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Chapter Text

He was so…. Tired.

Thousands of years of this, and the only thing that had changed was his size. At least back then, when he was small, he could hide in so many more places. Even something as small as a bucket could hide him from prying eyes. Though, perhaps he did more damage as an infant than now.

It was always the same. He would wander, and find somewhere to stay, only to be chased out by angry inhabitants. It happened no matter which side of the divide he went to. At least the Pokemon side meant he was less likely to take a pitchfork to the ribs. Again.

They called him the Nightmare King. Wicked. Evil. He thought it was wretchedly unfair.

He'd never meant to hurt anyone, really. When he was small, they would lose sight of him and give up the chase eventually, but the bigger he got, the more determined they seemed. They took longer and longer to give up. And once, the humans chasing him had even thrown a pokeball at him.

And those few seconds inside that thing were enough to keep him out of the human world for a century.

So, he tried fighting back. Turning to face them, making himself seem as big as he could, snarling at them, taking swipes with his clawed hands, and making the air around himself dark and cold. And, once he learned how, attacking with his other powers, too.

This proved to be a much faster tactic. The humans and Pokemon alike would flee in the face of attacks like his, giving him the chance to get away, and start his search for a new hiding place. It was getting harder and harder to do. Humans and Pokemon both were getting more bold.

And on top of all that… sleep didn't come to him easily.

His nightmares hadn't been of much when he was little. Just stinging hunger pains and bitter cold winds, both of which he had kind of become numb to these days. But now, he had lots of things to be afraid of. Pokeballs, pointy things…. Her…

Almost every time he closed his eyes he dreamed of her. Cresselia. The Queen of Light. Floating down from a rainbow in the sky to 'save the day'... swipes of her pink wings sending blades of white fire to cut through his flesh, and a shout from her beak bringing forth a beam that burned straight through him. The number of times he had seen himself die at her hand was enough to make him flinch at even the slightest hint of a rainbow after it had rained.

And even when he didn't dream of her, it was something else. Humans attacking him, or trapping him in those awful, claustrophobia inducing balls. Other Pokemon capturing him in a cage, or putting him in chains, taking it in turns to beat him until he was bloody.

By the Ancient One what he wouldn't give to dream of being small and hungry again.

It meant that for the most part, he only slept for perhaps an hour or two at a time. At best. Fatigue was his only companion, the dark circles under his eyes perhaps unnoticed by other creatures.

He wasn't ignorant, though. He knew why they hated him so much. When he slept, he was not alone in his nightmares. Every sleeping creature anywhere near him when he was sleeping fitfully would be tormented themselves, from all accounts, by just as horrible visions.

Never, not once, had anyone let him explain himself. The Nightmare King was not… doing it on purpose. But Dark type Pokemon were inherently mistrusted… and those of lighter dispositions were all too keen to think the worst of him.

Just once……. It would be nice for someone to…. Give him a chance.

Chapter Text

His clawed hands gouged deep channels into the dirt as he woke with a strangled gasp.

He had found the hollow of an old tree, some ways out of town, which was warm and dry enough for him to give his body some rest even if his mind wouldn't. Though it seemed like he didn't even get that, given how he was face down in the dirt just outside of the tree.

He sat up, and rubbed his face with his hands, hoping that the action would make him feel more awake, even if it hadn't worked the last 50 times. He wasn't sure how long he had managed this time. It was still dark.

If there were Pokemon living in the forest nearby, or the surrounding fields, they would have suffered his influence, but…. It was better than being too close to the town. Towns were bad news.

Towns, at least the bigger ones, had something called a Dream Beacon. It was somewhere between a lighthouse and a distress call. When lit, it would shine a soft pink light over the area, and hum in a way that only Cresselia seemed to be able to hear. If the Beacon was lit, then she would come running. Because if the Beacon was lit, it meant he had been spotted. It meant he had fallen asleep too close to the town… and nightmares were rampant.

It was why he tended to avoid towns if he could help it. There wasn't much point going into them most of the time. If he just strolled in during the day he would cause a panic. If he snuck in after dark, he might doze off.

Having said that, he did go into towns occasionally. For food, mostly. A berry here and there that he could forage was fine for a little nibble, but when his belly was loud enough to wake him from his troubled sleep, he needed a little more than that.

He'd gotten better at not getting caught stealing from shops since he learned to melt into the shadows. But the whole process was a delicate balancing act. Too long since his last nap would put him at risk of falling asleep inside the town. Too close to dawn meant he would be seen as he made his escape.

He pulled his hands away from his face and put them on his belly. A loaf of bread would have been brilliant right now. Or a pumpkin pie maybe. Ancient One have mercy, at this stage even the strange preserved foods from the human side of the divide would have been shoved into his mouth with no hesitation.

He sighed, and pulled himself up on weak legs, before withdrawing them and floating away from his temporary shelter.

Town it was.

As he drew close, he could tell most were still asleep. There was sort of a… hum, when people were sleeping near him. Pleasant dreams made a high pitched sound. Nightmares, more of a low pitched one. He assumed that nightmares he had made hummed at the same pitch as the ones he hadn't. Though ones he hadn't were very uncommon. On this side, at least.

He slinked over to a store and peered through the window. Bakeries were his favourite stores. Warm bread and pies and pastries were just… so appealing to him. He hadn't managed to steal a warm pastry since he was tiny. But yesterday's leftover pie was still a feast to the starving Nightmare King.

They posed something of a danger though. Bakers got up early to start baking before their customers were awake. And they were very bright and aware at that time of day. They were usually the ones to catch him if he dawdled too much.

He slid into the store, shadows letting him pass through the door without the key. And the smell of fresh bread immediately collapsed upon him. His stomach practically roared with impatience. He quickly moved behind the counter and looked at yesterday's unsold goods. They had been bagged up and placed on the shelves under the counter, not uncommon. Looked like maybe two loaves of bread per bag.

Just…. The one bag. They won't notice that. He thought, a trembling hand reaching out to snag it.

The intention had been to grab the bag and then make a break for it, taking the stolen goods far out of town before letting himself eat it. But, as he snatched it up, his eager claws tore the paper, and the bread loaves fell to the floor.
He gasped, and hurriedly reached down to grab them, but hit his head on the counter, with a loud BANG that filled the bakery. He grasped at his head and snarled in pain, mind ringing, vision swimming.

"Who's there?!" A voice called from the stairs, making his heart freeze in his chest.

He recoiled from the counter, crashing loudly into the empty bread shelves behind him. Meal forgotten, his only option right now was to run. Leave the food and run, no matter how hungry he was…! He made a break for the door, clumsily damaging the frame with his claws as he forced it open and fled down the street.

But it hadn't been fast enough to avoid being seen by the Chimchar that came sprinting down the stairs, ready for a fight.

"DARKRAI!" He heard them holler behind him as he floated as fast as he could go towards the city limits. "Darkrai is here!! LIGHT THE BEACON!!"
He dared glimpse over his shoulder, spotting the panicking fire type streaking down the street in the other direction, towards the pink and gold tower not far away.

A terrified shudder split through his body. He had been doing so well…!! It had been so long since he had Cresselia set on him… and he hadn't even given anyone nightmares this time….!

He continued to run, even as the soft pink light hit his back and filled his heart with cold dread. He had to get as far away as possible. He couldn't fight her, he knew he couldn't fight her..!!

The sky ahead of him started to lighten. Pink, then gold, and then an array of colours that made him stop in his tracks. He had been…. Running straight towards her?! And so soon!! She must have been close by…!!

Before he could figure out which direction to run in, the path ahead of him exploded into a cloud of dust and debris. He shielded his face with his arms, offering a weak cough as it faded enough for him to look up.

"There you are, fiend!" The light, ethereal voice declared as she floated down from her rainbow towards him. "I knew you would not be able to contain your horrid nature forever!"

He wasn't bad, Cresselia, he wasn't! Just… let him explain..! He opened his mouth, a wordless growl all he could manage. Damn it, that wasn't going… to make him seem less threatening!!
"Silence your beastial noises! You have no place among decent and intelligent folk!" Cresselia declared, definitely meeting the stereotype of the righteous hero. "At last I will end your reign of terror on the land, Nightmare King!"

The tilt of her head was all he needed to see to know that beam attack was coming. He turned to the right and made a run for it, throwing balls of darkness at the ground to kick up debris and serve to disrupt her aim. He wasn't entirely convinced that he would survive if that attack hit him!!

She fired her attack, and it missed his tail by hardly an inch. It caused the ground to explode into light, which tossed him forward, skidding through the grass before colliding with one of the trees at the edge of the forest.
He whimpered, pain shooting through him.

"You will not escape me again, Darkrai!" Cresselia announced, giving chase.

Slowly, he pulled himself up to his hands and knees and dragged himself around the tree into the shadows. He looked at his battered hand for a moment. Ancient One…. please give me enough strength…. To make that journey again…. He thought.

He couldn't out run Cresselia. Not like this. But…. if he could just get some distance between them…

He took a small swipe at the air in front of him, his claws leaving behind a purple shimmer. He pushed off from the tree and flung himself at it, falling through the air, body becoming enveloped by the shimmer.

He completely vanished, hardly a moment before the tree erupted into splinters.

Chapter Text

He came to with massive pain in his… everything. His head was throbbing, his back was killing him, his throat was sore, and his stomach was tight. But if nothing else, pain meant he was alive, so… at least he had that.

Slowly, he raised his head. He seemed to be under a bush, in some sort of…. Park.

Oh.

Well, he had tried to escape across the divide, but he hadn't had the time or the energy to really think of where in the human world he should appear. In the middle of a park, in the middle of a huge human city would not have been his first choice.

He would very much liked to have slept for a week. But he couldn't. He'd never get that much and if he slept here, the nightmares would summon Cresselia to his location across the divide in ten seconds flat. She could make that trip just as easily as he could… easier… and she would have no trouble finishing him off now.

So instead, he needed to disguise himself, and try and get out of the city.

While humans and Pokemon had long shared this side of the divide, it wasn't particularly well known what the Eternal Ones, like himself, could do here. They knew about the earth shattering power, the prophecies, the destined ones, and all that sort of thing, but they certainly weren't the types to sit on a mountain all day and wait for destiny to come.

Pokemon were generally too curious for things like that.

So they disguised themselves. Creating clever human forms so they could walk undisturbed among the people, listen to their stories, see their towns, watch their Pokemon battles. They all did it.

Some of them were more overt than others.

For his part, he had tried to make his disguise fairly stealthy. A human male, with a black jacket and red shirt. His normal blue eyes and white hair. Non threatening, nothing special. That was the most sensible way for it.

Unfortunately changing into his human disguise did not lessen the pain he was in. He grasped at his side as if that would help, and started to plod across the grass towards the park gates.

This park, as it so happened, was a Pokemon park. Very common for people to bring their Pokemon here for battles and play. As such, it made sense for there to be a Pokemon Centre and Pokemart right outside the gates.

He paused outside the blue store, looking in through the glass. Perhaps he could shoplift a berry, or a potion even. He'd had potions before, they had gotten better and better over the years. But he felt weird for taking them. Didn't feel…. Natural to heal like that. Though, it would be nice to get some strength back.

He stepped into the store, and shuddered a little at the air conditioned interior. They always made these places so cold!
He headed over to where the potions and other medicines were, and pondered where the humans working in the store were, and where their magic eyes in the roof were positioned. He looked at the shelf of pink and red bottles, when another shelf with blue labeling caught his eye, as well as the word NEW! In big red letters.
He had never been good at reading. But it looked like it might have said 'PP' with a down arrow.

"Hey man, can I help you?" One of the staff piped up as he rounded the corner. "Are you looking for something in particular?"
He could have jumped out of his skin. He turned to face the human and tapped his throat, before shaking his head.

There was a moment of silence between them. "Oh! You're mute?"
He nodded. Thankfully, this set of charades was one he had done a lot.
There was an understanding smile from the store clerk. "Well I will do my best to help you anyway. Were you looking for something today?"

He shook his head, but then pointed at the blue bottles, a questioning look on his face.
"Oh these? It's a new product that was released this week. It's called PP Down. It was designed for people that like to train their Pokemon without their special abilities, making them only use their bodies. It's kind of like an off switch for Pokemon powers until you go to a Pokemon Centre."

His eyes widened. An…...Off switch?!

"It's ah… kind of hitting some controversy so far. Sales haven't been great. But if you have fighting types and don't want them to accidentally resort to using their special abilities then this is the product for you. Also seems useful if you need to take a skittish fire type into a wooden building. That kind of thing."
He turned and looked at the bottles, stunned.
"......Did you…. Want to buy one?"

He started, and shook his head. He couldn't pay for anything even if he wanted to. But…. an off switch for your powers…. Was it all your powers? Would it… would it mean that if he took it… he could stop hurting people?! The thought was all consuming.

"Ah." The clerk responded. "Did you want my help looking for anything else?"
Another shake of the head. Go away. Get out of sight so I can take this miracle potion and leave!!
The human smiled at him. "Okay. Not a worry. Feel free to grab one of us if you need any help."

He watched him until he had rounded the corner, and then two breaths after. Then, he stepped close, and shoved one of the bottles under his jacket. Prize acquired, he hobbled for the door, breaking into a sprint when the anti theft alarms went off. The humans were chasing him, one of them throwing a Pokeball and a Growlith appearing from it to chase him. Humans he could outrun with a head start, a Growlith, less so. He dove into a nearby bush, and shed his disguise, popping back out of the bush with a snarl, trying to hide how hurt he was by being as frightening as he could.

It had the desired effect. The Growlith yelped in terror and made off back towards the Pokemart at a sprint, tail between its legs, or at least as much as the fluff it called a tail could do.

He sighed, and started to head off towards another tree. If he took this here, and it worked, he would be inside one of those horrid little balls before he knew it. Even though he was frightened to go back with Cresselia so recently on his trail…. He would rather be in a cage than in a ball.

So, he made a less panicked trip back across the divide, aiming for somewhere far away from that last town… where she had been.

Chapter Text

He had a rather rough landing, into some tall grass. It was a light golden colour, but still soft. This was definitely far away… this was really quite far to the south. Further than he had been in years.

After whimpering on the grass for a few moments, he sat up and looked at the bottle clutched in his claws, looking it over. The off switch. If it worked, of course. That human seemed to think it worked, though he didn't seem to think it should. To them, taking away a Pokemon's powers surely defeated the point.

But…. if it meant his nightmares would not spread, then, he could hide. He could hide and no one would ever find him again.

The little bottle was very… boring. Glass, with a blue label, and a blue liquid inside. His eyes were too tired to focus on the human writing on the back as much as he would have liked, but he was pretty sure it said 'to be taken orally'.

So, he twisted off the top and put it to his lips. It didn't smell great. But it was his best chance…!!

He downed the liquid, gulping it down, trying to not let it touch his tongue.

At first, he didn't feel any different. But then a tremor shuddered through his body, bringing in its wake a distinct, dizzy, wrong feeling. He wobbled as he tried and failed to stay upright, heaving up some of the blue liquid and the great lot of nothing else in his stomach, before flopping back onto the soft grass, body convulsing.
The sky looked black as his body pitched and writhed under it, that horrid feeling seeping into every fibre of his being. He snarled and howled in pain. He didn't…. Want to die…! He just…. Wanted…..!

He coughed and spluttered as he threw up again, this time, blood accompanying the blue stained bile, giving it a somewhat purple, marbled look. It splattered on his chin and collar, and sent shivers through him.

The violent convulsions slowly calmed, his body fading into sporadic twitches. He sobbed softly, pain, hunger, and this horrid… awful…. Wrong feeling overwhelming his tired mind.

And…. just when he thought things couldn't get any worse, a voice suddenly drifted across the grass.

"Are you….. Okay?"

- - - - - - -

Aipom and Jumpluff had been friends for ever. When they had been little, they had been trouble makers for sure. But these days, they liked to think they had straightened their act up. They belonged to one of the best guilds in the south region, and had been on lots of rescue and exploration missions. This one didn't seem any different.

There had been reports of strange happenings in the sky over the fields West of their guild town. There were any number of things that sky patterns could mean. Their logic was, if there was anything dangerous going on with that sky, they'd need fast and strong to be able to either deal with it, or deal with it enough to run away.

Aipom had decided he hated the long grass. "This stuff…. It's too tall!!"
Jumpluff was floating above it, not hindered at all. "You might be too short, Ammy."
"Can it, Jum!"
She giggled, and turned her pink eyes towards the sky. "It really has gone all funny. Purple n such."
"It's offputtin', that's what it is." Aipom remarked. "The patterns kinda look like cracks in ice."
"Yeah. Like when Furret nearly fell through last winter."
Aipom couldn't help but snort at that.

Suddenly, the purple 'cracks' in the sky seemed to worsen. Just like ice cracking under too much weight, it spidered across the sky's surface as far as the pair could see. And then, in the distance, they heard a crash… and the sky started to heal.

Jumpluff floated down to be closer to Aipom. "W...what was…. All that?!"
"I am really not stoked t' be findn' out… but… we DO have t' have something t' report back to th' Guild…" He told her, hand on his tail gently resting on her side. "H..how 'bout y' just float higher… n' see if you ken see anythin'. Sound good? That way y' don' have t' get close."

She drew in a breath, before letting it out as a sigh. "Okay. I will see what I can see." The grass type gathered her courage, and then floated up, high above the grass, looking around to see the source of the crash they had heard.

Aipom watched his partner's expression as she locked her eyes onto a shape in the distance. Disbelief and fear were what he saw initially, though he watched it shift to concern, before horrid snarls and roars touched the air.
They made him shudder, his fur standing all up on end. "....Jum?" He called up. Her face still seemed frightened, but, whatever it had been, seemed to be calming, and that concern was creeping back. "What can y' see?"

She drifted back down to him. "....I…. think…. It might be…. Darkrai." She whispered.
Aipom's tail flopped limply to the ground in terror. "Here?! Oh Mew we're… not safe if we stay here… come on..!"
"Ammy…" Jumpluff interrupted him.. ".....He's… Not going to hurt us I don't think."
Aipom looked at her like she was insane. "What are you talking about?!"
"....I think I saw… Him throw up blood." She told him. "He's… Hurt. Sick."
"Isn't that a good thing!?"

She frowned at him. "I remember being hurt and sick. When I was a Hoppip."
"You're not th' Nightmare King, Jum!!"
The blue creature frowned and floated up. "I want to…. See if he is okay. I…. I would… feel guilty if I didn't."
"He wouldn't feel the same for you!"

"I'm… going to go check." She said, tone firm, floating out of Aipom's reach before he could grab her and hold her back.
"Jumpluff!!" He whimpered, huddling close to the ground as she floated over to the twitching Nightmare King.

As she got closer, what she saw was even worse than she thought. The wrong, blue guff on his chest and chin smelled foul, and there was definitely blood in there. He looked almost pale, which was concerning for a creature that was a dark grey. And he was sobbing. For all his ghastly appearance she knew heartfelt sobs when she heard them. Her heart went out to him. He looked wretched. Pitiful. How did a creature said to be heartless and powerful end up looking like….

She drew in a deep breath. "Are you…. Okay?" She called.

She watched his eyes open in alarm and lock onto her fearfully. Her cotton puffs trembled. There was something very not right about those blue eyes. He whimpered, and tried to force his body up. When he couldn't, he instead tried to pull himself away.

The sight made Jumpluff frown. Darkrai… this surely was he. But he…. Seemed…. Scared? Of… her? That was so backwards it wasn't funny.

She drifted closer. "It's okay. I won't hurt you." She promised him, those petrified blue eyes dilating as they locked onto her. "You're hurt. We can help."
He let out a pitiful whine, teeth gnashing, like he was trying to frighten her off.

She rustled her cotton puffs. "Here….I'll put you to sleep." She said gently, Sleep Powder drifting from her arms and down over the wounded creature below.

"N... o…" A hoarse, strained voice whispered. "A...anything……but… that…"

Chapter Text

Scizor was not at all sure what to make of this. Jumpluff and Aipom were not above doing stupid things in order to complete their missions but this was outlandish, even for them. Summoning a medical evacuation team to the area they had been sent to investigate was not that unusual…. But the patient certainly was.

Jumpluff seemed oddly adamant too. Aipom at least maintained sensible caution.

The Guildmaster could at least, not argue with the fact that the Nightmare King looked sickly. It was not in the natures of most Pokemon to be cruel, and leaving anyone to die alone in the state Darkrai was in was not something anyone wanted in their histories. The Blissey and her Clafairy apprentices he had sent to the summons had returned with him in the stretcher equal parts terrified and near to bursting with the urge to heal him.

Scizor could hardly deny them.

Which is how he now had, in the lowermost parts of the Guildhouse, Darkrai, of all people, laying on a bed of straw, body covered in bandages and poultices, Blissey carefully and slowly dripping medicine into his maw.

"What are your thoughts, Blissey?" He asked, quietly.
She looked up. "He hasn't roused, not even a little bit." She told him. "Jumpluff said she used Sleep Powder, but that should have worn off long ago."
Scizor took a seat on a log near their head doctor. "You think it's due to the state he is in?"
"Absolutely!" She declared. "He is too weak to even swallow! It's why I have to do this so slowly… the natural impulse to swallow just isn't happening, and if I pour anything more than what his tongue can absorb, he'll choke on it!"

Scizor sighed and tapped his claws onto his thin knees. "This is quite distressing. Lady Cresselia is the only person I can think of that would be able to wound Darkrai, but sickness is not typically her style."
Blissey looked up from her patient. "....Have you lit the Beacon, Guildmaster?"
He nodded. "I have. She is far away, so it will take her some time to get here. Even for her. We have to try and contain him for at least a few weeks."
"Contain him? He can hardly move! He won't be able to fight back in this state." The healer warned.
"....Ghn… that is what makes this so complicated. I don't want any harm to come to Lady Cresselia, but… this… is so pitiful. Would she kill someone in this state?"
"I would object if her intention was to kill him!!"

He gave her a questioning look. "She has been trying to do so for thousands of years, Bliss."
The fairy looked about as upset at the notion as he expected. That is to say, quite a lot.
"Then you should douse the Beacon at once!"

He shook his head. "I can't do that. She's already on her way. Besides… who is to say he will not attack us once he has recovered?"
"What a horrible attitude, Scizor!!"

He sighed and slumped in his seat. "....It is, isn't it." Frankly it left a bitter taste in his mouth. "I will… give him a few days. If he does not seem hostile once he has started to recover, then I will douse the Beacon. Perhaps we can make a good impression on him."

Blissey swelled with pride, very pleased with that decision.

- - - - - - - - -

Three days passed and Darkrai had still not roused. Jumpluff had dragged Aipom to the Guildhouse to check on him every day feeling somewhat… responsible for the never ending sleep.
She sighed as she watched the dark barrel chest rise and fall comfortably.
"Well." Aipom said gently. "At least he is breathing better today. Th' rattle is gone."
She gave her partner a look. "You're just trying to make me feel better."
"Well, yeh, ah guess." He admitted. "But, he's sleepin' well, y' gotta admit. Maybeh he… needed it?"

Jumpluff looked back at him. "That is the part that does not make sense. Is he not the Nightmare King? What need would he have for sleep?"
Aipom froze as the creature in the bed stretched. For a fleeting moment, it looked like he was going to wake up…. But instead, he just rolled over and continued to sleep, taking deep, even breaths, eyes completely still under their lids.
"...He's not even dreaming, Ammy." Jumpluff observed.

A sudden, loud grumble made the two adventurers jump with fright. They both looked at Darkrai in fear, but found he was still asleep, the slightest frown appearing on his features before it faded back to the relaxed neutral expression. "Did we… almost wake him?" Aipom whispered.
There was another grumble, and the pair realised what it was at the same moment. "....It's his belly." Jumpluff whispered, disbelief on her features. "He's starving."

"Can't eat if he's asleep."
"Then…" The grass type puffed out her cheeks. "Then we will need to wake him."
Aipom sighed. "And here I thought your insanity was temporary." He complained. "I will get some grub together. You get Blissey and Scizor. Do not, for th' love o Mew use Aromatherapy on 'im without backup!"
"Alright alright, I won't!! Sheesh!"

The Healer and Guildmaster were not hard to find. Blissey was immediately on board with the idea but Scizor was hesitant. While he was asleep, he was harmless. But awake, who knew what he would do.
However, Jumpluff and Blissey were also correct in their statements that healing his wounds and sickness was moot if they let him starve to death.

"Alright, alright. We will go together."

The two females looked thrilled.

So there they were, the four of them in Darkrai's room, Aipom sitting near the door with a crate of food, Blissey standing at the head of his bed, and Scizor seated in the middle of the room. Jumpluff was floating above him, nervous, but determined.
"Whenever you are ready, dear." Blissey encouraged.

Jumpluff relaxed a little and smiled at the healer, before shaking her cotton puffs, releasing a soft scent, to pull him out of his deep slumber.
It took a long time for him to open his eyes, every part of him resisting being pulled from sleep. He winced, and those tired, vague, blue eyes opened, and he stared at the ceiling.

"Hello."

Jumpluff's voice pulled a strangled gasp out of the weak dark type, and those tired eyes locked onto her. He weakly shuffled through the straw.
She watched him sadly. "It's okay… we won't hurt you."

You could see the words processing slowly. 'We' in particular. Slowly, his eyes moved around the room, picking out the three other Pokemon in the room. He whimpered, and shuffled back for them, into the wooden wall. Though even that was a weak and pitiful attempt.

Aipom grimaced. This was just sad. He picked a bread roll out of the crate with the hand on his tail, and trotted cautiously over to the frightened creature. He held it out like a peace offering. "We… thought you might be hungry." He said, every bit of his courage in the small phrase.

He looked at it suspiciously. No one had ever….. Given him food before. But even as he was thinking he should be suspicious, his hand was slowly reaching out to take it.
As their hands were close, there was a small flinch from them both, but then Darkrai all but snatched the roll up, and tore into it, famished.
Blissey smiled. "He has gotten stronger, at least. This is good. I will prepare some more medicine. He should be able to take it himself."

Scizor nodded. "Please do, Bliss."

Darkrai paused in the destruction of the bread to watch the fairy leave the room. He frowned a little.
Scizor also watched Blissey leave. When she was gone, he turned his eyes back to their guest.
"We have brought lots of food for you." He said, motioning to the crate. "Please eat as much as you like."
The blue eyes squinted at the crate in the distance. His eyes felt… fuzzy and distorted.
"Ammy, bring the crate close so he can help himself." Jumpluff suggested. "He shouldn't have to get up just yet."
Aipom nodded, and scampered back to the crate, moving it across the room until it was right beside the bed.
He was watched the entire time. Mistrusting blue eyes trying to focus and failing. But now that it was close, he could see the fruits and vegetables and breads that they had packed for him. He trembled with hunger and confusion. Hunger winning out and having him dive for the contents, and eating with increasing fervor.

By the time Blissey came back, he had eaten most of the food, and was coughing slightly, having eaten the latest apple too fast. "Has quite the appetite then, has he?" She had a small tray with her, medicine and water on its surface.

"The way he was eating you would think he hasn't eaten in weeks." Scizor remarked. "But even having eaten he seems to have recovered some strength."
She nodded. "Good." She came close, not oblivious to the way he froze with fear. "Here." She said, holding out the glass of medicine. "This will help you recover your strength."
He was hesitant. But, slowly took the glass in both hands, and sipped at it.

It tasted like cherries. He drank down the rest quite willingly.

The guild members watched as he timidly handed back the glass, and opened his mouth to speak. But only growling chuffed sounds come out.
Aipom shivered. "Is…. he trying to intimidate us or thank us?"
Scizor tapped his chin with a claw in thought. "Most of the legends say that the Nightmare King isn't sentient the same way we are." He mused. Darkrai looked a little insulted. "So, perhaps he cannot speak?" The Guildmaster finished.
"I don't think that's true, Scizor." Jumpluff said, making Darkrai looked to her with surprise on his face. "I heard him speak."

"You heard words in all that?" Aipom wondered.
She shook her head. "No. But before. When I was putting him to sleep. He spoke."

Blissey looked her patient over. "Speaking of sleep, we should clear out so the dear can get some more."
Darkrai shook his head. He didn't want to have nightmares right now…. Not with so many people around!
Blissey gently pushed him back down into the warm hay. "Come now, you will recover far better with rest."

He whimpered in protest, but between the warm bed, the full belly, and the medicine, he was finding it hard to resist. His eyes were already drooping.

She smiled, and waved at the others to depart. "Come now, let's let him sleep."
Scizor nodded in agreement. "I believe that would be for the best."

Chapter Text

The next few days were very similar for the members of the Guild watching the Nightmare King. He would sleep and sleep, until roused to be given food and medicine, before sleeping some more. It took a whole three days before he started being well enough for his body to think about waking on his own.

Scizor had the whole town on alert too. Any nightmare, no matter how small, was to be reported.

Not that the Guildmaster thought the dark type was in any state to be inflicting anything, but just to be sure…

Though there was not even one reported in the week that they had Darkrai asleep in their Guild House.

Blissey approached him. "Scizor? I think we should encourage him to start moving around."
He tilted his head to one side in confusion. "What? Why?"
"Staying in bed all the time isn't good for him." She responded. "Bedsores are a very real and painful thing!"
He pulled a face. "I don't know… what if he makes a run for it? We will have lost him, and Lady Cresselia…"
"THAT'S another thing, Sci." The healer cut across him. "I want you to douse that beacon."
He frowned. "I can't, Bliss."

She puffed herself up. "Can! Should!" Was the retort. "If she comes here, she'll kill him!"
"....I know. I know, Bliss."
"It's not right!" She continued. "And you know full well that he has never raised a claw to harm anyone here."
"He's weak. Probably not stupid."

Blissey scoffed. "Then what was that nonsense about him not being sentient like we are?"
Scizor winced. "Th...that wasn't me saying that, it's…. Just part of the story surrounding him is all…"

She shook her head. "If you won't, I am going to break ranks and I will. I won't put one of my patients at risk like that, Sci."

He groaned slightly. "Bliss….." But then he sighed. "How about this…. Let's take him for a walk outside…. And depending on what he does…. We douse it. Okay?"
She folded her arms disapprovingly, but nodded. "I suppose that is acceptable."

He nodded. "Do you want to take him out now? The weather is nice."
Blissey finally allowed herself a smile. "Now would do fine. Did you want to join me?"
"Suppose I should."

- - - - - - - -

He was dreadfully confused.

He felt… strange. It was sort of… energetic and… comfortable. But he didn't know how to describe it.
His mind was clearer than it had been in years. Surely he'd been knocked unconscious, or the medicine was wiping his memory. Because he didn't… remember any nightmares.

Which was weird.

Then again, he also felt… strangely empty. Hollow. Missing something. It was another feeling he couldn't describe. But the overwhelmingly strange comfortable feeling was far more striking. Perhaps it was all the food they kept giving him.

He still hadn't worked out why.

He'd tried asking. His voice had never been strong, but he just couldn't manage to get the words out. Just the same growls and chuffs.. though his caretakers surprisingly didn't seem offput by them any more. The Jumpluff in particular made a game out of trying to decipher each of the wordless noises.

What her fascination with him was, he wasn't sure.

The room they were keeping him in was strange, too. He was put up in a warm bed, in a nice room with a window, bookshelf full of books, a desk, a comfortable chair, some paintings on the walls, and a warm rug. It even had curtains!
It… was a guest room… not a prison cell. No bars or anything! Just a… normal door. To be quite fair, they did lock him in, but it wasn't as though he couldn't have broken it down or gone out the window had he really put in the effort.

Why?

Why weren't they treating him like a criminal? Why was this place so… why were they being so nice to him? It didn't make sense!

Still… it was a nice change. It… must have been what normal folk felt like. A comfortable bed and a roof, food… The bizarre absence of hunger. And this other feeling that he didn't have a word for. Strangely… energetic.

He pulled himself out of the bed when he woke, feeling restless. He stretched his legs as he put them on the floor, finding that he couldn't pull them into himself like he normally would, and couldn't hover, either. He didn't have a lot of experience on his actual feet, having found floating above the ground to be faster, and less likely to step on something he'd rather not do some time ago. So, as he stood, he wobbled, taking his time to find his balance, before slowly and deliberately plodding towards the bookcase. He didn't like reading, it never having been something he had been good at, but he wanted to do something other than just lay there. He'd not stayed in the same place for so long before, let alone doing basically nothing.

He didn't know what any of these books were about, and the first few he pulled off the shelf made him wrinkle his nose in disappointment. Ugh, words. Lots and lots of tiny words. He squinted his blue eyes at the pages, trying to make out what they were.
How did people read these?!

He gave up and put those books aside, on the surface of the nearby desk, before looking at some of the others. Hopefully, they weren't all going to be like that…

Thankfully, to his great relief, the next book he chose was not full of words. It had a few lines here and there, but was mostly big, colourful pictures that filled the pages. He grinned, and with a sound that was very close to a purr, he slid down to the floor and started 'reading' the book.

- - - - - - -

When Blissey and Scizor approached his door, the Guildmaster made the fairy stop as she pulled out the key to the room.
"Wh… why are you stopping me?" She huffed.
"Shh. Listen." He told her, leaning close to the door.
Blissey tilted her head to one side, confused, but did the same, listening.

From inside the room, there were quiet chuffs and growls, the sounds they had come to recognise as Darkrai trying to communicate. They had an odd cadence to them, they weren't afraid or confused like they were used to, instead, they rumbled with a light purr, and sounded… content. Almost cheerful.

Scizor leant back from the door with a confused frown, and gently tried the handle. It was locked, just as it should have been.
"Who is he talking to?" He wondered.
Blissey offered a thoughtful hum, and leant her ear further against the timber door. "...There is no other voice." She whispered in reply. "Just his."
"Hopefully no one has broken in…" He mused, taking his own key, and quietly unlocking the door. He pulled it open a crack, and the two guild members peered inside.

It was all Blissey could do to not squeal.

Darkrai was laying on the floor on the rug, comfortably on his belly. His thin legs were kicking idly, and he had five of the picture books from the shelf spread around him. One of them was open in front of him, and he was 'reading' out loud to himself, pointing out things in the pictures with a gentle tap of a clawed finger. He seemed to be ignoring the writing completely.

The overwhelming urge to douse the Dream Beacon hit Scizor rather forcefully. He had already been nursing the seed of doubt (Blissey's nagging not withstanding) about keeping it lit. Darkrai had harmed none of them in his time here, caused no nightmares, and basically acted like…. Well, like a scared child. The childlike behaviour he was seeing now was only reinforcing that.

He was supposed to be thousands of years old darn it, why was the Nightmare King making him feel like a parent looking after a tiny larva?! He shouldn't be… acting like this!

He straightened and pushed the door open a bit more, the hinges letting out a loud creak as he did so.

Darkrai let out a startled shriek, and scrambled off the rug on his hands and knees to hide behind the armchair, damaging the book in the process as he fled over it.

Blissey gasped. "Oh…. oh dear…"
Scizor winced. "I'm sorry, we didn't…. Mean to startle you, Darkrai."
The response was a small whimper from behind the chair.

Blissey moved past the guildmaster, and plodded into the room, moving to peer around the plush chair. "I didn't know you liked to read." She said gently.
Terrified blue eyes looked up at her from where he was huddled, squished into a basically non existent space between the chair and the wall. Blissey smiled at him gently, and the dark type did relax a fraction, recognising her. "It's alright." She told him in her kind voice. "You're welcome to read the books as much as you like."

He relaxed a little more, glad that he was not in trouble.
"Why don't you come out from behind there, dear?"

He hesitated, but nodded, and slowly pulled out from behind the chair, leaning on it heavily to get to his feet.

Scizor frowned a little. "Bliss, do you want to spend some time here with him?" He asked. "I have… to run an errand."
Darkrai tilted his head to one side, confused about the statement. Blissey though, more than understood what he meant, and looked delighted. "Oh Scizor I would be delighted to!" She responded. She turned her eyes on their guest. "I hope you don't mind the company." She added. "We could read together, if you would like?"

Darkrai was baffled. But…. he HAD been enjoying looking at the books… He offered a meek nod.

Scizor nodded. "Alright. I will come back when I am done with my errand."

Darkrai watched as the Guildmaster left the room, leaving the door ajar, while Blissey went to survey the damage done to the picture book.
He looked at the open door for a long moment, forgetting about the healer as she picked the books up off the floor, and left the damaged one on the desk so it could be repaired later. It was…. very tempting to make a run for it. But…. these people had been….. So kind. Here was warm. And there was food. It… was strange and confused him terribly, but…. This was just…. too nice. He… wanted things to stay like this…!!

And even if he didn't think it was going to last…. It would be nice to enjoy it, for as long as it did.

He turned away from the door and looked at Blissey, who was pulling another book off the shelf. "Have you read this one yet?" She asked him, showing off the cover. It had a picture of three very cutely drawn Duckletts on the cover.
He shook his head.

"Oh it's a lovely book." She told him. "Would you like to read it? Or I could read it to you?"

Darkrai's eyes went wide. No one had ever… read to him before! He nodded, and gave a growly squeak.
Blissey smiled at him and trotted back over to the armchair, taking a seat comfortably. The Nightmare King followed after her, and after a moment of hesitation, sat on the rug at her feet, crossing his legs under him.
She seemed a little surprised at that, but shrugged it off, opened the book and started to read. She tried to not let the owlish expression of wonder he gave her as she read bother her.

Chapter Text

By the time Scizor came back to the room, Blissey had a small pile of books beside her, and was still reading to an enthralled Darkrai. The sight did make him smile somewhat, though if they hadn't had him with them for the last week, it would have looked downright comical.

He stepped into the room and loitered near the door until she had finished the story, before approaching.
Darkrai was bouncing where he sat, and barked out an excited noise. Blissey giggled. "Another? Why, that has to be at least the fifth one…."

"You look like you are having fun." Scizor piped up.

Darkrai yelped and scrambled back slightly, eyes going wide. Scizor winced. "Ah… I did it again, I am sorry, Darkrai."
The dark type relaxed once he realised who had come near, sighing.
Blissey looked up and smiled at the guildmaster. "How was your errand? All done?"
He nodded. "Yes, Bliss. All done." He confirmed. "Would now be a good time to take Darkrai out?"

Darkrai went tense. Take him out? They…. What?! Why were they….. Going to do that?! This…. Hadn't all come to an end so soon… had it!?

Blissey nodded. "The weather is still nice. I think he would enjoy a little walk outside."

The tension didn't fade, and was joined by a frown. He chuffed at them questioningly.

Scizor trotted over to him and crouched down beside him. "Blissey and I were talking earlier, and we were thinking that it would be good for your recovery to get some exercise." He explained. "So we thought you might like to come for a walk with us in the town?"

The tension slipped out of his body somewhat. Going into town was not a…. Pleasant thought. In this room, Scizor, Blissey, Jumpluff and Aipom he knew. He trusted. But others? Outside? He wasn't so sure about them. People would be afraid. People would run and alert the Queen of Light and then he would be running again. Away from this…. Strange, safe place.

Blissey came up and put a small hand on Scizor's shoulder. The guildmaster looked up at her for a moment, before back at Darkrai. "Are you… afraid, Darkrai?" He asked, softly.

The Nightmare King, in what was habit by now, shocked him, by blushing, a darkish red hue appearing on his cheeks. Then, he nodded slightly.
So used to hearing stories of this creature's brutality, Scizor half expected Darkrai to be insulted at the question. But he had meekly admitted it instead. It was strange to see.

"You don't have to worry." He said, trying to be as assuring as possible. "The guild town is a very friendly place. And we will be with you the whole time. I am Guildmaster of this place. Do you know what a Guildmaster is?"

Darkrai looked up, head tilted to one side, but then nodded. He was unsure why he would be asking that question.

Scizor nodded. "Then you can rest assured, that if I say for people to leave you alone, then they will."
He whimpered, unsure.
Blissey smiled. "We could go to the bakery, if you wanted." She suggested knowingly.
He immediately perked up.
Scizor smiled. "Good idea Bliss! We could get some fresh pastries and enjoy them by the river!"

He bounced excitedly. Oh yes oh YES how he wanted that!

Scizor's smile grew. He stood, and offered the Nightmare King a pincer. "Can I help you up?"

Darkrai tilted his head to one side, and then reached both clawed hands out, grasping at the offered appendage. Scizor pulled backwards, hefting the slightly taller pokemon to his feet.
Once he was up though, Darkrai didn't let go. It took Scizor a moment to realise because he was using him for balance.
"Don't worry, you got this." He said with a friendly expression. "Come on, let's head for the front door. You should get your bearings as we go."
"We'll go at your pace." Blissey added, trotting ahead to open the door for them.

Darkrai nodded uncertainly, but plodded slowly along as Scizor let him out, both hands still clutched around the guildmaster's right claw.

- - - - - - -

It was achingly slow going. But with Darkrai as weak as he was, there wasn't much to be done. He'd nearly toppled a few times, most notably going down the front steps, but he was still walking forwards, watching his footsteps, making very deliberate, careful movements.

Once they were outside and on the path from the guild hall, Darkrai stopped, and looked around. The sun was shining down at a comfortable warmth, the grass was green and lush, and the air was cool and fresh.
The town lay downhill from the guild hall. He could see all the houses and shops in it, and… he could also see a very familiar building, on the edge of town closest to them.

A Dream Beacon.

Darkrai shuddered at the sight of it. But then he realised that it wasn't… lit. The pink, humming orb at the top of the lighthouse like structure was dark. Which, he had to admit, was a good start, it meant that those that knew he was here hadn't ratted him out to Cresselia, and she wasn't about to swoop down and try to do him in. He may have felt better, but he still didn't think he would be able to take her in a fight.

Scizor watched the Nightmare King as they plodded to town. In retrospect, it was just as well that he had doused the Beacon before bringing the skittish dark type outside. With the way he had shuddered just looking at the tall building, he could only imagine what the reaction would have been if the soft pink light was still shining down on them.

Slowly, they made their way to the main level of the town. It was fairly typical for guild towns like theirs; buildings on either side of a reasonably wide dirt and cobble road, with houses scattered where ever their owners deigned to build them beyond that. They were a small town but a prosperous one. Bakery, library, a few small food and gear shops, and a gift shop.

"Oh Sci, perhaps we could get a book from the library?" Blissey remarked as they slowly made their way down the street. "And we could read the book on the grass by the river?"
Darkrai made a small purr at the idea. He would very much like another book to be read to him, yes please.
Scizor chuckled at the rather delighted expression the taller pokemon wore. "Sure. Let's do that before we head to the bakery."

Inside the library was dark and cool, with very soft lighting. Darkrai gazed around in awe. He'd never seen so many books before!
Libraries had never been buildings he had ever bothered with… they had no food, and offered no hiding place, so it had always been something he had skipped over.

A Duskull was floating by the main counter, eye moving from side to side within their skull as they read a book open on the countertop.
As they entered, the ghost type looked up, and waved a small arm at them, though paused when they realised the guest Scizor and Blissey had with them. They floated down to the counter, clearly afraid.

The Nightmare King let out a small sigh.

"Good morning, Duskull." Scizor said softly, keeping his voice down.
"G...good morning, Guildmaster." They responded, voice like the soft rattle of bones.
"We're looking to borrow a book for Darkrai." He told them, noting the surprised expression that overtook the fear in the smaller creature. "Where do you keep your picture books?"
The befuddlement was startling. "P….picture books, Guildmaster?"

"Yes please." Was the simple reply.

Duskull clearly could not fathom why of all things, the imposing Darkrai would want to look at picture books, but… he was hardly going to deny them!
"On the back wall over there, Guildmaster." The ghost told them, pointing a stubby arm. "There is… even a place to read them, if you want."
"Thank you. We are going to get something to eat and read in the sun." Scizor explained. "But thank you for the offer, Duskull."
He started leading Darkrai towards the section they had been pointed towards.
"No...problem sir." The ghost type responded, fear well replaced by curiosity as they passed.

Darkrai looked over his shoulder at the Duskull as they moved through the library at the slow plod. Curiosity wasn't an expression that he had experienced pointed in his direction before.
"Don't worry, Darkrai." Scizor whispered, bringing his attention back to the front. "No one here will hurt you, I promise."
Darkrai let out a soft growl of concern, frowning slightly, but then nodded. He had put his life in the hands of Scizor and his guild. If he said it was safe… he'd trust that.

Chapter Text

It took far longer than Scizor had anticipated for them to select a book at the library. Darkrai was so enamoured with the large selection he wanted to take far more of them than the library would have let them. Also more than they could carry. They managed to talk him down to three books.
He pet the tall pokemon's arm. "If you like, we can get you your own library membership." He offered. "Then you can come back and read them all whenever you like."

The slow gasp told him Darkrai would like that very much.

They plodded back to the counter, Scizor still helping Darkrai stay upright, and Blissey carrying the book selection.
The Duskull was still floating at the front counter, though still paying close attention to the small group, rather than having returned to their book. "Did you… find what you were looking for?" They asked, softly.

Scizor chuckled. "Eventually. Darkrai is very keen." He told him. "Can we sign him up for his own library membership?"
The red eye would have fallen out of the small skull had it been able. "H...his own membership!?" He squeaked. "W...why?"
Scizor glanced at Darkrai, and frowned, seeing the dejected expression on the taller creature's face. He huffed at Duskull. "So he can borrow books, Duskull." He said warningly.

The small ghost winced. "O...Okay… sure." They floated behind the counter, and reappeared a moment later with a piece of paper and a quill pen. "He… will just need to fill out this form."
Scizor coaxed Darkrai closer to the counter. "Come on, just a little form and then you can get your own books!"
Darkrai frowned a little, but nodded. He took the Swanna feather quill from the ghost and looked at the paper on the counter.

The pause was awkward.

Blissey had been mostly quiet up until now, content to simply encourage her patient from time to time. But now she was watching his face as he squinted at the paper, expression pulled into a longsuffering frown.
"Darkrai dear…" She said softly. "...Can you not read?"
Darkrai perked up in alarm, offering an indignant chuff. He could read! A… bit.
While the Duskull shrank down at the sudden, snarled noise, Blissey and Scizor were used to it. "That's not… very convincing dear." Blissey chided gently.

He whimpered and looked away, ashamed. It wasn't his fault. Words were fuzzy. And he'd never been in the one place long enough to really learn. The small amount he did know was just what he had been able to pick up here and there.

Blissey smiled and put the books down on the counter. "Here, let me help you fill it out." She offered, holding a hand out, requesting the quill.
Darkrai sighed, and handed it over, looking rather upset.
Duskull was once again, watching him with apprehensive curiosity and surprise.

Blissey pulled over the form. "Now, let's see here." She said cheerfully. "Name… Darkrai." She spoke as she wrote down the letters. "Address… oh…" She looked up at Scizor. "Shall I… just put the Guild hall for now?"
Scizor nodded. "Yes, that will do for now."
Darkrai sighed softly. For now. He hated that. It meant they were planning on kicking him out eventually. But he liked it there. With them. It was safe!
Blissey noticed the sound. She looked up at him. "Unless you have another home….?" She ventured.
Darkrai looked away with a small shake of the head. Blissey frowned slightly, but continued to add details to the sheet.

A few more swishes of the elegant pen, and she had finished it, sliding it back across to the librarian ghost.
They accepted the items back, and started filling out a library card. "Okay. I'll sign these out in his name, then."
"Thank you, Duskull." Scizor said with a smile. "He can't say so but I am sure he appreciates it."
The little ghost smiled at that, at least.

A few minutes later, they were leaving the library, Darkrai holding onto Scizor's claw with one hand, and looking at the little card he had been handed with the other. So… this is what his name looked like…? Different to what he expected.

"Here is our next stop!" Blissey announced, making the tall dark type look up.
He offered a squeal of excitement. The bakery!

They headed inside, and the fragrance of fresh bread and pastries hit the Nightmare King's senses in the most delightful way. He'd not been in a bakery when the ovens were on since he was tiny!

Behind the counter was a Delphox, wearing an apron but still with a dusting of flour in their red and yellow fur. "Ah, Guildmaster!" She greeted as the trio entered. "Doctor." She added, smiling at Blissey.
Then her red eyes turned on the third member of the group. "Oh… ah…" She glanced at the other two, who were giving her rather stern expressions. "...Hello. W...welcome to my bakery." She greeted nervously.

He raised a nervous hand and offered a small wave with his clawed fingers.

"Del, this is Darkrai." Scizor said, motioning to the tall dark type still clutching onto one of his claws. "He's staying with us for the time being."
"Oh, I… I see."

Blissey took Darkrai's hands from Scizor, and started helping him towards the display cabinet, where a whole range of fresh pies, pastries and breads were sitting ready for purchase.
While the nervousness of the owner had upset him in a sort of expected way, he just couldn't help but lean into the glass of the cabinet, and gaze with sparkling wide eyes at the options.

Delphox watched in wonder. Scizor simply chuckled. "He adores pastries." He told her. "We're after one each. My buy."
The fire fox started and looked at the Guildmaster. "Oh, h...how nice of you, Guildmaster!" She responded. "What will you be having?"
"I'll get the cricket roll, warmed." He told her. "Bliss I think likes the pink eclair."
She nodded and pulled out some tongs and a paper tray. "And… for him…?" She looked back at the guest, and had to giggle a little at the sight.
He was almost drooling onto the glass, blue eyes flicking from one pastry to the next. Scizor suspected that it was much like the books situation. He would have taken them all if they let him. "I think I might have to choose for him or we'll be here all day."
Delphox smiled broadly. "Ah, alright. What will it be, then?"
"How about the custard filled donut for today. Warm."

Darkrai managed to pull his eyes from the food in the cabinet as Delphox stepped up behind it, into his field of view. He watched her carefully pull a long round pastry with some sort of brown, lumpy insides, and a very large custard donut from the cabinet and place it on the tray. She then put a paper lid on the tray, covering the pastries, before placing one hand on the top, the other on the bottom. She closed her eyes for a moment, and Darkrai could feel the heat coming off them.

When she was satisfied, she then placed the tray on the top of the display cabinet, before taking a pink pastry from the shelf and placing it inside a white paper bag.
She then turned back to Scizor. "Let's see… that will be five coins today please Guildmaster."

He nodded and pulled five round, copper coloured coins out of a small pouch decorated with a Ledyba design, and handed them over to the baker. "Here we are."
"Thanks very much."
The red bug type smiled at her, and scooped up the tray. "Yours is in that bag, Bliss."
Blissey smiled and took the bag in one hand, and offered the other to Darkrai. "Between these pastries and the books, our hands are quite full!" She told him.

Darkrai blushed and offered a small, thankful chuff.

Chapter Text

They sat on the bank of the river for the rest of the morning. Darkrai had purred with pure joy as he ate his donut, getting custard on his dark grey face. The two guild members decided not to point it out. Quite frankly, they thought it endearing.

Blissey in particular found their guest rather adorable. She often looked after the local children when she was not needed for her work, and Darkrai was meeting all the 'child' criteria for her. Which was both a joy and a concern. She had already decided to take it up with Scizor, but for the poor creature to be unable to speak and be illiterate, on top of acting like he never had a childhood…

While she didn't mind mothering him for a little while, the situation wasn't lost on her. She couldn't keep it up forever.

Scizor was of a similar opinion. Eventually, they would need to send him on his way. The guild funds were not scarce, but they would not be able to support him forever. They wouldn't be able to support his pastry cravings especially! At least the library was free.

But he would need to pay his own way in the long term. He didn't mind the thought of Darkrai staying here, the townspeople would warm up to him in time, so long as his behaviour remained amicable.

And as long as Cresselia had lost her bearings.

He felt dreadful for having lit that darned beacon. Darkrai was not the monster their stories had told them. There was no way he could be keeping up an act this long. And Blissey would have been able to tell if his illness and wounds were not genuine. He honestly hoped that Cresselia did not know the truth about the Nightmare King. Otherwise she was a very cruel creature indeed, to be chasing him down as relentlessly as she did.

After their pastries, Darkrai had insisted on being read to. Blissey was happy to oblige, and Scizor was not about to deny them. After all, it was very comfortable on the lush green grass in the sun. Being able to relax like this was one of the perks of living in a remote town like theirs.

Blissey read through the three books twice over before Darkrai dozed off where he lay in the soft grass.

"He really is sweet, isn't he, Sci." Blissey whispered, putting the book down.
Scizor nodded. "It's a worry, isn't it." He whispered back. "He seems so calm and comfortable with us, if still timid."
"It is good that his strength is coming back. He was so weak when we found him…. But now he is well fed and rested.. He will be able to look after himself before long."
Scizor folded his arms over his thin chest. "He's going to have to. Though I don't know if he will be happy about it. How is he going to pay his way?"
Blissey looked down at the comfortably rising and falling chest of the dark type in the grass. "He'll need to get a job."

It was all Scizor could do to not laugh out loud at the thought of it. "The Nightmare King. Getting a job."
"Well I don't have a better idea!"

They both froze as Darkrai mumbled and rolled over in the grass, relaxing only when it looked like he was going to stay asleep.
"Perhaps… he could join the guild?" Blissey remarked, keeping her voice low.
Scizor shook his head. "Bad idea."
"Why?"
"Because, we have to report our guild members to the Capital Guild Hall." He told her. "If Darkrai's name appears on that list… Cresselia will hear about it for sure."
Blissey frowned. "But… without the beacon…"
"She'll still know exactly where to find him. She'll have our address." He said sadly. "Much as I would like to give him something."
"Surely we can use a fake name, or just leave him off the reports..."
"I don't want to add administrative oversight to my list of misdemeanors, Bliss."

She gave him an understanding expression. "Then... we will just have to have him try out for jobs. And see what we can find."
Scizor nodded. "The library perhaps. Goodness knows Dusky could use some company."
Blissey smiled. "I don't know, being able to read might be needed for that work."
"Hmm.." The guildmaster mused. "The orchard maybe? He is quite tall, so that could be an asset."

The healer grinned. "Oh, that's an idea! We should take him there to see it when he wakes up."
Scizor looked over at the large clock in the middle of town. "Hm. We may want to wake him if we want to get there today. They'll be wrapping up soon."
Blissey blinked. "Already?" She looked at the clock herself. "Ah… that late in the day already."
"Time flies when you're having a good time, I suppose." Scizor remarked. "And he's been having the time of his life."

Blissey was quiet for a moment. "I wish I could… ask him about that."
"...Yeah. But he can't really speak. He couldn't answer even if we did."

The two shared a small moment to let that hang in the air, before Blissey reached down to gently shake Darkrai awake. "Darkrai dear? We have somewhere to be!"

Chapter Text

He was nervous. More nervous than coming into town in the first place.

But he wasn't alone in that at least; The Machamp that ran the orchard, and the five or so staff he had were also a bit on edge. It wasn't every day that your Guildmaster brought you new potential staff… least of all someone like the Nightmare King! The world had gone batty.

"Guildmaster Ah don't usually question ye but…" He looked at his small selection of employees, who stood behind him, all watching Darkrai. "But.. Ah dunno if this is a good idea."

"I understand your concerns." Scizor responded, addressing the Machamp and everyone equally, ignoring the way that Blissey puffed up in displeasure next to him. "However Darkrai needs coin, and is tall enough for the work. He should be considered just the same as anyone else."

Machamp sighed. "Okay but… ye know his… reputation."

Darkrai sighed and looked away.

"Yeah, I do. But we've had him at the Guild Hall for a while now. He'll not cause a lick of trouble." Scizor turned to Darkrai. "Right?"

Darkrai shook his head and made some more wordless noises.

Machamp turned to his small team of staff and they started to talk among themselves. Scizor looked at Darkrai, who had slumped against a small tree sadly. "Hey… buck up. It'll be alright."

He let out a small chuffed noise in response.

Machamp looked up. "Hang on.. where's Trev?"

They started to look around, but then all turned abruptly at a startled noise- somewhere between a yelp and a snarl- from Darkrai.

They lay eyes on him having backed up and fallen over onto his rear, eyes wide, staring at one of the trees, which had started to move.

The branches creaked as they moved around, the body of the tree moving to reveal a singular eye, which locked onto Darkrai… and widened with a startle of its own.

"Aha, Trevanant." Scizor said with a nod. "Good to see you."

Trevanant looked at Darkrai for a long moment then looked over at Machamp and the other orchard staff, making more movements with his hands but saying nothing.

"Y know ye blend in when y nap, Trev." Machamp responded with a chuckle. "Darkrai's wantin a job wit us."

There was another silent pause.

"Yeah, Ah know, we were jus discussin it. Wanna join us?"

Darkrai looked between Machamp and Trevanant. Neither of these Pokemon were psychic types. In fact none of the orchard Pokemon were. So what was going on? Why did the Trevenant not speak, and yet… seemed to be part of the conversation?

It made the Nightmare King endlessly curious. And so, even though the orchard Pokemon had gathered off to one side to talk about the prospects of him joining their team, he started to sneak closer.

It was not his best effort. He might have sunk into a shadow to lurk nearby, but that hadn't been something he could manage at the moment. So instead, he just moved quietly, away from Scizor and Blissey who watchen him closely, to peek over a bush, eyes watching Trevenant with wonder.

It was incredible, watching them talk. Honestly if you asked Darkrai what was said in that circle before they noted him staring at them owlishly, he wouldn't have been able to tell you. Instead he was engrossed with watching Trevenant, who never made a sound, yet was seemingly giving comment same as the others.

When he noticed he was being watched so intently, Trevenant backed up slightly, making more motions with his hands. This made the others perk up, and put themselves between Darkrai and their friend.

"Alrigh' now back it up, Nightmare King!" Mac growled a bit, pointing at Darkrai warningly.

Darkrai ducked down behind the bush with a squeak.

From where they were standing, Scizor and Blissey were watching this interaction.

"Hm. Perhaps they won't get along here very well after all." Scizor mused.

"Why was he staring at Trevenant so much?" Blissey wondered. "They aren't so rare that he wouldn't have seen one before."

"Agreed… no unusual colouration or markings so I can't imagine what-" Scizor cut off as he looked at the group, mind turning.

All the orchard Pokemon and Darkrai equally heard the noise Scizor's pincer made against the front of his face, and they started slightly at the unexpected clunk.

"By Mew I am a fool." He sighed, striding over. "Darkrai, do you understand Trevenant when he talks?" 

Darkrai tilted his head to one side, but gave it a little shake.

"Thought not." He put his pincers on his hips and shook his head with another sigh. "This was my oversight, everyone, he doesn't mean any harm!"

Machamp frowned, settling more in front of Trevenant. "How so, Guildmaster?"

"Darkrai, Trevenant is mute." Scizor explained. "He cannot speak with his voice, much like you struggle to."

Trevenant peered around Machamp to look at Darkrai, who was listening to Scizor intently.

"Instead, he makes motions with his hands to mean words." Scizor continued.

He then turned to Trevenant. "Trevenant, I cannot make your signs, could you show Darkrai how to sign hello, please?"

The ghost type frowned at the Guildmaster, but nodded, looking at Darkrai, and making careful motions with his hands.

Darkrai watched intently, and looked between Trevenant and Scizor. Scizor smiled at him. "Try and copy it."

There was a timid, clumsy few efforts, but after a good few tries, under the scrutiny of the orchard Pokemon and his Guild friends, finally, he made a clear, confident sign.

"Hello!"

Chapter Text

Initially Darkrai had not been given a job in the orchard. But over the next week, Machamp, referred to by all the Orchard Pokemon as Mac, came to realize that the Nightmare King probably would have been there less if he had. As it was, he was in the orchard bothering Trevenant all the time, trying to learn more signs.

And to be fair, whenever he relented and did so, Darkrai was picking it up fast. He had never seen someone so delighted to say hello. From the reports he heard in town, Darkrai had signed that one hello sign to literally every person he saw in town on the way back to the Guild Hall.

It certainly made Mac understand why Scizor and Blissey were in his guy's corner so firmly. He wasn't a villain. Or at least if he was, it was the best long con performance ever. He seemed… heck… for lack of a better term, normal. Like any other Pokemon.

Trev was becoming begrudgingly fond of him too, Mac realized. It was one thing to have someone know how to talk to you and another to have someone excited for it. And for better or for worse, Trev was the best person in town to teach Darkrai how to sign. The kinds of pokesign in the world were greatly variable, given how many shapes Pokemon came in. And Trev wasn't disliked as such, but having someone like him around would be good for him.

But Darkrai's enthusiasm was distracting. They still had berries to get in before the weather changed, and he needed all hands working.

"G'mornin, Darkrai." He said in greeting, spotting Darkrai approaching the entrance.
"Hello Machamp." He signed back, using the full, formal name Trevenant had taught him.
Mac laughed a little. "Mac is fine."
He tilted his head to one side and made a confused little noise.
"Nickname. Fer some fun. Jus' tha' first movement ye made fer m' name."
Darkrai thought. "Mac?" He signed slowly.
"Yea, jus' like tha'."

He let out a pleased little chuff, which only made Mac twitch a little.
Instead of drawing attention to it, he put two of his four hands on his hips. "Yer learnin' fast.. have ye been lettin' Trev work still?"
There was a pause, before he responded with a small "Yes?" 
"I have my doubts." He sighed. "Here." And he handed him a basket.
Darkrai held it in both hands and looked at it for a long moment, then looked back up at the fighting type confusedly. 
"We have berries t' pick. Fill th' basket while yer here. Ah'll give ye' some coins."
Darkrai looked at the basket again, but then nodded, and headed into the orchard to find Trevenant. 

One of the other orchard Pokemon came over to Mac as Darkrai headed deeper into the orchard. "Mac? You sure that's a good idea?" He asked.

"Well it's either this, or be down a pair o' hands and risk not gettin' th' harvest in. At least this way he might let Trev work a lil' bit." He gave the other a thumbs up. "You and Ril' can keep an eye on 'im, if you're worried. Between th' two o' ya ye should be able t kick 'im on 'is backside, yeah Ren?"
"For a little while at least. We'll do our best."
With that decided, Ren and Mac both headed in towards their own tasks.

Darkrai found Trevenant picking Oran berries, filling his own basket. He chuffed happily, signing "Hello Trevenant!" when he looked up.
Trevenant looped his basket onto his arm and returned a "Hello, Darkrai." of his own.
He held up his new basket and gave a small inquisitive noise, which Trevenant had come to learn meant 'how do I say the word for this thing?'
He smiled with his eye a little bit, and showed him the sign for 'basket'.
"Basket!" Darkrai signed delightedly. "Basket! Berry! Basket!" 

Trev tilted his head to one side. "You are going to pick berries?"
Darkrai didn't catch the whole sentence, but he gave a small giggle and started pulling Oran berries off the tree Trevenant had been working on and tossing them into his basket, bruising them a little with the enthusiastic treatment. "Berry, basket. Yes?"
Trevenant was joining the ranks of people that could not believe this creature was older than him by thousands of years. He nodded. "Gently." 
Darkrai paused, and started to practice the new word. "Gently?"
"Gently." Trev picked his own berry, and put it in the basket softly, on top of the others. "Roughly." He then grabbed another berry with way too much force, crushing it slightly, and tossing it to the ground where it split and oozed juice onto the soft grass.
He then pointed at each. "Gently. Roughly. Good. Bad. Yes. No."
"Gently. Roughly. Good. Bad. Yes. No." Darkrai nodded, pointing at each as well, before giving a thumbs up.

Trev gave a firm nod, and the two spent the next few hours picking berries, Darkrai almost humming to himself as they did so. 

- - -

The wordless noise that announced their presence at the barn made Mac jump. But the basket of berries being held directly at his face was what made him stumble backwards. "Wh-what in the hell?!!?"

Once his mind caught up with what was before him, he realized he was looking at Darkrai, holding a completely full basket of Oran berries and looking very pleased with himself, with Trev standing beside him, basket looped on his arm.
"Sorry, Mac. He is just proud of filling the basket."
"I….. can see that!" He responded, blinking at Darkrai, eyes wide. "I didn' even hear you come up!"
Darkrai looked down at his feet, and did a few steps in place, footfalls making no sound against the grass. He then looked back up, and pointed at his feet. Trev gave his shoulder a small pat, and showed him the sign for 'silent', which he then repeated back.
"...Right. No sound when ye' walk." Mac sighed. "Another o' y' sneaky sorts. Th' lot o' ye will be the death o me!"
Darkrai whimpered a little, frowning.
"You're upsetting him." Trev pointed out.
Mac sighed. "Sorry, sorry. But between ye n' Ren…. Almost gotta 'ave eyes in th' back of me head or get jump scared all th' damn time."
Darkrai made a small apologetic noise and looked down, staring into his berry basket. 
Mac sighed. "Yer fine, Darkrai. Shall we get your berries counted and put away?"
He perked up, and offered Mac the basket. "Thank ye fer yer work. 'Preciate it." He said, taking it, and moving over to the Oran section of the barn.
While Mac sorted the harvest, Darkrai waited with Trev, practicing the signs they had already gone over. It was like teaching a child. Start with simple things that you could point at or mime that made sense. Sentences and spelling could wait.

"Oh, you're in here!" Called a voice, making all three look up.
It was Jumpluff. And she floated over to Darkrai and Trev, while Mac went back to his counting.

"Have you been having a good day?"
Darkrai nodded keenly, remembering belatedly to also sign "Yes!"
Trev smiled and also nodded. "Mac got Darkrai to pick berries with me today."
"Oh good!" She nodded, bobbing about at their head height. "I've been sent by the Guildmaster. He has asked if you could join us for dinner at the Hall tonight, Trevenant."
There was a blink from them both. "Am I… in trouble? I have never been summoned to the hall before.."
"You're not in trouble! It's a dinner invite!"

"Still, seems unusual…."

She gave him a sympathetic look. "You are allowed to say no if you don't want to come."
Trev frowned a little, but he nodded. "Alright. I will come."
Jumpluff smiled cheerfully. "It will be great to have you! I will let the Guildmaster know! We'll see you at sundown?"
He nodded. "More than enough time to finish up here."

Darkrai gave Jumpluff a fond little chuff and a smile, and she returned both, which made both Darkrai and Trev blink in surprise. But before either of them could react further, she was off to report back, bobbing out the door as fast as her tufts could take her.

"Well, she's full of energy." Mac remarked, coming back over. 
Darkrai turned to face Mac, nodding. "Yes."
"She was here to invite me to the hall."
"So I heard! I wouldn't worry. The Guildmaster is a great guy."
"I… cannot help it."
He put a hand on the ghost type's shoulder. "Here isn't like there."
"....Thank you."
Darkrai let out a small whimper, looking between the two. They both looked at him, and his worried face made Mac smile. "You're a good kid."

Darkrai was visibly stunned at the statement.

Mac chose to ignore it, assuming incorrectly that it was the 'kid' part that earned that response, and instead, carried on. "I have your coins for the day!"
He then placed a small handful of coins in Trev's hand, and a few less in Darkrai's. "Some o' yers were a lil bruised. Be gentler next time, and ye can have th full amount."
Darkrai wasn't listening. He was staring at the coins in his hands, amazed.
Mac sighed. "You've… never had money before."
"He will need to be taught how to use it properly, then." Trev remarked.
"Yeah. Why don't ye take im t town? T buy somethin wit his own money?"

Trev nodded,and tugged Darkrai's arm. He blinked a bit, and looked up, before obediently following Trev out of the barn.

Mac waited a few moments after they left. "Didja watch 'im all day?" He wondered to the air.
Ren appeared at his elbow. "I did."
"And? Still worried?"
Ren sighed, and folded his arms. "For a different reason."
"Oh?"
"He is the Nightmare King. But he is acting like a child that has been homeless for his whole life, finally finding somewhere safe."
"Yeah. Yeah, I know."

Ren was frowning. "Why did we think this marshmallow of a Pokemon was a threat?" He wondered. "Why does Cresselia want to kill the guy? What are we missing?"
"I dunno, Ren." Mac sighed. "But maybe, as he learns 't sign more, we might be able to ask 'im."

- - -

Elsewhere, in a field of long grass, some children were playing. Chasing and pouncing each other through the stalks. When one of them stepped on something unexpected, and slipped.

"Ow!"
"You okay Peachy?" 
The Pichu looked up from where she fell. "Yeah."
"You sure? I have bandaids!"
"Happi I'm fine, I just tripped over this bottle."
Pichu picked up the glass bottle, with a small measure of blue liquid inside.
"What is it?" Their other friend asked.
"Looks like Oran berry juice." Happiny responded. "Though the bottle is weird."
"Dare you to drink it, Peachy!"
"What? Ling, I'll get sick!"
"Go on, do it, scaredy-meowth!"

The Pichu puffed out her little cheeks and took the bottle, and it's blue mouthful, in both paws.
"I'll show you scaredy-meowth!!"

Chapter Text

Trevenant was quite glad he had Darkrai's physical wealth as a limitation to work with. Had he been paid too much, the options of what he could buy would have been staggering, and they never would have made it to dinner. As it was, it was still almost a whole day's wage, so it was nothing to sneeze at.

It did give them the chance to learn more words though. Each item needed to be named in sign, each shop name, the names of the people they spoke to.

Darkrai lapped up Pokesign like water, remembering signs quite easily once he had been shown. It put Trevenant in mind less of teaching, and more… reminding. Like he had used to know the signs before, but they had gone disused and gathering dust for so long he'd forgotten they were there. It was a familiar feeling to the ghost type, though strange to experience from the outside. Darkrai gave him that feeling a lot.

On Trevenant's insistence, the first purchase was a wallet. It made the rest of the endeavours easier, no longer having to carry the coins in hand, and Darkrai chose himself one in a dusty sort of red colour. At the same store, they also purchased an over the shoulder bag, to put the wallet in.

Darkrai was delighted at his new, first ever legitimately purchased possessions, holding the bag in both hands, even though it was looped over his shoulder as well. It was a good sized bag, not too large, but enough to keep a day's worth of things in, should you need to.

Trevenant had to drag Darkrai away from the bakery. It was about to close on the one hand, but they were going to dinner on the other, so buying pastries was not a sensible use of his coin. But the clothes and book shops were browsed at length, as well as the homewares and hardware ones. Trev helped Darkrai purchase things that were of actual use to him, rather than just anything that looked interesting, with varying success. He couldn't keep him away from a small Oddish patterned trowel from the hardware store. But from the homewares store he purchased himself a very plush pillow for his bed, and at the bookstore he was attracted by the colourful children's books.

It was at the bookshop that Trevenant let Darkrai spend the most time. Books would be splendid for helping Darkrai pick out words, to transfer into sign, but also, being literate would only help him. And for all his wide eyed childish enthusiasm, Trev could see by the way he acted here in particular, that Darkrai wasn't stupid. 

By now, having gone to several shops already, Trevenant was keenly aware that Darkrai knew how to count and do at least basic mathematics, figuring out how many coins he had and how many he needed for assorted items with no particular issue. The written price tags on the shelves had, so far as Trev had been able to tell, been his biggest hurdle, as he was still mostly illiterate. Though, much like Pokesign, after being shown the written form for numbers, he was picking it up reasonably quickly. 

After measuring several books to make sure they would fit in his new bag, and making sure he had the coin for it, Darkrai purchased three picture books he liked the look of.

"We should go to the Guild Hall now." Trev signed to Darkrai. "Dinner time."

Darkrai nodded, and let go of his now laden bag to respond. "Yes, Okay. Guildhall. Dinner."

They moved through the town as people were starting to pack up and head to their own homes, people greeting Trev, and some of them even greeting Darkrai as they passed, which was returned with a very cheerful signed response.

Aipom was waiting for them at the entrance to the hall. "There y' are! Was startin' t' think we'd never get to eat!"
"Hello, Aipom!" 

"Good evening, Aipom. I am sorry we kept you waiting." Trev added.

"Oh, nah, you're good." Aipom answered. "Come on in. Bliss really went all out with this one."

Darkrai chuffed excitedly, gave Trev's hand a tug, and scampered inside. Trevenant followed at a much more calm pace, and Aipom led him into the hall to the main dining room, which was more than big enough for all of them.

Scizor was seated at the head of the table, and Blissey was standing at his left, putting out quite an assortment of dishes for them all. Jumpluff was sitting on his right, but she floated into the air when spotting Darkrai and Trevenant. 

"Hello you two!" She said excitedly.

Darkrai chuffed at her. "Hello Jumpluff!!"

"You seem to have had a good day." Scizor remarked, smiling at the pair. "What have you got there?"

Darkrai looped his bag off his shoulder and held it out in both hands proudly. Then, he put it down on the table top to free his hands. "Berry! Basket! Gently. Coin! Shop! Buy wallet! Buy bag! Buy dig! Buy pillow! Buy book!!"

Scizor blinked, and glanced at Trevenant, who nodded. "Mac put him to work today, and he got almost a full day's pay for picking berries. I took him shopping on the way here."

"Oh splendid! Well done Darkrai!" He clapped, knocking his pincers together with soft clang-clang-clang sounds. "You must be very proud!"

Darkrai sat down next to Jumpluff. "Yes! Good! Berries, good, coin, buy!"

Trev sat down on Darkrai's other side, while Aipom sat beside Blissey. "I am so pleased you are having a good time, Darkrai dear." Blissey said fondly. "You're really getting some confidence!"

He made a small chuckle-like sound, and smiled, nodding. 

Trev turned to Scizor. "Not to be rude, Guildmaster, but I was wondering why you wanted me to dinner, tonight?"

"Ah, yes of course." He nodded. "We can talk as we eat, please help yourself."

Darkrai and the two smaller Pokemon did not hesitate, and started picking items and putting them on their plates. Trevenant however just waited for an answer.

Scizor just continued to smile. "Well, as you may know, Trevenant, we have been hosting Darkrai here at the Guild Hall for a few weeks now. And we firstly wanted to thank you for indulging him the way you have done with teaching him sign. It has been quite the boon to be able to at least speak with him a little."

"I tried." Aipom cut in. "But I can only do half signs with my tail."

"If you evolved you could do it." Jumpluff pointed out.

"Yea' but I'm not doin' that." He retorted.

Scizor coughed to interrupt. "Anyway, that was the first thing I wished to do. Was to thank you for helping him learn… essentially to learn how to speak."

"It…. It is no trouble, Guildmaster. He… is a voracious learner."

Darkrai was watching Trev sign as he often did, and was trying to figure out how to copy his sign for 'voracious' but hadn't seen it closely enough.

"He is. Which is why, we wanted to ask you something."
Trevenant paused. "What?"

"We are not exactly at a loss for resources here at the Guild, but we cannot fund Darkrai living here long term."

Darkrai paused and looked up, frowning. 

"If Machamp is willing to continue to allow him to earn some coin at the Orchard, then he will be able to pay his way. And, we were wondering if you had the space and the inclination to let Darkrai live with you."

While Darkrai let out a surprised squeak, Trev sat up straighter. "Live with me??" He signed, a little frantically. "But….but…… but why?"

"A few reasons, actually." Scizor continued. "It would be good for his language development, and also socially, to be a little closer to the residential area than we are here. But also… we have a project that the Guild has decided to undertake, and as a result, there won't be so many people here for a time."

Darkrai tilted his head to one side. They hadn't told him about any projects. He looked at Aipom across from him, and he was smiling broadly. Knowingly. A glance at Jumpluff, and she was practically vibrating.

Trev frowned. "A project? What kind of project?"

"We are still going to be undertaking investigative and rescue quests of course." Scizor offered. "But, we are going to be dismantling the Dream Beacon."

Darkrai stood abruptly, hands on the table, eyes wide and jaw slack.

Scizor chuckled. "We had been waiting to tell you, Darkrai. But, we are going to pull it down, so no one can light it again. So you can be safe here for as long as you like."

Darkrai looked like he was going to cry.

Jumpluff rose from her seat and nuzzled into his head. "We had been discussing it with the townspeople all week!" She told him. "And while a few people were still a bit weird about you being here, we got a majority agreement! You can stay!! This can be your town, Darkrai!!"

He grabbed her in both arms and hugged her tightly, making soft, wordless little sobbing chuffs.

Blissy looked at Trevenant, who had a bit of a strange expression on his face. "A berry for your thoughts, Trevenant dear?"

"......I… You really want me to host him at my house?"

"If you do not have the space, or you do not wish for it, you are fully able to say no, dear. But we know that Darkrai is very fond of you, so we thought to ask. But you can always say no. And we will respect that."

"I….. don't know. Would he even… want to live with me? I'm…" 

"You are his friend, dear." She offered. "And if you two don't find living together to your tastes, we can look into building him his own home. But we won't be able to undertake that until after taking the Dream Beacon apart is complete. It's… quite a strange building really; it is going to take effort and time."

Jumpluff gave Darkrai a pat with her pompom hands. "Hey now, I'll get all soggy if you keep crying like that." She giggled. "You're not a water type, Darkrai!"

He leant back a bit and rubbed his face with his hands, letting her go to float in the air. He was grinning like a fool, almost unable to believe it. A town that was not only friendly to him, but safe? With no Beacon, she could never be summoned here. He'd never have to worry ever again!!

"So, what do you say?" Scizor asked Trev. "Or, would you like some time to think about it?"

Trev raised his hands to answer, but jolted and turned towards the door instead, as hurried footsteps sounded in the hall, and one of Blissey's apprentices appeared, quite out of breath.

"Guildmaster! Doctor!"

Scizor stood. "What is it?"

"We have an emergency rescue request! There is someone trapped in the caves in the Voiceless Mountain!"

The four Guild Pokemon startled at the statement, but Darkrai and Trev just blinked confusedly.

"The which?" Trev wondered.

They all looked at the pair. "You... aren't familiar?"

Trev and Darkrai looked at each other for a moment, then looked back at Scizor. 

"No."

"I've never heard of the place."

"I suppose that makes sense, neither of you have been in this region very long." He mused. "The Voiceless Mountain is a tall mountain about a day's walk from here. It has a cave system underneath it that has valuable minerals to forage, but the place is quite dangerous to most. It is one of those places that… it is advised that people do not enter."

"Why is it dangerous?" Trev asked.

"The mountain has strange properties." Jumpluff said sadly, curled in on herself in poorly hidden fear. "Sound does not bounce off the stone there, so inside the caves and even outside, it almost sounds silent."

Darkrai frowned and scooped her into his lap, holding her.

"Beside that…" Aipom continued. "The caves are pitch black. Y' need to have someone with y' that knows Flash, or somethin' similar." A pause. "Or else see in that kind of dark. But precious few people can do that. No one on staff here at the guild, anyway."

Darkrai perked up. "Me! Darkrai see!"

Trev looked at him. "I can also see in the dark quite well, as well."

Scizor and Blissey looked at each other for a moment. "Trevenant, Darkrai, were you… offering to assist with the rescue?" Scizor wondered, softly.

"You aren't Guild members, you are under no obligation dears!"

"I… do not know. I know Mac needs me to work at the orchard. But… you said it was an emergency, didn't you?"

"Darkrai good. Help!"

"I could go with em." Aipom offered.

"A-Ammy!!" Jumpluff squeaked. "You can't see in there!!"

"No, but I've got rescue experience. And you can't go."

"Wh…what if I could? I can. I'm not a baby! I can go! I can help!"

"Jumpluff, do not force yourself to g-"

"I'm going!"

Scizor sighed. "Well, the situation does need immediate action. Without the ability to light the tunnels, or otherwise see where you are going, someone could be walking around in circles for weeks. And who knows what sort of harm could befall someone in that time." He turned to the Clefairy apprentice. "Can you get four sashes prepared for them please. They will leave within the hour."

"Yes, Guildmaster!" And she scurried off.

Scizor sat back down. "Please eat before you go. The sooner you can mount the rescue, the sooner you can be home." He looked at them all. "This isn't what I had hoped out of our evening."

Trev looked at Jumpluff, where she was still sitting in Darkrai's lap, clearly not enthused by the prospect but being stubborn about it.

"We will make it work, Guildmaster. And be home soon."

Chapter Text

After a less leisurely dinner than they had intended, the group were off, out of town, towards the Voiceless Mountain, each with a bright red sash tied about their left arm.

Aipom was perched on Trev's shoulder as they walked.

"Alrigh' so, because it's a while t get there, if we walk through th night we should be there by dawn." He was explaining. "There are a few places along the way we can rest, there is one of our campsites not far from the trail to the mountain we could use."

Trev clicked his fingers to draw Aipom's eyes to him. "Should we not continue going until we have reached the rescue location?"

"Nope. We're going into dangerous areas. Need t' be well rested." He explained. "We spent all day at work and are gunna spend a lot of the night traveling. We'll be spent!"

Darkrai nodded at that, letting out a thoughtful hum.

"If that is the case, we may need rest before then. I at least, was up early, I do not know if I will last to dawn."

"Hm. Good point. But, we can move at a quicker pace after a good rest, so, if we go as long as we can, then rest?" He suggested.

"I think that is sensible."

Darkrai chuffed to get Aipom's attention. "What red?" He asked, motioning to their sashes.

"Oh these? They're like a uniform. People can see us wearing these n' know which guild we belong to, and that we are on official business. It's red because our guild was founded by Scizor, and, y'know." He chuckled. "It's his colour."

"Scizor Guildmaster always?" He wondered.

"Yeah. He's got a way with people. The whole town is made of people he has found, either through rescue himself, or went looking for great folk. Is how e' got Bliss' n' me n' Jum too."

Darkrai looked over at Jumpluff. She had been quiet since they left, and while she hadn't been joining in the conversation, it seemed as though she had at least been paying attention, and now she was frowning.

He prodded her, and she turned to look at him.

"Jumpluff sad?"

She smiled a little. "I'm not sad."

"Scared?"

Jumpluff hesitated.

"Yes. Scared. Why?"

"I…. Don't want to talk about it."

"Why?"

"It's hard to, Darkrai it's…. Really. So just… drop it, okay?"

Darkrai's frown grew. It wasn't like Jumpluff to act this way. But he let his hands fall to the sides, and instead kept his eyes ahead at the road and listening to Aipom chatter softly as they walked, talking about everything and anything, perhaps to fill the silence, or perhaps to keep the mind of other, less pleasant things, as the moon finished rising, bringing about the cool of night..

- - - - -

It was after midnight when they finally stopped. The weather was fortunately quite mild, so sleeping outside was not going to be a problem for the group of rescuers. A large tree provided some cover, but they were still able to see reasonably well by the light of the moon. It wasn't full yet, but it was reasonably close. 

Trevenant snuggled into the crook of the tree, while Darkrai leant into his side. Aipom seemed to have decided that Trev was the perfect place to stay, happily curled up on his lap. The ghost type was altogether too polite to make a fuss about it, though privately he could have made a lot of remarks about the fact that the small monkey had hardly walked a step since they left town.

He couldn't be too mad about it though, Aipom had such tiny legs.

Jumpluff had initially settled down beside Darkrai on one of the roots of the tree, but he pet his lap and smiled. 

She frowned a little. "Are… you sure? I mean… I don't want to make your legs fall asleep."

He chuckled. "Legs okay. Not move lots before. Jumpluff bigger comfy here."

Trev tapped his shoulder and corrected his vocab to say 'more' instead of 'bigger'.

"More comfy. Okay."

She pulled a face, but then nodded and floated over, settling on his lap with his arms on either side of her. "Thanks Darkrai."

"Nicer than last tree sleep. Good."

Trevenant blinked, even though he was quite tired. "You have slept like this before?" He wondered.

Darkrai nodded. "Yes. Keep from rain. Good." Though he started to frown.

Aipom looked at him. "What's that look for?"

Darkrai looked at him and tilted his head to one side, chuffing curiously.

"You looked…. Upset, Darkrai." Jumpluff said.

He shook his head. "Jumpluff no talk, Darkrai no talk."

She pouted for a moment, but sighed. "Fair enough."

He shrugged his shoulders a little. "No have words yet. No talk."

Trev, Jumpluff and Aipom watched Darkrai for a long moment. They all knew that he understood more than he was able to say. Had he been able to use his voice, he probably could have been quite articulate. It must have been so frustrating, to not be able to communicate your thoughts in anything more than basic concepts. 

"Well, we have a lot of ground to cover tomorrow." Aipom said, curling into a ball. "Never mind the mountain caves themselves. Get some sleep, if y' can."

Trevenant did not have any trouble falling asleep at all, leaning into Darkrai somewhat, well exhausted from the early start and late finish. Aipom and Jumpluff were next, falling asleep one after the other, leaving Darkrai awake. 

Truth be told, he was… nervous. He had slept near people since coming to Scizor's town, but not this close before. He hoped whatever was stopping his nightmares was still working. He couldn't do that to them, not now. Not after all this.

Slowly, he started to doze off, listening to the high pitched humming of his companion's dreams.

His eyes snapped open when he heard a low warbling sound start to drift up to his ears. He quickly gave his cheek a pinch to wake himself up more, looking around at his friends to make sure he wasn't hurting them.

Trevenant and Aipom seemed to be alright, still sleeping comfortably, and giving off that soft soprano of pleasant dreams. Then he looked down at Jumpluff.

Her face was tense. Nightmares.

The sound was unmistakable to him. That low rumble like the lowest note on a cello, wobbling slightly as she rolled over in his lap. He gave a little whimper and reached over to poke Aipom.

Aipom's dream chord jolted and stopped, though not after a few more insistent pokes from Darkrai.

"W…wut… can't be… dawn already…"

Darkrai chuffed and then shushed Aipom softly, which made him look up and squint at Darkrai confusedly. "What is it." He whispered.

He gave a small whimper and pointed at Jumpluff, who had tears starting to well up in her eyes, even as they remained closed.

Aipom blinked his eyes into focus as he looked at her. ".....Ah."

"Jumpluff… bad…! Sleep sad!!" He grit his teeth. He didn't know the sign for the word he needed! 

Aipom seemed to understand though, and climbed out of Trev's lap to huddle next to Jumpluff. "You're okay Jum." He whispered to her. "You're not alone this time."

It took a few more words of comfort, and Aipom's tail curled around her before she slowly started to relax, her baritone sound lightening, not to full soprano, but at least somewhere neutral.

Darkrai didn't relax until that low sound had left his ears. "Aipom, what JumPluff sleep sad?" He asked.

Aipom looked up long enough to catch the signs, before looking back down, making himself comfortable with Jumpluff in Darkrai's lap. "Long time ago, before she evolved th first time… Jum got lost in the Voiceless Mountain."

Darkrai squeaked.

He shrugged. "She was really young then. Scizor saved her, and nearly got himself lost in the process. And she was rough as guts back then too."

Darkrai frowned. The turn of phrase wasn't familiar, but at least he got the gist of it. 

"She's stubborn." Aipom continued. "She's coming along because I am and because you are. Because she doesn't want anyone else lost in that place like she was. Even though she is scared out of her wits."

Darkrai sighed. "Know this. Done things scared. Need to. Need to live."

Aipom looked up at him. "If you n me hold her, she should be okay." He said softly. "Wake me if y' notice anythin' else, okay?"
Darkrai nodded. "Okay."

Satisfied with that, Aipom settled down and faded back into sleep himself. Darkrai was up for another while, listening for any hint of a nightmare in any of his companions. But eventually he too, fell asleep under the stars.

Chapter Text

Trevenant was the first to wake the next morning, an hour or so after dawn, as the sun shone through the branches of their chosen tree shelter.

He had been slumped into Darkrai's shoulder, and as he sat up, the Eternal One shifted, and blinked his eyes open.

"Good morning, Darkrai."

Darkrai gave a small chuff in greeting, still holding onto Jumpluff, Aipom curled beside her in his lap.

Trev smiled a little. "We should wake them."

Darkrai nodded and prodded Jumpluff, and her eyes snapped open with a small squeak.
"Good morning, Jumpluff." Trevenant signed in front of her.

She looked at him blankly for a moment before the signs seemed to penetrate in. "Morning." She whispered.

"Good morning."Darkrai signed as well, before looking between the two for a moment."Jumpluff bad sleep sad?"
"I… do you mean…nightmares…?"
He nodded.
She ruffled her puffs. "Dunno. Don't really remember any of my dreams."
He sighed in relief. "Good. Trevenant sleep sad?"
"No."

He relaxed a bit. "Aipom..?" He paused and looked at the snoring monkey starfished in his lap. He chuckled a little. "Aipom okay."

"Were you worried?" She asked. "Surely if we had nightmares you'd be the one to know."

"Darkrai sleep. Not hear in sleep."
"Hear?"
He gave a nod. "Dreams make noise. Good dream sound up. Bad sound down." "Is that the only way to tell?" Trev wondered.
Darkrai shrugged. "Only way Darkrai know."

Jumpluff sighed a little. She looked like she really wanted to ask more questions, but they had a mission. "We should keep going, I guess. We still have a rescue to complete." She gave her puffs a little shake, a soft smell wafting from her.

Aipom was suddenly awake. "'M up!! 'M up!"

Darkrai chuckled a bit.

- - - -

It was early afternoon when they arrived at the base of the Voiceless Mountain. It was a tall, imposing landmark in shades of grey, with a small path going up to a cave half way up.

"How could anyone wander in here by accident?" Trev wondered, looking up at it.

"These are not usually accidents." Aipom explained sadly. "Sometimes it's because there is said to be treasure up here. Sometimes it's like, a dare that most sensible people don't rise to. Other times, not often but happens, wicked folk dump people up there."

Darkrai offered a small growl.

"Either way, we need to find the person that needs our help."
"Who are we looking for?"

"A baby Furret. The report said the call was from his mother."

Darkrai tilted his head to one side but made no remark.
Trevenant frowned at him but also did not remark. "The Mama said that a Noctowl scooped him up and was flying this way." Jumpluff continues.
"Fact o life hazard as a baby prey pokemon." Aipom added.

She shot him a look. "ANYWAY. It was flying over the mountain when the baby bit its leg and it fell. The mountain has loads of entrances scattered around up there, and she couldn't spot him from the outside, so he must have fallen into one of those entrances."

Trevenant frowned a little. "Wouldn't it have died from the fall?"

"Hm?" Aipom wondered. "Wot do ye mean?"
"How high up was the Noctowl when it dropped the baby Furret?"

"Oh. Well, we don't think it's dead. Most folk who went in that way have been alright."
"But if we don't hussle, he will be, anyway." Jumpluff urges. "Those tunnels are barren stone. No food or water, and scary for a baby."

They all nodded, and headed up the path to the cave entrance.

"Here's th' plan." Aipom said as they drew near. "You two will be able to see and sign at each other but we won't be able to see you talk. So…" He reached his tail down and held onto Trevenant's arm. "Simple communications. One tap on me tail for yes, two taps for no. Long tap for safe, lotsa fast for danger. And if ye find the baby, squeeze. Sound good?

Jumpluff blinked. "Aipom that's so clever!"

"No need to sound so surprised!"

"I think that is a good idea." Trev agreed. "You can then speak up and speak to the baby, so it does not try to wriggle out of our hands when we find it."

Darkrai nodded. "Good think, Aipom."

Aipom and Jumpluff huddled close on Trevenant as they stepped in, the daylight running out remarkably quickly, like a thick blanket.

Jumpluff whimpered at the sudden and complete dark. "It's… as bad as I remember…."

"Wow… it's… when you said no sound bounces… you meant no sound at all… Darkrai? Trev? You okay? You can see?" Aipom called a little louder.

Trevenant squinted a little as his eye adjusted. He looked at the two smaller pokemon for a moment, before turning his gaze towards Darkrai. The Eternal One was… frowning slightly.

He moved closer and put a hand on Darkrai's arm. Darkrai turned to look at him.
"You can see well?" He asked.
Darkrai nodded. "See good."
He nodded, and reached over to give Aipom one single tap on his tail.

"Alrighty, good."
"They can see?" Jumpluff asked.
"Yup, one tap for yes. We're in business." Aipom snuggled down more into Trevenant's shoulder to hold on tight. "The baby probably came in through one of the southern entrances. So, try and go right? I guess?"

The two tall Pokemon nodded and started down the passage.

Chapter Text

As they moved through the dark and quiet halls, Trevenant was making careful note of each turn, every landmark, so they would be able to find their way out again. As a Ghost type, he did have a unique way of escape should the worst happen, but he considered that a last resort. His companions being left forever in an eerie cave did not make for pleasant thoughts.

Though as they walked, he was starting to become less sure that 'cave' was the right word.

Apart from the rough and weathered entry, from years of rain and wind beating in as far as it could reach, once you got beyond that, it was quite civilized in here. The corridor was wide and tall, easily large enough for pokemon larger than they were by several times to stand to full height comfortably, the walls were straight, give or take some damage here and there, and the floor could have been poured concrete. And it was not the winding passages of a natural cave, either. It was logical and at right angles. The openings that came off the corridor almost seemed like doorways.

Darkrai was walking in front of him, and the two smaller pokemon could not see his signs in the dark, so he had no means of relaying these thoughts. But the Voiceless Mountain, unseen by most…. Looked like a city to him.

What could've possessed anyone, least of all a whole town's worth of people, to attempt to live down here? How had it gotten so well built before they realised it was an unsuitable location?

Though, on that matter, there was a distinct lack of anyone down here. The dark would not bother a pokemon like Zubat, though the strange sound qualities of the place might prove problematic. But for other types… was there something else about this oppressive silence that kept people away?

Every now and then, Aipom and Jumpluff asked for updates. He didn't have much to relay, the corridors were empty save for small amounts of rubble here and there, or what he could only have described as a singular stone planter box. It even had dirt in it. So a single long press of the finger into Aipom's tail to indicate that things were safe, and that was all he could say.

As he looked closer at the areas that branched off the main hallway as they passed, his theory on this being a city, or a town at least, became more and more plausible. Looking in one of the openings, he found a set of rooms that had a layout frankly not that dissimilar to his own house. He could see a kitchen bench and a sink, and there was even the remnants of a wooden door on one, loosely hanging off its hinges. These places could have been livable!

It frustrated him to no end that Aipom and Jumpluff could not see it. He would have to wait until they got out to discuss it with them. And Darkrai was no better source of conversation. He continued to walk ahead of him, not exactly hurried but not curiously looking about like Trevenant greatly wanted to.

The few remnants of civilization didn't seem to be surprising the Eternal One, though. Like he had seen it before, somehow, though he had said he had never been here before. It made Trevenant wonder if he had forgotten this place, like so much else he seemed to have known but was locked away in his mind, somewhere.

They turned a corner into a large open room with many entrances branching off it, and Darkrai paused in front of a doorway that was a lot grander than the others. Potentially had double doors at one point, large and with a clearly decorated surround.

After a moment of hesitation, Darkrai headed inside. Trevenant followed after.

This was different to the others, that looked like homes. This had a large room in the centre, with another visible stone sink, small circles made from stone pillars against the walls in places, and a few doors, still with the timbers in place. There were even remnants of carpet!

Trevenant looked around in wonder, trying to determine the purpose of this room, several shades to the stone, and odd permanent furnishings.The stone pillar circles were quite strange… rings of stone close to the wall, not really tall enough to keep a pokemon his size in, or even of Aipom or Jumpluff's size, climbing and floating notwithstanding.

As he got closer, he noticed marks on the wall, close to the bottom. Nothing so sensible as shapes or patterns, it looked more like random graffiti. But who would be coming down here, so far in, just to vandalize the place?

Realization dawned on him as he got closer and looked down, a hand resting on the dusty stone at the edge, eyes landing on something at the bottom. Had he been a creature that drew breath, it would have halted in his chest. Slowly, he lifted his eye and looked around the room again.

Being able to see in the dark was not the same as being able to see in the light. This was a fact he had somewhat forgotten. He could see shapes and details fine, but the darkness obscured colour almost entirely; Darkrai's red collar, Aipom's yellow belly and tail, even the green of his own leaves were obscured by a grey veil, very little colour, if any, leaking through.
But if he looked closer, the different shades in the stone became so much more than that. They were colours. Now that he was looking closely, there were shapes. Stars, moons, clouds, what was possibly a rainbow, trees, flowers.The wall wasn't splotchy, it was painted with a vibrant mural.

And these rings of stone, he realised, wouldn't keep a pokemon Aipom's size in because they weren't meant to. They were made for something much smaller. He looked back down at the small plush doll where it sat abandoned against the stone surrounds, covered in far too much dust to belong to the child they were searching for. These were playpens. It was a nursery.

Trevenant looked back at Darkrai, ready to clap or click or something to get the other's attention to share this revelation. But before he could follow through with that thought, he paused, taking in the Eternal One where he stood near the wall on the other side.
His clawed fingers were resting on the painted stone wall, ever so slightly touching the stonework. But the patch of colour where he stood was reading differently, to the suns and trees of a happy mural for a children's play room. He knew by looking at it, even with the grey filter of darkness.

That was blood.

Splattered up the wall and on part of the floor, with several scorch marks leading from this spot towards the large door, and a set of three gauges on the stone, made by tiny clawed hands.

Darkrai's expression was not one Trevenant had a word for. It could have been sad or thoughtful or confused, nostalgic perhaps. Trevenant was frozen, that breathless tightness settling in his heart as imagination and realisation flared.

After another few moments, Darkrai lifted his eyes from the damaged stone, and looked around, spotting something on the floor at his feet. Trevenant couldn't see exactly what it was, and Darkrai knelt and scooped it up into his hands, gently stashing it in his bag before he could get a better look.

Then, the Dark type straightened, and looked back at Trev, who started slightly, like he had been caught spying on a quiet, private moment.

"Not here." Darkrai signed, turning back towards the door.
Trevenant could not do much more than follow him.

Darkrai had hardly stepped outside of the nursery when he paused, looking around curiously. Trevenant leaned around him slightly, tilting his head to one side.
"I hear sound." Darkrai signed. "...Sleep sound."
Trevenant stood up straight. Whatever stopped sound in this place clearly did not matter to Darkrai's senses when it came to dreams. "High…. Or low?"
Darkrai looked at him. "Low. Sleep sad. Sleep……. Scared."

There was a beat between them. And then they both signed as one, "The baby!"

Darkrai was off at a jog down another hall, listening to that low baritone sound for a heading. Trevenant was right behind, all four legs scurrying along at a matched pace.

The sudden increase in speed startled Aipom and Jumpluff, still perched on his shoulders, both of them letting out a surprised yelp.

"What… what's going on?!" Jumpluff whimpered.
"Everythin alight?" Aipom added.

Trevenant reached a hand up as he moved around the corner after Darkrai, giving a single tap to Aipom's tail, before he grabbed it in his clawed hand and squeezed it.

Aipom let out a gasp. "You found him!"
"Oh thank Mew!"

Darkrai came to a stop in another of those large round rooms, similar to the one the nursery had been attached to. This one had what was an unmistakable fountain in the middle, long since dried up but the stone Magicarp standing in the middle of the reservoir was still there. This room also had a few stone benches near the walls, covered in dust, but intact.

Darkrai slowed his pace, walking over to one of these benches and kneeling down. Gently, he reached under the bench, and gently in both hands, pulled out a tiny sleeping baby Furret with a broken leg.

Chapter Text

The child was so small in Darkrai's hands. It was not unheard of, but not common, for children to be born in second or third stage forms, though he had never seen the phenomenon himself. Hardly larger than one of Jumpluff's puffs in size, he was able to lift the baby rather comfortably in one hand, though he opted for two.

As he stood with the child, the little one whimpered and whined.
Before Aipom or Jumpluff could react, Darkrai held the baby close to his chest and let out a soft "Shhhhhh." Between his teeth.

Aipom, who had just opened his mouth, closed it again. Then leant close to Trevenant and whispered, "Is everything okay?"
Aipom could feel Trevenant nod, and then reach around to give a singular tap against his tail, and then a long press. Yes. Safe.

Trevenant stepped closer to Darkrai, and signed "We should make our way to the exit now." He said, watching Darkrai gently pet the tiny pokemon's head with a thumb, which seemed to be soothing him.
Darkrai looked up and nodded, starting to walk back the way they had came. Trevenant followed after, confident that the Nightmare King knew the way.

The group moved a little slower than they used on the way in, making sure to not jostle the baby too much with their strides. Which meant that Trevenant had time to look around this place more as they moved through it, much as he could feel Jumpluff fidgeting anxiously on his shoulder.

He had honestly hoped to glean more insight into this place on the way back; see something else that would reveal a portion of the forgotten history left here. But the abandoned halls were so quiet and bare that they almost didn't seem to have any more secrets they could give up. Trevenant did have a thought though, as they walked back through the other large room, making their way across to the main corridor, Darkrai making obvious effort to not glance in the direction of the nursery as they did so. This place was easily the same size as their own town.

A main corridor in place of the main street, with houses off it. Large rooms that could have been the town square, or perhaps the equivalent of a park. If he was right, then the other entrances off those large rooms were likely shops, like their bakery and homegoods store, perhaps they might have had a library down here, too.

He wasn't sure that Darkrai would have any answers should he ask his questions of him. But perhaps he could come back on his own to look around more carefully. Because it made no sense for a town this size to be built into this unnatural silence before being given up on. Pokemon weren't stupid. This was not a suitable place to build.

But perhaps it could have been suitable at one point. It was the only explanation he could come up with. This town must have been built and bustling before the darkness and the silence engulfed it. And then, unlivable, the people packed up their belongings and fled. It was the only explanation that made sense! And with the darkness, the sound and that other oppressive quality of the place, even those who could see in the dark like themselves, or could light it up by way of fire or flash, avoided coming too far in, so the real identity of the place remained a mystery, after all this time.

He wished he knew how long of a time that was.

A delighted cry from Jumpluff had him snapping out of his thoughts. "The exit!! The light!!" She squealed.
"About damn time." Aipom added, notably relaxing into Trevenant's shoulder.

Ahead of them, Darkrai stopped walking, just where the light was able to reach, still some way in the corridor. As the others caught up, he turned and held out the sleeping babe, who, outside of the broken leg hanging limply off the edge of Darkrai's hand, seemed to be sleeping peacefully now.

Aipom and Jumpluff were squinting at him, finally able to see him for the first time in what seemed like hours.

"...Huh?" Was all Jumpluff could offer.
He couldn't sign with the baby in his arms, so he simply chuffed, and held it closer to them.
Trevenant frowned, and reached out to take the Furret from him, eliciting a small whimper as he was moved.
Hands freed, Darkrai then signed, "Darkrai hide. No see."

Aipom looked down at the small creature and then smacked his own forehead with his tail. "OH! Of course, good idea, Darkrai."
"Huh? HUH? Why is he going to hide?!" Jumpluff squealed. "This little one and his mama ain't from our town." He explained. "So won't be pleased t see him any."
"...Oh."
"Yea, so might be better if you skip ahead and meet us a bit down the road. The mama is meant to be waiting at the camp at the base of the mountain, where th' warning sign was."

He nodded, and offered a small smile, before stepping out into the light and running off to the side, sliding down the rough mountain stone towards the woods.

Trevenant stood with his now three passengers, squinting in the sunlight for a good few minutes. After so long in the dark, even though the sun was starting to go down, the light level was still a good measure brighter out here. When his eyes had adjusted some, he let out a soft sigh, like wind whistling through branches, before slowly picking his way down the path. As expected, there was the mother Furret at the camp at the bottom, a much more normal size for a pokemon of this sort, watching them descend, eager to know the results of their expedition.

"Did you find him?" She yelped as they got close enough.
"Success, Ma'am!" Aipom called back over the distance. "Looks like a bum leg, and probably a measure hungry, but whole and hearty otherwise!"
She scurried over to close the distance faster, front paws coming up to take the child from Trevenant.
"Oh the poor dear, your back leg… oh dear oh dear…" She looked up, eyes sparkling. "Thank you so much! However you managed to get him to sleep I will never know!"

His hands free, Trevenant signed to her. "He was curled up under a stone… formation…. In the cave. The place must have been at least a little comforting, when fatigue won out."
"Oh but he hates being moved when sleeping! He usually wakes up at once!" As if on cue, the child woke and started to cry. "Ah! Oh baby, is it your leg? Your belly? Let's get you home and to a doctor darling…!"
She went to turn, and then looked back. "I need to pay you!"

Trevenant raised his hands to quickly refuse, but she instead shoved four coins into his palms. But then she blinked. "Wait…. Weren't there four of you? I thought I saw someone else come out of that place."
"Oh! Nah Ma'am, just us." Aipom said quickly.
"Okay…..?" She frowned a bit, but then nodded. "Well, it's worth it anyway. Thank you again!"

Trevenant held the coins and nodded, bowing slightly as he couldn't speak, and then starting down the road.
"Bye ma'am!" Jumpluff called cheerfully.
Aipom waved to her and the baby, as Trevenant headed down the road at a decent clip.

A short distance away, they spotted Darkrai peeking over a bush, waiting for them. It made Aipom laugh.
"Not yer best hiding, I suspect, but does the job." He said. "Here. She gave us an extra coin in thanks. One's for you."
Darkrai grinned and took it, cheerfully pulling out his wallet and putting the coin inside.
"Come on, the sun is going down." Jumpluff complained, floating up into the air beside Darkrai's head. "We still have a whole day to walk to get home."
"...Yeah. At least we can stop when we feel like it, this time?"
Trevenant nodded. "I am not looking forward to sleeping on the ground again, however, not rushing sounds lovely."
Darkrai let out a small chuckle. "Yes. Home good. Bed nice."

With a shared laugh of agreement, the rescue party stated back off down the road towards their Guild town.

None of them noticed someone a distance up the road, watching them and their fourth member in utter horror, taking in every detail of him, especially the red sash tied to his arm.
When they turned to leave, so did she, babe in a firm sling at her chest, and she was off at a terrified sprint.

Chapter Text

"Lady Cresselia, I have heard whisperings in the market today!"

Cresselia looked up from where she was reading from a number of scrolls at the Spritzee that had approached her. "Dear me what now." She huffed. "If it is someone claiming to be engaged to me again I swear…"
"No ma'am, it is very important!"

She sighed. "Fine, what is it you heard?"

"I have been told that someone has seen the Nightmare King!"

Cresselia froze.

At a lack of any interjection, the Spritzee continued. "Y..yes Ma'am! Someone had heard from a mother Furret that he was seen in the Oranchard region, to the south of here!"

"My map! At once!" She shrieked.
"At once, my Lady!!" The small bird flapped around, unrolling a large map of the region across the floor like a carpet, panting with the effort.

Cresselia ignored her handmaid, looking down at the map, eyes casting over the southern region. This area was known for its perfect conditions for growing Oran Berries, and she had at least six towns marked with Dream Beacons across it's expanse.
Cresselia growled in irritation. "I can sense no lit beacons in the area. I thought I had one some months ago but it was gone as quickly as it came. If he is in that region, he is certainly treading carefully."

"He might not be, ma'am." The Spritzee added softly.
Cresselia's pink eyes locked onto her and narrowed. "What do you mean?"
"W…well… they are just market whisperings, my Lady, but…" She paused to settle her nerves. "What I heard was that he wore a Guild sash."

Cresselia was suddenly looming over the much smaller creature.
"I beg your pardon?"
"I-I-It is what I heard ma'am! A Crimson Guild sash around his arm!!"

Slowly, she turned back to her map, eyes landing on a point labeled 'Crimson Guild Town'.
"......The lost heading, perhaps." She mused lowly. There was a pause, and then a smug smile spread across her beak.

"Found you."

~*~

"Doctor Blissey, do you have a moment?"
Blissey looked up. A Raichu had entered her office at the guild hall, a small Pichu with unusually coloured ear tips in her arms. "Raichu, good afternoon. Hello Pichu dear."
The child sunk into her mother's arms.

Blissey blinked with surprise.

"This stubborn little thing won't tell me what is going on. But she needs help." Raichu explained.
Blissey frowned a little. This Pichu was no more rambunctious than any other Blissey had ever met, though as a bit of a runt of the litter, her siblings tended to leave her on her own a lot. Which meant she got into different kinds of mischief with her friends Happiny and Chingling instead.

"Alright, well, let's sit her up here and I will have a look at her."
Blissey motioned to a berth, and Raichu sat the Pichu on it before stepping back. The child stared at the floor, clearly not wanting to be here at all.

Blissey smiled kindly as she came over. "Now, I believe your little friends call you Peachy, don't they?"
That made her look up. "How did you…. Know that?"
Her smile grew. "Oh I know all sorts of things dear. I'm a doctor! It's my job!"
"Oooh."
"So. How can I help?"
"I'm…. broken."
Blissey blinked. "Broken?"

"She spent all day yesterday throwing up." Her mother offered. "Couldn't keep anything down at all. She was able to eat again this morning, but…" She folded her arms and frowned. "One of her brothers was trying to roughhouse with her, and he shocked her."
"Oh, well that shouldn't be too much of an issue, should it? Your natural protections against such things would have made it so it didn't hurt too much."

"That's not the problem!" Peachy piped up, a scared squeak in her small voice. "I tried to shock him back, and I couldn't! My zap is broken!!"
"Not a single volt." Raichu confirmed.
"That is quite unusual." Blissey agreed. "I will need to give you a checkup, top to bottom. Let me just get some rubber gloves."
"Oh, you won't need to do that, doctor." Raichu responded.

Blissey paused. "Does the dear not… have Static?"
Peachy sighed. "It doesn't work." She said, starting to sob. "We bumped into Mr Greninja and he didn't get zapped at all!"
Blissey covered her mouth with her hands. "Ren is a water type, that should have given him a right shock!"
"I'm broken! I can't do anything at all!" Peachy cried into her paws.

Blissey hesitated, but then reached out to gently pat Peachy on the back gently. "There there, dear…" She said softly, patting gaining confidence when she was not, as it turns out, paralyzed by the Static effect. "We'll figure it out. Can you tell me when you stopped being able to use your abilities?"
"She was fine the other day." Raichu explained. "Came home looking unwell, then spent hours throwing up. Then she slept for 12 hours. And that was that."

"Why were you throwing up, dear? Did you eat a rotten berry?"
"Was probably the blue stuff." She mumbled, without thinking.

The two adults peered down at her. "'Blue Stuff', Peachy?"

Peachy covered her mouth with her tiny paws, eyes wide.
"What 'blue stuff'?" Raichu asked, more forceful than Blissey did. "What have you been going around putting in your mouth???"
Peachy just shook her head, eyes wide, staring at the floor. She hadn't meant to say that!

Blissey sighed. "Alright, alright, let's just stay calm, shall we? Raichu can you wait outside for a moment? I should like to talk to Peachy in quiet."
Raichu offered a frustrated sigh. "Fine. Arceus forbid she tell her mother anything." And she left the room.

Blissey waited a few moments, before turning back to the child. "Why do you not want your mother to know what happened?"
"Because I don't want her to be mad at Ling and Happy!" She squeaked. "It was their idea, it wasn't their fault though, I shouldn't have done it! I shouldn't have let them talk me into it but I didn't want them to think I was a scaredy-Meowth! I knew it was going to make me sick! But I didn't think it would do THIS!"
"What would, dear?"
She whimpered and sighed. "It's…. In my backpack. Mama has it."

Blissey nodded. "I will fetch it for you dear, wait here." And then she stood, and headed to the door, leading out of it. "Raichu?"
Raichu looked up. "Is she alright?"
"Still getting to the bottom of it. She has asked for her backpack. May I have it, please?"
Raichu looked down at the backpack at her feet. A simple bag of slightly brownish cloth, with a lightning bolt in pink embroidered onto the front.
Raichu picked it up and handed it over. "I hope she opens up to you doctor." She said. "She is quite stubborn."

Blissey accepted the bag and smiled. "Don't worry, I will work this out." And then she headed back into the room, closing the door. "Here is your bag, Peachy dear."
Peachy accepted it, and started rifling through it. A moment later, she produced a glass bottle with a label in a language that the doctor could read none of.
She took the offered bottle from the child. "What is this….?"

"We found it out in the grass fields just outside of town." She said, sounding miserable. "It had some blue stuff at the bottom… looked like berry juice."
".....And you drank it?"
Prachy let out a whimper. ".....and I drank it…."

Blissey gave it a sniff, recoiling and pulling a face that suggested she would be wrinkling her nose if she were the type of pokemon to possess one. "Smells awful." She decided. "Though…." Much as she didn't seem to want to, she gave it another sniff. "I feel like….. I know this smell."
Peachy tilted her head to one side. "You do?"
"Not quite sure where, though."

Blissey turned the bottle around in her hands. "So you say you felt ill after drinking this blue stuff, and when the sickness passed, you lost your abilities?"
"...Yeah. That…. That's what happened." "Hm." She pondered for a moment, and then gave the child a small pat on the back. "Come, let's talk to your mother."

Peachy sighed, and hopped off the berth, swinging her bag onto her back, and letting herself be led out of the room.

Spotting the two, Raichu stood. "Any success, Doctor?"
"I need to look into the source of the affliction some more." She told her. "But, in the meantime, often when an ability becomes hard to use, a Leppa Berry can help. I believe we have some in stock here. I will ask one of my apprentices to fetch you one."
Peachy pulled a face.
"If Doctor Blissey says you should eat a Leppa Berry, then you eat a whole Leppa Berry and I will not hear a single complaint!"
"..........Yes Mama…."

Blissey smiled, and headed over to one of her Clefairy apprentices. "I need one of you dears to see if we have any Leppa Berries for Peachy. Also can you send someone to fetch Scizor for me?"
"Yes doctor!" And the fairy bounded off.

Blissey smiled and headed back to the two electric types. "They shouldn't be long. In the meantime, have some tea. We have it freshly brewed at that station over there."
"Thank you, Doctor."

She nodded, and then headed into her examination room to wait.

Scizor and the Clefairy with the Leppa Berry appeared exactly 10 seconds behind one another. He took it no mind, giving berries to patients was fairly commonplace. So he walked past Raichu and Peachy with a nod of acknowledgement, and stepped inside Blissey's examination room.

"Bliss? You wanted to see me?"
She looked up from the bottle. "Sci, I need your wisdom on this."
He frowned. "My wisdom? Things must be dire."
"No time to joke, Scizor!" She huffed, and then thrust the bottle towards him. "This!"
He looked down at it.. "...A bottle?"
"A bottle which had… something… in it, and whatever that something is seems to have robbed the little pink-eared Pichu of all her electrical powers! Including Static!"

"That… sounds problematic."

"And I cannot place where I know the smell of it from!"

Scizor frowned at that, and leant in, giving it a sniff. He jerked back. "Ugh!"
"Dreadful, I know, but familiar?"
"....yeah, a bit… I see what you mean." He looked down at it. "...What did you say was in it?"
"Some blue liquid, who knows where it the world it came from."
"The writing.." He pointed at the label with a claw. "Do you know it?"
"No.. it's the strangest writing I have ever seen." Blissey answered. "Do you?"

He frowned. "I cannot read it." He said. "But I do recognize it."
"Really?!"
"These are… human words."
She paused, blinking. "Human…? Aren't they a myth?"
"No, no they're not." He sighed. "Thank goodness our rescue party have just returned from the Voiceless Mountain. Trev will probably be able to read it."

"They're back already? Successfully, I hope?" Blissey frowned. "Why should Trevenant be able to read it?"
"That is his to explain, Bliss, not mine."
She sighed. "Well, alright. I will have a Clefairy fetch him."
"Let me." He stepped out of the room and headed to one of the other medical staff.

After speaking with her, and handing her his wallet, he headed back into the room. Though this time, he kept the Raichu and Pichu in his peripheral as he passed. Seemed as though Leppa Berries were unpleasant to the child, but her mother was not letting her turn it down. Poor thing.

He headed inside. "I asked her to send Darkrai and the others to the bakery while we borrow Trev for this matter." He said. "I haven't spoken with them at all yet, but I assume they were victorious."

Blissey blinked at him as she thought. "....Darkrai…"
"....Bliss?"
She did not answer, instead picking up the bottle and sniffing it again. "That is where that smell is familiar!" She declared. "When he first came here and he was unwell, do you remember?"
"I remember, we had to bathe him with a sea sponge while he was unconscious."
"Blue stuff!" She continued. "Peachy said the stuff in this bottle was blue! And when Darkrai was brought in, he was splattered with blood, bile, and blue liquid." She clapped her hands once, in place of being able to click her fingers. "And it made Peachy throw up, as well!"

Before Scizor could respond to this revelation, there was a knock at the door. He strode over and opened it, looking out, smiling as he saw Trevenant there. "That was fast, Trev!"

Trevenant nodded. "We were already on our way here when we were approached by one of the nurses." He signed. "The others were well content to go to the bakery for now."
"Good good, come in."

He stepped inside, and Scizor closed the door behind him. "What assistance can I offer? I do not know medicine."

"I know. But I was hoping you could help in another way. Bliss?"
Blissey held out the bottle. "Scizor said you might be able to read this."
Trevenant leaned over to look at it, and then recoiled. "Where did you… get this?" He asked, signs a little shaky.

"A Pichu child found it, and drank some of it. We are trying to figure out what it is, so we can try and undo it." Scizor explained.
Trevenant looked upset. But after a moment he answered slowly, "......I can read it."

Blissey sighed. "Oh thank goodness." She put it down on the desk and started pulling out some paper and a quill. "Sci if you say his signs out loud I will write it down. We need a record of this!"

Scizor nodded. "Alright."

Trevenant glanced over the bottle again, before signing at Scizor for him to dictate.

"Alright, Trev says the front of the bottle calls it 'PP Down'. It has a tagline of 'To remove the risk of accidental attacks and damage.'" Scizor said, frowning.
Trevenant then reached over and grabbed the bottle at the top, turning it around so he could read the back.
"Alright, he's reading the back." Scizor says. "'Introducing PP Down, the new method for ensuring your pokemon are keeping safe when out of their comfort zone. Ideal for when training skittish pokemon or pokemon with unstable passive effects, or when introducing new party members with conflicting natures.'"
Trevenant's hands were shaking, and his signs were inconsistent in enthusiasm. "Instructions for use: Spray onto the skin or fur of your pokemon. Within 30 minutes, your pokemon will be… unable to utilise any… combat abilities. Within… an hour…'" He trailed off. " …Trev…?"

Blissey looked up. Trevenant was trembling, and looked distinctly distressed.

".... Trevenant dear, are you alright?" She prompted.
He shook his head, looking like he wanted nothing more than to scream.
"Why would they MAKE something like this!?" He signed, big and fast and frantic. "It's horrible!!!!"

Blissey put her quill down and crossed over to him, pulling him into a firm hug.
Scizor was frowning. "I'm sorry, Trev, if anyone else could read it I'd let you tap out…."

Blissey leant back from him. "You can take your time, dear."
"Where did… where could a child have found this awful concoction?" Trevenant signed, agitated. "This is akin to poison!"

"She told me she found it in the grassfields outside of town." Blissey paused. ".....the same place they found Darkrai."

Trevenant frowned. "What does Darkrai have to do with this…. Liquid curse?"
"We don't know yet, dear. Maybe nothing."

Scizor sighed. "Unpleasant as it is, Trev, can you read the rest of the bottle, please?"
He looked unhappy, but nodded, looking back at it as Blissey picked up her pen again.

"Alright, picking up where we left off…'Within 30 minutes, your pokemon will be unable to utilise any combat abilities. Within an hour, any passive effects will also cease. To remove the effect, attend a Pokemon Centre. …..Not to be taken orally.'...... And that's it."

Blissey looked up. "Not to be taken orally. And the poor Pichu dear drank it! No wonder she was so sick!"
"So…" Scizor started, turning this new information over in his mind carefully. "It is a… potion? That removes all abilities and passive effects. …Spray onto skin or fur… it's like a contact poison, then. It is absorbed from the outside."
"She still would have touched it when drinking it, so it still took her powers away, but the vomiting was because she drank it instead of putting it on her fur!" Blissey yelped.

"Trev, what is a pokemon centre, do you know?"
Trevenant pulled a face. "It is akin to a pokemon hospital… in the human world."
"You… you can't mean to say that the only way to get Pichu's abilities back… is in another world??" Scizor exclaimed. "That can't be the end of it!"

"I don't know… This wasn't around when…" He trailed off.

Blissey frowned, looking at Scizor. The guildmaster shook his head.
"I worry about…. Your theory, Bliss."
Trevenant was glad that they weren't going to press. "What theory is that?"

Blissey sighed. "As I said before… the bottle was found in the same place we found Darkrai. He was covered in blood, bile, and blue, and the Pichu told me that this stuff was blue. And the smell… I do remember the smell."
"But how would he have gotten his hands on it?" He asked. "And what for?"

Scizor hummed thoughtfully and crossed his arms. "If anyone could do it, an Eternal One is going to be them."
"Eternal One?" Trevenant signed back.
Blissey titled her head to one side. "Are you… not familiar?"
"No, I have not heard the term before."

"Eternal Ones are…. Well, they're different. They live forever, as far as we can tell, and are said to have been born to Arceus himself!"
"The group of them are often called a pantheon. Gods, I guess, more powerful than any normal pokemon could hope to be. I don't know for certain if he has the power to get this human poison and bring it here, but he is the only one in the area likely to be able to." Scizor added.

"It doesn't make sense though. Why would he do it to himself?"
"I don't know."

Blissey whimpered a little. "It is a worry, though." She said softly. "If he has taken this PP Down, then…. Irrespective of if he did it to himself or someone poured it down his throat… He cannot use any of his abilities. If Cresselia were to find him…"
Scizor frowned deeply. "...He'd be defenseless."

The revelation hung in the air for a moment, and then two. Then the quiet was shattered by a loud explosion outside, and the sound of frightened screams.

Chapter Text

When Scizor, Blissey, and Trevenant ran out of the guild hall, they were met with rising smoke and bright light. Between the houses and shops there were more explosions, and they watched one of them collapse in the face of the attack.

"What is going on?!" Blissey shrieked.
Scizor gasped as he realised what part of town that was. "No no no!!" And with a loud sizzle of his wings, he was off through the air.

"Sci! Scizor!!!" Blissey and Trevenant ran after him on foot, towards the chaos that most others were running away from.

Through the dust and the chaos, Scizor came to the sight of several attacks crashing into the street, following after a black and red shape on the ground.

"Hold still, you fiend!!" Shouted a voice, echoing loud with power. "This time you have gone too far!!!"

Scizor could hear Jumpluff shouting for their attacker to stop, and Aipom was shouting some… less polite words.
The dust parted as another attack ripped through it, and Scizor laid eyes on her.

Cresselia.

He didn't think. He didn't shout. He just dove down as fast as he could, and planted himself between Cresselia's attack and Darkrai, who was already looking quite hurt, trying to keep Aipom and Jumpluff from taking any of her aggression for themselves.

The blast connected with his metal frame with a ringing sound, throwing him backwards and colliding with the road. He bounced once, rolled, and then fell still.

Jumpluff, Aipom, and Darkrai all were stunned silent for a moment, before all three were yelling, his name where they could, and just a noise of anguish where he couldn't.

Cresselia huffed. "It is worse than I thought!" She declared, rising up through the air to fly above them, harsh light shining off her wings. "This whole town is under your curse! An innocent as a shield is one thing, but a whole town? This will end today, vile creature!"

She lifted her wings in a way Darkrai was uncomfortably familiar with. He gave his friends a solid shove, and snarled at them in what he hoped came across as get away! just as two blades of light ripped through the air, colliding with his back, pulling a scream of pain from him.

"I will not let you escape me again!!" Cresselia boomed, a beam gathering in her beak.

"Fight back!!" Darkrai heard a voice call through the chaos of it all. Blissey? "You have to fight back!!"

He held his hands put in front of him for a moment, a familiar motion to summon any of his powers. But just before the beam hit him, he had dove to the side to avoid it instead, and was sprinting between two buildings.

He couldn't.

He couldn't!

He'd actually forgotten what he had done to himself! In exchange for not hurting anyone… not hurting these people that became his friends… he couldn't… he didn't have the power to fight back.

So he ran. He ran as much as he could, between buildings, in dust clouds, darting this way and that way and behind her as much as he could.
She followed him for a time, shrieking with fury and indignation, throwing attack after attack after attack, levelling buildings and ripping up road.

Eventually she seemed to be just be firing at anything that moved, furious. She'd lost sight of him. "WHERE ARE YOU?!"

Darkrai stopped against a tree, on top of a hill on the north side of town. He was panting hard, having run harder than he ever had on his thin legs in his life.

He turned back to check where Cresselia was, and he felt his breath stop. The town… was in ruins. The beautiful town, and all the people that had taken him in, accepted him, begrudgingly some of them but they were still… he'd really thought he could have been at home here.

He really could never know peace, could he.

Cresselia was moving frantically across the town, destroying any building that still stood even a little bit. It would occupy her for a little while, probably. If he ran now, she'd not notice for a while and he would have quite the head start.

But still…

A roar echoed across the ruined town, making Cresselia pause. She turned, and spotted the subject of her ire on a hill a distance away. He locked eyes with her for a heartbeat, and then sprinted away between the trees.

"COME BACK HERE!" She bellowed, splitting through the sky in pursuit.

The dust started to settle, and silence fell as the sounds of violence slipped away into the distance. It had only been a matter of minutes. But that was all it took for Crimson Guild Town to disappear.

Chapter Text

Scizor came to with a ringing headache, dirt in his mouth, and a cacophony of voices all around him. He'd certainly been whallopped harder before, but damn if he didn't hurt in his everything! He groaned as he sat up, a claw to his head.

"Oh Scizor you're awake!!!" Blissey exclaimed. "You heroic fool!"
He cracked his eyes open to find her kneeling next to him. "You're… very loud, Bliss."
"Well I am a bit stressed."
He squinted at her for a bit, eyes starting to settle and allowing him to open them more. "What…. What happened…?" He paused and gasped, trying to stand as the memory of everything that had happened all came crashing back to him at once. "What happened?! Where is Darkrai?!"

There was a whimper from his other side. "H..he… he lured her a…aw..away from t..town…!" Jumpluff sobbed.

"All the bloody good it did! We threw our lot in with him and now look at what happened!!" Someone else retorted.

Scizor didn't register who had spoken. He was very much looking. He had managed to stand, and was slowly taking in the destruction around them. Every building… destroyed, or at least with a gaping hole in it.

Only one building remained untouched: The Dream Beacon.

He started to shake, and his wings buzzed dangerously. "Heartless, wicked, reprobate!!!" He shouted, swiping his claws through the air at it, an X-Scissor bolt snapping through the air and blasting a hole in the pink orb at the top.

The pokemon around him jumped, and a child started to cry.
"Sc..sci, please…" Blissey stammered. "Now is… n..no time to lose your temper…"
He growled a bit but let his hands fall to his sides. "I'm sorry I just…"

Scizor looked around at all the people who were coming out of the disaster around them, clamoring around in a group, looking to their Guildmaster, their town leader, for guidance.

He sighed, clenching and unclenching his claws, calming down. Then he lifted his voice to the growing crowd.

"We will not let this stand." He declared. "Eternal One or not, Cresselia's assault on our home will not be without repercussions!"
"What hope have we got against her, Sci?" Mac asked, one hand grasping an injured side. "She kicked your ass right good in one blow."

"I'm fine. I think she hit me in the head."

Blissey sighed, a hand to her face. "The hardest part of you, yes." She mumbled. "You still took a direct attack from her, and were knocked out! I thought you were dead!"

He looked at her. "I'm sorry, Bliss. But even if I cannot take direct hits from her, I cannot let her get away with ripping our homes from us!"

"What about him?!" Another voice called out. "If it wasn't for the Nightmare King, this never would have happened! It's HIS fault!!"
There was a small murmur of agreement.

Scizor's eyes gained a hint of anger to them at the remark. With a buzz of his wings, he lifted off the ground, just high enough so that everyone could see him.

"And which building, pray tell, did he destroy?" He asked, voice booming over the crowd, bringing silence. "Who was hurt by his hand? Which action was his? I was unconscious! Someone let me know which fault lies with him?!"

There was a dull silence.

He huffed, unsurprised by the response. "It does not matter if she was drawn here due to his presence. The actions that destroyed our town were hers, done by choice! So blame lies with Cresselia, not with Darkrai! Her attacks, done without care for the people around her. When he was protecting others from being harmed in attacks meant for him!"
He locked eyes with several, certain townsfolk for a few moments, picking them out with his gaze even if he did not call their names.

"He isn't the only one who has been running!" He continued. "We know this! How many of you have been pulled from the gutter, from desperation, from enemies, or from imprisonment?!" He continued. "We cannot forget our trials and our pasts, simply because life is better now! Most of you know my history, and I know all of yours! We are not a town of saints!"

Several people in the gathered crowd looked away, looking scolded.

When no one chose to interject or argue, Scizor continued. "We have worked hard and fought for our peace. And he was struggling and suffering for his! He is one of us! And I will stand with him just as I stand for all of you! I will not force anyone to like him, but I know you all well enough to hope you will stand by him in this, as you would anyone else here! And because of that, I will bring her to task, and make it so he can live his life without fear of her! So we can all live without fear!"

There was another pause as silence fell over the ruined town. Then the silence was broken by a pair of hands clapping.

Scizor turned, and saw Trevenant clapping nodding in approval. A few moments later, other orchard staff were also clapping, Mac having hands enough to clap and give a thumbs up at the same time. "Here here!"
"Well said, Scizor!" Ren added.

Jumpluff let out a squeal. "I'm with you, Scizor!"
"Aye Guildmaster that's the way!" Aipom agreed.
Blissey simply clapped, looking like she might cry.

The whole town was cheering at his declaration. And it made the Guildmaster's heart swell with pride.

"We will recover from this!" He announced over the roar of his people. "It will take time, and we must all do what we can!"
The clapping and cheering quietened in anticipation of instructions.

"Blissey, Machamp, Trevenant…" They perked up, Mac and Blissey frowning at the lack of nickname from their leader. This was how seriously he was taking this. "...I am relying on you three to guide the recovery effort. Treat the wounded, salvage anything we can, set up temporary shelters until we can rebuild."

Trevenant tilted his head to one side. "Why us? What about you?"

"I…" He answered. "...will be going to the Capital."
Blissey squeaked. "The Capital?! Why?"
"We are a fully affiliated Guild. We pay dues to the Capital Guild, and in return, we are offered certain protections and backup. I will go and beseech the Capital Guild to provide aid for recovery. And… advice maybe. The old Grand Guildmaster knows so much… he might know where we can turn to get this made right."
"Will they even help us?" Blissey worried.
"Worth it to try." He answered. "If I fly my fastest, I can make it to the next town by sundown. Then…. Maybe I might be able to get a taxi to the Capital."

"I'll go with you!"

Scizor turned. "Jumpluff?"
She was puffing out her cheeks. "I won't let you go alone!"
Blissey stepped forward. "Are you certain, dear?"
"I'm no good for helping people that are hurt or building or stuff like that. But I AM good at keeping watch and running back up support. So I am going!"

He smiled. "Thank you, Jumpluff." He offered a hand to her. "I fly fast, that okay?"
She floated close to him, letting him hold onto her. "I'll be okay."

"Good luck." Blissey said softly. "Keep each other safe."

Scizor nodded. "We will." He took off into the air, pausing above the crowd and waving. "We will be back as soon as we can!" He called.

Cheers and well wishes rose up to meet them. He lingered for another moment, then shot through the sky towards the next town as fast as he could.

Chapter Text

True to estimates, Scizor and Jumpluff arrived at the next town over as the sun was starting to sink behind the mountains on the horizon. He was exhausted on landing though, letting go of Jumpluff, allowing her to float freely beside her while he leant forward, claws on his knees as he panted, trying to catch his breath.

"Are you okay?" Jumpluff asked softly. "You flew so hard, so soon after taking that damage…"
"I'll be… fine…" He puffed, wings limp against his back. "Let's… find a taxi…. I can… rest on the way…"

"Okay…" She frowned at him. She wasn't convinced, but she had known Scizor for most of her life. She was not likely to out-stubborn him on this. "If I remember correctly… the taxi rank is in the square. It's still pretty light out, we should hurry… I don't know if any will still be there this close to nightfall."

"Y…yeah…" And he started walking at a brisk pace, Jumpluff beside him.

As they moved through the town to the square, there were still lots of people around. People moved out of the way of the scuffed and tired looking pair, though as they walked, they could hear snippets of conversation, hushed gossip that wasn't hushed quite enough.

"Oh Arceus is that Crimson Guild?"
"They look hurt, what do you think happened?"
"Isn't it obvious? The nightmare king must have turned on them!"
"Wait, you believe that?"
"Buneary told me that Furret saw him herself! With a sash and all!"
"What if he stole it and is just causing trouble? That sounds like something he would do."
"Hm, yeah maybe…"

Jumpluff let out a soft sound that was as close to a growl as she could muster. "That's how she found us…. The Furret…!"
"...his sash…"
"He tried hiding… she must have seen him when he rejoined us…" Jumpluff was furious. "He saved her baby! The ungrateful…!!"
"Jum, easy… keep your voice down."
She simmered, but looked quite cranky.

He smiled, though he was just as angry. Darkrai had done nothing wrong in the slightest. These people had never even met him and were so quick to judge…

"Ah! Sci!" Jumpluff's voice cut through his thoughts. "There's one taxi still here!!"
He looked up, eyes refocusing ahead, spotting the Korvinight sitting on top of his sturdy carriage frame.
Scizor picked up the pace. "Excu.. excuse me, could you take us to the Capital?"

The large bird looked down at him appraisingly. "I could. No risk of being chased down in the night, I hope?"
Scizor put a claw in front of Jumpluff just as she was opening her mouth to protest.
"No. There is no chance of that."
The Korvinight glared a bit.
Scizor sighed. "I will pay you double your fee."

He considered it, and then nodded. "I can get you to the Capital by dawn."
"Yes please, thank you."
"Welcome aboard."

Scizor nodded and opened the door to the carriage, climbing inside, Jumpluff settling in next to him.

After the door closed with a confident click, the carriage lurched into the air, carried aloft by the large pokemon.

Scizor sighed and relaxed into the seat.
"You're exhausted." Jumpluff said softly.
"I am. But, I can rest on the way."

Jumpluff nodded and floated down to the seat opposite him. "I can't believe that… after we worked for her and found her baby.. that Furret would still go running to tell everyone she saw him there and send Cresselia after him. We'd hardly even gotten back from the Mountain!"

"Rumor flies faster than I can." He offered sadly. "But, successful rescue, I take it?"
She nodded. "Yeah. Because of him. He told us while we were traveling… he can hear dreams. Different sounds for good and bad dreams. And he heard the baby's scared dream, even through the silence. We could have been wandering around for weeks if not for him being able to pinpoint them so carefully."
"What an incredible ability." He smiled. "Not surprising that the child was having bad dreams. You had nightmares for weeks after we found you."
"Yeah…" She looked out the window.

Scizor let the silence sit, breaking it unintentionally after a short while when a yawn pulled from him.
"You should sleep."
"You will wake me… when we arrive?"
"Of course!"

Over the course of the trip, Korvinight was not oblivious to his passengers dozing off. The Scizor in particular was dead to the world the whole time, the Jumpluff would doze and then wake, move, then doze off again. Any little jostle or jolt seemed to wake her. Perhaps for the best that one of them was at least semi alert for the trip.

And it meant that as they started their descent into the Capital, at least one of them was awake.

It was still what one could call dawn. The sun was fully above the horizon, but the sky was still split with red and gold and pink, the shadows still quite long on the ground.

Jumpluff had never seen the Capital before. It was huge compared to what Crimson Guild Town had been, and grand. Instead of their simple cobblestone roads, the ground here was paved with terracotta tiles, some of them painted in vibrant colours to create a massive mosaic across the whole city.
The buildings as well were bigger and more lavish than their simple cobble and half timber homes, incorporating more timber, more stone, more flourishes and embellishments.

She could see through the window the town square, in the centre of the city. It too was grand; a large paved area with coloured tiles, market stalls and garden beds in the centre. To one side there was the largest building Jumpluff had ever seen… a massive stone building with huge spires that stretched towards the sky, with ornately carved and gilded double doors, marked with the symbol of Arceus. In the dawn light, it practically glowed.

Directly opposite it was another large building, not as tall, not as ornate, but similar in style and building materials. Somehow more practical?

The other sides were lined with shops and houses, fanning out into the rest of the city.
"Scizor! Wake up! We're here!" She squealed, shaking her cotton puffs gently to release a soft Aromatherapy scent, pulling him from sleep.

"Hn..? Oh… already?" He blinked a few times, before leaning over to look out the window. "...Feels like it's twice the size as the last time I was here." He remarked.

"You have been before?"
"Mmhm, twice." He said, rubbing his eye with a claw. "For very… different reasons."
She tilted her head to one side, but chose not to ask.

Their taxi landed far smoother than you might expect from a hulking metal bird carrying a box; only the slightest jolt as they made contact with the ground.

As promised, he paid double the fee, plus a tip, into the Korvinight's payment tin on the side of his cab, before stepping away from the taxi rank and into the square proper.

It was quiet, thanks to still being early morning, though there was growing activity as people started their day.

Scizor led the way towards the more practical building, pausing before the large doors. "Try not to interrupt when any of the other Guildmasters that might be here speak, okay?"
"You make me sound disrespectful!"
He chuckled. "No, not at all. I'm just quite lax with some protocols in our town. You aren't in habits they expect."
She smiled. "Okay."

He nodded, and pushed the doors open.

Chapter Text

Inside the Capital Guildhall looked somewhere between a lobby and a tavern. There was a large reception desk in the centre at the back with a Scrafty sitting behind it, and a spread of tables, many laden with food, and a raucous congregation of other pokemon sitting around, chatting.

Scizor froze as he came in. "Wh..what…?"

"Aha! Crimson!!" The Scrafty called, causing a hush to come over the gathered pokemon.
He swallowed a little, and crossed the room to the reception desk, pointedly not looking at anyone as he did so.

Jumpluff did not, looking around, making confused eye contact with several people around. The noise returned as a quiet murmur.

"Why are there so many people here, Raf…?"
"Somethin big!" He answered, grinning. "But you knew that, right?"

Scizor felt his stomach tighten. But before he could say anything else, a voice boomed across the chatter.

"Crimson!"

He spun around at once. Standing on the far side of the room was a tall bear with black and grey fur, with yellow claws.

Scizor stiffened, and dropped into a bow at the waist. "Grand Guildmaster."
Jumpluff's eyes went wide. "Eternal One…. Urshifu!" She whispered.

The Grand Guildmaster of the Capital Guild looked down at her, staring at him, and her Guildmaster in a respectful bow, frowning a bit. "I am surprised to see you here, Crimson." He growled, calm and low. "No visits to the Capital in ten years, and now, to appear like this? Face me and speak."

Scizor straightened and looked up at Urshifu. "I… have come to report and ask for assistance." He said. "My Guild… my town… has been attacked and destroyed."
Urshifu arched a brow. "Oh?" He wondered. "Quite a situation. One you may have put yourself into, by all reports so far."

Scizor clenched his jaw for a moment, glancing around the room. It had been full, but it was only now he was noticing that many of these pokemon were other Guildmasters from across the country. It was unusual that they should all be here… it made him worry as to why, and also why Ushifu seemed so content to do this in front of them all instead of in private like Scizor had hoped to do.
"I came as fast as I could, but the rumor had a head start!" He responded. "Guildmaster, please. Heed my words on the situation and not rumor!"

Urshifu folded his arms across his chest and lent back slightly, eyeing Scizor. "Speak your words then. Tell us exactly how the Nightmare destroyed your town."

He couldn't stop the hiss of irritation pulling from his lungs, even though he was trying to be respectful and calm in front of the Grand Guildmaster. "He DIDN'T!" He shouted, before he could stop himself.

There was a collective shocked intake of air from the surrounding crowd. He just shouted at Urshifu!
The Eternal One himself did not react, instead waiting for Scizor's explanations to continue.
"He lifted no hands against our town! It was destroyed by Cresselia!!"

That accusation gave Urshifu pause. "Cresselia?"
"Yes! She came without warning, and attacked our town, hurting several of my people-"
"And you." Jumpluff whispered.
"-And me, and destroyed almost every building, or at least rendering them unlivable! We are all homeless, with nothing! By her hand!"

There was a muttering from the people around the room. Clearly they didn't believe it. Scizor continued to stare up at Urshifu. He didn't care if the others believed him, it was just the Guildmaster he needed to convince.

"That is…. Not like her." He said. "And… very different to rumor spreading across the region."
"Yes, I somehow think it probably is." He growled back. "How is the Nightmare involved then, Crimson, if he was not the one on attack?"

Scizor hesitated. There would be no pretending once he uttered these words. But at this point, he needed them to know the truth. And if they rejected what was true…. He had some backup plans. Terrible plans, admittedly, but hopefully he wouldn't need them.

"His name is Darkrai, Grandmaster." Scizor said lowly. ".....And he is a member of my Guild."
The room burst with exclamations from all sides, making Jumpluff jump and float closer to Scizor.

"We knew you were mad, Scizor but not THIS MAD!" A Guildmaster from the north yelled at him. "Taking in all those criminals and misfits is one thing, but the NIGHTMARE KING??"
There were loud shouts of agreement from other Guildmasters and guild members. "You brought this on yourself!"
"I bet Lady Cresselia didn't even do anything, it was just all a nightmare from HIM!"
"How stupid do you have to be to let a monster like that into your town, let alone your guild!"

Urshifu had stayed quiet as his Guildhall had erupted into an uproar. He was simply watching Scizor react. It was not often you could see harsh words literally taking chunks out of a Pokemon's ability to keep his cool. If this was allowed to go on much longer, they risked having a Bug Buzz let loose in the hall, which seemed less than ideal. So, before the younger Guildmaster was pushed to the edge, Urshifu intervened.

"ENOUGH." He boomed. Silence fell over the crowd.

He watched Scizor tense, but he held it together. "Crimson. You claim that you have… Tamed… the Nightmare King?" He asked.
Scizor might not have exploded, but he was still visibly angry. "I didn't have to. He doesn't want to hurt anyone. He never has done. He isn't a monster, no more than anyone else in my town is."
"You understand how hard to believe this is, knowing his history?"

Scizor was genuinely hoping for a little more support from Urshifu of all people. "What do you know of his history!? Have you ever spoken with him, or tried to extend a kind hand, Guildmaster?!" He snapped back. "Have you EVER sought him out without intention of doing him harm? How can you -or ANY OF YOU-" He added to the room. "Claim to know his motivations or anything about him, when all you have about him is rumor and legend!? He has lived with us for months! And at this point, Arceus himself doesn't know Darkrai as well as I do!!"

Another shocked silence settled over the hall. Urshifu did react this time, unfolding his arms and frowning, leaning forward. "Careful with words like that, Crimson." He said warningly.
"Well damn it I mean it!" He snapped back. "He isn't a monster! He is thoughtful and clever and kind. He reads books by the river and he picks Oran berries in our orchards! He was learning pokesign and making friends, earning coin, shopping, things any other pokemon does! And when an emergency rescue mission came around he volunteered to help, using skills we otherwise didn't have in our rescue teams! And it was BECAUSE of him they were able to succeed! You can ask her all about it, she was there!" He motioned to Jumpluff, making her squeak.

Scizor was on a roll now though, and kept going. "And when Cresselia attacked, he was defending those who would have otherwise been caught in attacks meant for him that were going wide. And even though she knocked me unconscious, my townsfolk told me that he deliberately drew her attention and led her away from the town, so no one else would be hurt! Would a monster do that?!"

Urshifu folded his arms again, leaning back slightly with a sigh. "This is….. Quite an accusation." He said softly, growled voice carrying well in the now silent hall. "It is true. I have not sought out my older cousins, neither Cresselia or Darkrai. Perhaps I ought to have done."

"G…Guildmaster, you can't possibly believe him!" Another of the gathered Guildmasters protested. "Even if he was acting all nice and charming on the surface, he wouldn't have been able to help himself from causing nightmares! Scizor's town must have been going mad from nightmares all these months!"

"He couldn't."

Urshifu's eyes had turned to the owner of the protest, but they snapped back to Scizor. "What do you mean…. Couldn't?"

Scizor looked down, anger giving way to something….much more sad.
"We… did not get the opportunity to ask him about it. But we believe that he has put himself under the effect of a human concoction."

There was a murmur through the crowd. There were mixed beliefs when it came to humans. The Guildmaster's eyes narrowed, and had any doubters reconsider with a simple sentence.
"What kind of thing have they made now?"

"It… removes a Pokemon's ability to use their power." He explained. "All power. Every part of his move set and his passive abilities, all of them have been cut off from him. He has never lifted a finger to hurt any of us… he couldn't, even if he wanted to."

Jumpluff had tried so hard to not interrupt or interject like she had been asked. But she just couldn't hold it in, not now. Not with the realization of why he had done what he had done. "He couldn't fight back!" She blurted out.

All eyes were on her.
Urshifu frowned. "When?"
"When Cresselia attacked us! I saw him try, I saw him move his hands like he was trying to use an ability, but nothing happened! He couldn't fight back at all! All he could do was run or get blasted!!"

Scizor scooped her out of the air and held her.

Urshifu considered this for a long moment. "And you attribute this to humans?"
"....a child of our town found the bottle. And is under the effects as well." Scizor answered. "According to the writing on it, it cannot be cured except for in their pokemon hospitals. Without access to that, it seems permanent."

Scizor glanced around the room at his peers. They seemed horrified by the very concept of this potion. And rightly so!
"He came to us sick and hurt and scared, Guildmaster. He was scared of me, he was scared of Jumpluff, he was scared of everyone. He is not wicked, he just wanted somewhere to be safe. I believe this with my whole heart."

Urshifu sighed. "This is quite the accusation. Thousands of years of reputation… false? And Cresselia chasing and attacking someone without cause?"

He seemed to be deep in thought. Scizor stayed quiet, hoping beyond hope that Urshifu believed him.

Finally, the bear seemed to come to a conclusion. "We shall have truth. Follow me." And he turned, striding towards the double doors that led to the outside.

Chapter Text

While Scizor and Jumpluff were travelling to the Capital, the rest of Crimson Guild Town were not idle. They had given themselves almost a half hour to catch their breath and grieve, before they got to work.

Mac was coordinating the townsfolk in salvaging materials and supplies from their ruined home. It was depressing work… for many of the children they had lost the only home they had ever known. For many of the adults, it was the first home they could have called theirs. To see what was a growing, bustling town this morning be reduced to broken boards, smashed tile, and torn fabric in a matter of minutes was heartbreaking.

Blissey had established a field hospital, and was treating the injured as best she could with the supplies they could scavenge from the remnants of her clinic in the Guildhall. Some of the sturdier timbers pulled from the wreckage had been lashed together with vine and recovered rope, a curtain or two, and it would suffice. Certainly not as clean as she wanted and none of her supplies in neat shelves, but she tried not to complain. That they were able to arrange anything at all was amazing, and the fact that so far no one had lost their lives was nothing short of a miracle.

Trevenant was leading a team in salvaging materials, making neat piles of reusable timbers and tiles, food and other supplies. Some people were pulling their possessions out of the carnage, scuffed but okay. Others were not so lucky. Trevenant's own home was blown clear to splinters, as were the two houses next to his. He had no illusions about how much would be left.

As the day grew long, the town gathered in the remnants of the town square, using unsalvageable timber to set small campfires, people gathering in groups, surrounded by ruin.

Blissey sank to the ground beside Trevenant with a deep sigh.
"You seem tired, Blissey." He signed, looking at her.
Blissey chuckled softly. "Absolutely exhausted, Trevenant dear."
"You should try and sleep."
"Oh… I don't think I could. Not after today."
He put a hand on hers comfortingly.

She sighed again. "It's… ironic, I guess." She said with a sort of… half sobbed sort of laugh. "Until he came, we were all frightened of the nightmares he could bring down on us… and now that we know him, after only a few months… I'm terrified of the nightmares I might have while he's gone."

Trevenant nodded, frowning sadly. "If we were right about him taking that human elixir… he is in a lot of danger. Unable to defend himself. Not just from her but from anyone else."His hands paused. "Blissey, why does she hate him so much? I am not familiar with his legend. What did he do?"
Blissey sighed and looked up at the sky. "Unfortunately… it's impossible to say. He is said to be thousands of years old, and it seems as though no one has ever had a kind word to say about him that whole time. Over time, imagination and word of mouth has placed the blame of all sorts of things at his feet."

She lowered her eyes to the small fire. "Kidnapping, theft, assault, murder, any bad thing you can think of, there is some story of him doing it. Bad dreams and poor fortune… it is all his doing, according to someone or another."
"None of that sounds like our Darkrai."

"No, it doesn't, does it. Sadly, creatures with that kind of reputation make for a convenient scapegoat for misfortunes and mistakes. Far easier to blame some evil thing than own up to it." She rubbed her face. "I just wish we had been able to go after them. But with all this…?"

She looked around. "We won't be able to rebuild quickly… and being under the stars like this tonight is one thing, but rain could come at any time it pleases, and the weather will be changing soon… it will be cold and we are homeless….!"
She made a noise that sounded like she was trying not to burst into tears. Trevenant reached out and put a hand on her back.

There was a kind of heavy quiet for a few minutes, before Aipom came up to them from the piles of rubble. "Look what I found." He said, not an ounce of excitement in his voice.

Blissey and Trevenant looked up, and in Aipom's little nub hands, they lay eyes on Darkrai's shoulder bag.
"... that's… Darkrai's…"
"Yeah…" He picked up the strap in his tail and showed off where it had been cut clean through. "Looks like he took one o those hits in th back."
Blissey whimpered.
"It's damn heavy, is he keeping rocks in here?"

"May I?" Trevenant asked, holding out his hands.
Aipom nodded, and handed it over.

The contents had settled somewhat as things in a bag were wont to do. But Trevenant was able to find the source of the weight without any trouble: Three, fairly hefty books- anthologies of children's stories for young children through to teenagers. He also had a paper bag with the pastries he had just bought before the attack, his wallet, a disposable fork, and a small bag of dried berry snacks.

But then, in three pieces now instead of one, Trevenant pulled out a thin, small item, holding it up to the light of their small campfire.

Blissey blinked. "What… is that…?" She wondered.

It was dark grey, shot with black and dark red, and light passed through it, throwing colours across the ground.

"It's like stained glass…"
Trevenant put the shard in Blissey's hand to free his own. "I saw Darkrai pick it up when we were in the Voiceless Mountain. I didn't get a chance to ask him about it."
"In that place? What would something like this be doing in a place like that?"

"It does not surprise me as much as all that, though where exactly he picked it up does surprise me a bit, as I did not see anything else like it there." He paused, and then got thoughtful. "It could be a solution to our problem, though… thinking about it…" Blissey tilted her head to one side. "What do you mean, where exactly? And how could this be a solution?"

Trevenant looked at her. "Not the shard, but the Mountain."
Aipom squeaked. "You aren't suggesting we take shelter in the Voiceless Mountain of all damn places?!"
"It may not be suitable long term, but you could not see what I could." He explained. "It is no simple cave. There is an abandoned city hidden in it's depths."

Aipom stared, but then though about it. "Did seem unusually easy goin for a cave…"

Trevenant nodded. "I feel as though the darkness and the silence came after, forcing people to leave. But if we have some way of lighting it, there are homes and I think shops, already there and built, simply waiting to be cleaned and furnished and lit. And while we may not stay there forever, it is a roof we do not have to build."

Blissey pondered this. "A day's walk, to a shelter we only need furnish…" She said softly to herself, seeming tempted by the idea. "The dark may be a problem, though. Torches don't seem to work very well there."
"Perhaps many of them to give small amounts of light would do?"
She let out a thoughtful hum. "People may not like it… but it is a better idea than freezing to death before we can organise our repairs…"
"...A bit off putting, but…. Might keep other folk away from us until we can figure ourselves out?" Aipom suggested.

"Let us sleep on it for now, and we can propose it to everyone in the morning."
They nodded in agreement.

Chapter Text

The pair followed closely after Urshifu as he led them through the Guildhall's large doors and into the Capital square.

People were up and about now well and truly, and lots stopped to look at the tall and imposing Eternal One as he passed.

Scizor hesitated slightly when he realised where they were going: the large building across from the Guildhall, which stretched high into the sky.
"... We're… going in there..?" He asked in a surprisingly small voice.

Urshifu glanced over at him. "I understand your caution. But it is the best place for us to seek the Truth." He gave a soft smile. "It is not you that is being judged, today."
Jumpluff looked at Scizor, who had an unexpectedly uncomfortable expression on his face. She floated closer to him and nuzzled into his head.

He smiled at her. "I'm okay… I'll be brave. You will too, yeah?"
"I'll do my best, Sci."

He nodded, and the two climbed the steps and through the doors behind Urshifu.

Jumpluff couldn't help but marvel at the room they entered. It was very large, and the first thing she saw was a statue in the centre, depicting Arceus himself, on a plinth.
Opposite the door they had just entered from, there was another set of double doors, somehow larger and even more ornate than the front door.
To the left and right, there were slightly smaller doors, wooden instead of stone, but certainly still quite ornate and grand.
Between the doors, the walls were lined with alcoves of sorts, each with decorative surrounds, and inside, a statue for each Eternal One. There were things left on platforms in front of most of them.

"What… is this place?" Jumpluff wondered.
"You do not know?" Urshifu wondered.
"I've not been here before!"
He glanced at Scizor with a small frown, but then relaxed, nodding. "Well, Young One, this is the Hall of Origin. The start of it all, and sacred place to our Ancient Creator. Each of us, as we have come into being, have had a shrine be placed here, where people can come for guidance, or leave gifts, or other such things." He explained. "They manifest in the place we were born as well as here, and we have the power to create copies in places deeply important to us, so that those that wish to do not have to travel if they are further afield."

Jumpluff took a moment to process that, before brightening and starting to zip around the room, looking for a certain Eternal One in particular.

Even though the room was large, it didn't take her long to find her quarry. She was keen to see what sort of shrine Darkrai would have, mind already thinking about where he could put one when they rebuilt the town. Maybe where the beacon had been, perhaps. She was left disappointed and… confused…. laying eyes on Darkrai's shrine.

Unlike the others which had decorated surrounds, covered with carvings and decorations, Darkrai had a very simple, plain surround.
There was no bunting or flowers or other decorations, and certainly no offerings left for him.

The others were depicted in poses that were impressive and grand, well suited to their forms and personalities. Darkrai was simply standing there, eyes closed, arms limp by his sides.
He was dusty, and there looked to be old scorch marks on the stonework as well.

She floated close and used her cotton puffs to wipe some of the dust away, before nuzzling his cheek. "We're coming, we promise." She whispered.

Over where he was standing with Urshifu, Scizor was watching, frowning. "Why does his look different to the others?" He asked. "I get that no one likes him right now except us… but it's so…. Uninspired."
"I do not know." The Guildmaster admitted. "It has always been this way, as much as I recall. But perhaps the truth of that will come with everything else."
Scizor looked back over at Jumpluff where she was snuggled into the stone Darkrai's collar, starting to get some… disapproving looks from other people around.

"Come." Urshifu said softly, starting towards the large ornate doors.
"Jumpluff!" Scizor called.
She looked up, then gave Darkrai another nuzzle before zipping over. "Sorry "
He smiled at her. "It's fine. Come on."

Urshifu put his hands on the large doors, and they glowed a slight yellow before creaking open, just enough for his wide shoulders to pass through.

"Are we… allowed in there?" Jumpluff wondered.
"You are with me, and I give permission." Urshifu said, stepping inside.

The two Crimson Guild members followed after hurriedly.

The room on the other side was large and circular. The floor was covered in an ornate mosaic of beautifully glazed tiles. It was a map of the world, with the centre of the room being this very spot, in the Capital. All up the walls were carvings of the Eternal Ones, each framed and depicted as their shrines were out in the first room, though in ornate relief instead of statue. The lines in the stone glowed slightly in the colours of the creature it was depicting, with one, unfortunately predictable exception.

On the ceiling, there was a carving of Arceus, surrounded by lines that connected him to all the ones he had created.

".......Oh wow…" Jumpluff whispered, slowly floating up through the air to look at all the Eternal Ones.
"Huh…" Scizor mused, looking up and up and up. "They aren't in a line like outside."

"We are but ripples in the universe, Crimson." Urshifu said to him. "The closer to the source the ripples are, to the thing that made that first impact, the more of its energy they retain." He cast a paw up at the depiction of Arceus. "The same is true for us. The closer you are to the source, to the Ancient Creator, the more of his energy you are blessed with, to serve the world."

Scizor tilted his head to one side as he pondered that, looking up over the carvings, picking out the Eternal Ones he was familiar with, before letting his eyes rise to the only section of wall not lit with a faint glow. Then, a blink.
"He's…. Higher than her."
"Hm?"

Scizor pointed out Cresellia, around half way up. "Cresellia is there…. But Darkrai…" He pointed to the dark spot. "He's up there! He's much closer to the source, to Arceus…! Does that mean he is supposed to be stronger than her?"
"......Yes, it does."
".....Maybe she's jealous." Was the bitter assumption.

"We will come to Cresellia's motivations in time, Crimson. First, we need the Truth of his heart, and if he has incapacitated himself on purpose." He said gently. "Take to wing, and wait near the door. Do not touch the floor or walls until I say so." Scizor took off, hovering above the floor by about two feet, backing up to near the door, but not touching it.

Urshifu nodded and looked up to Jumpluff. "Young One! Join your Guildmaster!"
Jumpluff looked down from where she was looking at Darkrai's quiet depiction on the wall, that same still, lifeless pose, before hurrying over to huddle close to Scizor obediently. "What… is he going to do?"

He gave a small shrug, watching Urshifu take position in the middle of the room. "Some magic, maybe? I don't really know what the Eternal Ones are capable of."

Urshifu put his clawed paws together as he stood straight and tall in the centre of the room, and his claws started to glow. Slowly, he started moving across the room, giving the two observers the feeling of both martial arts and mediation, making steps, punches, and kicks into the air, slowly and purposefully. As he moved, the gold glow fell off his paws in sparks, falling to the ground and bleeding into the gaps between the tiles of the mosaic like molten gold.

After a few minutes he had punched and kicked his way around the room, returning back to the centre. He clapped his paws together, and they crashed like cymbals, echoing in the tall chamber, eyes glowing with power.

"O Ancient Creator…" He intoned into the tall room, voice vibrating in a strange way. "Cousins! We seek the Truth! The truth of our cousin's heart, and the truth of the human concoction he has taken. Lend me your power, so that truth may be known!"

Power moved the air in the round room like a soft breeze. As they watched, Scizor and Jumpluff could see that molten gold moving between the tiles in the mosaic of the world, reaching the walls, and then spidering up through the carved lines in the stone, like water wicking through paper. It spread up, swirling around three of the Eternal Ones on the way up; A quadruped with a finned tail and a blue glow, a small biped with split tails and a yellow glow, and a draconic one with a white glow.

These stayed encircled, as other streaks continued up, looped around Darkrai's location once, before settling into a rotating pattern around Arceus on the ceiling. Close, but not truly engaged with it.

The power in the room hummed softly, before a voice came out of the air, soft and heartfelt.

"Ancient One…. Please give me enough strength…. To make that journey again…"

Jumpluff and Scizor looked at each other, startled. That was not Urshifu's voice! It was unfamiliar, but they felt like they perhaps knew who it was, anyway.
It continued to speak, one sided, soft. Following a trail of thoughts.

"Ngh… where am I? …..Oh, this is not ideal. Too many humans around. Too high a risk. Let's see if I can…. Get my disguise…. Ow… on… agh darn it my ribs….. Okay… we're good. Let's go." It said, pain tangible through the words. ".....Oh, this is one of those pokemon stuff stores. Potions are gross but maybe…. I'm sure they wouldn't care if I helped myself to one. Would stop my ribs hurting at least…" The voice paused. "What is this…? P….P? And an arrow?"

Scizor took in a sharp breath of air. "The curse in a bottle…" He whispered.

"HNGF! Human, don't sneak up on people for goodness sake!!" It paused to sigh. "Okay, miming still works, good. No, I don't need help. …Though… maybe he can tell me what this is?"

There was a silence that hung in the air heavily before the voice spoke again.

"An………. Off switch…? Was that… all your powers? Would that mean…. If I took it…. I could stop hurting people??! ….Oh, I NEED it!"

Jumpluff was not able to completely crush the small whimper from leaving her. Scizor lifted a claw and pulled her into his arms.

"Come on human, go away so I can take this miracle potion and leave! There. One…. two… got it. And we're out of here. ………………CRAP. Okay, so running! Ow… that's okay, I can run f… faster than huma- and now there is a Growlithe. I can't outrun a Growlithe like this! ….Hopefully they're still frightened of me on this side too……" There was a snarling roar, which almost sounded… fake somehow. "Sorry about that Growlithe, but I really don't want to be inside one of those horrible little balls. ….Okay. I should try and aim where I land going home this time. As far away from where she was as I can."

The next sound put the listening Pokemon in mind of being winded, landing roughly on the ground.

"Not…. my best landing… at least the grass was soft…. Ouch." There was another sigh and a groan. "Alright let's look at this off switch…. If it works… I can hide and no one will ever find me again. What…. Does this say…. If I could…. Just get… my eyes to focus for five seconds… 'To' uh….. 'Be'? …'taken'........... Or..oral… 'orally'? I think it says orally. Okay."

"Oh, no… Darkrai no…" Scizor whispered, heart going out to him.

"Blegh…!"

The next minute was filled with the sounds of someone being horribly ill, and in incredible pain. The voice sobbed intermittently between heaves. "I don't…. I don't…. Underst… hngh…. I don't want to die!! I just wanted…. I just….."

There was a gasp. "A Jumpluff!"

Jumpluff squeaked. "...Me!"

"Oh no… no… g….go away…. Come on… please be scared of me, run away… please… oh she's coming CLOSER she's not SCARED!! What do I do!?" There was a shuddery, scared gasp. "N….No…! A…anything but….. That…."

Urshifu moved his hands and clenched them into fists. The glow covering the walls and floor burst into a shower of gently wafting sparkles, which drifted through the air slightly before fading into silence. "I have heard enough."

Jumpluff was sobbing softly. "That's what I heard! That was HIS voice! When me and Ammy found him! He was so scared!!"

Urshifu strode over to the pair. "You may land."
Scizor did so, but did not look up from Jumpluff, who he was holding close to his chest. "He just wanted… to be safe." He said softly, petting her head gently.

Urshifu sighed and looked up at the dark spot on the wall where his cousin's depiction was sitting quietly. "....A desire that any Pokemon could want. One that does not make one… evil." He was deep in thought for a long moment. "It is True. He is no villain. And… he is in need of help." Scizor looked up at Urshifu. "...Guildmaster…"

Chapter Text

After an extensive and passionate conversation, something that at least resembled a plan was formed by the townsfolk.

Some were quite comfortable with the idea of taking refuge inside the Voiceless Mountain, once the revelation of an abandoned city was had.

Others were less comfortable, and outright against going within spitting distance of the place. City or not, the dark and the quiet was not something they wanted to have to endure.

So, a set of compromises were made, so that everyone could be out of the cold until they could build new houses.

While it was not large enough for many, the barn in the Oran Berry orchard was intact enough for the few that were staying behind to turn some of it into a bunkhouse of sorts. These people would continue to work on salvage, and would also mean that when Scizor and Jumpluff returned they would not be met with an empty ruin.

Then, there would be another smaller camp at about the midway point. This would be more of a transitory point, a set of houses in the forest to allow for a rest point for people moving between the original town location and the mountain. Lean-tos at first, made from salvaged boards carried to the site, but some Pokemon were planning building nicer homes from the very second they chose the spot, just off the road.

The rest continued the pilgrimage to the Voiceless Mountain.

All of them, to Trevenant's quiet displeasure, had a torch, fashioned by the fire types in the group. It wasn't going to be clear how far the light from these would reach inside, but it was better to have them than not.

The torches ended up being quite a boon for the group on their travels though. Due to the slow pace they were taking, it was well after dark by the time they arrived at the mouth of the mountain. Blissey stood with Trevenant at the entrance at the front of their congregation, holding her torch forward.
"You're sure about this, Trevenant?" She asked softly, clearly nervous.
He nodded, stepping forward into the entrance, heading into the dark.

She scurried after him, trying to keep him in sight.

Easier said than done, really. Once they got beyond the reach of the moonlight, the torches lit hardly 5 feet around the person holding them. She had to stay close, but not too close, lest the flames of the torch catch the leaves of their guide.

He led them inside, pausing where the weather-worn portion of the entryway gave way to more smooth stone. The congregation held their torches aloft, and their combined efforts lit the corridor almost to the walls.

There were hushed whispers of awe as they marveled at their surroundings. The smooth, carved floor that could have been adorned with plush carpets. The delicately carved walls, which were painted and even looked to be gilded in silver.

"Could you… see this?" Aipom asked, holding his torch in his tail, close to some intricate decorations.
Trevenant held his hands closer to the torchlight.
"In darkness, I can see shapes and details, but colours are hard to make out. I could see the decoration, but nothing else."

"Wow… guess there is treasure down here after all."
"Only treasure I am hoping for is a place out of the wind and cold we can sleep in." Blissey responded, trying to reach her torch higher to see the ceiling. "How high up does it go?"

Trevenant tilted his eye up towards the top of the wide corridor. "At least three times my height."
"That's tall enough that just about any Pokemon I can think of would fit in here!"
"Th door was smaller."Aipom pointed out. "So maybe a few exceptions."
Blissey gave him a look.

Trevenant smiled to himself a little. "Come. The area that I believe is residential is his way." And he started to lead them down a corridor.

The group moved through the large corridors, talking the same paths the rescue party had followed. He then stopped in front of a doorway, which, though doorless, was clearly the front of a home. This one had a window and a planter box at the front, as well.

Blissey cautiously crept inside, with Trevenant straight behind.

Slowly, she looked around the space. "It… almost seems the same layout as my house." She mused.

He nodded. "I saw one earlier with the same layout as mine, as well."

She wandered over to where it would be the kitchen in her old home, and lo and behold it was just the same. There was even a sink.

There was one difference that made her stop, though. A hole in the bench, perfectly round, possibly only four or five inches across. It was deep and dark inside.
"What is this…?"

Trevenant leant over to peer inside. Then leant back up. "I can see water inside."
"Water? Is it a disposal? Or is it clean?"
"It smells clean."

Blissey was thoughtful. Then she trotted out to the hallway. "Parasect, could you please come in here dear?"

The mother Parasect had four baby Paras on her back, each holding their own small torch for their mother.
"What do you need, Doctor?"

"There is a.. a well in this.. home." She told her. "Could you help us determine if the water is clean?"
"Ooh." She offered, skittering up onto the benchtop.

A vine was extended down into the dark, and a small sip of water was lifted up in a coil. She brought it to her mouth, and Blissey leaned close to hear her thoughts.

"It's clean!" She announced cheerfully. "Really clean! And cold!"
Blissey sighed with relief. "Good, I only have so many Pecha berries with me." She then turned and looked back at the well, the implications starting to dawn on her. "We weren't lucky enough to have water inside the house in town, we would need to fetch it from the town wells…"

"Plumbing is expensive and difficult to install." Trevenant agreed.

"But clean, cold water… are… are these one in these in every house?!" She wondered.

Driven by curiosity, she headed out of the house, torch aloft, the other townsfolk watching in amazement as she ran into the next door along.

The next house was quite similar to the first. And sure enough, there was another well set into the bench.

Excited, she ran out to check the third.

The group then watched her come out, grinning wide. "The houses have clean water wells! Water, right in the house!"
There was a murmur of shock and excitement. Houses they didn't have to build, and water they didn't have to haul? This kept getting better and better!

The next hour was a whirlwind of activity. Families were assigned homes, torches being rigged to the walls to give as much light as possible, salvaged possessions being set up to make it feel more cozy.
Blissey and Trevenant were in the lead, displaced people finding their way to something that could become quite comfortable.

Eventually they made their way to the larger room, the large doors of the nursery laying bare as they had before.
Trevenant followed Blissey quietly as she inspected the room.

She recognized it for what it was immediately.

"A nursery! It's bigger than the one I used to work at!" She was clearly giddy. A big town full of empty houses just waiting for them to move in, a lovely nursery that just needed some furnishings and toys and would be…

He watched the joy die at the sight of the claw marks and the blood on the stone wall.

"....What….?"
"I don't know." He said immediately as she turned to look at him. "The sight of it made him ...nostalgic, though."

The doctor was distinctly distressed by the thought. "But why would he…. He said he didn't know this place?"
Trevenant gave a small shrug and shake of his head. "I don't think he knows why, either."

She sighed as they made their way back out of the nursery. "I hope he is alright."
Trevenant's expression was forlorn as they moved towards another corridor. "So do I."

The two paused at the mouth of the corridor, leading down a different path to the one the rescue team had taken.

Trevenant was looking at a dark colour on the floor, and Blissey had shone her torch across one on the wall.

Dry, certainly, but not like the eons old stains in the nursery. These were still vibrant red, and still smelled of iron.

Blood.

No older than a day or two, in drips and splatters leaning down the hallway.

They shared a look.

Then they ran.

Chapter Text

"I don't… understand, Guildmaster." Scizor said, as he and Jumpluff stood close to Urshifu. "How.. do you.. how could we get to the human world?"

Urshifu smiled a little. "It is an ability that my cousins and I share." He explained. "I have never taken someone with me before, though."

He raised his claws and swiped them through the air in front of him, leaving behind a shimmer in the same gold that had flowed between the stones of the Hall of Origin.

It hung in the air like a curtain, small flecks of light drifting from it.

"Step through." He instructed. "I have selected an out of the way area, so we can appear unhindered."

Jumpluff hovered close to it. "Through?" She wondered.

Scizor held out a claw and touched the shimmer. His hand seemed to vanish into it.
"A…are you okay?!" She yelped.
"It.. I'm okay!" He responded, eyes wide. "Doesn't really… feel like anything.."

Urshifu offered a small nod. "It shouldn't. This passage is as simple as walking through a door."

Scizor looked at Jumpluff. "...Together?" He asked, offering her his arm.
She huddled close, letting him hold her. "Let's go! Darkrai is counting on us!!"

He nodded, and stepped forward into the golden shimmer.

Their vision was filled with that gold colour for a few moments, before it cleared. And they were no longer standing in the Hall of Origin.
Instead, they were in a forest.

There were beautiful trees reaching up towards the sky all around them, the song of bird and insect Pokemon lightly on the breeze. And something else in the distance, too.

"What is that… sound?" Scizor wondered.
"That would be the nearby human city." Urshifu answered from behind them.
"It sounds so different from our citiiiIIIIIIIIIIIIAGH!!!" Jumpluff's voice rose mid word, scrambling back through the air away from the creature standing before them.

He had white hair and tanned skin, wearing a mostly dark grey outfit, with yellow gloves. Not a creature either had ever seen before.

He smiled. "At ease, young one."
"U…urshifu?!" Scizor asked, shock pushing the Eternal One's name from his lips instead of his title.
Urshifu only smiled. "Yes, Crimson. You can relax."
Wh…what… what happened to you?!"

He cast a hand over himself. "This is a disguise I can make for myself." He explained. "A human disguise."

Another few moments had the shock of it all wear off for Scizor, replaced instead by curiosity. "This is what humans look like?" He wondered, walking around Urshifu to inspect him from all angles, though respectfully not touching him.

"Indeed." He confirmed. "You will see many more of them while we are here. You must stay close to me as we travel."

Jumpluff looked around. "Where are we… travelling….to?"

He turned and pointed. "There is a path just through the trees. It will take us to the nearby city."
"And there will be information about the poison there?" Jumpluff asked, hopeful.

"From what we heard, he stole the substance from a store." Urshifu said, starting to walk towards the path. "Our first stop, then, is a store."

"What do Humans sell in their stores?" Jumpluff wondered, floating behind him, while Scizor walked on his opposite side.
"It varies. Food, supplies, things similar to on our side. But they make many things for Pokemon that we do not have. Their potions and such, many of the things they make are quite artificial. And then there is their means of… capture." He pauses. "Ah, that reminds me. Humans cannot understand Pokemon speech. So leave any talking to me."
"...Yes, Guildmaster." Scizor responded, frowning at the word 'capture', unsure what the Eternal One could mean by that.

They walked through the forest, the trees being dwarfed by tall silver spires that they drew closer to. They caught the afternoon light and shone, Jumpluff and Scizor opting to not look at it.

The forest was starting to give way, the tree cover becoming less and less, the grass growing longer around the path, more buildings coming into view lower.

Suddenly, there was a shout of surprise and delight. "IS THAT A SCIZOR?!"

The small group turned, spotting a small human boy staring at them with a large net in hand, and sparkles in his eyes.

Chapter Text

Trevenant was in the lead, following the trail of iron scented drips down the stone corridor. Blissey was not far behind, losing more momentum on turns than her companion, but otherwise keeping up.

The trail of blood stretched on, mostly just small drips, with the occasional smear against the wall where the owner of the blood had fallen, or perhaps rested, against one of the walls.

After a few more turns, Blissey faltered in her stride a bit, looking ahead.

"Is that light?" She squeaked out between quickened breaths. "An…another ex… exit?"

Trevenant did not attempt to answer, but he did agree. When they had come to this place for the rescue, there was mention of multiple ways in. It would make sense that they would find one.

They squinted as they came to the light, both skidding to a stop in the opening as their eyes rebelled against the change from pure darkness to soft, dappled moonlight.

After their vision settled, they looked ahead. And for a moment, were awestruck at what they saw.

Sheer stone walls of a huge caldera - a volcano crater - surrounded them, leading up towards the sky. The lower parts were decorated in tiles, a mosaic that mimicked the decorations inside the city. And on the ground, filling every inch of the large space that was at least two kilometers across, was a swarming, overgrown garden.

There had been paths and garden beds at one stage; you could see the shapes of them and a few slivers here and there poking out of the plant life that had long since breached their containers. There was a forest at the far end, perhaps an orchard once, left to run wild.

A fountain at one end still quietly bubbled away, plants grown right up to its edge.

Even down here, where the sun only reached for a limited time each day, there was a visible bounty of fall fruits and vegetables, though none of them looked to be as familiar as an Oran berry.

"What… is this place?"

Trevenant could only shrug. He had seen overgrown gardens before, but this one had such an air of grandeur to it, even in this state. It made this garden somehow magical, in a way. Which when you considered what some Pokemon could do naturally, really was a feat.

Blissey found herself drawn to wild trees planted in rows. Some were very large indeed, planted in a familiar orchard configuration, not unlike what they used in their own town.

But unattended, smaller trees had sprouted around them, creating a small forest of berry trees, confined to their rows only by the small retaining walls and paths that lay between them.

Though even that was failing in places. Over long years of being left to their own devices, plant matter had grown over and fallen over the paths and walls, breaking down into compost enough for a sapling to sprout on top of the tile, though it seemed as though these berry trees, which looked to be heavy with an autumn harvest of a glossy dark blue berry with lighter blue freckles, were being put competed on those paths, so mostly they had stayed put.

Blissey was in awe. Not only was there a huge untouched berry harvest, there were also vegetables and herbs. Some of which were familiar, others were not.

"We will…. Need to catalogue all of this… if this is edible… we might have food for the winter after all!" She was practically giddy. This bounty was hidden here the whole time!?!

Trevenant continued to look around, heading closer to the fountain. There was a certain… peace about things here. And the dark silence of the rest of the city didn't seem to reach this garden, meaning it was a place that they likely would spend a lot of time.

He turned back the way they had came, looking at the fresh red blood, visible on the stone at the edge of the garden, washed out of its colour in his dark vision. The owner of that blood had come here. Though the scent of blood was long overpowered by the scent of all the plants, fragrant fruits and herbs, as well as a faint petrichor, though he hadn't throught it had rained recently. It was almost Nostalgic.

As he was pondering, and Blissey was marveling, some of the others could be seen emerging from the tunnel. Parasect and Delphox had noticed the pair taking off, and also noticed the blood.

Trevenant waved, and then signed at them, "What are you two doing here?"

"We came after you. Saw you darting off." Parasect said, her babies asleep on her back.

"And the blood. Are either of you hurt?" Delphox asked, worried.

He shook his head. "No. We were following it ourselves. Can you help us look around the area?"

The pair nodded, heading off into the large garden, Parasect snatching strange fruits to sample on her way, unable to contain curiosity when it came to potentially poisonous plants.

But before he could resume his investigation of the area, Blissey let out a heartfelt sob of a shriek that made him whip around and sprint towards her voice.

"DARKRAI!!!"

Chapter Text

Scizor could only really stand there bewildered as this small human came over and looked at him close from every angle. Unlike the Guildmaster, who stood taller than him, this one only came up to his chest.

"….Uh… Guildmaster….?"

The disguised Eternal One gave a small chuckle. "Just hold still for the boy, Crimson."

"Oh man, Crimson is such a cool nickname for a Scizor! He looks a bit hurt, but looks strong! Oh man it's great to see such a lovely specimen!" The boy declares. "Why aren't you carrying him in a Pokeball? Is the Jumpluff yours too? Were you training?"

"What's a Pokeball?" Jumpluff wondered.

The human didn't react to her words, content to just chatter at Urshifu. "Did you run out of potions in the woods?"

"We do not have any supplies, no." Urshifu answered him. "We were heading into town to find more."

"It's not far from here." He says. "…Do you think he still has enough strength for a battle?"

Scizor blinks. "Battle?"

"Hm, perhaps." Urshifu looked at the bug type. "Do you feel up to it?"

He looks back at the Guildmaster. "You mean fight? W… what for?"

"What type is the human?" Jumpluff asked.

The Eternal One smiled, a hand to his chin. "Let us have a friendly spar. I think it will be good for all." Urshifu decided.

"Yay! That's GREAT!!!" The small human reached into his bag, taking out a small ball.

"That's the tiniest Voltorb I've ever seeeeaAAAH!!!" Jumpluff cut off in a shriek for the second time that day as he threw the ball and it burst open, causing a rather large, chubby Caterpie to appear. "WHERE DID YOU COME FROM?!"

"Eh?" The bug type gave a bit of a stretch, before looking up at her and the Scizor before him. "….Aw man… this is not gunna go my way." He complained. "He is STILL picking bad fights!"

"Wait, the human wants.. you… to fight me?" Scizor asked the smaller insect.

"Seems it. Mind if I hit you once or twice before you knock me out? It'd make him happy."

"I… knock you out?!" Scizor looked back at Urshifu, who was listening to the small boy ramble on and on about how strong his Caterpie was getting, glanced back at him. Scizor pouted, certain that the Eternal One actually just smirked at him.

He looked back at Caterpie.

"Are you alright with being knocked out?"

"It's amazing how quickly you get used to it." The catapillar answers.

Scizor folded his arms. "I can't say I agree. I was unconscious earlier today and I can't say I would have liked to repeat the experience."

"Well, when you're fully evolved, I suppose you probably don't get knocked that much." Was the response. "Oop, looks like we're on!"

"Alright Caterpie, lets start off nice and strong! Use tackle!"

"Alright! Let's put on a show for the kid!" Caterpie declared, charging forward and colliding with Scizor's middle.

The taller pokemon hardly twitched. "Uh.. look, I don't really want to… fight you."

"I can tell!" He chuckled, running to the left a bit. "Hey, do me a favour and attack to the right of me? Hit the ground, as if I dodged?"

Scizor glanced back at Urshifu, who gave a nod. Unlike the human boy, he could hear and understand the conversation. And didn't seem too surprised.

Scizor sighed, and swing a pincer down, crashing into the ground with an impact, kicking up debris.

"Ah! You dodged it!!! Yes! Tackle him again!" The boy shrieked with delight.

The Caterpie came around and collided with Scizor's side. "You're a good sport, I like you." He told him. "Go ahead and knock me out when you're ready."

"I don't WANT to knock you out!!"

"Crimson." Urshifu cut in. "Attack once. Cleanly. You will not hurt him irreparably."

Scizor visibly didn't want to hurt the Caterpie, but it looked remarkably like he didn't have a choice. So, hovering off the ground, he snapped his pincers in front of him, an Air Slash snapping towards the smaller bug type.

The strike sent him flying, bouncing once before falling still.

There was a long moment of quiet. "…..Did you kill him?" Jumpluff whispered.

"I REALLY HOPE NOT!!!"

The human boy pulled out the small, Voltorb like ball and the Caterpie vanished inside it in a flash of red light. "You did so well! All the training must be paying off!" He said to it.

Urshifu nodded. "He had good technique. You have a talented companion."

The boy grinned. "Thanks so much! That was great!" He pointed down the path through the trees. "There is a Pokemon Centre not far down the road, so I am going to head there now. Are you going to come too?"

Urshifu smiled. "You go on ahead. We will take a leisurely pace."

He flashed a thumbs up. "Alright! Thanks for a great battle!" And with a tip of his hat, the boy went ran off down the path.

The three watched him vanish between the trees quietly.

Then Scizor whirled on Urshifu. "WHY?!"