As the two, Pokemon and trainer, continued to attack their opponent, it seemed they were close to winning. Trevor and Gallade slid out of the way of a strong slash from the blade. They jumped back to safety as Trevor watched Spence, weary of what his next move might be.

"That's right... I'm no match for Gallade as I am. But two can play at that game," Spence pulled out a pokeball. Trevor watched in surprise as energy coursed through Spence, becoming a visible aura. He tightened his grip on the handle of his katana, "Seems that things just keep becoming more interesting with you. Gallade let's hurry and finish this, but be cautious."

The two charged at Spence again. They were met with a severe difference than moments before. Spence was now on the offensive while the other two had to take a more evasive approach. Gallade went in for a direct attack while Trevor came from the side. Spence seemed to have sensed the plan and outmaneuvered Gallade and focused on Trevor.

Trevor was defending the best he could as Spence hammered his blade down again and again. Gallade attempted to rescue Trevor by attacking Spence from the back, but he saw through that. Everything happened quickly as Gallade dodged Spence's attack and yet Spence held ou this palm."No hard feelings," he said as a sudden short burst of aura sent the pokemon sliding out the boundary.

Trevor watched in shock as Gallade was blasted out of the ring. The Pokemon skidded over the ground. He picked himself up slowly, showing some signs of injury. Something inside of Trevor clicked as he became very serious, determined to win for Gallade. He didn't even think as his instincts took over.

Spence walked over as Trevor was still in shock and picked him up by his shirt, "A little training I did in Sinnoh. Impressed?" He grinned. That's when Trevor lost it. He grabbed Spence by the wrist and looked at him with cold eyes, "Not good enough." Trevor swung his body out of Spence's grip and used the momentum to throw the man out of the ring.

The crowd was silent before the erupted in cheers. The ring master walked out to the center and raised Trevor's arm, "Well by a surprise of events it seems that Red has defeated Blackwind. You're prize is right over there." The man gestured at a table by the stairs, that's when Trevor snapped out of his moment. He looked around and saw Gallade looking worried, as well as Spence getting up from the ground and dusting himself off. "I'm sorry but I can't accept the prize." And with that Trevor returned Gallade and ran off the ring and into the woods.
--------------------
What happened? Why did that happen again? Trevor was running through the woods in the northern area of the city, most of it abandoned and overgrown with brush. It became so dense with branches that he resorted to cutting them down with his blade. Eventually he came into a clearing, a dying building lay in the center.

As he got closer he saw that it had a large green house off to the side that was now destroyed by the very plants that were kept safe inside it. Trevor walked through the broken down doors to the building, as he passed through he saw a wheel of what seemed to be all the colors of the rainbow over the entrance. "I wonder if this used to be a gym." His answer was soon given as he walked into an overgrown stadium field. He gripped Abra's pokeball, expecting something to try and attack, but he heard no sound in the area.

Trevor continued through the building, making to the broken greenhouse. "This place must have been evacuated years ago." Just then he heard a rustling noise as a shadow darted out from one of the overgrown bushes. It tackled him quickly and pinned him to the ground. As Trevor's focus came back he looked into the face of an Ivysaur, which was fairly mad at him from disturbing its home.

It had its vines posed to strike but hesistated as it began smelling Trevor. Its vines retracted as it smiled and nuzzled Trevor, making him very confused. "What the hell is going on here? Do I know you?" At that comment the Pokemon became sad as it jumped off of Trevor and walked out the back of the greenhoues. He followed, but was nowhere prepared to see what was there.

Several gravestones littered the clearing behind the old gym. As Trevor followed the Ivysaur he noticed that all the headstones were either trainers or Pokemon that were apart of the gym. The Ivysaur stopped and laid at the largest headstone in the field. As Trevor looked up at it he went cold. Staring back at him was his last name, but it was the first name that made him go cold. It read "Erika Farrow: Gym Leader of the Celadon Gym, wife of Derrik Farrow, and mother of Trevor Farrow." Trevor looked beside his mother's grave to see his father's next to it.

He fell to his knees as he gripped the grass. The Ivysaur began nudging him, then turned and snarled as the wind began to pick up. Trevor stayed looking down before asking, "Am I supposed to be dead like them? Should I have perished here with my family?"

((And this can go in any direction. Figured you'd didn't want me to introduce Cathy, but wanted to make it heartfelt with a touch of suspense ))

"Great job Sarah." Silas said.

Seeing Fury flying with Jimmy's Pidgeotto, he came up with an idea. "Fury use Zen Headbutt!"

Fury nodded and jumped off, her head glowing blue as she flew at the Snorlax. The Snorlax put its head forward to use a Headbutt to try and counter. THe two collided forehead to forehead and both flew backward.

"Fury? Are you okay?" The Medicham slowly got to its feet. The Snorlax didn't follow. "Great job Fury. Take a break." Fury returned to her pokeball in a flash of red light.

"That's how it's done. What next?" Silas asked looking around.

It was after a confused daze Spence found himself laying on his back, taken down by none other than Trevor. Spence realised he had lost. He groaned, getting up to brush himself of the dust in bitter defeat, "Well, it was a good match... Guess I got cocky, next time I'll-- " he turned to congratulate Trevor, only to see that Trevor had disappeared, "Trevor...?" he turned, looking around, "Where did you...?"

"Well, you're the runner up!" The Rocket walked over, handing him an unusual rough stone.

"What the, um, thanks?"

Spence spotted Alex in the crowd, jumping the ring as he moved passed the crowd to stand with him, "Hey, did you see where Trevor went? Oh, nevermind... I'm sure he'll find us again. Although, I'm worried..." he sighed, crossing him arms. "Come on, let's regroup."

Walking beside Alex, he eyed the stone in his possession, "You've been given one as well? That must mean you won. Looks like you've earned it... I'd hate to see what the other guy looked like," he grinned, looking at his own stone, "...Ah, I see. These are evolution stones, see?" Spence gazed closer at his own stone. Although dim, a tiny element slightly glowed inside, "Given to a pokemon, these stones are said to evolve particular pokemon. These are actually pretty rare and hard to come by. They must have stopped mining them roughly twenty years ago... I wonder if Rocket ever realised."

The chain to the arena was taken down to allow Sarah and the others out, the three of them were handed different types of stones. Sarah realised straight away what they were, but kept it to herself for now. "Congratulations. I... wasn't expecting such an amazing feat," the Rocket was lost for words." Sarah laughed to herself as they were reunited with Bill.

"Too bad, I was expecting more of a challenge," she talked herself up before seeing the expression on Bill's face, "Bill?" she frowned, examining him, "Is something... wrong?" The announcer called the arena area closed for the time being, crowds of people leaving the tunnels. Pushing of the crowd lead the group to follow, until eventually they found their way outside through the exit.

Spence and Alex found Sarah and the others, Sarah walked over, "Hey, you guys win?"

"Yeah, well, not really. It was Trevor who won, I merely claimed the prize. So, where's Wolf and Root. And has anybody seen Trevor?"

Sarah shook her head. Spence sighed, "Oh."

Sarah noticed Alex, he looked pretty roughed up, "Alex... what happened to you?"

"Hey, you lot!" A group of Rockets approached them, "We didn't realise you all knew each other."

Spence looked to Jimmy before looking back at them, curiously.

"To be honest, the stones we gave you weren't actually the prize we promised, we know! Slightly embarassing on our part, really!" he laughed, scratching the back of his head, "Actually, the Eevee we hold are in storage right about now! Underground in the old Team Rocket hideout of the burnt down Game Corner! Jimmy knows the one! All of you are welcome to claim your prizes there, sorry for the mix up!"

"The Eevee! Oh, awesome!" Sarah clapped, "Let's all go see them now. I want the cutest one!"

"Sarah..." Spence shook his head before turning to Jimmy, "This isn't some kind of trap, is it?"

The Rocket most familiar to Jimmy took him under his arm, "Are you kidding? We're his droogs, remember? You can trust us! We're loyal, like hardcore! Ain't that right, boys?" They all agreed.

Spence grinned to himself, he knew this was trouble. But what choice did they have? Leave those poor Eevee to a bunch of crooks like them? He didn't think so. So they followed Spence into the city and left the excitement of the festival. It was becoming dark, and a storm was soon approaching.

Spence hopped over the burnt wreckage of the casino, the Game Corner, wondering what had happened to it. Did someone want to erase his or her past? The remains looked as old as he was. Spence approached an odd poster on the wall. Examining beneath it, Spence found a button. It started to rain down.

“Should we push it?” Sarah asked, hesitant.

“Why not?” Spence smiled to himself, pressing it.

From a hole a distance away, a pod of an elevator popped from the floor. They entered it and soon the elevator descended.

Soon, the elevator doors opened. Spence walked inside. This must have been the basement of what the Game Corner used to be. Was this really Team Rocket’s old hideout? Did the Champion really battle Giovanni, the Rocket’s Leader, in a bizarre place like this? Luckily, the electricity was still in working order, the lights down the ruined corridors were still functioning, as well as all the auto-doors they passed through, deeper into the hideout.

*song of storms*

They ventured down the tiled floor till they approached a man in the distance. Black long down his back, wavy spikes protruding it, hair tied into a ponytail. It was almost like a Zoroark’s. “You’ve finally come. Taken your sweet time, huh?” A tall, built and dark man with a black coat and black shiny leather pants.

“You’re a Rocket, too?” Spence questioned, tilting his head, “We’ve come to collect our prize.”

“Certainly,” the man turned, revealing red eyes, his sleeve showing the ordinary symbol of a Rocket, although this guy was far more rugged than the others. He gave them a wicked smile, “I’ve come to claim my prize as well… you’re equipment and pokemon will be a nice addition to the gang.”

Spence grunted, a gun suddenly put to his back from out of nowhere. Spence hesitated, turning his head to see the glimpse of the man behind him. The same exact man held a pistol to his back with intent, exactly identical to the man speaking with him a distance away. “How’d you--?”

The man gave a chuckle in the distance, a dark aura revealing a part of a furry leg before it reverted back. Its trainer turned the gun, creeping it up Spence’s back. He was ready to pull the trigger at the slightest movement, “Zoroark and I are master illusionists... It was easy to ambush such idiots like yourselves. It would’ve been easy to guess what us Rockets wanted right away. To think you actually came here expecting any less, now that was stupid.”

Spence grinned to himself, “Idiots and stupid, are we…? I think you’ve underestimated us, utterly and completely.”

The dark man laughed menacingly, “Hahaha! If you think I’m not prepared, you’re sadly mistaken!” the man sharply dug the gun into his back, Spence wincing, “Just any one of you try anything, I dare you. You think I would be down here alone if I didn’t know I could handle myself with a bunch of brats and they’re old man?!”

The man turned, seeing the presence of Jimmy, “…Wait, you’re—Those bastards!” he growled under his teeth, “They didn’t tell me one of our own was here! What the hell?!”

Spence got his chance. He turned, grabbing the gun in his hand as it fired into the air. Zoroark roared, unleashed a powerful Night Daze attack. It was blocked by the group by efforts of their strongest pokemon, including a Blastoise’s Protect. Spence slammed the man to the ground, pulling his sword from his sheath and holding it to the man’s neck. The Zoroark hesitated, being forced to stay its next attack. Spence spoke, “Sorry, we haven’t really been introduced properly. It’s Spence…”

“Spence… the rebels? Then, the kid joined you…?” the man hissed, edging his head to Jimmy, “You… you’re alive then, after the Fushica incident?” he growled, pounding his head to the tiles underneath it, a guilt of stupidity hitting him, “…Looks like I’ve been the fool. Those Rocket morons… turning on their own like that. For years under them, and they betray me like this?!”

“You, where are the Eevee?!” Sarah prodded her answer.

“The Eevee…” the man sighed in annoyance, “…Are down further inside. I’d be careful, who knows what grunts are sneaking around.”

“How are we to trust you?”

The man, recognised by Jimmy as Axel, let out another sigh, “I know the kid, and his brothers, when they were still alive... You can take his word for it. Zoroark! Let them pass…” The pokemon growled, showing a whimper when it saw Jimmy. It sat, lying down on the tiled floor. “Our loyalties lay with the kid, not the bastards who just betrayed us.”

((If Wolf turns up, he'll know Axel as another bounty that got away. I think that'll be interesting. I'll write up Axel's profile soon, he'll be another one of my characters. He'll basically have a lot of past influence on most of the characters in the roleplay, although some won't recognise him just yet. I thought I'd try something new to closer the bonds between the characters who will eventually be Team Midnight in the future. I'll let you know when I've written up a profile of him to see where he appeared in their lives.))

---

"Am I supposed to be dead like them? Should I have perished here with my family?" A grief stricken Trevor asked his deceased parents graves. A shadow was approaching, creeping up behind him. Turning, the little girl known as Cathy stood, visible in human form. She smiled.

“If you’re asking me; then yes. You should be dead, right now. But that’s all right, I can forgive you if you want. Oh, how about this? I’ll be kind to you and accept your last wishes! I’ll bring you back here after I’ve killed you, and bury your corpse beside your beloved parents! How does you sound, Ex-Soldier?” he spoke sweetly, an eerie wickedness about her as a shadow grew larger around him.

Suddenly, from the darkness, black arms grabbed Trevor and his Ivysaur. The girl walked around Trevor as he struggled helplessly. “It’s a shame you didn’t listen to Spence and brought your new friends with you. You might have been a little safer, but no one can escape me. Not… anymore.”

Suddenly, a portal of darkness formed in front of her, the dark arms drawing Trevor inside, little by little. “Take a breath, Trevor. Those who I welcome to the Distortion World only ever get one last chance to taste the sweet air of the real world. You’ll be trapped inside here, forever and ever, until your own guilty conscious kills you. Goodbye, Trevor. It was lovely meeting you.”

The arms dragged Trevor and his pokemon into the portal as they yelled, the arms pulling them inside in one false swoop. It closed up, the portal vanishing. Cathy turned, smiling as a lightning struck above her in the sky. “…Spence and his friends, you’re next.”

In the Distortion World, Trevor fell onto a dark patch on grass. Beyond the chuck of floating mass, an abyss of darkness awaited him if he should ever fall. Guilty conscious? What did she mean by that? He wondered, looking for a way to escape, only find himself helpless in the darkness of the surreal world.

((I understand, Crunchy. I ended it as soon as I got done typing that because even I thought that would be a bit graphic. I'll tone it down.))
Wolf went to go in after the group as they entered the Game Corner, but Root stopped him. "Remember, they banned you?"
"Pfft. Yeah, a couple years ago." Wolf continued. Root stopped him again. "Because they should forget the likeness of a man who shoved a shortsword through a playing table that quick!"
"Look, it wasn't my fault! I wanted the slots, not that stupid Voltorb Flip Herp-A-Derp game."
"As if that justifies your actions."
"It does." Wolf continued on through the door, summoning Seeker. "Just in case they remember." Wolf turned around to see a face from the past. "Job Number Twenty. Axel! Fancy seeing you here! Remember me?" Wolf smirked. "Now what did I say about you getting caught up with bad company? Did you learn anything from when I saved you from those people? I turned down 1,000 creds to save you from them, and you betray my trust by joining Team Rocket." Wolf sniffed. A quick look around revealed a gun. "With a gun in possession, no less! Come on, man!" he sighed. "Seeker, Hypnosis." Axel began to lose consciousness. Wolf walked up to the stumbling Axel, all the time talking to put off the appearance of 'David.' "Well, time to see if you were worth that 1,000 creds." Throwing the now sleeing Axel over his shoulder, he motioned to Root to follow. Wolf walked down the steps to find the group. "Oi! I do believe you missed someone! Or did someone miss you?" he chuckled as he roughly set down Axel. "So where is Spence? I have to talk to him about something."

Spence lowered his sword, Axel giving a sigh. He thought he'd just lie there for a little while. He didn't get humiliated everyday, and it was a pretty big hit to his pride.

"Hey there, old boy! How've you been?" Jimmy pat the Zoroark on the head and walked passed it toward Axel, shaking his hand. "Been quite awhile, hasn't it? What, since Matt was still the leader? It's a shame you've ended up with such...untrustworthy rogues."

"I've been better, kid," Axel shook his hand back, giving Jimmy a quick smile, "Yeah, you're telling me. Matt was the true leader, you and all your brothers... It's been awhile, friend..."

Spence sheathed his sword, giving Axel a hand and pulling him up, "A friend of Jimmy's is a friend of mine."

"Thanks, old man. But I'm not your friend, and I'm not interested in joining your little club, either."

Spence turned, giving a shrug, "That's a shame... Well, let's go everyone." They followed Jimmy down the hallway. Axel chuckled.

"Well, that was interesting... Spence, huh? Zoroark, let's go," he waved to his pokemon, turning in the opposite direction to head out.

---

Axel suddenly came upon a familiar face. Was that... the bounty hunter? What the hell was he doing here, and with his woman, too? Whatever, he was probably here to interfere with those bastards' plans. Axel had no interest in protecting them, not anymore. They were on their own. Wolf started acting tough in front of his woman, talking his mouth at him. Like Wolf was any better than Axel. Axel simply smiled to himself as he leaned back and forth on his feet, hands in his pockets.

"Job Number Twenty. Axel! Fancy seeing you here! Remember me?" Wolf spoke.

"Unfortunately, I do. Still have those anger issues?"

"Now what did I say about you getting caught up with bad company? Did you learn anything from when I saved you from those people? I turned down 1,000 creds to save you from them, and you betray my trust by joining Team Rocket."

Axel glared, "Youre no friend of mine to betray. I joined Rocket because one of their families took me in when I had nothing else. I owed them. Not everyone grew up in the region; some of us were forced here. Besides, I'm not in Rocket anymore, so my debt is paid. What people are you talking about? You on some meds for that personality split you have? And why did you turn down the credits? You seriously need a new outfit... so uncool," he smirked.

"With a gun in possession, no less! Come on, man!"

Axel twirled the handgun between his trigger finger, "Yeah, I guess you're right. It is a pretty cool gun, though. I stole it from a Psyche soldier when he wasn't looking. I'm not a fan of blades, like yourself and the old man I met a while ago. I've never really pulled the trigger until today, but a weapon's a weapon, theres no difference between the scrap metal you have and a gun... Anyway..." he pointed down the hallway, "A group of people passed by here recently to save those Eevee from Rocket, or something like that. I'm done here, so I'm going to go. See ya later, dog-- I mean, Wolf."

He laughed as he passed them by, winking at Root as his Zoroark followed behind him.

---

Spence sighed as Jimmy took down a Rocket grunt all by himself, "Seriously, that was too damn easy... Was Axel really their only plan after all? No, whatever we do we have to be careful. Besides, it was by no easy feat Red defeated Team Rocket... who knows how many powerful trainers still exist today... Giovanni... did he really create Mewtwo?" he spoke to himself.

Wolf and Root had caught up, Spence waved. Looking to Bill, a mention of a girlfriend caught him by surprise, "Wait, what?"

Sarah let go of Alex to plead with Spence, "Please, Spence! Bill needs our help! We at least owe him that much!"

Spence shrugged, looking to Alex, "Alright. We'll do something about it when the time comes. We didn't come here to make a confrontation with Psyche... and without more people or pokemon, we'll merely be heading straight into a trap. Like you said, let's focus on saving these Eevee first. I believe Axel wasn't telling a lie. There's bound to be more capable Rockets guarding these pokemon. Let's be prepared for the worst."

((I'll leave the Rocket showdown up to Saint_Jimmy, just give everyone a chance to kick Rocket butt ))

---

Axel was on his way out before approaching footsteps down the corridor were overheard. Axel growled, "More company? Goddamn it, who will it be this time? Who the hell's there?!" Axel shouted.

It was sooner or later the small figured appeared, a little girl. Cathy smiled.

"What the hell...? It's a little girl..." he started to approach her, "What the heck are you doing down here, kid? This is no place for children. It's not safe. Go home to your daddy or something-- huh?" Axel turned, noticing the snarl on the Zoroark's face, "Zoroark, are you okay?"

"Team Rocket member; Axel. We wondered where you were hiding. We've wanted to talk to you for awhile now, you're also a very wanted man, you know."

Axel tilted his head, a confused expression, "You're...?" he gasped, bracing himself, "You're not a little girl at all, are you?! You can't trick the master, illusion my game!"

Cathy chuckled darkly, "I guess I'll finish the job Wolf started. Goodbye, Axel."

Axel gasped, a dark portal opening before his eyes. Suddenly, two gigantic hands grabbed both Axel and his pokemon, pulling them inside it. Axel disappeared. Cathy giggled, walking further inside the hideout.

---

"Wahhhhh!!!" Axel yelled, falling through into the other dimension. Suddenly, his butt met the grassy floor below him as his Zoroark collapsed beside him, "Ow, that hurt! That little brat... when I get my claws on her--!!" he growled, rubbing his sore spot. Axel looked up, spotting a man with a katana by his side. Axel got himself up, walking over towards him, "Hey, you! What is this place?! Answer me!" he swiped his arm to the side. Axel looked beyond the small island of grass they stood, "...What the...? This place... it's... beautiful," he murmured.

Axel turned his back to the darkness, looking upon Trevor, "Hey... we've met before... right? No..." Flashbacks hit him, gunfire and pokeballs filling the air, "Unova... no, that can't be right. Red's dead... you can't be him. I apologise, I must have been mistaken..."

Axel wondered, asking a couple of questions, "So, how did you get here? Have you found any way of getting out?"

Ivysaur growled fiercely as it became darker around Trevor and the wind began to howl. He heard a familiar giggle and jumoed to his feet to see the small girl behind him.

"If you’re asking me; then yes. You should be dead, right now. But that’s all right, I can forgive you if you want. Oh, how about this? I’ll be kind to you and accept your last wishes! I’ll bring you back here after I’ve killed you, and bury your corpse beside your beloved parents! How does you sound, Ex-Soldier?” he spoke sweetly, an eerie wickedness about her as a shadow grew larger around him. Trevor and Ivysaur looked in shock as the ground around them was soaked in darkness. "What......what are you?!"

Suddenly, from the darkness, black arms grabbed Trevor and his Ivysaur. The girl walked around Trevor as he struggled helplessly. “It’s a shame you didn’t listen to Spence and brought your new friends with you. You might have been a little safer, but no one can escape me. Not… anymore.” Trevor struggled, but none of the arms budged. For some reason he couldn't even find the ability to speak, like being paralyzed. That's when the portal opened up, filling the air with a static buzzing as they drew closer to it.

Cathy smiled sadistically, "Goodbye, Trevor. It was lovely meeting you.” That's when the yell Trevor was trying to let out finally became vocal, but it only lasted a moment as the portal swallowed himself and Ivysaur.
-----------------
It felt like he had been floating through a dream. Trevor felt like he was an eternity before he hit a solid surface. He blinked his eyes as he looked to see a world of shadows, old buildings floating through the dark space. Some floated past and Trevor could see places that were similar to those in Celadon.

Ivysaur nuzzled his elbow. He looked over at him patted him on the head, "Well I guess the silver lining is that I didn't loose you. Hopefully we can find a way around this forsaken place." Trevor stood up before stumbling a bit, Ivysaur catching him with his vines. He thanked him and regained his footing. Trevor noticed most of the floating islands were connected by small land bridges, though some floated close enough to jump across to each other. He made a step towards one of the islands before stopping.

"You left us." Several shadows of people rose from the ground, blocking his path. The one that spoke stepped closer, becoming more human as it drew near. "A2.....? But you're dead." The young man, appearing a few years older than Trevor came into being, "Yes and by your very hand A1." Trevor touched the hilt of his sword, drawing the shadow figure's grey colored eyes to it. "I see you still have the same blade, the same blade that killed me and many others. That just means you haven't changed." Trevor gritted his teeth, "You're wrong. You would have killed me if I gave you the chance. I had no other choice." The shadow A2 got within a few feet of him, the air growing icy cold, "You didn't know what I would have done." Trevor yelled, "I HAD NO CHOICE!" He slashed at A2 and the shadow being dissipated into the air. "I'm sorry Colin, but you were in the wrong." A tear streaked down his cheek.

Another shadow spoke, "This world is manipulating so you must be careful." A tall man became visible, the leader of the former Color's group. "All of us are from your sense of guilt, everything that has nawed at the back of your mind. I'm one of your few good guilts, though I had to break free of your mind to come to this world. There is something here that brings out the worst memories and possibilities." Crimson looked at Trevor, "You have changed. I left my blade in the hands of someone I can trust." Trevor looked down at his blade then back at Crimson, "But how can I escape this Hell?" Crimson looked around for a moment, "You need to find the realm's master, but be careful because it's a powerful being especially here. It will use your memories against you to defeat you and lead you away from it, but I know you'll find your way back home." Trevor smiled a moment, "Thank you."

Crimson smiled back, "I'm going to try and keep most of your older memories back. I should be able to hold them back, but it's the newer ones as well as the refreshed memories that I can't protect you from." Trevor nodded, "I can handle whatever this thing can throw at me." Crimson turned around and walked towards the other shadows, "Then we will never meet again Trevor Farrow. Goodbye." And like that Crimson dissolved into nothing as well as the other shadows. Though Trevor thought he saw a shadow fly across to another island, looking nothing like a human shadow.
---------------
Trevor walked over to Ivysaur, who didn't even move. "Did you see all of that?" The Pokemon looked at him in confusion. Was time frozen for all of that? Or was it just all in my head?

Just then yelling could be heard as another person fell onto the same island. The man stood up, "Hey, you! What is this place?! Answer me!" he swiped his arm to the side. Axel looked beyond the small island of grass they stood, "...What the...? This place... it's... beautiful," he murmured. Trevor looked at him, blade still drawn, as he thought back to the girl at the cemetary, "She called it the Distortion World........." He regained his thought, "And it's more dangerous than it's beautiful so be on your guard."

"My name is Trevor, though I've heard that name several times before. I was trapped here by a girl who works higher up in Psyche's ranks. I believe we have to find the mast of this realm to leave." Trevor raised his blade as Ivysaur raised his vines, "Now I've answered your questions, so answer mine. Who are you and how did you get here?"

Axel crossed his arms in thought, trying to take it all in. The Distortion World sounded familiar somehow... but he didn't know what. The man who called himself Trevor did answer his questions, so he did feel obligated to answer his, the situation did call for it. With that katana drawn though, he didn't know if he'd believe him or not, or take him seriously at all.

"The name's Axel, got it memorised?"

The Zoroark snarled at Trevor, to which Axel shook his head, "Zoroark, leave them be. They're just being cautious." Axel looked back to Trevor.

"I was a Rocket member, but I've retired recently... I'm the one who acquired their pokemon for them. Pokemon are hard to come by, so I just helped them out a little... You said this place is the Distortion World? Did she say anything about it? Are we just trapped in here until we've had enough of the scenery?"

Axel walked over to the edge, shaking his head. "I don't know about Psyche, nor am I interested in them... But that thing, is no little girl..." he glared, "It's a walking illusion, I'm sure you've seen the thing walk through walls, haunting the place, freaking people out... Little ghost girls are scary though, I wouldn't blame you if you peed your pants meeting it... However, by no means is it a ghost. Its real form must be hiding somewhere, controlling that girl manikin..."

"Pokemon can give people all sorts of abilities. If we can find the real deal, and defeat her pokemon, I'm sure we'll manage to get outta here"

Axel sighed in annoyance, turning to Trevor and his Ivysaur, "Well, are you going to help me find them, or not?"

---

"Hmph," Spence grinned.

Heh, trust Jimmy to turn this into a pokemon battle... Spence revealed a pokeball, "Let's do this, then! Baroo, I choose you!" The dragon pokemon cried, echoing the hallway as it battered its small orange wings.

"Nobody's stopping me from saving those Eevee! Blastoise, I choose you!" Sarah released her water type pokemon, its cannons aimed at whoever dared attacked them.

Two Rocket grunts approached them, throwing their pokeballs. A Gengar, and a Nidoking! Gengar laughed as Nidoking stomped, roaring to the ceiling.

"I figured. At least these are no clones. I've never had a decent pokemon battle for a while. This could be entertaining... Baroo, use Ice Beam on Nidoking!"

"Blastoise, use Hydro Pump!" Sarah ordered.

Nidoking dodged, hitting the Dragonite with Mega Horn. Dragonite growled, wrestling the pokemon to the ground. Gengar was hit by the Hydro Pump, however, used the shadows to jump up from behind Blastoise, and hit it with a Shadow Ball.

"Baroo, Ice Beam!" "Blastoise, Rapid Spin!"

Baroo managed to land Nidoking with a solid Ice Beam at close range, freezing the pokemon into an ice cube. Blastoise's normal attack, although ineffective, manage to drive Gengar back a distance. Gengar used Thunderbolt, shocking Blastoise. Nidoking used Thrash, it's body heat melting the ice. It belted Baroo in a fit of rage.

"Baroo, dodge it! Take it down, now!" "Blastoise, don't give up! Use Mirror Coat!"

Baroo flew above, flying over Nidoking who smashed into the floor many times to try and get the dragon type. In a slam of its tail from above, Nidoking fainted, exhausting itself out. Blastoise, under the Thunderbolt, used Mirror Coat, bouncing the attack back tenfold at the Gengar. Gengar continued getting shocked until it finally fainted.

Wolf shook his head, trying to disperse the vicious thoughts from his head, fuming from his encounter with Axel. He's right, though. I'm literally just trying to fool myself. A grunt pulled out a pokeball and matched with Wolf. As he threw out the ball, Wolf thought for a second. Great, he's attacking me. Gar might be too big in this basement. Wolf sighed. "Seeker, go!" As the Haunter came out to battle, its opponent, a Pidgeotto, appeared. Oh, great. A Normal type. This should be interesting. "Seeker, Hypnosis." As Wolf watched the bird get ready to pounce, Seeker delivered its payload... Over the enemy's head, missing both Pidgeotto and trainer completely. The enemy tried to counter with a Swift attack, but it went right through Seeker. "Curse!" When the Rocket was ordering his pokemon what to do, it shuddered, however faintly. "Air Cutter!" Wolf prepared for the worst as Seeker took the hit, barely able to get back up. No! This is unacceptable! A mere grunt. "Let's try this one more time, Seek! Hypnosis!" This time, it hit. As the grunt was yelling at his bird pokemon to wake up, Wolf seized the chance. "Dream Eater." Seeker moved towards the Pidgeotto, mouth agape. Upon arriving at the head of the sleeping pokemon, the Ghost did what it needed to do. Of course, now the Pidgeotto awoke, only to be finished off by Seeker's curse. Wolf smiled. "Good job buddy."
-----
Root anticipated the attack when she saw the Rockets start picking battles. "Bring it on. Who is the lucky one?" She threw out Rotorroot, her beloved Skiploom. "So, you're from Johto, eh?" A grunt said. "Have you ever seen this one?" As the ball he threw revealed what was inside, Root had to stop from laughing. A Remoraid. "Are you serious?" She asked. "As a matter of fact, yes. Remoraid, use Water Gun!" The stream of water barely did much. Root sighed. "Rotorroot, Mega Drain!" Where the Water Gun didn't do much damage, the Remoraid felt the opposite as Root's Skiploom sapped its energy. "That's not fair!" The grunt said, stamping his foot. "Remoraid, use Aqua Jet. That should do it!" Rotorroot took more damage this time, but it still was unfazed. Root facepalmed and gave the command for what hopefully would be the end for this horrible excuse for a battle. "Aerial Ace." As the attack hit the Remoraid, the grunt fell to the ground and withdrew his fainted pokemon. "Why me?" Root laughed and watched the others finish their battles.

Trevor was slightly annoyed by Axel's directness towards him, and his Zoroark wasn't making him feel warm and fuzzy either.

He looked over in the direction he saw the shadow creature jet off too moments ago. "She told me to live with my guilt in this place and be destroyed by it." Trevor glanced down at his blade, "I guess I already figured out what she meant." He sheathed it and looked at Axel, "This girl....or whatever she is; I think she's a higher ranked member of Psyche. She was the one that gave me the orders to kill Midnight through the faux girl."

Trevor and Ivysaur jumped onto the the nearest floating island. He looked over at Axel, "You can help me instead. Just for your information expect to be confronted by some weird shadow beings from my memories. Apparently that's the thing with this place, it causes you're darkest memories to come back to life. Now let's go find this thing."

((I hate being sick. Again, I'm sorry for my absence.))

The group made their way to the game corner and down into the Rocket base. They were stopped by a Rocket and his Zoroark. Silas sat back and let the rest of the group handle it, figuring that another Pokemon in the mix would only create more confusion.

After a long walk they were confronted by a large group of Rockets, which quickly degenerated into a fight.

"You should be able to handle this Jolt." Silas said, seeing his opponent release a Crobat. The Electrike appeared in a flash. "Use Howl, the Spark."

Jolt let loose a ferocious howl and charged forward, surrounded by sparks. The Crobat dodged the attack and hit Jolt with a Wing Attack.

"That's okay Jolt, you can come back. Use Quick Attack."

Jolt moved incredibly fast and hit the Crobat from behind.

"Good, now use Spark." Jolt attacked the Crobat in a burst of electricity, knocking it out.

Suddenly a call came from the side. "Everyone take cover." Silas looked over and saw that it was Bill who had called out. Seeing the Blaziken slam the ground, Silas quickly recalled Jolt before he took too much damage.

After the Earthquake the fight quickly drew to a close. Soon after the Rocket leader pulled a gun on Jimmy. Silas was shocked to see Alex draw and fire his gun, as Silas had never seen Alex that frustrated, even though they had only known each other for a short time. The Rocket was convinced to lead the group to the Eevees.

"Come on, some one give me a hand." Alex said as he started removing cages.

"Right behind you." Silas replied grabbing an empty cage and tossing it aside.

As everyone helped moving cages aside, Spence stood there in deep thought.

Finally, they all found the cage with the Eevee inside. Alex broke it open, and a few Eevee jumped up with cheery cries. One Eevee landed in Sarah's arm. They were so happy... "Eevee, thank goodness you're all safe." The Eevee appeared to be unharmed. Actually, they were more than okay. They didn't look like they were hurt or malnourished. In fact, they all seemed pretty healthy.

"...Team Rocket, you're not our enemies. Psyche is. Rocket are pokemon trainers, too... The way they fought and battled, they all cared about their pokemon... That's why I automatically trusted Jimmy, beyond his quirks and Rocket's past, he cares deeply about pokemon, just all like of us... They're not bad people, not really..." Spence turned, "I'll catch up later, top side."

"Where are you going?" Sarah asked, "This place is like a maze, you'll get lost!"

"Heh, the leader never gets lost," Spence chuckled, walking away.

"Don't forget about Gina! You promised Bill!"

Spence stopped, waving behind him, "Don't worry, I won't forget. Count on it."

---

"This place reminds me of somewhere... or maybe I'm just good with directions," he grinned. Spence had managed to get in front of the Rockets before they had left. He needed to speak with them, alone. If there was any time to recruit members, this was the time. Spence believed Team Rocket evolved from past experiences. No longer did they use pokemon. In retrospect, they all had similar goals to everyone else. To survive the best way they could.

Its current leader, clad in black. Barney pulled up his gun, grit to his teeth, "Who are you anyway, old man? Is this some kind of ambush?! I've ever heard of Blackwind before either! Who are you, really?!"

The red-haired woman shook her head at him, "Listen, forget about that. I think Axel did the right thing. Just leave it, Barney!"

"But...!!"

"It was bad enough we betrayed Axel, but we got selfish and betrayed Jimmy as well. You and Matt used to be friends... I'm sure if they were still with us, they'd never accept what we've done. Not even Giovanni."

Spence frowned.

The woman sighed, pulling Barney's gun away, "Sorry about my brother. Listen, my name's Scarlet. You're the Midnight hero, Spence, right? You defeated Team Magma. They were controlling pokemon, and you stopped them, correct?"

Spence remained silent.

Scarlet chuckled, "Unlike Jimmy, my parents didn't originate from Rocket, they were from Magma. Maxie was my grandfather."

Spence gasped, glaring, "Then, you..."

"He died honourably, right? You faced him in pokemon battle. And then the explosion... you both should have died, but you lived. How?"

Spence wondered his eyes around the room, shaking his head, "I don't know... I was 16 then, my memory is hazy. But yes, Maxie was a formidable trainer. Probably the toughest I've ever fought."

"Good," Scarlet smiled.

Barney held his gun up again, "Is there a point to all this?!"

Scarlet shook her head, "Barney, what do you think you're doing? We lost, don't you think grandfather and Giovanni would've accepted that fact and moved on as well?"

Barney yelled in frustration, firing a shot into the wall.

Spence lowered his head, "...Listen, I'm not your enemy, not anymore. There was a time where you placed your trust in the hands of Jimmy's brother. Why not place that trust with him, and when the day comes, join me."

"Join up with you, and James?"

"Yes... join me and my Team Midnight, with me as its leader. Soon, there will be a resurrection. I will find a way to beat Psyche, I won't be controlled by them anymore, and neither will anybody else. I saw the way you fight, you love pokemon. I knew from the moment you pointed that gun at Jimmy that you were never going to fire. A Psyche member would never have thought twice about it. Am I correct? Even Team Rocket has some kind of honour, I learnt that from Jimmy."

Barney grunted, dropped his arm. Scarlet placed a hand to her brother's shoulder. "...We'll have to consider it."

"Please, do just that. When the time comes, I will need your help to restore my team. You can get into contact with Jimmy at any time, right?"

Scarlet nodded, "Of course, what do you take us for, a bunch of common criminals?" she smirked.

Spence grinned the same, "Funny, Jimmy almost said the same thing."

---

When Team Rocket left the basement hideout, Sarah and the others approached Spence. He was listening to the storm outside. It was getting pretty intense. Spence murmured, "One of these days, we'll have to find our own hideout. I wonder if Blackthorn City has such a hideout..."

Sarah was still snuggling her Eevee, "So, they're all gone? The Rockets, I mean?" she asked.

"For now, I get a feeling we'll see them again though."

"So, you were serious about rebuilding your Team Midnight... Is that what your friends would've wanted, what my parents would have wanted? Teams almost destroyed this world, and now it's Psyche... What could another team possibly do, but make things worse?"

Spence glared down, trying to believe his own words, "I've lived a lifetime witnessing past mistakes, but it's those mistakes I know I can overcome. Team Midnight won't fall like the others, it won't fall into past mistakes. Team Rocket grew past those mistakes, and I know I can, too."

"Okay..." Sarah frowned, holding her Eevee close as it fell asleep, "What now?"

"Well, there's Gina we have to worry about... But Trevor... I don't know what it is, but I can sense that he's in trouble... I don't know where to look for him though."

"Then, should we look for him first?"

"Yeah... and there's another thing that has me worried... something I can't place..."

"Huh?"

Spence turned, a serious expression taking him, "There's something watching us. Lurking from the shadows... Stay on guard."

---

In the Distortion World, both Axel and his Zoroark leapt up, landing next to Trevor on the same island. Axel smirked to him, "Guilt, huh? That's not a problem for me, then. I've never experienced such a thing, nor does it interest me in the least."

Suddenly, the Distortion World quaked. Axel had trouble keeping a footing. "What the hell...? The world's shaking!" Floating islands started falling into the abyss, falling into the darkness. Axel winced, "Not good... we better find somewhere safer, and quick!" Axel and Zoroark started jumping from platform to platform, darkness shrouding behind them.

---

Spence hesitated, a ghostly girl appearing in front of the party, "Entertaining performance, Midnight Leader, Spence. You certainly found capable members, I'm impressed."

Spence gasped, the little girl Trevor was talking about. Spence unsheathed his blade. Suddenly, Trevor's disappearence made sense, was he caught by this girl? "Everyone, careful! You, Trevor warned me about you! You're the Psyche member! What the hell are you?! Answer me!"

The girl giggled, "Shouting orders at me? I'm sorry but you'll never know, you and your people will die here!"

Spence gasped, the girl transforming to a black manikin before dozens of arms launched out from within her shapeless form.

"SPPPPPPPEEEEEEEEEEENNNNCCCCCEEEEEE!!" They caught him, sending him up through the basement ceiling as he winced at every floor braking into his back. It wasn't long before Spence was held outside, beyond the ruined Game Corner. The rain poured hard, thunder striking from above. Spence tried as best he could to push the grasp she had taken hold, the arms shifting into a giant hand. The black shadowy figments grouped together outside, forming into a monster that rose above the Game Corner. It was Giratina, the ghostly dragon, legendary pokemon of the Sinnoh region, however this form was black as the deepest darkness. It stood on legs, its reverse form. The girl laughed, her voice heard form within side the gigantic beast.

"HAHAHAHAHA!! Is this the best the Midnight Leader can do?! Struggle for his life?!!"

Spence grunted, "It's not the leader that makes him strong... it's his members!!"

*music http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjJXjKLZJ0c*

Sarah and the others ran out from the elevator, withdrawing pokeballs, "Spence, are you alright?!"

"Yeah... somehow..." Spence braced, a crushing hand almost breaking his bones, "I could use some help, though...!!"

((Everyone should be outside fighting the shapeless black Giratina outside now. It'll have all its normal pokemon moves, so back and forth attacking shouldn't be a problem. BTW, I've finished Axel's profile, it'll be with the others in my first post.))

Spence struggled, trying to break free. He felt helpless. But luckily, he had his Midnight members to count on. After countless attacks, the Garchomp's attacks flinched it, although ineffective, the Giratina let go of its bind on Spence. With a yell, Spence fell from a great height, landing painfully on his back. Spence grunted, wincing from the pain. Splash. The Giratina unleashed its best move, hitting Garchomp and more pokemon to no conclusion.

"Hospital...!" Spence ached, forcing himself to get up and free himself of the puddle of storm water. There was no time to rest, there was still a battle to be fought. Bill's Garchomp had caught the Giratina's attention, enabling Spence to get away. He distanced himself and found himself standing with the rest of the group.

With a running start, Spence let loose one pokeball after the other, the Lucario and Infernape, as he thrust his buster sword forward. With a trio attack, a close quarters Aura Sphere and a Thunder Punch, Spence finished Giratina with a slash and a vengeful roar. They all returned to the group. The Giratina was just absorbing attacks left, right and centre.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAH!!" Cathy laughed, "BELIEVE IN ALL THE FAIRYTALES YOU WANT, YOU'VE GOT NO CHANCE OF DEFEATNG ME!!"

Scarlet entered the fray beside Spence, firing her brother's handgun, "Room for one more?"

"What are you doing?!"

"I came back, of course! If we don't stop this thing think of what could happen to the city!" she cried, blasting what bullets she could before clipping another magazine from her breast.

Spence grinned, before looking up at the monstrous being before them, "...Yeah, it's like Fuchsia City all over again. We have to stop it, but how...?" Spence witnessed the bullets from Scarlet's gun, being absorbed into the being's black flesh, "It's no good, this thing isn't even getting any weaker..."

"Hey, look at that! Wasn't that from your sword?!"

Spence darted his eyes, a small tear at the Giratina's body. It looked like the opening of something... a gloomy presence pulling you closer, "Yeah, I see it! But what exactly IS that?!"

"WHAT?! WHAT SORCERY IS THIS?!!" Cathy noticed the scar as well. It was an opening to the portal, to the Distortion World inside her.

"Trevor's inside there, I know it..." Spence glared, and without a second thought said, "I'm going!"

"No!" Sarah cried from beside her Blastoise, trying to shield everyone from attacks, "If you go-- you'll disappear, too!"

Spence lowered his head, looking up, "Sarah, I'd do it for any of you guys. I owe Trevor... It's because he's my-- no, it's because you're my friends, I have to do it, I have to take responsibility. I am the leader, after all."

Annoyed and upset, she screamed before Sarah gave in with a sigh, "Fine, just go! But you better come back, and with Trevor as well! Otherwise, I won't be very happy!"

Spence nodded, looking to his pokemon, "Keep them safe, Edward, Zidane!" he grunted, pulling his sword to his side. The Lucario and Infernape responded by backing up Garchomp.

"FINE, IF IT'S THE DISTORTION WORLD YOU'D LIKE, YOU'RE MORE THAN WELCOME!!" Cathy screamed, dozens of arms from the Giratina's body gripped at the tear, pulling it open like a bloody wound. Finding an opening, Spence braced himself for the worse, running through. The arms grabbed at him, pulling him inside the portal and disappearing inside the Giratina's form. Before he was completely gone, he managed to slice at the tear again, turning the portal into a gapping hole.

"Good luck!" Scarlet smiled, "Don't die, old man..." Suddenly, she winced, noticing she was almost at empty. Sarah stepped beside her, her Blastoise covering them.

---

Inside the Distortion World, Spence fell

((Again with the breast references, Crunchy? lol Didn't you do one in PokeTrigger, too?))
As the battles ended, the leader of the Rockets pulled a gun on Jimmy, but Alex was quicker on the draw, and sent a bullet down at the Rocket's feet. They took them to the room with the Eevee, then fled. Alex and Silas went right to work with freeing the Eevee, so Wolf and Root did the same. Eventually, they reached the cage with all of them inside, and set the Eevee inside of it free.
As they rejoiced, an odd girl appeared, and Spence immediately identified her as a member of Psyche. Words were exchanged between her and Spence, and then Wolf's reality of the situation was brought to its knees when the girl started growing arms. "What the hell is this?" Then, the mutated girl charged and took Spence to the surface.
((At this point, all I can think about is the invincible necromorph from Dead Space 2. *shudders*))
-----
When Wolf and the others arrived, Wolf was still processing the events. Bill sent out his Garchomp, which distracted Giratina enough so Spence could attack, which led to a strange portal being opened in the skin of the beast. Spence jumped through it shortly after, and Wolf decided it's now or never. "Go, Gar!" The Gyarados roared. Wolf smiled, thinking his plan of attack. If I use Ice type attacks, we might end up doing to much damage and Spence will be lost to us forever. So, my only option, is, of course...
"Surf!"
Wave after wave of attacks hit the legend, and Wolf remained hopeful of Spence's return. Suddenly, Wolf was overwhelmed. What are you waiting for? That fool is in there, with minimal protection! Seize the iniative! Fulfill your purpose! No. No, not this. He's in there, alone, for what reason? Something seems off, and I don't want to find out.
Coward!
No, nothing adds up!
Quit thinking about it and go in there! The pressure Wolf felt was becoming too much. "No!"
Then I'll kill him from the outside! "Gar, Ice Beam!" Wolf didn't say that, but Gar acnowledged it. Wolf prepared for the worst.

((You haven't had a gf or mate who hides stuff or carries stuff in their bra before, Samurott? If not, you'll see it eventually and oohh his alter ego wants Spence dead? Interesting... And oh okay, I'll fix it later, Chill.))

... Spence fell, falling to his feet to dark soil. He hunched over, feeling his back give way and hearing the biggest crack imaginable.

"Ugh!! Ahh!!" Spence fell to his knees, almost having tears in his eyes, "That girl's Giratina almost had me killed and I still get called an old man? Where's some respect when you want it...? Geez..." Spence sighed, cracking his back until he could comfortably stand up. He looked around, the same darkness and eeriness Trevor and Axel encountered. "She called this the Distortion World...? Right..." he looked around, "If I brought Edward or if I still had Mewtwo, I could at least sense Trevor's presence and reach out to him... The Distortion World is far greater than I thought... Maybe I was reckless, Sarah was probably right..." he chuckled sadly to himself, taking a step forward, "Well, this is a start, I guess..."

Spence became his younger self again --- in a sort of dream state inside the dark world. Deep down in his subconscious--

"You were always stubborn."

"Shiny...?" Spence turned, shadowy figures approaching him, surrounding him.

"You never listened to anyone, you always did your own thing. It was your way, or nothing"

"Chayse...?" Spence shook his head, he was probably daydreaming again... he shrugged it off, giving a chuckle, "I never asked for this, I have a responsibility. Anyone would've done the same."

"No, nobody would have. But you did, and you made things so much worse, didn't you?"

"Diseh...?!" Spence grunted.

"Responsibility? Heh. Like you took responsibility for us? You abandoned us. If I hadn't met you, I would've still been alive," a young blonde haired girl, staring at Spence.

Spence gasped, "Xalia, I...!" he felt a real tear fall down his face, just... seeing her again, it brought so much back, "Xalia, I missed you... I'm so happy you're here right now." Spence went to touch her arm, Xalia pulling away to his dismay.

"I missed you? Heh, he says it like he's accepted everything!" A bald younger man gestured to everyone, a tower monk, "...Yes, if we hadn't met you... If you would have just left us alone, Xalia and I would still be alive, living happily together in peace. We were happy, but you couldn't face that... You needed us to be involved because you were lonely."

"That's not true!!" Spence yelled, shaking his head, "...I couldn't... We couldn't face Psyche without you... But you left anyway...!!" he tightened a fist, growling.

"And after Ki took Xalia away from you, you decided to take Tori away from ME... and how is that fair?" Diseh continued, "Is that really something you'd do to a friend? Heh, FRIENDSHIP. Do you even know what that means, the meaning, friendship? Do you even think we'd consider you a friend after what you did to us?” he laughed, with pity, "You MURDERED us. Do you honestly think you revenging us we'll make me see Tori and my daughter again, that Ki and Xalia will be back together, all smiles and cheer? Honestly, how do you think we feel, FRIEND?"

Spence lowered his head... "I..."

"Well, I can answer that for you..." Xalia walked up to Spence, slapping him across the face. Spence looked back to her as Xalia gave him a cruel smile, "...We despise you. We hate you!! And we always will... You are the one who lived, and we are the ones who weren't so lucky."

Ki spoke up, "...Team Midnight is nothing more than a way to repay your own sins to the ones you lost, who you betrayed."

Spence started to yell, "No! No! That's not true!! I didn't betray anyone!!"

"Then why," Diseh smirked, "Why do you feel so guilty...?"

They all stared at him, judging him, tormenting him, killing him from the inside... Spence remained silent for the longest time. How could he possibly answer that, when everything they said, he felt was so true? ... He thought back on Mewtwo, and Diseh... Then he looked to the present, and the people who looked up to him and who placed their trust on him. His eyes wondered.

---

The darkness crept away. Spence was growing back into his older self. The world had almost eaten him away, but he was here to save Trevor, not wallow in guilt. Spence looked up, a reassurance in his eyes.

“You’re right. I made mistakes... But… maybe those mistakes weren’t just my own, either. We were all used by Psyche… Maybe Diseh was the only one who wasn’t… I made a promise, and there are so many people counting on me now. I can’t keep looking back,” Spence drew his sword, a mirror image of Ki before him, “Because if I do, I’ll just repeat past mistakes. I let people join me at first in order to find my revenge someday, but that was wrong. I’m sure everyone joined me because of the same prepose, to get revenge, to fill their need to lash back at the ones who had hurt them the most... But I have to realise that between us, between Team Midnight, the one I want to be apart of, anyway… there has to be a single goal, and a dream, between us all, one far grater than all of us combined.”

Spence slashed, the figure of Ki dispersing, “Our dream is a future, where we can live without guilt, without loss, but the choice to choose where others did not.”

Diseh smiled warmly, “…Well done, Spence.”

Spence turned. As if nothing had happened, everyone had vanished except for him, “Diseh…” Spence shook his head, only to have Diseh refuse his apology before he even tried.

“You made a promise to Tori and I, I hope you’ll keep it.”

Spence thought, giving a nod and a smile, “Of course I will. Sarah has more than me protecting her now. Goodbye, Diseh.”

The form the Diseh soon vanished as well.

Spence turned to meet another portal, where he struck Ki, “…I wonder where this leads me… Only one way to find out…”

---

Going through the portal, Spence found himself at another location in the surreal world. He could feel the world quake under his feet. Was it the battles taking place outside this world, in the real world, that made this place tremble? Was he really inside the Distortion World, in some kind of parallel world? Or, was this only but a dimension only the Psyche member Cathy had taken them prisoner…? Spence looked at his blade. Everything here seemed like some kind of fantasy to him. Why was he able to open up those gateways in this world…? He tried not the think about it, he only considered himself lucky he was able to do anything at all in the current situation.

Spence walked along, minding the dark abyss that awaited him if he fell or took the wrong step. A waterfall was falling upward, passing it by as if he was still dreaming… he chuckled at the thought of falling up the waterfall, only to quickly dismiss it. He tried not the think about it anymore. Thinking here only made him sick to his stomach.

Spence reached for his blade’s handle, striking the air in fornt of him which tore another portal. With caution, he waved a hand though it before walking inside it. “Trevor… where are you…?”

---

Suddenly, Spence appeared from a portal not to far from Trevor himself. Axel was there are well, jumping fallen islands and debris before they too fell into the abyss. Spence waved, the relief of seeing Trevor safe, he couldn’t wipe the smile from his face. The area was quickly collapsing under their feet as darkness soon approached, trying to consume them, “Hurry, over here!” Spence shouted.

“Old man?! What the hell are you doing here?! Oh, whatever! Come on, slowpoke!” he landed, waving to Trevor to hurry his arse up. The Zoroark carried Ivysaur as Axel pulled Trevor by the wrist, all of them falling into the portal.

---

Axel sighed a breath of relief, “Safe, for now!” He rolled over, arms behind his head.

Spence brushed himself off, “Yeah, but how did you get caught in here as well, Axel?”

“That thing pulled me in here. It’s not the first time people have wanted me dead, but it’s definitely not human.”

“The little girl…? I can’t believe somebody like that is a Psyche member…”

“No, she’s not a little girl. Whatever she is, she’s in here, somewhere.”

“Then, the monster outside… it’s the shell, then?”

Axel looked up to Spence, standing up, “So, you’re Spence, huh…”

“Yeah?”

“Red told me about you, when I was young. Never thought I’d meet you in the flesh.”

“Red did?” Spence brightened up, “How is he anyway? How long was it you last spoke with him?”

Axel shrugged, “Maybe ten or so years ago, but he’s gone now.”

“Gone?” Spence looked down, “I see…”

For a moment, the splitting image of Trevor appeared behind Spence. He was guilty Red had passed away, but he had already dealt with his guilt. Red wouldn’t have attack him. Axel said he didn’t feel like he had to be guilty or care about anything, but then what was the darkness that was chasing them? Red disappeared without Spence or Axel noticing, but Trevor saw him.

“So, any ideas mister leader?”

Spence crossed his arms, thinking, “Well, my Lucario isn’t here, so we can’t use its aura to hunt down the real woman inside this place. And my Dragonite couldn’t hope to fly in a world this messed up…”

“Zoroark can sense her, it’s not a big deal. But it’s impossible; she’s too far of. We’ll never make it there before this place collapses.”

“Trevor,” Spence turned, “You have your psychic pokemon, right? With their powers combining Zoroark’s, we could be able to find her exact location. If only we could teleport in some way…”

((Yes, Crunchy, my gf does it all the time, mostly because she has the... Assets... To do so. But a handgun magazine? Those are bigger than one may think.))
"Perhaps some of us should go and help Spence? It's not as if we do much here anyway!" Bill said.
Wolf couldn't fight against his own self anymore, and succumbed to his dark tendencies. His eyes went from their usual color to a irridescent green. ((Read: Glowing Green.)) "I'll take you up on that offer." David, whom was now controlling Wolf, smirked. Fools! They have no idea... "Gar, return!" As soon as the serpent was back in its ball and clipped to David's waist, he rushed in.
------
David fell before hitting the ground. He stood up and looked around. "You couldn't have gone far. So where are you?" Using Seeker's power to see through dimensions, he located Spence. "How did you travel that far in a short time frame?" David sighed. "Seeker, return." Just then, David was pushed to the ground. He rolled over to get back up, but was met with the tip of a blade. "You really think this is fair? I will destroy you, then Spence. I'm not afraid."
Wolf spoke back. "Neither am I. You really crossed a line. Then again, with a man accused of taking the lives of over two dozen people, I shouldn't be surprised." David waited, then lashed out when given the chance. "I'm the better version of you! You keep me locked away like I'm some sort of monster!" He kicked the sword out of Wolf's hand, kicked Wolf back, then jumped to his feet and caught the shortsword. "Well, I guess you'll just be a casualty."
"You're the parasite!" Wolf drew his other blade and charged.