The sun was beginning to set when a lone Absol exited a cave on the Hill of the Ancients. He approached the edge of the cliff and sat down, watching the sunset. After a few moments, he felt a tingling along his spine, one that caused him to involuntarily shiver. While he had unfortunately grown accustomed to sensing disasters in recent times, this one was much more powerful than the rest. It didn't take much on his part to determine what it meant.
"Pondering the mysteries of life, as always?"
Absol turned around when he heard his friend approach. Even in his old age, the elderly Pokémon maintained his position atop the Hill of the Ancients with few breaks, save for when he chose to sleep.
"Xatu, I believe that your vision has come true," Absol said.
"Ah, you felt it, too?" Xatu said, as he joined his young friend.
Absol nodded. "Yes, the feeling was unmistakable. Even in these times of turmoil, I was able to tell what it was. When shall I leave?"
"Tomorrow. The sun is beginning to set, and I will not allow you to risk your safety just yet. I know you are worried, but I believe he will be fine without your help for now." Upon finishing his sentence, Xatu broke down into a fit of coughing.
"And your other prediction?" Absol asked, concerned.
"Still coming true, I'm afraid," Xatu wheezed. "My predictions are rarely wrong, and I fear this one will be no different."
"When will it happen?" Absol asked.
"In a few hours, while I'm asleep. It will be quick and painless, so there is no need to worry."
"Is there anything I can do to help you until then?" Absol asked.
"Remembering your training when you leave in the morning is enough," Xatu said. "Remember that things will get worse before they get better, though I have faith that you will persevere. Your father left you in my care specifically because he knew that you would one day assist a great hero, much like he did, and that you would need a trained mind in addition to a trained body. He would be very proud of you if he were here now."
"I don't suppose you could tell me any more about where he is right now?" Absol asked, hopefully.
Xatu shook his head. "There are few questions I am unable to answer, but that is one of them, I'm afraid. Everything I know, I already told to you a long time ago. Your father assisted the first great hero and his partner in stopping the meteor that threatened to destroy the world, and remained a part of the rescue team even after their task was completed. Many years later, after he had met your mother and the two of them had you, he sensed another great disaster approaching and began training you, in the hopes that you would serve a team much like he had. Eventually he left for parts unknown with the rest of his team, and none of them have been seen since. I'm sorry, but that's all I know."
"Thank you, Xatu," Absol said, disappointment in his voice.
Xatu broke off into another coughing fit, and rose to his feet once it subsided.
"I'm sorry, my friend, but I believe it's time for me to go to sleep," the Psychic type said.
Absol nodded. "I understand. Good night, Xatu."
"Good night, Absol," Xatu said, as he entered the cave.
After a few moments, Absol followed him into the cave, closing the entrance with Secret Power as he did so. The cave was lit with torches, which both Pokémon took great care to keep lit as a precaution. He walked to one corner of the room, then lie down. He cast one final glance at his friend, then closed his eyes and fell asleep.
The moon was shining high overhead as a Riolu clambered over fallen logs. He carried a torch in one hand and was shielding it from the falling rain with the other, and across his shoulder was draped a bag full of berries. He had been lucky enough to stumble across a patch of trees that had somehow gone undiscovered, and had wasted no time in gathering as many as he could. Now, all he had to do was find his way back, though that was easier said than done at night, for even with the torch, the forest was a maze.
A flash of lightning overhead illuminated the path briefly, allowing the Emanation Pokémon to find his way further a bit more, though it only took a few seconds for him to become lost once again. Briefly, he considered finding a safe spot to rest and waiting until morning, though it would mean that he risked being attacked while alone, something that would mean almost certain death. Frustrated, Riolu shut his eyes and focused his aura powers, hoping that it would show the way back to the group he had traveled to the forest with. To his surprise, he was able to sense someone nearby. It was very faint, but it was the best chance he had of surviving the night, so he quickly set off in the direction he had sensed it.
As Riolu began the trek towards the aura he had sensed, he listened intently to his surroundings. He hadn't heard anything yet, but he was alone, and that meant if he wasn't careful, he would very quickly end up dead, just as so many others had before him. Life as a scavenger was dangerous, but it was necessary if the Pokémon living in the town were to survive, and everyone was expected to do their part.
There was a loud crack a few feet away from him, as if someone had stepped on a tree branch and broken it. Riolu turned towards it, torch-hand outstretched in defense.
"Who's there?" he asked, nervously.
No response came, which only served to unnerve him even more than he already was. Not wanting to stay put for any longer, Riolu turned and began sprinting towards the source of the Aura. He could hear something following him, and was doing his best to move as fast as he could while keeping the torch lit, for he knew that if the torch were to go out, he would die.
Something flew past his head, grazing his right ear. Riolu felt blood begin to drip down onto his shoulder, and quickened his pace in response. Another one came, though this time he was able to dodge it without taking any harm. He rounded a corner and ducked to avoid a tree branch, unintentionally dodging another attack as he did so. Riolu was about to take another sharp turn in the hopes of throwing his attacker off, but the rain had made the ground muddy, and he ended up slipping. The slick ground caused him to slide on his back, and he realized too late that he was being carried towards a steep hill. He tried to scramble to his feet, but he was unable to do so before sliding off the edge.
Riolu did his best to shield his torch from the mud as it carried him down the hill. Rocks and pieces of fallen trees bit into his skin, but he was forced to ignore them. He reached the bottom hill in a few seconds scraped and bruised, but otherwise unhurt. He searched for his pursuer, but they had abandoned the chase for the time being, leaving him alone. Riolu quickly used his aura powers to see if he could find the trail again, and to his relief, he could. He brushed himself off and rose to his feet, then began to follow the trail.
Luckily for Riolu, the trail seemed to be much shorter; while previously he had only been able to pick up a faint trace of aura, now he was able to see much more. The rain was beginning to subside, which provided both a sense of relief and a sense of dread; while Riolu wouldn't have to shield his torch any longer, the lightning would also be less frequent, meaning a greater risk of running into more enemies like the one that had just chased him. He would have to hurry and find his way back to the group, assuming they were all still alive.
After a few minutes, Riolu found himself in front of a cave. The trail led inside, so he cautiously entered. Beyond the entrance, which was illuminated slightly by the light of the moon, the cave was completely dark. Riolu's torch provided a small amount of light, but he was still unable to see more than a few feet in front of himself. He was aware that he had nowhere to run in the cramped interior of the cave, but there was little he could do about it but press on and hope that there was nothing sinister lurking in the shadows. The cave eventually branched off into three separate passageways, though Riolu's aura abilities made it easy to determine which one to follow.
The path led into yet another tunnel, though this one was much wider than the one he had just left. The aura in this tunnel was very strong, signaling that Riolu was close to finding the source. He rounded a corner, and found himself in a small room. Moonlight was filtering in from a small hole in the ceiling, brightening the room slightly. In the center of the room, directly underneath the hole in the ceiling, was a Shinx, no doubt the source of the Aura trail.
Riolu approached with caution, for a Shinx had not been a part of the group he had travelled out into the wild with. It could have been a part of another group that had gotten lost in the forest like Riolu had, but he couldn't remember seeing a Shinx back at the town he had come from. That meant it was either a wild Pokémon or a member of another town. While normally he would have been hesitant to awaken a stranger, he had very few options if he was to survive the night, so he reached out with his free hand and gently shook the Shinx.
"Hey, wake up," he said.
The Shinx let out a groan and began to stir. Riolu backed up a bit, prepared to fight back if the stranger tried to attack. It opened its eyes and stared at the Emanation Pokémon.
"A Riolu?" it said, confused. It stretched out its forepaws and recoiled in fear at the sight of them. "What the hell?" it shouted, as it scrambled backwards.
"Are you alright?" Riolu asked.
"Y-you can talk! You're a Riolu, and you can talk, and I'm…I'm not sure what I am!" the Shinx said, as it stared at its paws.
"You're a Shinx," Riolu said, concerned.
"I'm a Shinx?" the Electric type asked. "No, no, this can't be happening. This all has to be a dream, and I'll wake up, and everything will be normal."
"I assure you, this is not a dream, unfortunately," Riolu said, as he took a few steps forward. "Are you alright? You seem confused."
"Of course I'm confused! I just met a talking Pokémon, and I've been turned into a Shinx!"
"What do you mean you've been turned into a Shinx?" Riolu asked.
"What do you think I mean? I used to be a human, and now I'm not anymore!"
Riolu paused. "A human? You were a human before you got turned into a Shinx?"
"Yes!"
"You're not lying? You really were a human?"
"Why would I lie about something like that?" the Shinx said.
"I-I'm sorry, it's just that it's very rare to hear of a human that's been turned into a Pokémon. There have only been three I've ever heard of."
"You mean there were others like me? Then there must be a way to change me back! Do you know what it is?" the Shinx asked.
Riolu shook his head. "No, I'm sorry. But if you really are a human, then Ninetales might know, since she helped the others. We'll have to get through the forest first, but once we're out, I can take you to her."
The Shinx nodded. "Yes, please take me to her."
"Okay. Just stay close to me, don't travel outside of the light of my torch, and if you see anyone in the darkness, tell me."
The Shinx struggled to his feet and attempted to walk towards the Emanation Pokémon, but tripped and fell after just a few steps. Riolu's doubts as to whether he was telling the truth about being a human were beginning to evaporate as he watched the Electric type try and fail a few more times to take a few steps. He was about to offer help when the Shinx finally managed to make it to him.
"Are you ready?" Riolu asked.
"Yes, let's go," the Shinx said.
The two left the cave and began the walk through the forest. The rain had completely stopped, but the trees continued to drip water onto the forest floor, and the distant rumblings of far-off thunder echoed through the darkness. Riolu decided to check for another Aura trail, and was able to detect a faint one. He began to follow the trail, the Shinx carefully following him.
"So, can you remember anything about your human life?" Riolu asked.
The Shinx shook his head. "No. I can't even remember my own name," he said, sadly.
"I'm sorry," Riolu said. "As long as we're travelling together, do you mind if I just call you Shinx? It'd be easier to call you that than to refer to you as Human."
"That's fine," Shinx said. "What should I call you?"
"Just call me Riolu. Most Pokémon tend to just be named after their species, unless two members of the same species happen to be nearby, in which case they'll shorten their names. Of course, sometimes a Pokémon will pick an entirely different name for themselves, but it's very rare."
"I see. Hey, Riolu? If you don't mind me asking, why are you carrying that torch? You seem to be able to see just fine without it," Shinx said.
"Oh yes, I should have mentioned it earlier. I'm carrying this torch because it provides a source of light, and light is the best way to defeat-"
He was cut off by a Razor Leaf passing just in front of his face. A few more inches, and he would have been injured or killed. It seemed that his attacker from earlier had come back.
"Shinx, run!" Riolu shouted, as he began sprinting as fast as he could towards the direction the aura trail was pointing him towards.
"Riolu, what's going on?" Shinx asked, as he ran to Riolu's side.
"Just run!" Riolu answered, as another Razor Leaf grazed his right arm. He considered turning around and trying to fend off the attacker with his torch, but the torch only had a small range, and the attacker was most likely just outside of it. If he did stop and try to fight, then he would be giving whoever was chasing them a clear shot. He would have to just keep running and hope that the Razor Leaves would continue to miss.
"Shinx, take a left up here!" Riolu said, as the two of them reached a large clearing. The trail was getting clearer with every step, meaning that help was getting closer.
Another Razor Leaf passed by, this time cutting Riolu on the side of the throat. Their pursuer was getting closer with every attack. If they tried simply running, they would never make it back to the group. Riolu felt his heart sink as he realized what they would have to do.
"Shinx, we're going to have to fight this thing," he said.
"Are you crazy? I can barely run correctly, let alone fight!" Shinx said.
"Yes, but I've got my torch. If we can hit him with this, it'll be over. We don't have any other options, I'm afraid."
As if to punctuate his statement, another Razor Lead passed just over Shinx's head, embedding itself into a nearby tree.
"Okay, what's your plan?" Shinx asked.
"It's simple: you distract him, and I'll get him with my torch. Ready?"
"As I'll ever be," Shinx said.
"Okay, turn and fight!"
The two of them stopped and turned around, prepared to finally face their attacker. Riolu held his torch high, ready to fight back against the one that had been chasing him since he had entered the forest.
From the darkness, two Razor Leaves came flying at them. The pair was able to dodge them, though Shinx received a cut on his left front leg. Riolu was finally able to see the Pokémon that had been following him: a Leavanny, its skin completely black, almost shadow-like, and its eyes pale white, staring endlessly into nothingness. He watched as Shinx charged at it and slammed into it with a Tackle attack, though he wasn't quite sure if that was what the Electric type had intended. As Shinx attempted to recover from his attack, the Leavanny's right arm turned green and it lunged towards him in an attempt at using its Leaf Blade. Shinx was able to roll out of the way, and the Leavanny instead buried its arm deep in the ground. It tried to free itself, but it was unable to.
"Riolu, whatever you're going to do, you should do it now!" Shinx shouted.
Riolu ran forward, torch in hand. The Grass type tried to flee from the approaching flames, but with its arm stuck, there was nothing it could do. It gave a loud scream as Riolu approached, and then, to the surprise of both of the Pokémon, it began to melt. The two watched as their tormentor was reduced to little more than a black puddle on the ground.
Shinx stared at the puddle in shock for a few seconds before he was able to regain his composure.
"Riolu, what was that thing?" he asked.
"That was a Dark Pokémon," Riolu said, as the two began walking through the forest again. "They're creatures made of shadows that attack normal Pokémon. Nobody knows where they came from or why they're here, they just appeared one day and started attacking us."
"How many are there?" Shinx asked.
"Enough to make travelling in the darkness extremely dangerous. Unless you're carrying a torch, that is, since any kind of light instantly kills them. Normal attacks will too, but it's much easier and safer to use light against them instead."
His answer must have shocked the Electric type, as he asked no more questions after that. The duo continued in silence for a few minutes, until the aura trail began to grow more intense.
"I think we're near an exit," Riolu said, as he rounded a corner. Sure enough, there was a large section where the trees parted up ahead. Relieved, he quickened his pace towards it.
The two emerged from the forest bruised and, in Riolu's case, somewhat bloodied, but alive. Now all they had to do was find the rest of Riolu's group, though judging by the intensity of the aura trail, they weren't far off. They continued walking straight forward for a few moments, and were greeted by the sight of a group of Pokémon carrying bags of berries. Some of them bore wounds, no doubt caused by Dark Pokémon or wild Pokémon searching for an easy meal, but nothing appeared life threatening.
"That's them," Riolu said, as the duo approached. One of the figures broke off from the rest of the group, and Shinx was able to recognize it as a Houndoom.
"Riolu, I see you've made it back in one piece. And you've brought a friend," he said, having noticed Shinx.
"Yes, this is Shinx. I found him in a cave while exploring the forest. He'll be staying with me for a little while," Riolu said.
Houndoom nodded. "As long as he's willing to work as a scavenger and mind our rules, I don't think anyone will object to his presence. Follow me and I'll take you back to town."
Houndoom led the two of them back to the group, and a short while later, they all set off in the direction of the town.