===THE BLACK SERAPHS


The dark and ancient-looking hall with the appearance it had not seen any activity in a very long time was as silent and sinister as could be. A crumbled and dusty throne was set at the end of a faded onyx hallway with jade linings. To each side of the hallway were five pillars, weakened and old, yet still strong enough to support the stone ceiling, and between each pillar were many menacing-looking statues, becoming more so the closer they were to the throne. The first set were Luxray, roaring with their menacing fangs well-carved on the stone. The second were Arcanine, ducking in a stance that suggested they were ready to pounce on their victims and tear them apart. The third were Exploud, with their gaping mouths open as if they were roaring with all their might. And the fourth and last, almost immediately next to the throne, were Tyranitar with their arms raised and their maws open in a roar as well. There were some windows behind the pillars, but no light came through them. Solid rock right outside prevented that. The place was, apparently, buried. A single pool was at the beginning of the hallway, but there was no water on it, and a large, rusty door was present on the wall beyond the pool.

The Alakazam in the white coat walked through the hallway with his spoons hovering behind him, with the emotionless shadow number I was following behind him, both being careful not to step on the Ludicolo that was lying, unconscious, in the middle of the hall. Finally reaching the throne, D'Wilde looked around before smiling faintly.

"How long has it been since I last saw this place..." He murmured, stroking his moustache. "At one point the world kneeled before us. Our names were spoken only in whispers... But alas, one can not dream to shape a perfect world without a wretched gang of self-righteous young rabble coming and crushing his plans... But the seal is finally broken. No doubt that has something to do with the awakening of the chosen... If that old fool wishe to bring his Silver Seraphs into the fray, I will bring my own..." He began to mumble something before finishing with the words "Let night come forth once more!" The room stayed silent for a while before a faint giggle was heard.

"Look who it is!" The female voice was heard.

"If it isn't the Dagger!" Another one answered, both hidden in the darkness. "What have you come to do here, oh, 'Hero'?"

"Have you come for an autograph?" A third one asked. The voice was soft, but still carried a hint of maleness. "I am rather busy..."

"Hello again, friends," D'Wilde answered, smiling as number I moved behind him. "It has been a long time..." He began to pace around the room, looking into the dark corners as if knowing there was someone there. "Today, I have freed you of your torment in the Spirit Realm at the expense of one of my own," He said, gesturing towards the unconscious VII. "Because there is a task that I no doubt need your help with."

"Sacrificing a Peon," Another one commented. "Barely enough for us to believe your loyalty is ours, Dagger."

"I can have the Master vouch for me, if you think my word is not enough."

"The Master is gone!" The soft one replied. "Elys killed him!"

"You dare doubt my existence, Ereith?" The deep voice echoed across the hall and made the place itself shake. D'Wilde kept walking, heading towards the throne. And, as he did, a shadow appeared to emerge from him, ominously floating towards the throne as well.

"N-No, Master! I merely stated that it is not possible for us to trust this fool! I only-"

"Silence," The shadow said as it perched itself upon the throne while the Alakazam and Mewtwo stood by the pillars to the left and right, respectively, apparently as lifeless as the statues. "Hello, once again, my friends... It does my heart good to see that you are all here again, ready for us to take what is rightfully ours... At least now that I am here and there are no heroes to make you run away and cower."

"Sire, we were fools to desert you," The answer came from the shadows. "And, in the end, Elys made us suffer the same fate as you... No. A fate worse than yours."

"That is true," Another one added. "We were trapped in that hellish dimension, forced to suffer torment for our deeds."

"A fate worse than mine?" The shadow asked. "I was forced to survive as a mind inside this weakened and old body," He gestured towards D'Wilde. "In the end, it fell on me to bring forth everyone else's demise... And I did it all by myself without them even noticing..."

"A most admirable feat, Sire! The spotlight always shines on none other but you, and those heroes are just the secondary characters... Like Renatto in 'Lightningheart's tale', or the demented Espeon in 'To Rinia and Back'! Simpletons barely deserving to star an Aria Di Sorbetto!"

"I had to, Ereith, as my followers abandoned me. If you want it done right..."

"But, my Liege... We were imprisoned! If only we had known of a way to-"

"-You above anyone else should have known there was a way, Rias... You simply chose not to act."

"But, Sire..."

"Nevertheless," The shadow spoke. "I am a forgiving Lord... And I need you to assist me in this new era."

"New era?"

"Allow me to brief you on major events that occurred since your imprisonment, my friends...

Yuka is no more. I saw to that. After my so-believed demise, those foolish heroes let their guard down. Thinking peace had at last come, they neglected training and took to a peaceful life... In the end, they were helpless, and with them out of the way, Yuka's fall was unavoidable...

Thousands of years have passed. The new ruling nation is the empire of Selenia, so powerful that no other land in the world dares oppose it. And heroism is no longer the pursued dream of every young daydreamer out there... After the events of the fallen heroes from the east, no one aspires to be one anymore... Which brings me to the topic at hand." The shadow raised an arm, and the pool on the other end of room suddenly filled with water, the reflection of which showed an image. "Does this seem familiar to you?" He asked.

The water showed a Pikachu, firing a stream of blue light from his right hand while a Glaceon next to him fired another, both of the colliding against a Nidoking and resulting in a rather ridiculous end that brought a laugh from one of the watchers.

"The Pikachu's power reminded me of someone..." The answer came. "As for the Glaceon... Isn't she...?"

"Freya?" Another one finished. "Freya is alive?"

"She is not," The shadow answered. "Her descendants, however, are." He raised his hand again, and he image shifted once more. "How about this one?"

And in the water appeared the same Pikachu kneeling in front of a Buneary who had a look of disbelief on her face.

"Anna," Another one answered. "But then, that would mean... When did this happen?"

"About a week ago," The shadow said. "What you see are images of the present time."

"But then... My Liege, does this mean-"

"He is," The shadow hollowly answered. "Or, should I say, they are."

The image shifted one again to an Espeon walking down a sunny path along the three from before, amiably taking to them with a smile.

"That's..." A female voice said. "I don't believe her! How dare that harlot look so much younger than I do?!"

"Glad to meet your great-great-great niece, Mia?" Another of the voices asked.

"Do shut up!"

The image shifted again, into a Luxray, staring at another of his kind with a raging expression. "Does he look familiar?" The shadow asked.

"That hatred for the world in his eyes..." The one known as Ereith answered. "That odd gleam... It's him! His body might be different, but it is him nonetheless! It's the uncouth lout that burned me to ashes!" Suddenly, a Roserade leapt out from the shadows, landing on one knee in front of the pool. The roses on the bouquets on his hands, as well as the large one on his head were black, and his body was covered in burn marks. "I'll see you dead..." He hissed as a thorn- laced whip emerged from one of his roses.

"You will not act without my consent, Ereith," The shadow spoke.

"But, Sire!" Ereith answered. "All I humbly request is that you allow me to carry out this one vengeance!"

"Do not move."

"As you wish..." The Roserade kneeled with a frustrated expression.

"And now," The shadow continued as he began to take form. "Her." In the pool appeared the image of a yellow-eyed Absol, brushing affectionately against the Luxray.

"And she is...?"

"Night's descendant." The shadow explained.

"Ah, my dear brother!" Another one laughed. "One of the thousands he left behind!"

"But, Master..." Another one asked. "How can they be here? Freya, Dia, Anna, Axel... And even Night's descendants! I thought you said you wiped the heroes off the face of our world?"

"I did not end them all," The shadow answered. A red jewel of some kind was starting to form in what would correspond to his neck. "Some survived, and I made one fatal mistake... I let the bloodline spread... Even after Elys' death, even after Oliver, Lightning, Axar, Night and Nai fell... I had not killed off their bloodlines. I failed to foresee the fact that, while I killed those five, Freya, Anna and Dia were with child... And the others had already left their seed somewhere in the land. I tried to attack more than once, but that old Clefable would always be in my way. And Elys... Elys learned the one trick that allowed me to survive..."

"Sire?"

"To die and not to die..." More jewels appeared around the first one, forming a 'necklace' of sorts. "I created the Midnight Voices to assist me in my purposes, and one of them... The one spiritless toy I had intended for myself... Elys took the strings first. That is why I have brought you back. Time is racing towards us, my Black Seraphs. While now that you are back we can no doubt set to reclaim the world that is rightfully ours, we must also act to ensure those wretched heroes do not come again. They are all childless, so their ends are decisive." He raised a hand, making torches and chandeliers light and illuminate the hall. "Let us rise again, Black Seraphs!" He raised his other hand and the old hall no longer looked ancient, but all the opposite.

Cracked and moldy walls turned into gilded white ones, adorned with paintings of all kinds, the statues turned to solid gold, the pillars a bright white and finally, the dust cleared off, leaving the shadow to sit on an exquisite gold throne. In front of him were seven Pokémon: A Roserade, an Espeon and Umbreon, an Infernape, an Electivire, a Swalot, and finally, VII himself, all bowing in front of him. Something seemed different about the Ludicolo, however: His irises had turned red and his expression itself was an overly cunning one.

"Ah, Rias..." The shadow commented on the Ludicolo. "I see you have found a vessel... Very well, then."

"All hail our Master!" Ereith said, raising his roses. "For we are once again with him! The Emperor of Eternity! The Duke of Darkness! The Ambassador of-" He stopped when he noticed everyone else looking at him with amused expressions. "-ah, why do I bother...?"

"Let us act at once my friends... My powers are slowly returning, but most of them remain sealed. Find them, uproot the heroes' family trees... And the most important task... Sow fear. I need fear to grow strong..." The shadow opened his crimson eyes. The moment he did, cymbals were heard out of nowhere and the red pearls on his neck glowed as his crooked smile hinted all the pleasure he was feeling in looking at them again. "Go forth, Black Seraphs! Let the world remember our once-forgotten name! However," He chuckled. "I, too, understand that you have spent a long time sealed inside your prisons... No doubt you have all missed the pleasures this world offers..."

"The food!" The Swalot exclaimed.
"The sleep!" The Infernape added.
"The worship of the crowd!" Ereith said excitedly.
"The pleasures of the flesh..." The Umbreon whispered.
"The riches!" Rias said in a lustful tone.
"Letting out the anger!" The Electivire smashed his fists together.
"Making everyone wish they were me..." The Espeon finished.


"Go then, my brothers and sisters! Indulge yourselves in that which was taken from you so long ago!"

"YES!" Was heard in unison as they all rushed out the door, vanishing from sight. Just as they were about to leave, however, two were summoned by their lord.

"Ereith, Rias," The dark one called.

"Yes, my Liege?" The Roserade kneeled.
"Command me, o Lord," The Ludicolo said, kneeling as well.

"I have a specific mission for you two," The shadow pointed at Ereith and Rias. "I want you to go to Rinia, though nowadays it is known as Neri in honor to some wretched heroine that was born in that town... Go and greet our dear old friends... Make them meet their ends before they turn into an even larger threat."

"Yes!" Ereith banged his head excitedly, running for the door. "Prepare yourself, Axel, you fool! In a few hours your requiem will be playing!"

"Ah..." The Umbreon sighed as he headed for the door. "Once again, I am free to seek my pleasure! I wonder where I'll go... Who will be the first young lovely to keep me company in such a long time?"

"But do come to visit, Nox," The Espeon suddenly approached and whispered at him. "If I can't have you, no one else should..."

"I will come," Nox answered, licking her ears, trailing his tongue further down as he got behind her. "And... As you say..." He gave her lower lips a soft lick, making her shiver. "Visit."

"I do not need to see that, Noxrit," The shadow commanded, and the Umbreon rushed out the door, followed by the others. "And do not hurt the Absol, Ereith! I need her alive..." Everyone was gone, save for the immobile Alakazam and Mewtwo next to his throne. "Elys... Thousands of years have passed, yet, as always... I will have the last laugh."


=== THE NERI FESTIVAL!


Leon slowly opened his eyes. He was lying somewhere soft... A bed? Yes. And probably the softest, most comfortable one he had slept on in a very long time. In fact, it was so comfy he didn't think he wanted to get up ever again. He tried to move a little, still sore from the much unexpected beating XIX gave him.

He was in a well-lit room, modestly yet neatly decorated with a small nightstand next to the bed in which he was, and a window on the other side was shining light on him. The walls were painted a very soft shade of blue and there were a few racks lined up against them. One thing that caught Leon's attention, however, was a poster of an Azumarill pinned on the wall, with a print of her paw and the words 'Go for your dreams!' written on it. And standing in the room with her back to him was a Lopunny. The creamy fur that covered her ears and wrists was a little grayed out, probably just because of age, yet she still managed to shine with a stylish kind of beauty. But... Had he seen her before?

"...Anna?" Leon faintly called, looking at her.

"Wow," The Lopunny turned around to look at him, a little surprised and walked closer to the bed. "You're good! But you missed by just a bit, though. My name's Anne. I'm your mate's mom's mom... Her grandmother," She added when she noticed the confused way in which Leon was looking at her. "I must say, she is lucky to have found someone as good- looking!" She patted the ruffled tuft of hair the Pikachu had on top of his head. "If I were a few years younger, Tiffany would have some competition!"

"Well..." Leon blushed awkwardly. "Heh... Thanks."

"Well, let me go get your friends!" Anne said, turning around and heading for the room's door. "They were all quite worried about you." The Lopunny walked out of the room, and a little while later , Tiffany came in running hurriedly, leaping at the bed and hugging him.

"Leon!" She hugged him so strongly he felt like he was going to choke. "Thank goodness you're okay!"

"I'm fine," Leon answered, hugging her back. "At least I learned a lesson: Never judge a book by its cover."

"Hey," Sasha walked in the room, followed by Estelle and approached the bed. "Feeling better?"

"That's one beating you took!" Estelle added. "But we taught him a lesson!"

"You did?" Leon asked. "Well, at least I'm not the only one who took a beating, then." He looked at the room's doorway. "Where's Phoebe?"

"She went to get Richard," Sasha answered. "We thought he was with you, but it's obvious he wasn't."

"We got separated," Leon answered. "And quite frankly, we're not so fond as to go looking for each other... How'd you find me anyways?"

"Well," Sasha answered. "We heard the words 'commotion' and 'Pikachu'... We just deduced 'Leon' from that. You're lucky Tiffany's aunt was in town. She just left."

"You have to stop fighting with him, Leon," Tiffany told him. "You were doing so good!"

"And I still am!" Leon replied. "We didn't fight! We just got separated in the crowd!"

"Well, that's a relief..."

"Hey," Phoebe walked into the room, followed by a more-serious-than-usual Richard. "Guess who I found picking fights with some Luxray on the streets?"

"They started it," Richard lowly answered. "I just played along." He approached the bed but still kept his distance, trying to show no concern. "You okay?" He asked Leon, turning away.

"Yeah," Leon answered in the same serious way. "I just passed out for a bit."

"You shouldn't underestimate others like that," The Luxray said. "You'll only get killed."

"Thanks for the advice, I guess," Leon nodded.

"Here!" Anne walked into the room. "I brought you all some berries in case you want something to eat."

"Thanks, grandma!" Tiffany said, taking one of the berries.

" I figure you kids will be staying for the festival?"

"That's the plan," Sasha answered. "It's the craziest night of the year. No way we're going to miss it!"

"Only downside is Mother will be coming," Phoebe said. "I suppose I could go and spend some time with her, but I don't want to..."

"The festival's real fun!" Estelle commented. "Last year, they brought these dancers from the western marshes over, and it was A-Mazing!"

"They were a good number," Anne agreed, taking a berry. "But my favorite will always be the fireworks." She looked at Tiffany. "You know? Your grandfather proposed to me under the flash of the very first one of the night!"

"That's a favorite for most guys," Sasha added, looking at Richard with a faint smile. "A little cheesy in my opinion, but romantic nonetheless."

"Really?" Leon asked, looking out the window. The sun was setting, and fireworks were the kind of thing that happened at night... "Hmmm..." He got up from the bed. "Well, I'd better go." He said as he took Tiffany's paw. "Come on!"

"What?" The Buneary asked, confused. "Where are we going?"

"I promised you a date at the festival, didn't I?" Leon replied as they both headed for the room's door and out of the house. "Come on!"

"Have fun, then!" Anne called at them as they left towards town. "I'll leave the door open for you, so don't come back late!"


"Well then," Leon asked Tiffany as they arrived to the main street. The sun was setting over the horizon, dying the white stones a faint orange. The crowd was less thick than earlier that day, as most were either in their homes or at the bars and pubs, waiting for the time the festival would start. Neri had many places like that, as it was a frequent stop for adventurers and travelers heading to Isa Yuka past the mountains. However, the festival and the magic river were the town's main attractions. "What do you want to do?"

"Well," Tiffany answered, looking at a sign with a map on it. "There's all kinds of stuff today! I really can't choose what to do!"

"Then it's decided!" Leon replied, walking forward.

"Where are we going?"

"We'll do anything!" Leon answered. "We'll go through the whole town, doing whatever we can! Sounds fun?"

"Totally!"

"Okay, then!" Leon took her paw in his hand again and got to walking, heading for a nearby stand that had a sizeable tent behind it. "Let's start with that one!"

There was almost no one around the stand, so it wasn't long before their turn into the tent came. The game seemed rather simple: Several targets were scattered across the space, some on the ground, others high above on a tightrope, and some others held in the air by a few ropes. The goal was as simple as to hit them within a certain time. The contestants right before them were a pair of Sneasel, who dashed up and down the tent, hitting each and every target with fatal expertise. And right after that, Leon and Tiffany's turn came.

"Welcome!" The Ambipom they recognized earlier from that day greeted them. According to Sasha and Phoebe's words, he was some kind of swindler, but to Leon, he was just the one he had spotted being pleased by a Pachirisu on the train. "Ah, two of the young travelers from earlier today! (Please apologize to your friends for me...) I assume you are interested in participating in this game?"

"Yeah."

"Well, then," William answered, pointing with one of his tail hands at a small stand next to him with all kinds of items. "The rules are simple: Hit all the targets! The time you take decides what prices you get!" He then pointed at the center of the tent. "Are you ready?"

"Let's go!" Leon told the Buneary and they both ran into the center of the tent.

"Vince!" William called at the Smeargle who was painting one of the targets with his tail. "Vince!"

"What?" Vince looked down at William, annoyed. "I'm fixing the targets!"

"Well do it later, you oaf! We've got some more players!"

"Alright, then!" Vince nodded, tying a rope around the target and hoisting it up to the ceiling. "Good to go!"

"Are you ready?" William said out loud so both the Pikachu and Buneary could hear him. "Three... Two... One... GO!" A blast was heard as some confetti flew into the air, and both Leon and Tiffany began running together towards the first set of targets on the ground.

"Okay, I've done this before!" Leon told her. "We'll both cover the ground, then I'll get the higher ones and you can take care of the middle!"

"When did you-"

"Midnight Voices basic training!" He answered as the targets came closer and closer. "Ready? I'll get the left ones, you get the right!"

"Okay!" She nodded. "Let's do this!"

The moment she said this they split, Leon heading left just as he said and smashing the first target with a tackle while Tiffany went to the right and hit another. The Pikachu proceeded to jump and crash down with some sparks against a second one, and then dealt with the third and fourth with simple Thundershocks. Tiffany, on the other hand, jumped at the second one on her side and kicked it, repeated the process with the third, and landed next to the fourth, slamming her ears on it.

"Good!" Leon said with a nod. "You've been getting better! Now, I'll get the top ones and you deal with the bottom!"

"Gotcha!"

Leon rushed up the pole at the center of the tent with great speed, until he was almost at the top, then jumped off and landed on the tightrope with the perfect balance, and, in the same way, he dashed through the rope, making small shocks just ahead of him to hit the targets the moment he touched them. In the end, he leapt at three more that were hanging in the air, forming a triangle and hit them all on his way down, landing perfectly fine on the tent's floor.

Tiffany climbed up a small ladder on the tent's right side and went around the small wood bridge that went across the tent, stopping to hit the targets to her side. She then went up a little bit more and jumped down, hitting another target with her ears as she fell, bouncing on the net that was placed under the bridges to prevent injury and springing back up to hit the last target on her level. She landed on the wood bridge and was caught by Leon, who launched her upwards into one last target he had left at the very top. She hit it and fell back down, landing on the Pikachu's arms.

"Impressive!" William commended them, looking at a small watch he was holding on one of his tail hands. "You hit them all, and you did so in an excellent time! Props to you!"

"You did good," Leon told her, kissing her for a while before putting her down.

"Well, thanks!" She answered. "You were mighty good yourself!" They went back down to the stand where will was and approached him. The Ambipom was smiling, clearly delighted.

"A fine, fine job!" William happily answered. "Very well, then!" He pointed at the stand. "Pick what you want! Such an exceptional performance is deserving of any prize! (That, and telling your friends not to be mad at me)."

Leon and Tiffany took a good look at the many prizes on the stand, thinking of which one they wanted. There were all kinds of things: From berries to storybooks to TMs... Anything. Leon, however, saw something that he thought Tiffany would love: Another barrette, just like the one she had, except without the flower, but he still figured that it would look good on her.

"We'll take that one!" Leon answered, pointing at the barrette, much to Tiffany's surprise, as she was thinking of getting him one of the much more expensive and hard-to-find TMs.

"Leon, what are you doing?"

"The barrette's okay," He nodded at William.

"Really? You want that, when you can get any prize?" The Ambipom was just as surprised.

"Leon-"

"Come on!" Leon told the Ambipom, who took the barrette from the stand and gave it to him.

"Well, you are in the liberty to pick the prize you want..." William murmured. "But I must admit, I am surprised!"

Leon and Tiffany walked out the tent as the next contestants took their turn and got ready to play. Once they were outside, Leon took the barrette in one hand, Tiffany's left ear in the other, and tried to put it on her, but after a few attempts and pulling at her ear, he realized he had no idea how to do it.

"Ah, darn!" Leon said, giving up. "That would have been romantic as hell!"

"Don't worry!" The bunny giggled, taking the barrette and putting it on her left ear with the greatest of ease. "See? Thanks for this! You should have gotten yourself something better..."

"I've got you!" He answered. "And you're all I need!"

Tiffany laughed softly, petting the Pikachu's ear. "Thanks, cheesy!"

"Hey, I do the best I can!"

"Hello," Leon heard from behind him. He turned around to notice a Cubone standing almost right to him.

"Um... Hi," Leon answered awkwardly. Who was she?

"I saw you in there," The Cubone said, twirling her bone club around in her hand. "You've got some moves! That was pretty impressive!"

"Well, thanks!" Leon smiled, rubbing the back of his head. "I do the best I can!"

"And... Do you do the best you can in everything...?"

"Well, that depends," Leon answered, his expression becoming more serious, but still faintly smiling. "What'd you have in mind?"

"Leon!" Tiffany said, offended as she swatted him in the back of the head, bringing his focus back to her. "What are you doing?"

"I'm just playing around!" Leon laughed. "I wouldn't forget about you!"

"Well, that's a pity," The Cubone answered. "I was willing to have so much fun with you... You can bring your adorable little friend," She pointed her bone at Tiffany, "along if you want."

"No thanks, we're fine!" Tiffany hastily answered, grabbing Leon by the hand and dragging him away. Once they were distanced enough, she looked at him, half sad, half amused. "What was that about?"

"I wasn't being serious!" Leon answered. "I wouldn't give you up for anyone!"

"Honest?"

"Well, yeah!" Leon replied, looking at her in the eyes. "I would never, ever, do something like that to you!" His expression saddened, though he was doing it on purpose. "And I'm hurt that you would think that."

"Oh, Leon..." She fell right for it., hugging him strongly. "I'm sorry! I don't know what I was thinking!"

"Don't worry..." Leon answered, thinking to himself, 'Glad this did the trick.' Whatever the case, he was sure he wasn't going to go talk to any other girl like that again.

"I know how I can make up for this!" Tiffany answered. "We'll go, have all the fun we can in the festival... And, when it's all over..." She leaned closer to him and whispered in his ear. "You and I can get to do anything you want... Anything."

"Okay, then!" Leon cheerfully answered as he began walking ahead deeper into town to the rest of the festival.

' Whew! Glad that did the trick,' Tiffany thought as she followed him. 'Sasha was right... Offer a guy THAT, and he forgets about whatever you did to him!'


=== RUINING THE EVENING


Night fell as Leon and Tiffany were skipping about town, looking for some other part of the festival they could be a part of. Unfortunately, all save the fighting ring was full to the limit, and they were looking for something they could do together that didn't involve fighting. Tiffany was smiling as they both made their way around the crowd, showing off the new barrette her mate got her. Leon was just as happy, mainly because he had managed to avoid what could have been a difficult fight with the Buneary. But right now, all he cared about was making up for his little mistake himself and make her forget it ever happened. So, in other words, he was hoping they could go and spend the perfect evening...

If only that were possible!

"Ah, everything's full," Leon told her, speaking out loud so she could hear him through the crowd. "We should have gotten here earlier..."

"It's okay!" Tiffany affectionately answered, patting his shoulder. "We'll find something!"

"Yeah... Hey, that stand over there's-"

He didn't have time to finish as a loud bang was heard, followed by the loud, bustling noise of a panicked crowd.

"What the-?" Leon immediately turned in the direction of the sound. That couldn't be good

The crowd quickly cleared off, save for a few panicked Pokémon that were running away from whatever it was that had happened further away.

"Hey!" Leon grabbed a Meowth that was feeing from the scene, making the feline yelp in fear and asked him, "Hey, what's going on?!"

"T-The Midnight Voices!" The Meowth answered, panting in panic. "The Midnight Voices are attacking town!" He shook free from Leon's grasp and kept running, disappearing shortly after.

Leon couldn't believe what he just heard. He knew the Midnight Voices would, eventually, attempt to take the rest of the world, but he had not expected them to do so under the command of XVII, who was easily one of the mellowest Pokémon he knew. He was addicted to practical jokes, sure, but he usually preferred to relax. "The Midnight Voices..." He muttered before turning to Tiffany. "Fine someplace safe to stay, okay?"

"What? Leon, what are you going to do?"

"If they think they can come and screw over my evening with you," The Pikachu answered, summoning the bone-like staff Bernard used with one quick swing of his right arm. "They've got another thing coming!" Saying this he took off towards the source of the bang from earlier.

He dashed through the streets as quickly as he could, being careful not to hit anyone from the retreating crowd. Despite the rush and mass hysteria that filled Neri's streets, and was making everyone run to their houses and lock themselves up, the crowd was still impossible to navigate. Stopping just in time to avoid going into another panicked bunch, Leon took a right into an alley and cut through it, advanced a little, and then went into another alley, coming out past the crowd. He kept running until he reached the source of the sound, but what he saw was far stranger than he expected.

Five Sneasel in black cape, along with two Makuhita in the same attire were there, smashing apart stands and boxes for no apparent reason.

"What the..." Leon watched them. "Those are not Midnight Voices!" He was stumped for a moment before realizing: Midnight Voices or not, if they were doing something wrong he would stop them. He leapt at them and hit one of the Sneasel with the staff, knocking him out, then quickly turned around and swept at one of the Makuhita's feet, knocking him off balance and batting him away into a wall.

This obviously got the other's attention, as they ran at him, ready to hit him. The Pikachu hit another one, and then one more, but was caught of guard as the other Makuhita punched him away. Two Sneasel leapt at him to strike him, but were stopped as the Scyther from the Selenian guard earlier that day got in the way and used his scythes to block them.

"Good to see you're doing something, bounty hunter!" The Scyther looked back at Leon, grinning. "Now let the real law give you a paw! Or a scythe!" He finished, pushing both Sneasel away and slashing at them.

Leon then took care of the other Makuhita, repeating the same process he did with the previous one, knocking him off his feet and batting him at the wall, making him crash against the other one.

"That's all the ones here!" The Scyther told Leon. "They've come out of nowhere! Anyways, the General and Lieutenant got the rest of town covered, so come with me!" The Scyther ran further ahead, and Leon followed after him. He really didn't get who these attackers were or what they wanted but he was all willing to stop them.

Further ahead they were met by a pair of Haunter, appearing and disappearing around some stray innocents that got stuck in the fray. Of course they had to be dealt with. Leon tried to hit one with the usual low swipe he used to knock them of balance, but of course, the attack went right under the ghost and did nothing.

"Aw shit, boy, than ain't gonna work!" The Scyther told him. "The damn thing has no feet!"

"Right!" Leon turned towards the Scyther to answer and got punched from behind by the Haunter, knocked back a little. "Hey!" He turned to look at the ghost, who laughed at the Pikachu before licking him and leaving him covered in drool. "What?!" He looked at himself, covered in the clear, slimy substance. "Gross!" He staggered for a while before dispelling the staff and simply choosing to hit the Haunter with Thunderpunch. Hitting his mark, Leon proceeded to jump back and dash at the Haunter, hitting it with Night Slash and making it disappear with a pained groan.

"And that's all of 'em around here!" The Scyther said as he struck down the other ghost, then looked at Leon. "Good job, runt! I gotta say, you're one talented Pokémon! Ever considered joining the guard?"

"Oh, no thanks!" Leon answered. "I'd like it, but it'd be too much stress, fighting for a living."

"Really?" The Scyther asked. "Well, mull it over, okay? Thanks for the aid!"

"Wait!" Leon called.

"Yeah?" The Scyther turned around. Was the Pikachu going to ask joining the force?

"What's gonna happen with the festival? It's ruined, right?" He had to know. Just to see if he could still get a chance to take Tiffany out for the night.

The Scyther nodded, then shook his head. "Yeah and no," He answered. "The town's part of the festival's ruined, but since it all happened over here in town, the beach's part , fireworks, you know, the whole thing, is gonna happen." The Scyther stood there, waiting for Leon's request to join, but since none came, he left after a while.

"Thanks!" Leon answered. So, they could still have a good time if they went over to the beach. Now he just had to get to Tiffany... "What now?!" He grunted as he leapt away just in time to dodge a Flamethrower that came flying from his right. He turned in that direction to see the Houndoom and Blaziken a few streets ahead, having their own fight with another group of Sneasel. "Okay," He told himself as he dashed through the white stone streets towards them. "Definitely not the Midnight Voices."

"Who the hell ARE these guys?!" XIV asked, jumping back just in time to avoid a slash and shooting another Flamethrower. Though it was probably a rhetorical question.

"How the hell should I know?!" XI answered, kicking another one away and using Fire Punch to send one more flying, set ablaze.

"Well, I don't know what to think! A moment I wanna go spy on those guys XV's traveling with, next thing I know we're being hit hard by these jerks! And worse thing is, I think I saw VII with them!"

"What?! No way!"

"Need a paw?" Leon asked, jumping in and hitting two more with Thunderbolt.

"No, thanks!" XI replied, sending three Sneasel away in a single kick. "We don't need your help!"

"We've got this!" XIV barked, tackling one Sneasel, then biting another one unconscious.

"Whatever you say!" Leon answered, hitting two more. With all three of them fighting together, their enemies were gone in record time. Hitting the last one with the same Blaze Kick XI used, Leon landed on the ground, panting a little from the workout.

"Don't expect a 'Thank you', little rat!" XI said with a smirk, brushing some dust off himself. "We had this totally covered!"

"Yeah, helping us was good for you, if anything!" The Houndoom said with the same smile.

"Okay, whatever!" Leon answered. "Have a good night, huh?"

"Yeah, you too!" XI yelled at Leon before realizing what he had just said. "Uh, I mean... Bad night! Have a bad night!"

Leon kept running to see if there was anyone else he could help, but all the trouble on the streets had, apparently, cleared off. Just to make sure, the Pikachu took a quick look around... Nope. No one. 'Great!' He thought. 'Now, I'll just go back to Tiffany, we'll go to the beach, and have a nice evening!' He turned around to go when a hail of black stars rained down around him, forcing him to run into cover behind a low wall.

"How do you like my custom Swift?"

Leon peeked out to get a look of his attacker, and he couldn't believe it when he saw who it was:

The large figure was standing on a rooftop, obscured by the full moon shining right behind it, but it was still possible to make out the most peculiar shape of the poncho and sombrero... It was VII. Or at least it looked like him, except for the red glow in his eyes, looking down on him...

'So, those guys WERE Midnight Voices?' Leon asked himself, more confused than before. 'If they were... Why were they attacking XI and XIV?'

"Come out, little hero!" The Ludicolo said, jumping down from the rooftop and landing a few steps away from Leon's hiding spot. "Don't make me come and get you!"

"Okay, then..." Leon mumbled. "Here I am!" He leapt out and stood in front of his adversary, sparking some electricity from his cheeks while he held his fists up. "I don't know what you're up to, VII, but if it's trouble you're looking for, you've got it!"

"VII?!" The Ludicolo asked. "I'm sorry, but I don't know who that is!" He answered, making an all-too-confused Leon feel doubly so. Who was this guy? "My name is Rias!" He answered, making a bow and taking his sombrero off for just a bit before putting it back on.

"Rias?" Leon replied awkwardly. He had heard that name before, but where? He was quite sure it was a name associated with trouble... Something bad. In the end, those ominous feelings he had about the festival were all starting to come true. And come to think of it, that couldn't be VII... Where was his accent? And that dance he seemed to make just anytime he tried to stay still? But he had the 'VII' band and everything... Something was definitely wrong there.

"Yeah!" Rias answered. "Now, don't you tell me you don't remember me, 'coz I sure as hell remember you... Literally." He said those last words in a spiteful, resenting tone, red eyes burning in a silent rage. "I gotta say, though: You don't look like you even come close to being a hero like they used to be... Guess they just don't make them like they used to anymore!"

"What?!" Leon answered, growling. He didn't quite understand what this Rias was saying, but one thing was certain: He was calling him weak, and saying he wasn't hero material... And Leon wasn't about to let him do that.

"Well aren't you cute, looking at me like that?" Rias chuckled, amused at the Pikachu's stance. "That defiant expression... Heh... You remind me so much of him it's disgusting."

"What? Remind you of who? What are you talking about?!"

"You know? I think I'll leave the doubt of that on you, Ely ol' chap!" Rias replied, smiling while looking down and letting his sombrero cast a shadow that covered most of his face. "Aaaanyways... I've sort of been given these orders to, like... Pulverize you, so..." He looked up, grinning as he got into a fighting stance. "Let's make this short and swift!" And before the Pikachu could react, Rias jumped back and sent two more sets of Swift raining down on Leon.

Leon jumped and managed to dodge the first ones just before they hit him (The only way to dodge a Swift attack), but was hit dead-on by the second ones and staggered backwards. These felt different from any other Swift attack he had ever been hit with. For one, these left the points of his body they hit stinging and burning, to the point he felt like he was going to collapse from the pain. It was at this moment Rias suddenly moved in and took him by the neck, pressing harder and harder. Leon felt like he was about to faint... No, worse than that: He felt like he was going to die! But he couldn't die... Not now... His mind began to get hazy again...

"Ah, YES! Payback's a bitch, isn't it?!" The Ludicolo asked. "Isn't it?!"

"Rias, my friend! It is so good to see you! Did you enjoy your time in the Spirit Realm?"

"What?! How can you..."

"Now now, Leon! Get up! You put the good name of a hero to shame! And not just any hero! ME! Now, get some strength and fight back!"

And, almost by a miracle, Leon felt his strength slowly returning to him. An odd, grayish-white aura began to irradiate from his body as his eyes turned red. With the greatest of ease, he broke free form Rias' grasp and kicked him away. The Ludicolo was sent flying with such force anyone would have thought it was a Hitmonlee that hit him. Then, the glowing Pikachu ran at his opponent and head butted him before grabbing him and jumping up to a great height, still holding him and crashing him against the ground. Rias bounced back, barely able to stand.

"How... No way..." Rias muttered. His smile had just been beaten off his face, replaced by an expression that was a mix of terror, awe and even a tint of amusement. "Alrighty, then... You're not dead!" Saying this, he was covered in a dark fog, only to vanish within seconds.

"What in the world was that?" Leon asked, mostly to himself as the aura that came from him slowly faded away and he felt all that extra power leave him. He felt a little dizzy, but came to his senses after a while. "Never mind... Off to get Tiffany! Maybe we can still get to the beach..."


=== ENDING THE EVENING


The loud, excited roar of the crowd over at the beach had been reduced to nothing but a low and pleasant murmur as everyone gathered on the beach to watch the festival's closure, which involved what was revered as the greatest fireworks show in all the land. Everyone was there...

Phoebe was sitting in a very high spot that overlooked the beach and had the best look of the sky next to a pair of Umbreon: Her mother and sister.

Richard was sitting at a much lower point, almost at the very front of the crowd, with an extremely awkward expression as Estelle leant on his right, and Sasha did the same to his left.

Leon and Tiffany, however, found a far better spot to watch the fireworks. Not because it offered the best view, but because it was so secluded. They were sitting together in a far-off edge of the coast, enjoying an even quieter and calmer view of the show.

"I'm sorry we couldn't get here in time to watch the full thing," Leon sadly apologized. "I guess I should have just come here with you and let the guard take care of things."

"It's okay," She answered, looking up to see the fireworks fly high up into the sky and burst into a rain of colorful sparks that illuminated the night. "We still got to come here and watch, didn't we? And as long as we did, I'm happy!"

"Oh, you're great..." Leon sighed. "I was afraid you'd be mad at me or something..."

"Why should I be? You didn't do anything wrong! As a matter of fact, I'd like to know: Did you kick plenty of bad guy butt tonight?"

"Oh, yeah!" The Pikachu answered. "A lot! I even got asked to join the Selenian guard!"

"Well, good for you, Leon!" Tiffany replied. "I heard they don't allow just anyone to be there!"

"I've got my talents!" Leon puffed his chest, giving it a couple pats. "I'm strong, I'm smart, and for one, I'm incredibly handsome!" He combed back his tuft of hair with his hands. "Oh yeah!"

"Were you eating some 'special' berries?" She asked, amused.

"Nah, I'm just goofing around," Leon calmly replied as he leant back into the sand and watched more of the dancing lights erupt in the heavens above. "A lot of stuff's happened today, huh? Thanks for not thinking me crazy when I told you about the dreams..."

"Thank YOU for the barrette," She said, hugging him.

"Thanks you for being born," Leon finished, hugging her back. They rolled around on the ground for a bit before passionately kissing again, holding each other close under the light of the fireworks. Leon stopped and took a look around... They were the only ones there, and that gave him an idea, one that she seemed to understand all too well.

"So, you wanna get your gift for the night?" Tiffany asked teasingly as she lied on her front and spread her legs, exposing her privates at him.

"I don't think I need to answer..." Leon replied, drawing closer to her, already hard and ready to go. He stood behind her, leant down so he was on top of her, and began prodding at her entrance with his tip, moistening and preparing her for what was to come. She let out a soft whimper at the feeling, her arousal growing the more he played with her until Leon's rod was covered in her juices.

Once there was enough lubrication for him not to hurt her, he raised her hips and gripped her firmly, then thrust into her in one quick motion, hilting himself inside of her and making her let out a low moan. Slowly, he pulled out of her until just the tip of his member was inside before going back in, over and over again, slowly picking up the pace. She was just so tight, yet so soft... He loved the sensation. Remembering what he did last time, Leon began letting out those weak shocks and vibrations that only seemed to please her more, making her let out a louder moan. But that was, apparently, not enough, as she began to push back against him, trying to take more of him into her, even if that really wasn't possible anymore.

Leon kept thrusting harder and faster, feeling her heat up under him. After a while, it was like humping a furnace, except much softer and tender. His thrusts started to become more erratic, and he did his best to hold back his approaching orgasm. He began to pound harder and harder into her pussy, with her moans becoming louder and louder until she couldn't take it anymore. The Buneary came with a loud moan, her juices flowing out of her entrance and providing even more lube for the Pikachu to finish himself. Leon just kept thrusting into her until his own climax came. He bucked against her with a grunt and kept humping at her as his seed stained her walls, filling her up. Once they were done, both collapsed into the sand below them, panting and sweating.

"Well..." She told him, still catching her breath. "I can only compare it to last time..."

"And?"

"Meh... More or less the same."

"Thanks," Leon chuckled. "That feels just like a hug!"

"Let's just say it was special... I mean, it was my first. You still did okay, though."

"Ah, alright," Leon answered as he got up, still panting. He helped her up, and together they headed back to her house, ready to get their rest for the next day...

Things were about to take a change however. The awakening of yet another dark force interested in him, and not just in him, but on all his friends, would be just one of the many things he would be a part of...