Chapter 11

"Come to me," a voice hissed from beneath the writhing shadows, "free me as I have done for you."

A cloaked figure stepped forward, kneeling down, head bowed, "where are you?" he murmured, "where are they keeping you?"

"You're not ready... you're not strong enough," the shadows shifted as the being hiding in its depths moved closer to the human, "but you can be."

The boy's head lifted, bright orange clashing with piercing red, "how?" It was a single word, a single word that would change the very fabric of the universe.

The darkness parted as a snout pushed through it and the mythical renegade pokemon appeared in all her glory.

"Find the stones, the ones created by the legendaries of Kalos," her voice had changed, from a snake-like hiss to more regal, one befitting the dragon's form.

"Stones?"

A claw came toward him, something looped around it. As it came closer, his eyes widened and his mind raced. It was the same as the one in his dream. Giratina dropped the thin chain around his neck, and he watched as the shiny stone clacked against his rocket pendant before coming to rest at his collarbone.

"The keystone." When she spoke up again, it broke him out of his thoughts, bringing his head up to once again lock eyes with the legendary. "Something capable of bringing out the full power of certain pokemon when paired up with their respective species. You've seen their power first hand with Houndoom-" A bright flash of light. Fire burning in the background. A choked scream. "It will boost your power exponentially. But first, you must master their power."

Another claw extended, flipping over and opening to reveal a dull green orb with a dashing red stripe in the middle, "The Tyranitarite."

Shadow reached out, grasping the orb carefully in his hands. The second his fingers wrapped around the orb, darkness started seeping into his vision and his muscles trembled as he collapsed, his body unable to hold his weight.

She whispered to him as his mind slowly faded into the other world, "Experiment with its power. Find the other mega stones. But be wary, once they see the power you wield, they'll come for you. There will always be those who seek power. I'll be watching, don't disappoint me, human..."

Orange eyes snapped open, a hand automatically reaching up to clasp at his pendant. It closed around a smooth orb that radiated warmth, and the breath swept out of him in a sigh of relief. So it wasn't just a dream.

He pulled Tyranitar's pokeball out, running his eyes over the polished sheen before pushing the button embedded in the middle.

Tyranitar burst out in an explosion of light, a mighty roar released from his maw. The noise echoed in the area, scaring off the wild pokemon, and Shadow grimaced, mentally thanking the fact that he had made camp in the forest tonight.

He didn't dwell on that thought process for long as his eyes settled on the stone resting on the chain links draped around the armor pokemon's neck. He felt it as the keystone pulsed and heated up, reacting to the close proximity of the tyranitarite and the excitement that thrummed through its wielders veins.

The tyranitarite itself glowed brightly and Shadow could feel the bond between them, Tyranitar's emotions heightened as if it were his own. He locked eyes with his pokemon and the tilted grin full of sharp teeth did nothing but encourage him as he reached up to grab the pendant.

A shout broke through the hypnotic silence, and it was only instinct that made him jerk a pokeball out of his pocket, Tyranitar disappearing in a beam of light. He was only able to turn his head a fraction of a degree before something rammed into him, hard.

The youth was sent sprawling into the ground, dragging in a shocked breath as the air was knocked out of his lungs. He lifted his head to see a boy a few years his senior, sneering down at him, a Raticate squeaking a laugh next to him.

"Oi kid," the boy curled his lip derisively, "watch where you're going." He lifted a hand up to his chin as if thinking, before he smirked cruelly, "Actually, I think you hurt my pinky toe with your scrawny body. I think you'll have to pay the medical bill." He let out a laugh as he stalked forward, Raticate following behind, looming above Shadow menacingly.

"Oi, you deaf?" he thrust his hand into Shadow's chest, shoving him hard and knocking him back to the ground.

Shadow was breathing hard, his shoulders trembling as tried to hold in his growing rage. But it was futile. He barely got any sleep, Giratina's warning was in the forefront of his mind, and this jackass was giving him a throbbing headache. Not to mention he reminded him of his old bullies, coupled with the fact that the power the keystone was feeding him was begging to be released.

Shadow lifted his head, eyes glowing an ethereal orange. "If it's a battle you want, I'll destroy you," an undercurrent of venom ran in his words that made the bully swallow and step back unconsciously.

He opened his suddenly dry mouth to retort, but was cut off as a green, bipedal dinosaur erupted into view.

"Th-th-that's im-p-p-possible," he stuttered, stumbling back a few steps, his face an unhealthy shade of green.

Shadow wasn't finished. Not yet. His eyes glowed and his hand snapped up to close around the keystone hanging around his neck.

Tendrils of light so similar to those in his dream burst out of the orb, snaking their way to meet the ones connected to the Tyranitarite. They collided in a bright flash of light, and an invigorated roar filled the air as Shadow felt something, connect.

He could feel Tyranitar's emotion acutely. As if it were his own. The unadulterated fury at the audacity of this human, the bloodthirsty part of him straining to rip its way out of the chains confining it, the adrenaline rushing through him, every part of his soul thrumming with power.

Tyranitar's head turned minutely, locking eyes and head tilting slightly. A question in his eyes.

Shadow smirked, it was time, to test this new power. A nod was all it took for the dinosaur to explode into motion, bearing down on the terrified Raticate and its cowering trainer.

Far off in the Kalos region, two pairs of eyes snapped open, turning simultaneously in the direction of the power surge they felt, the direction of the Sinnoh region.