Shadow opened his eyes. "The real Lilly is back at the den safe, with Night, Comet, and others." Shadow said to himself. "ahh" a voice yelled. "What was that?!" Shadow exclaimed, looking around. "Shadow is that you? Please... help me..." The voice, which sounded like Comet, said. "That's fake too, the real Comet is at the den, safe with Night, Lilly, and the others." Shadow said, "I know this is fake and I'm not going to fall for it, so why haven't I beat the trial of fear yet?" Shadow asked himself. "because you still fear it" Night said. "Yeah, and I'm not the only one, I think you fear it more than most, but in reality, there isn't a single person that doesn't fear death, well, except for the evil creatures that exist." Shadow said.

"so how the hell would I overcome fear of death?! Unless....maybe...I get it, I assume I'll beat this if I just go through all of the scenarios where my friends and family die and not feel a single spark of fear." He finished. "you don't need to overcome it but to feel nothing, don't let it control you," Night said. "Well if I felt nothing for this then that would mean I'd no longer care for them... these creatures are just as evil as their brethren." Shadow scoffed, looking at the stands. "what would you think if this was a real scenario." Night asked. "Well I'd definitely be sad, probably a little angry, I'd also probably run away and never look back." Shadow said.

"exactly, this test is testing your combat to emotions" Night explained, "I have to go, good luck." "well then. I guess I'll have to think on this one." Shadow said to himself. So I need to make myself think this is real. He thought to himself. "Easier said than done." He said. He watched it happen before him the longer he stared the more real it felt. Good, I got it feeling real, now to overcome it. He thought to himself. "Control your fear, don't let it control you." He said, "Wait, instead of controlling it or letting it control me, I could instead let it help me, help me become stronger as a being rather than completely overcoming it!" After a little bit of time he figured out just how.

"Fear is not above me, and I am not above it, me and my fear are one being working together to strengthen my singular being, we are not different yet at the same time, we are, it doesn't control me, I don't control it, it only strengthens my resolve." Shadow said, LET MY COURAGE GUIDE ME!" He yelled, ramming through the fake imagery. Everything went dark and the ground before hom glowed a golden yellow before dissolving right underneath his very feet, causing him to fall to the depths. "You've passed the trials of fear, let's see how you do with the rest." That creature from earlier said.

With Night and the others...

I have to go, good luck. Night thought, "so he is still alive, but I can't track him" "Well that is a plus and a minus in one package," Lilly said. "But he is still alive, right?" Sylvia asked, concerned for Shadow. "Yeah, he is still alive, but for how long, I don't know," Night replied, "but I have places to be, things to uphold, so I'm off to Sugarsand. See you guys later, and if I get an update on Shadow, Sylvia, you will be the first to know." then he set towards town. Night walked up to a familiar building, upon entering it, he asked "John, what is scheduled for today." "Night, You have fifteen battles scheduled before noon today," John replied, the alakazam walking up holding a clipboard.

"So, who's first?" Night asked. "Um, sir, the first three contestants want to do a triple team against you," John replied, "they are an umbreon, a flareon, and a vaporeon." "this should be interesting, send them into the battlefield." Night said. "Yes sir," John left to tell the contestants. When John came back, Night walked to the battlefield. Before he touched the doors to the arena, Night vaporized into mist and filled the arena, "welcome, contestants, to the Nightmare arena" Night said, Forming in mid air and dropping like a stone "Lights," Night yelled. The flood lights turned on, revealing the spectators on the stands. The arena was grassy plains.

"Time... begins... now." The announcer yelled. No one moved. Slowly, an ice pillar formed behind the three eeveelution, as to not draw susspition. "and the first move is to Night, who called in an ally." the announcer announced. "Terra, take the flareon, I got the others," Night said to Terra. "be careful" Terra thought. I've done this time and time again, I know what I'm doing, Night thought back. Then a blast of water hit Night in the face, "damit, you want to play it that way, we'll do it that way..." Night trailed off. Then he vaporized. "What?! Come on, that is not fair." the Umbreon yelled. "all's fair in this arena..." Night said from everywhere and nowhere.

"okay then..." the flareon said, smirking. the grass plains ignited into a blaze. "Don't get cocky..." Terra said, freezing the flames. "how the..." was all the flareon managed to say before being blasted with ice. "Blaze!" the umbreon and vaporeon yelled in unison. "Now for you two..." Night said.

With Shadow...

"Next up, the trial of anger." The speaker said. I have a feeling I know what they're going to do for this one. Shadow thought to himself, hell it's the one of the other reasons I ran away. A shadow form of him appeared. "He's always known more than or as much as me about just about everything, and he's always been above me, first he somehow knew more about the lab than I, and then the miniature computer somehow, and then somehow able to have humans know what he wants, HE'S EVEN MESSING AROUND WITH STUFF THAT HAS TO DO WITH THOSE DESPICABLE BEINGS!" It yelled. Knowing this was the truth, Shadow too got angry, his most unstable emotion.

"How could he? Knowing very well that they are awful beings, IT'S NOT RIGHT!" He yelled. "He's probably just as bad as them." The shadow said. "No, he's not as bad as them, and it may be true that I hate him for it, but at the same time I love him like the brother that he is. Hopefully someday I'll find something that he and Violet will know absolutely nothing about." Shadow said, nearly failing to keep his composure. What's making this easier is it's not making me as angry as that one time. He thought to himself. "And just like with the fear, instead of letting my anger be a burden.

I can instead use it to build or rather add onto my power and strength, both physically and figuratively." Shadow said, "these emotions aren't a bad thing, they're what'll keep me going, they're not my downfall, they are what will boost me up." "This is a truth you must learn time and time again, and never forget them, as long as you don't forget that you will no longer be slave to your emotions." The shadow explained, "never forget." It echoed before disappearing into a golden yellow light. "Trial of anger passed... what an interesting way to overcome them." The voice said.

In The Nightmare Arena...

"What the! How'd you do that?" The umbreon said, confused, and a little bit nervous. "M-maybe we'll have a good chance if we take him on together." The vaporeon said. "Y-yeah I think you're right." The umbreon replied. He used Shadow Ball, while the vaporeon used Hydro Pump at the same time. "Really? Let's just get this over with." Night said, using Discharge, vaporizing the two moves. He then unintentionally used blizzard. "Huh, that's new." He whispered to himself. It knocked the vaporeon out and the umbreon was the last one standing, barely. "I'm just going to forfeit now..." The umbreon said. "The winner, and undefeated champion is Night." A voice boomed. "As usual." Night said.

He then proceeded to leave the arena and headed back to the den.

Meanwhile in the original timeline.

How much time has passed? Shadow asked himself, where's my strength gone? "The next trial: Sadness." The voice boomed again. "Oh no..." Shadow whispered to himself. A black void appeared around him before a forest area appeared. I recognize this place, but why does it look so much older than it does today? He asked himself. He walked forward a bit before he heard shouting, he ran towards the sound of it. "Run!" A familiar voice said. Then two loud bangs were heard and a couple flocks of pidgeys flew away. When he walked out of the brush he saw a pokémon lying there in a small pool of blood.

Oh no...that's...how'd they find this memory?! That's my father...this is when he helped me escape that facility...oh no....no...this can't be happening all over again, I know this isn't real but it feels way too real and it did happen... Shadow thought to himself. "WHY COULDN'T THEY HAVE TAKEN ME INSTEAD?! The world didn't need me... not nearly as much as him... why was I the one that had to survive? Why couldn't it have been him?" Shadow asked while sobbing, "Just kill me now...I give up...I'm done suffering, I'm done being here and letting others pay the price of my survival... kill me and end the suffering." "Shadow, are you okay?

I can feel your emotions... oh no. Shadow, this is something you are going to have to fight to return to us. I can't help you with this, this is something you have to do on your own." Night said. "Why should I return, why should I have to survive when others are forced to pay the price for my survival?" Shadow asked

"All I can say is you need to control the pain, our mother, and your father died to protect you, they chose to save you, don't throw it away like this, I mean how would Sylvia feel if you died such a meaningless death? What did our mother and your father die for if you're going to just die in vain?" Night asked. "Yeah...I have others waiting for me at home, I can't die here, I can't give in." Shadow said, he walked up to the pokémon that represented his father. "Thank you for saving me that day, I won't let your death be meaningless... I have a life now, thanks to your sacrifice. I won't pass up this chance ever again." Shadow said. The room returned to normal.

"You have passed the trials of emotions, and almost failed. We were wrong, your will is strong when you're determined, your determination is your best attribute, never forget that. Now to return to timeline 2.4867B." The creature said, tossing the book of spells to Shadow and a portal opened just below him. "AAAAAH" He screamed as he fell a little bit before being whipped to an unknown direction. The vortex he was in had a combination of every known color as it swirled around him. The exit formed at the entrance of the den. "Everyone get back!" Night yelled. "What's happening?!" Lilly asked. "He's returning!" Night exclaimed.

Just then Shadow was launched out and slammed into the wall, "oof. That hurt...a lot." Shadow grumbled getting up, "what are you all looking at, I've only been gone a few hours." "You've been gone for more than that, you've been gone for about a week." Sylvia said. "Huh, that's why I feel so... so... weak." Shadow responded, almost faintly before passing out.