Chapter 123: A determined soul knows no bounds
An: sorry for the late release!
A typhoon of purple sand blew wildly as it consumed Pokémon after Pokémon. At the centre, a small black monster with red eyes and a scarf made out of red flames. Two daggers in his hands as he stepped forward.
It had been two days since Marshadow had stepped into the barren landscape, and he had killed countless other contestants. None of them could even see him coming. He was like a phantom in the night. His killing art had been refined like steel in a furnace. The efficiency was top tier, and a wave of killing intent radiated out in waves. Suffocating any that were too close.
Similar events were happening in two other locations. If someone was to down from a very high place, they would see three massive whirlpools of purple converging on an oversized castle in the middle. Slowly but surely, the three were getting closer and closer. Some other talented ghost types arose from the masses, but they too were swallowed under the ravenous appetite of the three monsters.
Just like this, two more days went by and the three had arrived at the gates of the castle. They were each located at a different gate. One in the south, east and west. There was nobody else. Not a single soul could be seen in sight. nobody else had survived their onslaught.
{Marvellous performance, you have demonstrated a valiant effort in your pursuits of power. Next is the test to enter my castle. The gate will project a carbon copy of yourselves. You must get past them if you wish to enter. Fail and you die, forgotten and alone. Happy battling!} the voice said with a playful laugh.
None of the three reacted to the voice's words and instead stared at the gates with fierce gazes.
An eye opened suddenly on all of the gates; it was positioned directly on top of the gate. It gazed down at the three contestants emotionlessly. Its gaze was so piercing that for the first time, all three contestants were forced to look away. The eye then blinked, and a beam of pitch-black energy hit the floor.
From the crater, a different Pokémon emerged depending on the contestant. A pure black Marshadow, it didn't look that much different from a normal one except this one looked exactly like a shadow. It had no features. The other two also faced similar opponents. Whenever they moved, the opponents would move the same way, as if they were actually connected.
Greninja frowned intensely, it had no patience for this, it shot forward and smashed its oversized shuriken down on the shadow. But to its shock, the same action was reproduced by the shadow. The two attacks clashed sending a massive shockwave exploding out in all directions.
Gengar shot out a massive claw from its own shadow in order to drag his opponent into his domain, yet the same happened with his adversary. Another stalemate occurred.
Marshadow didn't immediately attack but instead walked in a wide circle. The shadow copied his movements and they traded spots. Marshadow grinned as he stared at the shadow like an idiot and turned around before walking towards the gate. The voice said get past, not defeat. A seemingly small difference that would have been dismissed by most, but Rex had taught Marshadow to pick up on even the smallest of clues or weaknesses.
But just as he was about to press the door open, the shadow, for the first time, broke its pattern and shot forward at breakneck speed as it shot out a punch. Marshadow smirked disdainfully and shot his fist out in a backhanded motion. The collision sent a massive wave of air outwards.
The two locked hands as they stared at each other, Marshadow was still grinning, "You cannot defeat me, this power is not something that can be mimicked by the likes of trash like you." He said as he increased his strength, pushing the shadow back slightly.
"This is strength built upon the blood and sweat of me and my trainer. You cannot tarnish that with a mere copy!" he yelled, increasing his strength again, the shadow was now sliding back even when it was pushing back at full strength.
Marshadow wrapped his arms around the shadow copy and shot into the sky at the speed of sound.
"You are the limit I once had. You were my past self, a ceiling I thought I could never break. But that man showed me that nothing is impossible," he paused as the smile on Rex's face flashed by his eyes. A smile full of confidence and expectance.
" I cannot let down that look of his. I CANNOT ALLOW IT! SO DIIIIEEEE!!!" He bellowed as he exploded in a brilliant light as the body of the shadow began to disintegrate into nothingness.
"METEOR FALL!!!!" Marshadow shouted at the top of his lungs as he descended at the speed of light. In less than a nanosecond, the ground began to crack and shake as massive fissures appeared in all directions. An enormous mushroom cloud exploded forth several kilometres into the sky. Lighting twirled around the cloud making it look more threatening than it already was. Yet, there was a certain allure to it.
The Pokémon on the throne walked out into the balcony and stood there with a mesmerised expression on his face.
{AHAHAHAHHA. This is just like you! This is exactly like you! You've always been a monster through and through. You've returned after so long.} he said as he spread his arms open as if embracing the entire world, wisps of green smoke rose from his arms.
{I can't wait to finally meet you after so many centuries!} he said excitedly before returning to his throne.
Marshadow crawled out of the crater, smoke coming off his body, but the same merciless eyes full of determination appeared. Unwavering even after all that. He caught a glimpse of the figure on the balcony, and he felt as if something had been unlocked. Like something that had been sealed within for who knows how long had been released.
"Well… this… how could it be?!" he struggled to talk as his gaze changed as he looked at the massive castle in the distance.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone