The Path of Sacrifice

Apolla: Not even close to dark yet, chicka...

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“I don\'t care how unjust it is, destroy him!” Angel bellowed, slamming her fists down on the table within Oak\'s lab. She could hardly believe her ears; he refused to destroy Darkrai, in all the evil he was, he wasn\'t going to destroy him. “This pokemon wanted to rape me and reproduce millions of himself and take over the world, doesn\'t that earn him a one-way ticket to killedville?”



“No, Angel. It doesn\'t.” Oak replied, as he rubbed a little polish on one of the magenmite Angel has sent him. “Darkrai might be evil, but he is still a life. It isn\'t right to kill any pokemon; they are only following their nature. Darkrai is simply the king of the dark types. All dark types have the capability of being evil pokemon, that doesn\'t mean we KILL them. I\'m sorry, I won\'t help you kill him.” Angel sighed. She knew he was right.



“But then, what do we do? We can\'t let him out ever again, he\'ll just try and take over the world again.” Oak\'s face slipped into one of deep thought. She was correct, he was far to dangerous to be let out again. He wouldn\'t honor the pokemon code and obey her; he would manipulate everything there was to manipulate, including her newly discovered Aura. This was a very complex matter, now that he\'d learned of Angel\'s Aura, and the intent this pokemon had. It wasn\'t as simple as just letting him go; no, he had to be sealed away.



“Pokemon must be fed, or they will die, like every living creature. But Darkrai is a ghost, so he is already dead – this means we don\'t have to feed him. I would suggest that we bury this pokeball somewhere where Darkrai cannot get free.” he spoke, placing his hand on his chin, rather philisophically looking. “I believe we should seal him within concrete, then a steel box, and seal it away in a vault. Sounds a bit over done, but I believe its the only way...Leave him with me, I will deal with him.” After a moment of thought, Angel pulled the yellow and black ball from her belt. If there was only a way to use Darkrai, no one would stand a chance; but there was not. Unfortunately. She nodded, and placed the ball on the table.



“Do it quickly; each passing moment this ball is free, he runs the risk of getting out...” she muttered, as the ball shuddered and glowed with a black hue, as if possessed. It was, in a sense. “He\'s trying very hard.” Oak nodded, and snatched the Ultra Ball into his hands.



“I will. While I am, can you run an errand for me? A pleasant little elderly lady from Cinnibar Island came by with her pregnant Shiny Arcanine for me to look at; will you take her back for me in a few days? She is on holiday now, but she should be back before the weekend.” he asked, pointing over to a lone Luxury ball sitting by his computer. “She\'s got triplets...The owner lives behind the mansion, in a new addition. You can\'t miss it.” he smiled. Angel nodded; she didn\'t mind running errands for Oak, especially now that she had to wait for Blue to get the news to get to the final Gym in Giovanni\'s absence. She plucked the black ball up, noting it\'s impeccable craftsmanship, and hooked it on her belt.



“Sure thing, professor! Let me know when Darkrai is sealed, okay?” she smiled, walking out of the Lab as she unhooked Anarchy from her belt. Gary and Moonlight had waited outside. “Okay boys, Oak\'s dealing with Darkrai. I\'m going to go train the pokemon a while, but in a couple days, we\'re off for Cinnibar to take a pokemon back for Professor Oak. You two want to come?” Gary shrugged, and Moonlight gave a bored looking nod. There was nothing better to do, really. Not now that there was no Gym to take on, and Mewtwo was recovering in his pokeball. Angel tossed out the ball containing Anarchy. “Cinnibar Island, buddy! Let\'s do some training and levelling!” she commanded. Off they went in a flash, seated comfortably on the back of the bird.



* * * * *



“Hello?” came the tiny, soft voice as a pair of glasses peeked out of the french style double doors of the cottage-like home at the edge of Cinnibar. “Can I help you?” Angel smiled, and took the Luxury Ball off her belt.



“Yes; Professor Oak has sent your pokemon back!” she explained. The door opened fully, revealing a hunched over old woman at five foot one in a purple and floral moomoo.



“Oh! Come in then! I just made a spot of tea, and the scones are fresh! I haven\'t had company in months!” she replied, a cute happy tone to her voice. Gary and Moonlight rolled their eyes and resisted a play-gag, but Angel grinned. “Sure! Tea would hit the spot!” she shuffled within the door, trailed by her two boys, both of whom were thinking \'Oh god, save me...\'



“Did Oak tell you why Betsy was sick?” the woman questioned, \'rushing\' off to the kitchen for the tea as Angel sat herself on the couch. Gary flopped, and Moonlight curled up on thr door mat – as close to leaving as possible. Old humans gave him the creeps. They smelled, acted funny, and were basically walking zombies.



“Yes, she\'s pregnant. Three, to be exact.”



“Oh! My oh my, it must have happened when I left him with Blaine!” she called back, the words slightly muffled by the kitchen walls.



“I suppose. Oak didn\'t tell me how. You have a lovely place here, ma\'am! What made you chose this Island to build?” she replied, trying to make conversation. She wanted to leave as much as the boys did, but she wasn\'t going to be RUDE. After a moment of silence, Angel grew worried. Even the clinking of the woman drawing tea cups from the cupboard had stopped. “Ma\'am?” she spoke, standing up.



Moonlight stood up on his feet after a second, his eyes focused on the kitchen door, and begun to growl as his head stayed near the floor.



~Something very wrong is happening...~ he muttered, and dashed headlong into the kitchen. Angel caught her breath and dashed in after him through the swinging door, and found Moonlight growling viciously at a figure in the dark. The little old lady had backed herself into a corner, and was shivering.



“What is it?” Angel asked, as Moonlight\'s growling worsened. Angel slid closer to the frightened woman, placing her hand on Amelio\'s pokeball. After a second, she realized she couldn\'t send him out yet.



~I do not know this pokemon...~ Moonlight replied, backing up as the gargantuan mass slid into the light. It was a turquoise blue color, with red wings and red patchs on it\'s head, standing at a 4 foot eleven at the horn. It must have been at least 200 pounds, and 10 feet long.



“Salaaaa!” it hissed, flicking it\'s tongue across it\'s lips.



“Th-that pokemon kept coming back,” the woman stammered, a hand on her heart. “It has been watching through my window every morning, but this is the first time it has ever come inside!” she shivered, glancing between it and her open patio window, which she\'d left open for air. Angel\'s hand flew up to her scanner.



“SCANNING. Skipping previously scanned pokemon. Pokemon present: Salamence, Male. This pokemon is of level ninety with an Adamant nature, and the following moves: Giga Impact, Earthquake, Fly, and Draco Meteor.”



Angel\'s lips fell open. Level ninety? That would completely destroy all her pokemon, and even give Mewtwo a run for his money if he were fully healed. Even if she\'d just trained everyone to level sixty, she didn\'t stant a chance.



“Moonlight, don\'t attack!” she spoke, as Moonlight began focusing his mental energy. “Find out what he wants!” Moonlight frowned, but shifted back off his attack, and sat on his haunches.



~Salamence; what do you want with this human?~ he questioned, tilting his head. The response he got wasn\'t anything he was ready for; it was all in some other language. ~He isn\'t from around here, I don\'t understand him...~ he told Angel, shaking his head.



“Salaaaa!” he hissed, glaring at the old lady. “Meeence!!” his expression clearly wasn\'t happy; in fact, it looked downright menacing.



“If it has those moves, it was once owned by someone!” the old lady mused, as the Salamence glared at the old woman.



“Sala, Salamence!” he spoke, as if trying to say something.



“What language is that, Moonlight?” Angel questioned, her hand tightening on Amelio\'s pokeball. She might be forced to risk it at this rate.



~Salamence, what is your problem?~ Moonlight tried again, backing away as the large beast closed in.



~Nein! Nein. Mondenschein! Mir daheim, unweiderbringlich zerstort...Meine frau, meine kinder...gleoscht! Es gibt kein zuruck...IHRETWEGEN!~

(No! No, Moonlight! My home was comepletely destroyed...My wife, my children...Killed! There was no way out...BECAUSE OF HER!)



~German, I know that much, but what he is saying, I do not know...~ he replied, mulling over the words. ~All I can tell you is he said \'No, No Moonlight,\' and something about kids...~



“Kids?” Angel spoke.



“I get it.” Gary spoke up, whom was standing in the doorway of the kitchen. “I\'m not that great at german, but I did take a year in school...I believe what he said was something along the lines of his wife and children are dead because of this lady here...Salamence, Der unfall ist auf Leichtsinn zuruckzufuhren. Es tut mir schrecklich leid.”

(It was an accident of carelessness. I am terribly sorry.)



The Salamence glanced to Gary with an expression of surprise, but it shifted back to anger, and flipped back to the old woman.



“I know!” Angel spoke,as an idea struck her. “Send out all of your pokemon, Gary! We\'ll surprise him!” she exclaimed, and tossed out Anarchy, Slaughter, and even the lone unnamed shiny Magneton. She left poor Amelio where he was, to recover.



“Good idea. Go everyone!” he exclaimed, releasing all six of his pokemon – even the sixth one that Angel failed to notice last time. An Umbreon. Moonlight\'s eye raised as the non-shiny Umbreon took a fighting stance beside him, the rest of Gary\'s pokemon crowding the small kitchen.



“Sala!” the large dragon exclaimed, looking at all the lower-level pokemon. “Mence!” Moonlight had been far too interested in the other Umbreon, a female one no doubt, to notice anything else in the area. She was beautiful.

~Nein!~ the Salamence told Moonlight, and backed away. He couldn\'t take on all these! Even if they were half the level they looked to be. No choice; he had to leave. The dragon backed away out of the patio, and as Gary\'s Electabuzz chased after it, it\'s hand crackling with electricity.



“Sala...” it glared at the old lady, and took off into the horizon. That human was going to die, and he would make sure.



“Oh good lord,” the woman exclaimed, flopping down on a nearby chair. “I thought I was going to be lunch!”



“Are you alright?” Angel asked, glancing over the woman to make sure she wasn\'t hurt.



“I\'m fine dear, but I think he\'ll be back. I can\'t stay here any more. I can\'t help but wonder if there was a cave in this bluff I built on...” she mumbled, frowning to herself.



“Maybe he\'s just confused.” Angel offered, pointlessly.



“Yes, perhaps....But I shall have to go back to my son\'s place, I--” she spoke, but was cut off by a sudden beeping. Angel pulled out her Rocket-Issue cell phone. The red button was flashing.



“Oh, we have to go!” she exclaimed, as Gary\'s too begun to beep. She dashed off for the door, but the woman called out.



“Wait! Take this pokemon with you as a gift!” she exclaimed, running after her with another Luxury ball, only this one had a heart sticker on it. “He is not very smart, so use the commands Lunch, Ice, Float, or Splash! If you figure his lingo out, he\'s a star! His name is Bio!” she rushed, shoving the ball into her hands.



“I can\'t take your pokemon!” Angel exclaimed, but the woman had slinked back a few feet. “Go! You don\'t have time to argue! Get to Celadon, now!” Angel frowned, but then dashed away, reluctantly, as Gary recalled all his pokemon. Angel did as well, but left Anarchy out – they had to scramble.



“Thank you!” she called, as Anarchy rose into the air, headed for Celadon City. Once the bird had risen halfway, a thought hit her. She glanced back at Gary, whom had picked up Moonlight before getting on to Anarchy. “Gary? How did that woman know we were going to Celadon?...” his face too fell into an puzzled expression. How DID she know?



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AN: More juicy plot coming soon! :D