"Well, let's see..." The Nidoking looked up again, hoping he wouldn't be blinded this time. He took a while to think about what to do, and, though he had a hard time reasoning, being so sore and having such a burning pain in his head, he thought up his next steps. 'That's Despair's Horn, over there...' he thought as he looked at the dark, craggy mountain in the distance, 'If I climb there, and follow the sun... I'll get lost. Because north is not where the sun goes... Uh... I look at the sun and go... Left. Yeah? No? Uh... I'll just have to keep going north' he kept thinking as he took his first step forward with a grunt from the pain, 'I'll be getting to Lizean in about two day... And from there it's just a straight walk further north till I reach the dimension flaw...Though!' he grunted again, clenching his chest with an angered and tired expression, 'It might be a while longer...'


***


Leon opened his eyes to the vast darkness that suddenly appeared in front of him. He realized he was dreaming again.

"Oh... Not again." He thought, looking around, trying to see something in the thick, unyielding shadows.


"Hey! How's everything, pal?" called out a familiar voice.


"No way!" The Pichu's eyes brightened in hope as he heard those words. Was he right? Was that... "Leon?!" He said, excited.


"Eeyup! That's me!" said the Pikachu, revealing himself amongst the darkness, "How have you been?" he talked to Leon- that is, XV- as if nothing had ever happened.


"What...I mean- " The Pichu stuttered, trying to talk to his friend and ask him what he was doing in his dreams, still not believing the sight. "Wait! Are you mad? Is this because I took your name?"


"Hey, calm down!" The original Leon answered with a smile, "I've got no problems with the name thing; it suits you! I want to see how you are, seeing how you just messed with the henchmen of one of the most dangerous criminals in the world."


"How did you know I did that?" The Pichu asked, tilting his head to the side.


"Well, ever since I passed, I've been looking after you... You do know that by saving that Buneary, you've pretty much put a lot of heat on yourself. She really looks like she's worth it, though. I know I'd go through that trouble myself for her!"




"What? No! I... I mean-"
"Hey, I'm just kidding!" The Pikachu replied, laughing, "I just wanted to tell you that you have to stay safe. It'd really suck if you got out of Ruby Plains to end up tossed in some creek."


"So... You're not mad?"


"About what? You taking my name? Don't worry, now! I take that as an Honor! Plus it sounds much better than calling yourself a number. Besides, it's not like I'll need it where I'm going! Or maybe I will.....Meh, never mind...." He said, " Well, It's time to go now! Sweet dreams, kid. I'll see you again someday. Maybe soon, if you don't watch out! Be careful out there!" He said, starting to fade away, "Now go make me proud, and don't let greed eat you up! You gotta remember the way of the true hero!"


"Wait, Leon!" called out the Pichu, trying to grab the hand of his vanishing friend, "Come back! I gotta ask you something! Wait!" But it was too late. His friend was gone, and he returned to standing alone in the vast, infinite darkness....


He woke up with a sigh, thinking of his dream and getting a feeling of gratitude for his friend's last visit. A quick look around revealed to him it was still night time.

'It's around midnight, I guess,' He thought, looking out the window into the darkness, 'I guess the only thing I can do right now is sleep... Leon...' he paused his thoughts for a moment to see a star that seemed to shine much brighter than the rest, up in the sky, 'I wanted to know what the way of a true hero meant. I wonder if he'd still be okay if he had kicked me out like I wanted him to that night... What?' He stopped, feeling a very comfortable warmth spreading on his right side. He turned a little to see Tiffany asleep with her head leaning on him, 'Well, she's friendly. What's the matter with her? I don't think I'll ever understand girls. Maybe they're all like this out here? Back home VI, VIII, and XVI were never really kind... They'd have their moments, but they were scarce...' He let out a long, silent yawn before leaning back on the Buneary, 'She's so warm... Feeling drowsy...'


He found himself in the same deep, vast Darkness. But this time, it didn't have the atmosphere that it had when the original Leon spoke to him. No. this was the same feeling he had when he heard that voice talk before.


"Good evening," He heard.


"What do you want?" asked Leon, not in the mood for strange dreams. It had been three long months since he had last heard that voice speak to him. He knew its return couldn't mean anything good for him.


"I am truly sorry for your loss. But do not grief over your friend. No one ever goes...At least not entirely. "


"I know," Leon replied, "It's just... he was my only friend. The first friend I had made in this world."


"Do not mourn him, but live on for him. I understand you wish to follow his dreams and become a hero?"


"Yes. I want to accomplish what he dreamt of."


"And yet you do not know what makes a true hero."


"No. I could not ask him... Now he's gone..."


"Hmph... with that way of thought, you will never be one."


"What? How does that have anything to do with being a Hero?"


"A true hero would not stop by something like that. Were he a hero, indeed, he would set out and find the answer himself."


Leon grunted a little. He couldn't quite think of something to retort, and being outsmarted by a voice in his mind was not something he enjoyed.


"Hope's Peak... what did you feel when you saw it?" The voice continued with the questions.


"I felt marveled. Like Tiffany did."


"You lie. There were more feelings, were there not? You felt restless; excited, even."


"Well, now that you mention it..."


"There is a story behind Hope's Peak. Perhaps you should ask your new friend about it," The voice's tone began to become calmer and calmer,"A story of times long past; of love, of sacrifice... Above all, it is the story of a true hero."


Leon was very confused: Who was this voice? What did it want, and why did it continue to speak to him? As he had done many times before, he tried to think about what reasons the voice could have and make sense of its words, but was unable to.


"And now I must leave you. You are soon to wake... By the next time we speak, I expect you to know the story behind Hope's Peak... The story of a hero."


"Wait!" Leon called out into the darkness, "Why are you doing this? Who are you?"


"I am a remnant," The voice was quick to answer in its usual, mystifying and yet strangely comforting tone. Leon knew nothing about it and it annoyed him with its mysterious ways more than once, but he had to admit he felt oddly calm when speaking to it and while it brought him a certain sense of uncertainty, it also brought him peace.


"A Remnant?"


"Yes... One lost to the ages... But you must not be troubled by such affairs. Everything will be revealed to you in time. The time has come for me to leave you. Farewell for now, and I wish you luck." With this, the voice's very presence seemed to slowly fade away until the Pichu found himself standing alone in the empty darkness that seemed to fill his dreams.


'A remnant... So confusing,' Leon thought, 'I really shouldn't mind it too much, though. I'll have to ask Tiffany what the story behind Hope's Peak is... For now, I can only hope to dream something normal for a change...'



***


'Well, that's a good bit of the road walked,' IV thought, climbing the large, black mountain, almost at the summit, 'Might be a while, but I can handle a little more climbing, that's for sure.' He had to stop to rest more often than ever, though; his injuries were still hurting him too much. "Damn that stupid mouse," He grunted out loud as he kept going up, the Nidoking's features darkened by the cloudy weather. He kept thinking as he climbed, ' It's the second time he beats me up so bad... It's even worse because I'm so much tougher than I was back then...' His mind wandered off to his memories... He was not a quick one to think and he had a hard time remembering most things, but he had always been fond of his strength, and being outpowered by a newborn was something that was sure to stick to him.

"What are you grinning at, so smugly, huh?!"

"Heh...Ni...Do...King... Fat."

"What?! It's a shame they took so long to make you, because they're about to need a new one!"

"Careful, IV. Anything you try to do to him is teaching him how to defeat you."

"Yeah, right, professor! As if this pipsqueak was ever going to- WAIT!"

'Hell, I'm not even sure if it really went like that...' IV thought, snapping to reality after almost falling from a loose rock he grabbed, 'Maybe I'm making it all up... That kid must have hit me really hard at Ruby Plains for me to imagine this sort of thing...' He finished as he finally found himself standing at the very summit of Despair's Horn. He took a deep breath and looked away into the distance... Even from such a high height he was unable to see the vast whites of the North Region, but he was able to see the sun, which helped him realize in which direction he had to go, 'Well, just some hours of walking, I guess... It can't be that long... I've gotta let everyone know I saw him.' Saying this he began to make his way down the mountain towards his destination; sliding down the steep parts, jumping down ledges, and simply walking it off when he felt his wounds sting too much. After just a while, he had, (quite painfully as he tripped and rolled all the way he was left) reached the base.

'That's one mountain down,' he thought, chuckling, 'Now just nine million to go...'



***



Tiffany woke up with a long yawn when a beam of sunlight reached her eyes. She lifted her head from Leon's shoulder and looked out the Train's window, her vision somewhat cloudy from just waking up.


'Ah... Its morning already,' she thought rubbing her eyes with her paws before looking at the green, lively landscape, the clear blue sky brightened by the sun. 'It's always nice to stop and look at things like these... It reminds me of the times in which mom and I would go out to the fields to play... before she left... But I shouldn't think about that! It's a new day, so I should think bright. Yes, sir! No sad stuff for now!' She turned around to see Leon sleeping in his seat. The Pichu's eyes were still closed shut, even though the sun was going in through the window, right at his face. "Hmm... Leon's still asleep..." she said to herself as she stared at him 'Oh, when he sleeps, he's so much cuter! He just looks so adorable, I could hug him all day...' She smiled, picturing the Pichu as a plush doll more than as another Pokémon. 'Oh! He's waking up!'


Leon slowly opened his eyes, feeling the warmth of the sun against him and the sudden, cooler feeling on his right side telling him Tiffany was no longer leaning on him. He let out a long yawn much like the one the Buneary woke up with and softly rubbed his eyes before looking at her.


"Good morning, Leon! " Tiffany greeted with a smile, looking at the Pichu. "Did you sleep well?"


"Uh... Yes, I guess," He answered, once again surprised at how friendly she was being.


"Well, that's good to hear!" She couldn't help being nice at Leon. Something in him just made her feel charmed. Maybe it was the fact he saved her, maybe it was his babyish look, but she thought the little Pichu was simply adorable. "You know, we're almost there now. Just an hour or so and we can get off..." she said as she pulled a piece of chocolate out of her bag. "Here, have some." she gave half of it to Leon, and they both started eating.


He took a short bite of what he had been offered; it was sweet, but that sweetness also held a stronger flavor. Even though he had already eaten it the day before he hadn't really focused on the flavor. He had to wonder how amazing it was that food like that could exist without him ever tasting it. However, the pleasure of the taste had to be put away after he was finished, which also brought him to remembering he had something to ask his new friend.


"Say... Tiffany," He asked quietly.


"Yeah? What is it, Leon?" She replied, staring at the Pichu.


"Do you know the story behind Hope's Peak?"


" The story behind Hope's Peak, huh? " She stared at him, a little confused as of why someone who had seen it for the first time could have any interest on what story lied behind it.


"Yeah... Do you know it?"


"Well, I really like learning things like that myself, but... Nope. Sorry, I can't help you there." She replied, feeling slightly dissatisfied at not being able to help the Pichu find out what he wanted.


"Oh, well... " Leon was a bit let down by Tiffany's answer. When the voice told him to ask her, he thought she would be able to help him.


Leon was actually ready to let the question rest when he remembered the voice. Perhaps it was just the interest of proving he could, but he was going to find out what Hope's Peak's story was. He thought that would show that meddling voice he is more than able to be a true hero.


"And... Don't you know of someone who would know?" He asked. No longer was it just simple curiosity.


"Well..." She stopped and thought for a moment before answering, "I suppose old Noctave might know. He's the Town elder. He's really wise, and he's into all those things like history and lore. He's the one that made me take a liking to reading, in fact! I can't think of anyone better for telling you."


The train came to a stop as the sight of a forest appeared in front of the window. The sunlight was not as strong as it was when they were going through the fields. Probably because the trees blocked most of it, but the area still managed to shine in a vivid and verdant grace Leon enjoyed just by looking at it.


"Well, here we are! This is where we get off. C'mon, let's go!" Tiffany told him, grabbing her bag and getting up hastily

.
"Well... yeah, Sure, Let's go!" Leon answered. The Buneary's cheerfulness was starting to rub off to him.


The pair got off the train and began walking down the path ahead, the tree leaves and grass around them swaying with the wind. As the lively sounds of the Flying and Bug-types that inhabited the trees filled the air.


"It's only a short walk before we get to town," Tiffany said, breaking the silence they had been in until now, "You just keep behind me and we'll get there soon."


"Well, we gotta think of something to do and pass the time while we get there," Answered Leon. "Perhaps talk a bit more... How's life in Ilsia like? Tell me a bit more."


" Well, It's a very calm town," The bunny replied, looking up and getting one of her ears out of the way to try and see the sky through the canopy of the trees, "We don't get much visitors, so you could say the good side of it is that everyone knows everyone in there."


Leon's interest was piqued by those last words: If the town rarely got visitors and was so secluded and calm, it became the prefect place for him to hide while he got ready to go abroad again. He still hadn't thought up where to go, but he was already beginning to think options up. He could keep on his own and see where that got him, travelling the roads and helping others, or he could try and get to the north and maybe help the Lizean Resistance. There were many possibilities, but they were as plentiful as they were dangerous. However, he would think things up one at a time, and at that moment, he would focus on the place he could hide for a moment.


"Then I can't wait to get there!" He finally answered excitedly as he looked at Tiffany with a smile. He wanted to make sure he would have a friend in that town so he could fit in. Rumors could be dangerous, knowing the Midnight Voice's eyes and ears in a good part of the world.



***



The Nidoking kept on his march , feeling the pain beginning to fade away to a simple soreness, much to his relief. He slid down another slope on the craggy mountainsides and moved on forward under the blackened skies, the ground he stepped on cracking. What came to his eyes next did come as some of a surprise for him; far from home as he was he almost knew for certain he would not be finding anyone familiar, but he had.


"Geez!" The Gallade grunted as he kicked a Graveler that was lying motionless on the ground, causing it to roll away slightly into a piled group of others of its same species, "I don't really like to hurt guys who have nothing to do with my job, but you make being nice at you so much harder!"


"Hey, V!" IV called out as loud as he could, making the Fighting-type turn around to look at him, reacting with a positively surprised expression, but not showing himself too excited.


"Oh, hey. It's the guy that's been out for days now."


"Days?" IV replied, confused, "How many?"


"Three of them," V answered as he walked towards the Nidoking, stopping right in front of him, "What the hell happened to you, big guy? I mean, it's not like a superior product of science sent somewhere goes missing for so long. What, did you find XV, did you get lost in the forest, someone offer you a sweet or what?"


"Forest, sweets... What?" IV stuttered, confused.


"Did you find XV?" The Gallade rephrased his question, bringing his palm to his face in an annoyed way.


"Oh... Oh, yeah! Yeah, I did!" IV answered, understanding what he had been asked.


"Well, okay," V responded nonchalantly, as if waiting for something before looking around IV and trying to get a look behind him. Not finding anything, he asked, "Well...?"


"Well...?"


"Well, where is he?!"


"Oh, right! Yeahh..." IV brought his large hand to the back of his head, having a hard time getting the words out. After a while, he finally answered, "I couldn't get him."


"Seriously."


"Yeah. True story."


V sighed, looking down as he slowly shook his head, "How in the world couldn't you get him?"


"He..."


"Yeah?"


"He... He beat me and knocked me out."


"What?"


"It's not my fault!" IV snapped back in a hostile way, getting on a defensive state, "He went like, superchargerized on me or something and threw me all the way here from Ruby Plains! Now you tell me you could make it through that and not even pass out!"


"This is a mess," V sighed, "We need to head back and have you checked or something, because it's not normal for you to lose to him. You say he went superchargerized ? I think we're better of telling this to everyone, see how they react to the news of you getting your tail handed to you by the kid."


"You can take me back, right?"


"Well, yeah I can. You just need to be quick about it, because the portals close fai-


He had to stop as the ground began to shake, causing the small pebbles and bits of gravel on it to jump and shiver, and making the Graveler roll off the mountainside towards the seemingly endless pit beside it.

"Man, what now...?"


"WHAT IS GOING ON?! WHY CAN'T I HEAR THE GRAVELER'S STEPS?! I SENSE DIFFERENT STEPS IN MY MOUNTAIN! WHO ARE YOU?! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO THE GRAVELER?!"

"We sent 'em straight to hell!" The Nidoking roared back, stomping the ground as strongly as he could, "What, you want a ride to join 'em?! Get outta here!"


"YOU DARE TRY TO REMOVE ME FROM MY MOUNTAIN?! YOU CAN TALK QUITE GREATLY FOR SOMEONE AS SMALL AS YOU!"

"Small?!" This annoyed IV, "I'm three... Wait," he mumbled as he stopped to count with his large, stubby nails before replying, "Yeah! Three times the size of your Graveler!"


"AND WOULD THAT MEAN YOU ARE BIGER THAN I AM?! IDIOT! THERE ARE BIGGER POKÉMON THAN THAT!"


"Look, IV, I really think we shouldn't piss this guy off. Let's just go home and take it easy, okay?" The Gallade began to step back, feeling the ground shake around the spot he and IV were standing on.


"Hey, don't worry!" IV answered, "Guys like this are all talk! I bet he's so tiny he thinks a big voice'll make me fear him... For all we know, he could be a Whismur!"


'Because Whismur can make the ground shake...' V thought as he braced himself to jump. And he was right. He quickly leapt away moments before the rocky ground tore open around the spot where he was standing and the giant, shining shape of the steel serpent burst out. The Gallade repositioned himself on a higher ledge just as IV stepped back, getting ready for a fight.


"Need help?" V called out down, "I mean, you did get knocked unconscious by a Pichu!"


"Nah, I'm fine!" IV roared back, "I could use the confidence boost!"


The Nidoking got ready to start fighting back as he saw the Steelix charge furiously at him, sliding through the ground at an amazing speed, ready to slam at full force against him. IV simply grinned as he made sure his feet were well-stuck in his position and stretched his arms a little, ready to stop his enemy. The moment the Steelix hit him, it was stopped by IV's hands, its charge gradually slowing until the giant Steel-type found himself trying to push against IV's block, to no avail.


"And that's all you've got?!" IV laughed gleefully in his enormous voice, "I hate to tell you this, but if it comes to strength, a Pichu was able to outmuscle me while you can't!"


His taunt had a great effect on the serpent, who roared furiously, breaking free from IV's grasp, sliding back and preparing for another, even stronger, charge.



***




"And Here we are!" Tiffany said as she and Leon arrived at a clearing in the forest. "This is Ilsia. Well? What do you think?"



Leon was speechless. He already had the idea he was mistaken when he had looked out the train to the marvelous green, but he still imagined the town would be a dark corner of the forest full of thorns and caves. The Town was nothing like what he thought it would be: The Sun shone from the sky into the clearing: Houses were built in the base of trees, but also on their branches, and even in them. The house's wooden builds made them seem like something out of a Fairytale. In the holes in the trees, he could see several flying- types gliding from tree to tree, and in the ground, several other Pokémon were going out and about. All in all, however, the town's inhabitants seemed to be fairly scarce, which probably meant it didn't get much outside contact either. That was just what he needed.


"It's... Amazingly beautiful."



"Yeah! I say that every morning I woke up and look out the window! Now that we're here, we can go take a look at what you wanted, too. Elder Noctave's house is this way" she said as she took him across town, greeting back at everyone she came across. "That's the store, though we really don't need much with the berries growing on the trees and all," She told him as she dragged him across town, not giving him a moment to stop and see anything in much detail, "Here" she told Him as they stopped in front of a very old- looking Tree. "This is where the elder lives." She pointed at a hole very high up in the tree's stump. "Hey, Chip!" she called out to a Pidgeot standing in a nearby branch.


"Yes? What is it, miss Tiffany?" answered the Pidgeot, fluttering down to where She and Leon were standing.


"Is Elder Noctave home?" she asked.


"Not today," The Flying-type replied, "I'm afraid he left for the city to find something new to read. He'll be back tomorrow, though, Dear."


"Oh, I see... well, if he's out in the city, I guess we really can't go and find him there... We'd have to fly for that... Thanks anyways, Chip!" The Buneary answered as the Pidgeot took flight back into the Branch he was standing on.


"It's nothing. Take care, sweetheart!"


"Well, when there's no way around it, there's no way around it. Come on, Leon! I'll show you around!" She said cheerfully as she took Leon by his hand.


"Hey, you already kind of showe-wait!" Leon tried to object but, just as before, he ended up being dragged around town.



***



"And that's just what you get!" IV claimed in victory as he stood over the defeated Steelix, his stance now showing much more confidence and power than before, "Learn the lesson! No one can win against me... That's bigger than I am!" He quickly added before bursting out into a delighted laugh.


"If you're done..." V started, looking at him with an expression that mixed boredom and amusement together, "We should go back. I'm sure they'll want to know you weren't like, killed or whatever."


"Killed?! HA! Look at this dead Steelix here! I took it down by myself! How deathable do you think someone who does that is?!"


'As deathable as the word he just made up,' V thought before replying, "I guess... Not much. Come on, let's go." Saying this, he walked closer to IV and soon disappeared in a purplish flash, taking the Nidoking with him.



***



It was getting dark in Ilsia. Most Flying- Types had gone to sleep by then, and stores and homes alike were closing up, ready to get some sleep.


"Well, It looks like night's coming," Tiffany told the Pichu, "There's an Inn that way, if you need a place to stay."

"I really couldn't," Leon answered, being struck by something he hadn't thought about yet: How would he afford survival should he go abroad? "I have no money on me."


"No Money, huh?" Tiffany thought for a moment. "Well... I suppose you can stay at my house. Just promise not to move anything. Because everything there's got an order. Promise?"


"Eh... Yeah. I promise."


"Good! Now, my house is that way," She pointed to her right, to a small cluster of trees, "it's getting darker, so let's go!"


After a short walk they arrived at a small, wood house with a black roof.


"Alright," Tiffany said as she opened the black wood door, "Come on in!"


Leon stepped into the house. It was fairly different from the original Leon's: A small entrance room, decorated with a few chairs and a table, with a door in both the left and right walls. It was a comfy place, warm and quiet.


"Now, we'll be staying in the room to the left," she said as she hung her bag on a hook near the entrance.


"WE?" asked Leon. "You and Me we ?


"Well, yeah!" answered Tiffany, "The other door leads to my Mom's room, and I promised her I would never go in there when she wasn't home."


"Your mother?" Leon asked. It was the first time she mentioned her. And if she hadn't, Leon would have thought she lived alone for sure, "Where is she?"


"Oh, She's always traveling, but gets really mad if I move something there even a few inches, so I she made me promise to stay away from it. I hope it's not a problem. I haven't even come near it for like six months ever since she left for Lizean."


"Lizean? What's she got to do there?"


"Well, she told me she had to be there because she had to solve something, but she never came back. I'm sure she's fine, though. She's always out and maybe she just hasn't been able to come home yet... I hope you don't mind staying in my room."


"No... Not at all! It's no problem!" Leon replied as care-freely as he could, even though he knew there was a problem. Not once in his life had he shared a bed, much less with a girl, and he knew from what the other members of the Midnight Voices had told him that he squirmed around in his sleep. There wasn't much he could do. It was that or staying out, given the fact he had no money to pay for the Inn. And even worse, he thought he knew what has become of The Bunny's mother. If she had gone to Lizean six months ago, that meant she had been there doing the Voice's takeover of the city, which could mean... 'Oh, no...' He thought.



"Come in!" she said as she opened the door leading to her room. It didn't differ from the rest of her house too much, except, of course, for a light- blue bed and a door in the back.


"Left or right side?" She asked in a sleepy tone, getting ready to sleep.


"Uh... Left."


"Well, get in, then!"


Leon did as she said and got into bed. Tiffany then hopped in on the right side.


"Sleep well, little hero!" She said as she closed her eyes.


"Good Night, Tiffany" he said, closing his eyes as well.


Tiffany waited until she thought Leon was asleep, then turned around and cuddled with him as if he were a stuffed plush doll, not realizing he was far from being asleep yet.

'She's warm...' Leon thought as he felt her, 'But she's really weird too... I can't be one to talk, though; if she knew where I'm from, she'd think twice the same about me...'




***




" So, what you're saying is..." VII said "That little Pichu Beat you up!" his sudden laugh echoing through the hallways.


"Chalk another one up for the fat, purple dinosaur," VIII chuckled in an ill tone. The Weavile never had any respect for IV, but what little she might have had died upon hearing the news.


"Quiet, now!" D'Wilde called out. And the room instantly fell in silence. "IV's report is no laughing matter. Our search will continue. But this time, it must be discrete. Now, piecing together IV's report of XV being sighted at Ruby Plains, and IX's report of him being at Riale and crossing Don Krow before taking the train suggests we should search in towns near the tracks. But this time, we must not destroy them... Our new goal is to find him, but not to try to bring him back. This time, we must find him before Don Krow's henchmen do. Because he WILL be looking for XV. We can focus on capturing him later, but I believe it has been proven that bringing too much stress on him can cause him to react in a dangerously aggressive way."


"Professor, " asked III, with his usual serious tone "Have you heard of something like this happening before? A sudden burst of power like this?"


"Yeah, ever heard of Superchargerizing ?" IV added.



"Not with those... words , but, given the circumstances," The Alakazam answered, "I will assume it's the product of trying to protect someone dear to him. Should you find him, do not attack others around him. It might trigger this condition. That is all. Now, get to work."



"Yes, Sir!" could be heard in unison on the room as they all got off their seats and exited the room.

Once he made sure no one else was there, D'Wilde moved his throne aside, revealing a staircase that went upwards. He walked up the stairs until he reached a wall. Upon walking through what turned out to be an illusory wall, he was standing in a large, circular chamber. Unlike the castle's other rooms, this one was dark, lit by an extremely dim purple light. In the center of the chamber, a circle, split into several sections, with words written in an ancient language on them. In one of them, a small blue flame was lit, close to another, much brighter red one near it.


"So much time has passed since I last came here," He said, his voice adopting a much sinister tone, and his appearance growing shadier, "To think it would get as complicated as this... I pushed him too hard in my hopes to strengthen him, and he grew out of reach... And now," He looked at the blue flame in the circle. "This..." He started walking around the circle, looking at the writing. "The Hero" he said, looking at the flame. The Beauty, The Brave, The Noble, The Joyful, The Loved, and... , " He disdainfully added as he finished walking around the circle, stopping at the last word " The Dagger... I am concerned, however, as The Lost is already aware of what his purpose is and is acting as I speak... He is nothing by his own, however. None of them are. But if they start coming together... I might need to start flying on... blacker wings... And after all, why not? I am sure they would be pleased to be granted another chance... Do as you please, XV... Whether or not you come back, my way will be done. As for you..." he spoke out, as if speaking to someone. "Do your worst. Steer more of my followers against me if you please... I will not be stopped..."Chapter End Notes:See? Remade