Four Paws and A Tale

Chapter 28: Jacob

"How'd you find me?"

Archie laughed at my question, "You're dream? The message from Darkrai? Darkrai isn't the only Pokémon who can manipulate dreams. Perhaps the dream left you feeling, Drowsy?"

"You mean?"

"That's right, those dreams you had, where Darkrai warned you, told you what to do? That was a Drowzee, working for me."

"If they were both because of you why'd you warn me about the Luxray?"

"I couldn't have Motor receiving credit for your death. The boss always favoured Motor because they were both electric-types. This is a game to my King, we were playing a game and how do you win games? You eliminate the competition."

He laughed again, I growled.

We flew at each other and collided in mid-air. My Quick Attack didn't stand a chance against his Extreme Speed. We raced around the room exchanging blows, Shadow Ball, Flamethrower, Trump Card, Crunch, Dig, Flare Blitz.

I couldn't win, I had one chance. I evolved into Vaporeon and charged him with Aqua Jet, a direct hit. He used Morning Sun. I had to stop him, I charged again this time using Waterfall, it was a trick. He dodged and used Crunch, piercing my skin and drawing blood.

He threw me to the ground, I landed on four paws and fired a Bubblebeam at where he should have landed, he was gone. I looked to my left, too late, he slammed me with a Wild Charge. I skidded across the floor, coming to a stop against the fallen books. Breathing hard I devolved back into an Eevee.

I looked at him as he stood in front of me, he threw back his head and laughed.

"Your strong for a pup! Then again, you aren't just a pup."

I blinked.

"That's right! I know! I know who you are human! My master told me all about you, he told me to kill you, but I have a different idea. Join me."

"Ha, join you? Why should I?"

He shrugged; "It's a good idea, you see, my master, he caused Pokémon to go wild, he's raising an army. Together we will annihilate humanity! Humans are evil. They enslave Pokémon and pollute our world. Mankind had its chance! Now we will return the world to its original state. We will create a Primordial world! He will be King! And I will be by his side! You don't have to die here, help us make a perfect world."

I rose on all fours, wobbling, and spat on the ground. I growled at Archie.

"Like hell. You'll never succeed, Arceus won't let you!"

Archie looked surprised at first but then he laughed.

"Arceus won't be a problem."

"He's protected by life plates, one for every type of Pokémon, no attack can hurt him, you can't kill him!" I declared it and grinned at Archie. He laughed again.

"Kill Arceus? No, that is quite impossible while he has the plates, but my Master doesn't intend to kill him. No, merely control him."

"Impossible."

"Oh? Let me tell you a tale, of the first King of Alcarmia. Nearly a thousand years ago this castle was built for the first King. The King was a kind and a good man, he found my master close to death and nursed him back to health. But in this he grew attached to my Master, a Pokémon who others shunned and hunted. The King neglected his three sons, and they became angry, they grew up fighting, arguing and one day, they decided they should kill their father and fight for the throne. The King discovered the plot and banished his sons, it broke his heart."

Archie kept grinning, slowly moving closer.

"The King grew old and bitter, he was filled with remorse, he blamed my Master and had him hunted. The King's anger grew but my Master could not forget the kindness shown him. My Master journeyed to the Princes and gathered from each one, a tear of regret, for they hated what they had become. My Master took these to the King and using them, he expelled the King's grief. But such emotions cannot just die, so my Master trapped the King's darkness inside a large crystal which came to be known as the Shadow Crystal. The Shadow Crystal holds the Kings hatred which can corrupt Pokémon and make them wild. The only remedy? The Tears of Princes. Now, The Shadow Crystal and the Princes' Tears, that's four gems but are you aware that there is a fifth?"

Archie stopped walking and closed his eyes, he glowed softly.

"Arceus created it in the beginning and from it flows the power of evolution. Because of it Pokémon can evolve and from it come evolutionary items; Fire Stone, Water Stone, Leaf Stone, Thunder Stone, Ice Stone, Dawn Stone, Dusk Stone, Moon Stone, Shiny Stone, Sun Stone."

A small black crystal came out of Archie's forehead and floated in front of him, darkness swirled inside it.

"That's only the start, all evolutionary items come from it, these items contain concentrated energy specific to the type of Pokémon that need it to evolve. These items are only fragments of the real thing, and as the evolution gem splits into stones which contain its power, so does the Shadow Crystal. I present you with a Shadow Shard."

He stared at the black crystal as if it were some supernatural power which commanded his respect.

"By infusing the Shadow Crystals darkness with the evolutionary gem any Pokémon that does not require an item to evolve, will go mad, consumed by anger and grief. Of course, it seems fossil Pokémon are immune, perhaps because they are as ancient as the evil that seeks to fill them. However, the Shadow Shards, like evolutionary items, contain concentrated energy, dark energy. Shadow Shards can make Pokémon go mad and they can even control Pokémon, none can resist it."

Archie snarled viciously; "Now join me! Join his majesty!"

"No thanks."

Archie smiled.

"That wasn't a request, perhaps you need a demonstration..."

He looked around until his gaze settled on Pixie's unconscious form, she was starting to awaken. He smiled cruelly, his eyes alight. My eyes were fuelled by hatred.

"I'll kill you."

"Ha, that's what I look for in an ally!"

The Shadow Shard floated in between his eyes. His eyes flashed black and tendrils of darkness crept from the crystal, slowly, they moved closer to me. He snarled again.

"Now, prove your loyalty Pup! Kill the Vulpix, Kill Pixie!"