Yellow, Rui, and Mercy were taking a breather in a room that they had barricaded themselves into. They finally managed to escape after hiding inside a building. Meanwhile, on the ground, still tied up, was that Carl guy, and Rui took the liberty of gagging him so he would stop being so annoying.
"So...what do we do now?" Mercy asked as she sat down on the floor, feeling her heart beating fast. After what just happened, they got chased by the entire town, and she was still lost.
Rui sighed, "Well, I guess since we came this far, I can try something, unless your master plan needs us to do something else, Yellow?"
"No, go ahead. I did it for you," Yellow said with a smile, making Rui sigh.
She took one more big breath, then approached Carl. Now, thanks to her power, she could see that for some reason, he was also covered in that Shadow Aura that Shadow Pokémon had, which meant one thing: Cipher found a way to turn humans into Shadow versions of themselves.
Now, what that would do, she did not want to find out, but this was something very important to tell Ash, since they would need to find a way to stop this before it spread out of Orre.
But also, originally her power was only to be able to see the Shadow Pokémon since normal people couldn't see them. However, over time and with some training, she managed to make her powers better and make the most of them.
So she reached her hand out and put it on Carl's head as he thrashed around. Then a soft orange glow spread, and as it did, the shadows around Carl dispersed, and he fell to the ground, purified, just exhausted.
Meanwhile, Rui pulled back and took a breath, "There, it's done."
Yellow put her hands on her hips proudly, "See? I told you to trust the process!"
"Sure, Yellow," Rui said, shaking her head helplessly.
"Um...what happened?" Mercy asked, since unlike the 2 girls, she couldn't see the shadows. She only saw an orange glow coming from Rui and then Carl fell to the ground. She was completely lost.
"Oh, well, you see—" Yellow was about to explain when suddenly they heard slamming on the building door where they were barricaded in.
They peeked out of a window and saw that outside, all of the Shadow Humans and Shadow Pokémon were trying to get inside, chanting about how "heretics will pay."
Rui looked at the scene and put her hands on her face. Yellow fell over, letting out a whimper, and Mercy nearly fainted.
This was going to be a long day.
—-
{Back with the fight}
Ardos grit his teeth as he recalled his unconscious Marowak, "Don't underestimate us!"
He immediately threw another Poké Ball, "Go! Houndoom!"
Beside him, Eldes had already done the same, "Magneton!"
The two Shadow Pokémon landed on the battlefield at almost the same time.
Across from them, Ash, Green, and Gary barely reacted.
Green yawned, "Wow...they really do just keep throwing Pokémon at us."
Gary glanced over, "I know, right? It's almost depressing."
"Guys...remember," Ash reminded them.
"...Right."
"...Yeah."
The three of them visibly relaxed, almost like they had to remind themselves not to end the fight immediately. That only irritated Ardos even more, "You dare mock us?!"
"No," Gary answered honestly, "We're trying really hard not to."
"Which is somehow harder," Green admitted.
Meanwhile, Wes silently watched them. His Umbreon and Espeon hadn't stopped moving, and he was thinking that this meant he could match Ash's Swampert, and maybe he could do more with an opening.
His eyes narrowed, "...Umbreon."
Umbreon suddenly darted around Swampert instead of attacking directly.
"Espeon, [Psychic]," he continued.
Espeon's eyes glowed.
The floating rocks around the battlefield all ripped free from the cave floor simultaneously, flying toward Ash from every direction.
At the exact same moment, Umbreon lunged from Ash's blind spot.
"Little better." Ash snapped his fingers, then a ball at his side opened, and a light came out. A hand caught Umbreon by the neck, it was Annihilape.
Ash brought him along to have some fun, and now seemed like a good time to try him out. With a whistle, Annihilape threw Umbreon directly at Espeon, making them hit each other and giving Swampert the opening to run in with a [Rock Smash], destroying the incoming rocks.
The cave shook as chunks of stone scattered everywhere.
Then Ash pointed forward, "Annihilape, [Rage Fist]."
Annihilape vanished, and a heartbeat later he appeared directly in front of Espeon, both fists already glowing with ghostly energy as he hit it across the face.
Espeon was launched across the cave floor, skidding several meters before barely managing to recover, then the second fist turned and went toward Umbreon.
Wes' eyes widened slightly, "Umbreon, [Protect]!"
A green barrier appeared just as Annihilape spun and drove another punch into it, but the barrier exploded like glass, sending Umbreon flying.
Umbreon hadn't even recovered before Electivire blurred forward, and Gary called out, "[Thunder Punch]."
Electricity exploded around Electivire's arm, and he hit Umbreon in the stomach, making it fly into the wall hard enough to leave cracks behind it before collapsing.
Meanwhile, over with Espeon as it landed against the wall, Green whistled, "[Shadow Ball]."
Gengar appeared in Espeon's shadow and jumped out, using [Shadow Ball] at point blank range, exploding against Espeon and making it go flying again.
But even still, Ash, Gary, and Green told their Pokémon to hold back more, so Espeon and Umbreon were still up, for now. Ash needed Wes to let "that" out.
Meanwhile, Ardos wasn't just doing nothing.
"Houndoom! [Flamethrower]!"
A torrent of black fire roared across the cave toward them.
Eldes also pitched in, "[Zap Cannon]!"
Magneton fired a massive sphere of electricity through the flames, turning it into an inferno of lightning and fire racing straight toward the trio.
Ash whistled, "Swampert."
Swampert stepped forward and punched the ground, making an entire wave burst from beneath its feet as he used [Muddy Water].
The water surged, putting out the incoming fire and also dispersing the electricity into the mud.
"...Again?" Eldes muttered.
Gary sighed, "You guys really need new strategies."
Green pointed dramatically, "My turn! Gengar!"
The ghost disappeared. Shadow Houndoom immediately spun around, but it was too late, as two glowing red eyes appeared directly underneath it.
"[Shadow Punch]." Green put her fingers into an X shape.
A fist erupted from the floor and hit Houndoom in the jaw, making it get launched into the ceiling before crashing back down onto the cave floor, where Swampert was there waiting for it and slammed it down with a [Liquidation] punch.
Green snapped again, "[Sludge Bomb]."
Several purple spheres splattered across Houndoom, and Swampert held it down so it couldn't escape them. Eventually, Houndoom stopped moving and was knocked out.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Eldes gritted his teeth.
"Magneton! [Tri Attack]!"
The three cores glowed simultaneously before firing a spiraling beam of fire, ice, and electricity.
Gary grinned, "Electivire, [Cross Chop]."
Electivire ran straight into it. The beam exploded across his body, but it was useless. He kept moving as he crossed his arms.
Magneton tried to dodge by flying up, but Annihilape jumped up, landing on it, then punching down with a [Power-Up Punch], making Magneton go right back down, straight into Electivire's attack.
Magneton was sent flying back and crashed into the rocks, knocked out.
Meanwhile, the fight over with the Black Flygon was not going that good. Sure, Greevil and Evice were pretty strong on their own, but with Pikachu and Vee shooting [Thunderbolts] at them, they couldn't handle it.
That's why they had already lost 3 Pokémon each. Now Evice had a Shadow Aggron and Greevil had a Shadow Exeggutor, and they were still not doing that good.
The moment Shadow Aggron charged in with [Head Smash], Flygon disappeared.
Aggron smashed straight into the cave wall instead, sending cracks spiderwebbing through the stone.
"Aggron, behind you!" Evice yelled.
But it was too late. Flygon appeared above it, both claws glowing a deep violet as it used [Dragon Claw].
The slash carved across Aggron's armored back before Flygon followed it with a kick, sending the massive Pokémon tumbling across the cavern floor.
Greevil remained eerily calm, "Exeggutor, [Hypnosis]."
All three heads opened their eyes, and golden rings drifted toward Flygon.
For just a fraction of a second, the Black Pokémon actually slowed, but then Flygon's body exploded with black aura. The hypnotic rings shattered like glass,
"...Impossible," Greevil muttered, looking worried for the first time since this started.
Flygon did not look impressed as it raised its mouth and charged up a green beam before firing a [Solar Beam].
Aggron got up and stood in front of all of them, trying to block the hit, but while it did, the beam was too strong, and it sent Aggron flying back, knocked out.
As that happened, Greevil clenched his fist, "Fine, I didn't want to use this yet, but it seems we have no choice." He pulled out a certain black Poké Ball, then threw it out.
As the ball hit the ground, the Black Primeape came out and slammed its fists together, as the two Pokémon stared at each other and got ready to fight.
Ash watched it, and he raised an eyebrow. He thought Wes was the one that had the Black Primeape still, that's why he held back so much, but hey, that makes things easier. Now it's time to take one more thing.
Ash whistled, and Swampert punched the ground, making a dust cloud appear. Wes, Ardos, and Eldes covered their eyes from the dust.
But as Wes removed his hand from his eyes, he saw Ash appear in front of him, and before he could react, Ash wound his fist up and punched Wes square in the face, breaking his goggles.
Then, before he was sent flying back, Ash caught his arm and twisted it behind his back before kicking him away.
Wes landed on the ground and pushed himself up, looking back as Ash jumped back over with his friends. He gritted his teeth, but then he felt his arm felt slightly lighter.
He looked down where his Snag Machine usually was, and it wasn't there.
Then when he looked up, he saw Ash smirking at him while holding Wes's Snag Machine in his hand, "Nice toy you got here. I think I'll keep it~" he said, snapping it onto his arm.
Wes' eyes widened. He knew what that could do, so he quickly returned Umbreon and Espeon to their Poké Balls and turned to Ardos and Eldes, "We need to retreat!"
While Ardos and Eldes didn't like it, they had to agree. They couldn't win, and if all their Pokémon were out, especially one Ardos had, they would not be able to get out at all.
Also, looking back, they saw Evice and Greevil struggling against the Black Flygon.
They grit their teeth and didn't even bother returning the knocked-out Pokémon. They were replaceable.
Quickly, Eldes stood between them in case the trio tried to run in after the Grand Master, and Ardos ran to Evice and Greevil.
He pulled out an Alakazam and grabbed the Grand Master and Evice, "We need to retreat, let's go!"
Greevil was upset, but he also wasn't stupid. He knew that with both threats attacking them at once, they could not win.
Besides, if he lets Flygon fight against those three kids, he is confident they would lose, and then he could just come later to collect the Shadow Flygon.
Greevil gritted his teeth, then called, "Very well, let's retreat."
He pulled out the Black Primeape's Poké Ball and was going to return it, until a [Thunderbolt] shot out and hit his hand, burning it and also destroying the ball.
Looking back, they saw Pikachu again smirking as he ran back over to stand on Ash's shoulder, "Oops, was that important~"
Greevil's hand tightened again, but not as much since his hand was burnt. The Black Primeape was no longer under his control.
"We need to leave it," he ordered.
Ardos immediately nodded, "Alakazam!"
The Psychic Pokémon appeared in a flash of light, already preparing to teleport.
Evice staggered over, still smoking from the repeated Thunderbolts Vee and Pikachu had been pelting him with.
"W-we're really retreating?!"
"We have no choice."
Wes jumped over to them too, getting ready to get out of here, and when Eldes was about to run to get over there, Ash finally snapped his fingers, "Oh no you don't."
Pikachu and Vee shot out a duo [Electroweb] at Eldes
Eldes' eyes widened, "What—"
The electric webs wrapped around him before he could react, and the second they made contact, Pikachu and Vee pulled backward.
The force yanked Eldes off his feet, dragging him across the ground and straight toward Ash's group. Eldes slammed into the dirt right in front of them.
Greevil immediately shot his head back, his eyes widening, "Eldes!"
But before he could say anything else, Eldes spoke, "Go."
Greevil froze, "Eldes—"
"Go," Eldes repeated, his voice firmer this time.
Ardos' expression hardened, "Brother, you can't."
"Just go. You need to keep Father safe," Eldes said to Ardos.
Ardos flinched and looked down and away, "Don't call him that...call him Grand Master..." he said, but he didn't have any conviction in his voice.
Meanwhile, Greevil, for the first time, had a trace of regret in his expression, but before he could say anything, Ardos called out and Alakazam teleported them away, leaving behind Eldes.
And that left them.
Gary looked around, "Well." He rubbed the back of his neck, "That was dramatic."
Green sighed, "I was expecting a bigger betrayal moment."
Ash looked at Eldes as Pikachu and Vee finished tying him up.
He walked over and looked at the Black Primeape and Flygon, who now that Greevil wasn't ordering Primeape around, had stopped fighting.
After all, they knew each other and wanted the same thing, so why would they fight? Instead, they looked at the group.
But this time Green walked next to Ash, looking excited, "Hey, now that they're gone, can we stop holding back?"
"Sure, no reason now," Ash said with a smirk, "We have them where we want them, so all we need to do now is capture them."
Gary let out a sigh, "I would have liked to beat them, but hey, at least now the boot's on the other foot."
He smirked. After all, before he was the one captured. Now not only did he break free, but they captured one of their own. The irony was sweet.
"Aight, leave the Primeape to Annihilape, and we can deal with Flygon," Ash told them, and they didn't have any objections.
Annihilape heard this and let out a breath, stepping forward. The Black Primeape stared down Annihilape.
Primeape slammed its fists together, letting out a roar as black energy surrounded its body, running in with a [Shadow Rush].
But Annihilape didn't move. Then, at the last second, it tilted its head slightly and stepped to the side.
Primeape skidded across the ground, turning around immediately and rushing back. It threw another punch, but this time Annihilape caught it.
Primeape growled and pulled its arm back, throwing another punch with its other hand. Annihilape blocked it, then, as Primeape kept punching, Annihilape simply kept blocking them one after another.
And if a punch did pass his hands and aimed for Annihilape's face, the punch would simply phase through Annihilape. That gave Annihilape an opening.
He raised his fist, charging up a [Rage Fist], then immediately hit the Black Primeape in the stomach, sending it off the ground in pain.
Primeape felt like it was almost knocked out in one hit. Its eyes went white for a second, but then Annihilape punched right back down with another [Rage Fist], sending Primeape to the ground and waking it back up.
Primeape got angry and got up, rushing towards Annihilape again, but he didn't look worried at all. In fact, he looked excited. After all, he got to have an extra durable punching bag.
Meanwhile, with the Flygon, it stretched its wings and roared at them, glaring.
Green smiled, "Oh, it's mad."
Gary cracked his neck, "Good. I was worried this was gonna be boring."
Flygon suddenly vanished, and a burst of sand exploded from where it was standing.
"Left." Ash said one word, and Green and Gary moved instantly.
A second later, Flygon appeared behind them, claws glowing with dark energy as it swung down with [Dragon Claw].
But Electivire appeared, catching its hand. Then Gengar got above it and slammed a [Shadow Ball] into Flygon's face while laughing.
The attack pushed Flygon sideways, but the Pokémon recovered midair, twisting its body and firing a [Dragon Breath].
"Swampert." Ash looked from behind his shoulder.
Swampert stepped forward and slammed its fists together, and a wall of mud and water exploded upward with [Muddy Water], blocking the attack.
But Flygon was already moving. It shot upward, avoiding the attack, then dove back down.
Gary smirked, "Predictable." That's exactly what they wanted.
The moment Flygon came down, Electivire swung upward with [Ice Punch]. Flygon barely managed to dodge, the attack grazing its wing and forcing it to crash land.
It pushed itself upward with its wings, barely avoiding Swampert's [Rock Smash], but that put it directly in Gengar's path.
"Gotcha." Green smirked as she put her hands together.
A [Shadow Punch] slammed into Flygon's back. Flygon was sent forward, directly into Electivire.
Electivire grinned, and Gary called out, "[Ice Punch] again."
Electivire raised his hands together, covering them with ice, then he slammed down.
Flygon pushed itself up and opened its mouth, charging energy for a [Dragon Breath], but Swampert grabbed it and closed its mouth, using the ice from an [Ice Punch] to seal it shut, causing the dragon energy to explode in its mouth.
As Flygon tried to recover, the 3 Pokémon just started beating it up, kicking it while it was down. I mean, what? You expect a fair fight here? Nah, Kantonians don't know the meaning of a fair fight.
This was basically bullying. Flygon couldn't fight back, and the 3 Pokémon were beating on it. Flygon tried letting out shadow energy that pushed them back, then it tried to fly away, but Green smirked and whistled.
Gengar flew up and grabbed Flygon's shadow, pulling it right back down, right into Electivire and Swampert, who had a [Duo Ice Punch] ready and slammed it right into Flygon, sending it flying back. This time the ice stuck, and it spread, freezing the Black Pokémon solid.
As they relaxed, over with Annihilape, he was still beating the Primeape down, punching it while its arms were pinned under Annihilape's feet. It was beating it so much that the ground under the Primeape was cracking.
So while they were doing that, Ash gave Green and Gary a high five as they smirked, "Alright, mission complete."
"You sure we couldn't have taken another one?" Gary asked, looking down at Eldes.
"Chill out, Gary. Besides, aren't you glad me and Ash came to get you? I think that deserves a reward, right Ashy~"
Ash ignored that and looked down at Eldes, crouching down. He pulled him up, "Now as for you, you're going to tell us what we want to know."
—-
{About an hour later}
Ash, Green, Gary, and tied-up Eldes walked into Outskirt Town after getting what they needed. They caught the Black Pokémon pretty easily. I mean, what are they gonna do, fight back? Now Ash needed to do one more thing.
As they walked into town, they saw it was pretty weird. I mean, people were crying while holding each other, some people were pushing over weird statues to the ground and breaking them, and some guy was being dragged by the police of the town while the townspeople threw things at him, chanting that he got what he deserved.
"Uh, Green, you sure this is where you told Yellow to come?" Gary asked.
"Yeah, it should be…but why is everything so weird…" Green muttered, looking confused.
But they kept walking, and eventually there they saw Yellow, Rui, and also the other girl, Mercy, slouching on a bench and looking exhausted.
They walked up to her, "Hey Yellow, look who we found," Green said playfully.
Yellow, hearing Green's voice, looked over as she saw her friends. She brightened up and stood up, "Green, Ash, Gary! You're all back."
"Yeah, yeah, save it," Gary sighed, but he also looked relieved to be out of there. Then he looked around, "What happened here? This place seems weird."
"Ehhhhhh…" Yellow looked away, remembering what they just had to go through, "Nothing happened, nothing important anyway, but you're back. I'm glad you're safe, Gary."
"Ok…so I guess that's the Gary you talked about. I guess you really weren't worried about him," Rui muttered, then she looked back and saw Eldes. Her eyes widened as she recognized him, but she looked down, not wanting to look at him. That's when she also saw the new Snag Machine on Ash's arm.
"T-that's…you saw Wes again?" Rui asked.
Ash nodded, "Yeah, I managed to take this from him."
"Um, ok, am I the only one lost here? Ash, who is the new girl, and how does she know that emo-looking guy?" Gary asked.
"Um, well Rui is also against…" Ash started, then stopped, "Wait, sorry, can I?"
Ash looked at Rui and gestured over with his eyes toward the new girl.
Rui understood and quickly cleared her throat, "Ah right, um this is Mercy. Yellow kinda agreed to help her get to another town."
"Um, well actually," Mercy spoke, "Sorry for this, but since you managed to help the town with the problem, I don't think I have to try to leave anymore," she said, looking at Yellow thankfully as she bowed, "Thank you."
Yellow quickly waved her hands, "Um, no, you don't have to thank me. I just wanted to help, it's ok."
"Still, thank you. I was scared nonetheless. This town was my home, but thanks to you I don't have to leave. Feel free to ask me for anything, and if I can help, I'll do it," Mercy said thankfully, then she bowed to the group and went back to her restaurant.
"Well, that was something," Gary muttered.
"Anyway, now that she is gone, Rui is also against Cipher, and she said she can help us," Ash revealed.
"Oh wait, that reminds me, Ash, we saw Shadow Pokémon here, but also Shadow People," Yellow quickly explained.
Ash stopped at that last part, "Wait, what did you say?"
Yellow nodded, "Yeah, Shadow Humans. We saw them, Rui can see them too, and she also helped to purify them."
Green and Gary looked a little lost. Sure, Ash explained Shadow Pokémon a bit, but they couldn't see it. As far as Ash knows, they haven't gotten any extra powers from that time they bonded to the Legendary Birds.
"Yeah, sorry I didn't say it earlier, but I was kinda worried. But yes, I can see Shadow Pokémon, and I can purify them," Rui revealed, "That's why we should all work together so we can take down Cipher. I can help."
"Well, funny you should bring that up. If you can purify them, mind helping out with this~" Ash said with a smile as he pulled out 2 Poké Balls and threw them down. Then in front of them landed the Black Primeape and Black Flygon.
Rui looked at them with shock, "You-you managed to capture 2 of the Black Pokémon?" she said with displeasure.
Meanwhile, Yellow just looked sad while looking at them, "Aww."
Ash waved his hand, ignoring Eldes who was watching this. I mean, what is he gonna do, go snitch? Ash looked at Rui, "Can you purify these too? I mean, the Black Pokémon are basically just advanced Shadow Pokémon."
Rui stopped and thought about it. She really didn't think about it before, "I mean, I guess I can try."
She slowly stood up, walked over to the knocked-out Pokémon, and put her hands out, putting in as much effort as she could. Then the 2 Black Pokémon began to glow. The orange light spread out before finally the darkness around them broke like glass, and lying there were the Pokémon, except they were no longer Black. They looked like normal Pokémon.
Rui took a breath and collapsed back on the bench, "Man, that took a lot out of me," she said, not realizing what she just did.
But Eldes did, as a sweat drop fell from his head, "You…purified the Black Pokémon. D-do you know what this means?"
"You mean how Cipher literally can't do their thing anymore?" Ash said, and it was at that moment that it hit them.
Cipher's plan needed all 8 of the Black Pokémon. If they didn't have even 1, that would mean they couldn't do it, and they lost 2. That means it was now physically impossible for Cipher to ever complete their plan, even if they found someone else with the ability to read the monoliths.
Rui had a blank look for a few moments as she tried to process this, "...It was that easy…the whole time…I spent 5 years of my life running…when it was that easy…"
But before Rui could spiral, Ash suddenly clapped his hands together, "Well, that's unfortunate."
Everyone looked at him.
Rui blinked, "...What?"
Ash shrugged, "Yeah, I mean, it's a real shame. Cipher spent years making this giant evil plan, and then we show up and go 'nah.'"
Green immediately understood what he was doing and played along, "Wow, that's embarrassing," Green said, putting a hand on her chin dramatically, "Imagine spending years creating the ultimate weapon just for some kids to walk in and take it away."
Gary put his arms behind his head, "Honestly, I'd be pretty upset. Imagine being a world-ending organization and losing because your opponents had a really annoying work ethic."
Yellow giggled softly.
Ash nodded seriously, "Exactly. Tragic, absolutely tragic."
Rui stared at the three of them, then she looked at Yellow, "Are they always like this?"
Yellow smiled, "Pretty much."
"Even during serious moments?"
"Especially during serious moments." Yellow said with a smile, and somehow that made a small smile appear on Rui's face.
Ash saw it and continued, "Alright, now that we got rid of the biggest problem, now it's time for us to finish the rest. We still need to find out where they make all the Shadow Pokémon and catch them for good, and…"
Ash pulled out his phone where he showed them the tracker giving him a signal in 3 different areas.
Ash smirked, "I think our friends are just spoon-feeding us everything. What do you say, guys~" Ash put his fist out.
Gary scoffed, "Please, they held me hostage. I have a bone to pick with them, especially that Nascour guy." Then he put his fist out too.
Green jumped in, putting her fist in, "You already know I'm in, Ashy. We still need the core squad adventure."
Yellow nodded twice, "And I'll follow you too!" she put her fist out too.
That left Rui. Everyone looked at her as she looked nervous, but she gulped and nodded, putting her hand in, "Let's end this."
Pikachu and Vee jumped up onto Ash and Gary's shoulders, putting their fists out too.
But after the moment ended, Green remembered something, "Oh yeah, by the way, if you can purify Pokémon, can you help me with this~"
She picked up her bag and poured out just so many Poké Balls, at least 100 she stole from the Team Cipher guys.
Rui looked at them and let out a little noise that might have been a mix between a squeak and a cry.