As more information comes to light, more mysteries arise...

Chapter 14
The Balancers

Avery looked at Dante as he continued to laugh. “That wasn’t funny!” He snapped. “What the hell is a dude like you doing with a copy of that book, anyway?!”
Dante grinned at Avery. “Hey, a guy needs entertainment.”
Mary scoffed. “How typically male… You are such a boy.”
“Complain all you want, Mary. But I know you love it.” Dante responded.
“Oh, of course.” Trisha said, adding in her two cents. “Especially since the last time I heard you and Mary down in the basement. To this day, I have no idea how you manage to make all that ruckus when you are down there. I still remember hearing the sounds of whips and chains all the way upstairs, and the only thing I hear from you, Dante is ‘Please, Mary! Some more?’ ”
“What?!” Mary faced Trisha, getting defensive as her face turned red. “We don’t do that!”
Dante in response, just put on an innocent poker face. “You know I could just have you re-read the entire Starlight saga for that, Trisha.”
Avery just gawked at them all, his cheeks showing a clear blush. “…What the hell? I’m going to need some brain bleach, now…”
Dante then turned to face the doorway. “Well, well. It appears Kasi is awake. I can sense her coming down the stairs. She should be here in three… two… one…”
Right on cue, Kasi peeked around the door.
“Come come, child. Do not fear.” Dante said. “We mean you no malevolence. You are safe here, among brothers and sisters.”
Kasi nervously stepped into the room.
“Well, now that everyone is here, let’s get down to business.” Dante took his feet off the desk, sitting up in the chair. “You must be wondering about why I saved you, and brought you here, along with how we came to be?”
“Well, duh!” Avery responded.
“Then let me get started.” Dante said, getting serious. “You are standing in the headquarters of a branch of our secretive order. We call ourselves ‘The Balancers,’ and our main mission is simple: Keep the harmonic balance of peace between Pokemon and Humans in check. We strive to protect both sides from harm not just from each other, but from themselves. We also make sure no one crosses set ethical boundaries in all areas of Pokemon research and study. There are many of us all over the world, part of different groups, or sects that keep in loose contact with each other. You are here because that balance has been shattered by your creation. By our sworn enemies.”
“Team Midnight…” Avery and Kasi knew who Dante was referring to.
“Bingo.” Dante said, raising an index finger. “The Balancers have been pursuing Team Midnight for a long time, about ten years total. We’ve had a watch on Malak Denzel for three months, but I wasn’t expecting him to pull of something this twisted. However, recent information acquired from moles we’ve managed to get in and out of the organization combined with data retrievals from some of our hacking squads reveals that Malak isn’t the actual head of the organization.”
Avery and Kasi’s eyes widened. “He isn’t the leader?” Kasi asked.
“Nope.” Dante said. “He’s merely a means to an end, a pawn for whoever is really sitting at the top. As for their identity, that remains a mystery we have yet to unravel. Right now, we’ve had to focus on other recent events. Team Midnight has started to abduct more and more innocents, people and Pokemon alike. They have also somehow revived some of the old research of the Cipher organization: the research of making and harnessing the power of Shadow Pokemon.”
Avery was confused. “Shadow Pokemon…?”
“Remember that purple aura your friend, Takuya was drowning himself in during your fight? That’s a Shadow Aura.” Dante explained. “Normally, it is used to amplify a Shadow Pokemon’s power after their transformation is complete once their emotions are sealed off. Normally, the aura is invisible to the naked eye unless you have the means to see it. For that, you either need to be born with a certain gene which can let you see the aura or have a specially advanced scanner called an Aura Reader. What troubles me about this new approach by Team Midnight, however, is what I saw in your fight. When Takuya’s Shadow State was triggered, the aura was clearly visible to everyone who was in that colosseum. You felt the waves of pressure flowing from him as you fought, I assume?”
Avery looked down at his hands, then back up to Dante. “…I felt some sort of… force as I fought him. It was like nothing I’ve ever felt before… I had the feeling of fire washing over my skin, permeating my body. Only it didn’t burn… That, and the air felt very thick and heavy, like it wasn’t really air I was breathing… It felt more like I was trying to breathe with my lungs partway filled with water with pressure squeezing around my chest and throat at the same time… I’m honestly not sure how I was able to stay standing during the fight.”
Dante sighed, looking through the computer terminal on his desk as he typed some commands on a keyboard. “From what you are describing, it sounds like Takuya not only was able to enter his full Shadow State, but instantly activate a Shadow Pokemon ability know as Hyper Mode. It puts the user into a high-tension locked state. The benefit of this is that the user gains greatly increased physical attributes and senses, along with amplifying the pressure waves they send out while in their Shadow State, which in turn can turn the tide in a battle to their favor. The downside, however, is that while in this high-tension state, the user suffers from suppressed logical cognition. When this occurs, the user can’t think out strategies, and can even have trouble understanding commands, along with trouble telling friend from foe. It can even cause temporary psychosis and insanity if the high-tension state has a feverous pitch…”
“Of course! That would explain why Takuya’s eyes turned black and red during the battle!” Kasi exclaimed.
“Yes, but I’ve never seen such a drastic change in ability with Hyper Mode before…” Dante said. “Team Midnight has put their own spin on these states, as what I saw from Takuya’s Shadow State combined with Hyper Mode. His abilities and powers were elevated so high, his body couldn’t fully cope or keep up with the accelerated change… It damaged several vital internal organs with the strain of Hyper Mode: Namely his heart, lungs, kidneys, and certain sections of his nervous system. That’s why we have Takuya in that pod on life support right now… He wouldn’t be able to stay alive on his own with the way his body has been damaged by the stress. He will need intense medical care if he’s ever going to recover.”
Avery now looked worried. “…He’s not going to die, is he?”
“No.” Dante said. “But he will require intense physical therapy, along with cellular regeneration, and restoration. The required items we need for that, we unfortunately do not have here now. If we are going to help your friend, we will need assistance from you.”