The battle started, and Wes threw out Umbreon and Espeon. Ash was going to grab something from his belt, but Vee stopped him. He wagged his tail and pointed at the two Eeveelutions.
Ash raised an eyebrow, "You want to take this one?" Ash asked, to which Vee nodded his head.
Ash shrugged, "Alright, all yours. You want Pikachu to help you, or?"
Vee raised his paw and shook his head like he was offended Ash would even ask, to which Pikachu just gave him a side-eye, but shrugged.
As this was happening, Wes narrowed his eyes, "You're using that Eevee? I already beat it once before."
"Oh Wes, what did I say before?" Ash snapped his fingers, then Vee disappeared using [Extreme Speed].
Vee reappeared behind Umbreon and gave him a kick to the back of the head. Then Espeon tried to grab him with [Psychic], but Vee moved too fast again, appearing in the air and shooting down a [Shadow Ball] into Espeon's head.
Then Vee flipped and landed back in front of Ash as Umbreon and Espeon were standing back up.
Then Ash finished, "You haven't seen a fraction of what I can do. You only beat me the first time because I let you win," Ash said with a smirk.
Wes ignored the remark, "Umbreon, [Mean Look]. Espeon, [Future Sight]."
Umbreon's eyes flashed a haunting crimson, locking onto Vee as dark rings spread across the battlefield. At the same time, Espeon closed its eyes, its gem glowing brightly as an invisible attack was planted somewhere above them, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
Ash didn't even look concerned, "Vee, you know what to do."
Vee gave a confident nod before disappearing once more.
Umbreon's eyes widened as a white blur shot underneath it. Vee slid between Umbreon's legs before spinning around, his tail glowing silver. The tail slammed into Umbreon's jaw, launching it into the air.
Espeon immediately fired a barrage of [Swift], dozens of golden stars racing toward Vee from every direction.
But Vee quickly created a [Substitute] and used it to jump farther into the air, and the stars hit the doll, landing harmlessly on the ground.
Vee was already above Espeon by then. He tucked himself into a flip, his tail glowing black with [Iron Tail], and brought it crashing down. Espeon barely managed to raise a [Reflect] in time.
The barrier shattered like glass, and Espeon was driven into the floor, leaving a crater beneath it.
Wes didn't panic, "Umbreon, [Foul Play], Espeon, [Psychic]."
Umbreon twisted itself midair before landing gracefully. Dark energy gathered around its body as it charged straight toward Vee. At the same time, Espeon's eyes glowed blue, the broken chunks of stone around the battlefield lifting into the air before being launched like bullets.
"Vee," Ash called.
The instant Umbreon got close, Vee's body shimmered and he quickly used [Double Team], splitting into multiple afterimage clones.
Umbreon burst through illusion after illusion, destroying clone after clone, but every time one disappeared, three more seemed to appear.
Espeon's [Psychic] slammed into another clone, but it was useless.
Suddenly Umbreon yelped. A real Vee had appeared underneath it, slamming a glowing paw into its stomach with [Double Kick], sending Umbreon skidding across the floor.
Espeon instantly turned toward the attack.
"Now!"
Its gem flashed. The delayed [Future Sight] finally activated, and it fired directly at Vee, creating an explosion. Chunks of the ceiling collapsed while smoke filled the corridor.
Rui's eyes widened, "Did it hit him?!"
Ash simply smiled, "Nope."
From the smoke, the head of the [Substitute] doll fell out. Remember, [Swift] wasn't enough to destroy it, so Vee had just picked it up and reused it.
Ash snapped his fingers, "I'm done with you. [Veevee Volley]."
Vee jumped out of the smoke and his body began shining gold. As he ran forward, dashing, he slid under Umbreon, slapped Espeon, went back to Umbreon, and moved in a zigzag, leaving a golden line behind him before he landed on the other side. The golden light exploded, sending Umbreon and Espeon flying into the wall before sliding back down, both knocked out.
Ash snapped his fingers, "And that's game."
Wes clicked his tongue. He quickly went to his Poké Ball belt to grab the rest of his Poké Balls. He didn't want this to end like this, but as he tried, two big old purple hands came out from his shadow and grabbed his wrists, then quickly pulled them behind his back.
"W-What?!" Wes stammered as he looked back and saw a Haunter laughing at him while holding on.
"What, did you expect me to play fair?" Ash asked with an innocent expression, "I don't know the meaning of the word," he said, starting to walk up toward him.
Wes tried to pull his hands free, but he was still a normal human. It was useless against a Pokémon.
Then Ash quickly took Wes' Poké Ball belt and checked each of the balls, looking for Shadow Pokémon. He found two, so he took those, then tossed the belt over to Rui, "Here, you hold onto it."
Rui fumbled slightly before catching the belt. She looked down at it, then back up at Wes, who was still struggling against Haunter's ghostly grip.
Ash stretched his shoulders before glancing toward the large metal doors at the end of the hallway. Behind them was Greevil's office, "Well," Ash said casually, "I'm gonna keep going."
Rui blinked, "...Huh?"
Ash pointed his thumb toward the doors, "The old man isn't gonna beat himself."
She looked between him and Wes, "B-But..."
Ash shrugged, "You can come with me if you want. Or you can stay here and make sure Wes doesn't escape. Doesn't really matter to me."
He turned and started walking away before waving one hand over his shoulder, "Take your time. I'll beat down the old guy soon."
Rui stared after him, "Ash."
He didn't answer. Instead, he simply kept walking toward the massive doors.
For a moment, Rui just watched his back, "Liar."
Ash let out a small snort, "Took you long enough to figure that out."
She couldn't help but smile a little through watery eyes, "You absolutely care."
Ash didn't look back, only raising one hand in a lazy wave before continuing down the hall, "Take your time."
The hallway fell quiet after he disappeared through the doors.
Rui slowly turned back toward Wes, "Wes..."
He didn't answer.
She stopped a few feet away, "Why?"
Wes kept his eyes on the floor, "That isn't an easy thing to answer."
"Then let me decide that."
Wes looked down and sighed, "Can we go somewhere? It's easier if I show you."
Rui thought about it, then she looked over at Haunter, and Haunter just shrugged, "Jei jei ¯(°_o)/¯"
"Okay, but Haunter will keep holding onto you."
"I get it…" Wes sighed and looked down. So Wes led the way to an elevator while Haunter was still holding onto him, and Rui followed behind as they went down.
—
{Meanwhile}
Ash walked into the main room. Standing in front of the windows with his back turned was the old man himself, Grand Master Greevil.
He didn't turn around immediately, "So," Greevil said calmly, "it seems my guards have failed."
Ash closed the doors behind him with a loud thud, "Yeah."
Greevil finally turned back, and when Ash saw this, he immediately opened his eyes so he could see Greevil's bright yellow eyes. Around him, shadowy energy began building up.
"You, brat, you just couldn't leave things alone. You interfered with my plans, you took my Black Pokémon, and you even took my son. I cannot let this stand any longer. So I will give you one chance. Return Eldes to me, then leave Orre and never come back."
"Hmmm...Nah, I don't think I will," Ash said with a smirk.
Greevil let out a cold breath as the shadows coiled around him even more, "I must say that I haven't been this excited in a long time. I do have an appreciation for the strong, you see. However, I also cannot allow your interference. My Shadow Pokémon plan is nearing completion."
As he did this, Ash finally confirmed what he thought. Greevil had already turned himself into a Shadow Human. Not surprising.
But then Greevil continued, "I will personally see to the total destruction of your Pokémon!" he said, grabbing a ball.
But Ash needed more, "Before we do this, may I ask what your end game is here? Because we both know it's not just world domination."
Greevil let out a huff, "Fine. I suppose since you managed to get this far, I'll let you know before I destroy you." He lowered the ball, "I'm sure you can see this old body of mine is useless. If I were in my prime, I would have already taken over the world."
"The eight Black Pokémon are only for power. However, world domination has always been a secondary goal for me. My primary goal has always been to restore my youth."
He pulled out a bottle, "This is one of the few successful batches. Other than this, there is only one other, but Ein is working on making me more. Then I'll take over the world. Hahaha."
But while Greevil was laughing, seeing as he had literally left the bottle right there, Ash snapped his fingers, and Pikachu shot a quick [Electro Web] out of his paw. It grabbed the bottle, pulled it out of Greevil's hand, and Ash caught it.
"You know, neat story, but you really should learn not to just leave things out in the open, or I can do this." Ash dropped the bottle, then stomped on it, wasting the perfected Shadow Serum.
"How dare you, child!" Greevil snapped as he grabbed his Poké Balls and threw out a Shadow Swellow, Starmie, and Altaria, "I will destroy you!"
Ash smirked as he threw out just one Pokémon, his Charizard, who landed, stretched his wings, then cracked his neck while looking down at the Shadow Pokémon.
"Try it. Make my day."
—
Meanwhile with Gary
Computer monitors sparked from stray attacks, shattered glass covered the floor, and Cipher operators had long since fled the room, leaving only Gary and Nascour standing across from one another.
"...Impossible..." Nascour muttered.
His Shadow Metagross was breathing heavily, dents covered its steel body, while Gary's Blastoise stood almost completely unharmed.
Gary sighed, "I expected more."
Nascour frowned, "Do not mock me."
"I'm not." Gary adjusted the collar of his jacket, "I'm genuinely disappointed."
"You were supposed to be one of Cipher's top admins. I thought you would be stronger," Gary said, looking bored.
Nascour's expression darkened, "You arrogant child..."
Gary shrugged, "I've heard that one before."
Nascour pointed forward, "Metagross! [Meteor Mash]!"
Metagross launched itself forward like a cannonball, one fist glowing brilliant silver as it rocketed toward Blastoise.
Gary didn't even raise his voice, "[Protect]."
A green barrier appeared around Blastoise. Metagross's punch slammed into it and stopped completely. The barrier didn't even crack.
Gary looked almost bored, "Now, [Flash Cannon]."
Blastoise's cannon turned and aimed right at Metagross's face point-blank. The beam shot out and launched it backward, crashing through three computer terminals before embedding it into the far wall.
"If I knew you were gonna be this weak, I would have gone after Greevil myself," Gary said, and it's not like he wasn't expecting more. Nascour was a Shadow Human.
And from what Green told him, Shadow Human trainers had faster reaction speeds and were just generally better in every way. Too bad the base already sucked, otherwise this might be a challenge.
Meanwhile, Nascour's hair started floating again, "You, I will not let you get away with this!" He threw out a Shadow Walrein, Xatu, Blaziken, and Dusclops. Meanwhile, the Shadow Metagross slowly pulled itself out of the wall, but it was far slower and weaker than before.
Gary raised an eyebrow, "Alright, you're making me put a little effort into this. Here's your reward," Gary said as he pulled out two more Poké Balls and threw them out. When they landed, they opened, and out came his Electivire and Umbreon, standing next to Gary's Blastoise.
Honestly, he probably didn't even need this much, but hey, might as well let his other two get some exercise.
—
Meanwhile, in Evice's office, the battle was already going terribly for him.
His Shadow Tyranitar roared as it charged forward, dark energy surrounding its body as it rushed toward Green's Venusaur.
"Shadow Tyranitar, [Crunch]!"
Green barely looked up from the cabinet she was searching through, "Oooo, fancy," she said, pulling out another expensive-looking item, "You know, I gotta give Cipher credit. You guys have some really good taste in decorations."
Evice's eye twitched, "Are you seriously ignoring me?"
Green looked over at him, holding a golden ornament in her hand, "Not ignoring you. Multitasking."
She tossed the ornament into her bag before pointing toward Venusaur, "By the way, dodge and use [Grass Knot]."
Venusaur casually stepped to the side as Tyranitar ran past him, then she threw a vine out, grabbing it by the foot and pulling, causing Tyranitar to fall face-first into the ground.
Green casually watched as Tyranitar struggled to push itself back up from the floor, shaking off the impact while growling angrily. Meanwhile, she had already turned her attention back to the room, opening another cabinet and looking through it.
"Hmm..." She pulled out a silver tray with intricate designs, holding it up to the light, "Is this expensive?"
Evice stared at her in disbelief, "You cannot possibly be serious."
Green looked over at him, "What?"
"You are currently in the middle of a battle with one of Cipher's strongest Pokémon, and you are shopping!"
Green tilted her head, "First of all, rude. I prefer the term 'collecting.' Second, if you're gonna put all this expensive stuff in one room, it's basically asking to be taken."
Evice's eye twitched, "Shadow Tyranitar, get up and use [Stone Edge]!"
Tyranitar slammed its claws into the ground, causing several sharp stones to erupt from beneath Venusaur.
Green barely looked over, "Venusaur, [Protect]."
A barrier appeared around Venusaur, blocking every stone. Green didn't even react as she continued searching through the shelves.
"Oooo, this one looks nice." She pulled out a crystal vase.
Evice looked like he was about to explode, "Are you seriously admiring my belongings while fighting me?"
Green shrugged, "Yeah? It's called multitasking. You should try it sometime."
Evice clenched his fists, "You insolent child!"
"Wow, you really like saying that," Green said, placing the vase into her bag, "Do you practice dramatic speeches when nobody is around?"
"I do not!"
"You definitely do."
Evice ignored her and pointed forward, "Tyranitar, [Earthquake]!"
Tyranitar slammed both fists into the ground, sending a shockwave through the office. The floor cracked as the attack rushed toward Venusaur.
"Venusaur, jump."
Venusaur calmly leapt into the air, avoiding the attack completely.
Green glanced up, "Now, [Vine Whip]."
Several vines shot from Venusaur's body, wrapping around Tyranitar's legs before throwing it into the air.
Evice's eyes widened as Green continued, "Now, [Sludge Bomb]."
Venusaur launched several purple blobs of poison energy directly at Tyranitar, hitting it before it even landed and sending the big Pokémon into the wall, shaking the building.
Green smiled, "Nice."
She walked over to another shelf, "Anyway, where was I?"
Evice was staring at her like he couldn't understand what he was seeing, "You...you are not even taking this seriously."
Green opened a drawer, looked inside, and pulled out a golden watch, "Whoa, this is actually pretty nice."
"Enough!" Evice slammed his hand onto his desk, "You have humiliated Cipher, destroyed our plans, invaded our headquarters, and now you are treating this like some kind of game!"
Green looked back at him, "Okay, first of all, it is kinda a game."
She held up the watch, "And second, you're the one who made your office look like a treasure room."
"Tyranitar! Again!" Evice snapped.
Tyranitar rushed toward Green, and Green groaned, "Fiinnneee, I'll take you more seriously. Gosh, you're so needy," she said, snapping her fingers.
Venusaur jumped up and threw out her vines. As the stones came, she caught them all and threw them back, hitting Tyranitar one after another. Then, while Tyranitar was getting hit by its own rocks
Green cleared her throat, "[Solar Beam]."
Evice's eyes widened and called out, "Dodge!"
Tyranitar tried to move, but Venusaur shot another vine and wrapped it around its neck, holding it in place. It was useless now. Venusaur fired the beam, and it hit Tyranitar hard, launching it into the wall and breaking through it.
Evice looked at the situation, then quickly reached for his belt to throw out another Pokémon, but Venusaur shot out vines that wrapped around his wrists, then pulled them behind his back and tied him up.
"Yeah, no. I'm not gonna let you throw out another Pokémon," Green tapped her foot, "I mean, Gary at least gives you a fair fight. Me? Nah, we don't do that here. Anyway, I'ma keep robbing you," Green said as she took a random paper off his desk and shoved it into Evice's mouth to gag him.
Then she found a safe, "Oooh!" she said as she walked over to it.
Evice wanted to mockingly say she'd never figure out the code, but Green just threw out a Poké Ball, letting out her Granbull. Granbull reached down and ripped the safe open.
"Ohh, and it's in gold! You're too kind," Green said as she started shoving the gold bars into her bag.
As for the boys, they could deal with the rest themselves. She had more loot to take.
—
Meanwhile, the battle between Yellow and Ardos was still raging, but to anyone watching, it was becoming painfully obvious how one-sided it really was.
Ardos stood across from Yellow, his Shadow Charizard roaring as dark energy surrounded its body. He clenched his fists, watching as Yellow stood there with a determined expression, her eyes glowing faintly from her Aura.
"Charizard, [Flamethrower]!"
Charizard opened its mouth and unleashed a massive stream of flames toward Chuchu.
Yellow quickly looked up, "Chuchu, move!"
But she didn't even need to finish. Chuchu had already disappeared.
The small Pikachu moved so fast that Charizard's attack hit nothing but empty air. Before Charizard could even turn around, Chuchu appeared behind it and slammed into its back with a powerful [Iron Tail], sending the Shadow Pokémon stumbling forward.
Ardos' eyes widened slightly.
"What...?"
Charizard quickly recovered and spun around, swinging its tail toward Chuchu.
But Chuchu simply ducked underneath it.
Then Chuchu hopped onto Charizard's arm, ran up its body, and lit her body up with electricity, hitting a [Volt Tackle] into the side of its head.
Ardos narrowed his eyes, "You think this is amusing?"
Charizard roared, flames surrounding its body.
"You dare mock the power of the Grand Master's Shadow Pokémon?"
Yellow shook her head, "I'm not mocking you." She looked at Chuchu, "I'm just...surprised."
Chuchu tilted its head.
Yellow smiled slightly, then looked back forward.
Ardos clenched his teeth, "Charizard! [Shadow Rush]!"
Charizard launched itself forward, its body covered in dark energy as it charged directly toward Chuchu.
Yellow tensed, "Chuchu, dodge!"
Chuchu flickered out of existence, and Charizard crashed into the ground where she had been. But then Charizard pulled its hand out of the ground, and above it Chuchu appeared.
"[Electro Ball]!" Yellow called out.
Chuchu spun and fired an orb of electricity downward, slamming it into Charizard's head, creating an explosion and sending the big lizard into the ground with spirals in its eyes.
As Chuchu landed, Yellow quickly looked worried and called out, "I'm sorry, Mr. Charizard!"
But Ardos looked like he didn't even care, "Useless. Fine, I'll get rid of that useless lizard after I beat you," he said, grabbing a ball off his belt.
But as he said the word "useless," Yellow stopped and slowly looked up at him.
"What did you say...?"
"I said that lizard is useless," Ardos doubled down, "I'll get rid of this useless tool after. Weak creatures are of no use."
Yellow clenched her fists, "How dare you..." She gritted her teeth and looked up, her eyes now glowing bright yellow, "How dare you say that about your Pokémon!"
"I said what I said," Ardos said as he threw out a Shadow Snorlax, "Now fight so we can get this over with."
Yellow gritted her teeth, "Take it back," she said, narrowing her eyes.
"Why would I do that for useless tools?"
"Then I'm going to make you take it back," Yellow said angrily as Chuchu began getting a power boost, and Yellow's Pokémon jumped out of their Poké Balls and appeared behind her.
Now it was time to end this.
—
Back to Ash
Charizard stood in front of Ash, smoke rising from its body as the last of Greevil's Shadow Pokémon fell. The Shadow Swellow, Starmie, and Altaria were already down.
Greevil stared, his eyes widened as he looked at the defeated Pokémon scattered across the room.
"Gwaaaaaah!" Greevil screamed, his voice echoing through the office, "How...How is this possible?!"
He clenched his staff so tightly his knuckles turned white, "A mere child...A mere child is crushing my cherished plan?!"
Shadow energy started leaking from his body as his anger grew, "No...No, I won't allow it! I won't let you!"
Ash stood there calmly, watching him.
Greevil's breathing became heavier as he reached into his coat, pulling out a small bottle. It was the last bottle of the perfected Shadow Serum, and this time he wasn't just holding it out for Ash to grab.
Greevil looked at the bottle for a moment, then laughed, "You think you have won? You think defeating my Pokémon means anything?"
His grip tightened around the bottle, "This body has limited me for years. This pathetic, useless shell has held me back from my true potential."
He looked down at himself with disgust, "But no more."
Ash's expression changed slightly, "Don't do that. I'm warning you."
Greevil looked up with a crazed grin, "This is my final chance."
He raised the bottle, "My final step."
He chugged the bottle down. The moment the liquid disappeared, Greevil's body froze. For a second, nothing happened.
Then he began screaming in pain, "GRAAAAAH!" Greevil dropped to one knee, grabbing his chest as his entire body started shaking. Shadow energy exploded from him, covering the room like a storm.
Ash immediately stepped back, raising an arm to shield himself from the blast. Then Charizard flew forward and covered Ash with its wing.
The old man's body started changing. His hunched posture straightened, his wrinkled skin began to tighten, and his hair started growing back. Then he grew taller, and muscles began forming across his body.
The shadow energy surrounding him became more intense as the transformation continued. Then, standing where the old man had been, was someone completely different.
A tall, muscular man stood there, his body restored to its prime. His eyes were no longer yellow. They were glowing a deep crimson.
He slowly looked down at his hands, moving his fingers as he admired his restored body.
Then he laughed, "Hahahahaha!"
Ash stared at him.
Greevil raised his head, looking at Ash with a massive grin, "Do you understand now, child?" He spread his arms, "This is perfection."
Ash meanwhile picked his ears, "Right, okay, you done?"
"You dare…"
"Yeah, no. So you really think this means anything, huh?" Ash blew on his finger, then reached down and grabbed a purple Poké Ball. He held it out in his palm.
"Let me show you a real Shadow Pokémon." He let it roll off his hand as it fell to the ground and opened.
A shadowy hand flew out, then another. A white, smoke-like head emerged, and when the Pokémon fully came out, its eyes scanned the room before landing on Greevil.
Then it let out a terrifying roar-like cry. It was about time Ash let Darkrai have a little fun.