Story Notes:
In death, we are all equal in the sense that nothing matters.
In that respect, only a fool would trade even a day of his life for immortality in legend.
It is not immortality in the true sense of the word...
But what if one's life was not in the true sense of the word, either...?
The Legendary Darkrai
- - - - - - - - -
In the western part of Goldenrod, there was an abandoned building. It was not as much abandoned as it was populated by Pokémon, although most of its inhabitants were away at the moment having been scared off by three very powerful Pokémon. The doors to the building flew open, as the leader rejoined his team.
"So!" the Gallade exclaimed excitedly while standing up, "Where will we be going next?"
"Nowhere" Pikablu responded bluntly, closing the door and carefully placing the bag on the floor.
"Finally given up...?" Kabutops asked, leaning against one of the walls.
"No, we're going nowhere because the next legendary..." Pikablu said with a short pause for effect, "... Does not even exist in this world." They both stood silent as Pikablu reached into the bag and pulled out a ripped out newspaper article as well as jar filled with a pink gas. The two of them read the article slowly.
"... Darkrai?" the Gallade said after a while, "What, from that movie?"
"If I remember correctly..." Kabutops said while pointing at the article with a sharp sickle, "... He only appears in nightmares."
"And nightmares we shall have!" Pikablu exclaimed happily while shaking the jar, "'Tis a vial of dream smoke, imported directly from Isshu!"
"Are you kidding me, right?" the Gallade said with a laugh, "Besides, we'd need nightmares, not normal dreams!"
"That's the best part!" Pikablu said as he turned the bag upside down and many various papers fell out, "Scary stories! Paranormal pictures! Nothing but the best!"
They both stared at Pikablu awkwardly.
"Did he finally snap or something...?" the Gallade whispered to Kabutops with a worried look.
"He has been in the state of snapping for almost a year now" Kabutops sighed heavily.
"What!?" Pikablu shouted, slightly distraught at their skepticism, "Darkrai enjoys nightmares, and we're going to have the worst nightmares anyone's ever had! Who's to say this won't work?"
"For starters, because we're three manly men!" the Gallade said as he stood tall, "You think some silly ghost stories are going to give us nightmares!?"
"Not just stories! Pictures, too!" Pikablu said, before pulling out a picture of a strange, hazy creature.
"The fabled Ghost-Eeveelution!" he shouted, "It's the only one of its kind! Look at it! It's got no limbs and has the face of a Gastly! Doesn't that just send chills down your spine!?"
"Quite frankly, no..." Kabutops sighed, "How do we even defeat Darkrai if it appears in our dreams...?"
"At this point, if it simply shows up that'd be enough for me!" Pikablu chuckles, "After that, I'll figure something out! Come on guys, let's do this!"
"No, this is insane!" the Gallade responded while throwing his arms up into the air, "You're insane! There's no way this will work!"
"I agree..." Kabutops said while nodding his head, "... Although, that dream smoke would go wasted if we didn't try..."
"That's what I thought!" Pikablu said with relief.
"You're the one who bought it in the first place!" the Gallade yelled before looking at Kabutops, "Aw come on, you're not going with him on this, are you?"
"It'll be interesting!" Pikablu said while lying down on the floor, "And if you happen to come across Darkrai and beat it up while you're in there, our mission will be a success!"
"I'm just feeling a bit tired..." Kabutops said while also lying down on the floor, "... Couldn't hurt."
"... Crazy" the Gallade sighed before lying down, "But, eh, might as well try."
"You sure you don't want to hear a creepy story?" Pikablu asked.
"I'm sleeping next to you two psychopaths!" the Gallade said, "If I don't have nightmares there's something wrong with me."
"Alright then, here goes..." Pikablu said as he tried to undo the cork on the bottle. He tried and tried, but his stubby hands couldn't do it. Angered, he threw the vial against the wall, breaking it and letting out the smoke.
"Nice handywork there, boss" the Gallade snickered.
"Shut up!" Pikablu shouted, "It's coming! Focus on the single worst moment on your life, and possibly Darkrai!"
Everyone went quiet, as the gas approached. Within ten seconds they started to feel drowsy, and suddenly it felt like their bodies were being lifted into the sky, through the ceiling where-
"Bich bzo! Bich bzo!" a happy voice chimes. It's my little brother, Pichu! He's running towards me from some kind of cave, on a grassy field... Wait, how did I get here, again...?
"Loogh whach I founsh! Loogh!" he laughs, while holding up something in his mouth. However, he is too excited, and the object accidently falls into the back of his mouth. As a reflex, he swallows.
"Aah! Pichu!" I yell, my heart palpitating in terror. My brother keels over as if the artifact had gotten stuck in his throat, not letting him breathe.
"Brace yourself!" I shout, as I grab a hold of him from behind and send a thunderjolt through his body. He cries out, and whatever was lodged in his throat flies out. He starts coughing a bit.
"You've got to learn to stand on your own two legs!" I shout in anger, although I am relieved that he isn't choking anymore, "You can't go around carrying things in your mouth all your life!"
"I know, I know..." he mutters, "... But you've gotta look at it!"
I sigh as I bend over the pick up the object from the ground. It is a tiny sapling with two leaves sticking out of it, both of which are still slimy from my brother's saliva.
"It's a plant from Celebi!" he says excitedly while jumping up and down, "I found it in that cave!"
"Not this again..." I sigh, "What's with all this talk about legendary Pokémon? You have to-"
"LOOK!" he shouts really loudly, and the plant in my hand starts moving around. At first I think it might be the wind, but notice that it moves back and forth in a rhythm.
"I TOLD YOU SO!" Pichu shouts again, "Celebi was in that cave!"
"Oh, brother..." I sigh again, "Do you know how many Grass-Type Pokémon there are in the world? This could easily have been done by a normal Venusaur, or Vileplume..."
"Nu-uh!" he says quickly, "Celebi is Grass and Psychic, it can make plants and make them move!"
"Listen, you've got to stop with all this talk about legendaries!" I say, both tired of this conversation and worried about his future, "No one ever finds a legendary Pokémon! Keep talking like that, and everyone will think you're weird!"
"B-But..." my brother stammers with a sad face, "Mom and dad..."
"Aw come on, why would you need a legendary when I'm here with you?" I quickly say, fearing that he might start crying unless I change the subject, "I can do all that stuff, and better!"
"Yeah..." he says quietly before snapping out of his sulk with a beaming face, "You're the best, big bro!"
"You know it!" I laugh, and-
-running towards the cliff. The Butterfree was not slowing down one bit, but dread was making my body heavy and I had to stop and catch my breath.
"J-Just..." I breathe wearily, "L-Let's slow d-down a b-"
"Fool!" the Butterfree shouts as she turns around angrily, "We are racing with death! Each breath could be his last!
"D-DON'T SAY THAT!" I scream in anguish, before facing my exhaustion in battle and running once more, "Just show me the way, damn it!"
Not before long, we reach the cliff. The Butterfree hovers above the deep chasm, as I run up to the edge and look down. There is a fairly large gathering of Pokémon down there, all surrounding a small yellow dot right beneath me.
"PICHU!" I bellow in desperation, throwing myself off the cliff in an attempt to get closer. I only fall a few feet, before something grabs a hold my torso and slows me down.
"LET ME GO!" I shout while twisting around violently, still not close enough to identify the yellow dot.
"You dumb bastard!" the Butterfree yells as she slowly flutters down the cliff "What the hell are you thinking!? You want to die too!?"
At the sound of these words, I calm down. As I look down at the yellow dot, I start to imagine that it is actually my brother down there, and I wonder if I maybe did want to die. If my sole ray of light in the world had been extinguished, if the one person that was more important to my than life itself had really died like this, could I possibly live with that? Then I get closer-
-twisted beyond my comprehension.
"B-Big..." he says, before coughing up a wad of blood.
"Don't talk! Save your energy!" I try to scream, but all the air is dissipating from my lungs, "You'll be fine!"
"B-Bro..." he weakly stutters.
"That's right, I'm your big bro and you're my little bro!" I yell back as the tears flow down my face, "You... You shouldn't be the one lying there!"
"S-Sorry..." he rattles as his tiny little body starts to shake, "D-Didn't s-see... F-Fall..."
"Damn it, stop talking!" I wail and try to hold him still, "The two of us are brothers! You can't just leave me behind!"
"I... I t-touched h-her..." he wheezes as his broken left arm moves a little, "... I-it was a 'she'..."
His eyes close and his body goes limp. I start shaking him while crying and screaming, and my mind snaps-
-what caused it...?" the Butterfree says silently, moving a bit closer to the grave. The grave is shaped like an electric bolt, and remains nameless at my request. It stands dark and ominous in the pouring rain, completely unlike the person it is supposed to represent.
"His friends say he shouted that he had seen Celebi, and was following it..." the Butterfree says sadly, "But I don't think anyone would leap off a cliff as a prank..." I remain silent.
"You know, I'd be nice if you would talk once in a while!" The butterfree says in a huff, "If not for me, you would've been lying here next to him!"
Somehow, that doesn't sound so bad. My only brother, dead because of me. If only I had told him more sharply that legendaries don't exist...! I could have prevented this, and my sweet little brother would still be with m-
-look!" the Butterfree says happily as she lands on the ground by the grave, "Flowers! Did someone plant them here?" I sit down at my usual spot in the shade from the sunlight, but after hearing what she said I move closer to the grave. There were a few green saplings sticking out of the grave. She bends over to pull one of them from the ground. I reach forward weakly to stop her, but bereft of hope and life I just slump down on the ground.
"Oh, my!" she exclaims, "Will you look at this? They're moving on their own..." She moves closer, and I look at the green sapling dancing around in her grasp. Moving green saplings growing out of my brother's grave? Didn't he...
"Mrrn..." I mumble, my voice having been out of commission for a while, "What's so special about that...? Don't they usually move...?"
"... Not when they're plucked out of the ground, no" the Butterfree says with a smile, "I think only Psychic-Types can do that."
I look at the sapling. It's still moving. I look at the Butterfree holding it. She's smiling.
I touched her! a voice echoes in my head.
"... You did, did you...?" I whisper to myself, looking at the grave. More saplings were growing out of it.
"What are you telling me, bro...?" I weakly mumble to myself, "... That you were right? Is this what you want to show...?"
The saplings move in unison.
"You... You really are persistent about those legendaries" I snicker. Then suddenly, immense emotions wash over me, and I start crying. Wailing, even. In front of me, I see my cute little brother chasing an unknown figure towards the cliff. I try to get up, but stumble and fall-
-my every nerve is on fire. My body rocks in convulsions of pain, followed by short moments of slightly weaker pain. How the hell did this happen, how did I get here all of a sudden!?
"Stop!" a voice sounds from somewhere, "You'll die!"
"Stay away!" I yell, "I almost got it! I have to do this!" Determination fuels me once more, as I try to send another systematic shock through my body. It runs between my two arms, but it goes awry and a bolt of lightning shoot out of my side, causing more pain.
However, knowing that the suffering of those legendaries will be tenfold mine when I finally perfect this technique serves to dull my-
-and as such, everything seems to be in order. I think about bringing my brother's books detailing the legendaries one more time, even though I know that I've already memorized their content. I would only be bringing them as a sort of memento. But when I pick up my bag and notice how heavy it is, I decide that my brother will have to be with me in spirit instead.
"You need any help with that?" the Butterfree snickers, rummaging through the pile of assorted tools I've left behind.
"Come on, you know I can't bring you" I say with a short laugh, "You stick around here and wait for me!" I walk towards the exit, making sure I haven't forgotten anything important. Both in the ways of packing and farewells. I turn around to face the Butterfree one last time.
"You know... If I come back, I'll be a legendary!" I say with determination, "And you'll be my queen, if you'll take me!"
"Stop with the 'if' stuff, already!" the Butterfre says sadly, but with a smile on her face, "You know I'll take you any way you are when you return..."
"Figures..." I laugh as I give her a sincere smile, "But really, thanks for taking care of me all this time, Anne"
"Well..." Anne blushes, "Now it's your turn to pay me back! Settle for nothing lower than legend!"
"I won't!" I cheerfully exclaim, as I turn around-
-Pichu's at the bottom of the cliff? Why!? Darkrai, was there something I could've done!? STOP BLEEDING, DAMN IT! Darkrai... I'm lying down? Must perfect it now, or Darkrai will kill me as Darkrai is Darkrai and Darkrai Darkrai Darkrai-
Wake up
Suddenly, Pikablu woke up. Confused, he sat up straight and looked around him. Furred creatures do not sweat, so the heat covering his body was almost unbearable.
"Was that dream smoke to 'flashback', or something...?" Pikablu whispers to himself before he kicked the Gallade and Kabutops next to him at the same time.
"Ow, what the-" the Gallade shouted groggily as Kabutops sat up in an incredible haste while making a small whimpering noise.
"Dude, what the hell was that?" Pikablu asked.
"Sorry, just..." Kabutops said while shaking his head, "... Nothing but a couple of bad memories."
"Same here" Pikablu mumbled, "... Let's never to that again."
"Well..." the Gallade said as he leaned back into the bed, "I've got nothing but good ones, so keep quiet while I catch some shut-"
"Shut up? While you catch some shut up?" Pikablu interrupted, "We've got a mission to complete! You can sleep when you're dead!"
"Man, where'd all that energy come from...?" the Gallade sighed as he clutched his forehead.
"Darkrai!" Pikablu shouted, "Did any of you see it?"
"Not unless it had a voluptuous from and a sexy Kanto accent!" the Gallade laughed, while Kabutops shook his head.
"Ugh, fine..." Pikachu muttered disappointedly, "Go back to sleep while I figure out our next move."
As his comrades went back to sleep, Pikablu knew he was too shook up to do the same. Not just because of the earlier flashback, but also because he could've sworn that by the end of the dream, he hadn't been alone. Although true to his earlier statement he was not willing to try again, as no reward would be worth reliving those painful memories once more.
- - - - - - - - - - -Chapter End Notes:In the underground passage, a shady Mr. Mime is moving around. As two Pok...mon pass by, it creeps up to them.
In the western part of Goldenrod, there was an abandoned building. It was not as much abandoned as it was populated by Pokémon, although most of its inhabitants were away at the moment having been scared off by three very powerful Pokémon. The doors to the building flew open, as the leader rejoined his team.
"So!" the Gallade exclaimed excitedly while standing up, "Where will we be going next?"
"Nowhere" Pikablu responded bluntly, closing the door and carefully placing the bag on the floor.
"Finally given up...?" Kabutops asked, leaning against one of the walls.
"No, we're going nowhere because the next legendary..." Pikablu said with a short pause for effect, "... Does not even exist in this world." They both stood silent as Pikablu reached into the bag and pulled out a ripped out newspaper article as well as jar filled with a pink gas. The two of them read the article slowly.
"... Darkrai?" the Gallade said after a while, "What, from that movie?"
"If I remember correctly..." Kabutops said while pointing at the article with a sharp sickle, "... He only appears in nightmares."
"And nightmares we shall have!" Pikablu exclaimed happily while shaking the jar, "'Tis a vial of dream smoke, imported directly from Isshu!"
"Are you kidding me, right?" the Gallade said with a laugh, "Besides, we'd need nightmares, not normal dreams!"
"That's the best part!" Pikablu said as he turned the bag upside down and many various papers fell out, "Scary stories! Paranormal pictures! Nothing but the best!"
They both stared at Pikablu awkwardly.
"Did he finally snap or something...?" the Gallade whispered to Kabutops with a worried look.
"He has been in the state of snapping for almost a year now" Kabutops sighed heavily.
"What!?" Pikablu shouted, slightly distraught at their skepticism, "Darkrai enjoys nightmares, and we're going to have the worst nightmares anyone's ever had! Who's to say this won't work?"
"For starters, because we're three manly men!" the Gallade said as he stood tall, "You think some silly ghost stories are going to give us nightmares!?"
"Not just stories! Pictures, too!" Pikablu said, before pulling out a picture of a strange, hazy creature.
"The fabled Ghost-Eeveelution!" he shouted, "It's the only one of its kind! Look at it! It's got no limbs and has the face of a Gastly! Doesn't that just send chills down your spine!?"
"Quite frankly, no..." Kabutops sighed, "How do we even defeat Darkrai if it appears in our dreams...?"
"At this point, if it simply shows up that'd be enough for me!" Pikablu chuckles, "After that, I'll figure something out! Come on guys, let's do this!"
"No, this is insane!" the Gallade responded while throwing his arms up into the air, "You're insane! There's no way this will work!"
"I agree..." Kabutops said while nodding his head, "... Although, that dream smoke would go wasted if we didn't try..."
"That's what I thought!" Pikablu said with relief.
"You're the one who bought it in the first place!" the Gallade yelled before looking at Kabutops, "Aw come on, you're not going with him on this, are you?"
"It'll be interesting!" Pikablu said while lying down on the floor, "And if you happen to come across Darkrai and beat it up while you're in there, our mission will be a success!"
"I'm just feeling a bit tired..." Kabutops said while also lying down on the floor, "... Couldn't hurt."
"... Crazy" the Gallade sighed before lying down, "But, eh, might as well try."
"You sure you don't want to hear a creepy story?" Pikablu asked.
"I'm sleeping next to you two psychopaths!" the Gallade said, "If I don't have nightmares there's something wrong with me."
"Alright then, here goes..." Pikablu said as he tried to undo the cork on the bottle. He tried and tried, but his stubby hands couldn't do it. Angered, he threw the vial against the wall, breaking it and letting out the smoke.
"Nice handywork there, boss" the Gallade snickered.
"Shut up!" Pikablu shouted, "It's coming! Focus on the single worst moment on your life, and possibly Darkrai!"
Everyone went quiet, as the gas approached. Within ten seconds they started to feel drowsy, and suddenly it felt like their bodies were being lifted into the sky, through the ceiling where-
"Bich bzo! Bich bzo!" a happy voice chimes. It's my little brother, Pichu! He's running towards me from some kind of cave, on a grassy field... Wait, how did I get here, again...?
"Loogh whach I founsh! Loogh!" he laughs, while holding up something in his mouth. However, he is too excited, and the object accidently falls into the back of his mouth. As a reflex, he swallows.
"Aah! Pichu!" I yell, my heart palpitating in terror. My brother keels over as if the artifact had gotten stuck in his throat, not letting him breathe.
"Brace yourself!" I shout, as I grab a hold of him from behind and send a thunderjolt through his body. He cries out, and whatever was lodged in his throat flies out. He starts coughing a bit.
"You've got to learn to stand on your own two legs!" I shout in anger, although I am relieved that he isn't choking anymore, "You can't go around carrying things in your mouth all your life!"
"I know, I know..." he mutters, "... But you've gotta look at it!"
I sigh as I bend over the pick up the object from the ground. It is a tiny sapling with two leaves sticking out of it, both of which are still slimy from my brother's saliva.
"It's a plant from Celebi!" he says excitedly while jumping up and down, "I found it in that cave!"
"Not this again..." I sigh, "What's with all this talk about legendary Pokémon? You have to-"
"LOOK!" he shouts really loudly, and the plant in my hand starts moving around. At first I think it might be the wind, but notice that it moves back and forth in a rhythm.
"I TOLD YOU SO!" Pichu shouts again, "Celebi was in that cave!"
"Oh, brother..." I sigh again, "Do you know how many Grass-Type Pokémon there are in the world? This could easily have been done by a normal Venusaur, or Vileplume..."
"Nu-uh!" he says quickly, "Celebi is Grass and Psychic, it can make plants and make them move!"
"Listen, you've got to stop with all this talk about legendaries!" I say, both tired of this conversation and worried about his future, "No one ever finds a legendary Pokémon! Keep talking like that, and everyone will think you're weird!"
"B-But..." my brother stammers with a sad face, "Mom and dad..."
"Aw come on, why would you need a legendary when I'm here with you?" I quickly say, fearing that he might start crying unless I change the subject, "I can do all that stuff, and better!"
"Yeah..." he says quietly before snapping out of his sulk with a beaming face, "You're the best, big bro!"
"You know it!" I laugh, and-
-running towards the cliff. The Butterfree was not slowing down one bit, but dread was making my body heavy and I had to stop and catch my breath.
"J-Just..." I breathe wearily, "L-Let's slow d-down a b-"
"Fool!" the Butterfree shouts as she turns around angrily, "We are racing with death! Each breath could be his last!
"D-DON'T SAY THAT!" I scream in anguish, before facing my exhaustion in battle and running once more, "Just show me the way, damn it!"
Not before long, we reach the cliff. The Butterfree hovers above the deep chasm, as I run up to the edge and look down. There is a fairly large gathering of Pokémon down there, all surrounding a small yellow dot right beneath me.
"PICHU!" I bellow in desperation, throwing myself off the cliff in an attempt to get closer. I only fall a few feet, before something grabs a hold my torso and slows me down.
"LET ME GO!" I shout while twisting around violently, still not close enough to identify the yellow dot.
"You dumb bastard!" the Butterfree yells as she slowly flutters down the cliff "What the hell are you thinking!? You want to die too!?"
At the sound of these words, I calm down. As I look down at the yellow dot, I start to imagine that it is actually my brother down there, and I wonder if I maybe did want to die. If my sole ray of light in the world had been extinguished, if the one person that was more important to my than life itself had really died like this, could I possibly live with that? Then I get closer-
-twisted beyond my comprehension.
"B-Big..." he says, before coughing up a wad of blood.
"Don't talk! Save your energy!" I try to scream, but all the air is dissipating from my lungs, "You'll be fine!"
"B-Bro..." he weakly stutters.
"That's right, I'm your big bro and you're my little bro!" I yell back as the tears flow down my face, "You... You shouldn't be the one lying there!"
"S-Sorry..." he rattles as his tiny little body starts to shake, "D-Didn't s-see... F-Fall..."
"Damn it, stop talking!" I wail and try to hold him still, "The two of us are brothers! You can't just leave me behind!"
"I... I t-touched h-her..." he wheezes as his broken left arm moves a little, "... I-it was a 'she'..."
His eyes close and his body goes limp. I start shaking him while crying and screaming, and my mind snaps-
-what caused it...?" the Butterfree says silently, moving a bit closer to the grave. The grave is shaped like an electric bolt, and remains nameless at my request. It stands dark and ominous in the pouring rain, completely unlike the person it is supposed to represent.
"His friends say he shouted that he had seen Celebi, and was following it..." the Butterfree says sadly, "But I don't think anyone would leap off a cliff as a prank..." I remain silent.
"You know, I'd be nice if you would talk once in a while!" The butterfree says in a huff, "If not for me, you would've been lying here next to him!"
Somehow, that doesn't sound so bad. My only brother, dead because of me. If only I had told him more sharply that legendaries don't exist...! I could have prevented this, and my sweet little brother would still be with m-
-look!" the Butterfree says happily as she lands on the ground by the grave, "Flowers! Did someone plant them here?" I sit down at my usual spot in the shade from the sunlight, but after hearing what she said I move closer to the grave. There were a few green saplings sticking out of the grave. She bends over to pull one of them from the ground. I reach forward weakly to stop her, but bereft of hope and life I just slump down on the ground.
"Oh, my!" she exclaims, "Will you look at this? They're moving on their own..." She moves closer, and I look at the green sapling dancing around in her grasp. Moving green saplings growing out of my brother's grave? Didn't he...
"Mrrn..." I mumble, my voice having been out of commission for a while, "What's so special about that...? Don't they usually move...?"
"... Not when they're plucked out of the ground, no" the Butterfree says with a smile, "I think only Psychic-Types can do that."
I look at the sapling. It's still moving. I look at the Butterfree holding it. She's smiling.
I touched her! a voice echoes in my head.
"... You did, did you...?" I whisper to myself, looking at the grave. More saplings were growing out of it.
"What are you telling me, bro...?" I weakly mumble to myself, "... That you were right? Is this what you want to show...?"
The saplings move in unison.
"You... You really are persistent about those legendaries" I snicker. Then suddenly, immense emotions wash over me, and I start crying. Wailing, even. In front of me, I see my cute little brother chasing an unknown figure towards the cliff. I try to get up, but stumble and fall-
-my every nerve is on fire. My body rocks in convulsions of pain, followed by short moments of slightly weaker pain. How the hell did this happen, how did I get here all of a sudden!?
"Stop!" a voice sounds from somewhere, "You'll die!"
"Stay away!" I yell, "I almost got it! I have to do this!" Determination fuels me once more, as I try to send another systematic shock through my body. It runs between my two arms, but it goes awry and a bolt of lightning shoot out of my side, causing more pain.
However, knowing that the suffering of those legendaries will be tenfold mine when I finally perfect this technique serves to dull my-
-and as such, everything seems to be in order. I think about bringing my brother's books detailing the legendaries one more time, even though I know that I've already memorized their content. I would only be bringing them as a sort of memento. But when I pick up my bag and notice how heavy it is, I decide that my brother will have to be with me in spirit instead.
"You need any help with that?" the Butterfree snickers, rummaging through the pile of assorted tools I've left behind.
"Come on, you know I can't bring you" I say with a short laugh, "You stick around here and wait for me!" I walk towards the exit, making sure I haven't forgotten anything important. Both in the ways of packing and farewells. I turn around to face the Butterfree one last time.
"You know... If I come back, I'll be a legendary!" I say with determination, "And you'll be my queen, if you'll take me!"
"Stop with the 'if' stuff, already!" the Butterfre says sadly, but with a smile on her face, "You know I'll take you any way you are when you return..."
"Figures..." I laugh as I give her a sincere smile, "But really, thanks for taking care of me all this time, Anne"
"Well..." Anne blushes, "Now it's your turn to pay me back! Settle for nothing lower than legend!"
"I won't!" I cheerfully exclaim, as I turn around-
Wake up
Suddenly, Pikablu woke up. Confused, he sat up straight and looked around him. Furred creatures do not sweat, so the heat covering his body was almost unbearable.
"Was that dream smoke to 'flashback', or something...?" Pikablu whispers to himself before he kicked the Gallade and Kabutops next to him at the same time.
"Ow, what the-" the Gallade shouted groggily as Kabutops sat up in an incredible haste while making a small whimpering noise.
"Dude, what the hell was that?" Pikablu asked.
"Sorry, just..." Kabutops said while shaking his head, "... Nothing but a couple of bad memories."
"Same here" Pikablu mumbled, "... Let's never to that again."
"Well..." the Gallade said as he leaned back into the bed, "I've got nothing but good ones, so keep quiet while I catch some shut-"
"Shut up? While you catch some shut up?" Pikablu interrupted, "We've got a mission to complete! You can sleep when you're dead!"
"Man, where'd all that energy come from...?" the Gallade sighed as he clutched his forehead.
"Darkrai!" Pikablu shouted, "Did any of you see it?"
"Not unless it had a voluptuous from and a sexy Kanto accent!" the Gallade laughed, while Kabutops shook his head.
"Ugh, fine..." Pikachu muttered disappointedly, "Go back to sleep while I figure out our next move."
As his comrades went back to sleep, Pikablu knew he was too shook up to do the same. Not just because of the earlier flashback, but also because he could've sworn that by the end of the dream, he hadn't been alone. Although true to his earlier statement he was not willing to try again, as no reward would be worth reliving those painful memories once more.
- - - - - - - - - - -Chapter End Notes:In the underground passage, a shady Mr. Mime is moving around. As two Pok...mon pass by, it creeps up to them.
"Heeey, you two look like you could use something..." Mr. Mime whispers with a creepy tone, "... Something I've got." He holds up a vial of pink smoke.
"Wait, is that..." one of the Pok...mon (a Haunter) says, "... Dream smoke?"
"A-HA! Didn't expect police, today!" the other one (a Scizor) says triumphantly, "You are under arrest for selling substances, right now!"
"You should relax, officer..." Mr. Mime whispers, "Just have a puff of this here dream smoke..."
"You won't get away, this time!" the Scizor shouts, hitting the Mr. Mime with a punch as fast as a bullet. The Mr. Mime falls backward, unconscious.
"You will be sleeping in custody, tonight..." the Scizor says while looking down at him, "But then your real problems will start, tomorrow!"
"Uh, Scizor? Honey?" the Haunter says worriedly, "You know that selling dream smoke is not illegal anymore, right?"
"Eh... What, now?" the Scizor says surprised, "But that was not the case, a year ago!"
"Haven't you been reading up on the new laws?" the Haunter asks, crossing her arms.
"Why should I be reading, all day..." the Scizor mumbles, "When I could be out catching criminals, right now!"
"... To avoid situations like this?" the Haunter says, looking down at the Mr. Mime.
"C-Cannot forget, right now!" the Scizors stammers, "Poker game at Snivy's, tonight!"
The two of them quickly scuffle away, as the Mr. Mime has a pleasant dream about barriers.