CHAPTER 16: Enigma Shadow: The Last Stand

Early the next morning, Krane met Rich and Anabel at the front gate to the Orre Colosseum complex.

"Good morning, you two. Have you prepared for the mission?"

"I believe so," Rich answered. "Our Pokémon are healed fully, we've eaten, and we stocked up on supplies."

"Are you ready, Professor?"

"Yes......if my suspicion is correct and the leader of Enigma Shadow is who I think it is, we need to defeat him now or the world will be in extreme danger. Let's set off."

Krane threw a Poké Ball, releasing his Dodrio in a burst of light. He got on its back while Rich and Anabel got on their scooter. Together, the three of them set out......

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Somewhere far away, evil was waiting in a huge chamber. The floor was made of black granite stone, the walls a dark hue as well. The windows let in very little light from outside.

Chobin approached a tall-backed chair, which was facing away from him and towards several computer screens. Instead of his white lab coat, he was now wearing a red lab coat with the Enigma Shadow insignia on it.

"Emperor........Chobin wishes to be in your presence."

"What is it, Chobin?" the sinister voice that belonged to the man sitting in the chair answered.

"My Emperor, Chobin has discovered that there are more of them coming. Ergo, they're Rich and Anabel with Professor Krane in tow."

The Emperor slammed his fist down on one of his chair's armrests.

"Argh!! This foolish meddling with my work, I will not tolerate it any longer! Chobin, as my apprentice you have control over the others. Order a three-wave attack. Send Attila and Hun out first, follow with the four Shadow Admins, then bring out the Generals third. We'll wear them out."

"Right away. Chobin will deploy them at once."

Chobin ran off.

"Ah, so you dare to try and look at me face-to-face once again, Professor Jeffery Krane. Those wounds of earlier years....they still hurt. If I see you I will destroy you....."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A while later, Rich, Anabel and Krane arrived at the Nova Palace. It was a foreboding structure of dark volcanic rock with four tall spires and a large drawbridge spanning the crater of lava below.

Rich and Anabel got off their scooter, and Krane dismounted and recalled his Dodrio.

"So this is it....." Rich marvelled, sizing up the castle. "Inside those walls is the mastermind of the Shadow Pokémon."

"But remember, between him and us he'll surely have his best guards positioned."

"You're right, Anabel. Come on, Krane, Anabel, let's go. We have to get in there and do something."

Anabel and Krane nodded, so Rich led the way into the castle. Immediately across the drawbridge and inside was a huge chamber with gray brick walls and a black and white checkered floor. A red rug stretched from the opening at the entrance to a door on the far side, and giant tapestries of all the Shadow Admins from the years hung down from the ceiling.

"Some guards!" Krane laughed. "There's clearly noone here. Wes and Michael probably wiped them all out already."

"Still though," Anabel cautioned, "we shouldn't get too ahead of ourselves."

"Anabel's right, Professor. It might be a tra----"

Suddenly smoke filled the chamber, obscuring sight. When it cleared, there were Attila and Hun with their robot.

"From beyond the galaxy we have come......"

"Wreaking havoc on the world is what we've done....."

"To reign over peoples in every land...."

"To bring unlimited power to our leader's hand..."

"Hun."

"And Attila!"

"Enigma Shadow covers the planet with the agility of a fly."

"So give up now.......or prepare to die!"

"Come on, you two!" Rich shouted with exasperation in his voice. "Spare us the bad poetry. Just give back Steelmence and stand aside."

"Don't count on it, kid," Hun answered snidely "You are a rude obstacle to our plans."

"And do you know what happens to rude obstacles? They get crushed like bugs!"

////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Pkmn Trainer Rich and Tower Maiden Anabel
---vs.---
Shadow Minion Attila and Shadow Minion Hun
///////////////////////////////////////////////////

(Attila and Hun each threw one Poké Ball; Attila sending out his Skarmory, Hun her Steelix)

"Anabel, this is gonna be a cakewalk! Go, Salamence!" "I think you might be right. Kingdra, go!"

Rich's Salamence and Anabel's Kingdra jumped into battle, the twin dragons opposing Attila's Skarmory and Hun's Steelix.

"Salamence, get the first move in! Flamethrower!"

Salamence took to the air by flapping its mighty wings, then took a deep breath and launched a flood of scorching flames at Skarmory.

"Steelix! Defend Skarmory with a Sandstorm!"

Following Hun's command, Steelix began spinning the sections of its body to kick up a sandstorm. The sand bogged down Salamence's Flamethrower.

"Keep going, don't give up Salamence!"

"You may as well give up," Hun taunted. "Sand kills fire EVERY time."

"Not this time! Kingdra, Hydro Pump!!!"

Kingdra aimed low at Steelix and fired a powerful jet of water at it. As soon as it was hit Steelix roared out and dropped its Sandstorm, allowing the Flamethrower to hit Skarmory at full power. Both Pokémon ended up fainting.

"What?! Skarmory! How'd they do that, Hun?"

"They exploited a weakness to crack our defenses! We have to retreat!"

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

"You're too late anyway! That Steelmence that Attila and I captured has already been taken to the Emperor. By now it should be a Shadow Pokémon."

"How dare you! Give it back this instant!"

"No can do, Krane. None of you are taking a step past this spot."

Attila pressed the button on his control panel to deploy the Magnet Crystal.

"Send out something, anything! I dare you! I'll just use my Magnet Crystal to sweep 'em up!"

Hun took out her computer and used it to scan Rich and Anabel.

"Attila, the girl has some particularly strong Pokémon on her. Let's take them."

"No way! Go, Metagross!"

Anabel threw a Poké Ball to send out her Metagross.

"Fool! Don't you know what I'll do?"

Attila activated the crystal's system. It powered up, turned from purple to gray, and sucked Metagross into its field with its power.

"Hah! Attila, just sweep it up. These kids won't be able to stop us."

"That's what you think! Go, Salamence!"

Rich sent out his Salamence, which immediately took to the air.

"Metagross is a Steel-type, so it can endure explosions. And an explosion is what we'll have! Meteoric Swarm!"

Salamence began glowing bright green as it took to higher and higher altitude, then it plummeted straight down onto the force field holding Metagross. The field exploded, Salamence and Metagross escaped, then a moment later the crystal itself exploded as well. This led to the robot beginning to short-circuit.

"Hun, they....they figured it out! We've gotta get out of here!"

"Grrrrr....you're right. But don't you two think you've seen the last of us!"

Attila and Hun jumped off the robot and ran out of the front gate, then the robot collapsed to the ground. Rich recalled Salamence and Anabel recalled Metagross.

"Thanks, Rich. I see my little cue with Metagross led you right to the correct move."

"I knew exactly what to do. You baited them to activate the crystal so I could use my strongest attack to overload its energy core and destroy it. Correct?"

"Correct! That's my Rich!"

Anabel giggled and gave Rich a kiss on the cheek.

"Now that we've disposed of them," Krane said, "we should push on. Let's go."

Rich and Anabel nodded, then they went on past the destroyed robot and through the heavy wooden door to the next room. This room was oddly designed---it was round, with five doors appearing before the group.

"Hmmmm.....five doors....Anabel? Krane? Do either of you have an idea of which one to take first?"

Rich's question never got an answer, as Chobin appeared on the screen above the center door.

"CHOBIN?!!" Rich, Anabel and Krane all screamed at once.

"Hahahah! Chobin is laughing at you! You never thought Chobin to be in Enigma Shadow, but Chobin was! Chobin, as the apprentice to the Shadow Emperor, formally welcomes you to the Nova Palace. Now, Chobin wishes to explain what is going to happen to you.

Right now you can see that Chobin is above a door. Chobin's door leads to the Emperor's lab."

Seizing this information, Rich ran to the door and pulled on its handle. It was locked.

"Chobin is laughing at you again! This door is locked firmly tight. Chobin thinks that to be perfect, but Chobin is willing to give you a shot. Each of the other four doors is an elevator up to the top of one of the four spires. In each spire you will face one of Enigma Shadow's Admins. If you somehow defeat all four again, which Chobin doubts, Chobin will allow you through to face the Emperor. Good luck......Chobin knows you're gonna need it! Hahahahah!"

Chobin vanished from the screen.

"That was disturbing."

"Yes, Anabel, it was. Now which door should we take first?"

"I'd say we work from left to right," Krane suggested.

"Okay. So it's this one first."

Rich, Anabel and Krane went into the far-left hand door and into its elevator.......

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

After what seemed like an eternity, the elevator finally stopped. Rich, Anabel and Krane stepped out and into a large stone chamber with a few small windows. In the center of the chamber stood the first Shadow Admin, Vivian.

"Well, if it isn't my little darlings again. I must say I'm surprised to see you here."

"You are aware I'm going to pound you down again, right?"

"Please, Rich, don't be so silly. When I battled you in Agate Village and at the Pokémon HQ Lab, I didn't show you anything near the full extent of my power. I now possess not only the home field advantage, but some of the strongest Shadow Pokémon of all. So, I'd encourage you to reconsider your challenge, honey."

"The only reconsidering should be on your part. Rich, show her what you're made of! Beat her down!"

"Hmhmhm. I see your little girlfriend....or should I say more than girlfriend, considering the way you messed her up?......is still as naive as ever. Very well, I'll be delighted to dance with you again, but be warned, I dance hard!"
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Pkmn Trainer Rich ---vs.--- Shadow Admin Vivian
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

[Vivian backflips over once, then takes a step forward. She then throws two Poké Balls, calling out her Buoysel and Politoed]

"I'll take you down again, I mean it. Go, Gardevoir and Ludicolo!!"

"Don't count your eggs before they hatch, darling."

"At least I have my eggs to count in the first place. Gardevoir, open this with a Thunderpunch!!!"

Using its psychic power, Gardevoir summoned electrical energy into its fists, which began to shoot off sparks. It then made a move towards Buoysel.

"Buoysel, Agility!"

With the blink of an eye Buoysel vanished, a product of its rushing to a high speed. Rich sensed something, however.

"Gardevoir, it's gone behind you! Swing around!"

Gardevoir swung its sparking arms around, and sure enough, it hit Buoysel and knocked it down.

"Oh, Buoysel, my darling! How dare you do that! Buoysel, fire back with Hydro Pump!"

Buoysel vacantly opened its mouth and fired out a blast of water straight up into Gardevoir's face. Gardevoir just stood there, not particularly hurt by the attack but held in place nonetheless.

"Ludicolo! Break that with a Thunderpunch!"

Ludicolo took a low aim with its own Thunderpunch, knocking Buoysel across the floor and ending its attack.

"You left yourself open, honey. Politoed, Blizzard!"

Vivian's Politoed took a deep breath, drawing a large amount of air into itself, then exhaled a blast of snow and ice. Both Gardevoir and Ludicolo were knocked back by this, and both took some damage.

"So you want to play rough, eh? Fine. Gardevoir, use Psychic---to smash Buoysel into Politoed!!"

Gardevoir crossed its thin green arms, then its eyes filled with a blue glow. The same blue glow then surrounded Buoysel, and Gardevoir moved its arms to manipulate Buoysel's body. Gardevoir lifted the Water type into the air, spun it around, and smashed it down into its companion. Politoed was hurt, but not nearly as much as Buoysel, who fainted on the spot.

"Oh, darling, you've just helped me along. Buoysel, return. Go, Oinkiac!!"

Vivian replaced her defeated Buoysel with a strange Shadow Pokémon whose pig-like form was made of half-water and half-rock. Rich stared at it for a second, then pullled out his P*DA and scanned it.

"Oinkiac, the zodiac pig Pokémon. Type is Water/Rock. Oinkiac lives in swamps and marshes far from humans. It likes to hide in the water to not only avoid detection but to hunt prey as well. It is one of the twelve legendary Pokémon of the zodiac."

"A legendary Pokémon......"

"Correct, honey, and now you'll feel its power! Go, Oinkiac! Shadow Avalanche!"

A shadowy cloud surrounded Oinkiac, which it absorbed into its body. The shadow energy then burst off in wisps, which flew into the air and down onto both of Rich's Pokémon. Ludicolo didn't take too much damage, but Gardevoir was injured and showing it---it was breathing heavily and looked weak.

"Grrrrrr......What to do.....oh! Why did I not think of this right away! Ludicolo, Giga Drain!"

Ludicolo, who had been knocked down by the Shadow Avalanche attack, got back up and adjusted its 'hat,' then sprung at Oinkiac, grabbed onto its body, and began draining its energy.

"Nooooo! Politoed, knock that thing off my darling Oinkiac! Ice Punch!"

The Politoed lept up behind Oinkiac and swung its icy fist forcefully at Ludicolo, knocking its target off and back across the room.

"Enough! Snag Ball, go!"

Rich threw a Snag Ball at Oinkiac. However, it burst open and therefore failed to Snag after only one tilt.

"It's a Legendary Pokémon, honey. You honestly thought you could capture it that easily? Hmph. Wipe them out with Shadow Rave!"

Oinkiac now absorbed even more shadow enerrgy into its body, then sent out it in spike-like waves. The attack hit both of Rich's Pokémon, in fact knocking them both out as well.

"What!? NOOO!!"

"Hmhmhm.....well done, my lovelies. Well done."

"Return, take a rest! Go, Melodic and Tyranitar!! Melodic, Sing!"

As soon as it appeared from its Poké Ball, Melodic curled up its beautiful, sinewy body and sang a soothing melody. Oinkiac immediately fell asleep.

"Oinkiac! Well, I'll manage with one then. Politoed, Hydro Pump!"

Politoed took a deep breath and then blasted out a jet of water from its mouth. Aimed at Tyranitar, this attack missed by a slight distance.

"Fire back with a Thunder!"

The air around Tyranitar sparked as it absorbed electrical energy, then it loosed the energy into the air in the forum of several giant lightning bolts. The bolts then crashed down onto Politoed, critically hitting and knocking it out.

"Hah, not bad. Return, Politoed! Go, Enemone!"

Vivian's fourth Pokémon was a strange blue creature with many whip-like tentacles growing out of its head. Startled by its appearance, Rich scanned it to gain information.

"Emeone, the lashing Pokémon. Type is Water. Evolved form of Teratamone. Unlike its previous two forms, Enemone is rarely docile. It attacks viciously in battle by waving its whip-like barbs around madly. The barbs often deep wounds and scars upon impact."

"What is that...........?"

"Why don't you try and find out? Enemone, Sludge Bomb!!"

Enemone moved its tentacles to above its head in a sort of spherical shape, and sent energy through them to the place where they all met. A ball of sludge formed at the meeting point, then Enemone flung it forward with two of its tentacles. The blob of sludge hit Melodic and inflicted some damage.

"Snag Ball, go! Go and get that legendary Pokémon!"

Another ball materialized in the Snag Machine's glove, and Rich threw it at the soundly-sleeping Oinkiac. The creature was sucked into the ball, which began rocking as it tried to break free.

It rocked once..............

Twice..................

And three times.

"Wow, uh.....I know I shouldn't be impressed but I am, darling! Next I'll call upon......Swampert! GO!!!!"

"Tyranitar, drop a Thunder on Enemone!"

Again, Tyranitar absorbed voltage and sent it into the air as lightning bolts. The lightning bolts did hit Enemone when they fell, but not quite strongly enough to knock it out.

"Heh........" A wicked grin crept across Vivian's face as Enemone began to glow bright blue. "Now that my Torrent ability has been activated, it's go time! HYDRO PUMP!!!"

Enemone leaned forward and drew energy into its its body through its tentacles, then fired a jet of water at Tyranitar. This attack was so powerful, it instantly knocked Tyranitar out.

"WHAT?!?!!"

"Torrent powers up my water attacks, honey. You should know that."

"Ugh......looks like I have no other choice. Return, Tyranitar! Go, Blaziken!"

"Blaziken.....I'll make short work of that. Hydro Pump, Swampert!"

Another blast of water, this one from Swampert, made straight for Blaziken.

"ENDURE!"

At the last moment Blaziken braced itself, taking the full power of the blow but holding on by a thread from fainting.

"Now, Blaziken, strike back with Reversal!"

Orbs of blue energy surrounded Blaziken, which it absorbed and then took on the same glow. It then rushed forward at incredible speed and hit Swampert with crushing force, defeating it in one blow.

"What?! How did.......never mind, I know what you did. Return, Swampert! Go, Orkalert!"

Vivian's final Pokémon, her second Shadow Pokémon, was a large whale whose skin was dark blue, white and black.

"That one looks strong...."

Rich took out his P*DA and scanned Orkalert.

"Orkalert, the killer whale Pokémon. Type is Water/Dark. Evolved form of Keikall. This powerful blind predator uses sound waves to communicate and find its prey. It is extremely social. In groups they are an unstoppable force, capable of overcoming any other Pokémon of the sea."

"Yes, it is powerful. And now you'll taste its power! Orkalert, Shadow Flood!!"

The whale absorbed shadow energy into itself, then fired it out as a flood of dark water. The attack finished off Blaziken.

"I haven't much left.....return, Blaziken! Go, Salamence!"

Rich's sixth and final Pokémon was his Salamence.

"Melodic, use Body Slam to defeat Enemone!"

Melodic coiled up, then sprang itself forward and smashed into Enemone, who fainted right away.

"So it's down to this, then. Return, Enemone!"

"Salamence, use Brick Break!"

Rich's Salamence took to the air by flapping its mighty wings, then it extended its front claws and dove down to hit Orkalert powerfully.

"Orkalert, hit back with a Shadow End!"

A thick wave of shadow energy was absorbed by Orkalert, who began glowing with the shadowy aura. It then rushed forward and slammed into Salamence for heavy damage, also inflicting some backlash.

"Melodic, Body Slam!"

Again, Melodic used its body to slam into its opponent. This time it damaged and paralyzed Orkalert.

"This is it! Snag Ball, go!!"

Rich threw a Snag Ball at the killer whale Pokémon, who was promptly absorbed into it. The ball began rocking.....

it rocked once......

it rocked twice........

it rocked a third time, and pinged. Orkalert was captured.

"Ayieeeh! Deep sixed, marooned and sunk! Again!"

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

"Wow.....honey, you ain't no ordinary trainer, no matter which way you slice it. And you're so skilled with that Snag Machine....I'll offer you a deal. Join us and put your snagging skills to work for the Emperor, and I will personally get him to forgive you."

"No. I'm happy with my life right now, and I wouldn't want to corrupt my Anabel or my daughter. So no."

"Fine. You be that way. Just remember that when the Emperor is about to destroy you, you had a chance to escape and turned it down!"

Vivian ran off.

"Well done, Rich!" Krane praised. "But that was frightening---they have caught legendary Pokémon and corrupted them?"

"It is a concern, yes," Anabel replied, "but for now we should just press on to the next battle."

"Right. Let's go."

The three of them went into the elevator to go back down. When it arrived back at the room with five doors, they entered the next door over and went up.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

At the top of the second elevator, Rich, Anabel and Krane stepped out. This room was designed like a professional office, with wood-toned walls and lush purple carpet. Tall green plants lined the perimeter of the room. And waiting there for them, sitting at a large oak desk, was Snattle.

"Mufwofwo. Welcome, my friends, welcome to the office of the Orre Region's Governor."

"Not so fast, there, Snattle. I pounded Vivian, I'll pound you next."

"Oh really? We shall see about that." Snattle stood, walked around his desk and got right in Rich and Anabel's faces. "You underestimate my power, foolish children. If you engage me in battle again, you will not like the consequences."

"Oh yeah? Rich could take you with one arm tied behind his back!"

"Shut up, girl. I have no useage for you. And say, you've put on even more weight. Maybe you should consider a weight loss progra----"

Snattle never got the chance to finish his snide threat, as Anabel finally snapped and slapped him in the face with quite a bit of force. He was sent reeling back and fell backwards over his desk.

"Anabel!! Now you probably riled him up...."

"I know, Rich, but he had it coming."

Snattle slowly stood up, with a look of fury on his face.

"You. You, girl, have crossed the line now. Do you even know who I am? I am the Governor of Orre. I AM Orre. That means I make the laws in this Region. And assaulting the Governor of Orre himself carries with it one punishment." In a flash, Snattle popped open a Poké Ball and released his Metagross. "DEATH!"

Metagross flew forward and raised its claw with the intent of delivering a fatal blow to Anabel. Rich jumped in the way, but before he was hit, a bright flash of light blindied him. Something had jumped in between Rich and Metagross, and Metagross's attack had hit it instead.

When the flash of light cleared, a cracked Poké Ball lay on the floor next to a horrific sight---Rich's Gardevoir with Metagross's claw piercing straight through its chest. Gardevoir had sacrificed itself to protect Rich and Anabel. Blood oozed out of Gardevoir's massive wound and stained the carpet a ghastly red.

"GARDEVOIR!!!! My Gardevoir!!!!!"

Gardevoir looked weakly up at Rich, and slowly but surely managed one last smile.

"Gard......gardee......voiiiiiiir....."

Rich leaned down and took Gardevoir's head in his arms. It didn't bother him that Snattle's Metagross was right there and could've easily attacked him with the other claw. It didn't matter.

"Gardevoir, you didn't have to do this! I had Salamence at the ready to fry Metagross!"

Metagross growled, but didn't attack. It was obvious that the iron beast wanted a second kill, but it was smart enough to know to only do it on Snattle's orders.

"Garde....Garde....."

Gardevoir was now breathing very heavily, and the only reason it was even still alive was that Metagross's claw was so thick it only allowed a slow trickle of blood to ooze out of the wound.

"Gardevoir, I....I......" tears came to Rich's eyes. "I'll never forget....all the time we spent together. I feel terrible that I neglected you for Alakazam recently...."

Gardevoir looked up at Rich with its big red eyes. They were beginning to cloud over---Gardevoir's time was running out.

"G-G-Gardevoir.....my friend......"

Rich began crying, and held Gardevoir's head close.

"Gardevoir.......voir........voir....." Gardevoir managed to say, then its body went limp.

Rich understood Gardevoir's final words before it passed on were a thanks for their time together. Slowly and reluctantly Rich let go of his dead Pokémon and stood back up. Blood continued to ooze out of the wound even though Gardevoir's life had ended. Snattle, however, wasn't pleased.

"Oh, boo hoo. Your Gardevoir's foolish act has caused my carpet to become stained!"

"You just killed an innocent Pokémon and all you care about is your carpet?!" Krane shouted. "You're terrible!"

"Whine all you want. Your Gardevoir's death is enough for me. Metagross, if you so desire, go ahead and eat your kill."

The brutality continued as Metagross pulled Gardevoir's dead form to itself and then stuffed the body in its mouth like a chunk of food. Its chewing made horrific crunching sounds on Gardevoir's bones, and Rich couldn't say a word until it was finally over.

"You......" Rich still struggled to talk, as the tears continued to choke him up. "You are a cruel and terrible man. I cannot call you anything else." Anger began to creep onto Rich's face. "You killed an innocent Pokémon for no reason! That Gardevoir was one of the sweetest creatures you could ever hope to meet, and for it to meet its end at your hands in such a brutal way is just a tragedy! And that's the kind of tragedy that doesn't go unpunished!"

"Please. If you want your other Pokémon to end up like that, step right up and be my guest!"
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Pkmn Trainer Rich ---vs.--- Shadow Admin Snattle
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

[Snattle steps forward, holds his hands up in the air, and points menacingly at Rich. He then sends out his Lunatone and a Swellow]

"I'll.....I'll make you pay for what you did! Go...."

"Ah, ah, ah! Not so fast. You never healed your Pokémon from the battle with Vivian. And since I was watching, all you have left are your Melodic and your Salamence."

Rich looked down at the Poké Balls on his belt in horror, then realized Snattle was completely right. He then spied a Healing Machine out of the corner of his eye sitting in the chamber.

"You want that, don't you? Mufwofwo.......make one move toward it and Metagross will be back out and snacking again."

"B-but...."

"You have no choice. Send them out. NOW."

Rich sighed heavily.

"I'm sorry, you guys, but I have to do this."

Glumly, Rich sent out Salamence and Melodic. Both Pokémon were breathing heavily as a result of having battled Vivian just earlier.

"Salamence, let's try to make the best of this. Hyper Beam!"

Salamence took a deep breath to draw in energy, then fired it out in the form of a massive power beam.

"Protect!"

Swellow put up a Protect at the last moment, rendering the Hyper Beam useless.

"Now, Swellow, let us lay down the law to this bratty child. Show him a true Hyper Beam!"

The swallow's entire body began to glow a bright red, and it countered by blasting Melodic with an equally massive energy beam. The attack was so powerful it instantly knocked out Melodic.

"Oh no.....Melodic, return......"

"Finish him, Lunatone! Ice Beam!"

The spike in the middle of Lunatone's body began to shimmer icily, then it spun around and fired a beam of ice at Salamence. Roaring in pain, Salamence took catastrophically high damage and fainted.

"Mufwofwo!! I'm number one after all! The Orre Governor's seat stays in my hands!"

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Rich recalled Salamence and fell to his knees.

"I've....I've failed......I've failed you, Anabel.....I've failed Gardevoir....Steven, Ashley, Ein, Venus......I've failed them all!"

Snattle rubbed his hands together in glee as a wicked smirk crept to his face.

"Yes....yes, my little failure. Your friends couldn't help you. Now it's my turn. I will admit I am not known for being merciful....."

"GARDEVOIR LEARNED THAT THE HARD WAY!!!!" Rich screamed.

"SILENCE! You will NOT interrupt me! Now.....I am not known for being merciful, but I will give you a chance to save yourself. What you will do is hand over all your Pokémon, join Enigma Shadow, and help us convert all your friends. Together, we will create even stronger Shadow Pokémon and take over the world with them."

"................."

"Rich, fight him! You know your will is stronger than his! I believe in you!"

"Yes, Anabel, you're right." Rich stood up in defiance of Snattle. "I will not join your little band of crooks, and if you want my friends, be them Pokémon or human, you will do it over my dead body."

"As you wish. If you won't bend to my will, you will be destroyed."

Snattle's hand slowly went to Metagross's Poké Ball, but suddenly a blast of lightning appeared from nowhere and knocked him down. He quickly got back up, angry again.

"Coward! Only a coward like you would attack me with my head down!"

"I didn't do it! Anabel, did you?"

"No! I don't know what happened!"

"Neither do I!" Krane added.

"Well someone just signed their death warrant by attacking me. Show yourself, coward!"

Rich's jaw dropped in shock as a wispy, transparent form appeared next to him. It was Gardevoir's soul, and the look on its face was one of sheer anger.

"GardeVOIR!!! VOIIIIIIIIIIRRRR!!!!!"

"Gardevoir.....you came back to protect me? Why, of course!"

"Grrrrrr....that thing has menaced me for the last time! I'll crush it in a true battle and destroy its soul along with its body!"

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Pkmn Trainer Rich ---vs.--- Shadow Admin Snattle
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

[Snattle steps forward, holds his hands up in the air, and points menacingly at Rich. He then sends out his Lunatone and Swellow]

"Okay, I guess I know what I'm using this time. Go, Garde....??"

Gardevoir's soul had already floated forth, and now it was waving its arms in some kind of magical dance.

"What is that blasted ghost doing? This is a battle, not a dance contest!"

A ball of energy formed next to Gardevoir and slowly descended to the ground. When it landed, it stopped glowing and revealed itself to be a Master Ball.

"A Master Ball? I don't understand......"

"Wait, Rich," Anabel cut in, "let me try. Gardevoir, is there a specific reason you brought a Master Ball here?"

"Garde, garde, Voirvoir, gardevoir voir garde."

"Rich, Gardevoir says it brought this Master Ball because it contains a Pokémon whose soul was harmed terribly by Enigma Shadow. The name of that Pokémon is......"

The Master Ball burst open, releasing a tall black creature with sharp ears, three round fingers on each of its huge paws, powerful legs, and a pale torso that melded into its stomach.

"......XD-02."

"XD-02? MEWTWO?!?!?!" Rich screamed.

Snattle took a step back, not believeing what he saw.

"How can that be?! You snagged it, but it cannot be purified! It was Queen Shadow's ultimate weapon!"

"Gardevoir garde, voir garde gardevoiiiiiiiiir. Garde!"

"Gardevoir says that through hard work and love Mewtwo was purified, and now it has brought Mewtwo here to show you the error of your ways."

"But.....is Mewtwo here for good? Am I to use it now? I mean, it was created as a weapon, and if I use it, I'll be doing the same thing Enigma Shadow created it for."

"Garrrrrddeeeeee......voir gardevoir, garde garde gardevoir. Voirvoir, gardevoir gardegarde."

"Gardevoir says it only brought Mewtwo for this one battle. After you defeat Snattle, it will take Mewtwo back to Ein and then pass to the afterlife."

".......I understand. Thank you, Gardevoir. Now, Snattle, are you ready to be creamed?"

"I'm not afraid of you! The power of Shadow Pokémon will win the day, as it always should! Swellow, Frustration!"

The Frustration attack, triggered by Snattle's neglect for his Pokémon, was nothing but a frantic flurry of beak attacks by Swellow as it gave off a fiery red aura. Gardevoir just floated there......and wasn't even affected at all.

"What?! How can that be?!"

"Gardevoir's a ghost now, Snattle. It can't be hurt by Normal type attacks anymore."

Snattle snarled in anger, knowing that Rich was right.

"Now, let's show him what we can do. Mewtwo! Use Thunderbolt!"

Mewtwo raised one of its mighty arms and pointed towards Swellow. A bolt of lightning shot out of its hand and zapped the bird for a knockout blow.

"SWELLOW!!!! Oh, oh, oh....return! How did you purify that, you scoundrel? It was made to be an unpurifyable super-weapon!"

"I didn't purify it. We've been sending all the Shadow Pokémon I Snag to Ein's lab at the Battle Tower. Since he was the one who originally masterminded Shadow Pokémon and their creation, there is no better authority on how to purify them either."

".............whatever, punk. Go, Solrock! Lunatone, Psychic!"

Lunatone's eyes glowed with a blue shine, then the same blue glow surrounded Gardevoir. The moon Pokémon tried to focus this power to damage Gardevoir, but the spirit seemed invincible to it.

"Now we can punish him, Gardevoir. Shadow Ball!!"

Gardevoir's spirit held out its arms and formed a ball of dark energy between them, then flung it at Lunatone. Again, it was a one-hit knockout.

"WHAT!! You cheated!"

"Gardevoir, gardevoir garde. Voir, gardevoir, garde gardevoir."

"You, psychic girl! Tell me what it said NOW!"

"It said, "when you killed me my strength increased many times over, seeing as Psychic types have bonds with the spiritual world beyond all but Ghost types. That and my Shadow Ball is super-effective on your Psychic type Lunatone.""

"Well how dare you! You won't turn my tactics back on the great Snattle just yet, brat! Return, Lunatone! Now, Metagross, it's your turn---finish that spirit off and send it to an unhappy end!"

Metagross lumbered into battle, blood still staining its right claw and dripping out of its mouth.

"I'm not worried. Mewtwo, use Water Pulse!"

Mewtwo raised both of its arms this time, and cast its fingers in Solrock's direction. Its hands glowed blue, then fired out sonic waves of water that instantly defeated the Solrock upon hitting.

"No! No no no no no! This can't be happening!"

"Well it is. Never expected to lose so easily, did you?"

"I won't lose! Return, Solrock! Go, Hurricroak!"

Snattle's first Shadow Pokémon---his fifth Pokémon in the battle---was a floating frog with a sickly mixture of green and blue coloring, tiny wings, lazy eyes and a huge mouth. Rich took out his P*DA and scanned the creature.

"Hurricroak, the wind frog Pokémon. Type is Water/Flying. Evolved form of Typhrog. Hurricroak is found solely within the 'eye' of tornadoes and twisters. There, it floats using its small wings. As soon as a Hurricroak opens its mouth, a violent storm will begin raging."

"Ah, this may be a more fun opponent!"

"You will try to defeat it.......Hurricroak, Shadow Storm!"

Drawing in massive amounts of air, Hurricroak took a deep breath and absorbed shadow energy. It then combined the shadow energy and air and released it as a shadowy tornado attack. Mewtwo took very little damage, and Gardevoir was barely affected. Snattle clenched his fists in fury.

"Gardevoir! Fire Punch your tormentor!!"

Even though it was now free from being hurt by Metagross, Gardevoir still had an axe to grind. It focused all its power to bring its fists to flame, then hit Metagross with two fiery punches of great power. The iron beast roared and snapped at Gardevoir's soul, but it was futile. Metagross tried one last time to bite Gardevoir, then fainted.

"Gardevoir, good work! There's a good job at exacting a little revenge!"

"Met-Metagross......return. Let's see how your ghost likes a taste of its own medicine! Go, Baahiac!!"

Snattle's sixth and final battler, his second Shadow Pokémon, was a phantom goat whose ghostly form floated just above the floor. Again, Rich scanned this creature with his P*DA.

"Baahiac, the zodiac goat Pokémon. Type is Ghost. This creature often hides among living goats on farms. Its particularly rich coat of purple fur is what gives it away most of the time. When the farmers try to capture it, it uses its power to turn invisible and flees."

"I'm not worried."

"You should be! Baahiac, Shadow End!"

A massive wave of shadow energy was absorbed into Baahiac's body, then it darted forward at Gardevoir. Gardevoir simply vanished and then reappeared, taking no damage.

"That's a cheap tactic!"

"So is killing your opponent's Pokémon. Mewtwo, Shadow Ball!"

In a pose like that of a baseball pitcher, Mewtwo powered up a Shadow Ball then threw it at Hurricroak. The attack did extremely high damage.

"Snag Ball, go!!"

With a twist of of his wrist, Rich threw a Snag Ball at Hurricroak. It was aeasily absorbed by the ball, which then rocked once......

twice......

three times.

"No....no....no....SHADOW END!!!! Don't fail!!!"

Baahiac powered up and flung itself at Gardevoir again, but Gardevoir simply held up its hands and blocked the attack. It then used Thunder Wave without a command to paralyze its foe.

"That's right, Gardevoir! Good move! Now, Mewtwo, give it a taste of Flamethrower!"

One more time Mewtwo raised its mighty arm, and pointed at Baahiac. Its hand flashed bright red, then flames shot out of it and burned its opponent for critical damage.

"This fight's done! Snag Ball, go!"

Rich threw another Snag Ball, this one at Baahiac, and the paralyzed creature couldn't resist its pull. The ball fell to the floor and began rocking.....

....once.......

.....twice..........

...........and three times.

"Nooooooooo! My post as Orre Governor won't allow it!"

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

"My...my precious Shadow Pokémon.....how dare you, brat!"

"No, how dare YOU. Now I think a little punishment is in store for you. Gardevoir, Mewtwo, don't kill him but do whatever else you wish to him."

Gardevoir and Mewtwo floated over to Snattle, then both began charging up Shadow Ball attacks.

"Now, Snattle. You will tell us your reason for killing my precious Gardevoir, or she and Mewtwo will finish you off themselves."

"Fine, I'll talk! I hate Gardevoirs! And I hate Ralts and Kirlia too! It's because when I was but a wee lad, I had a girlfriend who I loved very much....."

"YOU had a GIRLfriend?" Anabel laughed. "I always thought you were a $3 bill...."

"Shut up! Shut up now or I'll......"

Snattle never finished his threat, as Mewtwo and Gardevoir---Shadow Balls still at the ready---snarled at him to keep him in place.

"Grrrrrr......but then one day my girlfriend caught a Ralts, and she abandoned me for it. I've hated them ever since. Now, I'll away!"

Snattle shoved past Mewtwo and fled. Gardevoir then floated over to Rich.

"Garde...........voir, gardevoir garde voirvoir gardegarde."

"What's that? Oh, I understand........you have to go to the afterlife now. I'll....." Rich choked up. "I'll keep fighting, for you......thank you, Gardevoir."

Gardevoir nodded, then it slowly faded away along with Mewtwo. When they were gone, a tear came to Rich's eye.

"Rich, I'm......"

"No, it's okay, Krane. I can get through this. It's just that......she was a great friend and partner....we went through a lot together.......but...but I'll get through it. We've got a mission to accomplish, but first I'll need a sixth Pokémon."

Suddenly, Rich became angry again and stomped his foot.

"Damn you, Snattle! Damn you! Why'd you have to kill my Gardevoir!! She was my friend, and you killed her!"

Anabel walked to Rich's side.

"My love......we can't do anything more about it. I'm sad that Gardevoir's been killed too.....but we have to press on. Wouldn't Gardevoir want it that way?"

"Anabel's right, Rich. Believe me, I feel your pain, but we can't dwell here while Enigma Shadow's Emperor pushes his plans forward."

"Sniff........You're right, Krane. Thanks. Gardevoir would want it this way. She'd want us to keep fighting in her name, never resting until we won the war." Rich's expression brightened. "Yes! We'll win this war and show them exactly what we're made of! All I need now is a sixth Pokémon, and I'm set."

"How about your old Slowking?" Anabel suggested.

"Good idea!" Rich looked around the room. "I'll use the PC on his desk after I heal the others."

Rich went to the Healing Machine, put his five Poké Balls in, and took them out a moment later. He then went to Snattle's desk and sat down, then tapped some keys on the computer to access the PC Storage System. After a few moments, a Poké Ball appeared out of the transporter next to the computer. Rich stood up, took the ball, and clipped it to his belt.

"Now that that's out of the way, I think it's best we leave this tower behind. Too much has happened here."

Krane and Anabel nodded in agreement, so all three of them went into the elevator to go back down. When they arrived at the five-door hub room again, they went across and entered the next door to go back up.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Up in the third tower, the chamber was decorated in a familiar scheme: red carpet covered every inch of the floor, burgundy curtains hung from the ceiling and statues of Seviper were everywhere. Of course, this tower was Lucy's, and she stood in the center of her chamber.

"I wonder when those children will be along to bother me. Surely it won't be too much longer....."

The elevator arrived just then, and as if on cue, Rich, Anabel and Krane stepped out.

"Ah, you've come. So Snattle fell to you also?"

"He killed one of my Pokémon, I'll have you know! So I beat him down thoroughly."

"He did what?! Now, I might be a Shadow Admin too, but I cannot abide that.....in fact, I've taken to questioning what I am fighting for...."

"Huh?" Anabel seemed surprised. "You were so sure of yourself last time. What's the matter?"

"Oh it's just........well, I was thinking about what's been happening and why I keep losing, and I think I know why. All throughout my life, all I've been able to rely on is my body. That's all people have seen in me....so that's what I used to my advantage. But I think I went too far....by having sex with so many of Enigma Shadow's top brass I attained this position, but now I am not sure I am strong enough to hold it. But you're here now........so I'll give it one last shot. If I don't win here, there's no more for me. Here we go!"
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Pkmn Trainer Rich ---vs.--- Shadow Admin Lucy
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

[Lucy pulls a needle flower from her belt, spin-jumps into the air, throws it down, and lands. She then sends out Seviper and Steelix]

"Ah, I see your Pokémon have grown since last time. Let's make this one a battle to remember. Go, Salamence and Slowking!"

Rich's Salamence and Slowking beared down on Lucy's Seviper and Steelix.

"Salamence, start off with a Hydro Pump!"

Salamence launched a flood of water from its mouth, aimed at Steelix.

"Steelix, Dig!"

Before the Hydro Pump hit, Steelix dove headfirst into the ground and dug under.

"Ah, clever move!"

"Thank you. Seviper, continue our attack with Crunch!"

Lucy's Seviper slithered forward quickly and crunched down on Slowking using its sharp fangs. The Royal Water-and-Psychic type took a regular amount of damage.

"Psybeam it off!"

The jewel on Slowking's crown flashed a bright red, then a beam of rainbow colors shot out of it and hit Seviper. The snake's hold on Slowking was broken and it was knocked across the room, suffering a super-effective hit.

"Come up, Steelix!"

Steelix burst up from the ground beneath Slowking, hitting it hard.

"Salamence, get it now! Flamethrower!"

This time Salamence loosed a jet of fire from its mouth. This attack hit, and inflicted a critical knockout blow on Steelix.

"Oh, Steelix!! Well.....return, then. Go, Shuckle! Seviper, another Crunch is in order!"

Seviper fought back viciously, crunching down again on Slowking. This time it was a critical hit, and Slowking fainted.

"Well done, Lucy! Return, Slowking. Next, taking the stage is........Blaziken!! Go! Go and use Thunderpunch!"

The muscles in Blaziken's arms tensed up as it sent power to its claws. Sparks began to shoot out of them, then the Fire-and-Fighting type delivered a powerful electric blow to Seviper.

"We're not finished! Seviper, Earthquake!"

The sharp sword-like tip of Seviper's tail glowed brightly, then it slammed its tail down into the ground to create a shockwave. Salamence was unaffected, but Blaziken took a hard hit and Shuckle small damage.

"Now, Shuckle, Defense Curl!"

Shuckle retraced its head and limbs into its shell to increase its protection from Rich's attacks.

"We won't be fooled by that! Salamence, Hydro Pump it!"

The dragon powered up and launched another watery blast, hitting Shuckle for super-effective damage, however Shuckle was not all that badly hurt.

"Strike hard, Blaziken! Earthquake!"

Energy flowed into Blaziken's right claw, which the Pokémon then drilled the ground with to attack with its own shockwave. Again Salamence wasn't affected, but Seviper was defeated and Shuckle pushed to the ropes.

"I see I still have lots to learn. Yes, lots.....return, Seviper! Go, Felix!"

Lucy replaced her Seviper with a Shadow Pokémon in the shape of a green four-leaf clover with hands, a face, and feet.

"Wow! What is that?"

Rich took out his P*DA and scanned the creature.

"Felix, the clover Pokémon. Type is Grass/Psychic. Most commonly found in Ireland, they symbolize luck and fortune. The golden dew that collects on them in the morning brings good luck if it is drunk. On St. Patrick's Day, they can be seen pinching people who don't wear green."

"Ah, it fits you, Lucy!"

"Indeed it does. Felix, Shadow Luck!"

A shadowy cloud floated out of Felix's body and formed the shape of a slot machine. The wheels spun around, and when they stopped, three bolts of lightning were showing. A shadowy bolt then hit both of Rich's Pokémon, paralyzing Blaziken.

"Shuckle, let's bring the fight to them! Rollout!"

Still rolled into its shell, Shuckle turned onto its side and rolled into Blaziken. The attack was slow and inflicted little damage.

"Salamence, take out that Shuckle! Aerial Ace!"

The dragon took to the air and dive-bombed Shuckle. Even though it was still in its shell, Shuckle was so weakened that it fainted.

"Fine! Shuckle, return! Go, Felicis!!"

Lucy's fifth Pokémon---her second Shadow Pokémon---was a metallic blue '7' with hands, a face and legs not unlike Felix's. Rich quickly took out his P*DA and scanned it.

"Felicis, the lucky seven Pokémon. Type is Steel/Psychic. Their cheery demeanor usually lulls people into thinking they bring good luck. However, unlike Felix, this is not the case. They bring bad luck, so many trainers who use Felicis do not win their battles."

"A bringer of BAD luck? Lucy, why would you want that?"

"Erm.......actually, the Emperor told me I had to take it. I didn't have a choice. But do you know what happens when both Felix and Felicis are in battle at the same time?"

"No."

"Their abilities power up. Felix's power gives the accuracy of all my moves a fourfold boost, while Felicis' cuts your accuracy in half. It's a pretty terrible little combo, and now you'll see why! Felicis, Shadow End!"

Felicis absorbed a thick wave of shadow energy into its body, began glowing brightly with black light, and charged right into Blaziken. The attack did catastrophic damage, knocking out Blaziken, and halved Felicis' health as backlash.

"Wow, I can see where that quadrupled accuracy helped---I know enough to know that Shadow End is a pretty inaccurate attack. Return, Blaziken! I think......I think we can win with this! Go, Ludicolo!"

"Hmph. I've seen that thing too many times before. Felix, Shadow Luck!"

Felix created another slot machine of shadow energy, and set it spinning. The wheels slowly came to a stop, and when they did, snowflake symbols were showing. On that cue, hail began to fall. It damaged all four battling Pokémon.

"Hmmmmmm, hail. Not a common weather condition to battle in."

"I agree. Let's leave it though, see if we can handle it."

"Good idea! And something else that's a good idea is exposing grass to fire. Salamence, Flamethrower!!"

Salamence loosed a jet of fire from its maw at Felix. Indeed, the flames damaged the Grass-type badly.

"Ludicolo, follow that up with a Thunderpunch!"

Ludicolo tensed up, tightening the muscles in its arms. Sparks flew from its hands, and it then delivered a paralyzing but not terribly damaging blow to Felix.

"You won't win that easily. Felicis, Shadow End!"

Once again Felicis powered up and viciously slammed into Ludicolo. The attack badly damaged its target, and again halved Felicis's health as backlash.

"Shadow Luck one more time!"

Yet another shadow energy slot machine appeared, and Felix set it in motion. When the wheels stopped, they again showed lightning bolts---which then hit both of Rich's Pokémon. More hail then fell to hit all four.

"Salamence, use Brick Break on the other one!"

Rich's Salamence raised one of its powerful claws and smashed down on Felicis with crushing strength.

"As for Felix, this show's over! Snag Ball, go!"

A Snag Ball materialized in the Snag Machine, and Rich threw it at Felix. The clover was sucked into the ball, which then fell to the floor and began rocking. It rocked once.......

Twice..............

and three times.

"Luck certainly was shining on you there. But this isn't over yet! My show has one final act and that act is.........Serpiac! Go!!!"

Lucy brought out her sixth and final Pokémon, a snake-like Shadow Pokémon with a cocoon on its body. Again Rich brought out his P*DA, and used it to scan the unfamiliar creature.

"Serpiac, the zodiac snake Pokémon. Type is Bug/Ground. Despite being a Legendary Pokémon, Serpiac is very timid and does not pick fights. Usually if threatened it will hide in its shell. However, if its breeding ground is attacked, it will fight back ferociously with its sharp fangs."

"It fits you well."

"I know..........now, Serpiac, use Shadow Half!"

Serpiac sent out a shadowy aura that covered the battlefield, cutting the remaining health of all four Pokémon in half.

"And Felicis, use Shadow End again!"

Felicis struck with yet another Shadow End, knocking out Ludicolo and once again halving its remaining health as backlash.

"Ludicolo, return! Next up it's Tyranitar!"

Rich sent out Tyranitar, then hail fell once more and hit all four battling Pokémon.

"Lucy, I don't think halving Felicis's health so many times was a wise choice. Snag Ball, go!"

Another Snag Ball materialized and was thrown at Felicis. Like Felix, it didn't have the energy to resist and was snatched up and captured easily.

"Argh! All I've got left is my Legendary Pokémon......"

"Tyranitar, Thunder Wave!"

A weak pulse of electricity came out of Tyranitar's claws and paralyzed Serpiac. Hail fell and hit the three remaining Pokémon in battle.

"Salamence, Aerial Ace!"

The mighty dragon returned to flight, took aim at Serpiac and dive-bombed it powerfully.

"It's time to end this once and for all! Snag Ball, gooooooooooo!!!!"

A third Snag Ball materialized in the glove, and Rich threw it at Serpiac. Its target was absorbed, then the ball fell to the floor and rocked.......

once......................

twice............................

and three times.

"Gaaaaaaaaaack.........urk......."

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

"I......I don't........I don't believe it. Have I been in the wrong this whole time?"

"Lucy, back when we were on the Frontier things were so much better. What is it that possesses you to stay with Enigma Shadow like this?"

"I don't know. You're right, Anabel, things didn't have to end up this way...." Lucy closed her eyes in contemplation. "Ever since I joined Enigma Shadow, all I've done is bed men higher ranked than me to get to a high rank myself. That, and then I've lost so many battles to you, Rich......" Lucy opened her eyes again. "Things didn't have to be this way. My life is in shambles, I can't stay with Enigma Shadow......"

"Well, Lucy, I didn't mean to....."

"It's alright, Rich. I understand now, that Shadow Pokémon are wrong. The real and honorable way to win battles is through building a bond with your Pokémon, not turning them into evil fighting machines. Thank you, Rich, for freeing me from Enigma Shadow. I'm through using my body to earn power and I'm through using Shadow Pokémon. I'm going to head somewhere far away, where Enigma Shadow has no influence, and redo my training from top to bottom. And when I've done that, I would like to battle you again. Farewell......."

Lucy walked to the elevator and exited the tower.

"Another great battle, Rich!" Krane complimented. "Your skill amazes me. Now we've only got one Admin left."

"Right. Come on, let's go find Brandon and get this show on the road."

Rich, Anabel and Krane went to the elevator and went down. When they got to the bottom they walked to the furthest-right elevator and went back up.

---------------------------------------------------------------

The final tower, which obviously was Brandon's, was built to resemble the inside of an ancient pyramid. Tall sarcophaguses were lined up against the walls, which had a look of sandy brick. Treasures of all shapes and sizes were scattered about the chamber, including a chest full of gold coins, several statues, and various other relics. Brandon was standing in front of a mounted ancient carving as Rich and the others arrived.

"Well, well, well! The other three failed and now you bring your sorry faces to my room!"

"You do realize that you're going to lose like all the others, right, Brandon?" Rich asked.

"That's what you think. While you've been fooling around with the weaker Admins, I've perfected my strength. Not only that, even if you do defeat me, the Emperor already has his hands on what you came here for!"

"What?! Rich, maybe we should forget about Brandon and---"

"Not so fast, Anabel! Now that you've come here, you cannot leave until one of two things happens. Either you somehow defeat me and you head off to face the Emperor, or I crush you and then take you to the Emperor as prisoners. I sure hope for your sake you're ready, Rich, because you are about to experience the full fury of an ancient era resurrected in our modern world!!"
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Pkmn Trainer Rich ---vs.--- Shadow Admin Brandon
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

[Brandon steps forward, draws a Poké Ball from his belt, and holds it up in the air. He then sends out Dusclops and his Shadow Kingler]

"Alright, this is it! Go, Salamence and Ludicolo!"

Rich's Salamence and Ludicolo burst from their Poké Balls and as the lights faded, stared down at their familiar foes. As soon as he caught the thrown Poké Balls, Rich quickly took the first move.

"Salamence, begin this battle with Crunch!"

Quicker than Rich's snapping his fingers, Salamence bared down on Dusclops and bit down on it with its sharp fangs. Like their earlier battle, despite being super-effective the strength of this blow was dulled by Dusclops' natural fortitude.

"Quickly, Dusclops! While it's close hit with Ice Beam!"

Just as Salamence let go of Dusclops, the ghost fired a beam of ice from its eye that hit dead-on. Salamence roared as the power from the blow sent it flying back a ways.

"Ludicolo, use a Giga Drain!"

Power gathered in Ludicolo's body as it jumped forth and onto Kingler. It drained quite a bit of Kingler's health before being thrown off.

"Kingler, counter back with Shadow Rave!"

Kingler absorbed shadow energy into its claws, then loosed it as a wave of spikes. Both of Rich's Pokémon took some damage from this attack.

"Salamence, Aerial Ace! Let's weaken Kingler!"

Salamence took to the air on its mighty wings, and with a roar, dive-bombed right into Kingler. The crab was knocked over onto its back from the impact.

"Ludicolo, return!" Rich withdrew Ludicolo and threw another Poké Ball. "Tyranitar, I choose you!"

"We'll deal with that! Kingler! Right yourself and use Shadow Flood!"

Kingler flipped itself back to normal and fired a flood of dark water at Tyranitar, but its aim was off and the attack missed.

"Dusclops, use Seismic Toss then!"

Brandon's Dusclops sank into the ground, slid across the floor in the form of a shadow, reappeared in front of Tyranitar, and threw its opponent up into the air. Tyranitar was damaged when it hit the ground.

"Tyranitar, Thunder Wave!"

A weak jolt of electricity was emitted from Tyranitar's body and hit Kingler, paralyzing it.

"I'm going to finally get that thing now! Snag Ball, go!"

A Snag Ball materialized in the glove, and Rich threw it. When the ball hit Kingler, the crab was absorbed into it. The ball then fell to the ground and rocked......

once........

twice.......

and three times.

"Gaaaaah!! So you caught Kingler! Let's go, Pyromar!"

Brandon replaced Kingler with another Shadow Pokémon, one that looked like a Magmar---but with a black volcanic rock on its chest, beady black eyes, a tan snout and flames shooting from all around its neck.

"Pyromar, you say? I've never seen something like that before."

Rich took his P*DA from his pocket, flipped it open and scanned the creature.

"Pyromar, the firecracker Pokémon. Type is Fire. Evolved form of Magmar. Pyromar are found near the peaks of volcanic cones. They shoot bursts of volcanic rock from their snouts, which then explode in the air and shower the area with sparking embers. Some organizations use groups of this Pokémon to put on elaborate fireworks shows."

"That's a pretty cool Pokémon, your Pyromar. I wish I had one."

"It's cool....but it's about to heat you up! Shadow Fire!"

Pyromar took a deep breath, drawing in hot air and shadow energy, then it blasted out a dark fireball that hit Salamence critically.

"Let's stay sharp, Dusclops! Ice Beam that dragon right out of here!"

Dusclops launched another Ice Beam, this one knocking Salamence out.

"Ah, well done, my friend. Return. Go, Ludicolo!"

Rich threw the Poké Ball to send Ludicolo back out.

"Tyranitar, Crunch!!"

This time it was Tyranitar who attacked Dusclops, dashing forth on its stubby legs and delivering a powerful bite to the ghost's body.

"Follow up with Surf!"

Ludicolo backflipped and struck a dance pose, summoning a tall wave that crashed down on Brandon's team. Pyromar took quite a hit, but Dusclops wasn't affected much at all.

"Dusclops, cast a Helping Hand!"

Dusclops's hands glowed bright red, then a shadow of it floated to Pyromar and into its body.

"Pyromar, now hit Tyranitar with Shadow Rush!"

Pyromar cloaked itself in the shadowy aura, then ran forward and tackled Tyranitar. Thanks to the power-up from Helping Hand, Tyranitar was nearly knocked out.

"Tyranitar, Thunder Wave again!"

This time Tyranitar zapped Pyromar with electricity to paralyze it.

"Ludicolo, we have to get rid of that Dusclops! We have to do it now! Hydro Pump!"

With another dance move, Ludicolo powered up and fired a blast of water right at Dusclops. The Ghost type tried to use its powers to block the attack, but failed and took a direct hit. Finally, Dusclops fainted.

"Grrrrrrrraahhhh.......this is far from over! Dusclops, return! Go, Aggron! Pyromar, we have to take this to another level. Shadow Storm!"

Pyromar's entire body began to glow a wicked shade of black as it absorbed massive amounts of shadow energy. When it had absorbed enough, a tornado of the shadow energy formed around Pyromar's body and swept quickly forth to hit both of Rich's Pokémon with great power.

"Aggron! You know what to do! Double-Edge!"

Aggron's contribution to Brandon's assault was what you could expect from a no-frills, straight-ahead attacking type of Pokémon; it simply charged recklessly into Ludicolo with amazing force, knocking the dancing Grass and Water type out.

"You did well, Ludicolo. Have a rest with Salamence. Go, Blaziken!! Snag Ball, go!"

Rich called for a Snag Ball, which materialized in the glove. He threw it, and it absorbed Pyromar on contact. When it fell to the floor, it rocked........

once.......

twice.......

and right after the second rock, it cracked open and released Pyromar. The Snag had failed.

"Ahahahah! I laugh at you, trying to Snag my Shadow Pokémon!"

"We'll see who's laughing. Blaziken, Sky Uppercut!"

Rich's Blaziken rushed forth on its powerful legs and hit Aggron square in the jaw with a mighty uppercut. This Fighting type attack was super-effective against both of Aggron's types, so it scored incredible damage and knocked Aggron out.

"What?! You brought my Aggron down that easily??!?!?"

"I told you we'd see who's laughing."

"I haven't finished just yet, and when the game is over, I will be the victor! Aggron, return! Go, Sphinix!"

Brandon's fifth Pokémon, his third Shadow Pokémon, was a Sphinx-like creature whose skin resembled the blocks of sand an ancient Sphinx would have been made of. Its immense size and mystical look gave it an intimidating air, and its three tails resembled the gradually-hightening flutes of an ancient Egyptian musical instrument.

Rich looked up at this new creature now towering over him with fear in his eyes, but he then regained composure enough to take out his P*DA and scan it.

"Sphinix, the sphinx Pokémon. Type is Ground/Psychic. Large and bizarre monoliths of sand and stone, Sphinix have appeared in the world's deserts for aeons. They disappear into the winds of vicious sandstorms and reform elsewhere, never in the same place twice. Scientists are baffled by the fact that all Sphinix have the exact same height and weight: twenty-five feet six inches tall, weighing 1347 pounds."

"That thing looks strong........it looks strong, but I can take it!"

"You will try. Sphinix, Shadow Rave!"

Sphinix didn't even move, it just blinked---this simple motion was all it took for it to send out the wave of shadowy aura spikes, which hit both Tyranitar and Blaziken.

"Pyromar, follow up with another Shadow Storm!"

Pyromar couldn't attack, however, due to the paralysis.

"What's the weakest attack we have....of course! Tyranitar, Shock Wave!"

Tyranitar gathered energy and sent out a fast-moving but weak wave of electricity, doing light damage to Pyromar.

"This time it should work! Snag Ball, go!"

Rich gripped the Snag Ball that had materialized in his hand and threw it at Pyromar. It fell to the ground after scooping up its target and began rocking.....

one time..........

two times..........

three times, and then the ball pinged.

"Fine! So you have captured my Pyromar. But now you're to face the strongest members of my squad! Go, Hariac!"

The fourth and final Shadow Pokémon held by Brandon was a very tall rabbit with a coat of white fur. Like for Pyromar and Sphinix, Rich took out his P*DA and opened it to where he could scan Hariac for its data.

"Hariac, the zodiac rabbit Pokémon. Type is Normal. Hariac lives on the wide plateaus of the southern desert. Food is scarce there, but this does not present a problem for this Legendary Pokémon. It can sustain itself for two weeks by munching on a few blades of grass. It is one of the world's highest jumpers, able to leap tall buildings effortlessly."

Brandon didn't even wait for Rich to put away his P*DA before giving a command.

"Hariac, Shadow Rush!"

The rabbit cloaked itself with the shadow aura and lept into the air, crashing down onto Blaziken.

"Sphinix, Shadow Sky!"

The crown on Sphinix's head glowed, and a blast of shadow energy shot straight up out of it. When the spark hit the ceiling, it burst into a shadowy aura that covered the room. Bursts of light then rained down from the aura and struck both of Rich's Pokémon.

"Tyranitar! Now I think is a good time for Body Slam!"

With a fierce roar, Tyranitar rushed forward and hit Hariac with a strong, paralyzing tackle.

"Blaziken, add a Blaze Kick to that!"

Blaziken's left foot burst into flames, then it sprang up and smashed down onto Hariac using its powerful leg muscles.

"Sphinix, now it's Shadow Panic!"

This time a dark cloud floated out of Sphinix's crown and spiralled towards Rich's team. It hit Blaziken in a burst of dark stars and inflicted confusion, but Tyranitar was unaffected.

"Hariac, another Shadow Rush! Now!!"

The legendary rabbit couldn't attack, as the paralysis numbed it completely. Bursts of light rained down and hit Rich's Pokémon.

"Tyranitar, use a Crunch to weaken Sphinix a bit!"

Tyranitar lumbered forward again, opened its mighty jaws, and crunched down on Sphinix's leg. Despite this being a super-effective and powerful strike, the mighty sphinx Pokémon still didn't move even a bit.

"I can't attack with Blaziken because it's confused......so I better hope for luck. Go, Snag Ball!"

Rich threw yet another Snag Ball, this one aimed at Hariac. It absorbed the Legendary Pokémon, fell to the floor and rolled, then began rocking.

After one tilt......

two tilts........

and three tilts, it pinged.

"AGGGGHHH!!!!!! I refuse to take this anymore! Sphinix, Shadow Rave! Knock down that Blaziken!"

On Brandon's command Sphinix sent the shadowy spikes forth, hitting both of Rich's Pokémon. Blaziken could take no more and fainted.

"Well done, Blaziken. Return. Go, Melodic!!"

Rich sent out his Melodic, then more bursts of light fell from the Shadow Sky to hit his team.

"Tyranitar, Mega Kick!"

Despite its overwhelmingly large bulk, Tyranitar sprung into the air and smashed down onto Sphinix with its left foot extended. This attack injured Sphinix badly, leaving it near fainting.

"Melodic, hit it with Sing now!"

With its beautiful voice, Melodic began to sing. The song soothed Sphinix into a deep sleep.

"No, Sphinix! Shadow Rave now!"

Instead of attacking, Sphinix just snoozed. The Shadow Sky burst open again and dropped more flashing orbs of light onto Rich's Pokémon.

"This is it, your time to fall! Snag Ball, go!"

Rich threw a Snag Ball, and it absorbed all of Sphinix's massive size on contact. It then fell to the floor and began rocking.......

once......

twice.......

and three times. Rich had successfully Snagged Sphinix and all three of Brandon's other Shadow Pokémon.

"No! Dammit! How could my ancient Pokémon lose again?!"

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

"I......I.......You are strong. Certainly much more than I had expected. I take it you have beaten Vivian, Snattle and Lucy already."

"That's right. You're the fourth, so I've got a date with your boss now."

"Fufufu.......yes, you have proven your mettle in battle. But watch your step always......fufufu......you won't want to end up like those two who beat all four of us earlier."

Brandon tried to flee, but Krane grabbed him by the collar with fury.

"Those two who came by earlier?! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY STEPSON?!?!?"

"Back off! I didn't do anything to them! No.....I didn't do a thing to them......nor did any of the other Admins. But......."

Brandon punched Krane in the face, knocking him to the floor, then fled. Rich and Anabel ran to Krane and helped him up.

"Professor! Are you alright?!"

"I'm fine, Anabel. But did you hear what he said? Something has happened to Wes and Michael!"

"Knowing these Enigma Shadow creeps, we should be worried. Come on, Anabel, Krane, we have to go on now and stop their leader."

Rich, Anabel and Krane went back down in the elevator. When they were back standing before the center door in the lobby chamber, Chobin appeared on the screen.

"Chobin has fury! Chobin must admit that he did not expect you to defeat all four of the Shadow Admins!"

"Well, I did. Let me through now, like you promised."

"Chobin is angry at you. That doesn't matter, though---Chobin will laugh when the Emperor defeats you!"

The iron lock on the door opened and fell to the ground.

"Enter through this door if you dare. Chobin will enjoy waiting!"

With that, Chobin disappeared from the screen. Without a word, Rich stepped forth---Anabel and Krane right behind him---and put his hand on the doorknob. The cold steel cut right into his soul as he turned the knob slowly and pushed the door open.......

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Past the door was the most massive chamber of all. Two small balconies faced each other at opposite ends of the chamber, and a steel bridge connected the two sides. Gigantic half-arches flanked the bridge, connected to it by thick chains, and large statues of Enigma Shadow's insignia served as gateways to the bridge.

Rich, Anabel and Krane marvelled in the size of the chamber as they walked down the long bridge.

"Wow...." Rich said in wonder. "This room is huge!"

"It's bigger than the arena at our Battle Tower, even!"

"Oh.....oh......"

"What's wrong, Krane?" Anabel asked.

"I'm so worried about Wes and Michael.....I hope nothing terrible has happened to them. But Enigma Shadow is not known for their gentle nature....."

"It's okay. When we make it to the next chamber we can fight the leader of Enigma Shadow and find them."

"Oh no you don't, Rich!"

Right before the group of heroes reached the end of the bridge, Ardos and Malin jumped out from behind the statues.

"Ardos and Malin! I should have suspected....."

"But Chobin said we'd see his boss if we beat Brandon, which we did!"

"That's too bad," Ardos replied snidely. "You should've known it wouldn't be that easy."

"You mean......."

"Yes, Rich, it was a trap!" Malin laughed. "We knew you'd beat those useless Admins, so we waited here for you to come!"

"Let us through!" Krane roared. "Let us....."

"Silence." Ardos said coolly. "Rich, I have not faced you since Halfmoon Cove one year ago. However, I am sure you knew that had Eldes not interfered at Citadark Isle I would have crushed you to a pulp."

"That's what you think."

"And myself, after you humiliated me at the HQ Lab and ruined our recovery operation, I was dead set on revenge. The operation itself was not a loss---we recovered the data using those fools Wes and Michael---but you need to be taught a lesson, you little brat!"

"That's right. Rich and Anabel........you have chased us very far in your pursuit of our leader. Since you've made it this far into the Nova Palace, I must acknowledge your skill. Now, team together against Malin and I and show us your talents in all their glory!!!"

To Be Continued.....