It had been several days since the exhibition at the stadium. The damage in Lumiose was being repaired with each passing day. Everyone relaxed in the hotel for what may be their final evening together. "You know…" Takeba began while staring out the window. "I overheard that the airports are going to be opening again tomorrow afternoon. I think that means this is going to be the last of our time together."

There was a bit of a heavy silence around as Takeba brought up a good point. "Huh…" Marcus sat back in his chair. "Time really flies when you're having fun, huh…?" A worried glance was then given to Kasumi. She only really stuck around because she knew they'd bother her more if she wasn't nearby. "Any changes? Feel like smiling?"

"No." Kasumi replied a little too quickly for comfort. It was clear she was at her wits end with everyone despite all their efforts.

Grace sighed while staring at her friend. "Isn't there anything we can do for her?"

"It's hopeless unless we find some way to open her heart." Lovrina reported solemnly. "Hey Rui…does it look like her heart has opened up even a tiny bit? Even just a sliver would make this much easier."

Rui took a glance at Kasumi only to see not a single change. "…Nothing sadly. She's closed up tight."

"You know, my offer of shoving her into the Purification Chamber is still valid…" Michael trailed off. For some reason that was a response that caught Kasumi's attention; having those dull lifeless eyes stare into your soul was enough to shut anyone up. "I-It was a joke…"

"How frightening…" Elizabeth shook her head. "I don't think there's anything more we can do for her right now…as much as I hate to say it."

"We'll take her back to Kanto." Marcus nodded. "Maybe we can try something then…"

"I'm sure you can do it. I have faith." Ash replied with that usual grin of his. "And if you need help you know where to find us!"

"Your support is very welcome." Grace gave an appreciative smile.

"Alas…our paths shall part come this time tomorrow." Lore calmly spoke. "This time together was quite fun."

"We're not leaving yet, idiot." Kayla rolled her eyes while giving the usual bit of sass. "What are we even going to do until it's time to leave?"

"U-Uhm…!" Takeba spoke up shyly. "I have a request…!"

"…Something tells me this won't be good." Scott remarked.

"So…you know that annoying Honchkrow that keeps bothering me? Well…I want to catch it before we leave! And I want you guys to help me!" Takeba nodded firmly. Although to the others the idea of Takeba catching a Pokémon sounded like it would be a train wreck.

"We should probably help her. She's a mess after all." Marcus teased. When he said it like that it just made Takeba puff her cheeks out.

"…..Do I have to come?" Kasumi asked.

"Yes. We're not letting you out of our sight." Grace responded. "You've been okay these last few days."

"I see…" Kasumi stood up and stretched. "Well…I'm going to sleep now." She took a few steps before stopping. "…Oh right. I wanted to say…I watched the Finals that I missed since I was unconscious. Marcus and Ash…you both did really well. It was an enjoyable battle to witness. You both are very strong."

"O-Oh…thanks!" Ash grinned.

"I…uh…" Kasumi rubbed the back of her neck, unsure how to phrase what she wanted to ask. "I'm…curious. Since this may be the last time we see each other for a while…I want to know what it is you all want to do in the future."

Kasumi's question did garner some strange responses since it was somewhat out of the blue. "Where'd that come from?" Takeba asked.

"…I knew I shouldn't have asked. It was a dumb thing to worry about." Kasumi shook her head and went to walk off, but Grace grabbed her hand to stop her. Of course Grace felt a stinging sensation shock her body, but she didn't go even though it hurt.

"No…we'd be h-happy to tell you!" Grace forced a smile through the pain.

Kasumi stared at Grace before pulling her hand away for the brunette's sake. "Don't be dumb, you know you can't touch me. But…thank you. I suppose."

"Come, sit down." Grace ushered Kasumi to a seat. "We've already talked about this beforehand but we'll be happy to tell you what we're up to. This involves you too."

Kasumi took a seat while staring at the others. It was very unnerving to have them all smiling at her like that. "…Stop staring at me. It's creepy."

"Says the one with the dull eyes…" Kayla mumbled. "Okay, just sit down and listen. We've all got our own plans later. Here's what we're going to do…"

.

.

The next morning it was time to initiate operation: Capture Honchkrow! In order for this to begin, the others had to leave Takeba be for a while. She was certain that bird was watching her from somewhere. Takeba traversed along the road of Route 2 alone, minding her own business with her hands behind her back. "Come on you stupid black bird…take the bait…I'm right here…" The pinkette thought. After a few moments of walking it happened: Honchkrow emerged from the trees and dove at Takeba. "EEEP!"

"Pikachu Electro Ball!" Pikachu hopped from some shrubbery nearby, flicking its tail forward to shoot a ball of electricity forward. Honchkrow noticed this at the last second and flapped its wings to fly backwards, allowing the sphere to pass it.

"Ah ha!" Takeba then dug into her pocket for a pokeball. "Go, Pokeball!" Takeba tossed the pokeball forward, but Honchkrow slapped it back with its wing. The capsule ricocheted off the bird's wing and slammed into Takeba's forehead. "Gah!" With a yelp she fell backwards with a red mark on her forehead.

"Honey…you got to weaken it first…" Elizabeth placed two fingers on her forehead and sighed. The others started to make their way out of hiding.

"I-I know…!" Takeba laughed nervously while standing up. "I uh…did things out of order." At the very least Honchkrow realized that she wanted to battle and actually stuck around this time, cawing at the pinkette. "I don't understand bird language!"

"If I had to guess…" Scott began. "I think you caught its attention when you beat that 'shrewd woman' some time ago."

"Venus…?" Takeba blinked slowly. "Wait…you were watching me? Ah ha! I impressed more than just myself with my plan. I told you I'm a genius."

"Are you gonna fight it or not…?" Kasumi asked with a heavy sigh.

"Oh…right! Blastoise let's go!" Takeba called forth her Blastoise to battle.

"Why do I feel like this is going to be a train wreck…?" Marcus said while rubbing the back of his head.

"Hey, that's your girl; you should have more faith in her." Grace nudged her friend with her elbow. That response flustered Marcus so he just turned away and coughed awkwardly.

"You can do it Takeba!" Bonnie and Serena cheered.

"This is going to be a show…" Michael sat at the base of a tree to watch.

"Best of luck, challenger!" Said Lore.

"You're all so weird. Just don't mess it up." Kayla offered her strange encouragement.

"That's their roundabout way of saying catch it, right?" Rui glanced at Lovrina who just gave her a simple shrug.

"Okay here we go!" Takeba spun around before pointing at Honchkrow. "You annoying bird! You'll be mine from this day on! Aura Sphere!" Blastoise leaned forward, shooting off a sphere of raw energy towards Honchkrow.

"Caw!" Honchkrow exclaimed before flapping its wings, sending crescents of wind towards the incoming Aura Sphere. This was Air Cutter and it cleaved through the Aura Sphere and struck Blastoise, causing it to slide back.

"Whoa, that thing is strong…!" Ash exclaimed.

"Ooof…not bad." Takeba nodded. "Okay, Water Pledge!" However, before Blastoise could even initiate its attack, Honchkrow used one of the sneakiest moves ever: Sucker Punch! The bird flew forward and struck Blastoise with an underhanded blow. Blastoise didn't flinch and continued with its actions. The moment Blastoise' fist struck the ground multiple pillars of water shot up from the ground. Honchkrow was unable to escape from them all and was shot into the air. "Ah ha! Now Aura Sphere!" Blastoise continued this momentum and fired off an Aura Sphere.

However…Honchkrow recovered quickly. Its eyes had a devious glint in them as it cawed before a mirror appeared in front of its body. This mirror then turned into Aura Sphere, which collided with incoming projectile for an explosion.

"Ah!?" Takeba stared at the others for an explanation.

"That was Mirror Move." Clemont explained. "It allows the user to copy the last move the opponent used."

"No way. This thing is so sneaky…" Takeba racked her brain for an idea.

"Don't stress it too much now! It is tiny!" Elizabeth teased.

"At least mine works under pressure!" Takeba shot back. Elizabeth knew exactly what she meant and she had to admit she took the loss there. While those two were busy bantering Honchkrow dove down while adding a corkscrew spin to its rapid descend.

"Watch out! That's Drill Peck!" Ash shouted.

"Rapid Spin!" Blastoise tucked itself into its shell and began a fierce counterclockwise rotation. Both Rapid Spin and Drill Peck collided, the two forces refusing to yield before they just rebounded off one another. "Are you okay?!" Blastoise nodded. Honchkrow's response was firing off another Air Cutter that pinned Blastoise down due to its ferocity. Even Takeba had to shield her eyes from the wind. "Ah! Geez…! I'm glad I choose not to wear a dress today…"

"Come on, catch that thing." Kasumi said while tapping her foot impatiently.

"I know!" Takeba replied. "Blastoise, Hydro Pump, full power!" Blastoise nodded and got down on its hands and knees, pointing both cannons forward. Each cannon unleashed a powerful jet stream of water that merged together midflight for a powerful beam that pushed through the Air Cutter and struck Honchkrow, pushing it into a tree! "Did it work!?"

Honchkrow was stunned and wet from such an impact. While Takeba was curious as to whether not it worked the others had to shout; "THROW THE BALL!" at her.

"O-Oh! Right!" Takeba tried things once again. "Go Pokeball!" This time the capsule was thrown forward without any hindrances. The capsule struck Honchkrow and opened up, dragging the Honchkrow inside. The capsule then fell to the ground, rocking back and forth as the red light dimmed off and on. A tense silence filled the area until…ding.

"…Did she…?" Kayla began.

"A-Ah…AHAHA!" Takeba grinned and rushed over to the pokeball, lifting it high into the air. "I just caught…A Honchkrow!" Blastoise joined her victory cry.

"Well I'll be damned." Elizabeth laughed.

"Hold on a moment!" Lore cut the excitement short. "When you catch a pokemon, is it not true that when you have more than six, that ball shrinks and becomes unusable?"

When Lore brought that up…it brought up some pretty questionable things into perspective. "Yeah…that's how it works…" Ash nodded in agreement.

"…Didn't you have a Linoone when we fought?" Marcus asked.

"Oh, uh…I borrowed it from my brother via the PC." Takeba explained. "After the battle I returned it. He wanted it to battle and he was the only one who knew about my whereabouts…so…."

"Now wait just a second!" Now Grace had a point to bring up. "You mean to tell me that if you beat me and went to face Marcus in the semifinals…you only would've done so with five pokemon!?"

After a long tense pause, Takeba winked and stuck her tongue out bashfully. "Yup." That simple reaction made everyone fall over comically.

"…So when does the plane to Kanto leave again?" Marcus asked.

"Uh…" Standing up, Takeba checked her phone. "…About…5 minutes ago." Once again, everyone just collapsed.

"I knew this was going to end terribly…" Kasumi shook her head. Her gaze then went off to the side and her brows furrowed. "….?"

"Something wrong? Aside from our idiot's inability to count?" Scott questioned. Takeba really didn't mind being called an idiot as long as it was with these people, because they were her true friends and the only people allowed to call her stupid. Everyone was aware of this now.

"I sense something." Kasumi replied. "It doesn't…feel very good. I'm leaving and I think you should follow unless you want to get hurt."

"You could at least try to show some compassion…" Michael grumbled before standing up. It wasn't long that an Aggron appeared from the trees, looking dazed. "…Huh? There are Aggrons in this area?"

"…That can't be right." Serena shook her head. "Aggron are usually native to rocky mountain areas…right?"

Rui took one glance at that Aggron and her eyes widened. She could see the shadowy aura flaring from around its body. Just as she noticed Aggron began to prepare an attack within its mouth. "That's not a normal Aggron! GET DOWN!" Everyone dove to the ground after Rui shouted. Aggron unleashed a Shadow Beam that nearly tore through the landscape.

"A Shadow Pokémon!?" Bonnie clung to Clemont out of fear. Squishy poked its head from the bag at the disturbance, just as surprised as everyone else to see the resurgence of Shadow Pokémon.

"I got this!" Michael shouted while holding his Snag Machine arm out, preparing to manifest pokeball. Before he could do that a massive four wheeled tank plowed through some trees from a cliff nearby, flying over the group before landing near them and more importantly; Aggron. "Huh!?"

"Watch out!" Marcus grabbed Takeba and dove off to the side to avoid the massive vehicle.

As soon as the tank landed a large tube shot forth, encapsulating the Aggron within its Shadow-Proof interior. Aggron raged but try as it might; it was unable to break free. The tube was then pulled into the large tank. Ein and his Mega Alakazam appeared at the top of the tank and the scientist seemed pleased with his efforts. "Another successful capture. Things are going swimmingly."

"EIN!?

"I knew you were still around you Ekans!" Lovrina hissed.

"Huh? Oh…" Ein turned to the group with a pleased expression on his face. "What timing. This actually saves me the trouble of having to hunt you all down. I see XD-002 has been doing well."

"…" Kasumi took a step backwards. Marcus and Grace moved in front of her, which did surprise her. "H-Huh…?"

"We're not letting him take you again." Grace said firmly.

"Oh, you think I'm just after her? No no…I plan on expanding Chiper's range. In order to ensure complete and total victory, I'm going to need a number of you. The one who can see into the hearts of others, those who'd dare mock me, the one who forgot her true purpose…and of course XD-002. Alakazam; Psychic." Alakazam's eyes shone bright, using its vast telekinetic power to take a hold of Marcus, Lovrina, Clemont, Rui, and Kasumi, beginning to drag them into the tank against their will.

"Hey! Let them go!" Ash exclaimed. "Greninja use Water Shuriken!" Greninja was thrown out of its Pokeball, entering its Ash-Greninja form almost instantly due to the seriousness of the situation. As soon as Greninja appeared it flung a shuriken towards Eizen's Alakazam, only for it to be intercepted by a powerful Hyper Beam. The explosion caused everyone to shield their eyes. "What the!?"

An Aerodactyl descended down with Ardos standing on top of it. "I will not allow you persistent children to interfere with my plans."

"Ardos!?" Lovrina tried to struggle against Alakazam's kinetic grip. "What the hell are you doing!?"

"Man, I almost forgot about you…" Michael said while narrowing his eyes.

"I haven't forgotten about you, boy." Ardos voiced his clear disdain for Michael. "I've been keeping my eyes on you just as I promised. And I told you that one day I would revive Chiper and carry on Greevil's will. I refuse to accept Chiper's resurgence by the hands of that incompetent fool."

"…Are you talking about Wes…?" Rui's glance shifted to Ardos.

"The very same." Ardos spat. "A disgrace to the Chiper name with his foolish machinations."

"D-Don't you DARE TALK ABOUT HIM LIKE THAT!" Rui's struggle started to prove a little useful as she moved her limbs a little bit. If given the chance she would've lunged at Ardos, but Alakazam's Psychic made things near impossible. "Gnk..!"

"Pipe down. We'll be starting yet another revival. Neo Chiper. And this time it WILL succeed!" Ein exclaimed. It was then that Alakazam tossed the new captives into the tank. "I'll let you all in on a little secret. Do you know why Shadow Pokémon are still roaming about? Remember when I made Mewtwo act berserk? The energy Shadow Mewtwo released did not only cause damages to the region, but corrupted many pokemon scattered throughout this land."

"So there are even MORE Shadow Pokémon roaming around now?" Takeba questioned. "No, more importantly; why don't you ever give up?! And give us our friends back!"

"We've no reason to play games with you any longer." Said Ardos. "Aerodactyl, Hyper Beam." Aerodactyl let out a roar before releasing another Hyper Beam. This beam nearly destroyed the landscape, forcing the others to take cover elsewhere. "We're leaving."

"I know." Ein flipped a remote switch and the tank began to drive off.

"Greninja, don't let it get away!" Ash commanded. Greninja nodded and hopped in front of the tank…which seemingly rolled it over.

"Oh no…!" Serena covered her eyes as the tank drove off and Ardos flew off with Aerodactyl.

"No, it's fine!" Ash said. Ash could see through Greninja's eyes at the moment. Greninja was underneath the tank, clinging with its webbed hands and feet to the bottom as it drove off. "It's driving off! We have to go after it! Is everyone okay?"

"I'll live…" Grace said while standing back up. "But we have to save them!"

"You guys go on ahead." Kayla said. "I'm going to go back to Lumiose to get some back up…! …Wait…where did Lore go?"

"Doesn't matter!" Bonnie said while pointing in the direction the tank drove off. "We have to save my brother!" It seemed that Squishy agreed with this sentiment. The creature hopped from Bonnie's pouch and began hopping forward, summoning forth several Zygarde cells to enter its 10% form, where it began sprinting.

"…That still confuses me, but we should probably follow that hound." Michael nodded to the others and they were off!

.

.

Team Rocket set up a communication channel with Giovanni. They were showcasing some strangely edited footage of Chiper and Wes' defeat, including the fatal blow from Mewtwo that, with Meowth's editing skills, make it look like they were responsible. "With that, it's safe to say that Chiper has been defeated!" James said with a large grin. "Their leader was none other than the one who defeated them before! But Team Rocket was able to crush him!"

"Shadow Pokémon mean nothing to Team Rocket's might!" Jessie added.

"So…it was all a ruse was it?" Giovanni said while inspecting the footage. He was no fool and could tell that it was edited in some fashion, but he was not going to question it and take the trio at their word. "Shadow Pokémon are dangerous. While I would like to use their power for Team Rocket…they are far too dangerous and we've not the means to control them as Chiper does. It is for the best they remain out of the picture. Good work you three." Once saying that, Giovanni cut the transmission.

"He praised us!" Meowth had a wide smile. "Just more actions like that and I'll be the one sitting on his lap again instead of that stupid Persian!"

"We're going to make it to the top!" Jessie and James sang in unison. Their song didn't last for long as the Chiper Tank plowed through nearby trees and nearly ran them over. The trio had to evacuate to the side while staring with wide eyes. "W-What the?!"

"Is that a tank!?" James asked while clinging to Jessie out of fear. Shortly after the tank passed by, a gigantic black tendril erupted from the ground. "AAAH!"

Luckily for the Rocket Trio a Shadow Ball destroyed the tendril. Mewtwo flew by for a brief second before heading in a different direction from the tank. Zygarde then ran through, paying absolutely no mind to the trio while pursuing the tank. "W-What the heck is going on!?" Jessie, James, and Meowth all said in unison.

.

.

The tank soon came to a steady halt underneath a large plane. Ardos returned Aerodactyl and got in the cockpit of the plane. The tank attached itself to the bottom of the plane and both were hidden within a cloaking device. The plane then took off into the sky. Ardos set the plane on autopilot and headed down where Ein was keeping the captives. Marcus and Rui were tied up in a corner, Kasumi had her hands tied behind her back in a chair while Clemont and Lovrina were the only two who were free, but not in the position to do much. Around them were trapped Shadow Pokémon still trying to free themselves from their captivity.

"Let us go." Lovrina demanded Ein. "Can't you see that Chiper is over?"

"Chiper will never be over as long as Shadow Pokémon exists." Ein said while adjusting his shades. "And as long as XD-002 is still operational…we can probably make some use of her."

"Why are you people so hellbent on messing with her?!" Marcus shouted. "Leave her alone! You've already done enough to her!"

Kasumi stared off at the side, frowning as being near anything Chiper related made her feel uneasy. "…I do not want to be here. Please take me back."

"…She's uneasy…" Marcus grumbled.

"Haven't you done enough?" Lovrina said. "Look at her! She's not even who she used to be anymore! Just leave her alone Ein!"

"We can do no such thing." Ardos said as he walked into the room with his arms behind his back. "I was brought up to speed on the Shadow Project. Your work is impressive as always, Lovrina."

"This is the one time I'd rather you DIDN'T compliment me on this project. I'm not proud of it." Lovrina admitted while shaking her head. "This girl is my friend…and I'm ashamed of what I've done to her."

"Nonsense." Ardos shook his head while speaking with his cold, callous tone. "This girl is quite an amazing specimen."

"She's not some tool for you to abuse! She's a human!" Clemont yelled. "Your idea of science is taking things way too far!"

"Stop and think about how the human heart works!" Rui pleaded. "She can't take it anymore!"

"Quite the opposite." Ein said while waving a hand dismissively. "While you have purged most of her heart of darkness…the null state of her heart has left her quite susceptible to it. I believe she is capable of absorbing even more Shadow Power than before…and we can spread that among her pokemon…"

"I can't touch my Pokémon in this state. They are not with me." Kasumi said.

"Hm…" Ein furrowed his brows. With Kasumi's dull tone it was hard to tell if she was sassing him or not. "Regardless…you won't be the only Shadow Trainer around this time." Ein's gaze then shifted to Clemont and Lovrina. "First…I want to change the hearts of those who dared mock my scientific process."

Lovrina's eyes widened as she was in Ein's sights. "N-Now wait a second here! I offered my assistance but your pride shoved me away! Not that I'd offer it to you now. A-Ardos, are you really going to stand by and just watch this? You can't be that heartless!"

"Your heart has changed Lovrina." Ardos said. "You used to be as cold as ice and not care about what happened to people. In order for Neo Chiper to regain its true name…the best mind must come back to us."

"B-Best mind…?" Lovrina swallowed the nervous lump in her throat.

…While Ein took offense to that. "Ardos, we've had this talk before. Besides, I'm the one who was responsible for this to begin with. Tell me…Rui was it? Do you know why Wes turned out the way he did?"

"…W-What happened to him…?" Rui was practically dying to know.

"Do you recall when you raided the Chiper Lab together in the dessert? There was some Shadow Power that seemed to have entered his system and lie dormant for a while after that explosion. You can guess where things went after that." Ein laughed at Rui's distressed face before clapping his hands. This caused a small gun to appear from the wall and it was loaded with Shadow Energy while pointing at Clemont and Lovrina. "Now then…before we begin. Do you have any last requests…?"

Clemont and Lovrina stared at each other due to the shock from the situation. Clemont sighed first and took off his glasses. "At least allow me to fix my glasses one last time…"

"And let me fix my hair. I'm not turning back into an evil witch with messy hair like this." Lovrina said while adjusting the pins in her hair.

"Very well. I can respect that." Ein nodded.

"Superficial wishes…" Ardos scoffed. Once the two were done Ardos made the command and the gun fired off a widespread beam of Shadow Power that struck Clemont and Lovrina. It hurt, noticeable by their screams of pain.

"…Please, stop…" Kasumi said while unconsciously struggling against her restraints as she watched Lovrina and Clemont suffer the same fate as she did. That was the last thing in the world she wanted…for anyone to end up like her.

.

.

Ash closed his eyes for a moment to see through Greninja's. He saw the forest below, which meant that plane was just above them. "Ah…they're close. We should head up that incline; they're passing by that cliff!"

"I'm very glad I choose not to wear heels today…" Takeba said while staring up the steep incline. "Are we going to make that in time?"

"We have to if we want to catch them." Elizabeth sighed. Without any complaints the rescue team had to hurry up the incline to the top of the cliff. All they could see upon arriving was the sky and the forest below. "I don't see anything!"

"Where are we supposed to be looking?" Grace asked Ash. "Because the open sky isn't helping."

Ash closed his eyes once again. From Greninja's view on the plane's wing, they were starting to near the cliff. "They're almost here. We're going to have to jump."

"Excuse me?" Elizabeth gave Ash the 'I don't think so' look. "Do you not see that drop right there? If we miss we're definitely dying? Why can't we just use our flying Pokémon…?!"

"They're surrounded by a cloaking device…we can't see it." Ash said. "Even if we fly we're still going to have to jump if we want to make it in time. We can't follow what we can't see…"

"He's got a point…" Said Scott. "We have to take the risk. Everyone get your fliers ready." As he said this he called out his Swanna and hopped on its back. "We only have one chance…unfortunately."

"I'm not a gambler…" Elizabeth sighed while calling out her Charizard.

"Here, you two get on." Grace said after calling out Salamance, helping Bonnie and Serena on its back before getting on herself.

"You guys are something else…" Michael laughed while getting on Swellow's back.

"Honchkrow, let's go!" Takeba called out her newly caught Honchkrow. After its defeat to her it seemed rather accepting of allowing her to hop on its back to fly. "Guys, I think it likes me!"

"I would hope so…" Elizabeth rolled her eyes.

"…" Bonnie kept silent. They lost track of Zygarde during their hunt, but she wasn't worried about her Squishy. She knew it could take care of itself…but she had a bad feeling the longer they had to wait to hunt down Clemont and the others.

Without any more delay, the flying pokemon took to the sky, waiting for Ash's signal. "If we miss this jump, I'm killing you, just so you know." Elizabeth gave that warning.

"We'll be fine!" Ash didn't even flinch. After a few more seconds the plane was directly underneath them all. "Let's go!" There was one thing they had failed to anticipate, however, and that was the turbulence the rotary engines caused. The sudden wind blew everyone off balance and they just started to fall. "Gah…!"

"NOT LIKE THIS…!" Michael cried out.

Luckily for everyone Greninja was incredibly fast to act. The shinobi whipped its long tongue forward to wrap around Ash's arm and keep him from falling. This was crucial for the other flying pokemon as they could actually pinpoint a location to land once saving their trainers. Greninja was having a hard time pulling up Ash but it finally managed to do so after a moment or two. Once Ash was safe the others followed suit and landed on the wing of the plane, all pale in the face. "…I told you it'd be fine!"

"I'm pretty sure we almost just died because of some wind." Takeba frowned.

"…That's not the first time I've almost died." Michael said once he regained his composure. Such a comment made the others give him a strange look. "Hey…Gorrigan and Ardos were willing to blow up their bases just to get rid of me."

"You are the definition of a problem child." Elizabeth sighed. "Anyway…we can't stay up here for long…"

Michael's scouter activated and he took a glance around the plane. "…Wow. They've captured a ton of wild Pokémon in here, all of them Shadow. They weren't kidding about their progress thus far. But I see an infiltration point nearby. I'll take care of the Shadow Pokémon, you guys go rescue the others."

"They won't get away with this…" Serena said.

.

Ein and Ardos took a walk through the plane and Kasumi was forced to trailed behind them. Ardos still had some concerns regarding several loose ends. "The Shadow Pokémon in Miror B's custody…will we have to worry about him? I do not wish to spend extra energy hunting him down if we don't have to."

"I wouldn't worry about him." Ein waved a dismissive hand. "Miror B was never interested in the creation of Shadow Pokémon, he was merely a distributer in Pyrite. His ways have changed, but he is still the same greedy dancer I knew back then. It's likely he will just use the Shadow Pokémon to cause some havoc elsewhere, but that's hardly any of our concern. In fact it will just make him easier to track when the time comes."

"Excellent." Ardos gave a nod of satisfaction. "I want no loose ends when Neo Chiper rises."

"…." Kasumi didn't say a word. She just walked forward.

The three then walked into a large open room. In the center of this room was a gigantic glass sphere brimming with Shadow Power. "Since Miror B has taken our assets…this will be the last remaining batch of manufactured Shadow Power. We have extracted this from the Pokémon we captured…with this we can easily corrupt this entire region." Ein told Ardos proudly.

"…Will everyone end up like me, then?" Kasumi asked.

"Oh heavens no." Ein shook his head. "You were…a very tasteful prototype. Your condition thus far has proven to be very useful data. The fact you've survived even now is a miracle in and of itself…but now I know the necessary steps of what not to do, so the Shadow Trainers produced will without a doubt be stronger than you. But don't worry! You won't be alone in this operation."

"…I see." Kasumi sighed.

The door from the opposite side opened up. Ash and the others stormed through the door only to stop upon seeing Ein and Ardos. "We found you!" Ash pointed.

"How did you rats get here?!" Ein snarled only for a brief moment. "Ah…no, this is fine. You can sit and watch." With a snap of his fingers, Marcus and Rui were practically tossed into the room by Alakazam's Psychic, still tied up.

"Oof…!" Marcus grunted.

"Ouch…" Rui whimpered.

"Marcus! Rui…!" Takeba hurried over to them to start untying them, not that either Ardos or Ein minded.

"That's only two…" Scott narrowed his eyes. "Where are Clemont and Lovrina?"

"We were hoping you'd ask…" Ardos had a sick grin on his lips as Clemont and Lovrina slowly began to walk into the room. Due to Clemont's glasses and Lovrina's goggles it was hard to tell their expressions, but their slow walking was no good sign. "Say hello to Neo Chiper's newest admins."

"B-Big Bro…?" Bonnie's eyes widened as Clemont was nearly unresponsive.

"All hail…Neo Chiper…" Clemont said with a slow voice. Luxray was behind him as Lovrina's Ninetails appeared by her side.

"…." Kasumi rubbed her arm as she stared at the two of them.

"No way…" Rui bit her lip as she stared at her two friends.

"We were too late?" Elizabeth and Zoroark were ready to go if need be, but at the same time things weren't looking in their favor.

"And stupid." Ardos sent out his Aerodactyl once more, which hovered over Takeba, Rui, and Marcus while preparing a Hyper Beam. Letting Takeba get close was only a part of the plan, for now there was one hell of a hostage situation going on.

"A-A trap…?" Takeba swallowed the lump in her throat.

"Should've seen that one coming…" Marcus groaned, only because this situation was escalating poorly for them.

"Do you concede yet?" Ardos glanced at those who dared to oppose him. "It's useless to resist. We shall win."

"I don't believe that!" Ash shook his head. "There's no way Clemont or Lovrina would fall so easily to that Shadow Power! They've got stronger hearts than that! And we're here for Kasumi and the others too. You won't have your way with them anymore!"

"That's a big game you talk…" Ardos merely sighed. "You don't understand the situation you're in, do you? If you make one false step…your friends die."

"I-Is he serious…?" Serena's face went pale. The fact Ardos used the word so casually is what frightened her the most.

"…You all are just better off leaving before things get worse." Kasumi spoke up. "It's not worth getting hurt…"

"K-Kasumi…?" Grace bit her lower lip as Kasumi spoke.

"…I'm terribly sorry, XD-002…but I cannot allow anyone who associates with that boy to live." Ardos explained. Ein merely laughed while Kasumi ended up staring at Ardos.

"…I think we stepped our foot in too deep this tme…" Scott grin his teeth. They just needed a single opening…

"Ah…that look of despair plastered on all your faces." Ein let out a content sigh. "How I've longed to see that. Your defiance ends here."

"Solar Beam…" A voice whispered from the darkness. From the corner of the room, a bright beam of solar energy struck Aerodactyl's back, causing the fossil pokemon to roar out in pain as its Hyper Beam was a misfire and exploded on the side of the plane, creating a large opening.

"W-What the!?" Ardos looked around. "Who did that!?"

"Do not underestimate the power of my darkness!" Lore appeared from the shadows with his Sceptile at the ready.

"H-How did you get in here!?" Even Ein was taken aback. "Bo-Boy! Lovrina! Take care of them this istant!"

"…Well, if you insist…" Lovrina shrugged while removing her goggles to reveal her normal colored eyes, pointing at Ardos and Ein. "Ninetails, Blizzard!"

"Luxray, Swift!" Clemont too! Ninetails unleashed an unrelenting Blizzard at Alakazam while Luxray's tail released a rain of stars upon the psychic type, blowing it backwards.

"W-What!? You should be following my orders…!" Ein growled. "We blasted you two with Shadow Power!"

"Oh PuhLEASE." Lovrina said while waving her hand dismissively. "Believe it or not, this kid and I actually had a long discussion about Shadow Power. We were worried that you were still out there and would try something like this, so we crafted some anti-shadow Power devices."

"But when did you…!?" Ein was cut off.

"You're surprisingly confident." Clemont said. "When I fixed my glasses, I put the chip in to resist the Shadow Power. That didn't stop it from hurting…but it did do the trick. Rui was in on it too."

As Takeba untied Rui and Marcus, Rui faced Ein and Ardos with a bit of a confident grin. "I had to act like I saw something! These eyes can see darkness, remember? You can't see what I see."

"Sounds like you just got played." Elizabeth said with a confident grin.

"You're so smart!" Bonnie rushed over to Clemont to hug him.

"Thanks for believing in us." Clemont nodded to Ash.

"This…you insolent…" Ardos began to shake from anger. These…kids were making a complete fool out of him! He reached for a lever, grinning madly. "Then…I'll just erase you here and there!" Ein pulled the lever…and absolutely nothing happened. Clearly it was supposed to be something big judging by his mouth hanging agap. "W-What!? Where are my Shadow Pokémon?!" Just as he said that the door on the right side opened up and Michael came running through.

"Those Pokémon were not willing to be captured…but I got them!" Michael grinned to the others. The situation didn't exactly set in just yet.

"YOU…." Ardos growled at Michael. The hatred he had for Michael was unrivaled.

"Yikes…" Michael laughed nervously at Ardos. "You again? Why can't you take a chill pill! It's definitely over!"

Ash turned his eyes to the gigantic glass orb containing Shadow Power, assuming that to be the main root of Neo Chiper's revival. "It's time to shut this operation down! Pikachu use Thunderbolt! Geninja use Water Shuriken!" Pikachu hopped forward to release a powerful bolt of lightning from its body while Greninja hurled a large shuriken at the glass. Just when impact was made…the glass reflected and dispersed the attacks. "H-Huh!?"

"Nothing?" Elizabeth then gestured for Zoroark to attack, and it did so, releasing a Night Daze upon the glass sphere, only for the same result to occur. "Huh?!"

"Oh…you won't be shattering that." Ardos regained his composure. "That is the hopes of Neo Chiper's foundation…it won't break so easily. Aerodactyl, Ancient Power!" The fossil pokemon conjured up floating rocks and launched them all at everyone! These rocks exploded on contact, shaking the plane violently and made everyone tumble over.

"Agh…!" Marcus landed on Takeba. At least he had something soft to land on.

"H-Hey! Now isn't the time…!" Takeba shoved Marcus away as though he were at fault.

"We gotta break that glass!" Rui said while slowly standing up. "There's too much Shadow Power in there…if all that got out…"

"It would corrupt all of Kalos…and then some." Ein finished Rui's sentence while adjusting his shades. "Quite glorious, don't you think. But even if you were to break this glass…that energy would not just disperse. It would linger in the air and corrupt something. No matter how you slice it, you cannot win."

"You've lost three times already…what makes you think a fourth won't happen…?" Michael made his way up to his feet. He and Ardos were just glaring at each other.

"Because of this." Ein grinned while pressing a remote switch. The Shadow Power went haywire and began spreading out into the room in black electricity! The field of effectiveness spread rapidly, catching our heroes within its wake quickly. It wasn't long before they all fell to their hands and knees in an effort to drive off the Shadow Power from entering their bodies. "How does that feel!?" It wasn't just our heroes; Aerodactyl, Alakazam, Ein, and Ardos were also affected by this…but those with darkeness in their hearts felt the effects much less than those without.

"W-What on earth…" Lore groaned while falling to a knee, struggling to keep himself stable.

"I-It hurts…!" Bonnie cried out.

"T-This is bad…" Lovrina winced. She underestimated how strong the remaining Shadow Power truly was. Even with the special pin she made, it wasn't going to take very long for Shadow Power to corrupt her too! "A-Ardos…are you so serious about this…you're willing to turn all of these people into Shadow Trainers?!"

"I will go above and beyond my Father's vision!" Ardos exclaimed while walking over to the downed Michael, placing his heel atop the kid's head. "This brat sullied my father and brother's vision…now I will erase him and all who associate with him. You are the obstacles that prevent Neo Chiper's success!"

"C-Can't you do something more productive with all this hateful energy…?!" Michael groaned as Ardos' boot began to apply pressure. "Agh!"

"You won't have the luxury of becoming a Shadow Trainer. I'll crush you right here." Ardos sneered at the boy beneath him.

"I can't move…it's going dim…" Scott said while trying to keep focus.

As the darkness attempted to pierce its way through everyone's hearts…there was one person who stood firm, completely unaffected at all: Kasumi. She stared as the others were in danger. Some strange impulsive feeling came over her as she watched but felt helpless. A burden. "None of this would be happening if I were dead…" She mumbled. "I told them to leave me alone…if only they'd listen to me…then they wouldn't be hurting…but I…" Her hand clenched into a fist and her body trembled. She couldn't stand watching everyone suffer like that…it was the one true thing to get a rise out of her in her state.

"What do you want to do…?" Diantha's words echoed in Kasumi's mind. Their talk from the other night was more impactful than she believed it to be at first.

"I…." Kasumi closed her eyes. Without even thinking she ran up to the glass sphere and put her hands on it. The black sparks of lightning began to recede and the Shadow Power within the orb began acting wildly. Black lightning began to spark around Kasumi's body as she just endured the immense pain it caused her. "Ahhh! I-I'm…I'm not going to be a burden to anyone…anymore!"

"W-What are you doing!?" Ein nearly screamed. "Step away from that!"

"K-Kasumi!" Grace was hurt, but still tried to stand back up. "W-What…you can't…!"

"She's…absorbing it into her body…!" Rui gasped. "B-But why…!?"

"If she does that…" Ardos grit his teeth.

"She's not planning to…" Ein only foresaw one outcome of this…and it wasn't good for him and Ardos.

"Hey, there's something I need to say that's been on my mind…" Kasumi spoke to the others through her grit teeth, the black sparks only intensifying around her body. "I want to thank you for believing in my and never leaving me behind…Hey…I don't think I can say it in words but…all the time we've spent together was the best."

"W-What are you saying…?" Marcus asked. "Why are you speaking like you're writing a will…"

"Hahaha…" Kasumi let out a dry laugh at such a question. She didn't feel the need to answer it. "I've always been such a burden on everyone…you guys…even Chiper unintentionally….and I really don't know how much longer my body can hold out like this…so I think I've finally realized what it is I want to do. You said so yourself, Grace…everyone can do their own thing to make this world a better place. And mine is…doing this right here, right now."

"Y-You…but!" Grace couldn't accept this. Once on her feet she ran forward, only to be pushed back by a surge of Shadow Power. "Oof! Kasumi!"

"Even though I was lost in the dark, you guys were there…you were my light." Kasumi continued. "So now it's my turn. I'll keep standing tall…I can't fall. You gave it your all for me, so now it's my turn! I'll give it my all!" Those dull eyes of hers flashed red for only a second as she continued to drain the glass sphere, pouring all of that Shadow Power into her own damaged heart. Kasumi's actions were causing damage to the plane as she directly interfered with its power source.

"A-Are we losing altitude?! Get away from that thing!" Ein demanded. Alakazam fired off a Psybeam directly at Kasumi which was a direct hit. Kasumi let out a cry of pain, but she didn't budge and just made another burst of Shadow Power push everything away from her. Ein nearly fell over and lost his shades in the process, which allowed everyone to finally glance on his shocked expression. "W-Why are you doing this…Don't you realize what you're doing!?"

"Of course I do." Kasumi replied. "All my friends are here along with every precious memory…and both just mean the world to me. And I can't stop now…I have a promise to keep."

"H-Huh…?" Grace blinked a few times.

"We should probably get out of here soon…!" Michael warned. The plane was still high in the air, but Kasumi's actions were going to change that very quickly.

"Hey, do you remember when we met?" Kasumi asked Grace and Marcus. "Grace…your will to never give up on your dreams was such an inspiration and you always saw it through. You always work so hard even if it kills you…but you don't have to worry about me anymore…and Marcus, you idiot."

"H-Huh…?" Marcus replied.

"You always fight everything in front of you without even a second glance…when you challenged Cynthia…I was so jealous. I didn't have the guts to do that…" Kasumi let out another dry laugh. "But your actions gave me courage…" As she said this she had drained most of the Shadow Power from the sphere, but she was only just beginning. "Don't stray from the paths you've made for yourselves…even if it doesn't seem like it's the right choice. You guys aren't allowed to be sad about this…because you've protected me so much, now it's my turn to protect you all! It doesn't matter when or where…all your dreams are here to stay and I won't let them fade away!" Kasumi let out a shout and that's when she began to refill the glass sphere with Shadow Power, but at a much more violent rate. This caused the alarm of the plane to blare. Ardos and Ein finally realized what it was she was aiming to do.

"She's…planning to blow up this plane!?" Ardos snarled. "This…problem child…!"

"You're one to talk!" Kasumi replied.

"So this is what you've decided for yourself…." Serena frowned. "I-Isn't there any other way…!?"

"It's okay Serena…" Kasumi said. "I want to save you all…just like you saved me. I know I've been an ungrateful brat these last few days…but despite that you all haven't given up once on me. I can only do this as my thanks…"

"You're such an idiot…" Elizabeth grit her teeth, glancing away from the scene.

"Kasumi…" Rui could see Kasumi's heart at this moment. The trigger that started this was a simple one…if only she'd realized it sooner.

Lovrina bit her lip, feeling the tears welling up in her eyes. Never did she imagine that her project would end up turning into a close friend…and that friend would do this for her. "K-Kasumi…I-I'm so sorry for what I've done to you! This is all my fault! If I wasn't with Chiper then you would never…!"

"It's okay." Kasumi repeated, only this time she could feel the saline running down her cheeks.. "You guys should get out of here soon. This sappy moment isn't exactly going to work well if you all don't hurry your asses out of here, got that? Thank you all for what you've done."

"Aren't you scared…?" Bonnie asked. She didn't want things to end like this for Kasumi.

"We can get you out…!" Ash was determined not to leave anyone behind.

"…I'm terrified." Kasumi cracked a tiny smile. "But even so…I can't back down now. Even times when I'm afraid, I won't let my courage fade." Kasumi turned around, allowing Grace to see her smile one last time. "That's the promise you and I have made."

"..!" Now Grace just started crying on the spot.

"W-Why do you continue to vex us like this?!" Ein asked. "You…You're…!"

"You don't understand me at all." Kasumi then shot a glare at Ein. "You don't understand the heart at all. As long as it beats, it will never lose to you!"

"T-Tch…!" Ein growled.

"Tell my Pokémon…that I'm really sorry. I'm a terrible trainer for abandoning them…Now get out of here!" Kasumi demanded. The others didn't have a choice but to comply with her demands, calling forth their flying Pokémon to hurry the hell out of the plane as it continued to descend towards the ground. "That means you too!" She meant Ein, because Ardos had unfortunately made his own escape as well. With another pulse of Shadow Power, Ein was forcefully kicked out of the plane and fell into the canopy of trees below. Now it was just Kasumi. "Thank you for everything…I love you…" She muttered before the plane finally exploded in a brilliant flash of white light, leaving not a single trace of its existence left behind.

.

.

As the light died down, the others looked back from their flying Pokémon. The mood was very…sullen after what just happened. Grace stared down at Salamance's back before taking a look at Serena and Bonnie behind her. "Are you two okay…?"

"I'm not hurt…" Serena sighed.

"I'm okay…" Bonnie nodded.

"The others…?" Grace looked around. It seemed like everyone was okay…physically at least. Rui was riding Charizard with Elizabeth, Lovrina had her Altaria, and Lore was catching a ride with his Noctowl. All seemed well, but of course a certain blue haired maniac had to ruin the moment by trying to snipe them out of the sky with Hyper Beam. "H-Huh!?"

"What now!?" Ash asked.

That's right; Ardos continued to pursue them even after what happened! Only his patience was extremely thin as his Mega Aerodactyl was now flying at the group. "I will not let you escape! Everyone who is with that boy must perish!"

"Are you for real!? Learn to take a hint!" Takeba screamed.

"He REALLY doesn't like you, doesn't he?" Lore glanced at Michael.

"I think his hate for me has turned into a borderline unhealthy obsession…" Michael said with a sweat drop. "Can't you do something a little more productive to society with all this energy?! We can't fight him like this…!"

"Ardos, have you ever considered some anger management courses? Or…courses on how to care for human life, for that matter?" Lovrina wiped the tears from her eyes before glaring at her former comrade.

"Not in the slightest." Ardos then made his command. "Hyper Beam." Aerodactyl fired off another Hyper Beam, only a Dragon Pulse intercepted it and the two attacks exploded. "W-What?"

Eldes descended down with his Salamance, arms crossed behind his back. "Ardos…"

"Eldes…" Ardos stood up straight and cleared his throat. "I was wondering where you vanished off to. So…you would protect that child and his companions even after what was done to Father?"

"…Yes I would." Eldes said with a nod. "More importantly…even knowing what Chiper does, you are still intent on reviving them? Chiper has caused nothing but pain and suffering for all of those involved. Even when we were with them I…questioned their methods. When I heard of the Shadow Project…I knew I was right to disagree. Pokémon is a line…but people too? I could not forgive that. But brother…are you truly intending to continue on that dark path?"

"I am following Father's vision!" Ardos shouted. "It's because of that boy that our family was torn apart! Father is no longer the man he once was…and you now stand on another side. Why am I the only one who remembers what Father wanted!?"

"…." That comment really got to Michael. He imagined if he and Jovi were standing on opposite sides in a situation like this. Was it really his fault…?

"I don't think he wanted this!" Eldes shot back. "Father is a changed man now. He repents in prison for his actions…he let us escape so we could build a different future. Michael is not at fault. He helped open my eyes...and Father too. You are the only one that refuses to see the daylight ahead...stop turning your back, brother."

"The future Father envisioned…will be the one I build." Ardos folded his arms in front of him.

"That future cost me my friend!" Grace screamed. "I will NEVER FORGIVE YOU!"

"One life is only a trifling subject…" Ardos scoffed. His blatant disregard for human life hurt his brother the most. "But she destroyed all we have left along with herself…I'll start from scratch and…!"

"ARDOS!" Eldes rose his voice for the first time. Even Lovrina was surprised by this interaction. These two were brothers, and yet… "What…what have you done? You are not the brother I remember…"

"I can say the same for you." Ardos retorted. "Move aside, Eldes. Because you are my brother, I will spare you. But they…they must be eliminated for my grand vision."

To that, Eldes shook his head. "I will do no such thing."

"That's a shame…" Ardos sighed before pointing his hand forward. "Aerodactyl…" Before he could issue his command a sudden Dragon Pulse from below struck Aerodactyl's stomach. The sudden impact jerked Ardos and he stared down, barely noticing that Zygarde sniped him from below. "W-What…!?" Another Dragon Pulse was fired and this one shot Aerodactyl down. There wasn't much Ardos could do but fall to the ground…and as soon as he did, he was surrounded by members of the International Police.

"We've got you now!" Looker said while cuffing Ardos. Ein had been caught as well and was currently being stuffed into a police car.

"Haha, you got arrested." Said Venus, who was also stuck in the same car as Ein.

Kayla rubbed her nose smugly as the others landed. She was with Cynthia and Diantha for extra backup just in case, but luckily their assistance wasn't needed as well. "Ha! I told you I'd be back in time!" Glancing around, she realized they were one short. "…Hey…where'd Kasumi go…?"

.

.

Those who were absent from the scene were caught up on what happened. To say the very least the news was incredibly shocking. Diantha was the first to speak. "I see…so what's what she decided…"

"We were careless…" Looker was placing the blame on himself. "If we had only managed to capture Ein sooner…the only reason we got so far so quickly is because we happened to spot Mewtwo floating above. It dropped Ein down for us."

"This is all my fault…" Grace wept into her hands. "I-I was always so hard on her for what happened…I…

"It's not your fault…" Rui patted Grace on the shoulder. "You know at the end…those dark chains around her empty heart loosened. Watching all of us hurt…or maybe it was just you two…I think that was what unlocked her heart from her own darkness. That's why she decided to do that…"

"As herself…?" Marcus mumbled. "She always has to make things so difficult…"

"…At least we can say that Chiper is finally finished now." Michael sighed. "I don't need any more of that in my life…"

"I wanted to ask you about something…I know it's a bad time…" Looker looked to Lovrina, Rui and Michael. "But Miror B is still at large…and there are some Shadow Pokémon roaming about because of what happened. The International Police asks that you join our forces so we can focus on gathering up the Shadow Pokémon as quickly as possible."

"That's fine." Lovrina said with a nod. "It's partially my fault…so I want to make up for what I've done."

"I'll do anything I can do help." Rui nodded.

"Yeah, same…" Michael replied.

"And how are the rest of you feeling?" Cynthia asked.

"Not good…" Ash admitted. "I just wish we could've helped her…"

"You keep saying that…" Cynthia began. "But from what you've told us…she wanted to help you. I know it's never easy to agree with such a decision but…"

"But it's what she wanted." Grace finished. "It wasn't like she didn't have a choice…but she just chose to do it…for us…"

"Are you okay with that…?" Clemont asked.

"Not…particularly…" Grace admitted. "But she…she did save us. Perhaps more than just us…and she smiled at the end. That meant she was content with her decision…I can't bring myself to hate her for it even though I disagree….but I know she doesn't want us to dwell on it…! So I'm going forward with a smile…just as she wanted…!"

"Me too…She'd slap me if I frowned now." Marcus responded with a forced smile of his own. It wasn't easy…but things regarding Kasumi never were.

"Are you two going to be okay…? You knew her the longest…?" Serena voiced her concerns.

"We'll…manage…" Marcus said while rubbing the back of his head. He did feel a little better with Takeba's attempt at comfort. "But if we all mope around…she'll definitely be upset with us. She lit up the path for us…so to speak."

"That's one way of putting it…" Lore laughed a bit. "She truly was a brave soul."

"I'm sure you can do it." Cynthia said while standing up. "She has faith in you too." Cynthia then turned her attention to Elizabeth. "…I know things aren't happy right now. But the plane to Sinnoh will be leaving soon…shall we get going? I booked us seats for first class."

"…." shut down as Cynthia spoke to her. Cynthia had…no idea what she did wrong. "Huh…? D-Did I do something wrong…? I-Is this normal?"

Takeba sighed and went over to Elizabeth, placing her hand around her mouth to move her lips and mimic her voice. "Oh yes, my darling Cynthia! I would love nothing more than to sit next to you on the plane! My bags are already packed and I'm ready to leave at any time! Oh, to be in the radiance of my most…!"

"Okay okay that's enough I think she gets it!" Elizabeth was embarrassed. That was the second time Takeba basically called her out again. That was enough to get a laugh out of everyone despite the situation.

"I'm gonna miss you guys…" Bonnie said.

"Oi…Ash…" Marcus extended a fist out to the trainer he called his equal. "Next time we battle…I'll definitely be beating you, got that? No holding back."

Ash grinned slightly at Marcus' words. He gave Marcus a bro-fist and nodded. "We'll be waiting for your challenge anytime!"

"Do you two just think about fighting?" Grace chided the both of them.

"They're hopeless…" Lovrina sighed.

"Yeah…you were all something else all right…" Kayla said while playing with her hair.

"Why don't we all take a picture?" Serena suggested. "So we can remind ourselves to be happy…for her sake?"

"That's a great idea." Rui clasped her hands together and nodded.

"Who will take it?" Scott asked.

"…I wouldn't mind." Looker said. Serena handed him that camera so quickly he wasn't prepared, but everyone began to gather up for one commemorative photo. "You've all done so much to help us, this is the least I could do."

"You two come in too!" Ash ushered Cynthia and Diantha into the picture. "You helped too."

"If you insist…" Diantha offered a small smile while entering the picture alone with everyone else.

Once everyone was in position Looker had to adjust the camera a little to fit everyone in. It was a pretty big group after all. "All right…everyone say cheese." They all grinned and did just that. Looker pressed the button and a flash briefly shone through as the picture was taken. A picture that showed a group of friends that went through many hardships together to topple an evil organization twice. Their paths would diverge from this point on…but it was likely they'd see each other again. Such was the world of Pokémon, after all…and that path that Kasumi made for them, they'd be certain to make the most of it.

.

.

Pokémon: The Shadow Project: End.

Thank you all for reading this very long adventure. It turned out much longer than I thought it would, but I do hope you all enjoyed! There may be a sequel in the future, but not at the moment. I would love to hear what you like/disliked about this and your favorite characters and why! They may make a return sometime in the future…