Shadow Pokémon

As Latias flew into the sky after Terastallizing, her feathers bristling as she took an attack stance, Cliff immediately waved his subordinates into action.

"Damn it! Is that Terastallization from the Paldea Region? Why did this happen all of a sudden?"

Cliff finally felt the pressure. He wasn't worried about failing to catch Latias; he was worried they would take too long and Doduo would catch up.

Not only was Doduo with the International Police, but he was also the champion of the Johto Region. None of them dared face someone that powerful head-on!

He had only wanted a little diversion, yet some brat had made a fool of him. It looked like he would have to take a risk and use harsher methods...

"Wuu!"

Seeing the Team Rocket members below preparing to attack her, Latias let her anger loose. This time, she held nothing back.

Earlier, she hadn't wanted to hurt them. She had only tried to drive them away, so she hadn't used her full strength. That was how they had caught her off guard.

The Terastal jewel above her head suddenly shifted. Her body glowed red, and she tilted her head toward the sky, firing a red sphere of light.

Wrapped in a pale orange glow, the sphere shot upward before exploding. Red fragments scattered like meteors, plunging toward the ground and detonating across the area.

The Draco Meteor, empowered by her Dragon-type Terastallization, was terrifying. Alakazam's Protect shattered instantly. Amoonguss did everything it could to shield itself, but the blast still sent it flying. The helicopter was blown to pieces...

"Mm..."

So scary...

Ogerpon huddled in Mingyou's arms as explosions erupted ahead of them. Latias had controlled where the meteors landed, sparing them and the Pokémon still locked in cages.

The blasts knocked nearly every Team Rocket member unconscious. Cliff alone had used Tyranitar's body as cover and escaped the explosion. Tyranitar, however, could no longer battle.

"He used it as a shield..."

Mingyou frowned. There was no way he could let Cliff leave. These people were awful.

Cliff stepped out from behind Tyranitar and rolled his shoulders. Looking up at Latias with a faint sneer, he said, "Impressive. You want revenge that badly? Go ahead. I'm standing right here. Hit me with everything you've got!"

"Wuu!"

At the Taunt, Latias didn't hesitate. She gathered a beam of energy and fired Dragon Pulse!

Mingyou watched closely from the side. As the attack descended, something felt wrong. At that instant, Cliff threw a Poké Ball!

A flash of red light—no, a beam of black light—burst out amid dark flames, revealing a burly Pokémon with thick arms.

Two structures resembling lightning rods rose from its back, along with a pattern that looked like a two-pronged outlet. But something was terribly wrong with it. Dark flames surrounded its body, and its red eyes blazed with fury...

The Pokémon took Latias's Dragon Pulse head-on without giving an inch. A moment later, it roared, thrust out both arms, and unleashed a bolt of lightning!

Latias hurriedly dodged, but it was far faster than she expected. It leaped straight at her and caught her mid-dodge, then slammed her hard into the ground...

"What the hell...?"

Staring at the absurd sight, Mingyou quickly checked the Pokémon's information...

〔Electivire: A Shadow Pokémon. A pure weapon of war. Only purification can return it to normal; otherwise, it will keep fighting.〕

"A Shadow Pokémon?"

Mingyou froze. This was his first time seeing one. And wasn't Electivire classified as the Thunderbolt Pokémon? When had that changed?

Hearing his question, Cliff raised his chin slightly and took out another Poké Ball. He walked toward Mingyou with a smile. "Never seen one before, brat? Team Rocket improved on Shadow Pokémon technology and produced Pokémon with tremendous combat power!"

"Shadow Pokémon..."

Shock flashed across Mingyou's face. He knew about them. The incident had happened in the Orre Region three years ago and shaken the whole world. People had discussed it not just on the news, but in the streets.

A secret organization in the Orre Region called Cipher had developed a device that could seal away Pokémon's emotions, turning them into soulless fighting machines.

They were extremely aggressive. With their emotions gone, they would even attack their trainers. They also emitted a Dark Aura invisible to ordinary people, said to be an expression of the pain caused by their sealed emotions. That was why they were called Shadow Pokémon.

The Orre Region was remote and harsh, and Cipher had always operated locally. That was why the outside world hadn't noticed it for so long.

Only after they captured the Legendary Pokémon Lugia and turned it into Shadow Lugia did they finally draw the International Police's attention.

It took a full year to destroy the organization. The case was then made public, and all the Shadow Pokémon were purified. Most of them, however, had suffered severe psychological trauma...

And now Team Rocket had clearly obtained Cipher's technology. Perhaps they had planned to take Latias back and repeat the Shadow Lugia experiment, finishing what Cipher had failed to do!

"Those bastards!"

Mingyou clenched his fists. How could he stand by while they hurt Pokémon like this?

By then, Cliff had come within ten meters of him. "There are still some problems with the research," he continued. "They won't obey orders. They only fight back instinctively when they sense hostility. And getting them to stop is a pain, too. Just look over there..."

He turned his head. Electivire had pinned Latias to the ground and was pummeling her. Shadow Pokémon had lost their emotions and could no longer feel pain. All they had left was instinct—the instinct to fight!

"..."

Mingyou picked up the Ivy Cudgel. He was ready to rush over and give Cliff another whack.

Cliff looked at Ogerpon in Mingyou's arms and smiled. "Is that your Pokémon? Haven't seen one like it. I'll take it too, once I'm done with you! This Pokémon will teach you what happens when you cross Team Rocket!"

With that, he threw the Poké Ball. Another black beam flashed, and a huge tortoise appeared, wreathed in dark flames. A tree resembling an oak grew on its back, alongside three gray triangular rocks.

〔Torterra: A Shadow Pokémon. If you can find a way to purify it, you should be able to win its affection...〕

"Mm..."

Looking at the enormous Torterra, Ogerpon stood up and took the Ivy Cudgel from Mingyou. It was her turn to fight. She had to protect Mingyou, and then... they could go home and eat together!

"Don't go raising any death flags..."

Mingyou patted her head. Then he looked up, resolve settling in his eyes, and smiled. "We're partners, so we should fight side by side. Let's make this guy the opponent for our first Pokémon battle! Feeling confident?"

"Mm!"

Ogerpon nodded firmly and put on her Ogre Mask. She gripped the Ivy Cudgel in her right hand and swung it hard, drawing in the surrounding Terastal energy and coating the mask with it.

Mingyou stood beside her. Some special connection seemed to form between them. Maybe it was their bond, or maybe they were making a new memory together.

The Strange Ball in his pocket stirred again, but he paid it no mind. Smiling, he waved his hand and shouted, "Let's go! Power Whip!"

He didn't know what had happened. Somehow, he suddenly knew every move Ogerpon could use. Perhaps... this was her answer to him!

"Mm!"

Ogerpon swung the Ivy Cudgel. The thorns wrapped around it unfurled into a long whip and lashed Torterra. The battle had begun...