Black seas churned around the small island, now barren of vegetation from years of enduring the abusive waters. The skies above were no less hostile, an obsidian-black landscape of fierce thunderheads.

"It is…here?" Ho-oh asked, his irritated tone matched the seas of black above and below them. Whispers of a storm ruffled his feathers, slivers of rain became more frequent. Ho-oh glowered at the puny island; no number of rebirths or healing techniques could mend his wounded pride. His plans had now been nearly derailed; he was beginning to grow desperate.

But to think that would have to resort to this? Ho-oh thought. He glanced at Mewtwo. The information that the clone had divulged during their gathering around the human radio tower was bittersweet. With Mewtwo's teleportation ability now evident, Ho-oh decided to utilize it to its fullest potential.

As a test, he had made Mewtwo send him back to Raikou's post and have him follow suit, completing hours of travel in seconds. Once he was sure that part of his plan had not been ruined, he commanded Mewtwo to teleport them once more to the place he had mentioned during their earlier conference.

Lugia was now under the possession of an orb of creation, with an alliance of Legendaries at his command and with the sole purpose of retaliating against him. He needed to gather more allies fast. And the sooner he utilized Kyogre's ace, the faster he could amass a force to stave off those who plan on attacking him. His own legendary alliance was powerful, but with his forces spread across the earth, their strength was greatly diminished. Even he had to admit that against the unified force of Lugia's army, Mewtwo could be conquered.

"Do it," the Guardian of the Skies ordered.

Mewtwo nodded, extending his hand over the tiny island and clenching it into a fist. The island crumbled like a dirt clod under the psionic powers that were applied to it. Suddenly, a massive structure materialized out of thin air before them. Ho-oh was caught off guard, leaping back in surprise upon the psychic platform procured by his puppet.

The iron blades of the towering windmills tasted gales once again, courtesy of the upcoming storm. Lights began to illuminate the dark voids of the towers within the stadium walls. Cobalt columns of stone rose from the depths as Mewtwo began to raise the long deserted building.

With his free hand, Mewtwo raised the earth from the ocean depths to support the abandoned fortress. Waves crashed against the island's stone border, the azure outline fading from the citadel seemingly conjured into existence by Ho-oh's psychic minion. Ho-on had to admit that the events that had just unfolded before him had enticed his interest.

"Won't you be a dear, Mewtwo, and take me inside for a tour," Ho-oh cooed in a sickly-sweet tone. Obviously, Mewtwo had no choice but to obey. The genetic Pokemon had been stripped of his home and his rights as a living creature, left with the only thing he could call his own: his name.

Mewtwo began to descend, hovering before the murky seas. All of a sudden, he thrust out his arm and the ocean parted beneath him, its floor veiled in shadows. Ho-oh glided down the pathway, walls of water towered above them. Mewtwo was already ahead of him, for he was waiting obediently at the base of some stone stairs. Pounding rain and roars of thunder could be heard as they climbed the exposed stairs; the storm outside had already begun.

For the first time since their "partnership", Ho-oh allowed Mewtwo to lead the way. They reached a large steel doorway; Mewtwo extended his arms, causing the door to fly open with such force that it nearly came off its hinges. As they passed through the door, they continued down a long abandoned stone hallway. The only sound was the clicking of Ho-oh's talons against the stony floor. Hues of every color decorated the hallway.

When they reached the end of the hallway they were treated to an interesting sight. Before them was what appeared to be a long deserted reception hall.

Pale light radiated from orbs atop bronze pedestals, a jumbled web of stone stood before an amber wall at the end of the chamber. The once beautiful fountains within the room had long since run dry. A path that coiled upwards to the top of the immense hall was suspended over a dry and empty basin. Right down the middle of the room was a stone table; flanked by chairs on each side. A thick layer of dust coated every inch of the chamber.

The suddenly well-lit room turned several shades darker, silence saturating the violet halls. That was when Ho-oh noticed that something was amiss: the raging storm outside had been quelled.

"Mewtwo, Stop. What's happening?" Ho-oh barked.

His puppet remained mute.

"Believe I can answer that," a voice said.

Ho-oh whirled around and found himself staring at gray eyelids.

Mewtwo remained motionless.

"Seems as though facility's power generated by windmills. Mewtwo originally powered the facility himself. Psychic powers used to create storms. Gales moved windmills. Storm outside now stopped. No wind. No power. Hence, blackout," the stranger said.

Ho-oh stared quizzically at the gray fairy floating before him, his features veiled in shadow.

"How do you know about Mewtwo?" Ho-oh asked.

"Read his mind. Unable to read yours at first. Hypothesis was concluded. Unaffected by Psychic abilities, therefore, dark type. First breed of Pokémon with three elemental attributes," Uxie replied. His quick bursts of speech were starting to annoy Ho-oh. But more importantly, he did not know the sprite's allegiance thus the sprite could be a potential danger to his plans.

And yet, what could he do? Before him was the creator of knowledge, attacking him would be suicide for not only him, but also every thinking creature in existence.

"Worry not. Here to join alliance," Uxie replied as if he had read Ho-oh's mind

If Uxie knew he was on the receiving end of Ho-oh's scrutinizing stare, he did not show it.

After several seconds of contemplating his motives, Ho-oh surrendered to his curiosity.

"…Why?" Ho-oh asked. He made no attempt to hide the obvious uncertainty in his voice.

"Interested by course of actions. Several theories as to end result. Difficult to calculate. Too many variables. Too many. Regardless, wish to tag along and see outcome. Motive behind actions logical in a sense. Will offer aid to see how this plays out."

"You agree with my cause?" Ho-oh asked. He was still suspicious of Uxie and especially his motivations.

"Said nothing of the sort. Merely curious as to outcome. Can easily watch and be neutral if aid unwanted," Uxie replied. He turned away and began hovering towards another exit in the reception hall.

Ho-oh opened his beak but rapidly closed it with a loud, echoing click. He had a bit of dilemma; he did not want to sound desperate for help but he could not afford to be picky when he was being offered help. "Your aid would be greatly appreciated," he said slowly.

"Good. Will get to work then," Uxie replied, hovering back to them and facing them if nothing had happened.

"Work?"

"Yes. Structural integrity of facility poor. Upgrades necessary. Will have to survey entire area to begin correcting architectural design. Aesthetically pleasing, but otherwise inappropriate for intended purposes,"

"I did not give you the order to-"

"Worry not. Already understand plan," Uxie replied.

Uxie's clipped speech patterns were starting to grate on Ho-oh's nerves. Having to continually look at Uxie's constantly closed eyes did not help matters. "How?" he asked. He made some attempt to hide the irritation in his voice but he was not doing a very good job of it.

"As said before. Read Mewtwo's mind. Memories of everything that has transpired up until now. Also, several vulgar and savage images and messages he would like to convey to you. Would prefer not to say out loud. Disapproves with the remodeling. Pointless now. Facility has been repurposed. No point in sacrificing efficiency for beauty. Waste. Ranting. Apologize. Back to subject at hand. Know everything about plan. Appears you are fighting against time."

"I am but-"

"Good. Mutual understanding. Will proceed to-"

"…but I would prefer if you consulted me before doing anything," Ho-oh said.

Uxie finally turned to face Ho-oh, a perplexed expression on his face. "Why? Unnecessary waste of time. Time spent talking could be used to help advance progress," Uxie replied.

Ho-oh now had to rapidly devise a way to get the All-Knowing to follow his instructions. "Communication is the key to any plan that involves a group, and although it may be slow, it would be rude to go and do things without consulting and informing the others," he said. He allowed himself a smirk, seeing as the sprites eyes seemed permanently closed.

"Etiquette pointless…" Uxie remained rooted to his spot in the air. After what felt like an eternity, a frustrated sigh escaped the sprite. "But I will comply with your orders. Your experiment. Graciously been allowed to participate. Will take fairness into consideration. Would not have considered doing this. Gives me an interesting challenge. Now feeling a sense of purpose."

"Experiment?" Ho-oh echoed, as if this had been the first time he had heard the word.

"Yes."

"This is all an experiment to you?" Ho-oh demanded. The only sign that Uxie's response had angered him was the clenching of his beak. He had wanted someone who was passionate and agreed with the cause; not someone who saw the entire crusade as a science experiment.

"Yes. What else would it be?" Uxie replied. Ho-oh's response had confused him.

"I am purging the world of an entire virulent species…do you not have any views on this?"

"Matter cannot be created or destroyed. Only changed chemically or physically. The amount of particles of a creature in life and in death, though possibly changed somewhat, stays the same. See little difference," the All-Knowing replied nonchalantly.

Ho-oh could not help but stop and stare at Uxie, astounded at the sheer lack of interest towards something like life and death. To call his crusade an experiment felt so…degrading. Here he was planning something that would have a great benefit to all of Pokémon-kind and now some sprite sees the entire thing as a lab test. "Do you even have opinions?" he asked bitterly.

"Of course. Am interested in your use of orb of creation. Removal of dampeners for instance. Interesting strategy to begin initial elimination of humans. Dampener removal begins with sensations of overwhelming power and need to release them. Pokémon may resist as not to hurt nearby humans. Effect of resistance: pain. The more resistance, the more the said Pokémon's powers begin to leak out. Much like tying hose with gushing water into a tight knot. Water will try to find any orifice to escape through to relieve the pressure. Result, humans near Pokémon get caught in crossfire until Pokémon becomes unconscious from pain. Different for wild Pokémon. Overwhelming power embraced. Not rejected. Therefore, transition smooth and unnoticeable from outward perspective."

Even though he was aware that Ho-oh already knew this, Uxie continued to speak, appearing to be voicing thoughts.

"Finally, someone who understands my genius," Ho-oh said with a smile. A tear of joy appeared to be forming at the corner of his eyes.

"Not only thing interested in. Must thank you for removing dampeners. Has allowed me to reach full potential. Before, efficiency greatly hindered due to distractions…emotions. Now amount of emotions reduced. Take great pleasure in feeling efficient. But lacked purpose…until this scenario appeared. Enjoy doing experiments. Solving difficult problems. Especially those when under pressure and more logic oriented," Uxie replied.

Ho-oh needed no more convincing; Uxie was on his side. He believed the humans referred to it as looking a gift Ponyta in the mouth, and he even found that concept abhorrent. "Dampeners have also changed method of way the attacks appear, are produced, and executed. Interesting development," Uxie said to himself.

"You are of particular interest in one aspect. First time seeing Pokémon with three types. Cannot sense presence like I can everything else. Cannot sense you at all, rely on psychic abilities to compensate for inability to see with own eyes."

"How did you become blind?" Ho-oh asked.

"Blind. No. Personal preference to maintain eyes closed. Eye contact with sentient creature reduces their mentality to that of newborn. Erases all memories. Wipes surviving neurons clean," Uxie replied.

Ho-oh shuddered as he recalled being at eye level with the sprite not too long ago. "Wait? What of my immortality?" he asked.

"Cunning. Gave yourself ability to be reborn from ashes your body becomes when wounded to the point of death. Had ability been applied to any other Pokémon, process would've made them return as an infant. Legendaries do not biologically age unless made to with orb of creation. Hence, you are reborn into your initial state of when you were created. No wounds. Peak of physical strength and health. Closest thing to birth for a Legendary."

"I guess I cannot expect him to appreciate everything that I do," Ho-oh mumbled as Uxie began to turn and float away once more.

"Permission to begin making improvements?"

He's already leaving to do them. Ho-oh thought. He then turned to Uxie. "Go ahead, would you mind if I followed you?" he asked.

"Certainly not. Would enjoy company."

Ho-oh glanced back at Mewtwo, rooted to the same spot he had when Uxie appeared. "Mewtwo, stay where you are. I will return," he ordered.

Ho-oh sighed. He was starting to grow tired of giving extremely precisely worded orders with no loopholes his puppet can exploit. This served as a constant reminder that Mewtwo did not join of his own free will.

Uxie reached another pair of steel doors at the other end of the room, opening them much more gently than Mewtwo had. A stadium awaited them on the other side. Rows of empty bleachers for a phantom audience greeted them. The stadium's floor was marred with the scars of a long forgotten battle.

Ho-oh noticed something different about the weather; the air was still and the eye of the maelstrom directly above the island revealing a clear patch of starry night. With the surrounding storms seemingly held at bay, the windmills that powered the facility were now inactive.

"What is the meaning of this?" Ho-oh demanded, scanning the skies.

"Rayquaza," Uxie replied like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Undeterred from his path, he ventured to the other side of the stadium.

"Rayquaza?"

"Yes. Decided to join you. Motives logical. Humans damaged atmosphere. His domain. Under his protection. Presence has stopped storm. Could send him away but…wishes to speak with you. Told him to wait"

"Let him come," Ho-oh's replied. His voice carried undisguised ecstasy.

The emerald serpentine figure of Rayquaza slithered through the air, sliding into view. He coiled around himself upon the battle court; the top halves of his body rearing back like an angry Arbok, only his hisses were more bone chilling.

"Ho-oh, a pleasure," he said. His jet stream-like voice was deafening in such a confined space.

"The pleasure is all mine," Ho-oh replied. He extended his wings and bowed his head.

"I've come to join you in your cause"

"So I've heard from our little friend here," Ho-oh replied, gesturing to Uxie with a wing. Uxie paused only to turn his head in their general direction.

"Tell me how we may exact our vengeance against the humans and I will see it carried out."

"Willing to work? Excellent. May I suggest a course of action for him to take?" Uxie asked.

Both the Sentinel of the Jet Stream and the Guardian of the Sky looked at the All-Knowing, who waiting patiently for Ho-oh's permission. Ho-oh nodded; he was pleasantly surprised that Uxie had actually taken his leadership into account.

"Human networking may hinder of our progress of eliminating them. Telecommunication of any sort proves vital to their survival. As a species, technology seems to be their strong suit. You have done well by stopping initial communication at radio tower, but humans adapt quickly. Will adapt. Find loopholes. Removing satellites will greatly reduce their resources. This also coincides with Rayquaza's ability to easily survive and move in the earth's upper atmosphere, making him best suited for this task."

"So you're essentially telling me to go to my domain and destroy those machines just outside my domain, and the humans won't keep sending replacements. I think I like this side already," Rayquaza said with a smile. He uncoiled off the ground and shot into the sky like a rocket. Once he was above the sea of clouds, nothing was left to hold back the storms, which now closed in on them. The windmills frantically spun, and the metal halide lamps flicked on and flooded the stadium with blinding white light.

Ho-oh shifted his gaze back to the stadium and found Uxie now at the end of the stadium and peering down a large fissure. Uxie's features were now clear to him. Three rubies were embedded in his body; two on his tails, one in the middle of his forehead. The golden dome upon his head had creases that ran down its length, reminiscent of a human brain.

Uxie floated down into the dark unknown, Ho-oh following as the crevice was large enough for him to glide through.

After several seconds of darkness they reached what appeared to be a laboratory of some sort. A conveyor belt connected the opposing walls, feeding whatever rode it into a machine that looked like the coiled shell of a Magcargo. Tubes filled with lime green liquid extended from the machine and ended in black, gelatinous pods on the floor. Blank television screens adorned the walls and machines, now whirring to life as power flooded the cables.

"Uxie…do you know everything, being the essence of knowledge that you are?" Ho-oh sheepishly asked. He looked around at the various beeping machines he would never know how to utilize or handle.

"Certainly not. Essence of knowledge inapt description. More like essence of… intelligence. Knowledge and intelligence different. Knowledge awareness. Intelligence capacity to understand. Used creation orb for latter. Unified decision with Azelf and Mesprit to use fourth orb of creation for creativity. Wanted to share what we were born with. Sometimes…wonder if we made a mistake. The price of giving these gifts has created art, but also pointless self-destruction. Apologize. Not intending to evade question. No. I do not know everything. I am capable of learning new things. Such as this," Uxie replied, gesturing towards the machine.

"What is this?"

"Very thing you need to have Kyogre's ace join you. Hopefully not exaggeration on his part. Never seen this creature. Anyway. Read Mewtwo's mind. Now able to utilize everything in facility. Otherwise, would be unable to modify, mass produce, or enlarge," Uxie said.

"How much of Mewtwo's mind did you read?"

"Everything. Every memory."

"What was this place?" Ho-oh asked, glancing around the mysterious lab.

"Originally, facility for cloning. Repurposed as fortress against Armageddon. Ludicrous. Though possibly not farfetched if Mewtwo's powers are taken into consideration," Uxie replied.

"How long will it take to get what we need for Kyorge's ace?"

"May take month as Kyogre said. The ace's presence and understanding of facility for necessary for it to join and utilize," Uxie replied, activating the machines and absorbing the information that played across the control panel.

Ho-oh remained quiet, not wanting to disturb Uxie as he worked. The beeps were beginning to wear his patience thin. Ho-oh was tempted to ask Uxie a question that had been bothering him since Lugia had taken the orb of creation.

"Uxie. What are our chances of succeeding?" Ho-asked, shifting nervously in place.

"Question too vague. As I said before. Too many variables. Too many. Human extermination ratio difficult to calculate. Must take into consideration individual intelligence, positioning, force of will, genetic attributes, upbringing of both species, s-" Uxie replied, his attention focused on the control panel.

"That will do. Let me ask you another question. What are our chances of taking back the orb of creation with our new allies?"

"43.673-," Uxie droned.

"A simple good or bad will suffice," Ho-oh replied. Uxie was starting to test his patience but he decided not to show it.

"Good and bad incapable of accurately defining outcome of scenario. Chances…low. Insufficient resources to attempt attack."

Ho-oh's face began to show signs of worry. "Dare I ask how you've come to this conclusion?" he asked.

"Force of collective strength exceed our own…for the moment. Killing wrong Regigigas creates high probability that real Regigigas has joined Lugia. Meaning that his creations are to side with him as well. Currently guarding the Tree of Beginning. Mew's life tied to Tree of Life. High probability of joining once aware of what you've done to Mewtwo. Kyogre's presence on the team dictates that Groudon will join Lugia. High probability of Legendary Birds also joining Lugia. Lugia's lifemate also joined. Mesprit overly emotional. Will probably disagree and go against us. Other legendary allegiances debatable."

"What of Celebi?"

"High probability of being neutral," Uxie replied simply, floating back and forth across the room and inspecting its contents.

"Neutral?"

"Yes. Documented human evidence reports that Celebi rarely appears during times of war. Time traveling ability very powerful, but may contain many restriction to her actions. Therefore, not personal choice to enter absence during difficult times. Seems to favor humans and willing to exploit loopholes and aid Lugia's side a little, but cannot join and will rapidly exit this timeframe. Other neutral Pokemon include my brother Azelf, Heatran, and Shaymin. Otherwise, Legendaries not mentioned are simply not present in this dimension or solar system, despite feeling the effects of dampener removal, or deceased."

"Where do you think they are keeping the orb of creation?" Ho-oh asked.

"Unsure. Could have hidden or used it already. Possibility also exists that they are guarding it. Most suitable place being the Tree of Beginning."

"Why there?"

"Gathering from what I've learned by reading Rayquaza and Mewtwo's mind, I've deduced that to be their best fortress and meeting place. Once Lugia encountered you, Mewtwo, and Kyogre there's a high possibility he went to alert his family and creations, which were in the vicinity. From there, must have gone to the Orre region to recruit brother and failed, hence his brother's arrival at the radio tower to join you. This coincides when factoring their speed, stamina, and wind resistance of area," Uxie replied.

Ho-oh could only nod and stare as the gray and yellow sprite spoke, psychically lifting what appeared to be dust on the conveyor belt while he inspected the multiple mechanical clamps within the machine.

"Celebi also occasionally takes residence in the Orre region, which may factor in to their meeting and why she is helping them. The Tree of Beginning is east of that region and would make sense for him to head there next to recruit the Regi trio and Mew. Lugia's lifemate went to recruit Groudon who knows the area of the 'tree' well due to helping create it. Aside from that, any other allegiances they may have had will be from the actions you have taken and Celebi's assistance…but this is all guesswork mind you."

Ho-oh's head was spinning from the influx of information, but he eventually began to grasp it. "How do you know all of this?" he asked.

"Azelf, Mesprit, and I were hidden and dormant within the major lakes of Sinnoh. So to still have a semblance of a life, we have achieved the ability to create astral projections. Spirit moves freely. Seeing and hearing everything while body stays behind. I have done this for many years. Have learned quite a bit from observation."

"When do you think we will be ready to strike them?"

"Would say within a month's time we could…wait. Recalculating. Taking lack of efficiency into account and accommodating for your pace would leave us at…give or take two months. As mentioned before, have assignments that must be completed before attack can be possible…at your own pace of course."

"Thank you for answering my questions Uxie. I shall leave you to your work. Please keep me updated," Ho-oh replied.

"Will do," Uxie said, his back still turned to Ho-oh as he began to exit the lab.

Just before he left completely, Ho-oh stopped and turned his head. "Uxie. If I asked you…would you wipe the memory of anyone I asked?" he asked. Thoughts of Mewtwo were present in the Legendary's mind.

"Would respectfully refuse."

"Fair enough," Ho-oh replied with a shrug just before he exited the lab.

It was only after Ho-oh had been long gone that a figure appeared on the computer screen that Uxie was "looking" at.

"Hmm…how unusual. How did this get here? Interesting. Wonder if this machine is capable of creating this. Will have to see. Interesting prospect, may open new doors. Will have to keep this secret. Ho-oh's shortsighted hatred may make him blind to the possibilities this subject can create," Uxie said to himself, looking at the single strand of black hair.

The world was changing, that much was certain. Anyone venturing out into this new and deadly world would have to be brave. Yes, one would definitely need that quality to survive this brave new world.