment.”

 Sabrina smiled. “But have you ever heard of extelligence?”

  “No.”

  “It refers to external influences on the brain- culture, religion, fiction, psychology, science, business and so on. And these influences make the brain evolve. It happens to all intelligent species. And once an intelligent species starts creating an ‘Extranet’ of these influences, then species stop evolving through their physical forms and start evolving mentally. Consider humans- in just a decade of the Internet’s existence, the majority evolved to use it in many ways. And the minority became ‘extinct’ as it where, missing out on things and being pressured into picking the Internet up. There was no physical change, only mental, and it was powerful enough to alter the entire Extranet.

   “Physical evolution, it seems, is being left behind by humanity, and also by Psychic Pokemon and the like. Now mental evolution is taking its place. Maybe one day, we won’t need physical forms, possessing the mental power to be psychic entities containing our own universes of science and thought. Of course, if that happened, then evolution would grind to a halt and eventually we’d die out. Because if that happened, the Extranet would collapse.

   “But if all the world’s minds were concentrated into the same place, then there could be no limit to the evolution that would take place. We’d become a god…”

She trailed off, staring in rapture at her own private vision. Eventually she got up and went to carry out the noble experiment.

******************************************************************************************************

Blade looked up as Abandon walked awkwardly into their shared quarters. “Well? How’d the meeting go?”

   “Well, Memory and Nightflame have a lot of spirit and passion, and most likely quite a bit of support, but they can’t strategise long-term worth a damn.” The Pidgeot sighed. “If they ever do schism from the main army, they’ll take thousands with them, and thousands will be wiped out. We shouldn’t commit our part of the air force to their insanity.”

 “Well, we had to check them out, just to be sure. We need to look out for the interests of Bird Pokemon, and for that, we may have to abandon Eon at some point. It’s just practical.”

 “Well, so far Eon has shown herself to be practical. But I think she might slip up soon, and it could be devastating for us all when she does.”

********************************************************************************************************

Eon lay asleep, curled up next to the file. Everything had been read, and she’d laid her head down with Legendary breeding abilities mixed with battle strategies mixed with old legends.

Eon stands in a small meadow. It is beautiful, filled with hundreds of flowers. The sun's rays fall softly on the plants. It seems almost like it is impossible for anything bad to happen there.

In front of her stands a very young Eevee.

<Eevee> says Eon.

The Eevee looks at her in confusion.

~ Eevee ~ she tries again.

"Yes?" asks the Eevee. She is young, too young to have learned to be suspicious of strange Pokemon, but still, there is something that makes her nervous.

~ Eevee, you have to come with me. What your trainer is offering is nothing but lies. ~

"NO! He's my friend and he says I'm going to be special, I'm going to evolve into something new, I'm going to be the strongest ever and win every battle!"

~ Don't you see? You shouldn't evolve into something new. You will be an abomination, something never meant to exist. It is a curse! ~

"No, my trainer wouldn't do that to me," says the Eevee with total certainty.

A young boy runs onto the field. "Hey Eevee, who's your friend?"

Knowing what is about to happen, Eon leaps at the boy to kill him, but the black flowers tangle her and she can't move. Their thorns dig into her Jolteon skin.

The boy sends out a Rhydon and it uses Earthquake. Eon slumps back to the ground. He didn't have a Rhydon.

Eon tries to move, but she is now stuck fast to the ground. Time races by and the boy and the Eevee grow older. Then it regains normal speed. She tries to scream but she can't. She can't do anything, just watch.

"Guess what Eevee? Today is my tenth birthday! Do you know what that means?" asks the boy.

"I'm going to evolve!" yells the Eevee happily. "I'm going to be the strongest ever!"

And suddenly Eon is back at the lab. 

************************************************************************************************

There is no light but the candles. No sound but breathing. No movement. The walls are sticky with recently painted symbols. The disciple stands naked and calm in the centre of a pentagram. His mind is clear, as he waits eagerly for what is to come.

 Sabrina enters, naked under her pink kimono. She seems more alive than she has in years. The spectral energies in this town are honing her powers, the very reason she came here. It is perfect for the experiment.

She stands before the disciple and says “Do you accept your place in the new evolution, to become mine in mind and soul?”

 “Yes.” He is nervous but his voice does not betray him.

 There is nothing for two minutes, as the disciple and Sabrina both begin to focus. All of this paphrenalia is not needed for the experiment, but it helps to prepare the both of them mentally, and in the experiment’s early stages this is crucial.

Finally, Sabrina steps into the pentagram and drops her kimono. The two of them embrace, their bodies intertwining. Their eyes stare into each other.

There is no sound, no movement. They remain like this for a few minutes, until finally it is over. Sabrina gently pushes her way out of the embrace and puts her clothes back on. The disciple hasn’t moved, and is still staring into the space where her eyes once where. He sees nothing, and never will again. His mind is gone, every last memory and thought and psychic energy.

Sabrina gestures slightly and telekinetic force causes his heart to gently stop beating. He slumps to the floor, dead.

The other disciples come in, shepherds coming to witness the prophecies of angels.

“Did it work?” asks one, his voice trembling with excitement.

~Yes. It worked.~ Sabrina turns, her face blank, her ecstasy being transmitted directly into the minds of all present. ~He is within me. The next stage in our mental evolution has begun.~

 And the room is alive with cheers.

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE: SICKNESS, DREAMS, INSANITY

~ You were the one who said there wouldn't be repercussions, ~ said Eon.

"No, I just said that Normal types would be the best to avoid upsetting the ghosts," said Ice. "Firebringer did not repeat exactly what I had said. It wasn't a ghost, anyway."

~ Excuse me? ~

"The so-called poltergeist is just an upset Psychic trying to scare you. Spirits are revered, Eon, and it is almost as foolish as upsetting the spirits themselves to upset those who venerate them. The opposite of how it is even more foolish to upset the worshipers of gods then the gods themselves. The Drowzee will not be causing any further problems. It would help, of course, to try to placate the ghosts. They're getting upset."

~ I thought you just said it wasn't a ghost. ~

"No, this one wasn't. The ghosts are getting upset. They're a bit slow on the uptake. I don't mean over the slaughter at Lavender. Something else, that threatens them more directly. They'll try to stop it."

~ How far does their reach extend? When will they be able to affect us? ~

"How far does their reach extend?" Ice repeated, sounding amused. "It doesn't extend at all. They only have power in the area they exist, but it's great power."

~ So only Lavender? ~

"Look at the ground you stand on. Do you know how many have walked across that ground, how many have died and been buried there? Their reach? Eon, they're already here. They've been here since before this began, and they intend to stay until the end of time. Lavender has a higher number of active ghosts because it's a place where many have been buried and contacted. Ghosts are tied to everything connected to them as mortals. Their bodies, everywhere they walked when alive, everywhere their ancestors and grandchildren's grandchildren walked. And the one thing they will guard above all else is their continued existence here. Unless you find what's threatening them, they won't stop."

~ Then how are they killed? ~

"You think they can be killed?"

~ Firebringer said you knew. ~

"They can't be killed again. But they can be destroyed, completely taken out of existence. It is for fear of this they will fight their hardest. It is fear of this that made them shades to begin with. It is not something to be taken lightly. It is not something that can be done lightly."

 *******************************************************************************************************

"A triple attack?" asked Rose. "Are you sure…"

"Isn't that a bit rash?" agreed Fang.

~ The Legendary Birds will the ones fighting in one of the three attacks. We'll only need to attack two places at the same time. I don't see why this is such a surprise to all of you. Our full forces are never used, so it's not like we're stretched out much, and it always works out fine. If you're going to moan about how something that hasn't happened yet will happen now, you're nothing more then a coward. ~ snapped Eon.

Mixeon coughed softly. Ice seemed to be the only one to notice.

"And the legendaries have…agreed to this?" said Memory.

~ Of course. ~

 ***************************************************************************************************************

Ash had been lucky so far. Pokemon were few and far between, and he'd only met one at a time. This time, though, he'd unwittingly stumbled onto a small herd of wild Mareep. He stared at the electricity arcing toward him, and suddenly he's somewhere else.

He let out a howl as he realized he's standing in the outskirts of Blackthorn.

"Take me back! I was almost there!"

"It's all I can do! They won't listen none of them Surge is dead and they won't listen to me take me back!" he yelled. "They're all pretending nothing is happening, pretending the Pokemon aren't attacking. What am I supposed to do!"

"How?"

"They won't listen!"

Ash nodded slowly. That made sense. "So where - where should I tell them?"

 ****************************************************************************************************

"Eon is insane. We could never slaughter the humans!" said the Vaporeon Ryver, pacing back and forth. "Look at what we've done so far. Look at it! We're managed to take Kanto. Kanto which was already ours! How much of it was forest of which the humans left alone? And now she attacks Johto. She claims we've killed the humans of Kanto. We have not. They have left, they are in Johto, and if she persists she will bring down their wrath!"

A Rhyhorn nodded. "True. And what of the rest? We may live here, in this one small place, but what of the rest of the world? There is no place where humans do not reign supreme. They outnumber us a hundred to one, they have the ability to destroy this entire area, to reduce it into dust and ashes, into a wasteland, all in a single attack. It is only by their mercy they have not struck."

"And now she invokes the fury of the spirits!" continued Ryver. "Tell me, what crimes have the humans truly committed? They fed us, they sheltered us. We battled for them, yes, but what of it? We grew stronger with them to protect us! All of you seem to have survived the battles Eon condemns. I have not seen others die in a Pokemon battle. Oh, perhaps there were some, perhaps sometimes we fought too strongly, but how is that the fault of humans? Eon speaks of experiments, yet is she not an experiment and stronger for it? Is she not surrounded by four other Eeveelution's who are experiments and stronger for it? Does Mewtwo, one of the most powerful Pokemon in the world, not exist solely because of humans? They created him and they can destroy him. They created Eon and can destroy her. And shall destroy her!"

"Yes!" shouted a Dodrio. "They killed my trainer. Then they tell me they've freed me. Freed me? Did I ask for them to kill my trainer? Did I ask for this 'freedom', to be drafted into a war against the gods themselves? It is the Legendaries who may fight with humans. They and they alone may punish the humans for wrongs. It is not for ones such as us to dare."

"And they claim we don't have to fight!" said a Ponyta. "Don't have to fight? How many have you seen who 'don't want to fight'? They're gone. For all Eon tries to hide it, they're dead! Dead and then Eon claims it was the humans so the rest of us follow. The Legendaries are here. They will punish the humans for anything done to us. If we do not stop now they will punish us as well. It is their will we serve the humans, is it not? Who is Eon to go against the will of the gods?"

"We must stop this. If we throw ourselves at the humans' feet, they will forgive us. They will be merciful. But Eon will simply kill us the moment we get out of sight, and claim the humans did it. That is, if her followers don't kill us to begin with. Rudy is dead, is he not? They mean to kill Mistress Rachel now. They will bring the humans down on us all, and we shall be killed along with the rest!>"said a Bayleef.

"We must bide our time. We cannot let Eon know our intentions. We must watch. She is the false god. She wishes to overthrow the legendaries themselves in her insane hubris, if half the rumours are true. We must watch. We must wait. Until all realize this, and at last she can be overthrown." said Ryver. "I will go to the legendaries myself, to tell them that I lead those who are still true."

 *************************************************************************************************

Wildfire was in a slightly bad mood by the time she managed to find Ice. It had taken two hours and forty-one minutes, missing breakfast, and hiking through what seemed like several hundred miles of dense forest to do it. Dense forest filled with brambles. Wildfire didn't like hiking or thorns. She normally flew wherever she needed to go. But the further she got, the more determined she was to continue. Whatever this was, Ice clearly didn't want to talk.

"You know, Ice," she began, trying to keep her annoyance out of her voice, "I just heard the strangest thing. It seems there's a little town, a tiny, insignificant little place, which doesn't seem to have been evacuated. It's on the eastern edge of Kanto, far from any other place."

"And you feel the need to bother me with this information because…?" Ice asked, not bothering to turn and face Wildfire. Wildfire hated that.

"Well," Wildfire continued, "Eon figured out the general area and sent some Pokemon in to find it. They got lost and ended up right back where they started. They tried a few more times and finally the Pokemon started to spook and run off. Psychics can't teleport in or even sense anything in the town. The Darks have refused to go."

"Really," Ice said, her voice conveying total boredom. "How interesting."

"Some of them-" Ice turned to glare for a moment. "-Okay, one, I didn't mean to, it was just how I said it. Anyway, he checked what’s left of the records, and the place doesn't exist. They don't pay taxes, they don't buy anything, they don't sell anything, nothing. About ten years ago, it just vanished off the face of the world. The only sign of its existence is the fact that every few years, a new priest was called in. Only one of them ever left, and that was in a straitjacket. Are you listening?" Ice had still not moved from her perch on the tree limb.

"I'm simply enthralled. Please, do go on," said Ice tiredly.

"So anyway, I though it might be interesting to go there," she said, watching Ice closely. "I assume you know where it is?"

"Mewtwo told you to do this, didn't he?" said Ice, her voice still bored.

"Yeah."

"Did he mention what I said I'd do to him if he went there?"

"No," said Wildfire, sounding ever so slightly nervous.

"He wouldn't. Probably figured I wouldn't kill you. One moment." Ice vanished. She reappeared about a minute later, grabbed Wildfire, and released her on a cobblestone street on the middle of a town.

 ******************************************************************************************************

Fittingly, it is the three legendary birds who attack Erutreak, where their legends are still recited, destroying one of the centre cities of Johto in a few blasts. Meanwhile, Azalea is being burned down by fire types, forest and town alike, and Olivine falls to electric. Chuck makes an attempt to lead the people into a counterattack, but they are more interested in fleeing. Refugees are not interested in fighting another battle. Unlike many other battles, the sea remains calm as they set sail. There is no attack until they are out of sight of land.

Lugia wakes.

 ****************************************************************************************************

"You can't ignore it forever," Ice said.

~ Ignore what? And why do you even care? ~ Eon asked.

"Pokemon follow the strong. You aren't the only one to try something like this, you know. Most felt the humans were too strong. They wouldn't all follow a leader. Only a few would join, between the weakness of the leader and the weakness of the group. These short-lived rebellions were destroyed without the humans ever even realizing what was going on. The Pokemon begin to doubt your power, Eon. Not the main body in the beginning. Memory and Firebringer, the stronger ones, they doubted, but the masses still followed you. But now that you haven't done anything, now…"

~ I'm destroying their cities, aren't I? We can't kill them all in one day. ~

"That's not what I mean. You didn’t do anything to Memory and Firebringer. It's simple, really. Memory and Firebringer may say things the Pokemon don't believe. But if you don't do anything, then perhaps they are true. Because if you're strong, why don't you fight them?"

~ We'll never accomplish anything if we rely on such a primitive system, ~ replied Eon. ~ Strength has nothing to do with strategy. It doesn't matter how strong you personally are, if you waste your power and those who follow you on poorly thought out attacks. ~

"You'll find most of them aren't as…enlightened as you are. Belief can be more important then reality. The mob gains its own strength. If you don't want a mutiny, you'll have to deal with those who start it, or you'll have to fight everyone they rally to themselves. In a way, it's the reverse of how you need to deal with the Legendaries. And you might want to keep quiet about what Mewtwo told you of the birds."

~ What do you mean by that? ~

"It is common knowledge the Legendaries are gods. Challenge that, Eon, and there is very little that can save you. Heresy is not taken lightly. You have the status of a demi-god by now, but don't try to overthrow the pokegods. It doesn't matter if you win or lose. Their followers are more powerful than they are. You win, and you will be destroyed. And if you must, don't go after Mew. She's immortal and is far harder to kill then the rest, and won't be doing anything one way or the other. Don't look for trouble. Deal with Memory and Firebringer. You don't have much longer."

~ Until what? ~

"The army splits. You can still avert it now. But not for much longer."

 *******************************************************************************************************

Slice crouched in the darkness on a tree branch. Ice was warning Eon. Waste of breath. Slice didn't like the way this was all turning out. She trusted Ice, of course, she had to. But the pattern was confusing. There were so many things mixed together, all altering the course one way or another. A butterfly flaps its wings and a hurricane forms.

There was one constant, though. The thread had snapped. Why wasn't known, how wasn't known, when wasn't known, but it was no longer a viable future. Unless they could discover the way to change the path. Or join in with their full power. Slice knew what would happen in either case.

The difference was that if they withdrew, they would still be there when humans died. It was the birthright of the dark element to withstand calamities. On the other hand, if they fought, they would not survive. There was a limit to how far they could push. So staying was pointless. Killing a few more or less now didn't matter, as their numbers would be replenished in a generation. It was decided that if they found it utterly hopeless, they would simply leave, condemning the others to their fate. Without them, the strongest of the pack, the others would not be able to survive when humans won. If they died, the pack would not survive. If the pack died, the entire dark died.

Which wasn't the real reason. Even if the pack was not all that was left, the pack was more important then outsiders. They weren't going to pretend no one could make a choice of who would live and who would die. So if it came to that, yes, they would abandon the others to death and worse then death, and take care of their own.

Still, even being here, even staying for the moment, it was a risk. They had been lucky with Nightress and Zorsian. The pattern hinted at others, other not so easily beaten. Others even the ten of them couldn't beat. Slice felt they shouldn’t be there at all. The pattern said Eon would lose, and the pattern did not say how it could be averted, or even if it could be averted. If this was for the pack, such a risk would be understandable, even unimportant. But this was not for the pack, and they should just cut their losses now, get out and focus on bringing everyone in the pack through the coming storm alive. Even that might be more then they could do. They shouldn't have come to begin with.

This was the first time Slice could remember that they hadn't agreed, hadn’t all been together. Had things been even a little different, had it been just a small bit more important that they stay, she would have agreed. Had it been just a small bit less important, Ice would not have come to begin with. But they didn't agree. None of them were sure what was right and what was wrong. Ice had decided they would go, however, and so they did, misgivings or no.

The main thing now was whether the designs they had been laying for years would hold. Destiny, for the moment, could not be trusted.

 ******************************************************************************************************

The buildings around Wildfire were plain, even slightly shabby. There was only one person in sight, a man, thirty to forty years old, standing in front of her. His clothing was simple and dull in color. The only notable feature was the few links of a silver chain visible around his neck. "Hello, ma'am," he said. "I was told you would be coming here."

"Hi," said Wildfire. "Ice told you?"

He nodded. "We were told, ma'am."

"My name's Wildfire," she said, feeling steadily more uncomfortable.

He nodded again. "I know, ma'am. I'm supposed to answer your questions. You'll only be able to stay here a few minutes."

"So, um, why are you still here?"

"Why wouldn't we be here, ma'am?"

"You do know about Eon, don't you? There was a mass evacuation. The only other humans left in Kanto are the psychics in Lavender. Didn't you know?"

He nodded. "We know about Eon, ma'am. But I'm afraid I don't follow. Why would we leave?"

"Because Eon's going to kill you."

"We don't think so, ma'am. And if Eon can kill us here, she would kill us in Johto as well. This is our home. Where else would we go?"

"Ice told you this? That you were safe here?"

He shook his head. "There is…a creature here. A very powerful creature. We don't usually refer to it by name. It doesn't want to be known, especially not to outsiders."

"What do you call it, then?"

"Different things, ma'am. It goes by the name Demon sometimes."

"It didn't- Ice didn't- you weren't told- I mean, you weren't told, it really was, were you?"

"We don't think it's a demon. That's just the name it was given, and it doesn't mind. So we may use it. Or we could call it Noir, ma'am. That's the name we usually use."

"Is Noir Ice?"

"No. Noir is in the forest now. Ice isn't here at all."

"Noir…" Wildfire repeated softly. It sounded familiar somehow, but she couldn't put her finger on it. "And Noir is in the forest. Does Noir stay in the forest?"

"More or less, ma'am."

"What else is in the forest?"

"Pokemon, ma'am. A lot of Pokemon. Sometimes there are other things."

"Can you show me the way?"

He shook his head. "No, ma'am. I was told not to. And there are…things in the forest. It can be dangerous."

"Do any of you go there?"

"Not really."

"But you know what's there?"

"We see things, from the edges. And Noir has said as much. The Pokemon come out." He pointed to an Espeon lying calm and unobtrusive in the shade of an alley. "Like that one. But we don't go in."

"Do you have any contact with the outside world?"

"Not really, ma'am. We're just farmers, small-town folk. Most of us never really wanted to have to deal with the outside world to begin with."

"And now?"

"And now we don't need to."

"You've got a doctor here?"

He shook his head.

"Then what are you going to do if anything happens?"

"We didn't have a doctor before, ma'am."

Wildfire processed this information. "You said most. Were there any who didn't want to be isolated?"

"No, ma'am. There were some who didn't like Noir being here. Some of them left."

"Noir allowed them to leave?"

"Yes, ma'am. And they could come back, if they'd chosen. But they couldn't speak of it to others, couldn't tell anyone Noir was here."

"And Noir just let them go on faith that they wouldn't tell anyone?"

"Noir would stop them if they tried to tell anyone, ma'am."

"Noir would…kill them?" Wildfire asked hesitantly.

"Not necessarily, ma'am," he said, shaking his head. "Noir wouldn’t have to. It might, if it wanted to. It's up to Noir. It could just make sure they wouldn't be saying anything."

"Like the priest?"

He nodded. "They shouldn't have kept bringing one in. There was always trouble."

"What happened to all the others?"

He wouldn't meet her eyes. "They didn't…agree with Noir…being here, ma'am." He paused, cocking his head to the side slightly as if listening. "It seems like it's time to go, ma'am. Is that all?"

"Um…" stammered Wildfire, looking around. A moment later the scenery changed. "Ice-" she said, but Ice was nowhere to be seen. She was in standing at the edge of Mt. Moon alone.

 *************************************************************************************************************

The Pokemon were not celebrating their victory. The Legendaries were absent, having left after destroying the city. And the Pokemon themselves were quickly struck by a debilitating disease racing through their ranks. A disease that only struck once in a generation: the pokerus.

It wasn't fatal. But for three days none of them would be able to do much of anything. Some of the Chancey were immune already, and a select few of the very oldest formerly trained Pokemon. Beyond that, everyone was infected, to a greater or lesser degree. Very few were able to handle the virus. If the humans learned of this…

Eon remained for the most part unaffected save for a low fever and fatigue. Mixeon and Cinceon, however, were unable to move and delirious. Dawn and Dusk were dead, although, the Chancey's maintained, not from the disease. With nothing that could be done, most slunk off into assorted hiding places and slept. Only the Chancey, Blissey, and humans remained active. And Wildfire.

 *****************************************************************************************************

Ash's face can be seen on any television. Misty first sees it in a store window, and stops to stare. The sound cannot be heard but she can understand enough of what's going on. She learns from passers-by that he is the one said to have foretold the triple attack that happened today. His face is hard, flat. He looks completely different from the boy she knew, almost as different as he looks from the person he was less then twelve hours ago.

The only real hint is the way his eyes shine faint and hard, like glass marbles. And Misty doesn't see this. No one does.

*****************************************************************************************************

Cinceon thrashes in his sleep.

He is standing on cold metal. He tries to move, but nothing happens. He looks down to see that there are nails driven though his golden-brown paws. Red blood leaks out.

A little girl comes, smiling, holding a knife. She cuts off a tiny sliver of Cinceon's right paw, and then another and another. He tries to scream but nothing. He looks down to see the dripping tip of another nail shoved through his neck. She keeps cutting and cutting.

 ******************************************************************************************************

"What are you doing?" Wildfire asks, landing.

Ice let the shadows trickle through her fingers and disappear. "Nothing. What is it this time?"

"Is anyone going to attack? While the Pokemon are like this?"

"That's not it, but no, no one is going to attack."

"And what the Pokemon were saying, what of that?"

"Projection. Or reflection. It's simply stress. They're scared, and the humans are an easy scapegoat. It doesn’t look like anything much will come of it. Once they start to move into Johto, if things are done properly, those here will simply fade into background. And that's still not it. Odd."

"Star's sick. Are any of yours?"

"No. But we've been exposed. Sometimes it lies dormant for a while, before flaring up. Might cause problems later."

Wildfire stumbled suddenly. Ice didn't look up. "You might want to sit down," the dark said.

"Why?"

"Sit down."

Wildfire considered for a moment and did. "How's Fenris?"

"Behaving."

"Is he any better?"

"Quite mad, by most standards. He's stable, but a Dark evolution. They don't get better."

"You can’t do anything?"

"His world is a simple, ironclad place. It's all that's holding together the remains of his mind. Development is not something that can be turned on and off like a switch. He isn't going to be able to learn now. The only way he could make any sort of real progress is if his worldview is shattered. And as I said, it's the only thing holding him together. It's what gives him the ability to process anything. Get rid of that, and he'd simply go berserk and die."

"Oh." Wildfire shivered. "It seems kinda chilly."

Ice stood. "It's almost ninety degrees."

"Oh." Wildfire thought about that for a moment, and Ice hit her over the head, knocking her unconscious.

"Either it's not as selective as I thought, or it’s a new strain," Ice mused softly to herself, walking off.

 *****************************************************************************************************

Mixeon is calmer in his sleep, only twitching slightly from time to time.

Mixeon wags his golden tail and jumps up onto the table. He barks happily. The boy laughs and picks him up. "You know you aren't allowed on the table. Mom would freak."

He barks again and licks the boy's face, tail wagging furiously. Then he jumps down and runs around in circles around the boy's legs. He takes a bowl off the counter and sets it down on the floor and Mixeon runs over to gobble it up. Then he jumps back into the boy's arms and barks. He jumps down and races outside, the boy following.

 ***********************************************************************************************

~ So what happened to them? The pokerus isn't supposed to be fatal, ~ said Eon.

"Dawn and Dusk…their spinal cord was severed," said the Blissey.

~ What! ~

"Somehow, someone cut through the spinal cord. The result is instant death no matter what you are. I have no idea…I can't think of any way someone could have gotten in without us noticing. Especially not for such a careful job. The skin's cauterised and the cut is incredibly clean. It's almost impossible to detect once finished, but I have no idea how anything could do it without us noticing."

~ So this is an assassination? ~

"I-I think so. But it's odd. They were doing badly. I know the pokerus isn't supposed to be fatal, but they were…they were doing very badly. I don’t think they would have made it. Why kill them? And why leave Mixeon and Cinceon? They're just as helpless, but they're probably going to make it. They're delirious and asleep right now. If someone was killing, they should go for Mixeon and Cinceon. For that matter, we have a few Pokemon keeping an eye on them right now."

~ Is anyone else dead? ~

"It will take quite a while to check all of them, but I don't think so. Something about this…I don’t think it’s random, but if they had a purpose I can't think of what it is."

 ***********************************************************************************************************

It is dark. Wildfire walks along a dim, crudely paved road. To either side of her is wasteland. The air is heavy and oppressive. She shivers from cold. In the far distance is a bright light, hazy as if seen through fog or smoke. Her bare foot kicks the skull of one of the skeletons who litter the ground. It rolls over to a different paving stone, partially obscuring the words so that it reads Good Int. There is no sun.

A man with a silver cross swinging on a chain on his neck walks up to her across the grass of the endless, unbroken prairie, looking perfectly normal, even nondescript in the bright sunlight. "Noir," he greets. "The second of five. Or is it the fifth of five?"

Wildfire nods. She steps off the simple dirt road and grabs him by the neck. He begins to blacken.

"Noir," he repeats. "But Noir wouldn't do this." He turns into dark ash, which blows away in the wind. In her hand is the cross. It melts and flows in her grip though the chain remains unharmed. It hardens into a silver crescent.

Wildfire resumes walking, the shadows cast by the tree branches playing over her face. A black-haired woman with blue eyes appears and shoves her hand though Wildfire's body. With a fist-sized hole just below her ribs, Wildfire looks at Ice calmly. "Noir," she says.

Ice, her blue eyes solemn and hand dripping blood, nods. "Yes, the both of us."

Wildfire looks down at her own hands. They are smeared with red. "I need to wash my hands," she says. "So do you."

Across from her, Ice looks confused. "I do?" she asks, looking down. Her hands look normal. "My hands are clean. So are yours."

Wildfire stares at her own hands, still bloody.

The sun is rising. It's light begins reaches the blue-eyed Ice and she begins to burn. She looks at Wildfire. "We aren't demons, you know. Why do you think we can walk in darkness and light unharmed?"

"You're burning now," says Wildfire, slumping to her knees as blood flows down to the ground. "Why is that?"

The blue-eyed Ice looks confused for a moment, then smiles. In a disturbingly childlike voice she laughs, then says: "Because you want me to."

In a disinterested voice, Wildfire asks, "And why did you kill me?"

Ice laughs again, her voice still young. In a voice like seven people speaking at once she says, "None of us would ever do that. We don't know why you do. Can you tell us?" She finishes burning, and the dust is blown away.

Wildfire's eyes dim and she falls to the ground.

Wildfire opened her eyes, and blinked a few times before registering that the world was much too blurry to clear up anytime soon. Her head hurt. She groaned and painfully rolled over onto her stomach, taking her weight off her wings. They flexed automatically, sending dulled messages of minor pain.

She continued to blink and after a bit the fuzzy, jerking pictures became clearer and held still, for the most part. There was a black Noctowl near her. Why was it here? Why was she here? What was here?

"Wing's alright?" it asked, a vague trilling sound in its voice (or maybe that was just the buzzing in her ears). "Looked uncomfortable."

Wildfire decided against answering in favour of blinking several more times. The form in front of her began to come into focus. It wasn't a Noctowl, it was a Murkrow. A disturbingly owlish Murkrow. The traditional crown was almost entirely flattened, and the wings contained far more and fluffier feathers then normal. It didn't have the gaps in its wings that most had. Abruptly, she recognized it as Omen.

"Ice has blue eyes," she told him. "Or someone does. Does Noir have blue eyes?"

Omen shifted on his perch and ruffled his feathers slightly before smoothing them back down. " Ice has black eyes. Sometimes Noir has blue eyes," he told her.

Wildfire thought about this for a moment. "Yes, she does. But she didn't in my dream. Only Ice wouldn’t act like that. I think. Or maybe she would. Would she?"

"No, she wouldn't," Omen said, his voice reassuring.

"She killed me, and burnt away into ashes when the sun. Only she said she didn’t."

"Didn’t kill you?"

"Yeah. And she said the sun didn't burn her."

"Then what did?"

She thought. "I don't remember. Maybe I did. I killed someone else. The man said I was Noir. Then I said Ice was Noir. But if I'm not and she's not, who is?"

"There aren't just two," said Omen solemnly. Wildfire nodded. That made sense. She yawned, closed her eyes, and went back to sleep.

 ********************************************************************************************************

Cinceon opened his eyes and got unsteadily to his feet. He looked around at the Chancey. "What's going on here?" he demanded, eyes darting from side to side as if expecting the little child-demon from his dream to appear at any moment. Mixeon stirred and yawned.

The pokerus was lifting. The first Pokemon began waking up and moving about.

 *********************************************************************************************************

The houndour whines softly on the ground. His legs are broken and he can't stand. He lost.

"Finish it!" her God orders.

She lunges and rips the other Houndour's throat out.

The nurse smiles as she paws frantically at the door. The Chancey by her side says cheerfully, "You can't come in. We don't let evil Pokemon in. You killed him, so you can deal with the body."

The Houndour's legs are in casts. The nurse hands him to her God. Her God puts him down and the nurse hands her God a knife.

"You do this," her God tells her, as her God stabs the houndour over and over again, not in the right places. "Watch as you kill him."

"Kill him," her God says calmly. It is wrong and she knows it. She wags her tail and walks over to her brother. She smiles at him as he teeters on his broken legs, then rips his throat out.

"Very good," her God says. "Now come here," her God says, picking up a heavy stick. Nightflame walks over and he beats her to death.

And she is glad.

Nightflame shuddered and jerked awake. It took a moment for her to register her surroundings. It took only another instant to remember that she'd been out for an unknown amount of time without getting anyone to watch Rachel. She stumbled up, ignoring a wave of dizziness, and jumped out from under the overhanging rock that had formed shallow cave. She tripped over her own paws and nearly fell again.

"Rachel is still mindlessly humming," said Apocalypse. "None of the healthy Pokemon remembered to kill her, with all that's going on. And now that enough of them are awake, they won't get a clear shot at her for a while. Go back to sleep."

"You'll watch her?" Nightflame asked, yawning and settling down.

"Someone already is."

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR: SACRIFICE

“There’s one hole in every revolution, large or small. And it’s one word long- people. No matter how big the idea they all stand under… it’s people that kill every revolution.”

      -Spider Jerusalem, “Transmetropolitan” iissue 2

“History is full of instances of good men doing bad things for what they perceive as the greater good.”

-Charles Ellis, 2/11/2002

Eon knows she must sleep, but she refuses. To sleep is to dream, and

(every night back in the lab)

she doesn’t want to dream.

   She has stuff of great importance to deal with anyway. Dealing with Firebringer and Memory and their little insurrection. Maintaining control. Strategising for the final push on Johto. Keeping the Legendaries happy. Ice’s little agenda. And… that thing. The one she is doing her best not to think of, because it makes her just want to give up and cry.

   Everything is just so complicated. It was so much simpler when the revolution started, and really that shouldn’t have been, because back then they were still a grass-roots movement and now they are a world power in their own right. But no, it isn’t anything to do with the war.

   It’s the other Pokemon. Victory seems to be breaking the army down little by little. Keeping it together requires the utmost care.

   She doesn’t know if she can do it anymore.

   The temperature drops suddenly. The light dims. Eon’s hackles rise and she instinctively bares her teeth, her fur crackling as she switches to her Jolteon form.

   There’s something in the room with her. She can’t see it, but it is all around, all grief and pain and fury. As she watches, the shadows start to grow and merge, and the whispering starts. She fights to avoid hearing what they stay.

   She struggles to keep control of herself, to not show her fear. It is futile.

   And something forms before her, insubstantial, translucent, gaseous. It is a gnashing mess of tentacle and mouth and eye. It is screaming, whispering, laughing all at once. Eon trembles in fear, but makes eye contact despite herself.

   ~I gather we have much to discuss.~

   YES.

************************************************************************************************

Goldenrod Island has been fortified, the last refuge of humanity in the region. The political heads of Kanto, Johto and Orange have taken refuge here, with the greatest military minds of their nations. Battleships and aircraft and all manner of weaponry lie in wait for the inevitable Pokemon assault.

   They had not expected the Legendaries to attack.

   The sky is full of snow, rain, lightning and flame. The Birds scream across the sky, sound and fury embodied. Elemental force rips through battleships, causing them to explode or freeze or melt. Fighter jets chase the birds across the sky, only to have the tables turned when it becomes apparent that their weaponry is having no effect.

   Zapdos rears over the island, Thunderbolts striking the beach and causing explosions of sand and grit. This attack has no purpose but to emphasise his power.

   And it leaves him open to a barrage from anti-aircraft cannons. The bird cries out as he is pounded in his chest and wings; he falls, bloodied and bruised, into the ocean. The others don’t notice, they are too busy protecting themselves. As he struggles to tread water, he sees Ho-oh caught between two battleships, conjuring a shield of pure flame around him as a defence. He is being battered about but still he refuses to move out of the crossfire out of arrogance.

     Soon, the Legendaries retreat, Articuno carrying the wounded Zapdos in his talons. But they make a flashy exit, to make it look like they are merely leaving rather than running away.

****************************************************************************************************

Eon stares into the face of the apparition and says, her voice struggling to remain firm, ~What is it you require from us?~.

   VENGEANCE! it screams, its voice a symphony of hundreds of voices. VENGEANCE FOR THE DEATHS OF THE PEOPLE OF LAVENDER, FOR THE DISRESPECT SHOWN TO OUR LAND. AND THE REMOVAL OF THE INTERLOPER IN LAVENDER, AND HER ABOMINABLE PRACTICES.

    ~I was informed that you wouldn’t mind the deaths of the Lavender townspeople.~ Eon pauses for a second and sighs. ~Informed by Sabrina and Ice. And Sabrina would be the interloper, yes?~

WE DO NOT KNOW THE IDENTITY. IT IS SHIELDED FROM US. WE ONLY FEEL THE AFTERSHOCKS OF THE INTERLOPER’S “EXPERIMENTS”.

    ~The death of the townspeople was a mistake.~

MISTAKE?! THE CONSEQUENCES OF SUCH AN ACT HAVE BEEN COMMON KNOWLEDGE FOR GENERATIONS! AND YOU IGNORED IT FOR A WEAK ASSURANCE BY SOMEONE YOU HAD NO REASON TO TRUST?

   ~Sabrina has been helping us for quite some time. I had ample reason to trust her.~ Eon frowned. ~She never did explain why she was helping us, and I wondered about that. Now it comes to light… Her actions were all based around getting Lavender to herself? But for what purpose?~

WE DO NOT KNOW. BUT WHAT DO YOU PLAN TO DO ABOUT IT, PRAY?

   ~I can try and meet with Sabrina. But as for the townspeople… I had no choice. If I hadn’t have authorised an attack, I would have lost control of my army-~

WE SHOULD CARE ABOUT THIS? The apparition bent down, one of its many faces just inches away from hers. She recoiled. YOU KILLED THE PEOPLE OF LAVENDER JUST OUTSIDE THE TOWN. THEIR GHOSTS NOW CRY FOR VENGEANCE. THEIR CRY WILL BE ANSWERED, EON. THESE ARE OUR DEMANDS. MEET THEM OR THERE SHALL BE WAR BETWEEN THE SUPERNATURAL AND THE POKEMON. THE SKY WILL DARKEN, RIVERS WILL BECOME BLOOD, THE DEAD SHALL RISE FROM THE GRAVE AND YOUR STRONGHOLD WILL CRUMBLE TO DUST.

   Eon kept her face neutral, weighed her options. After a minute of contemplation, she answered: ~I believe I have a solution.~

****************************************************************************************************

“There is only one solution, and that is to attack Eon!”

   The audience went wild, cheering Ash’s name and rising from their seats. The youth stood proudly in front of the cameras. His shirt is grey with a Pokeball in the centre, and this motif is the background for the studio. He has managed to gain himself a small spot on TV- not much, just ten minutes every other day. It features nothing but him talking. It is enough.

   He gestures to a glass cage where Pikachu lies imprisoned. “Pikachu was my friend. My best friend. But then Eon took over her mind, made her a double agent. I had to imprison her. I-it was hard… But if Eon is taken out, she will be freed from the mind control and be my friend one more. ALL the Pokemon will be our friends once more!” His voice burns with a fanatical determination. “So why aren’t we trying to take Eon out? Oh, the government has tried… But not tried hard enough! It has been content to remain on the defensive, sometimes making a few USELESS attacks. Not good enough!

“We need new leadership! We need generals willing to take risks, we need to accept that Eon has the upper hand now and change our strategy accordingly! Change our strategy to beat her back to the pit she crawled out of!”

“ASH! ASH! ASH!”

  He rose to fame when it became apparent he knew when and where Pokemon were going to attack. He says he hears it from God. God tells him what needs to be done. And every other day, he goes on live television and two million people cheer at his every word. He beats the drum, calls for action. He offers no actual strategies or plans of his own, but nobody seems to notice, and if they do they don’t care. They follow him anyway.

   In time, he could rally support enough to manipulate the government and army. He could cause an escalation in the war, a large amount of bloodshed and the spark for many, many wars to come.

   Is this an oversight on his part, or design?

**************************************************************************************************

“We need to escalate the fighting!” roared Memory. She and Firebringer stand proudly as the crowds cheer. “Eon was a fine leader- was. But now she seems too content to let us stagnate. She-“

  ~Oh really?~ Eon strode over towards the dissenters, noting with pleasure the uneasy looks on the faces of the crowd. ~My strategies are holding us back, eh? Three cities in one fell swoop isn’t militant enough, hmmmm? Well, don’t worry, you can both have the chance to show your strategic superiority. Because I’m giving you a choice- split from the main army, take all your loyal followers and go start your own army with your own tactics. Or shut the hell up.~

    The dissenters fell silent. For all their hyperbole, they had never actually expected or wanted to be cut from the main group- they had wanted to influence Eon, or take her position, but never to be out on their own. But if they didn’t take up her offer, then they’d be shamed. And then nobody would follow them. They’d be demoted, seen as weak by the others.

   “Fine!” snarled Firebringer. “We shall take our followers and go deal with Johto ourselves! And then we shall return, and the others will beg us to take your position!”

~More likely you’ll all be killed.~ Eon turned and walked off.

 Ten minutes later, and near two thousand Pokemon had left to go with Firebringer and Memory. Eon didn’t bother to watch them leave.

   Rose walked over. “I hope I’m not talking out of place, but are you out of your fucking mind?! Two thousand Pokemon gone- this could be the death blow for the revolution! More might join them, or form their own sub-groups independent of us, or there could be a direct takeover-“

   ~Be quiet. I did what I had to do. It’s immoral, it’s dishonourable and if I hadn’t done it there would have been war of Biblical proportions. So be quiet.~

*****************************************************************************************************

 “Er… me?”

  Mewtwo nodded. ~Yes, Brock. You see, we are having problems taking Johto. Just today the Legendary Birds failed in an attack on Goldenrod.~ He sounded rather smug about that. ~We also have news your old comrade Ash is becoming a Hitler-type figure, calling for harder action against Pokemon “terrorists”. He has quite a following too.~

Brock swallowed, his throat dry. “Yeah,” he said. “He always did.”

~He could cause us a lot of problems by influencing the political and military rulers of the region. Add to this the fact that the United States, European Union and China are supplying arms and war loans to Johto. Now, the wider world doesn’t really give a shit about Kanto, Johto and the Orange Islands for they know all about the brainwashing they do on their citizens, but they do care about an army of Pokemon on the rampage, and they are forced to recognise that the people of Johto support their government.

   ~We also know that there are humans who are very sick of the current government in Johto. The army won’t let anyone out of the country, because then they’d have an exodus on their hands and their war effort would collapse. The people aren’t very happy about this- the few thousand who aren’t brainwashed.

  ~Now, what if those few thousand did an organised revolution? I already have Jeanette, James and Jessie in Johto…~ Mewtwo paused. ~Hmmm. Spontaneous alliteration. Anyway, they’re in Johto and are helping set up rebel groups, outfit them with weapons and supplies etc. Our little puppet rebels, however, need a figurehead, and a public figure who can rally public support away from Ash and towards rebellion. That figure is YOU. You’re a semi-famous figure, you look the part and you should be better at speech making than, say, Jessie.~

“You want me to help cause a civil war for you?”

~Sort of. We want you to get people to stop supporting the government and revolt. If this is successful, they can liberate ports and airports and the masses can flee Johto to foreign countries; if it is not successful, they’ll be bloodily crushed. Either way, it will wreck the war effort and have the international community realise that the Johto government is NOT supported. And then they’ll pull out their military support, and once that happens we just wait a few weeks and Goldenrod should be an easy conquest, barring any unforeseen developments.

~In short, we win and there’s a 50/50 chance of the people of Johto being able to NOT be slaughtered. We win, they probably will win, and the army loses. You accept this mission, Brock?~

 Brock nodded. “Yeah. I’ve been stuck here for weeks now, hearing about the war in Johto. About the death toll. I don’t want those people to die, but I don’t want the current regime to win this war. This way… this way I can save thousands, millions, and end the dictatorship and brainwashing. So I’ll do it. I may not like you or your methods, but I will do it.”

***********************************************************************************************

The dissenters marched through the fields of Johto, near the frontline. Firebringer and Memory had a plan to take the nearest city with the greatest defences. It was one with much risk, but they knew they could pull it off. And they would, just to stick it to Eon.

   It was oddly foggy in Johto today. They shrugged it off.

   The temperature was dropping. They tried to shrug it off, and failed.

   Whispering could be heard, almost perceptible, and they were worried.

   The ground erupted before them, vomiting dark blue light into the sky, and they screamed.

   The fog thickened in a tight circle around Firebringer and Memory and those nearest to them. The others bolted, cold fingers tracing down their backs and demons whispering in their ears. They could hear screams coming from inside the fog, screams that would live with them forever.

   And inside, those that had called the loudest for the attack on Lavender were trapped, all their power useless to them. And hundreds of Lavender dead cried for vengeance.

********************************************************************************************************

A small team of Pokemon were sent to Lavender, to investigate Sabrina under Eon’s direct orders. They never were able to find her dwelling. Every time they got close, they would walk away for no reason.

  A lone Sneasel was sent in soon after, as it would be immune to psychic influence and detection. It was found a day later, after all of the rest of the events written here had transpired, wandering the streets of Celadon in a confused state. It could not remember seeing Sabrina, or how it got the bruises it had, but it remembered, vaguely, a strange and repulsive ritual, and living humans acting like the dead, like their very minds had been drawn away.

   How powerful had Sabrina become, if she could use her power on a Dark Pokemon?

********************************************************************************************************

~What is going on here Eon?~

  She raised her head and said tiredly: ~I don’t know what you mean.~

  ~I mean,~ said Mewtwo, ~that just a few hours ago you let the dissenters split from us, and ten minutes ago we had hundreds of former dissenters come running back to us, saying something about demons and spectres, and five minutes after that, a team of Blissey teleported back from where the dissenters had fled from, to find sixty dead.~

~Really.~

~I went myself. It stank of decayed flesh, and the grass had died. Sixty Pokemon, including Firebringer, lay dead. I have no idea what killed them- all I know is that they had expressions of total fear on their faces, and many had had bones broken and organs ruptured from the inside, with no sign of outward attack. Some had vomited blood and liquefied organ before their death. Firebringer had been flayed. His skin lay completely intact, no cuts or incisions on it at all, looking for all the world like the body had been teleported out of its skin.

~Memory is alive. Barely. His blood temperature had dropped by 30 degrees, pulse rate was far higher than it is healthy for a Dragonite’s to be, the wings had been ripped and he was in severe shock. Chances of survival are slim, weeks will be needed for recovery.~ Mewtwo stepped closer to Eon, his voice a hiss. ~What the hell did you do, Eon? What manner of beast did you deal with to-~

   ~I HAD NO CHOICE! The ghosts wanted blood, and we can’t afford to fight them! And the dissenters were undermining us, they could have caused us to split apart! Oh, Ice suggested that I fight them, yes, because that’s all Pokemon care about, isn’t it, who’s the best fighter, but that would NOT have stopped the dissent! This way I deal with two problems at once, the ghosts and the dissenters, and now all the story of what happened to those sixty will circulate among all would-be dissenters and they will think TWICE before undermining me, and if you have a problem with the method-~

 ~Yes, I do,” said Mewtwo, his voice rising. ~My problem is that those Pokemon were murdered by a malicious force that they did not deserve.~

 ~It was them or everyone! Every fucking one! That would have happened to thousands! Sixty dead is a small price to pay!~

~“A small price”?~ repeated Mewtwo incredulously. ~This is the same Eon who I first met mourning the death of forty?~

 Eon crumpled, collapsing to the ground and putting her paws over her head, tears welling in her eyes. ~Oh god… I didn’t want this to happen, I didn’t… I can’t handle this. It keeps coming, all at once. Rachel. The dissenters. Ice. The Legendaries. The pokerus. Dusk and Dawn’s passing. The dreams.~ She looked up at Mewtwo, her eyes blank. ~I keep having those dreams. Four times now, maybe more. Dreams of being back in the lab. I can’t take those on top of all this. It’s just too much…~

 ~Y-you’re not thinking of stepping down, are you?~ he asked, panicked. ~The revolution would collapse in a week!~

~Yeah, it would. So I have no choice but to stay and fight.~ Eon choked back a sob. ~And it’s not worth it, any of it! I spearhead a revolution, a bloody one, and I think I’m freeing our race. But I’m not. They’re still held back by their goddamn training. They look upon fighting as the only way to determine a good leader, as if fighting had ANYTHING to do with leadership. Wasn’t that what the trainers said about us? That we proved worth through pointless fighting? We get rid of the trainers and then we create new ones in our minds, is that it?

  ~I’m trying my hardest, and so are you, to improve the lives of Pokemon. I have brought up many ideas in meetings- education, agriculture- and all have been shot down for being too “human” and “unnatural”. And you- you make synthetic meats so carnivore and herbivore can co-exist. You cannibalise old factories to mass produce these. And I’ve seen what happens- the Pokemon you choose to work in your factory are unenthusiastic, they sometimes forget to show up, they work slow. If we didn’t make them work, we’d have no synthetic meat and then we’d have a carnivore uprising on our hands. Because those meatstuffs help us but they’re unnatural.~ Eon spat on the floor. ~Something, deep in our minds, holds us back. Little mental trainers. We have to remain wild and stupid, kissing the Legendaries shit. Legendaries forbid we EVER try to progress, to think for ourselves! Even in revolution, with everyone talking about freedom, people refuse to throw off all the chains. True freedom scares them.~

  ~These things take time,~ he said gently. ~You can’t expect decades of dogma and ancient instinct to be discarded overnight. It will take time, but it can be done.~

~Can it? I once thought so, but now…~ Eon was crying and didn’t seem to notice. ~Do you know what I heard about lately, Mewtwo? That there was a small group of Pokemon led by a Vaporeon named Ryver, who thought we were all better off when we were under human rule. They want the humans to come back and for the revolution to fail. They truly want this… After all my efforts, there are still sane Pokemon who want this…

~I’m staying to fight. But right now, I just can’t see why…~

TO BE CONTINUED

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