Chapter 469: Darkrai's Side Mission! (1)
~Third POV~
[Sinnoh Region, Later, Hearthhome City]
The golden hour of Hearthome City was a spectacle of shimmering light and architectural grace. As the doors of the Pokémon Contest Hall glided shut behind them, the atmosphere shifted from the pressurized elegance of the stage to the bustling, rhythmic energy of the city streets.
Azure stepped out into the evening air. On his right shoulder sat Pikachu, ears twitching at the distant sound of a Kricketune's melody.
Atop his head, a fluffy Eevee adjusted its position, yawning widely. And nestled within the inner pocket of his high-collared jacket, Pichu (Mew) peered out with a subtle yawn. Behind him followed the Trio of Sinnoh.
Platinum Berlitz walked with the practiced poise of nobility, her eyes still sparkling with the residual adrenaline of the contest stage. To her left, Pearl was checking his watch with neurotic precision, muttering about their schedule, while Diamond was happily chewing on a fresh rice ball, seemingly oblivious to anything but the flavor.
*Wooosh*
Suddenly, the air around Azure grew cold. A shadow beneath his feet elongated, stretching toward the horizon despite the direction of the setting sun as Darkrai's voice echoed in Azure's head, 'Master.'
The voice didn't come from the air, but from the depths of Azure's own mind, resonant and chilling like a winter gale. It was Darkrai.
Azure paused, his hand instinctively moving to the brim of his hat. He didn't turn around, but his Aura flared—a subtle, rainbow pulse that only those sensitive to the spirit could perceive. He asked telepathically, 'What is it, Darkrai? You sound... unsettled.'
The Pitch-Black Pokémon, usually a silent sentinel in Azure's shadow, pulsed with a sudden surge of psychic distress explained, 'The balance is shifting far to the south. In the Almia Region... the Tears of the Prince. They have been moved. The Red, Blue, and Yellow gems—they are being converged with the Shadow Crystal. Darkness is being coerced, Master. It screams.'
Azure's expression didn't change, a testament to his years as a top-tier trainer, but his heart tightened. He tried to recall where he had heard it till he recalled the Pokémon Ranger Series, specifically the Shadows of Almia.
He knew of the Almia Region's legends. If the Shadow Crystal was being manipulated, it wasn't just a local problem; it was a fundamental disturbance in the fabric of the Dark-type energy that Darkrai represented.
Darkrai continued, its voice filled with a rare sense of urgency and seriousness, 'I must go. I am the guardian of the nightmare realm. If the Shadow Crystal is corrupted by human greed, the darkness I command will turn into a plague. I must stabilize the light and darkness in Almia.'
Azure closed his eyes for a split second before replying telepathically to Darkrai, 'Do you need backup? I can have Porygon-Z interface with the local Almia network, or I could send Mewtwo with you.'
Darkrai replied, and Azure could almost feel the phantom's grim smile, 'No. The power I have gained under your tutelage is more than sufficient. I will return when the shadows are once again silent. Maintain your watch over the Heir. The mountain looms.'
*VRRRRR*
With a sudden, soundless explosion of violet-black smoke, a Dark Void manifested briefly within Azure's shadow. To an outside observer, it looked like a flickering streetlamp shadow, but Azure felt the departure instantly.
The weight of his shadow felt one soul lighter. Platinum's voice broke through his thoughts, "Azure? Is something wrong?"
She had stopped a few paces ahead, noticing her bodyguard's momentary stillness. Azure looked up, offering a calm, reassuring smile as he replied, "Nothing to worry about, Lady Platinum. Just a minor change in the wind. Darkrai had some... personal business to attend to in another region. He'll be back before we hit the peak of Mt. Coronet."
Pearl crossed his arms, looking skeptical as he asked, "He just... left? You let a legendary Pokémon clock out for the day? Are you fine with that?"
Dia finished his rice ball and patted Pearl on the shoulder as he casually said, "Relax, Pearl. If Azure says it's okay, it's probably okay. Besides, we have plenty of muscle."
Azure chuckled as he explained to the trio, "Dia's right. And speaking of muscle, we've been spending too much time on stages and in comedy rehearsals. I'm gonna take this chance to train my team. You three can book a room and try to understand Pokémon Contest, as I need to focus."
The trio nodded as the group split off in different directions. Azure, looking up at the night sky, couldn't help but mutter, "Hope you're okay there, Darkrai."
*Slap*
Slapping his face with his two hands, he shook it off as he muttered with a grin, "The heck I'm worried about? His my Pokémon. He can take care of it."
With that, Azure began to grind his team. He'll trust that he knows what his partner is doing as he focuses on his task.
But he grabbed his Arc Phone as he muttered worriedly, "But some backup and help isn't a bad idea… just in case."
/////
~Darkrai's POV~
[Almia Region, Later, Altru Building – Altru Tower]
The void pulsed around me, a familiar comfort that had long been my sanctuary. But today, it was fractured by an insistent, discordant hum—a dissonance rippling through the fabric of shadow and silence.
The Prince Tears, ancient relics of celestial light, vibrated with alarming disquiet, mirroring the deepening malaise of the Shadow Crystal. My duty, a burden etched into my very being, called to me. I had to answer.
*Wooosh*
With a silent surge of will, I tore through the veil of Dark Void. The familiar whoosh and then the jarring rush of sensation as I materialized, not in the serene shadows I usually favored, but in the heart of a vibrant, sun-drenched region…
The Almia Region. The air here was different, tinged with an unfamiliar energy, both wild and subtly corrupt.
My thoughts drifted, a fleeting echo of concern, to Azure. My trainer, my peculiar, powerful human. But Azure understood.
He had nodded, his gaze unusually solemn, when I conveyed the primal urgency, the call of my ancient charge. He knew the depths of my connection to the balance of light and darkness, to the artifacts I guarded.
The disturbance in Almia was palpable, a growing ache in the very fabric of the region's spiritual resonance. It was a chaotic symphony of corrupted darkness, mingled with the strained cries of light.
My instincts, honed over eons, pulled me northward, past verdant plains and winding rivers. The energy intensified around Pueltown, a place of bustling human activity, its light-hearted chatter serving as a stark contrast to the encroaching gloom I sensed.
Beyond Pueltown, the landscape shifted, becoming less wild and more structured, dominated by the colossal, angular silhouette of the Altru Building. And there it was. At its very apex, like a cancerous growth festering under the sun, pulsed the Shadow Crystal.
Its malevolent song drowned out the world, a siren call to the darkness I embodied, yet also a source of deep unease. It craved the Prince Tears, I knew, sought to devour their light and plunge the world into an eternal twilight.
As their guardian, I could not allow that.
I ascended, a phantom in the midday sun, spiraling towards the tower's peak. The air grew heavy, thick with static and a cloying sense of manufactured power.
*Clang*
*Clang*
*Clang*
The metallic reverberations of the building's structure seemed to groan under the oppressive aura. Just as I prepared to solidify my presence near the summit, a sudden, searing lance of energy whooshed past my spectral form, scorching the air where I would have been.
*Wooosh*
I solidified instantly, my eyes narrowing to pinpricks. My gaze darted, cold and swift, to three figures who stood on an elongated platform extending from the tower, their faces contorted into expressions of smug certainty.
Must be the villain team of this region. And with my connection to the Shadow Crystal and The Prince Tears, I already knew them quite well…
Team Dim Sun. And not just any members, but the Sinis Trio.
A woman with fiery pink hair, Lavana, held an ornate, glowing Red Gem in her hand. Beside her, a man with a chillingly placid face, Ice, clutched a Blue Gem that pulsed with cold light. The third, a burly figure crackling with barely contained energy, Heath, gripped the vibrant Yellow Gem.
The Prince Tears. They had assembled them.
Ice drawled, a smirk playing on his lips, "Well, well, well. It seems our trap bore fruit. The 'Nightmare Pokémon' itself. Just as Master Kincaid predicted."
Lavana giggled, a sound like glass shards as she said, "Such a pretty shadow. But it won't be escaping us, will it, Heath?"
Heath merely grunted, his fingers flexing, electrical currents visibly arcing between them as he arrogantly proclaimed, "Just another Pokémon to control. The Shadow Crystal will make you ours, Darkrai."
My form shimmered, a silent flicker of disdain. Humans.
Always seeking to control what they could not comprehend. My voice, when it came, was a whisper of the void itself, cold and ancient, echoing with the chill of deep space, "You seek to unravel the balance. To corrupt not only the light, but the very darkness I embody. You will not succeed."
Their smug expressions fractured. Surprise, then a flicker of fear, crossed their faces. Lavana stammered, her eyes wide, "It... it speaks?"
I snorted at their reaction. I've only gained the ability of human speech thanks to Mewtwo giving me the human knowledge via memory, and Gengar's English-speaking self-taught classes, but that's beside the point.
Ice recovered, his voice regaining its icy edge, "No matter. It merely makes our work more interesting. Get it, Froslass! Gallade! Garchomp!"
Three Poke Balls snapped open, releasing a flurry of energy…
*POP*
A spectral Froslass materialized, its crystalline body shimmering with an eerie glow. A majestic Gallade, blades extended, poised itself with martial grace. The earth itself seemed to tremble as a fearsome Garchomp erupted, its jaws wide, wings spread menacingly.
I met their challenge with an impassive stare, eyeing them. They sought to use force against a force of nature.
Such arrogance. Such… foolishness.
Had it been before, had I still wrestled with the untamed torrent of my own power, perhaps I would have felt apprehension. But Master, with his profound understanding, and Jirachi, with its celestial intervention, had granted me a clarity, a control that made every whisper of my power a perfectly orchestrated symphony.
I intoned, my voice colder than Ice's own demeanor, "You speak of control. Yet you are merely puppets to a greater ambition. A foolish ambition."
My body dissolved into a wisp of shadow, effortlessly evading Froslass's immediate Blizzard attack that hissed through the air, coating the platform in a sheet of ice. I reappeared behind Gallade, a blink of an eye too fast for its reflexes.
*WHOOSH*
A Dark Pulse erupted from my chest, a concentrated blast of corrupting energy. It slammed into Gallade's back with a sickening CRACK, sending the Psychic-Fighting type sprawling with a pained cry.
*CRACK*
Ice commanded, his composure cracking slightly, "Gallade, no! Garchomp, get Darkrai with Dragon Rush!"
*ZOOOOM*
Garchomp lunged, a living torpedo of scales and claws, aiming to annihilate me. But I was already gone, a fleeting shadow, reappearing above it.
*CRACKLE*
*WHIP*
Streams of ominous energy coalesced around me, forming an Ominous Wind that swirled with malevolent intent. It struck Garchomp, buffeting its massive form, rattling its scales, and momentarily disorienting it.
The Dragon-Ground type stumbled, its roar cut short into a guttural grunt. Lavana, seeing her partner falter against me, shrieked, "Infernape, Magmortar, let's burn this shadow to ash! Inferno!"
*SSSSS*
*SIZZLE*
Two more Poké Balls released their inhabitants. Infernape, a blaze of fire on its head, sprang forth, fists already alight. Magmortar, cannon arms glowing cherry-red, let out a menacing guttural sound.
Lavana screamed, her voice hoarse with rage, "Flamethrower, Magmortar! Blaze Kick, Infernape!"
Twin gouts of superheated flame roared towards me, weaving together into a torrent of fire. I moved, not just fast, but intelligently. I didn't evade; I flowed through the fire, my shadow form momentarily absorbing the heat, twisting it around me as if the flames were but a part of my own dark shroud.
It was a trick perfected over countless practices, a testament to the raw control Azure had helped me achieve. As I passed through the inferno, I left behind a chilling sensation, making the flames flicker and dim momentarily as if stripped of their essence.
*THWACK*
Infernape's Blaze Kick, aimed at my ghostly form, connected with nothing but air. I materialized directly in front of it, my eyes glowing. Infernape's own eyes widened in fear, its fiery spirit momentarily doused.
*THUD*
A Dark Void manifested, not the sprawling, area-of-effect type, but a focused, precise sphere of pure slumber-inducing darkness. It enveloped Infernape, and with a soft thud, the Fire-Fighting type crumpled, falling into a deep, inescapable sleep, its fiery crown extinguishing.
Lavana gasped, her face pale, "Infernape!"
Ice, ever the pragmatist, saw an opening as he commanded fiercely, "Froslass, Hail! Blizzard!"
*Crackle*
The air around Froslass grew frigid. Shards of ice formed in the air, then surged into a devastating Blizzard, aimed at me while I was still close to the sleeping Infernape. The temperature plummeted, and the sharp bite of the ice stung even my ethereal form. But I had anticipated this.
*Woooosh*
I spun, creating a vortex of shadows around me. The Blizzard, instead of striking, was caught in my darkness maelstrom, its icy power dispersed and dissipated. From within the swirling shadows, another Dark Pulse erupted, faster and more potent than the last.
*BANG*
It struck Froslass, which let out a high-pitched, spectral cry before its icy form shattered momentarily, and it too fell, unconscious. Heath bellowed, his voice filled with a desperate fury, "Two down! You think you're so clever! Magnezone, Rhyperior, Electivire! Shock it! Crush it! Make it regret!"
*POP*
Three more Poké Balls discharged their power. A multi-magnetized Magnezone hovered, buzzing with electrical energy. A towering Rhyperior, its rocky body imbued with raw power, THUMPED onto the platform, shaking it violently. And finally, an Electivire, its twin tails crackling with blue electricity, snarled aggressively.
*ZZZZZZT*
Magnezone didn't hesitate. A torrent of electricity, a Thunderbolt, screamed towards me. Simultaneously, Electivire lunged, its fists crackling with a Thunder Punch. Rhyperior brought its massive drill-like arm down, aiming for a Rock Wrecker that would shatter the very platform.
This was a coordinated assault, a raw display of brute force and electrical might. Their numbers were overwhelming, their power undeniable.
But they were predictable. They relied on power, not subtlety, not the nuanced dance of darkness and dreams I had mastered.
*Wooosh*
As the Thunderbolt crackled around me, I was already moving. I phased through Electivire's Thunder Punch, the electrical currents harmlessly passing through my temporary incorporeal form.
I surged upwards, a shadowy projectile, towards Magnezone. It attempted a Flash Cannon, but my speed rendered its aiming futile. I was on it, a Dark Void blossoming into existence around the Steel-Electric type.
*CLANG*
Magnezone's buzzing drone sputtered, its magnets flickered, and it descended slowly, its lights dimming as it fell into a deep sleep...
*THUD*
It hit the platform with a heavy thud.
Heath stared, his jaw agape, "Magnezone, too?!"
*CRUNCHED*
Rhyperior's Rock Wrecker crunched down onto the spot I had just occupied, leaving a crater in the platform. The sheer force of the impact sent tremors through the structure. But I wasn't there.
*Wooosh*
I was already above the lumbering Rhyperior, descending. It raised its arm for another desperate attack, but its movements were too slow, too telegraphed.
I whispered, a chilling breeze passing over the Ground-Rock type, "You are too clumsy to ever catch me."
*THUMP*
A precise Dark Void formed directly over Rhyperior's head. This time, it didn't even have time to react. Its colossal body swayed, then THUMPED to the ground, a seismic shockwave that almost buckled the platform.
I then waved my arm…
*SHHHING*
A Dream Eater, swift and precise, materialized, drawing sustenance from Rhyperior's slumbering mind, accelerating its unconsciousness. Heath roared, panic finally creeping into his voice, "No! No, this isn't happening! Electivire, Giga Impact! Full power!"
*ZOOOM*
Electivire, the last Pokémon standing, let out a desperate cry. Blue energy pulsed violently around it, gathering into a devastating, full-body charge. It launched itself at me, a living projectile of pure destructive force.
This was a final, desperate act. I observed its trajectory, its single-minded focus. It was strong, undeniably so, but blindingly enraged. I did not need to meet its strength with my own…
*Wooosh-CRACK*
I vanished, dissolving into a shimmering pool of shadow just as Electivire's Giga Impact tore through the space I had occupied. The force of its attack, unhindered by a target, slammed into the edge of the platform with a sickening CRACK, sending shudders throughout the entire Altru Building.
Electivire, now locked into its post-Giga Impact immobility, was utterly vulnerable. I reappeared directly behind it, my eyes fixed on its vulnerable form. There was no need for another Dark Void.
*Thud*
A swift, silent Dark Pulse, a focused blast of pure dark energy, slammed into Electivire's back. The electric currents flickering around it short-circuited, its eyes rolled back, and it collapsed, leaving only the lingering smell of ozone and burnt air.
Silence.
The only sounds were the groans of the Sinis Trio and the distant whirring of the Altru Building's machinery. My opponents lay defeated, their Pokémon scattered and unconscious around them.
Lavana whimpered, clutching her Red Gem, now dull and inert. Ice stared, a horrified blankness in his eyes, the Blue Gem slipping from his numb fingers. Heath merely sagged, his fury replaced by utter despair, the Yellow Gem clattering to the metallic platform. I looked down at them, a silent judgment.
They were weak, not just in power, but in spirit.
They had sought to control the ancient forces, to grasp what was beyond their comprehension, and they had failed. My power, once a wild, chaotic thing, was now refined, precise, capable of overwhelming force or surgical strikes, thanks to Master's innate understanding and Jirachi's benevolence.
I was not just a nightmare; I was a guardian, a force of measured, controlled chaos. The Prince Tears, no longer under their sway, lay inert, their vibrant colors muted. But the Shadow Crystal, at the zenith of the tower, still pulsed with its malevolent song, louder now, more insistent, no longer masked by the Sinis Trio's futile efforts...
*BOOOOOM*
Its dark aura surged, a beacon of corruption in the sky. My eyes were still narrowed. This was merely the first obstacle.
The true disturbance, the heart of the growing darkness, awaited me at the very top. The Shadow Crystal called, and I, Darkrai, its ancient counterpart and sworn guardian, would answer.
Before I left, I grabbed the Tears of Prince, safely tucked into my Dark Void as a safety precaution. I ascended, a shadow amongst shadows, towards the source of Almia's encroaching night…
Whoever dared disrupt my duty…
*SWOOOOSH*
… shall taste what an everlasting nightmare feels like.
/////
A/N: Hope you liked the chapter!