Through the Portal

~Meanwhile with Tatsuhi~

"I have my resources, young Tatsuhi. Now, do you want to save your friend or not?"

Tatsuhi's eyes widened and he instantly nodded, uncaring about the possible dangers that could pose to him. He just wanted his best friend back.

"You must find the soul shards of him, yes. But not only do you have to restore them but there has to be a blood sacrifice for it. Are you ready for it?"

Tatsuhi nodded once more, knowing he had to do this to bring Ryuji back and he knew that Yuuya would also volunteer, obvious from the taller man's strong conviction of not letting them down again.

"I'm ready to anything, Zygarde-san. Just give me that hope, the hope that this might actually work."

Zygarde smiled at the short bassist's conviction to keep Ryuji safe. But then, all of a sudden, both Ryuji and Yuuya started shaking violently. And then, a black aura surrounded Yuuya, scaring Tatsuhi so much.

"W-what's happening?!"

~Meanwhile with Ryuji and Yuuya~

Just as Yuuya held Ryuji's hand, ready to help the vocalist, a huge monster appeared in front of them. It was bloodied and it looked almost like Taizo, horrifying Yuuya. He immediately took Ryuji who was trembling behind himself, ready to protect the vocalist at all costs.

"W-what are you!? What do you want with Ryuji-kun?!" He said bravely but inside, he was terrified. The monster chuckled in a double voice, sounding ominous.

"His soul is mine! Unless..."

"Y-Yuuya! P-please, I don't w-wanna d-die! N-not before I apologize to T-Tatsuhi-kun!!"

"You won't die, Ryuji, I won't let such a thing to happen. What do you want?" Yuuya said relatively calm and very brave.

~Meanwhile with Chelsea~

"What do you mean the League Champion was taken over by Darkrai?!" The taller one beside Yasuno said, alarmed.

"I don't know! I heard two minions, Zannin and Yune talk about it and came to find someone who could help! Apparently they had her locked up as a secret weapon and Zannin mentioned that she was there for at least three weeks! I don't think I can do much against her either, there's a good reason why Cynthia has been the champion for 5 years!"

All three of them gasped, paling. None of them talked for a moment, too shocked by the news. And then, the shorter one, Keiyuu, said something that horrified Chelsea a lot.

"But if Cynthia-san was with him this whole time, then who was the one who guided Ruki-san and the others through that Distortion World?!"

Just as Yasuno was about to say something, however, a blast of purple light suddenly almost hit him. The drummer managed to dodge it but the person they saw shocked and scared them. It was Cynthia, or what was left of her.

"Do you know who I am...?"

~Meanwhile with Shin~

Kiro and the others came into the room where Shin was waiting for them quietly, all elated.

"Shin, is it true?! A-are you really gonna come back?!" Strify asked, so much careful hope in his voice and face. Shin smiled, nodding at his vocalist and making them all cheer in happiness. Shin though, bowed his head, feeling ashamed of putting them through everything.

"Marcel? What's wrong??" Kiro asked worriedly.

"It's just... I'm sorry for putting you all through all of this shit..."

~Meanwhile with Kra~

"Oh Kami-sama..." Taizo whispered in horror. Cynthia looked like a wreck, her face was full of scars and her dark purple eyes along with ruined clothing, having obviously been through torture. The champion once more sent a purple beam at them, making them fall apart.

"Cynthia! You're not someone like this!! Come to yourself, please!!" Chelsea said, very scared. But Cynthia did not say anything, making the young girl tremble in fear.

"What did they even do to her?!" Keiyuu said, taking Chelsea behind himself to calm her down as he sent out his Lucario.

"Lucario, subdue her without hurting her!"

Lucario nodded, going straight towards the woman and using his Bone Rush as gently as possible to make her fall down so that they could try to right what was wrong with her.

~Meanwhile with Tatsuhi - half an hour later~

All of a sudden, Ryuji weakly gasped and groaned Yuuya's name while the drummer was still in the trance, the aura that had surrounded the drummer was getting scarier by the minute. Zygarde immediately told Tatsuhi to wake him up but no matter what the short bassist did, Yuuya did not wake up.

"I can't wake him up!! What do I do, Zygarde-san?!" Tatsuhi said in total panic, not knowing what was happening to the other man. The black, smoky aura that had crept up before was now almost like a burn, creeping into Yuuya's body.

"Right now, I do not think you can do anything. If your friend is strong enough, he can get through this." The Order Pokémon said softly, she was also worried about both of them. And seeing how Tatsuhi's eyes widened in horror, she had a feeling that this was going to be a rocky road ahead of them.

~Meanwhile with Ryuji and Yuuya~

"I can let you exchange. But only if you will never turn back." The monster said, thinking that the drummer was not about to do that. But both it and Ryuji got a shock and in Ryuji's case horror, Yuuya nodded seriously.

"I can do that. But first, I have to bring Ryuji-kun out of here. Is that okay?" Yuuya asked calmly.

"Yes, that can happen. But only if you return immediately." The monster said.

Meanwhile, Ryuji was shocked and terrified of what might happen to Yuuya. But Yuuya just smiled at him and took him out of the jail and as soon as they got out, the pain that wrecked Ryuji's body vanished, making the vocalist fear even more that he was losing Yuuya once again.

"Yuuya, come on! P-please, let's run! I-issho ni!!" Ryuji begged but Yuuya shook his head.

"I need to get back, Ryuji. I'm not endangering your survival. Tatsuhi needs you, Ryuji. You guys don't need someone like me anyways." The drummer said softly, turning around back toward the cell.

"Yuuya, DON'T!!"

~Meanwhile with Tatsuhi~

"There has to be a damn way!! I can't lose both of them!!" Tatsuhi yelled in anger and sorrow, momentarily forgetting that he was talking to a Legendary Pokémon.

"Unless your friend is strong enough to beat the curse, there is nothing you can do. I am sorry." The Order Pokémon said soft and sad.

Just as Tatsuhi was about to try and wake Yuuya up once more, the black aura suddenly went inside the drummer, making him gasp and wake up, looking around and shivering slightly. Tatsuhi instantly ran beside the older man, looking panicked.

"Yuuya! Are you okay?! Are you okay?!?!" The bassist asked frantically, checking everywhere for a wound but not even a scratch was on the taller man.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Tatsuhi. Don't worry about me." Yuuya said with a smile that almost looked fake. Behind the relieved Tatsuhi, Zygarde frowned imperceptibly, understanding that Yuuya was not himself at once. Just as the Order Pokémon was about to say something, they were interrupted by Ryuji's groan which was stronger than before.

"H-Hearth-home... City..." The vocalist managed to utter only to fall silent once more.

"It'll be okay, Ryuji-kun. You'll... You'll be okay... I promise." Tatsuhi whispered, bowing his head to not let Yuuya and Zygarde see how much he was scared of losing his best friend. But when he did so, he missed the moment where Yuuya's eyes glowed an eerie golden glow before disappearing immediately.

~Meanwhile with Chelsea~

After they subdued Cynthia as gently as possible, Chelsea wanted to get closer to the young League Champion but she felt too scared to move. But before she could make her mind up, the tall man beside Yasuno went toward her cautiously.

"Taizo, be careful." Yasuno said, frowning. The man named Taizo nodded as he knelt beside the fainted woman.

"I think we should--"

Just as the man was about to finish his sentence, Cynthia suddenly snapped up and caught Taizo by his neck.

"Taizo-kun!! Let him go!!" Yasuno yelled, angry. But the young woman only said one thing in a double voice and that, scared them more than anything;

"Master is waiting. Bring it or he shall be his!" And then, Cynthia used a Smoke Ball, making them cough and try to see where she was taking Taizo to.

"Crap..." Keiyuu whispered after the smoke was cleared. Taizo and Cynthia were gone.

~Meanwhile with Gustav~

"Master, you requested me?" Gustav said in a low voice. Darkrai nodded, having a job ready for the young drummer.

"Yes. I have a good job for you. But if you fail, you will get a huge punishment."

"Don't worry, Master, I will not fail you this time. The pitiful Champions of Cresselia are going down this time."

Darkrai laughed, a low, scary sound. Gustav barely suppressed a shiver at the sound. Then he bowed, ready to do anything for the Pitch Black Pokémon thanks to the serum's effects.

"I want you to kill Ryuji. He has outlived his usefulness as a living being."

~Meanwhile with Tatsuhi and Yuuya~

"So, what do we do now? I don't even know how to reach Hearthome City..." Tatsuhi said, very worried as he watched Yuuya gently put Ryuji's body onto his own back.

"You can reach it by going South-West from Solaceon Town. You cannot miss it, do not worry." Zygarde said softly. But she knew that the trials the young bassist was about to face was not going to be easy for any of them.

"Thank you, Zygarde-san. Come on, Yuuya. Let's go before it's too damn late."

The two of them started moving but they did not know that they were being watched by malicious eyes.

~Meanwhile with Kra~

"What the hell did she mean?! We need to do something before Taizo is hurt!!" Yasuno said, obviously very scared for what would happen to their guitarist.

"I... I have a feeling that she might have meant this..." Keiyuu said, bringing out the Sphere of Life from his pocket and making both Yasuno and Chelsea gasp in shock.

"Where the hell did you find that, Keiyuu?!"

Keiyuu gulped, not wanting to tell Yasuno what had happened. But then, he thought of Taizo and then, he said;

"It's not important right now. But I have an idea to get Taizo out of there."

Yasuno nodded, knowing that Keiyuu was very smart even under huge stress. Then, Chelsea worriedly asked what the young vocalist was planning.

"Yasuno, I think you should stay with Yuura. Maybe he'd wake up soon enough, I don't want him to be alone. Meanwhile, I'll go to the castle with Lucario."

"You WHAT!? Keiyuu, is that really the best idea you could find?!" Yasuno exclaimed, horrified at the thought of letting the shorter man go alone into danger like that. Keiyuu though, only sighed in irritation.

"Look, if we want to both save Taizo and not leave Yuura-kun alone, we need to separate! If we don't and Yuura wakes up before we come back, he'd flip, you know that, Yasuno!! Don't worry, I'll be fine, I have Lucario with me, you know!"

"But--" Yasuno started as Chelsea thought of what she should do. She was not very secure with Keiyuu's plan either, she wanted to help somehow.

"I'll go with you." She said suddenly, making both men pause in surprise.

~Meanwhile with Gustav~

Gustav silently followed Tatsuhi and Yuuya, waiting for the right moment to strike. He smirked as they both shivered slightly, still cold from the mountain range's cold weather.

"Soon enough, we'll get you, Ryuji."

And that moment came when Tatsuhi told Yuuya to put Ryuji down so that they could eat and drink to not collapse. Gustav's eyes widened in glee when Tatsuhi turned to the bag that was on his back and dug through it to come up with the last of their food resources.

"Are you sure we should eat now, Tatsuhi? I mean, I think we could go another couple of miles without eating..." Yuuya was saying but Tatsuhi shook his head.

"Iie. We would probably collapse on the way if we don't eat. And if that Kami-sama forbid happens, we'll lose Ryuji definitely." The short man said softly, looking at his friend with unadulterated worry. Then, he put Ryuji into a cave, not even putting his Pokémon to guard his body despite being scared for him.

Yuuya, however, shrugged and sat down on the ground with him and they started eating, not looking at Ryuji what-so-ever. Seeing this, Gustav quietly went towards the broken man's body and took it away.

~20 minutes later~

"That was a good meal. Come on, let's go, Tatsuhi." Yuuya said, patting his now-full stomach. Tatsuhi nodded but when they went into the cave, they saw that Ryuji's body was gone without a trace.

"Where's Ryuji?! What happened?!"

~Meanwhile with Keiyuu and Yasuno~

"Are you sure, Chelsea-san? I mean, you said you never wanted to return there again when me and Yuura was there." Yasuno said, surprised.

"Yes. I won't let someone get in such a big danger by themselves when I'm fully able to help." The young girl said calmly, making Yasuno very grateful for her.

"No wonder Mai loved you, he would've done the same thing. Thank you so much." The drummer said, quiet. Keiyuu nodded as well, remembering their beloved friend. Then, he took his Pokéball with Lucario inside and said;

"Well, let's go then, I guess. Yasuno-kun, you take care of Yuura, alright? I promise I'll return with Taizo soon enough."

Then, Chelsea and Keiyuu departed but there was a very uneasy feeling in Yasuno's heart.

"Ki o tsukete, anata no ryouhou..."

~Meanwhile with Tatsuhi and Yuuya~

"Oh Kami-sama, what do we do?!" Tatsuhi said, panicking. Yuuya just shook his head, not understanding what exactly had happened either.

"In any case, I think it's better if we stick to the original plan, Tatsuhi. I think Ryuji can hold on a bit more."

"What the HELL are you saying, Yuuya?! If we don't find Ryuji as soon as possible, we are gonna lose him!! You promised you wouldn't let us down anymore, keep that promise now, when we actually need you the most!!" Tatsuhi yelled. But then, the short bassist realized something that both shocked and unsettled him; Yuuya's eyes were slowly turning golden.

"Y-Yuuya, your... Your eyes..." He said, starting to get seriously scared that he may have already lost Yuuya once more.

"What? They're just fine, Tatsuhi."

~Meanwhile with Taizo~

"Let me go!! Where the hell are you taking me?!" Taizo yelled, trying to get free from Cynthia's tight grip on his arm.

"Master awaits. You have a purpose for him." Was all the League Champion said, making Taizo frustrated and even though he would never admit it to anyone, scared.

"I'm not a tool, you bitch! I won't betray my friends, not in a lifetime!!"

"You don't have a choice."

~Meanwhile with Tatsuhi and Yuuya~

"Y-your eyes are turning g-golden! Yuuya, tell me what's wrong, please!" Tatsuhi said, really getting scared for both Ryuji and Yuuya. Yuuya though, just smirked at his fear.

"I was wondering when you were going to notice that your Yuuya is no longer here." The drummer finally said with a smirk.

"W-what do you mean!? Yuuya, what happened to you in that soul shard?!" Tatsuhi uttered, scared for his friend.

"He made his own choice to let me in."

~Meanwhile with Keiyuu and Chelsea~

When Keiyuu and Chelsea saw the fortress looming over them, they both became uneasy from different reasons. Keiyuu was uneasy because of the thought of losing Taizo and the trap they were about to make and Chelsea was nervous and uneasy because of being in the castle again period.

"Well, where do we go, Chelsea-san?" Keiyuu whispered to avoid being detected by the patrolling people. Chelsea felt once more for Mai's diary for the courage she desperately needed and told the vocalist to go to the left into the tunnels.

"By the way, how did you meet Mai-cho, Chelsea-san? He's always been a bit shy with new people let alone girls." Keiyuu said, smiling slightly at the memories of the ex-guitarist being tongue-tied while trying to talk to girls he liked.

"Well... We met when my family was murdered by Darkrai's forces. He was there with them, even though it was obvious that he never wanted to be nor did he hurt anyone himself. After that, I must admit that I was angry but then, I discovered his sickness."

~Flashback~

Chelsea was going through the castle, thinking of her family with tears when he heard a dry cough coming from the room that was to the right of her. Frowning, she knocked on the door but no answer was coming except for the coughs getting more intense and almost choked. Deciding that she should help this person no matter what, she opened the door only to find the young man who had stood guard as her family was being killed, coughing blood.

"Oh my God!! What is happening?!" She asked, running straight to his side and trying to decide what she should do.

"T-the drawer... There's... There's a syringe, o-onegai, gi-give it to me..." The young man rasped, trying to stand but it was obvious that he did not have the strength. Chelsea did what she was asked and then, young man stabbed the syringe and emptied it in one go, wincing slightly.

"Are you okay now?" The young woman asked gently as the man wiped his mouth from the blood that had escaped from his mouth during the seizure. He nodded, looking a bit shy.

"Arigatou. I'm fine now. What's your name?"

"I'm Chelsea. And you are?" She said even though she felt that he was supposed to be the enemy. But something in her gut told her that this young man really didn't want to be here.

"I'm Mai. Nice to meet you, Chelsea-san." He said, smiling shyly.

~End of flashback~

"So, he was still sick..." Keiyuu whispered sadly, remembering how much pain his best friend had gone through in his sickness.

"Still? I'm guessing you knew Mai from some time ago, right?"

"A long time ago, in fact. Like 7 years or so. He was our bandmate, we all loved him, so much. So much that we had to force him to leave the band or he wouldn't have lasted." The vocalist said, looking down. Chelsea's eyes widened at that, not having expected that Keiyuu and the others would know Mai for that long.

"Thanks for being there for him when we couldn't be, Chelsea-san. I'm sure Mai appreciated it."Keiyuu said but once they found the dungeons, they both fell silent, hoping to not be detected. But then, Keiyuu saw Taizo who was laying unconsciously in one of the cages and ran to him.

"Taizo!! Mezamete yo!! Taizo!!"

~Meanwhile with Emile~

After Emile was finally discharged from the hospital, the group's first stop was at Cyrus' house. As soon as they arrived, Cyrus calmly asked if they wanted anything which all of them refused.

"I think the first thing we should do is to ascertain those Plates aren't going to be used again by Darkrai, just saying." Tim said, holding Emile's hand as he remembered the threat on his older friend. Emile just smiled at the worry of Tim before getting serious and nodding.

"I agree with Tim, guys. The more we wait the more people getting hurt by that horrible Pokémon."

Cyrus nodded and calmly went into a trance, making all of them besides Robin frown in concern.

~Meanwhile with Keiyuu~

"Taizo!! Please wake up!!" Keiyuu begged while Chelsea weirdly stood there, watching the panicked vocalist.

But when the guitarist woke up, Keiyuu gasped, the older man's eyes were blood red and he glared at him.

"I-Iie!!!" Keiyuu screamed, unable to believe that it was too late for Taizo and they'd lost another friend to Darkrai. But then, shockingly, the guitarist's eyes turned back into a brown color and blood came out of his mouth.

"You are t-too late..." He whispered as his body fell into Keiyuu's arms with the vocalist frozen in shock, horror and confusion.

'Wake up!! Keiyuu, wake up!!' Chelsea's voice was coming weirdly from far away, as if she wasn't standing only two feet away from Keiyuu and Taizo's dead body.

"What the hell is happening?!" Keiyuu whimpered, trying his hardest to not cry.

~Meanwhile with Yasuno~

"God, Yuura... I'm so sorry..." Yasuno whispered, tearful at the state of his bassist friend. Yuura didn't answer the older man, still unconscious. However, his head turned towards Yasuno, as if he were able to hear him.

"Mu, Munna..." His Dream Eater Pokémon cried softly, wanting to comfort her partner but as long as Yuura was in this state, there was no way Yasuno would be happy again. He was also worried for Keiyuu and Taizo, almost on their own at the dangerous Pitch Black Pokémon's castle with no one but Chelsea to back them up.

"I don't know what to do, Munna... I can't even protect my own bandmates, why do I even stay here with them when I can't do even that right??"

~Meanwhile with Keiyuu~

Keiyuu tried hard to break whatever was happening to him. But it was far too strong for the young vocalist to do so. And just as he was going to give up all hope, something happened. A warm feeling enveloped him as the body in his arms disappeared. He gasped, looking around to see that he was in a room with Chelsea and a small, red Pokémon by their side.

"W-what happened?!"

"You were in a trance, Keiyuu... They must've set up an illusion in the dungeons. I tried to wake you up but until Victini here came, I was unable to. Are you okay?" Chelsea explained, worried. At that, Keiyuu visibly relaxed, the things he'd seen had been only an illusion.

"Hai, don't worry about me. We still need to find Taizo-kun here." The vocalist said, inwardly traumatized at the things he'd seen.

"Are you sure? Darkrai is a very dangerous Pokémon. I can come with you, if you two want." Victini's kind voice said, making Keiyuu smile.

"Yeah, that... That would be really nice, Victini-san. Arigatou."

~Meanwhile with Tatsuhi and Yuuya~

"W-what?! What are you?!" Tatsuhi said, trying hard not to lose hope. But it was not very easy as he didn't know where Ryuji's body was and Yuuya was in this state.

"Del~, Delcatty~!!" His partner Delcatty cried out and glared at Yuuya who glared right back.

"I am called Raistlin, a devourer of souls. It was your friend's decision to be an idiot and swap places with your other friend." Yuuya's voice explained, making Tatsuhi gasp and stagger back in shock and horror.

"Y-You mean that Y-Yuuya is--"

Just as the short bassist was about to finish his sentence, an earthquake happened and suddenly, Zygarde came out of the ground.

"Z-Zygarde-san!! Please, do something, there has to be a way to save Yuuya-kun!!" Tatsuhi said, trying very hard not to lose hope.

"There is only one way to be saved from Raistlin's curse, Tatsuhi. But are you sure you can handle this way?"

"I can! For my friends, I can endure anything!!"

Just as Tatsuhi finished his words, Yuuya's eyes glowed a bright golden color and he lashed out at the short bassist, slamming him into the nearest wall and sneering.

"You're not making me lose this vessel!!"

~Meanwhile with Yasuno~

Munna looked horrified at what the young drummer was saying. Surely, Yasuno was not about to leave his best friends to their fates, the Dream Eater Pokémon thought with fear but Yasuno just took her and started going towards the door, looking back at the still unconscious Yuura with tears in his eyes.

"Goodbye, Yuura-kun..." He whispered but then, someone shorter than him stopped him. Looking up, he saw Yomi standing in his way. He stared at the singer, not knowing what the short man wanted.

"Yomi-san? What's the matter?" He asked, his eyebrows raised.

"I'd like to talk to you, Yasuno-san. I overheard what you are about to do, you know." The short singer replied, much more serious than Yasuno had ever seen him be. He nodded, wondering what Yomi was about to say to him.

"Look, I'm well aware of what must've gone between you and N-san, Keiyuu-san told us about what that young man did to him. While how you retaliated was brutal, I don't blame you for it."

Yasuno was shocked at the other man's words, not knowing how the singer knew about his retaliation.

"H-how do you know about what I did to that bastard?! And why not?? Even my bandmates were mad at me..."

"We saw you and that huge Pokémon attack him, the only reason I couldn't get out to help out was the others not letting me go. And I don't blame you because believe me or not, I would've done the same damn thing if someone did that to my bandmates. Ruka would do something even worse, knowing him, he's more than a little over-protective. Hell, I'm hoping that no casualties happened while we were in the castle, knowing the guy."

Yasuno was even more shocked by the younger man's words, not knowing how to react. Then, Yomi said something surprising once more.

"Look, I know what you're planning right now. But you know what I'd do if Kami-sama forbid Ruka tried to abandon me and the others?"

Yasuno shook his head, dumbfounded by the normally goofy vocalist's serious words and stance.

"I would find him and literally drag him back to where he belongs. But that does not mean that it wouldn't hurt me to think my friend ran away because he thought he was ineffective in protecting me. Because he's my friend, not my bodyguard or something that stupid." Yomi said, completely serious and also a little pissed, much to the surprise of the drummer.

"So, are you really going to abandon your brothers, Yasuno-san? I may not know you that well yet, but I can tell you're not that sort of person."

Yasuno looked back at Yuura's unconscious form and thought of Keiyuu and Taizo, both stranded in the castle of Darkrai, maybe even hurt, hesitant. But then, he sighed and returned to Yuura's side, knowing that the younger man's words were true, his bandmates would hunt him down if they saw that he was gone. Yomi smiled and took a chair to the drummer's side, making him look at him in surprise.

"Nani? Did you think I would go away? Hell no. It's obvious you need someone with you right now." Yomi smiled, making the drummer smile back.

"Thanks, Yomi-san."

"No problem."

~Meanwhile with Keiyuu and Chelsea~

As soon as they got out of the room they were in, Chelsea cautiously looked around as Keiyuu and Victini stayed behind, also very cautious. And then, they saw Latios coming in their direction along with a woman scientist. The group immediately hid behind a pillar, trying not to be seen.

"You did your job very well. Master will reward you now." The blue Eon Pokémon was saying to the woman. She smirked, however.

"I don't want to be disrespectful but it was only for my pleasure, a lot of it." She said, horrifying Keiyuu.

"These guys are monsters!" He whispered as they got out of the pillar. Chelsea nodded, knowing how dangerous that woman really was.

"Yes, they all are. We should find your friend as soon as possible."

"Ikou ze then!"

Just as the vocalist said that, they both heard footsteps coming towards them. They tried to hide but when Keiyuu saw who was coming, he saw red, it was Cynthia, her eyes still a dark purple.

"Keiyuu, don't!!" Chelsea said but the singer was already out of the hiding place much to both her and Victini's shock.

"Go, Lucario!! Where is Taizo, you merou?!" He yelled, startling the League Champion.

"He is with Master. You are far too--"

"Don't. You. DARE!! Taizo is alive, I know he is!! Lucario, use Aura Sphere!!"

Chelsea watched with shock as the young man assaulted the woman, not expecting how angry Keiyuu really was at the threat of his bandmates getting hurt.

~Meanwhile in the throne room~

Taizo was kneeling in front of the throne, his hands tied on his back and his face full of scratches. The guitarist glared up at Darkrai who smirked and said;

"Your friends are not coming it seems. Perhaps they have abandoned you."

"I don't believe you!! They would never abandon me!! And I will not be a puppet in your cruel hands, Darkrai!!"

Just as the Pitch Black Pokémon was about to send a Dark Pulse into Taizo they heard Keiyuu's voice.

"Lucario, blast that goddamn door now!! Taizo!! I'm here, I'll get you out soon!!"

~Meanwhile with Yasuno and Yomi~

"Yomi-san?" Yasuno said after a while of sitting in comfortable silence. Yomi looked up and blinked.

"Yes? What's it, Yasuno-san?"

"Why did you come to talk to me? I mean, you were through some pretty bad shit yourself, you didn't have to do it for us."

"Because I saw how much you and your bandmates love eachother, just like me and my band. It would've been a crime to let you go like that. We're all in this mess together, Yasuno-san, it would be stupid to let one of us be in a horrible doubt and pain."

Yasuno was surprised at the young vocalist's words, he had not expected the normally goofy man to be so wise. Then, Yomi's Eevee came to them, making himself comfortable on Yomi's lap and making the two of them smile at the Evolution Pokémon.

"I saw you had a new partner, why don't you send her out? Eevee and that cute Pokémon you have would make great friends." Yomi said as he pet his partner softly, avoiding the remaining wounds on the Evolution Pokémon's back. Yasuno smiled and nodded, sending Munna out.

"You guys can play as much as you want now." Yomi said with a smile. Eevee went to the Dream Eater Pokémon who looked surprised at first but after that, they were playing and getting along nicely.

~Meanwhile with Taizo~

"Keiyuu?!" Taizo said, horrified at the thought of his shortest and youngest friend coming into the castle on his own as the singer in question literally blasted the door open.

"Taizo, daijoubu ka?!"

"Keiyuu, what are you doing here alone!?" Taizo asked before falling down onto the ground by Darkrai's Dark Pulse colliding with him.

"Taizo!! You... You BASTARD!!" Keiyuu screamed before telling Lucario to use Swords Dance and afterwards, Bone Rush. The Aura Pokémon, also angry at what they were witnessing, did as he was told and sent an incredibly strong Bone Rush into the Pitch Black Pokémon, making him fall into his throne.

"He isn't alone!!" Chelsea suddenly said coming from behind the angry vocalist along with Victini. At that, Taizo visibly relaxed, thankful that his beloved vocalist wasn't alone.

"Come on, let us get you out of here." Victini said as Keiyuu cut the ropes that held the older man down and helped him up.

"Thanks, Keiyuu-kun."

But what the two of them didn't realize was Yune coming up with a syringe from behind Taizo. It had a sickly green fluid inside it and recognizing the fluid inside it, Chelsea screamed and tackled the two onto the ground, startling them. The words she said, however, made Taizo and Keiyuu pale and look at eachother with horror.

"You are not experimenting on them like you did to Mai!!"

"What do you mean they were experimenting on Mai-cho?!"

~Meanwhile with Tatsuhi and Yuuya~

"D-Delcatty! Use Double Slap!" Tatsuhi choked out, trying to get out of the painful grip on his throat. The Prim Pokémon immediately started slapping Yuuya's controlled body with her tail, crying out with anger.

"Ouch!! You little worthless thing!!" Yuuya growled but then, Zygarde put him into a stone prison, making him unable to attack anymore.

"What do I do, Zygarde-san?? I can't even help my friends right!"

~Meanwhile with Keiyuu and Taizo~

"I'll explain later! We need to get out of here, now!" Chelsea said urgently, worried about Taizo's wounds no matter how small they were.

"Okay. But let's go quick!" Taizo said as Keiyuu seethed silently. The vocalist could not believe the pain his deceased best friend had gone through alone.

But just as they were about to get out, Darkrai smirked and sent the woman scientist in front of them. Seeing that it was a woman, Taizo was not about to hurt her but Keiyuu felt very differently.

"Get out of our way." The singer said quietly and with such hatred that Taizo and Chelsea stared at him in shock.

"Well, well, we have a feisty one here, Master. What shall we do?" The woman said sarcastically. But the next moment, she was on the ground with the needle Yune had given her inside her arm.

But Keiyuu took it away from her arm, making them think that he'd showed mercy on the woman. Yune sneered at that, thinking that it was pathetic. But what Yune didn't know was that the moment it was taken from his hands and out of the castle, was the moment where his plans for Kai were gonna be destroyed.

~Meanwhile with Yasuno and Yomi~

"Yasuno-san, can I tell you something? But only if you don't tell the others of my band. It's something that happened while I was in that horrible place..." Yomi suddenly said as they watched their partner Pokémon play contently. Yasuno nodded, a bit worried about the younger vocalist as he knew that Yomi was a very kind, peaceful person.

"I won't, you can trust me." He said when Yomi didn't say anything. But they both didn't notice Hitsugi hiding just out of the door, worried about his vocalist friend and Eevee had also started listening intently while still playing with Munna.

"When that bastard Zannin brought me to that castle, he pretty much threw me onto that vile Pokémon's feet and asked to keep me as... As a ragdoll to torture and break me, as he put it. He pretty much hurt me like hell till the others of my band came and right before he tore my soul out, he t-threatened me with hurting the others as well for replacing him..."

"What?! That monster!!" Yasuno gasped in horror. He had expected Darkrai to hurt Yomi but he had not expected it being from the vocalist's own ex-bandmate. Yomi smiled however, reassuringly.

"I'm pretty lucky to have the others come and find me as quickly as they did though, who knows what my own body might have done otherwise..." He said, shuddering slightly at the thought. Then, his eye caught a movement and he turned to see the horrified Hitsugi standing there, obviously distressed.

"M-Mitsuo!! I--"

~Meanwhile with Tatsuhi~

"Do not worry. You find your other friend. I will try and help him out of devouring spirit's influence." The Order Pokémon said gently and Tatsuhi nodded, tears in his eyes at the thought of Yuuya's obvious sacrifice. Then, Yuuya talked once more, his eyes still golden but his voice so soft and trembling;

"Tatsuhi? Are you... Leaving me?!"

"I'll be back, Yuuya-kun... I promise!" The short bassist whispered, trying his hardest to not cry as he ran out of the cave. Then, he focused on Ryuji, somehow knowing that he could find the older man that way.

His feelings made him find himself at the foot of a big, old tree in a deep forest and then, he saw a barely-glittering shard of soul. Knowing it was Ryuji's, Tatsuhi immediately tried to climb it but his short stature was being a nuisance.

"Chikusho!!"

Just as he was about to try and climb once more, he heard Gustav's voice, angering him quickly.

"You're such a deadweight, Ryuji."

When Tatsuhi heard that, he growled and went straight towards the slightly younger man and punched him.

"You!! H-how did you--" Gustav started to say only to have the bassist start strangling him with tears in his eyes.

"I told you I would not show mercy if you got in our way again, you yarou!! Now die!!!" Tatsuhi growled but when Gustav lost consciousness, Tatsuhi felt a hit on his back and angrily turned around, seeing only an enraged Loudred behind him.

"Loud, Loudred!! Loudred~!!" The Big Voice Pokémon cried before sending another Hyper Voice at the bassist and throwing him off of Gustav's body. But then, Tatsuhi only glared at the Pokémon and went to Ryuji's side, checking on him with worry.

"You'll be fine, Ryuji, I'll make sure of it."

~Meanwhile with Yasuno and Yomi~

"Mitsuo! Wait!!" Yomi yelled, running to stop the younger man from going out and telling everyone about what had happened to the vocalist.

"B-but--" Hitsugi started saying only to be stopped by Yomi's words.

"Hitsugi, if you go there and tell about this, you know both Ruka and Ni~ya will go back there and commit murder! I don't want to let that happen, not because I pity those bastards, I just want them to not get hurt, you know that! So please, do not tell anything, I beg you."

"Okay, I guess... But if they come back at all, I'm telling it, okay?"

Yomi sighed and nodded, he would have preferred to never let the others know about this but Hitsugi would not be shaken from his decision, the shorter man knew.

Just as the vocalist was going to return to Yasuno's side to keep him company though, something happened. There stood Zannin with his Cofagrigus, ready to attack.

"Zannin... Yabai..." Yomi muttered, seeing how Hitsugi's eyes darkened at the sight of the ex-drummer.

"You're not hurting them!! Go, Munna!" Yasuno said but then, Zannin smiled.

"You'll see soon enough, you traitors. Go, Cofagrigus, show them what Master is capable of now that we have it with us!"

"Cofa~!" The Coffin Pokémon cried out and then, she released a purple gas into the halls and the rooms of the hospital. Everyone coughed, trying to see and run away. And then, Zannin pulled out a lighter and sent it flying down.

~Meanwhile with Keiyuu and Chelsea~

After they got out of the castle, the first thing Keiyuu asked Chelsea was how the minions had experimented on Mai. Chelsea squirmed, knowing that what she was about to tell them was not something to take lightly.

"I only saw one experiment, I don't know much of it... But what I saw... It was horrifying..."

The two of them nodded, waiting for her to continue.

~Flashback~

"Where are you going, Mai?" Chelsea asked, curious.

"Well, Master told me that he found a more effective cure for my sickness but we have to try it out first. He summoned me to that lab area down there."

Chelsea's eyes widened, hoping that they were right and her new friend whom she had started having feelings for would finally get cured from that horrible cough and weakness. But little did they know that it was anything but good.

As soon as they arrived, Mai was jumped on by Yune and Zannin and they tied the confused guitarist onto one of the dissection tables and gagged him, making Chelsea cry out in worry. Mai however sent her a sweet smile, as if he was used to the rough treatment.

Then, it happened, Yune stabbed a syringe with a sickly green fluid inside it and emptied it. Then, they waited for it to affect the guitarist and when it did in seconds flat, his reaction was intense. Mai thrashed against his bonds, unable to scream around the gag that was placed in his mouth as he choked on his own blood.

"NO!! Leave him alone!! Please!!"

Zannin and Yune laughed as Mai kept thrashing and trying to scream through the gag in his mouth. Tears of agony went down his temples. Then, he fell unconscious, his body having gone under too much stress. Chelsea immediately ran to him, untying him despite the danger that Yune and Zannin posed to her.

~End of Flashback~

"That's... That's just brutal!! They lied to him!!" Taizo whispered, looking completely horrified at the thought of the things Mai had gone through. Keiyuu shook in anger and anguish, wishing that he could have been there for his best friend when he needed him.

"We should go back. Yasuno must be worried sick for us right now." Chelsea said gently, seeing how angry the two of them were.

"Okay. But this is not over. They will pay for what they did to Mai-cho!" Keiyuu whispered, sending a death glare towards the castle. But nothing could have prepared them for what they were about to see. The hospital was burning.

~Meanwhile with Yasuno~

Yasuno coughed as he tried to find his target over the smoke, hoping that Yomi and Hitsugi were alright. But as he tried that, an elbow went into his side, making him lose his breathe in pain.

"Yasuno-san! Zannin, if you know what is good for you, you'll leave him alone!" Hitsugi said, his eyes uncharacteristically angry. The guitarist didn't even seem to notice the smoke and the flames which were getting dangerously big and close to him as he pushed Yomi behind himself protectively.

"You're the ones who left! You are the ones who try to get in my way as goddamn always! Now you'll all pay for replacing me by losing everything!" Zannin said with a crazy laugh as he knocked Yasuno out beside Yuura's bed.

~Meanwhile with Keiyuu, Taizo and Chelsea~

"Oh no..." Chelsea whispered, horrified at the scene as Taizo and Keiyuu froze. She did not know what the two of them, especially Keiyuu was going to do at this.

"Let's go! Maybe they've escaped!" Taizo said, starting to run towards the hospital when all of a sudden, a pink light shone upon them, making them look up to see Mew approaching and she did not look happy.

"M-Mew-san! Please tell me they're alright!!" The guitarist said while Keiyuu stood very still, still in shock and horror alike.

"Do not worry. This is only an illusion. Allow me to take that veil off." She said, using Dream Eater on them and when the three of them opened their eyes afterwards, they saw that the hospital was just fine much to their relief.

"I think the inhabitants of the hospital are still inside the illusion, however. We must go inside and help them." Mew said and that, made Keiyuu finally run towards the hospital, worried sick for his friends. Taizo and Chelsea quickly followed suit as Mew went into the hospital to find everyone's eyes completely blank and wide, almost terrified.

Then, Mew started gathering power to engulf the whole building but right then, a Shadow Ball connected with the New Species Pokémon, making her lose the power she had been collecting.

"So you were the ones to foil Master's plans, huh?" The voice of a man said, turning around, they saw a man of ordinary height, black hair and black eyes, smirking evilly at them. Seeing the man, Chelsea gasped in horror, remembering him to be one of the torturers of Mai.

"Who are you?! Leave this place alone!!" Taizo growled angrily.

"H-he's... He's one of them! One of the bastards that hurt and experimented on Mai!" Chelsea whispered with a shaking voice, tearful at the memory resurfacing once again. Mew gasped in shock as Taizo and Keiyuu froze.

"Someone was experimented on by Darkrai?!" The New Species Pokémon asked in shock.

"What?!" Keiyuu whispered and then, did something shocking; he ran towards Zannin and even the ex-drummer's Cofagrigus couldn't stop the younger man from forcefully digging his elbow into the deranged man's stomach. Zannin gasped, falling down as Keiyuu glared at him. Then, he remembered his Lucario who was looking very surprised. But once their gazes connected, the Aura Pokémon nodded in agreement.

"Mew-san, you bring the others out of this illusion. I'll take care of him."

Mew nodded worriedly and charged power once more and then, released it, releasing everyone from the illusion's effects.

"Taizo, you go and check on Yuura and Yasuno. I'll take care of this bastard."

~Meanwhile with Tatsuhi~

"So you think you can bring him back, huh? Dummkopf, his mind might have been fixed somehow by a weakling like you but Master won't let you bring him back!" Gustav sneered, making the Loudred look sad. But at that, Tatsuhi sent such a glare that petrified the younger man, anger coursing through him.

"I'm giving you one more chance, Gustav-san. But if you ever, ever come between me and fixing Ryuji, you are dead. I don't care about what your stinking Master says, I will not let Ryuji-kun get hurt anymore from any of you bastards!"

Gustav glared back to keep his smug mask on but he actually was scared. Very much so. And for some reason, his mind turned to his bandmates, wondering what they would think if they knew about this.

~Meanwhile with Georg - half an hour later~

When Georg was finally going to be released from the hospital, Kiro suddenly approached them, surprising the twins and Georg alike.

"If you want, you can stay here, you know. We're preparing a cure for the serum-affected, remember?" The shorter bassist said, smiling slightly nervously. At those words, Bill and Tom looked at eachother and nodded without waiting for Georg to say anything.

"We'd be happy if you can find something fast enough. How's Shin by the way?" Tom asked, showing his caring side which made Kiro smile.

"He's just fine. He even accepted the cure we're making. What about you, Georg? Are you going to come back to your friends?"

~Meanwhile with Taizo~

Taizo reluctantly left Keiyuu and ran to the room where he knew Yasuno was waiting only to see the drummer fainted beside Yuura's bed with Yomi and Hitsugi trying to wake him up.

"Yasuno!! What happened!?" The guitarist asked, running towards them.

"Zannin happened. As if torturing Yomi and hurting Ni~ya wasn't goddamn enough!" Hitsugi growled, his eyes dark with anger.

"Mu, Munna~!" Yasuno's Munna cried out along with Yomi's Eevee, both angry.

"We caught the bastard, don't worry.

"Wait, what happened to Ni~ya-nii-san? Why was he injured?!" Yomi asked, alarmed. Hitsugi hesitated about telling the older man about it, knowing that he would feel bad about what had happened there.

"Mitsuo!!"

"I'll tell you later, Jun. You still need your rest, my friend."

Yomi huffed and glared at the younger guitarist, annoyed at how much he and the others of his band were fussing on him. Just as the vocalist was about to say something, they saw that Keiyuu was dragging the dangerous ex-drummer with an angry expression.

"You bastard!! Keiyuu-san, let him go. I know just what to do to him." Hitsugi whispered and with a surprised look, Keiyuu indeed let go of Zannin who looked smug.

"You can't do anything, Hitsugi! Master will definitely come for me!" He said but in the next moment, Hitsugi went out of the room, getting Ruka and Ni~ya there. And when they saw just who was responsible for the illusion they were all in before, Ni~ya sent his Gyarados immediately and ordered him to use Crunch on Zannin much to Yomi, Keiyuu and Taizo's shock.

"Holy--!?" Taizo exclaimed but the next thing Hitsugi said made things clear for the older guitarist and Keiyuu and Yomi wince, knowing Ruka was going to be very angry.

"He apparently both threatened and tortured Yomi! Let's show no mercy to this bastard!!"

"Ee~, Eevee!!" The Evolution Pokémon nodded, also using Take Down on the already injured and bleeding profusely ex-drummer.

"Guys, you need to calm down! I'm completely--" Yomi started to say only to stop at Hitsugi's glare. The older vocalist gulped, knowing that his youngest friend was very pissed off, more than he'd ever been in his life.

~Meanwhile with Yuuya~

"You cannot actually think you can free him, do you, Zygarde?" Yuuya's possessed body asked the Order Pokémon, smirking.

"I will do my best. Cruel spirits like you cannot be allowed to hurt anyone." Was Zygarde's only answer and then, before the drummer could say anything more, she focused and then, a golden warphole suddenly opened in front of them.

"You asked for me?" A strange sounding boy's voice came from inside it. Zygarde only nodded and then, a genie-like Pokémon. Yuuya looked confused as the Pokémon asked what Zygarde wanted from him.

"I want you to grab the Tidal Bell for me." The Order Pokémon said, making the other Pokémon's eyes widen.

"But... But I do not want to become confined even more!!"

"Do not worry, tell him that I need it. He will give it to you without problems, Hoopa."

"I hope so, Zygarde, or I am gonna be in even more trouble than before with controlling this body." The Mischief Pokémon sighed, going away into the warphole he had come out of.

Meanwhile with Tatsuhi~

After that, Tatsuhi looked towards the huge tree and thought about how to get up it. Then, it occured him to just shake the tree and hope for the best. The young bassist started shaking the tree and the soul shard that was on it started to shake, almost falling to his waiting hands but it was stuck again on a lower branch.

"Loud, Loudred~!" The Loudred that had threw him from Gustav's body suddenly cried and got near him, obviously wanting to help him now.

"So you decide to help me now?" Tatsuhi muttered but still took the Big Voice Pokémon's help. The Big Voice Pokémon immediately climbed the tree and gently took the soul shard that was stuck. Then, he sent it to Tatsuhi's waiting hand which relieved the bassist very much.

"Now I need to return to Yuuya's side. Maybe he's... He's okay now..."

~Meanwhile with Yuuya~

"I do not know that Pokémon. Who was he?" The spirit inside Yuuya's body asked, frowning. Zygarde glared at the young man's possessed body, not telling anything about the Mischief Pokémon.

"Come on, I must know my opponent!"

"I will not tell something about my fellow Pokémon." The Order Pokémon said, dangerously calm and then, Tatsuhi burst into the cave, gently putting Ryuji's unresponsive body and looking at Yuuya worriedly.

"Has anything changed??" The bassist asked with worry.

"No. But it is about to. Do not worry, he will be okay." Zygarde replied, looking at the pained bassist and his unresponsive friends.

And then, much to Tatsuhi's shock and confusion, a warphole opened right in front of them. And from it, a light purple, genie-like Pokémon came out, holding a bell within his hand. He gave it to Zygarde and the Order Pokémon rang it, a soothing sound coming out of it.

That was then, another portal opened and out came a huge, white-blue bird Pokémon came out, looking strong.

"Zygarde. Why did you summon me and Hoopa?" He asked in a calm voice.

"Lugia. It is him again. You and Hoopa can help this young man to get out of Raistlin's influence. But it has to be quick or we may lose the young man."

Tatsuhi gasped in horror at the words of the Legendary Pokémon, making Lugia turn towards the distressed man.

~Meanwhile with Yomi~

"Oh crap..." Yomi muttered, seeing Ruka's eyes darken at Hitsugi's words and knowing it was not something good.

"He did WHAT to Jun-kun?!" The slightly younger drummer whispered dangerously. That moment, Yomi could swear that the room had become ice-cold.

"Ruka, you really need to calm down!! I'm okay now, it's not like he killed me!!" Yomi said but then, the drummer sent out his trusty Gengar and told about the torture Yomi had gone through.

"Gen?! Gengar!!!" The Shadow Pokémon cried and sent a strong Shadow Punch right into Zannin's previous wound, making him gasp.

~Meanwhile with the GazettE~

"So, what exactly happened when you two were away?!" Kai asked and before Aoi could stop Reita, the bassist told everything about what had happened much to his chagrin.

"WHAT?!" All of the others yelled after they heard about the rock trap Aoi had been in.

"Yuu, are you okay!?"

"I'm fine. Reita-kun managed to save me somehow." The rhythm guitarist said calmly, sparing an annoyed glance at the shaken bassist.

"I'm just glad he's fine, to be honest, that scared the crap out of me..." Reita said, shuddering at the reminder.

Aoi smiled, patting Reita's back comfortingly. The guitarist had known that the bassist had been scared for him judging from his reactions afterwards but he had no idea how much.

"Hey, it's fine now. You saved my ass, there's nothing wrong but a slight headache. Don't worry so much, Reita-kun."

"Still... You didn't see something like that happen to one of us, I swear, you scared the living shit out of me there for a moment."

~Meanwhile with Tatsuhi~

The Diving Pokémon looked at Tatsuhi and his barely living burden, taken aback.

"Please save him, Zygarde-san, Yuuya-kun... He didn't deserve this. Despite what happened with him and us in the past, he didn't deserve being devoured by that thing..."

Lugia nodded without saying anything and then, used Extrasensory on Yuuya as Hoopa used Psychic, both as gentle as they could be. Yuuya still collapsed in his stone prison, unable to cope with the strength of the two Legendary Pokémon.

"Yuuya!!" Tatsuhi said, scared. Zygarde however, told him to wait. And then, a scream was heard from the drummer and a monstrous form with golden, slit-pupilled eyes and white hair got out of Yuuya's body, making him fall unconsciously onto the floor.

"Yuuya!! Yuuya, me o samete yo!" Tatsuhi ran to him, shaking the older man frantically.

"Ugh... Tat...suhi?" The drummer uttered, his eyes opening a fraction which relieved Tatsuhi so much.

"I'm here, Yuuya. Everything's g-gonna be okay, I promise..."

~Meanwhile with Georg~

At Kiro's question, Bill and Tom held their breaths, both hoping that they had regained Georg. And then, the younger bassist talked after a moment of silence;

"I... I think so, actually..."

The twins' eyes widened in joy and Bill glomped the older teen immediately, overjoyed. Tom smiled behind them, calmer but no less happy about the sudden development. Kiro smiled back, knowing how happy they both were.

"Georg!! I can't believe it! We did it!!"

As Bill talked fastly with Georg who chuckled at the younger teen's enthusiasm, Tom asked about the cure. Kiro shook his head, however.

"It's not ready yet. But it's very close to being so. Don't worry, you'll get him back. Both of them, if you manage to get Gustav as well."

~Meanwhile with Yuuya and Tatsuhi~

"Tatsuhi... Is... Is Ryuji alright?" Yuuya asked, barely conscious. Tatsuhi stopped for a moment, remembering that he had the second soul shard of the vocalist with him.

"N-not yet... But he's safe, don't worry. I already have his second soul shard."

"Good... I'm so tired, Tatsuhi-kun, can I sleep here for a while?"

"Of course. I'll protect both of you till you guys are okay. Go to sleep, my friend."

But just as Tatsuhi said that and Yuuya went to sleep, a huge earthquake shook the cave they were in. Tatsuhi held Yuuya and Ryuji's bodies close to protect them but when it was over, he ran to see what was going on. What he saw froze his blood; it was a huge, red and black, bird-like Legendary Pokémon who flew above the short bassist.

"Oh no, the Cocoon of Destruction has opened, Yveltal is free..." Hoopa said scaredly.

~Meanwhile with Yomi~

"Ruka, please, I'm fine. You don't have to kill someone on my behalf!" Yomi said, gulping in fear. But the drummer ignored his plea and then, he punched Zannin hard as the ex-drummer was bleeding out.

"You think you can goddamn torture my friend, huh?! You'll pay for that, believe me. You'll pay." Ruka whispered, choking Zannin now much to Taizo and Keiyuu's shock while Yomi still tried to stop Ruka.

~Meanwhile with Tatsuhi~

"W-what do you mean!? Who was that scary Pokémon?! I don't like this at all!" The bassist stuttered as Zygarde frowned.

"It was Yveltal, the Pokémon that controls death. You must be very careful when you search for the last soul shard of your friend. Because if you come into contact with Yveltal, that would easily kill you."

Tatsuhi's eyes widened, horrified. But even then he was not about to relent, not when he had so much to fight for.

"I will bring Ryuji back. I don't care if it kills me, I have to bring him back..."

At his strong desire to protect Ryuji and Yuuya, Hoopa and Lugia were very surprised. Neither of the Legendary Pokémon had thought that a young human like him could be that brave even in the face of the Destruction Pokémon.

"We will watch over you then, young man." Lugia said softly, making Tatsuhi grateful.

"Arigatou, Lugia-san. But I think we should rest first, to be honest, I haven't slept for a day and Yuuya also needs rest after what he went through."

~Meanwhile with the GazettE~

As Aoi gently reassured Reita that he was indeed fine, Kai shook his head, knowing fully that Reita wouldn't be truly reassured until the rhythm guitarist's wounds were healed. Just as Ruki was gonna say something, he noticed someone's gaze on them and happened to look towards the window to see a hiker with a disturbing energy staring back.

"Guys, I think we have a problem..." The vocalist said and that, made Reita look up as well along with the others.

"That's him! He was the one to trap Aoi-kun like that!!"

"What?!"

Then, they heard the dangerous man whisper something that scared them;

"You think you're safe, don't you? Probopass, use Rock Slide! Bury this pitiful building!!"

~Meanwhile in Darkrai's fortress~

Everyone froze as they heard a sinister voice coming closer to the castle. The minions all looked up to the sky, not seeing what made the creepy voice.

"What was that?!" One of the scientists said, creeped out.

"I don't know. But Master should know about this." The woman scientist who had given so much trouble to Tatsuhi and Ryuji said, frowning as she went to inform the Pitch Black Pokémon about the new occurance.

But when she came in, she was not expecting Darkrai to be frozen in shock and horror.

"Yveltal is free..." The Pitch Black Pokémon whispered and the woman thought she heard a tone of fear in his voice, shocked.

~Meanwhile with Tatsuhi - The next day~

Tatsuhi woke up slowly to see that Yuuya was not by his side. The bassist got up fastly, scared for the other man. But thankfully, the older man was just outside the cave, sitting on a rock and looking around.

"Yuuya, are you alright?! Kami-sama, don't scare me like that!"

"Tatsuhi-kun? How...? How did you save me?"

"It... It wasn't me, Yuuya-kun... I'm sorry I couldn't realize it in time that you weren't okay..." Tatsuhi whispered, sad and feeling guilty. Yuuya, however, smiled at the distressed bassist.

"It's alright, Tatsuhi. You still were there, you know. I could hear you even though I couldn't see a thing."

Tatsuhi smiled tearfully at that, thankful that the drummer was now okay. Yuuya hugged him tightly before asking;

"What do we do next, Tatsuhi? Is Ryuji really gonna be alright??"

"I promise on my life that you will get a chance to talk to him. I'm not letting him go like that."

~Meanwhile in the hospital~

The hospital was under assault from the deranged hiker's Probopass, making Reita feel furious. The bassist immediately went down along with the rest of his bandmates and the rest of the Champions of Cresselia.

"So, you really are here. Good. This will take care of y--"

"If you hurt a hair of my friends, I. Will. Kill. You." Said Shou in a deadly voice.

"Challenge me if you dare then." The hiker said right before he sent out his other Pokémon, a special Minior. The Meteor Pokémon came out and only glared at Shou, making him unable to move.

"W-what the hell is this?! I... I can't move!!"

~Meanwhile with Tatsuhi~

When the bassist said those words with intense conviction, Yuuya's eyes went wide. He hadn't known how much Tatsuhi wanted him and Ryuji to be able to talk to eachother. Then, the drummer asked what his friend had meant by Darkrai making him and Ryuji do something inhumane. Tatsuhi grimaced at the memories, shuddering.

"He... He made me almost kill someone, let's just leave it at that, Yuuya, onegai..." He said, making Yuuya's already wide eyes to widen even more and hug the shaking bassist close.

"It's alright. I know you well enough to know you would never do such a thing, Tatsuhi-kun."

~Meanwhile with Mai~

Mai went to the room where Xerneas awaited him, very curious and worried about the reason he was called there.

"Xerneas-san? What's the matter? Why am I being summoned??"

"There is something very wrong, Mai. Yveltal is free and he is after something that will give him complete control over death and destruction, even more so than his current state. He is after a human vessel of light." Xerneas said seriously, making the young guitarist gasp in horror.

"He's after WHAT?!" Mai yelled, terrified to think that his friends might be in the crossfire.

"Not only that, a man named Ghetsis is after Yveltal as well, he is a man of deceit, he will use anyone in his path to achieve his goals."

"They both must be stopped! This isn't good! What do I even do in this situation?!" Mai asked, alarm growing inside him even more.

"That is why you must watch over the Champions of Cresselia. If either of those two gets his eye on one of them, it would be a disaster." Xerneas said seriously, making Mai relieved. He would never let any of them to get hurt.

~Meanwhile in the hospital~

"Shou-kun!! Don't worry, we've got this! Luxray, use Crunch on that Pokémon!" Hiroto exclaimed, pointing at Minior and when the Gleam Eyes Pokémon did so, Minior's shell was broken right off of it, exposing its black core.

"Good job, Luxray! Let's finish it off so that Shou-kun can move again!"

"Sableye, use Confuse Ray on that Probopass, it could deter us even more!" Ruki said, unnerved by the hiker's nonchalance at his Pokémon getting hurt like this.

"He also almost killed Aoi-kun, let's not hold back one bit!!" Reita growled, sending a death glare at the old looking man.

~Meanwhile with Ghetsis~

Ghetsis smirked to himself, thinking that now that Yveltal was free, he could use the Destruction Pokémon in any way he wanted. The old man went to the cave Yveltal was now residing in, ready to get the dangerous Legendary for himself. But when he went in deeper, he saw a young, brunette ghost in front of him, glaring at him.

"What the?! What are you?!" Ghetsis growled, making the ghost frown even more.

"I'm someone who will never let someone like you hurt my family! Go away from this place!!"

"You're not going to stop me. You are too weak. Go, Hydreigon, obliterate this foolish mirage!"

~Meanwhile with Champions of Cresselia~

"He did what?!" Kai yelled as Aoi winced slightly, knowing the others were going to be pissed off badly. Then, Kai went up to the hiker and punched him hard despite the man's Probopass getting closer to the drummer.

"How dare you harm my friend!? You made a huge mistake, you bastard!" He growled but he was soon taken aback by the smirk he got in response.

"You are the ones who made a huge mistake by going into my Master's world." The hiker said before ordering his Minior to destroy Kai.

"YUTAKA!!"

~Meanwhile with Ghetsis~

Ghetsis sent his Hydreigon and told him to use Dark Pulse on the ghostly young man. The Brutal Pokémon nodded and opened his mouth to send out several black and purple circles from it towards the mirage. The ghostly man winced but did not move from his spot.

"You are one stubborn thing. But what you are trying will not work. I will have Yveltal with me and control Death!"

"Y-you are insane! I-I won't let you d-do such a horrible thing! I w-won't let... My family to be... H-hurt by you again!!" The ghost said in his echoing voice. Then, the ghost closed his eyes and focused on something.

"Hydreigon, keep using Dark Pulse! Also, go Bisharp, use Night Slash on this thing!!"

~Meanwhile in the hospital~

Kai barely managed to dodge the Meteor Pokémon's attack as Hiroto ordered his Luxray to use Spark on it. The others immediately took the drummer back to their side as the fight continued.

"You... You're one of Giratina's minions?!" Uruha asked, shocked.

"Nevermind that, guys. I think we should end this battle before any more damage is done on us!" Aoi said before telling Roserade to use his Mega Drain move on Probopass as Saga told his Smoochum to use Psychic on Minior to finally defeat the Meteor Pokémon.

After they were done, Taizo went to sleep while Yasuno and Keiyuu opted to stay with Yuura who still hadn't awakened. Little did they know that they were about to get a shock.

~In Taizo's dream~

Taizo found himself in a cave, totally confused. He was going to stay put but his feet didn't listen to him, almost being controlled by some outer force. The guitarist frowned as he walked straight towards a noise close-by.

"What the hell is happening?! Where am I?"

Then, he saw it. The man named Ghetsis who had deceived Yasuno before and much to his shock, Mai who was standing up to the dangerous man. Taizo's eyes widened in complete shock and horror and he tried to go near the ex-guitarist but a barrier stopped him. The ensuing noise made Mai look up and look relieved.

"Taizo-san!! Good, it worked!!"

"M-Mai-san, what is happening?! Why are you here?!"

Mai tried to smile at the older man but it turned into a grimace as two more Dark-type attacks collided with him and almost made him cry out in pain.

"I s-summoned your s-soul to warn you! Please, will you listen to me?! This is very important!"

"O-of course! What is it?!"

"Whatever you do, d-don't let the others near Mt. Coronet! Don't let my death be in vain, Taizo-san! H-he's gonna k-kill the others if you do!"

Taizo's eyes widened as Ghetsis threatened Mai with another death. The older guitarist had no idea what to do but then, he was pulled back into his body, gasping as he woke up.

~Meanwhile with Tatsuhi~

"Y-Yuuya... Thank you for being here... I don't think I could've handled all of this alone..." Tatsuhi whispered, his eyes still teary at the memories. Yuuya smiled and hugged the bassist once more.

"I let both of you down once, Tatsuhi, I'm not gonna do that ever again. I believe in you, my friend, I believe in both of you." The older man said softly. Then, a black warphole suddenly opened before them, startling both of them.

"W-what the hell?!" Yuuya said, taking Tatsuhi behind himself to protect the shorter man. Tatsuhi smiled and shook his head at the protectiveness of his old friend.

"It's fine, Yuuya. I can protect myself."

~Meanwhile in the hospital~

"Taizo-san? You okay?" Hitsugi asked gently, confused. Taizo nodded as his brain worked at a record speed, trying to decide on what he should do. If he told the others about his dream, they would freak and with Yuura unconscious, they would be at a loss to what they should do. But if he went alone, he could fall into a danger.

Just as he was going to ask Hitsugi to leave him for a moment, the other guitarist smiled and told him that he needed to be with his own vocalist to tend to the short man's wounds. Taizo smiled back and nodded, knowing that he would have done the same thing if it was Keiyuu in that state.

"What should I do?.." The guitarist whispered, thoroughly conflicted with himself. But then, he remembered what had caused Mai's death in the first place and hardened his resolve. But not wanting to go without a Pokémon, he frowned, having no partner Pokémon yet. Then, Chelsea came near him, seeing the guitarist was deep in thought.

"What are you thinking so hard about? Is it something that I can help you with?"

"Actually, you can. Do you have a spare Pokémon that I can use for a while? I don't have one and I just saw a dream of..." Taizo started to say only to stop, knowing that this could harm Chelsea as well. But the only thing the young woman did was to look expectantly at him.

"What dream? You should tell me if you want me to lend you my Pokémon, you know."

"Well... I saw a dream where Mai-san was hurting and I'm very sure that this is real. But if I tell this to the others, they will be in danger, Mai-san said that much. So I want to go alone and save him. So, could you give me a Pokémon now? I promise I will not let it get hurt if I can avoid it."

Chelsea's eyes widened at the mention of her dead lover, shocked. Then, the girl immediately said;

"Let me come with you at least! I... I want to see Mai again..."

"No. I can't let someone else get in on this, it could very well be deadly if it can hurt even a ghost. But you can do one thing for me. Cover up for me to my friends. I don't want them to know about this."

"B-but you might die!! Doesn't it scare you?!"

"I'm not scared. I'll do it for Mai-san and the others." Taizo said with a smile and Chelsea gave her Talonflame to the guitarist and watched him go out.

~Meanwhile in the cave - 2 hours later~

"You are brave, I must give you that, you fool. But you won't stop me, I assure you." Ghetsis said as he kept his two Pokémon attack Mai.

"Y-you can't k-know that!! I won't l-let you do this!! I can't!" Mai panted and then, a voice stopped them in their tracks.

"Stop it right there!!"

Ghetsis and Mai turned to look at what was going on and when Mai saw that Taizo was standing there, seething in anger, he gasped. Ghetsis, however, only looked annoyed at the older guitarist.

"T-Taizo-san!! Omae wa koko de nani o shiterunda yo?! A-are the others with you?!" He asked, shocked and terrified.

"I'm not letting you fight alone, that's what. And no. I came alone. You are not hurting Mai-san, Ghetsis-san! I let you deceive and hurt my friends once!!"

Mai's eyes went wide as plates as Ghetsis smirked. The dead guitarist was not expecting Taizo to have considered him a friend as they hadn't had much interaction before. Taizo smiled at his shock before sending Chelsea's Talonflame and battling the two Pokémon that was attacking Mai.

~Meanwhile with Tatsuhi and Yuuya~

From the warphole, Hoopa suddenly came out, startling Yuuya and making him back away with a tight grip on Tatsuhi's wrist to keep the younger man safe.

"Oh, it was you, Hoopa-san? Yuuya, this is Hoopa-san, he helped me to get you out of that possession. Don't worry, he's a safe Pokémon." Tatsuhi said, smiling gratefully at the Mischief Pokémon. Hoopa smiled back before getting serious.

"You must be careful, both of you. Now that Yveltal is free, he could kill all of you quite easily. If you feel any chill, get far away from it."

Yuuya gasped along with Tatsuhi, both thinking of Ryuji who was unable to defend himself. But those news made them even more determined to save the vocalist, especially Tatsuhi.

"We'll be fine, Hoopa-san. Thank you for telling us though. And thanks for getting me out of that possession as well." Yuuya said, bowing respectfully. Then, Tatsuhi took out the barely-sparkling shard of Ryuji's soul, swallowing slightly as he looked at it.

"I should restore this. Maybe then we'll be able to try and find the location of his last shard and bring him back to us."

"Good idea. I'll protect you two until you're back then." Yuuya replied the short bassist and sent out his Drowzee as Tatsuhi nodded and focused on the shard, slowly being sucked into a trance.

~Meanwhile in the hospital~

Yuura groaned as he woke up, blinking and looking around only to see Yasuno and Keiyuu beside him. He gasped when he saw Yasuno just fine although he looked forlorn. The noise made them both look up and widen their eyes.

"Yuura! H-how do you feel?! God, I'm so sorry!!" Yasuno asked frantically, looking ready to cry. Yuura smiled slightly, feeling slightly tired but otherwise, just fine.

"I'm fine, Yasuno. But are you alright, my dumb friend?"

Keiyuu snorted at the bassist's words as Yasuno nodded tearfully, not even minding the slight insult. The drummer was so glad that Yuura was able to finally wake up and see his friends again. Then, Keiyuu decided to wake Taizo up so that the guitarist would be happy as well. But when he went into the room, he saw that the guitarist was gone and Chelsea looked anxious.

"Chelsea-san? Where's Taizo-kun?"

"Umm... He... He said he was gonna be going for a while, I don't know where." The girl blurted out, smacking a hand onto her mouth after that. And then, Keiyuu took the whole story from the young woman who looked really uncomfortable. When the vocalist told the other two about it, they both gaped at him and Chelsea.

"We need to go. Right now!!"

~Meanwhile with Taizo and Mai~

Taizo did his best to stop the two Pokémon that were still sending their dark attacks towards Mai. But he had almost no idea what the moveset of the Talonflame he had loaned from Chelsea. Yet, thankfully, the Scorching Pokémon seemed to recognize who he was fighting for and did everything in his power to stop Ghetsis' evil plan.

"You foolish boy, you don't know who you are messing with!" Ghetsis growled at Taizo but the guitarist was very pissed off.

"It's you who doesn't know who you're messing with! You aren't getting what you want this time, Ghetsis-san, someone has to put a stop to you!"

Mai's eyes were still wide as he watched Taizo command Talonflame, shocked about the older guitarist's strong conviction to protect him this time. But right then, Ghetsis smirked, alarming Mai.

"If you wish so much to protect that mirage, why don't you join him?" He said but right as he sent out his Bouffalant, ready to kill Taizo much to Mai's horror, an enraged voice stopped them in their tracks.

"Lucario, use Power-Up Punch!! You're not hurting Taizo-kun!!"

~Meanwhile with Tatsuhi~

Tatsuhi found himself in a graveyard, shocked out of his mind. Then, he decided to explore and hopefully find Ryuji so that the vocalist would be okay.

"Ryuji? Where are you??" The bassist called out only to hear soft, pained sobs of the older man. He immediately took off to find where the noise was coming from. Then, he saw it; Ryuji crying over the tombstones of Taizo, Yuuya and himself.

"Ryuji?! Oh Kami-sama..." He whispered and went to his side, putting a hand on his shoulder and startling him badly.

"N-no way!! T-Tatsuhi?!"

"Ryuji, this is all an illusion! None of us is dead, I swear! Yuuya even risked his life for you, you need to come back to us, onegai!!" Tatsuhi said, his voice breaking at the look of hopelessness on Ryuji's face.

"Tatsuhi, what are you talking about?! How do I get out then?!" Ryuji said, trembling all over as he glanced back at the tombstones.

"Just focus. Focus on waking up--" The bassist started telling him but then, he saw something from behind the vocalist and looked up to see a black, scary smoke coming up behind him.

"Ryuji, hashire yo!! The younger man yelled, taking the startled vocalist's wrist and starting to run as the smoke destroyed the graveyard.

~Meanwhile with Kra~

When Taizo looked behind him, he saw the enraged Keiyuu and the other two along with Chelsea, horrified along with Mai. But Keiyuu was so pissed that he used Lucario's Power-Up Punch once more on Ghetsis, throwing the old man away from Taizo.

"Taizo, are you alright?!" Yuura came to the guitarist before turning to Mai after Taizo nodded slowly in shock as the others came beside him.

"Mai, why are you here?!"

"You really don't want to know, Yuura-kun. Ghetsis-san is after something in this cave and it is not something good, I'll say that much."

That was then, a rumble happened in the cave, nearly making them fall to the ground as Yveltal came out from behind Mai, making the old man's eyes widen in glee and the others turn pale as a sheet with the dangerous aura the Destruction Pokémon had around him.

"Yveltal, I know what you are after! I can give it to you if you stay by me!!" Ghetsis said with barely-contained glee. Yveltal paused at that along with Chelsea and the members of Kra while Mai looked terrified.

"What do you have to offer to me, old man? If you know what I am searching for, then give it to me now." Yveltal said in his demonic voice and Ghetsis took out a small remote control-like machine and suddenly striked Taizo with it and pushed its only button.

"Oh no..." Mai uttered as Ghetsis told the Destruction Pokémon that Taizo was ready. The guitarist in the meanwhile was writhing in pain on the ground as the others tried to reach him to no avail. Then, Yveltal went inside Taizo, making his eyes turn completely black along with his normally-brunette hair. The possessed guitarist grinned in a disturbing fashion and said;

"Now the fun can begin."

At that, all of them were horrified as Ghetsis left with the guitarist with the man not making physical contact with the possessed guitarist, too frozen to move after them. Mai looked like he was about to cry, blaming himself for what had happened to Taizo.

"W-what on Earth did just happen?! Where did that foul man take Taizo to?!" Chelsea stuttered before going closer to Mai, her eyes full of tears at the sight of her beloved's ghost.

"I don't know but we have to find them or this will not end well!" Yuura said, frowning in worry.

"I should've never let him know..." Mai whispered, horrified by what he had let happen in his own eyes.

"If you didn't, who knows what would've happened to you, Taizo wouldn't want you to feel like that, Mai-cho." Keiyuu said, sad and worried for both Mai and Taizo.

"Are you okay, Mai?" Asked Yasuno softly, seeing how worn out the young ghost looked. At that, Mai managed out a small smile, wishing he could truly be there for his friends and his lover. But he knew he couldn't stay for long or this would turn bad.

"I-I'm fine, Taizo-san... He didn't let me get hurt... Why..?" The younger man whispered, so distressed.

"It's gonna be okay, Mai. We'll find a way." Keiyuu said as Chelsea tried not to cry as well at the mere sight of her sweet, loving boyfriend. Seeing this, Mai came closer to her, wanting to hug her but unable to do so.

~Meanwhile in Taizo's mind~

"L-Let me go!!" Taizo said, struggling against Yveltal's overwhelming strength. The Destruction Pokémon only chuckled.

"You humans are so very interesting. You have no hope against me and yet, you still fight. Why?" He said, obviously amused by the young guitarist's strong struggles.

"Because... Because we are what we make it! We aren't toys for you to play and fiddle with!! We have our own will and I w-won't let that to be t-taken by something like you, Yveltal-san!! Not in... A lifetime!!" Taizo panted, still struggling against his bonds.

"You are strong, I must give you that. You did not hesitate to go to that ghost's help despite not having anything to protect yourself with. Did you think nothing would happen to you? Was this all even worth it?" Yveltal asked, simply curious.

"Hai!! M-Mai-san did not deserve what he got! I had to at least protect him this time even though I was unable to do so when he was alive!!"

"Yes, you are a peculiar one indeed. We will see who is stronger soon enough, however, and it will not be you, young man."

~Meanwhile with Tatsuhi and Ryuji~

Ryuji struggled to keep up with Tatsuhi who was barely able to keep from stumbling himself, half scared to death. The vocalist didn't know what was real and what was fake anymore. Just as the smoke reached them, Tatsuhi noticed it and surprisingly threw Ryuji away from himself, letting it try taking over him.

"T-Tatsuhi!!!" Ryuji screamed, terrified for his best friend. But then, he saw that Tatsuhi was fighting against the dangerous smoke and decided to save both of them by himself.

"Leave. Him. Alone!!" The vocalist growled, actually quite angry.

Then, the smoke started to take shape all of a sudden and when it was done, it looked like Yuuya but his eyes were different, completely black with purple circles around them.

"So, you want to save your friend, huh? Pathetic. You should just save yourself."

"You're not getting my best friend!!" Ryuji whispered as he glared at the mirage-Yuuya. Tatsuhi seemed to hear every word as well for he looked shocked.

"We'll see."

~Meanwhile with Kra~

As Mai wished he could comfort his friends and lover, Yuura shook his head, very worried about what was happening.

"How did Ghetsis-teme know about Yveltal-san being there?! I don't like this. Taizo is in a huge trouble here. We must do something before he gets seriously hurt!" Yasuno was saying, frowning as he thought of what to do.

"Yeah, this is kinda scary. If we don't stop them, Taizo-san might--" Mai started to say only to be stopped by Keiyuu.

"He won't win, Mai. We won't let something like that to happen to Taizo-kun."

The others nodded and then, they got out of the cave, hoping that they could catch up to Taizo and Ghetsis.

~Meanwhile with Ryuji and Tatsuhi~

Ryuji growled at the words from the mirage, very angry and determined to save Tatsuhi who was entrapped within an aura of black smoke.

"What can you, a broken soul can do, Ryuji? Admit it, you have lost."

"NO!! I can do this!" The vocalist said before picking up a nearby hook and rope to attach to eachother and hopefully pull Tatsuhi out. But when he did that, a huge pain in his chest prevented him from pulling the short bassist out.

"Ryuji!! Doushita?!"

As Tatsuhi asked frantically, the mirage-Yuuya chuckled evilly, making both of them glare at him. Then, he punched Ryuji in the gut, making him gasp in even more pain.

"What? Were you expecting no retaliation? You are more naive than I had thought." He said but fighting with the pain, Ryuji managed to hang on to the rope with all his remaining strength and managed to pull Tatsuhi out.

~Meanwhile in Taizo's mind~

"I-I won't... Give myself... Up to you!! I'm... Not gonna be... A p-puppet!!" Taizo managed out, still struggling. But that only made Yveltal chuckle.

"Such bravery... You are no mere human. Most of your kind would be terrified when facing me. Even your little friend Yasuno was when he recruited me. But you are brave. Such a shame that you will be gone soon enough."

"I-It's not... That I'm not scared... But I won't, can't give up! M-my friends... Need me, I know that much! Besides... It'd be stupid if Yasuno... Managed to purge you and I... Couldn't, right?" Taizo panted and smirked challengingly at the Destruction Pokémon, making him enraged unknowingly.

"You shall pay for those words. You want freedom so much? Then earn it!" The Legendary said before an excruciating pain shot through Taizo, making the guitarist scream as he exploded.

~Meanwhile with Kra~

When Mai got out of the cave along with his friends and beloved, it was with a heavy heart. He felt guilty and sad that Taizo had basically sacrificed himself for him and there was nothing he could do to help him nor to comfort his family about the matter.

"It's gonna be okay, right?" Yasuno whispered, knowing very well that Taizo was suffering a lot. That made Mai feel even worse.

"Of course it will be. Taizo is stronger than what he seems, you know that better than any of us, Yasuno-kun. He wouldn't just give up." Keiyuu said softly, to comfort both Yasuno and Mai who looked so sad and scared about his replacement.

"Yeah, we won't let him down either, you know. Ghetsis-teme will get what he deserves as well." Yuura added, seeing how bad their ex-guitarist was feeling along with Yasuno easily.

~Meanwhile with Yuuya~

Yuuya stood tall and strong with his friends' unresponsive bodies, ready to protect them this time from everything. Hoopa looked at him with surprise that the drummer didn't get scared of the possibility of getting badly hurt while protecting the young men who were his friends.

"You are very determined. That is good." The Mischief Pokémon muttered softly, making Yuuya sigh, remembering his old mistakes of leaving Ryuji and Tatsuhi alone to face so many awful things.

"Of course I am. I want to protect them this time at least..." He whispered, thinking of how scared especially Tatsuhi must have been during all this. But that only made him more determined to not let them get hurt again.

"This time? What do you mean?"

"I... I left them alone, years ago, when our band got split up. Me and Taizo both left when we got angry at them and to this day, I'd never called them again afterwards... And when I found Tatsuhi like that, crying over poor Ryuji, I just... I felt like a traitor to them, Hoopa-san... And I still do, I don't think I really deserve their forgiveness, not yet at any rate..."

"But you still came through for them. You should not feel like that. I can tell how much you want to protect them, I could from the moment I saw you in that possession, Yuuya. You are not a bad person, if you were, you would have easily been consumed by Raistlin, one of the most powerful evil spirits in this world."

"I... I don't know, Hoopa-san... I still think of what could've happened if I didn't come here, to be honest. Ryuji could have been dead by now." Yuuya said but right before Hoopa was about to try and reassure the drummer, they both felt a chill coming closer.

"Yveltal... We need to move your friends, right now!!"

~Meanwhile in Taizo's mind~

Taizo's head whimpered, unable to feel any part of his body but still agonized. He tried hard to focus, to get out. But Yveltal's powerful aura still permeated his mind and he didn't know how to get out.

"Please... Someone... Anyone..." He managed to whisper, closing his eyes in exhausted agony.

"You should give up. There is no way for you to get out anymore. And soon, I will not need that device to keep being here any longer." Yveltal said mockingly. Taizo was about to nod, giving up when three familiar voices rang inside his mind.

"Are you letting your thoughts overwhelm you as always?" Yasuno was whispering, an obvious smile in the tone of his voice, shocking the young guitarist.

"We're counting on you, Taizo-kun!" It was now Keiyuu's voice, making Taizo's eyes go even wider with tears brimming in them.

"You can't let something like this scare you!" Yuura's voice added, making him feel like he could do this. He simply had to survive. He was terrified, yes, but it would be unfair to his family who had given so many things to him until now.

"I... I'm gonna try..." He whispered and then, focused on his body parts and the nearby torso started to move towards him somehow. Then, he focused on his arms, trying to endure the pain each body part gave him for his friends. Soon enough, he managed to make his arms put his head onto his torso and it merged with him instantly somehow.

"I can do this, I have to!"