Through the Portal

~Meanwhile with Kai~

Kai woke up with a bone-deep shudder, blinking as he got up in a white, unadorned room. He got up from the bed, frowning lightly as he tried to remember what had happened. But before he could manage, an obviously Legendary Pokémon came in, scaring him slightly. The Pokémon was a blue deer-like one that had rainbow colored horns and a calm look in its body language.

"Hello." She said softly, looking at the intimidated young man.

"H-Hi? W-who are you a-and where on Earth am I?!" Kai asked nervously, trying and failing to hide his fear. The Legendary Pokémon in front of him only smiled at his uncertainty, wanting to soothe the drummer.

"I am Xerneas. And you, young man, are dead."

"What?! B-but I need to save Uruha! He could be hurt right now!!"

"Your friend is fine. He and your other friends are safely away from Giratina."

Kai sagged in relief at those words from the Life Pokémon.

"Yokatta..." He whispered softly, having been scared to lose Uruha or his other friends. But then, his curiosity was piqued, Xerneas hadn't said why he had died and how he could return, if even possible.

"How did I die? And can I return somehow??" The drummer asked, looking at her with a raised eyebrow.

"You died from the wound you received. It was poisonous all along, young man. But the poison is still in your body, I do not know if you will be able to return at all." Xerneas said but in the next moment, she was alerted to something.

"They have the Time Flute and Celebi... This changes everything..."

~Meanwhile in the real world~

After that, under the scared looks of all of them, the Lunar Pokémon gently prodded Kai's wound. The GazettE members however, were only able to look at Kai's peaceful face and nothing else. Uruha was sobbing as he did so, feeling guilty.

"It'll be okay. Kai is stronger than that, you guys need to have a little faith in him, you know." Said Saga softly, concerned about all of his friends. But Uruha wouldn't stop crying nor could the others. And then, Cresselia came back to awareness, bearing grim news.

"His wound is irredeemable. I am sorry but... There is only one thing you can do to get him back right now."

"And that is??" Aoi asked, being the only one who could talk.

"To let him stay like this while you travel to find the cure for his wound--"

"NO!!" All of the members of the GazettE screamed at once. None of them were going to let Kai stay dead, in case he wouldn't be able to return. Yune frowned at that behind the obviously disapproving Cresselia, feeling hurt that Kai was so loved by his ex-bandmates.

"You promised you would not let Kai die like this!! Now you're turning back on your promise?! Then we are turning back from you! Sableye, use Shadow Ball!!" Ruki growled angrily.

At Ruki's command, all of the rest of them looked shocked except for the other members of the GazettE. The rest of the members, however, were not at all shocked, knowing just how much Ruki cared for Kai.

Cresselia dodged the Darkness Pokémon's attack but even she was in great shock. Then, she cleared her throat and said softly;

"I see you are not going to do as I suggest. Then you should know this, even if you bring him back, Giratina might be able to control him from afar, the wound he has will not heal unless you find the right cure for him."

"We will find it. Only once he comes back to us, not a moment sooner." Said Reita coldly, he was just as angry as Ruki was, thinking of how much danger Kai was in.

"Yeah. Please, just bring him back!" Uruha whispered, still crying as he looked at the peaceful younger man. Cresselia sighed and nodded and then, Celebi told the least upset-looking Aoi to play his Time Flute so that they could bring the young drummer back to life. Aoi nodded and played it and surprisingly to everyone except Kra members, Kai's body started to thrash.

"I-is it working?!"

Just as Yuura was going to say something, Kai gasped out loudly, his body's movements coming to a stop and he was breathing now.

"Oh yokatta... We need to find the cure now. Is he gonna wake up though?" Reita asked quietly, worried sick for Kai's life.

"He will wake up. But beware, once he does, he should not mention Giratina at all, that would be a call to that vile Pokémon and it would cause him to fall under the curse of him." Cresselia said, frowning at the still asleep Kai and Ruki who had decided to stay near the older man. Then they gently carried the drummer to the hospital, covering him with a thick blanket as Bela wound Uruha's ankle as gently as she could.

~Half an hour later~

Kai woke up with a shiver going through his body, making him tighten the covers on himself. And then, he decided to look around despite being so very tired. And what he saw made him feel very relieved; Uruha was asleep right by his side, safe and sound. But then, the guitarist started to whimper in his sleep.

"No... Kai, please... Don't go!! K-Kai!!" The older man whimpered, his head thrashing in the throes of his nightmare. Kai frowned slightly and he shook the older man but it wouldn't work, Uruha simply couldn't wake up from his nightmare.

"Uruha! Wake the hell up!!" Kai yelled as Uruha screamed his name and woke up, sobbing.

"Hey, it's alright. What's wrong, Uru? What's the problem?? Come on, you can tell me anything, you know that."

Uruha only shook his head, too upset to be able to speak normally. Kai just rocked him back and forth, murmuring comforting words into the guitarist's ear as he did so.

"It's alright, Kouyou, I'm here now, I'm not going anywhere."

Just as he said that, Ruki came into the room and seeing Kai and Uruha, his eyes widened and he ran to their side immediately.

"Uruha? What's wrong?!" The vocalist asked gently, concerned. Kai answered instead of the older man, however, the guitarist being way too shaken at the moment.

"He had a nightmare... I don't know what happened with Gi--"

"NO!! Please, Kai, d-don't say that brute's n-name!"

Kai looked confused at that but nodded relatively calmly. Then, Ruki turned to him and promptly hugged the breathe out of him.

"You scared the shit out of us, Kai-kun..."

"W-what the--?! Ruki, calm down, I'm fine!" The drummer said, flailing slightly in the hug while Uruha managed to bring a small smile out at the vocalist's bear hug. After that, Ruki released him and looked him over despite remembering the peaceful look on the drummer's face while he was dead, wanting to reassure himself that Kai was indeed fine now.

~Meanwhile with Tatsuhi~

"Why should I trust you!? You and Taizo both left us alone here! Why should I trust you when Ryuji is in this state?! I don't have time for you, Yuuya, not anymore!" Tatsuhi said, tears falling from his eyes at the reminder of the good times they'd had with Yuuya, Taizo and Ryuji.

"I promise I won't leave again! Just give me a chance, Tatsuhi! Just give me a chance to bring Ryuji back together, onegai!"

Tatsuhi looked at the drummer's face, trying to find the lie he was sure he would find but there was nothing but intense concern and pain in the older man's face. But just as he was going to say something, Darkrai finally made his entrance with Latios leading the way.

"Please help Ryuji! There has to be a way to bring him back!" Yuuya exclaimed before the bassist could say anything. Tatsuhi inwardly grimaced, knowing the Pitch Black Pokémon would make the older man do something inhumane like he had made Tatsuhi and Ryuji do.

It will not come cheap, young man." Darkrai said sinisterly, obviously having planned what he would make Yuuya, the softest one out of them do.

"I'll do anything to redeem myself in the eyes of my friends!"

"Yuuya..." The bassist whispered, feeling scared for the other man despite his earlier anger. Yuuya didn't answer the younger man, very worried about Ryuji.

"You must bring one thing each of you. And that will maybe bring him back."

"Maybe?! You got to give us a better chance!! What is this one thing?!"

"His soul shards. There must be three, but there is a big problem in finding them." Latios said calmly as if Yuuya had not burst out with anger. Tatsuhi put a hand on the taller man's arm, making him pause in surprise.

"What is the problem?! We'll do anything to bring him back now!" The bassist said softly, bowing his head to hide his tears at the thought of Ryuji's sacrifice.

"Hai! Ryuji needs us right now, we're not going to leave him like this!"

"Since his mind is also broken, your friend cannot comprehend where he is or where his soul shards can be. That is why only one of you shall get inside his mind and bring his shattered psyche back. If not, you surely will fail."

~Meanwhile inside Ryuji's mind~

"I needed you..." Tatsuhi's quiet voice whispered to the already injured vocalist, making him flinch.

"Please, don't leave me! T-Tatsuhi! Please don't leave me like everyone else!!"

"You are too late to make such demands, Ryuji. Just like you were too late on saving my life"

~Meanwhile in the real world~

"How do we do it though?! And why only one of us can do so?!" Yuuya asked sharply, frowning. Tatsuhi grimaced inwardly once again, hoping that the two very dangerous Pokémon would not take the drummer's anger as offense.

"Because it has to be someone who has never left his side. The other will have to wait till he is back." Latios calmly told at which, Yuuya's anger deflated and he looked down, truly regretful.

"Then that's my job. I won't let him down like this..." Tatsuhi whispered softly as Yuuya continued to mentally beat himself up.

"But of course, the other one must do something as well." Darkrai's sinister voice broke the silence, making Tatsuhi and Yuuya's eyes widen from different reasons. Tatsuhi from worry and Yuuya from eagerness.

"What is it?! I'll do anything to find a way to bring Ryuji back!" The drummer said, making Tatsuhi feel even more worried about what Darkrai might do to hurt Yuuya.

"You must find the Azure Flute. It will help bring his mind back."

"I'll bring it, I'm not letting Ryuji die like this. I can't..."

~Meanwhile in the hospital~

"Guys, what happened after Gi-- That brute hurt me? And where are the others?? Please tell me they're not hurt!" Kai said, fearful about what might have happened to Aoi and Reita. Ruki only smiled at his worry, trying to hide the fact that he was quite worried for the drummer despite him being awake now.

"They're fine, Cresselia-san sent them on a mission, actually."

"Eh?! What mission?! Is someone hurt?!"

At that, Ruki looked uncomfortable while Uruha shuddered in Kai's arms, knowing very well what mission their friends were on at the moment and it still made him fear that they would be too late to manage getting what they needed to get.

"N-no, no one is hurt, Kai-kun. I don't think you should know the details yet though, just know that they're just fine."

"B-but?! What has happened that they needed to be sent away?! D-did Gi--"

"No! He didn't hurt them, don't worry, Yutaka-kun!"

~Meanwhile with Aoi and Reita~

"Are we sure that the cure is here?" Reita asked Aoi, frowning as he surveyed the ruins he and the guitarist were standing before.

"More or less, Reita. We can only hope that it's here, or else, we're screwed."

"Yeah. Let's go in then."

"Chatot, Cha!"

The three of them went in only to see a hiker man in the entrance, looking at a huge block like they had seen in the Distortion World. The man sighed, getting away from it.

"It doesn't seem like I will be able to continue..."

"Hello. Can you tell us what is beyond that block??"

"According to the legend, it contains something that can cure any poison. But this block doesn't seem movable, if I may be honest..."

At that Reita and Aoi looked at eachother with surprise. They had found the right place for the cure.

"We need that cure, we'll have to move it somehow!"

~Meanwhile with Tatsuhi and Yuuya~

Yuuya was getting ready to leave, knowing that there was almost nothing he could do to bring Ryuji's shattered mind back except for finding the Azure Flute and he was not going to let anything deter him from getting it. But just as he was stepping out, Tatsuhi approached him.

"Yuuya, are you sure that you can do this?"

"For you guys, yes. I'm not gonna let you down anymore, I promise, Tatsuhi-kun."

"But Darkrai is calling you right now, he said he would give you something to help along your quest. H-he might make you do something inhumane, Yuuya, please don't give in to everything he wants you to do, please..."

~Meanwhile with Aoi and Reita~

"I tried everything but it just won't budge. It's better if you return home, gentlemen." The hiker said seriously but neither of them were about to move from the spot, too determined to save Kai.

"We will find a way, if you just get out of our way." Reita said, slightly angry at the man's tries to make the duo go away. At that, the man stubbornly glared at them.

"No. I found out about this cure first. You should go away!"

"Never!! Our friend needs this cure badly! We won't let him down with that!!" Aoi said, glaring daggers. At that, the man sent out his Pokémon, pissed off as well.

"Go, Probopass! We must get that cure or he won't be happy with us!"

"Go, Chatot!! Aoi, you try to move that huge rock, Kai's state right now depends on us!"

Aoi nodded, running towards the rock and looking at it with a frown. And then, he found the same Braille code that was on the blocks of the Distortion World. He hummed to himself and then turned to Reita who was trying to hold his ground against the Rock and Steel type Pokémon to buy the guitarist some time to solve the puzzle.

"Reita! Ore wa houhou o mitsuketa!"

Reita's head snapped up at that, looking immensely hopeful but something they had not been expecting happened.

"Probopass, use Rock Slide on him!! You're not getting it, you bastards!!" The hiker exclaimed, pointing at Aoi.

"Aoi, abunai!!" Reita screamed right before the attack started.

~Meanwhile with Tatsuhi~

Tatsuhi nervously waited for an instruction as to how to get into the shattered mind of Ryuji, anxious for a number of reasons. Yuuya had left with the new Pokémon the cruel Pitch Black Pokémon had bestowed upon the drummer. And Tatsuhi himself was scared that he would not return even though Yuuya promised he would.

"Ryuji, please hang on, okay? We're going to find a way, I promise." He whispered to the unresponsive vocalist. Ryuji didn't answer of course but the bassist had a feeling that he could feel that he was not alone.

And then, almost unwillingly, his mind turned back to the last conversation that he had with Yuuya before the drummer was out of the castle walls.

~Flashback~

"Look, Tatsuhi, if there's anything that I can do for you and Ryuji, I won't hesitate. It's because of me that this even happened. If I hadn't left you that day, this wouldn't have happened to Ryuji. I'll bring him back, I promise you."

"It's not that I'm worried about, Yuuya, not really. Darkrai is cruel. Knowing him, he'll make you do something horrible to other people, just like he made me and Ryuji do so..."

Yuuya frowned at that but still hugged the distressed bassist, wanting to comfort him through all this.

"It's gonna be okay, Tatsuhi. Everything will be okay. You're not alone anymore. Besides, Darkrai gave me a Pokémon, with her, I can help bring Ryuji-kun back to us."

Tatsuhi sighed wordlessly, too concerned at what could happen to Yuuya. But the drummer smiled and briefly hugged him once again before turning back and leaving.

~Flashback ends~

Tatsuhi was so deep in thought that he didn't sense the person that came inside the room he and Ryuji were in. He only looked up after the person had cleared his throat.

"So, this is what happened to him? Seems pitiful." The man said softly, making Tatsuhi angry.

~Meanwhile in the hospital~

"But then where are they?!" Kai asked but it was obvious that they didn't want to talk about it. Kai growled slightly and stormed out, making the two look at eachother with worry.

"Kai, matte!"

Ruki managed to catch up to the frustrated drummer and hug him once more.

"Please stop worrying. Everything is alright with them, I promise you."

"Then why won't you tell me what happened after Giratina attacked me?!" Kai shouted but then, he suddenly went rigid, making Ruki fear the worst.

"K-Kai?!" The vocalist said, immediately scared that Kai was under the curse of the Renegade Pokémon. The drummer didn't answer him for a moment before crying out in pain and collapsing.

"Yutaka!! What's wrong?!"

"I-I don't know!! R-Ruki, m-my back! I-it hurts!!" Kai whimpered, obviously in much pain. Ruki immediately called for a doctor so that they could take the older man to a bed before any more damage happened to him.

~Meanwhile with Aoi and Reita~

Aoi tried to move away, but the attack had come way too fast and sudden for even the agile guitarist to dodge. He got buried inside the giant rocks, making Reita turn white as a sheet from the fright that he might have lost one of his best friends. The bassist ran towards the rocks, scared badly.

"AOI!!! Aoi, please answer me!!" He shouted, tears filling his eyes.

"Chatot! Cha, Chatot!!" Chatot also cried, hoping like crazy that Aoi was alive. At that, the hiker just laughed softly.

"He deserved this. No one will get that formula besides me."

"You monster!! You better hope that Aoi is alive or I am gonna goddamn skin you alive!!" Reita said with a shaking voice. The hiker didn't seem fazed by the threat of Reita however, he got a surprise when the bassist turned to his Pokémon.

"Chatot, I want you to go and find any help you can! Aoi has to be alive! He has to!" He said and the Music Note Pokémon nodded despite her uneasiness about leaving Reita on his own against that mad hiker and left the cave, flying as fast as she could to find help.

~Meanwhile with Kyo~

Kyo nodded respectfully at the doctor, grateful for his help on saving his life. But even then, he felt a discomfort while looking at the man. He didn't know why but he felt like there was something amiss.

"Thank you." He said, his voice still a little hoarse but the doctor only smirked, not really helping his case with the vocalist.

"Not a problem, I am a doctor after all."

~Meanwhile with Chatot~

Chatot flew as fast and far as she could, desperate for help. Then, she stumbled upon an old adversary of hers and paused. She thought for a moment if she should try and persuade him to help or not but remembering how her trainer looked at the pile of rocks and the thought of the kind Aoi's death, gave her strength and courage she needed to have.

"R-Roserade! Please help!!" She called out and the Bouquet Pokémon turned around, glaring at her.

"Chatot. You're still around, huh? I would've thought some Rock Pokémon would bury you by now."

At that, the Music Note Pokémon flinched, remembering Reita's scream as the rocks buried his guitarist.

"Roserade, I really need your help, there's a life hanging here! If we... If I don't do something, my trainer's friend is gonna die!!" She said, tears in her eyes.

"Why should I help you after what you have done years ago?! You preyed on my entire family!! Give me one good reason to not Sludge Bomb your ass right now!!"

"This isn't about that! Please, I need help, my trainer Reita's friend got buried under a Rock Slide! H-he won't live unless I get help!!"

~Meanwhile with Reita~

"Please, Aoi, say something!!" Reita said, very close to crying as he waited for both his Chatot to return hopefully with some help and for Aoi to answer him but all he could hear was silence from the pile of rocks. Then, he turned around and did something shocking even though it could be dangerous for him; he slammed the hiker onto the wall, growling.

"Tell me how I can dig him out! NOW!!"

"No way. You were the ones interfering with my plan to have the cure and he deserved it!" The hiker said and then, ordered his Probopass to use Rock Slide once more, this time on the defenseless Reita. The bassist closed his eyes, waiting for the rocks to fall on him only to get shocked.

"Rose, Roserade!!" A bouquet like Pokémon suddenly appeared in the cave, blasting the rocks away from Reita before they could connect. And Chatot immediately flew over to the young bassist, worried.

"Cha? Chatot, Cha?!" She cried and Reita smiled slightly at the worried Music Note Pokémon.

"I'm fine, Chatot... But Aoi won't answer me. I just hope we're not too late to save him..."

Chatot nodded at the Pokémon she had brought to save the guitarist and the Pokémon nodded back, collecting a white energy ball in its roses and then, it shot it as a beam onto the rocks, blasting them and scaring Reita half to death. Then, he looked up only to see the unconscious form of his guitarist.

"Yuu!!" He yelled, going beside the older man with fear and trying to wake him up. Aoi however, only groaned in pain, relieving the bassist slightly that Aoi was alive at the very least.

~Meanwhile inside Aoi's mind~

"Aoi, help!!" Kai's frightened voice breached the black void the guitarist was in. He frowned and called out at the drummer.

"Kai!! What's wrong?!"

"H-he's back! He's g-gonna have me!! G-Giratina is c-coming at me!!" The drummer screamed in absolute terror. Aoi frowned deeper and got up from where he was sitting. Then, focusing on the younger man, he could see him back in the Distortion World. The guitarist gasped in shock and then, focusing once more, he managed to get there.

"It's okay, Kai. He will never get you, we'll never let that happen."

~Meanwhile with the others~

"So, where have you guys been for two weeks? I was kinda worried about you, to be honest..." Hiroto said kindly to the Kra members. At that, Taizo winced, remembering everything that had happened since Mai's death. And when they told about Mai's death, everyone who knew the ex-guitarist gasped.

"When did that happen?! And just why?! Mai-san was such a nice guy!" Shou said, shocked.

"Turns out, his own mother sent him here to Darkrai's castle for him to 'heal' and he had to work for him..."

"If he was working for that bastard, maybe he deserved it?" Ruka said before he got a hard smack on his head by Yomi, the vocalist glaring at him for his insensitivity.

"Don't mind this insensitive oaf, what happened next??"

"He... He never deserved it, that's the biggest problem. Darkrai... He tried to make him hurt us in trade of his own life and Mai... He gave up on living instead of harming anyone..." Keiyuu said, sad at the reminder. At that, the others gasped in shock.

"That's just sad... Poor guy." Hitsugi said, saddened as well.

~Meanwhile with Reita and Aoi~

"R-Rei...ta?" Aoi finally managed to whisper, trying to raise his head. Reita immediately pushed him back down gently. The guitarist had a bad head injury, after all.

"It's alright, Aoi-kun. We're gonna get out of here, okay?"

"K-Kai needs the c-cure, w-we can't just... L-leave!"

"You are injured, Yuu. Kai would understand--" The bassist started to say only to see the stubborn guitarist try to get up while holding his head.

"No. He needs us now. I won't chicken out just because I'm injured slightly. Now, let's solve the puzzle, take the cure and just get the heck out of here."

Reita shook his head as the guitarist staggered back to the giant block which was half crushed by the attack that nearly took Aoi's life, knowing that he wouldn't be able to convince Aoi to stop. Instead, he sighed and went closer to support the guitarist while he looked back at the puzzle, trying to remember what he had solved before. After a short, quiet moment, Aoi perked up again even though it obviously hurt his aching head even more.

"We must use something called a Red Orb to open this thing up it seems... It seems like it's... A gate of some sort instead of a block. It's so weird..." The guitarist said, frowning and Reita frowned as well.

"How do we find that though?"

"I have no clue. But we must hurry before it's too late to save Kai-kun."

~Meanwhile with Tatsuhi~

"Oh, you shut up, it's all your fault that Ryuji-kun is in this state!" Tatsuhi said, glaring at the man who had come in just to make fun of the situation Ryuji was in. At that, the other man frowned and glared back.

"I did nothing to your precious Ryuji! I was not even there, you traitor!!"

"If you had not hurt Ryuji, Gustav-san, when T-Taizo and the others of his band came in, we would NOT be in this state!! You are the monster here!! Leave us the hell alone from now on!!"

Gustav paused at the vehemence in Tatsuhi's voice, not having expected that much anger from the older man. He searched for words to say, his mouth opening and closing on its own for a moment before remembering why he had come in the first place.

"Well, if you don't actually want to know how to enter his pathetic, broken mind, suit yourself." He said and much to his delight, Tatsuhi stopped and bowed his head down. But what he was not expecting was the bassist springing up and slamming him against the nearest wall, his eyes fiery.

"Tell me. Or I will kill you!" He said before shocking the drummer even more by taking out a ragged, sharp piece of rock which he pressed onto Gustav's throat.

"I-I'll tell! Stop doing that!" The drummer said, trying to get out of the older man's tight grip.

"You must focus on the last memory you have of him that shattered his stupid mind. That should at least do something, from what Master said."

"How do I do it?! I can't remember anything from that moment!" Tatsuhi growled, his eyes narrowed.

~Meanwhile with the others~

"What's happening to him?! We need to do something before he's gone!" Uruha said in total panic. Ruki nodded just as worried as Kai whimpered and groaned in what seemed to be a torturous pain.

"G-guys... P-please, help!! H-he's coming!" The drummer was whimpering and for the life of them, they could not understand what he was talking about.

"It's gonna be alright, Kai. We'll never let whoever it is to take you, I promise, my friend."

~Meanwhile with Aoi and Reita~

Just as Aoi said that, trying hard not to show the pain he was having in his head, the hiker who had gotten half blasted into oblivion after the Roserade's attack woke up.

"You are unworthy to have that! Only Master may have it!!" The man rambled, making the two of them look at eachother with frowns, thinking that they had understood just who this madman was working for.

"You're working for Darkrai?! If so, your so-called Master will never keep us away from this!" Reita yelled but the man chuckled softly.

"Why would I work for such a loser? My real master is way stronger than him! Giratina soon will have the world!"

~Meanwhile with Yuuya~

Yuuya thought long and hard to find the Azure Flute, knowing his friend's life now depended on him and his actions. When he came to the cliff Darkrai had told him to go to, however, he found something. Hopeful that it was the Flute, he ran to it. However, it was only a big, glowing red sphere. The drummer sighed with irritation.

"I can't seem to find this damned thing! But I can't simply go back! Not when Ryuji needs me!!" He growled and just in case it was needed, the tall man took the sphere with him. And after going to search for the flute more, he came across someone who challenged him to a Pokémon battle. He tried to tell the girl that he was in a hurry but she would not listen.

"You must battle!"

"I need to go! My friend is dying and I need to find the Azure Flute!"

The girl stopped for a moment, shocked at the item's name. Yuuya frowned slightly at the change in the girl's attitude.

"What? D-do you know where it is?! Please tell me if you know, there's a life hanging here!"

~Meanwhile withTatsuhi~

"J-just try, you dumbass!! If you remember it, you probably will be able to get in! Now will you please let me the hell go!?" Gustav growled angrily, still trying to get out of the girly man's grip.

"Okay. But do not in any way try to come between us again. Or I will not be so easily letting go." Tatsuhi growled before shoving him and going to Ryuji's side again.

Then, Gustav smirked, knowing what the bassist really needed to get into the mind of Ryuji but not telling him. But then, a shock came for the influenced drummer, one of the women scientists came into the room, smirking as she held a pink, slightly dull with blood tablet. As soon as the shorter man saw the tablet, he went pale as a sheet, starting to remember everything he'd seen.

"Oh, Kami-sama..." He whispered, his eyes full of tears. And then, he went into the mind of Ryuji, unable to stop himself and unwilling as well.

~Meanwhile with Reita and Aoi~

"What?! You work for that... That brute?!" Aoi demanded and that pissed the hiker off.

"Now you shut up! Master knows better than you! He will be able to get out soon, with that loser Darkrai helping out."

At that, the guitarist and bassist looked at eachother with horror, understanding the entire plan immediately. Darkrai was planning to pull Giratina out of the weird world the Renegade Pokémon was imprisoned in.

"No he will not. We will not let such a thing to happen! Now, let's go before Kai gets worse." Said Reita before Aoi could punch the deranged man like a punching bag.

~Meanwhile in Ryuji's mind~

"Ryuji!! Ryuji, where are you?!" Tatsuhi screamed, looking for the vocalist everywhere. And then, he saw him, laying on the ground with blood coming out of him.

"RYUJI!!!" The younger man screamed and ran to him.

"D-don't..." Ryuji mumbled when the bassist gently took him into his arms, tears coming into his eyes at the state of his best friend.

"What is it, Ryuji? Oh, please say something!" Tatsuhi whispered, fearful that he was too late.

"D-don't lea...ve me..." Ryuji mumbled so softly that the bassist almost missed it. When the younger man deciphered what the vocalist had said, he softly started to sob.

"I'm here, Ryuji, I'm not leaving you. No way in hell!"

~Meanwhile with Yuuya~

"T-that item could kill you! It's very dangerous!" The young girl said, her face a mask of horror. Yuuya frowned but shook his head immediately, focusing on his task above the risks.

"I don't care. My friend needs me and I will get that Flute even if it kills me."

The girl was even more shocked by the declaration of the young drummer but then, she swallowed and nodded softly, wanting to help this desperate man.

"Then follow me." She said before turning back and starting to walk. Yuuya's eyes widened in relief and surprise alike and he immediately started walking behind the girl.

~Meanwhile with Ruki and Uruha~

"What do we do?! He's getting worse and there are no news from Aoi and Reita, what if something happened to them as well, Ruki?! How do we get out of this mess?!" Uruha said, near hysterical at the sight of their drummer thrashing and whimpering in horror.

"Calm the hell down, Uru! We'll find a way, Kai is strong and so are Reita and Aoi. I know they will come back with the cure, they wouldn't let us, let Kai down like that." Ruki said softly, shocking Uruha for the guitarist knew he was just as scared as he himself was, but instead of panicking, the vocalist was trying hard to keep himself focused on his task to try and calm Kai down.

"Y-you sure? Ruki, I-I..."

Ruki looked up at Uruha's tearful face, knowing how much it was hurting the guitarist to see their kind friend this way. But what shocked Uruha more, Ruki was trying very hard not to cry. The vocalist always was the one to express himself and his emotions. But now, in the thick of the moment, he was trying to hide them so that he could stay strong, for Kai and all of them.

"It'll be okay. I... I believe in them..." Ruki said, his voice shaking as he looked down at Kai's unrestful face.

"Sab, Sableye..." His partner cried softly, seeing how much it was hurting her master and his friends to see Kai hurt like this.

Just as the Darkness Pokémon cried out, there was an argument coming from the room where the others were at.

"He needs this, Taizo, you cannot be that cruel!" Someone was saying. At that, Uruha and Ruki looked at eachother with confusion and then, just as Uruha was about to move and look what was going on, Ruki stopped him, much to his surprise.

"You stay put, I'll look at what's going on and tell you about it. You need to rest your ankle, remember?"

Uruha sighed in annoyance, knowing Ruki would never let him get up when his ankle was so hurt. But he was still very curious about what was happening.

"I'll be back soon, keep an eye on Kai-kun for me, okay?"

Uruha nodded and looked back at Kai's writhing form with worry. Ruki in the meanwhile, went towards the source of the voices and surprisingly saw the Kra members with a tall, black haired man who was glaring at their guitarist.

"What's going on??"

~Meanwhile in Ryuji's mind~

After a few more minutes or hours, Tatsuhi wasn't sure which, Ryuji finally managed to open his eyes, looking straight at him with pain in his eyes.

"Ryuji! It's alright, okay?! Just... Just don't give up, please!"

"T-Tat...suhi... H-How?.."

"I'm here for you, Ryuji. You're gonna be alright, I promise you!"

~Meanwhile in the hospital~

"Nothing really, Ruki-san. An old friend of mine came for something I can't give that's all." Taizo said calmly. At that, tall man glared at the guitarist while Taizo's bandmates looked at eachother with growing worry.

"I know for a fact that the Azure Flute is here, Taizo! Don't you dare tell me it is not! Ryuji's dying here!!" He growled and Ruki frowned at that, knowing that the item was indeed there.

"I could give you that, I guess, it's on me, actually."

But Taizo sent the short vocalist a glare at that, making him even more confused. But he shrugged and pulled out the Azure Flute anyways, not minding the other man's glare.

"Thank you, seriously... I just hope I get back there in time though..."

"Why don't we come with you? At least we'd see if you're telling the truth, Yuuya." Taizo said suddenly as the younger man took the Azure Flute gingerly from Ruki. Yuuya nodded immediately, surprising the guitarist.

~Meanwhile with Reita and Aoi~

"We need to find this orb thing and fast, Reita! I can't help but worry that if we don't..." Aoi muttered, trying to persevere through his intense headache. Reita looked indecisive about going forward, however.

"Aoi, I really think we should return to the hospital for the time being. You're really injured and I'm worried about you, you know. Kai would understand--"

"Hell no! Kai needs the cure as soon as possible, Akira! I won't shrink down from my duty as a friend to him just because I have a small injury!" The guitarist cut Reita off, frowning at him and trying very hard to focus on something else other than his aching head and chest.

"We need to go, Reita. The Red Orb won't find itself, you know."

~Meanwhile with Uruha~

"Oh, Kai, I'm so sorry, my friend... Please return to us..." Uruha whispered, trying hard not to cry as he watched the drummer thrash in his nightmare and remembering how the younger man had comforted him just a few hours before.

"No... Please... L-let me..." Kai whimpered his hair sticking to his forehead from the cold sweat.

"It's gonna be alright, Yutaka, I promise you..."

~Meanwhile with Yuuya~

"I can't come. Kai needs his friends with him right now, you know. I'm sorry." Ruki said, shuddering slightly as he thought of the situation Kai was in. Taizo and the others smiled at that and nodded.

"Don't worry about it. We can take it on ourselves just fine." Yuura said with a calm smile. Then, they headed off.

~Meanwhile in Ryuji's mind~

"Come on, Ryuji, focus! This is your mind, you can heal yourself, I know you can! Just give it a chance!!"

"T-Tatsuhi... I... I'm so tired... Please just... Let me go to... Sleep..."

"Hell no!! Come on, you're stronger than that, Ryuji-kun! I need you, please!"

~Meanwhile with Yuuya and Kra~

The group arrived the castle of Darkrai, making Keiyuu remember the last time they were there with a slight shudder, hoping that nobody would get hurt this time. And when they entered the room where Tatsuhi and Ryuji were, they all gasped, even Taizo. The skin of Ryuji had an unnatural white color and his eyes were completely blank with black bags under them.

"What the hell happened to Ryuji-san?!" Yasuno asked with horror.

"Tatsuhi told me that both his mind and soul had shattered but I have no idea how the Flute will fix it..." Yuuya whispered.

"You should try, Yuuya-san, this looks horrifying..." Keiyuu said, looking at the other singer's unnaturally pale face. Meanwhile Taizo was frowning at the state of Tatsuhi as well who was blank eyed as well, not really knowing what was wrong.

"What's with Tatsuhi-san though??" Yuura asked just as Taizo was gonna say it, making the guitarist grateful for the bassist's insight.

"I... I think he found a way to merge his mind with Ryuji-kun so that he can at least try to fix it from there." Yuuya answered softly, looking worried.

~Meanwhile in Ryuji's mind~

"Ryuji, please, I beg you, don't go to sleep, I cannot lose you as well!" Tatsuhi said, trying to not let anymore tears to fall. He wanted to stay strong for Ryuji as the vocalist had done so for him.

"B-but Tatsuhi... You'll... Leave me too... Right?.. Everyone... Did after all..." Ryuji whispered, nearly breaking Tatsuhi's willpower to not cry once more.

"Never, Ryuji, I. Will. Never. Leave. Ever!" Tatsuhi said, inwardly cursing both Taizo and Yuuya for leaving them alone to face everything. And then, something surprising happened, the black, blank void suddenly turned into a barren land with nothing to see.

"Ryuji? Come on, get up. I'm here, see? I'm never gonna leave you alone again."

"That coward is better off dead, don't try anymore."

~Meanwhile with Aoi and Reita~

After walking a long while, the two of them finally came back to the summit of the Mount Coronet. Reita helped Aoi to walk as the guitarist became more and more weak by the pain in his head and chest, not really knowing how to make the older man stop.

"You are hurt..." Someone suddenly said, making both of them look up only to see an old woman coming closer to them. Aoi frowned and tried to take Reita behind himself only to make the bassist roll his eyes in amusement and exasperation as he gently pushed the older man aside and went in front of him instead.

"Reita??"

"Aoi, you are the one who's injured, you need to stay down, I've got this." He said with a slight smile at the worry of Aoi. Aoi shook his head partly to oppose and partly to clear it. The Roserade that had saved his life came closer to him while Chatot went to stay with her trainer just in case.

"Who are you? What do you want with us?!" Reita asked sharply to the woman, frowning with distrust. The woman though, just smiled as she came even closer.

"I'm Cynthia's grandmother and the elder of Celestic Town, Melia. Don't worry, I will not harm either of you." She said calmly. At that, Aoi and Reita looked at eachother and then, Aoi asked;

"Do you know about the Red Orb? Because we seriously need it right about now. Our friend is in fatal danger."

"Yes, I do know its location, or where it used to be."

"Used to be?! Great, how the hell are we going to find it now?!" Reita growled, glaring at the ground.

"I can tell you the general direction of it, but you must do something as well in exchange."

"What?! What is it that we have to do to get it?! As we said, our friend is in a critical state!" Aoi said, his temper flying.

"My granddaughter needs someone to train with. If you help her train, I shall help you. But you also will have to pass the trial of the Legendary Pokémon to find out the Red Orb's whereabouts." Melia said calmly as if the guitarist had not burst with anger at her words. At her words, Aoi and Reita looked at eachother with worry.

"I'll help her train. But where do we go to find out about this trial?" Reita asked after a moment of silence.

"You will know soon enough. Now, I'll call my granddaughter, Cynthia. Don't underestimate her, I will say that much. Also, your wound needs to be treated before you go through the trial of Groudon." Melia said calmly as she looked at Aoi and noticed how hard it was for the guitarist to breathe normally. Reita sighed in relief at that, having been very worried about the older man's wounds.

~Meanwhile with Kra~

"How about trying to play it? I mean, it can work, you know." Yuura said softly, remembering how the Time Flute had easily worked when Keiyuu had played it to save Yasuno's life.

"Y-you sure?! What if it does something wrong?!" Yuuya answered, making them pause with frowns, also remembering the backlash on their vocalist.

"I think we should find someone who at least has an idea about how to use this." Taizo muttered, really unsettled by the blank stares of Ryuji and Tatsuhi. Yuuya nodded and as if on cue, Latios came into the room, making Keiyuu take Taizo behind him despite being shorter than the guitarist which made the taller man smile at his worry.

"You can play it however you want. However, it will take its toll on you if you use it too much." The blue Eon Pokémon said and Yuuya nodded, bringing the rare Flute into his mouth and playing it all the while he focused on Ryuji and Tatsuhi alone, shutting off the rest of the world.

~Meanwhile in Ryuji's mind~

Tatsuhi turned around only to see something shocking. His own replica had appeared in front of them, looking at the injured vocalist with disdain.

"W-what are you?! Ryuji! You don't deserve this! Come on, it's not me, Ryuji-kun, please come to yourself!"

"I-I... I don't know wh-what to do..." Ryuji whispered, confused and scared. And then, Tatsuhi got up, eyes blazing at his replica.

"Leave him be. He never deserved us anyway. Any of us."

"NO! Ryuji-kun is one of the kindest people I goddamn know! So, he made a mistake! Everyone makes those, that does not mean that he should die!!"

At that, Ryuji's head snapped up, tearful and shocked.

"T-Tatsuhi... Y-you mean that?!"

"Of course I do, Ryuji. Come on, please get up, I don't wanna lose you..." The bassist whispered with a loving, concerned tone, offering his hand to take him up. Ryuji's hand trembled as he held onto it and he let the younger man to take him up.

"Thank you, Tatsuhi..."

~Meanwhile in Kai's mind~

Kai didn't know for how long he'd been running. He had suddenly found himself in the horrible dimension where they had rescued Uruha in and Giratina was hunting him down for quite some time now.

"Where are you, guys?" He whimpered, tired and terrified.

"They left you. Do you not want to take revenge?" Giratina said, suddenly appearing in front of the drummer and scaring him half to death.

"N-no!! T-they'd never do such a-a thing to me!"

Just as the Renegade Pokémon was about to try and convince Kai more for revenge, a voice came through, the voice of Uruha. He was saying;

"It's gonna be alright, Yutaka, I promise you..."

At that, Kai was relieved, the others were doing everything they could to bring him out of this horrible situation.

~Meanwhile with Aoi and Reita~

"So, we meet again." Cynthia said calmly as she observed her grandmother take Aoi to her shack to treat his wounds.

"Yeah. I wish it was in a better condition, Cynthia-san..." Reita said, swallowing in pain as he knew Kai was in danger. And also Aoi was in a worse state than he ever had been.

"It will be fine. Your friends are strong, if not you wouldn't have survived from your encounter with Giratina." The young woman said encouragingly. Reita however, only sighed, very worried about his friends.

"Don't do this to yourself, it's going to be okay. I can see your caring nature. And your friend is very strong, obviously, and not to mention,stubborn." She said, smiling kindly. That made Reita snort.

"Definitely. Aoi is one of the most stubborn people I've ever met. I... I just hope everything goes well in that trial..." He said looking down again in worry. Just as he finished his words, Aoi came back with his chest and head wrapped in bandages.

"Come on, let's do this training and be on our way!" The guitarist said, frowning. At that, Cynthia nodded and sent her first two Pokémon; a Garchomp and a Milotic.

"Go, Chatot!"

Just as Aoi was going to ask how he would be able to battle, the Roserade who had saved his life came to stand by him, making it clear that he wanted to fight for him.

~Meanwhile with Kra~

As they watched Yuuya play the melody for his old friends, Kra members looked at eachother with concern.

"How did this even happen to them?" Keiyuu whispered softly.

"I don't know, Keiyuu. But this really is awful." Yasuno replied, shuddering as he looked at Ryuji's unnaturally white face and the blank stare of Tatsuhi. While they said that, Taizo was just looking at the immense concentration on Yuuya's face, wanting to know why he wanted to save Tatsuhi and Ryuji so much.

~Meanwhile in Ryuji's mind~

"Come on, Ryuji, let's go." Tatsuhi said quietly as his replica faded away.

"B-but I'm s-scared, Tatsuhi! I-I can't do this!!"

"Yes you can, Ryuji! I'm gonna be with you through all of this, I promise!"

Just as the bassist said that, his eyes steely and determined, another replica turned about but this was something much worse. It was the dead body of Yuuya.

~Meanwhile with Kyo~

Kyo winced as he slowly sat up in his bed, his chest hurting him more than he would be willing to admit to any of his friends.

"Are you alright, Kyo-kun?" Asked Shinya upon seeing his face. Kyo nodded with a small, hesitant smile at which, the drummer didn't look too convinced.

"I'm fine, Shinya, don't worry about me."

At that, Shinya sighed, sitting in the chair beside the singer's bed and putting his head in his hands.

"Shinya? What's wrong?"

"It's just... You scared the crap out of us all... I thought w-we were gonna l-lose you, Tooru! I never wanna see you like that again..." The younger man said, swallowing his tears to not let Kyo see them.

~Meanwhile with Reita and Aoi~

"You wanna help me fight? Thank you..." Aoi said, surprised at the Roserade.

"Come on, let's just finish this training or whatever and get the hell out, Kai needs us." Reita said, his eyes actually steely and determined. At that, Cynthia was surprised, not having expected the calm-looking man to be that mad.

"Alright then. Garchomp, use Dragon Rush! Milotic, you use Surf!"

"Chatot, use Chatter at that Milotic!" Reita commanded. At that, the Music Note Pokémon nodded and let out a loud noise which made Milotic confused.

"You use Sludge Bomb on that Garchomp, Roserade! Please be quick, Kai might be getting worse!" The guitarist said, really scared that if they did not hurry, Kai might truly be lost.

The attacks clashed mid-air, making a dust cloud rise. When it was cleared, Aoi and Reita saw that Roserade was able to stop the Mach Pokémon from hitting him hard with the Dragon-type move by merely using his thorny roses. Garchomp then returned to Milotic's side while the Tender Pokémon hurt herself in her confusion.

"Milotic, snap out of it! Come on, use Surf!"

At her trainer's cry, the Tender Pokémon just could give a weak cry before the Sludge Bomb from Roserade made her poisoned and weak. However, that attack along with her trainer's command made her snap out of confusion and she summoned a huge wave which she crashed into both Chatot and Roserade.

"Oh no..." Reita muttered after seeing his loyal Chatot slam into the ground, seriously worried.

"Cha, Chatot!" The Music Note Pokémon cried out to calm the bassist down, however, before she bravely went back into her battle.

"Chatot, use Echoed Voice on Milotic!! We can do this!"

"Don't be so sure. Milotic, use Ice Beam on Chatot! And you, my dear Garchomp, use Flamethrower!" Cynthia said and that, spelled doom on the two opposing Pokémon.

~Ten minutes later~

After the battle was lost, Reita and Aoi did not know what to do until Cynthia revived their Pokémon and supplied them with Full Restores, explaining what the medicine did as well, making them grateful.

"We need to go. I hope we meet again, Cynthia-san, only I hope it'll be on better conditions." Reita said as the two and Melia were going out.

"I hope so too. Don't worry, you are strong enough to do this."

After walking for nearly two hours, Melia pointed at the Red Orb, which looked like it had fallen from someone's pocket.

"This is it. Let's go back and shove this thing to that block. We need Kai back!" Aoi said with determination.

"Do you want me to come with you to help guide you?"

"Iie, but thank you anyways." Reita said respectfully before turning to Aoi.

"Ja, ikimashou, ne?"

And then, when Aoi nodded and pushed the Red Orb into the dented place, Aoi and Reita were sucked into a trance-like state.

~Meanwhile with Kai~

Kai was at the end of his rope, not knowing how to get out scared the young drummer to no end.

"He can't get me! I-I need to get out!!"

"You will never get out, Kai. They do not need you anymore."

~Meanwhile in Ryuji's mind~

Tatsuhi stared in horror as he and Ryuji came closer to the dead-looking body of their old friend, Ryuji looking like he was about to have a breakdown. But just as they came to stand beside it, the fake-Yuuya suddenly woke up, shocking them. But what made it even worse was what he said.

"You could've... Saved me..." The old drummer whispered, blood coming out of his mouth. At that, Tatsuhi gasped while Ryuji fell on his knees once more, distressed and scared.

"Ryuji, this is not real!! Y-Yuuya is alive!!" The bassist said but then, the drummer started talking in a dead whisper again, making Ryuji even more distressed by his words.

"If you... Hadn't left... Us that day... I w-would be... Alive..."

"N-no! Yuuya, I'm... I'm sorry!!"

At those words, all the anger Tatsuhi was keeping at bay came to the surface quickly. He forced Ryuji to stand, shocking him and then, turned to the replica of Yuuya with fire in his eyes.

"No, you fake thing, it was you and Taizo who left us!! It was you who didn't care at the hell ALL when we needed you!!" Tatsuhi growled, shocking both Ryuji and the fake-Yuuya. Just as he said that, a azure colored flurry of notes suddenly appeared and circled them as the fake-Yuuya was about to attack the angry bassist, creating a shield for them.

"W-what's... Going on?!" Ryuji said in fear and confusion. Tatsuhi smiled in relief, understanding that this magical barrier was the real Yuuya's doing.

"Don't worry, we're not alone, Ryuji-kun. Not anymore."

~Meanwhile with Aoi~

Aoi suddenly found himself in the Distortion World, shocked out of his mind. Then, he saw something that shocked him; it was Kai who was on the ground, with Giratina towering over the younger man. He gasped, not remembering that Reita should have been with him at that exact moment.

"NO!! Leave him alone!!" The guitarist yelled, running towards them.

"A-Aoi? P-please, help!!"

Right when Kai yelled that, a voice in his head stopped Aoi from going further.

"Leave him. He is not real." It was an older man's voice, calm and collected. But then, Kai yelled once more, making Aoi ignore the voice for the drummer's well-being. And when he came beside the injured man, he finally realized Reita's absence.

"Crap! Kai, are you alright?!"

"I-it hurts, Yuu! It hurts so much!" Kai whimpered and weirdly, Giratina who was floating right before them, was doing nothing to stop them from reuniting.

"It's gonna be okay, Kai! I-I swear you'll be okay! But I need to find Reita, he might be here somewhere!"

"D-don't leave me!! Aoi, please!!" Kai said, clinging to Aoi's arm. But that tipped the guitarist on how the voice that had sounded in his head moments ago was telling him the truth. He sighed as he pried Kai's hand from his arm, feeling horrible as he did so.

"You aren't our Kai, are you?"

"I-I..."

"Find your friend, my child. Find him and pass your Trial together." The voice sounded in his mind, making him tearful as he left the fake-Kai in the hands of the Renegade Pokémon. Aoi closed his eyes as he made a vow;

"I'll be back, Kai. I promise."

~Meanwhile with Reita~

Reita looked at the huge lava chasm in his way, slightly scared due to the absence of Aoi, hoping that the guitarist was alright since he was injured.

"Kami-sama, how the hell are we going to find this damn cure?! I just hope everything will be okay..." He whispered, looking down at the ground with tears in his eyes.

"Who passes here?!"

Reita flinched back as a huge, red Pokémon suddenly leaped out of lava, scaring the bassist half to death.

"I-I-I--"

"You are one of my Trial-goers, huh? We shall see just how... resilient you are till you find the other one."

"Y-you're G-Groudon-san t-then?" Reita asked with a shaking, terrified voice. At that, the Pokémon nodded.

"Yes. But for you to be able to find the other one, you must not falter in your path. No matter what or who comes in your path, you must focus. Only then, you may have the cure for what ails you." The Continent Pokémon said before going back into the lava filled chasm, leaving Reita shaking and in confusion.

~Meanwhile with Emile~

After the others reluctantly told Emile about what exactly had happened, he put his head in his hands, distressed.

"Emile? Everything's okay now. We're safe." Tim said softly, wanting to calm his older, usually cheerful friend down.

"I could've destroyed you..." The older gamer whispered, however, not ready to face his best friends.

"Emile, look at me." Said Jon seriously. At his tone, Emile did look up, confused and actually scared of what the older teen was about to say.

"There was nothing you could've done to get out of this! Absolutely nothing!! Darkrai downright used you against us, if it weren't for Cyrus, you'd be worse than dead!" He said, eyes full of tears as he thought of what Cyrus had said when their young friend went out of the house. Emile's eyes widened and he tried to get up, wanting to hug Jon.

"Hey, don't get up. Your body took quite a strain while trying to expel that thing, you still need rest." Robin said gently.

~Meanwhile with Aoi~

Aoi thought long and hard about how to find Reita and the cure, trying not to let his distress get the better of him.

"Where are you, Akira?!" He muttered, swallowing nervously as he walked along the path he had discovered while trying to get out of there. And then, he saw that the path led him into a seeming dead end.

"Great, just great! How the hell am I supposed to know what to do now?!" The guitarist whined to no one in particular but he got a shock when the wall started talking.

"You must find the one."

"N-Nani?!" Aoi stuttered, backing away.

"Find the one and he shall set you free."

~Meanwhile in the real world~

Melia was just about to leave the two bandmates alone with their trial when an unconscious hiker nearby woke up and grinned evilly, sending out a Pokéball. Melia frowned and looked at him.

"What, do you think you are doing, mister?!"

"I am just doing what Master wants! Go, Minior, take that Red Orb!" He said, grinning insanely.

"No!!" Melia yelled as the Meteor Pokémon came closer to the artifact in question.

~Meanwhile with Ruki and Uruha~

Uruha tried hard to not cry anymore for Kai, knowing that Aoi and Reita were doing everything they could to bring the drummer back to them.

"I feel like we should do something, Takanori..." He whispered at Ruki who frowned slightly.

"But what?! We can't just leave Kai here! It would only make things worse, Uruha. I know it's hard, it's hard for me too but we cannot do anything till at least we have any kind of news about Aoi and Reita!" The vocalist said, his voice cracking with sorrow and worry about both Kai and the others.

"P-Please no... Why?.." Kai whispered, his head thrashing in the throes of his nightmares.

~Meanwhile with Reita~

"Come on, Aoi, where are you?!" Reita growled, frowning as he kept searching for the older man. But little did he know that he was very close to finding something different entirely. Suddenly, he heard a childish voice giggling as he walked. The bassist immediately turned around, trying to find the source of giggling.

"You think you can find him? But this will not do, Master will not have such a thing happen."

"Who are you?!" Reita growled, trying to find the source of the childish voice.

"Who I am is unimportant, you insect. You will never find the one." The voice said, turning malicious and making the bassist very unsettled.

"You're not gonna win, you and your so-called Master are nothing but a bunch of monsters!!" Reita replied, turning around and keeping to the path he had been going down. But after a few moments, he accidentally stepped on a switch which set off an earthquake that threw him off balance to the ground.

"O-ow..." He muttered as he picked himself up from the ground, dusting himself off. Just as he was about to go onwards, another voice came.

"Ow!! What the hell?!"

Recognizing the voice as Aoi, Reita lightened up and started running towards the guitarist's voice but then, the childish voice was back.

"You are not coming together."

When the voice cut off, Reita felt a small needle-like thing stab at his back. He gasped but couldn't move or do anything as whatever he'd been hit with made him almost catatonic. He felt his consciousness fade away as Aoi's voice and fast footsteps approaching him came through.

~Meanwhile in Ryuji's mind~

"W-what do you mean, T-Tatsuhi??" Ryuji stuttered, not daring to hope that they somehow got an ally.

"I mean that Yuuya, the real Yuuya is here and he's helping us. Come on, Ryuji. Let's do it. Together." The bassist said, smiling at his friend with tears in his eyes. Then, something even more shocking to Ryuji happened; Yuuya started talking through the azure colored notes.

"Ryuji, Tatsuhi, please fight! I know I have a long way to redemption but I'd like to try at least. Please come back to me."

"I-is it really h-him?!" Ryuji whispered, his eyes wide with shock and hope. Tatsuhi just nodded, knowing what the other man needed at that exact moment.

~Meanwhile with Aoi~

Aoi got up from the ground, looking around only to see something that shocked him. Reita was laying on the ground, seemingly unbreathing.

"AKIRA!!" He yelled, running towards the younger man, frightened that he had lost him.

"R-Reita, wake up! Wake up!!"

Reita, however, only gave a weak groan and a slight twitch in Aoi's arms. That relieved Aoi for a moment, knowing that the bassist was actually alive.

"So there was another one?"

~Meanwhile in the cave~

Melia threw her own Pokémon, trying to stop the Minior from taking the Red Orb, knowing that it would spell disaster for everyone involved.

"Go, Dragonair! Use Dragon Rush!! We need to stop it from taking the Red Orb!"

"Oh, really now? Why must everyone be a pest?" The hiker muttered and began to fight the Dragon Pokémon, intent on getting Aoi and Reita killed.

~Meanwhile with Kai~

Kai closed his eyes to not cry. Aoi had left him alone. He didn't know why the guitarist had decided to do so, too pained to remember what exactly Aoi had said before walking away from him.

And then, he barely managed to dodge Giratina's dangerous claws, trying to still keep his tears.

"He left you. You saw it yourself, he does not care about you. Why do you not join me?"

"Never!! I have my other friends! Friends that actually care!!" Kai said, remembering Uruha's words.

But the Renegade Pokémon just laughed softly. He knew very well why Aoi had left and wouldn't tell Kai about it.

"Soon, you shall see how wrong you are, young Yutaka."

~Meanwhile with Aoi and Reita~

"Reita! Reita, wake up! Come on, don't do this to us, think about Kai, he needs you there right now!!"

At that, Reita groaned once more, trying to open his eyes and look at Aoi. But no matter what he did, the younger man's eyes would not open, scaring Aoi.

"A-Aoi... T-there's something... H-here..." Reita managed to whisper weakly, unable to open his eyes.

"What is it?! Omae no jishin o misete yo!!" Aoi said, glaring at his surroundings. At that, a small child appeared, smirking at the angry, scared guitarist with something star-shaped that dripped with an obvious poison which made him understand that this little boy had poisoned Reita.

"You teme!! What did you do to Reita-kun?!"

Before the sadistic looking boy could answer Aoi, however, a huge, dangerous looking Legendary Pokémon suddenly leaped out of the lava, making Aoi's eyes widen and pull Reita close to himself.

"You do not have any work here, Minior! You shall not harm my Trial-goers!" He growled, sending a strong Earth Power towards the kid, shocking Aoi with his ferocity.

~Meanwhile with Ryuji and Tatsuhi~

"Let's go, Ryuji. We need to go before something bad happens to you." Tatsuhi said softly as the barrier disappeared, secretly making him worry about Yuuya.

"H-Hai..." Ryuji whispered, starting to walk alongside Tatsuhi.

Then, a white light suddenly shone in front of them. Recognizing it as the escape route, Tatsuhi smiled and gave his hand to Ryuji who reluctantly took it and the two of them walked towards the white light, hoping that it was the exit.

~Meanwhile with Georg~

Georg shook his head, still upset at the thought of what he could have done to Tom if he hadn't managed to escape. But Bill put a hand on his shoulder, smiling sadly.

"We forgive you, you know. It was neither your nor Gustav's fault that you almost harmed us." The vocalist said, his eyes full of tears as he thought of Gustav and how he would be acting once they got the cure in order.

"It'll be okay, Georg, I promise."

~Meanwhile with Aoi and Reita~

"Reita! Come on, please open your eyes!" Aoi said, trying hard not to cry. He simply had to stay strong for all of them. And then, Reita whimpered, obviously trying to open his eyes.

"A-Aoi... I c-can't open my eyes! I-I--" The bassist stuttered, frightened that he had lost his eyes.

"I-it'll be okay, Akira! J-just relax, I swear I'll find a way to fix it!" Aoi replied, just as frantic for the younger man. And then, the giant Legendary Pokémon turned to him, making him stiffen and look at him with slight fear as he pulled Reita closer to himself.

"You must find a thorn from the trees of the Distortion World if you want his eyes to open again." The Pokémon said calmly as he observed Reita and the guitarist who guided his friend to get up and supported him as the bassist stumbled, his legs weak.

"It's gonna be okay, Akira-kun. We'll find a way for both you and Kai."

~Meanwhile in Darkrai's castle~

Yuuya gasped for breathe as he stopped playing the Azure Flute, hoping that he was at least successful at helping Ryuji and Tatsuhi for a while.

"You should rest, Yuuya. They should be able to handle this from now on." Taizo said calmly as he helped the ex-drummer to sit down.

"Yeah, you look really pale right now. Are you sure you're okay?" Keiyuu asked worriedly, making the man get surprised as he hadn't expected the vocalist could be so nice.

"I'm fine, I think. Don't worry about me."

Taizo shook his head, knowing just how much the shorter man was actually concerned about his ex-bandmates even though they had hurt Yuura and Yasuno previously but Yuuya probably had no idea about what had transpired between them.

~Meanwhile with Kai~

Kai shook his head, not wanting to believe that his friends had left him. Even though he was mad at Aoi, he couldn't help but think that there was something different when the older man was there, he'd seemed almost scared and very worried.

But just as he was about to say so, another voice came through for him. It was Ruki.

"It's gonna be okay, Yutaka, they're coming for you, I promise you're gonna be okay."

~Meanwhile with Aoi and Reita~

"T-thanks, Aoi-kun..." Reita whispered as Aoi gently guided him towards their new goal. Aoi smiled despite the bassist not being able to see it at the moment.

"I'd do anything for you guys, you know that, Reita. Come on, let's find that thorn and then pass the damn trial together already." He said, helping Reita get across a gap on the ground. That was then, the sadistic child reappeared, grinning evilly.

"I will not let you find it." He said, ready to hurt Aoi just like he'd hurt Reita.

"You will never stop us! We need to find a way and there's nothing you can do to stop us, you brat!" Aoi said as he took Reita behind himself to protect him from even more harm. But just as the child was about to harm Aoi with the star-shaped projectile, he stopped and sighed.

"Don't think you've seen the last of me. I only have a place to be at the moment." He said before disappearing.

~Meanwhile in Ryuji's mind~

Ryuji and Tatsuhi looked around to see that they were in the middle of a wasteland. Tatsuhi frowned as he took in the scene, understanding that their trial was not finished yet. But he was no less uneasy about the matter, knowing it might get worse. Just as Ryuji was about to say something, they saw a movement out of the corner of their eyes and turned around only for Tatsuhi to wince. It was Taizo who was glaring at them.

"Ryuji, come on, don't mind him, he's not real!"

"Oh, now it's like that, huh, Tatsuhi? You two hurt me and now you aren't even acknowledging me?!"

"T-Taizo, I n-never meant for that to happen! P-please forgive me!"

"Ryuji, we need to go! It's not Taizo, I promise you!" Tatsuhi pleaded, worried for his friend.

~Meanwhile with Georg~

"But Gustav's still in that effect, how can you think that it can be okay after all this?!"

"Mi, Minun~!" Bill's Minun came up onto the bed and snuggled the bassist along with Floette, wanting to cheer him up. Bill smiled at that, knowing just how much Floette wanted to see her trainer sane and in a way, they had that now.

"Because I believe in you. In us. You are more than a simple tool to hurt people with, you're not someone I will give up on neither is Gustav, everything is going to be alright."

Georg smiled back at the teen vocalist, relieved that he had not lost his friendship with him or his twin brother even after everything.

~Meanwhile with Aoi and Reita~

After walking a lot more, Aoi finally managed to find the Distortion World back, tense and worried. He really hoped they would not run into Giratina or worse, Kai's dead body. But all his worries became true when they heard Giratina talking to Kai.

"They left you. Don't you want to take revenge?"

~Meanwhile with Yuuya~

Yuuya quietly wondered what had transpired between his friends, Taizo looked too aloof at the danger Ryuji was in after all, something that was not like the guitarist normally.

"We should go, I think..." Taizo's quiet voice broke his thought and made him shocked to know that the older man was really going to leave his ex-bandmates in a deadly situation. He glared at him wordlessly, disbelieving at him.

"No, Taizo. No one deserves going through this and we all should be with them at the very least." Yasuno said, surprising Yuuya like Taizo. The other two also nodded and then, shockingly, a burst of light came out of Ryuji.

"What the hell was that?!"

~Meanwhile with Ruki and Uruha~

"I feel like we should do something. I just can't sit still while Kai is hurting this much..." Uruha whispered, trying hard not to cry.

"I think leaving Kai here alone is a really bad idea, Uru. But maybe..." Ruki whispered, a plan quickly taking form in his brain. Uruha looked at the vocalist, worried and curious at the same time. Then, the shorter man found a paper and pen in his pocket that he always carried and scribbled a note on it, giving it to Sableye.

"Sableye, I want you to find Aoi and Reita and get a token of their well-being. At least that'll help the worry, right, Uruha-kun?" The vocalist said quickly and his loyal Darkness Pokémon nodded furiously, ready to find the two of them. After the Pokémon was out, Ruki turned to Uruha, concerned about the older man.

"Are you sure nothing happened before we came to save you, Uruha? I mean you were in a pretty bad shape for a while there..."

At that, Uruha finally smiled slightly, touched by his friend's care and said;

"No, nothing happened, Ruki-kun. I'm just fine. I just wish it didn't end like this..."

~Meanwhile with Aoi and Reita~

Reita gasped and started running as soon as he heard those words, making Kai and the Renegade Pokémon turn towards him. Just as he was about to fall off the platform thanks to his blindness, Aoi took a flying leap and managed to hold the bassist back.

"A-Aoi? R-Reita?!" Kai whispered, shocked and elated that his friends had not actually left him alone to die. But his relief was cut short when he saw the state of Reita once Aoi managed to get him back towards the platform and possibly saved his life.

"W-what happened to you?!"

Reita was about to answer before Aoi stabbed him in the back with a thorn. He gasped and finally, opened his eyes to see the horrified expression on the drummer's face.

"Oh thank God, Kai, are you alright?!" The bassist said, running towards him with worry while Aoi gave a sigh of relief and followed him more quietly.

"I-I'm... I'm fine, m-more or less..."

~Meanwhile with Sableye~

Sableye ran as she thought of how to find Reita and Aoi, just as worried as her trainer. But before she could go too far, a voice from behind her stopped her and made her turn around with surprise. Hiroto's Luxray was coming towards her at full speed.

"Luxray? What is it? I need to go right now, it should wait, whatever your problem is."

"I want to come with you. I overheard what Ruki wanted you to do so I want to help you, if you'll let me."

Sableye's eyes widened in surprise, not having expected the Gleam Eyes Pokémon to say something like that.

"But... What about Hiroto? Won't he be worried if we're gone for long??" She asked, her eyes still wide. At that, Luxray chuckled softly.

"Don't worry, Hiroto would understand. Besides, I don't like to brag but my kind has an excellent nose, I can track Aoi and Reita from their scent alone. Now, let's go before Ruki and Uruha go crazy from worrying themselves."

Sableye sighed softly and nodded, letting the other Pokémon lead the way as she sniffed the air.

"This way."

~Meanwhile inside the cave~

"Let that Orb go, Minior!! Dragonair, use Dragon Rush once more! We can't let this happen! They might die if the Red Orb gets taken from here right now!!" Melia said and then, Roserade and Chatot only looked at eachother and started attacking Minior as well, ready to protect their respective trainers.

Then, just as Minior was about to take Chatot down as Roserade did not help the Music Note Pokémon, something surprising happened.

~Meanwhile with Aoi, Kai and Reita~

"Don't worry, okay? We're gonna get you out of here. I promise." Reita said gently, hugging the shaking drummer tightly. Kai swallowed and nodded, believing Reita's words completely. Aoi smiled as he took in the scene. But then, Giratina attacked the still-hugging duo and Aoi yelled before he came in between the attack and took it to his already wounded chest.

"Yuu!!!"

~Meanwhile with Ryuji and Tatsuhi~

"B-but it f-feels so... Real..." Ryuji said, looking between the fake Taizo and Tatsuhi who had tears in his eyes that threatened to spill.

"It's your own mind, Ryuji-kun, you can get out if only you try!" The bassist replied, trying his best not to cry and freak Ryuji out even more.

"Oh really? I think not." Taizo suddenly said and started to transform into a monster, making Ryuji cling to Tatsuhi's arm in fright.

~Meanwhile in the cave - Pokémon side~

"Chatot, no!!" Sableye yelled suddenly and sent a strong Shadow Claw onto the Pokémon she saw attacking the Music Note Pokémon. Chatot and the Roserade beside her turned around in surprise, not having expected that to happen. When they turned around, they saw that the Darkness Pokémon was standing there pissed off along with Hiroto's Luxray.

"Are you alright, Chatot?" The Gleam Eyes Pokémon asked with concern as she looked over Chatot. Chatot nodded, still surprised at what had happened.

"I-I'm fine..."

Then, Sableye noticed Aoi and Reita standing completely still with glazed over eyes and paled. Luxray also noticed the same thing, frowning as she looked towards Chatot and the Roserade.

"What happened to them?! And who are you?!"

"Let's take this bastard down before we get to the introductions and whatnot. He's threatening their lives." The Roserade said calmly as he glared towards Minior who was still fighting Melia's slowly-weakening Dragonair. Sableye and Luxray nodded, sending their strongest attacks towards the Meteor Pokémon.

~Meanwhile with Ryuji and Tatsuhi~

Tatsuhi gently put a hand on the older man's trembling hand, knowing they had to defeat this fake-Taizo before he could do something irreparable to the vocalist.

"We'll get through this, I promise, Ryuji. Don't worry, I'm here with you."

"R-really?" Ryuji's voice was so weak and terrified that Tatsuhi paused, looking at his best friend's terrified eyes. And then, inwardly cursing Taizo and Yuuya, he nodded, putting on a smile so the taller man wouldn't see how pissed off he truly was.

"You cannot defeat me. Not without the potion."

~Meanwhile with Aoi, Kai and Reita~

"Aoi!! Aoi, are you alright?!" Kai yelled while Reita stood there, paralyzed with fright for the older man's life. However, Aoi somehow managed to get up, stumbling towards them.

"Ouch... That hurt." He muttered as he rubbed his chest.

"Oh yokatta..." Reita and Kai sighed with relief.

"Are you two fine as well?"

Kai nodded and so did Reita, sighing in relief again before coming closer to the guitarist.

"Then let's go already. This place is giving me the creeps."

But when they were about to leave, Giratina chuckled, not stopping the trio. At that, the three of them looked suspiciously at the dangerous Renegade Pokémon, confused.

"It is already too late."

~Meanwhile in the cave - Pokémon side~

When the other two joined the battle with the surprised looks of Melia, Minior became even more aggressive, sending a Rock Slide towards Luxray which the Gleam Eyes Pokémon barely managed to dodge.

"You're not winning! We won't let you!" Chatot said bravely and it was by her attack that the Meteor Pokémon's ability Shields Down activated. The black core that was exposed now made all of them frown in confusion.

"Now you're done for!" The Meteor Pokémon cackled but right at that moment, Luxray and Roserade attacked together, making Minior stumble away from their attacks.

"Now, guys! Let's kick his ass!!" Sableye yelled as she sent out a strong Shadow Ball towards him. But her attack was actually so strong that it flung the Meteor Pokémon at the block Reita and Aoi were trying to get out. Minior immediately fainted, his body having gotten too much damage already. At that, his trainer growled but when he tried to attack Sableye, Melia's dragonair stopped him.

"You shall not harm this Pokémon!" The Dragon Pokémon's trainer yelled, power emanating from her despite her age.

"I will be back!!" He said before storming out.

After things settled down, Sableye looked curiously at Roserade, wanting to know where he had come from. Roserade only raised an eyebrow at the Darkness Pokémon's reluctance.

"You can ask me what you want, you know."

Sableye blushed slightly, making Chatot chuckle. But even Luxray could tell that Chatot was nervous.

"Where'd you come from?"

"Your friend Chatot got me to help that young man over there." The Bouquet Pokémon said, nodding towards Aoi and then, he told about how he had saved Aoi. At that, both Sableye and Luxray's eyes widened in shock and horror.

"I am so glad Ruki doesn't know of this... Him and Uruha don't need any more stress." The Gleam Eyes Pokémon said after a short silence.

"So, now you're his partner?"

~Meanwhile with Aoi, Kai and Reita~

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?!" Aoi demanded but Reita shook his head, ready to finally get out.

"Let's just get out, Yuu. Before something worse happens to any of us."

Kai nodded timidly, still scared about what might have happened to Reita. Aoi sighed and reluctantly turned away from the Renegade Pokémon and then, he took the lead, ready to protect his best friends with his life.

~Meanwhile in the cave - Pokémon side~

"I don't really know yet. But it is likely." Roserade said, obviously undecided. That made Sableye and Luxray look surprised and Chatot grimace behind them.

"Who are you guys anyways?"

"I'm Sableye and this is Luxray, I have a message for them from Ruki, my trainer and their friend. Luxray decided to help me find them so that I could come here as quickly as I could." Sableye said sweetly.

"A message? Why would Ruki want to send a message to Reita and Aoi? He knew what they're trying to accomplish." Chatot said, frowning in confusion. At that, Sableye looked down.

"Kai accidentally mentioned Giratina and he's pretty much bed-ridden right now. Ruki and Uruha haven't been able to wake him up ever since then. Ruki thought it'd be a good idea if they got at least some news from Aoi and Reita." The Darkness Pokémon said, uneasy about the state of the drummer. Chatot gasped in shock.

"What?! They need to get the cure before something even worse happens!" The Music Note Pokémon cried, shocked and upset.

~Meanwhile with Ruki and Uruha~

"I hope they'll come back soon..." Ruki muttered, trying hard not to cry. But then, something shocking happened, Kai gasped loudly and woke up.

"Kai! Are you alright?!" Uruha asked worriedly. Kai sat up as he wiped his brow from sweat.

"I think so... What happened??"

"You fainted so suddenly, you were out cold for two days." Ruki said softly, holding the drummer's hand tightly.

"Where are Reita and Aoi?! Are they alright??"

~Meanwhile with Aoi and Reita~

After they were out of the range, Kai suddenly disappeared in a shower of golden sparkles, worrying the other two. But then, Groudon re-appeared and said something that not only calmed them down but also relieved them thoroughly;

"He has returned to his body. Do not worry for you have passed."

And then, they both found themselves back in the cave, looking at the gate that was now starting to open, much to their shock. But before either of them could move, Reita felt a hand on his leg and looked down only to gasp in surprise.

"Sableye?! What are you doing here?! Is Ruki with you?!"

"Sab, Sableye!" The Darkness Pokémon shook her head and finally gave the bassist the note Ruki had written for them.

"What does it say, Rei?"

"'If you get this, please give Sableye a proof of your well-being, Uruha is going crazy here.'. Of course we can do that. Thanks, Sableye." Reita said and Aoi smiled as well, patting the small Darkness Pokémon on the head before Reita untied his nose-band and gave it to Sableye while Aoi gave his bracelet, making the Pokémon happy.

"We should go in though, the cure has got to be there. Kai needs it and we shouldn't give up after everything that happened."

Aoi nodded and started to lead the way with Reita coming up from behind with Chatot and Roserade. But neither Aoi nor the two Pokémon noticed that Reita's eyes became grey for a moment before turning back to their normal color.

~Meanwhile with Ryuji and Tatsuhi~

"W-what potion?! L-leave me alone already!!" Ryuji stuttered, frightened. Tatsuhi, however understood  that there was something they had not seen in the previous area that they'd been in.

"Let's go back for a moment, Ryuji. I promise everything is going to be okay. I'm not leaving you, never." The bassist said gently, steering the older man back to where they had come from.

"Y-you s-s-sure?"

Tatsuhi nodded, smiling at him to hide the fact that he was also feeling nervous. He hadn't seen any type of potion that they could use against the monstrosity.

~Meanwhile with Kyo~

"Everything is now okay, right?" Asked Shinya to the doctor, still worried about their friend despite Kyo having told them that he felt completely fine now.

"Yes. But he still needs a lot of rest due to how much blood he's lost."

Kaoru flinched at the reminder, still blaming himself. Kyo however, held the older man's hand, trying to reassure the lead guitarist that he was indeed okay now.

~Meanwhile with Aoi and Reita~

Aoi looked at the rural paintings that depicted two giant Pokémon, awed. But just when they reached the middle of the room where a small mirror was perched upon a pedestal and when Reita saw it, he suddenly snapped, slamming Aoi into the nearest wall.

"R-Reita?! What the hell?!"

"Reita isn't home anymore..."

~Meanwhile inside Reita's mind~

Reita tried to slam himself against the glass cage, wanting to get out but only a child's evil giggling was heard.

"Who are you?! Let me the hell go!!"

"You should've just given up. But now... You've met with a terrible fate, haven't you. And so did your friend."