Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Journey Into Shadow Chapter 5

It had been a few weeks since the trio had dealt with the bandit camp, and things had been relatively calm ever since. The town fortifications had been mostly completed, significantly increasing the town's ability to withstand an attack. Shinx and his companions had been given a day to recuperate after their fight with Mightyena, but were soon back to assisting the town in any way they could. As opposed to the excitement of that mission, the rest mainly consisted of them gathering supplies during the day; when Shinx asked Absol about why their duties had changed so suddenly, Absol simply replied that there was little else for them to do, since they had Flying type Pokémon to handle scouting and connecting with the other towns, and sending them out to scavenge at night was far too dangerous for them until they had a bit more experience.

Shinx and Riolu had just moved on from helping complete the stone wall around the town and were about to begin searching for some other way to help when they were approached by Absol.

"There you are," the Dark type said.

"What's going on?" Riolu asked.

"I just met with Charizard and Ninetales, they said that the scouts are due back today."

"The ones he sent out a week ago?" Shinx asked.

Absol nodded. "The very same. They're both expecting things to be the same as usual."

"Do you think they're right?"

"To be honest, I am a bit concerned. I mentioned when I first met you that Xatu said things would get worse before they got better, and ever since then I've been dreading bad news at every turn."

Shinx frowned. He had completely forgotten about that.

"Anyway," Absol continued, "Charizard told me to bring both of you back to his house, he wants to talk with all of us."

"About what?" Riolu asked.

"He just wants us to check in with him, that's all."

"Couldn't he just have asked you to do that?" Shinx inquired.

"He said he wants to hear it directly from you, Shinx."

"Okay, then we should go see him," Shinx said.

The three set off for Charizard's house. The trip only took them a few minutes since they were already somewhat close by. When they arrived at their destination, they found the door slightly open. As the three approached, they heard voices from inside.

"Don't mind them," Ninetales said as they entered, "it's just Charizard and Houndoom talking about last night's scavenging run."

"How did that go?" Absol asked.

"From what I've heard, far better than expected. Houndoom is saying that it was the best night of scavenging they've had in a long time. They didn't come across a single Dark Pokémon the entire night."

"How is that possible? I thought they appeared wherever there was darkness," Riolu said.

"That's what they've been discussing, actually. They aren't sure whether it means that the Dark Pokémon are weakening or something more sinister."

"Whatever it means, we should be prepared, just in case," said Charizard as he stepped outside. "Glad to see you three could make it. Come on in," he said as he beckoned them inside.

The group made their way inside. They noticed Houndoom as they entered, who gave a quick greeting before leaving.

"Will Ninetales be joining us?" Riolu asked.

Charizard shook his head. "Not yet. She is waiting outside for the scouts to come back. Once they arrive, she will join us. For now, I just want to meet with you three. Shinx, is everything still going alright?"

Shinx nodded. "Everything is fine. Well, as fine as things can be these days, I suppose. A little quiet these days, but that's better than the alternative."

"Let's hope things stay quiet, then," Charizard said. "How is your training coming along?"

Shinx, unsure how to answer, looked towards Absol, who stepped forward.

"Their training is coming along nicely. Both Riolu and Shinx have made great strides since I started training them," he said.

"If they had to fight a Dark Pokémon alone, would they win?" Charizard asked.

"Without any kind of light, I assume? That depends on the Dark Pokémon they're fighting against. Basic ones will prove to be little threat unless they start swarming them. Dark Pokémon with a bit of experience will prove to be a challenge, however. I don't think I need to go into specifics about what will happen if they fight an advanced enemy without a light."

Charizard nodded. "Thank you."

"Just out of curiosity, why are you asking us these questions?" Riolu asked.

"Because something about last night doesn't feel right. Twelve hours of darkness and not a single Dark Pokémon? Either the world's fortune just reversed or something big is about to happen, and I'm inclined to believe the latter more than the former."

"What do you think is going to happen?" Shinx asked, worried.

"Nothing good, that's for sure," Charizard said.

Just then, Ninetales entered the room, a Pidgeotto trailing behind her.

"The first scout has arrived," she announced.

"Excellent, thank you, Ninetales," Charizard said.

"Shall I wait outside for the rest?" she asked.

"No, I want you to hear this report," Charizard remarked as he motioned towards the Pidgeotto. "You were assigned to check on the town to the east, correct?"

Pidgeotto nodded. "Yes, sir," she said.

"And what did you see?" he asked.

"I'm not sure the young ones should be here for this, sir," the Flying type said.

Charizard swore loudly. "How bad are things?" he asked.

"Very."

Charizard let out a loud sigh. "Continue. Don't worry about those three, they can handle it."

"Very well," Pidgeotto said. "The town was completely destroyed. If there were any survivors, I didn't see any. The houses were all burnt to the ground, as were the food stores. There was nothing left to salvage and nobody left to rescue."

"Is it possible that some managed to get away?" Ninetales asked.

"Yes, I suppose so, but from what I could see, most of them chose to stay and fight."

"They wanted to defend their home," Charizard said solemnly. "What were their fortifications like?"

"Moderate."

"Better or worse than ours?"

"Worse."

"By a large margin?"

"No."

Shinx shuddered. The thought of a whole town being destroyed was terrifying enough, but the fact that it could be their town was even more so.

"Could it have just been bandits?" Riolu asked, although his tone of voice showed that he already knew the answer to his question.

"That town had over sixty Pokémon living in it and was fortified. A group of bandits wouldn't be capable of getting through the outer defenses, let alone killing everyone inside. An army would be more likely, but even then, I think we know what the real culprits were," Charizard said.

A knock at the door interrupted them. Ninetales opened it and led a Skarmory inside.

"How bad was your town?" Charizard asked.

"How did you know?" Skarmory asked.

"Because Pidgeotto's already given more her report, and I'm assuming that yours is just as bad."

"You assumed right, unfortunately."

"No survivors?"

Skarmory shook his head. "I couldn't see any."

"You scouted the western town, right?" Ninetales asked.

Skarmory nodded. "Indeed I did."

"How well-fortified were they?"

"Not even close to what we've got. However, they easily had double the Pokémon we had, about five hundred if I had to wager a guess, and it didn't appear to have done them much good."

"How fresh were the corpses at your location, Skarmory?" Charizard asked.

"No more than twelve hours old, I'd say," the Steel type said.

"And you, Pidgeotto?"

"About the same, maybe a little older," Pidgeotto said.

"I guess we know why there weren't any Dark Pokémon in our area last night, then," Ninetales said, darkly.

"But you know what this means, right?" Absol asked, causing everyone to stare at him in confusion. "It means that the Dark Pokémon are not infinite, like we initially thought. If they were then they would have been able to appear around here last night while also attacking those two locations."

"He's right," Skarmory said. "But the question now is how many Dark Pokémon are there?"

"Too many," Shinx said in a low voice.

Another knock at the door caught their attention. Once again, Ninetales got up and let the Pokémon in. This time, it was a Staravia.

"How bad was it?" Absol asked.

"Bad? Whatever are you talking about?" Staravia asked.

"How bad was the town to the north?" Charizard asked.

"It wasn't bad at all, everything was normal there," Staravia said.

"Well, that's one spot of good news," Riolu said.

"Thank Arceus the northern town is okay. If it was destroyed, then there would be no hope for us," Charizard said.

"Why is that?" Shinx asked.

"Because that city is one of the most fortified cities in the area. They have huge stone walls that stand fifteen feet high surrounding their entire city, with outposts along each one that are manned by Fire and Electric type Pokémon. They also have a population of over four thousand Pokémon, and almost every single one is in fighting condition."

"So, what should we do? If they didn't go north, then there is a good chance that we are their next target," Absol pointed out.

"Unfortunately, Absol is right," Ninetales said. "We need to prepare."

"I know," Charizard said. "I want all of you to travel around town. Spread the word to anyone who is listening that we need to be ready."

"What about the scavenging parties?" Riolu asked.

"As of now, they're cancelled until further notice. Let everyone know that they are to report to the nearest Fire type and assist with setting up additional torches. I want every square inch of this city bathed in light before the sun sets. If we're to have any hope of surviving the night, we're going to need everyone to be prepared." Charizard turned towards the Flying types. "You three are dismissed," he said.

They nodded, then got up to leave. Absol, Shinx, and Riolu made to do the same, but Charizard stopped them.

"Wait," he said. "Stay a bit longer."

"Did you need something else?" Absol asked.

"No, but I do want to know what you guys are planning to do."

"What do you mean? We're going to help defend the town, just like everyone else," Shinx said.

"Is that wise?" Charizard said. "Remember, you are supposed to be the one to save the world, Shinx. If you die here, then there is no hope for any of us."

"Then we will just have to stay alive, then," Shinx said, determined.

"Well said," Ninetales complimented. "I don't think you're going to dissuade any of them, Charizard."

"Very well, you can stay and assist," Charizard said. "But if those walls start to come down, you three need to get out."

"Where should we go?" Riolu asked.

"Head north until you hit that big city we talked about. It's almost a straight shot from here to there, it's impossible to miss. I know the Pokémon who runs that city, he'll help you if you mention that I sent you there. Do I have your word that you will all leave at the first sign of trouble?"

"You have our word," Shinx stated.

"Very good. Now, I need you to go warn the others and help prepare the city. We have the rest of the day at most, so don't waste any time."

The three hurried out of Charizard's house and set about doing as he asked, hoping that any preparations they made plus the fortifications to the town would be enough to save it from the Dark Pokémon.

It had taken all day, but all two hundred and fifty citizens of the town had been alerted to the impending danger. They had armed themselves with torches, and those among them who were capable of using long-range attacks that emitted light were stationed along the walls.

"Sun's going down," Riolu observed.

"Not much time left, then," Absol said as he climbed up to one of the firing positions on the wall.

"You're going up there?" Shinx asked.

"Of course. I can use Flamethrower, therefore I would be more useful up there, launching attacks at our enemies before they can get to the gate."

"How many do you think there will be?" Riolu asked.

"Enough to try and take this town."

"A few minutes!" someone called.

"I'll be right here. Stay close to me, and if things start to look bad, run," Absol said.

Shinx and Riolu nodded, then waited for the sun to set. Within a few minutes it had fully gone, and the only light was from the numerous torches scattered around the town.

"This is it," Riolu whispered.

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning arced its way across the sky, followed by a loud crack of thunder. The skies opened, and rain began to fall upon the town.

"Keep those torches lit! If they go, we go!" Charizard called from his position on the wall.

The first attack came almost immediately as the Fire type finished his sentence. An inky black shard of ice came flying out of the darkness and buried itself in the throat of a Flaafy who was manning the wall. The Electric type fell from her position on the wall, clutching her throat as blood began to pour out onto the ground. A Zigzagoon rushed forwards, an Oran berry in his jaws, but she had already given up the fight before he got a chance to use it.

The Pokémon on the wall began retaliating with attacks of their own, firing wildly into the darkness. Unearthly wails came as bolts of lightning and bursts of flame filled the night, signs of the Dark Pokémon being destroyed.

"What should we do?" Shinx shouted over the chaos.

"Be ready in case the gates break down!" Absol shouted back as he fired off another Flamethrower that swept across the battlefield. The stream of fire caught several Dark Pokémon in its wake, incinerating every one with minimal effort.

Almost in retaliation, a barrage of black-colored projectiles came flying towards the Dark type, who became enveloped in a blue light before nimbly dodging all of them.

"What was-" Shinx began.

"Detect!" Riolu answered.

Another lightning bolt cracked across the sky, illuminating the entire battlefield. The already loud wailing grew even louder as every Dark Pokémon present began to melt into a puddle of ichor. Within moments, they were all gone.

"Is it over?" Riolu asked.

"I'm afraid it's only just begun," Absol answered.

"How is everyone?" Charizard called.

"We've got wounded over here!" someone answered.

"How many?"

"Six!"

"Three dead over here!" shouted another Pokémon, a Simisear.

"One wounded!" said an Electrike.

The town was suddenly filled with Pokémon reporting casualties. By Shinx's count, there were at least twenty-three wounded and five dead among them, and that was from an attack that lasted barely forty seconds.

"Enough!" Charizard called, cutting off everyone. "Anyone who's able to, fill in the gaps on the wall left by the dead! We're making it through this night!"

The gaps were quickly filled, and almost as soon as the new arrivals had come, the battle resumed. This time, the Dark Pokémon opened up with a torrent of water that crashed upon the front gate, washing away all the torches that had been set up to defend it.

"Front gate is compromised!" a Pikachu called, before a Razor Leaf lodged itself in the side of his head.

"Everyone, focus your fire on the front entrance!" Charizard shouted.

"We can't, they're coming out of the woods!" Simisear exclaimed, doing his best to stem the tide of incoming Dark Pokémon by bathing the area in white-hot flames.

"Everyone in the town, move up and reinforce the front gate!" Ninetales shouted.

The Pokémon not on the wall did as they were told, moving towards the front gate to protect it. They watched as the defenders on the front wall dwindled to almost nothing. Within a few minutes, the only ones left on it were Absol, Charizard, Ninetales, Houndoom, and a few others.

"Everyone on the front wall, fall back into the town and establish defensive positions there!" Charizard commanded. On cue, they all leaped off of the wall and turned towards the front gate.

The air was filled with metallic bangs as the Dark Pokémon did their best to bash the front door down. Dents were starting to form in it when another bolt of lightning came, killing them and providing the defenders with a few seconds of rest.

It wasn't to last, as the Dark Pokémon soon resumed their offensive. The front gate once again came under assault, and the remaining Pokémon on the other walls began to dwindle in much the same way as the ones on the front wall. Sensing that they wouldn't be long for this world if they remained where they were standing, those left on the wall jumped down and joined the rest of the Pokémon in the middle of town.

The gate began to buckle, and within moments it had collapsed. Dark Pokémon poured into the town, but were met with white-hot streams of fire from the defenders, which swept across the front of the town. Any attackers that were even remotely close to the entrance were destroyed as the light tore into them.

Just when it seemed like the defenders had a major advantage, Dark Flying types began to swoop in from overhead. They dropped medium-sized ground-based Dark Pokémon into the town before attacking themselves. Several of the defenders broke away from the group to deal with them, an easy feat thanks to their torches.

"They're coming over the walls!" shouted a Lombre.

Shinx watched as several dozen Dark Pokémon began to climb over the nearest wall. He was getting ready to charge up electricity and ram into them when Riolu appeared next to him, a torch in each hand. The Emanation Pokémon raised the one in his right hand, then threw it as hard as he could into the group of new arrivals. It soared through the air before landing at their feet, burning them all to nothing. The one in his left hand he threw at the opposite wall, which had much of the same effect.

Everyone else seemed to pick up on his idea, and those that were able to began to throw their torches as well. They were devastating to the attacking force, but the rain soon began to pick up, and quickly extinguished almost every single one.

"That's not good!" Houndoom shouted.

The instant the light from the torches died down, more Dark Pokémon rushed over the walls. The defenders surged forwards to meet them, and soon almost everyone in the town was engaging their own opponent.

Shinx ducked down, narrowly dodging a swipe from a black-colored Kabutops that would have caught his ears. He began charging electricity to use Spark, but there was no need, as Riolu was quick to seize upon his opponent's weakness and blast him with a Force Palm. The bright light also caught several others in its wake, freeing the defenders who were fighting them of their burdens.

The Electric type didn't get a chance to thank his friend for the help, as another wave of enemies was running towards them. He looked around and saw that all the other Pokémon were already fighting new opponents, and realized that he would have to take care of them. With a deep breath he focused the static electricity in his fur into a visual ring of light, then sprinted towards the attackers. They had already started dying by the time he collided with the closest one, but the resulting explosion sped up the process exponentially, and the blasting radius stretched far enough that a large number of defenders suddenly found themselves no longer grappling with anyone.

Despite his triumph, Shinx knew the moment was not to last, and ran back to the group as fast as he could, not even bothering to look back at the Dark Pokémon who had no doubt followed him. When he rejoined the group he turned around, and saw a group roughly twice the size of the one he had just eliminated running for him. Briefly he wondered if it was the end for him, until Absol darted in front of him and swept the area with a Flamethrower before turning to face him.

"We can't stay here!" he shouted over the chaos, "we're leaving as soon as we can, you got that?"

"Got it!" Shinx responded. "Riolu, did you hear that?"

"I'm with you!" the Emanation Pokémon stated as he ran over to join them.

"Good! Now stick close to me!"

As the flames died down, the attackers arrived again. They came in far greater numbers than they had in the previous waves. Pokémon, normal and Dark alike, fell quickly. The streets ran black with ichor and red with blood. Calls of the injured and dying filled the night as the defenders valiantly fought to save themselves. Within minutes the defenders had been reduced to almost half of their initial fighting force, with a good portion of the casualties being those Pokémon who were capable of instantly killing their opponents with light.

"Charizard, I think it's time you try out your new move!" Ninetales called, as several Pokémon were overpowered and swallowed by the incoming mass of darkness.

"I think you're right! Cover your eyes, everyone!" Charizard shouted.

The Fire type let out a mighty roar from the front lines just as the attackers began to surge forward once more. Before the Dark Pokémon had the chance to overwhelm anyone else, pillars of flame began shooting out from him, spreading across the town. Anything the flames touched became fuel, and even the pouring rain struggled to douse them. The horde of Dark Pokémon that had just a few moments ago spelled their demise was reduced to nothing.

"Charizard, that may have been the finest Blast Burn I have ever seen in my life!" Absol called.

"Forget that, you three need to leave, now!" the Fire type shouted back.

Absol nodded. "Let's go!" he shouted, bounding off towards the nearest wall. He jumped on a nearby stack of boxes first, then jumped from that to the top of the wall.

Riolu and Shinx followed his lead, albeit at a slightly slower pace. Within moments they had joined him, and the trio jumped to the ground, then turned towards the north and began sprinting as fast as they could. Projectiles followed them, but Absol briefly turned around and let off another Flamethrower, killing the ones who had launched them.

Another bolt of lightning screamed across the night sky, and from the darkness came more wailing. Shinx wanted nothing more than to cover his ears, but he was unable to. Almost as soon as the lightning bolt had come, a dark figure sprinted out of the woods to his right and collided with Absol, dragging the Dark type down to the ground. Shinx was able to see that it was a Dark Scyther, and it had his companion pinned, with a scythe inching towards his throat as the Disaster Pokémon struggled to hold it back. Before Absol had a chance to hit the Scyther with a point-blank Flamethrower, Shinx had shrouded himself in static electricity and was charging towards him. He rammed into the Scyther, and a burst of light followed that reduced it to a puddle that stained Absol's fur.

"Let's keep moving!" the Dark type called as the trio resumed running.

Shinx spared one last glance towards his home as he ran. Many buildings were on fire, and he could see dozens of dark shapes approaching the outskirts of the town. He turned away, not wanting to see any more, and continued running into the night with the only two friends he had left.