The reports had begun months ago. After the Global Trade Terminal had opened in Goldenrod City there had been Mass Outbreaks of Pokémon species from Hoenn and Sinoh spotted in various locations all around Johto and Kanto but lately the reports had become more unusual. In addition to the new Pokémon appearing there had also been more and more accounts of children of various ages disappearing in the night and while there was virtually nothing to connect the children individually there was one Pokémon in particular the reports had been tied to; the Balloon Pokémon Drifloon.

Normally, this kind of thing wouldn't concern Gold too much but because of this Parents had been advised to not let their children out after dark as well as to locks doors and windows and ever since he had not been allowed to leave the Pokémon Day Care after he was through working under strict orders from his own mother and the elderly couple that ran the day care who treated him like a grandson. It was an annoyance, but still no concern until a few days ago when Professor Oak had called. He had sent Crystal to deliver some data reports to his associate Mr. Pokémon. She had brought him the papers with no problem but she did not come back to the lab afterwards and after contacting the Pokémon Academy in Violet City he had had nowhere else to turn.

Gold wanted to help his friend but between his own job and new curfew there was nothing he could do except for except keep an eye on the reports and try to figure out a way to investigate on his own.

Now the clock was just beginning to toll three o' clock a.m. Outside a single Drifloon emerged from the Ilex forest drifting towards Goldenrod City on the breeze but it was soon accompanied by another and another until the sky seemed to be filled with them. Each found a house after entering the city and easily entering using Psychic to open any door and each emerged shortly after followed by a young boy or girl, leading them to the street that ran through the center of the city where they all began marching north. Once the procession had grown to a considerable size the children all began a chorus to accompany their parade.

Hey look, if you listen carefully

A sound nobody else can hear

"Hurry! Come and play!" Is what the music is telling me

Open the door and let in the dream

Wake up and hurry to the street

I am free in my own dream, to do whatever I want to do

Let's go together it will be fun, let's go together and tell no one

Mom and Dad won't get mad if they do not know

I will not be lonely, nothing can scare me

It is so boring to be alone

It is ok we can bend the rules

I am free in my own dream; nothing they do can stop me

The number of children increased as the Pokémon went deeper and deeper into the city searching every street and alley until one entered the Global Trade Station that was now only lit by auxiliary power where a slightly older boy with shoulder length red hair slept on one of the couches in the lobby.

The Drifloon approached him and closed it eyes in concentration. The X-shaped mark across its face flashed causing the boy to turn uncomfortably in his sleep until one of the Balloon Pokémon's string-like arms brushed against his nose which brought forth a sneeze, waking him. He reached forward attempting to snatch at least one of the Drifloon's thin arms but the Pokémon dodged and fled in a panic. The red head followed but he had forgotten all about repaying the Pokémon for his rude awakening when he stepped outside and noticed the unusual procession.

Meanwhile, just outside the city, another Drifloon had come across the Pokémon Day Care where Gold slept at the welcome desk cradling his head in his folded arms. The Pokemon hovered near his head and preformed the same move as the other while Gold's face winced in similar discomfort.

In his dream he could see Crystal standing before him but her hair was down and she was wearing a flowing white dress. "Uh… Crys?"

But she didn't answer, only giving him a silent smile before turning and running away.

"Wait!" he called out trying to reach her before following while his unconscious body had stood up and slowly began following the Drifloon, mirroring the actions of his dream.

Once he was outside Gold joined the other children in their march until a gloved hard pulled him out of line and into the alley as he passed the Magnet Train Station without the Drifloon noticing.

"Alright, what's this all about? Where are all of these kids going?" Silver interrogated but the he was unresponsive. Only now did he get his first good look at Gold to notice the vacant look on his face. Was he asleep like all of the others? Unbelievable…

"AUGH!" Gold cried out dropping to his knees putting both hands on top of his head where he had been hit and winced audibly. "Hey what's going on?" He asked once he had opened his eyes again and saw the other children.

"That's what I'd like to know!" Silver snarled from behind with his hand still in a fist "You were a complete zombie just now, what exactly where you seeing?"

The image of Crystal was still clear in his mind but there was no way he could tell Silver. "Uh…" he droned

"I should have known you'd be no help." Silver groaned "Nice outfit, by the way."

Gold raised an eyebrow at the unusual comment but quickly realized what he had meant when he looked down and noticed he was still only half-dressed without his red sweater, hat goggles, or even shoes. "What does it matter to you, anyway? It's not like you know any of these kids." He looked away to hide his embarrassment.

"Maybe I don't, but I do know what it's like to be taken away from your parents at such a young age and I don't want that for them."

The spikey haired boy's eyes widened. He had completely forgotten about what had happened to both Silver and Green when they were younger. Silver had even been so young at the time that he was barely even able to tell Green his name let alone remember anything about his home or family. All the while he himself had been lucky enough to have grown up with not only a loving mother but Pokémon that had also been treated as pets or even secondary family members. He really didn't know how Silver must have felt, even with Green. "Sorry… so what are you planning to do?"

"All the children should still be together if they're being lead to one place and I'm going to find out where." Silver walked past him to watch for a place where he could join in the line of children unnoticed.

"Then I'm going with you." Gold stood up. "I don't like the idea of anything bad happening to these kids either… but I also think someone I know might also be with them…"

Silver only gave him a brief glance before returning his focus to the street outside the alley. "Fine, do what you want, just don't get in my way." He grumbled.

The redhead didn't even wait for Gold as he merged his way into a gap in the stream of children that was nearing an end but he quickly found his own place a few paces behind Silver.

"Act natural…" He said in a muted tone over his shoulder.

Gold quickly realized that keeping such a steady pace was easier said than done but he felt that him and Silver not being led by a Drifloon would make them stand out no matter what and he felt even more awkward while most of the other children continued their chorus.

Hey look, listen and just close your eyes

I think I can smell something sweet

"Hurry! Come and play!" Is what the fragrance is telling me

Come on, the grownups don't know a thing

And we do not have to tell them why

I am free in my own dream to do whatever I want to do

Let's play together it will be fun, if we are loud it does not matter

Mom and dad won't get mad if they do not hear

I do not have to leave and they can't make me

I can have anything right away

Come on everybody you can too

I am free in my own dream; nothing they do can stop me

The march continued on past Goldenrod City north through Route 35 and into the National Park where the security guard had already left for the night. Still they went on, past the fountain further north to the very border of the National park where there was a small gap in the fence no one had seemed to notice but was just the right size for the youngsters to pass through into a wooded area and a clearing that was just out of sight of the main park and any visitors who would have come during the day.

Here, the children were allowed to disperse and began to play with the Drifloon and each other in their dream state; chasing one another in games of tag, climbing the trees and some of the girls made crowns, bracelets and necklaces out of the flowers while the older ones seemed to enjoy simply conversing with each other. There was no sign of Crystal but they seemed to be under the watch of a taller woman with pale skin, blue eyes and silver hair wearing silken robes that were pink, blue and yellow with a golden headdress with a crescent moon hanging down on either side of her head.

She turned her head towards the group of children that were just arriving and instantly noticed Gold and Silver with a disapproving frown. She raised her hand and waved it past her body with an outward facing palm and all at once the boys and girls all stopped and simultaneously collapsed, resuming normal sleep and exposing the two boys while the Drifloon dispersed.

"What is the meaning of this? How dare you intrude on the innocent dreams of these young ones?"

"Innocent?" Silver repeated "Since when is kidnapping 'innocent'?"

"You are mistaken. They are here if their own free will, I merely offered them a choice and now they are free to happily dream forever and do whatever they wish. Don't you want them to be happy?"

Gold thought of his own dream again. Seeing Crystal had made him happy, but only because he hadn't known that what he had seen wasn't real. "What you're giving them is false happiness!" he said

"Your friend doesn't think so" The woman smiled and turned her head towards the trees behind her.

A figure rose up and stepped out of the shadows that turned out to be Crystal, still wearing her lab coat from her delivery. She walked forward and came to a stop next to the strange woman.

"Crys…" Gold gaped

"What?" Silver stared briefly as well then shifted his gaze towards Gold and back at Crystal.

"This girl is kept so busy by her bosses that she hardly has time for herself. Doesn't she deserve a chance to do what she wants?"

Gold shook his head "Not like this!"

"Then what about yourself, aren't you also tired of being told what to do?" she continued "You could still join her, you know. Then you could be together in your dreams just like you wanted. You both could have anything you wish."

Silver was unmoved but he could tell Gold was hesitating. He watched him to make sure the breeder wouldn't make any bold moves but it was suddenly as though he was fading away along with his surroundings. With a start he looked back towards the woman whose body had begun to glow with a pink aura then at Gold again who remained motionless but has almost disappeared completely in a white haze. "Don't be taken in by this!" he called out "Remember it's all just a dream!"

Gold had barely heard the warning as he looked over but to his eyes Silver was the one fading away along with everything else around him except for Crystal.

When the fog had lifted the two were alone in a rolling field of flowers and Crystal was in her breezy dress again. "See? Isn't this much better?" she smiled before running up to Gold and throwing her arms around him. "We can stay here forever where nothing can bother us."

…Forever?

It sounded perfect at first but there was still something missing. What about his Mom and the Daycare Couple? He couldn't abandon them just like he knew Crystal didn't want to abandon her own mother, Earl or Professor Oak. What about Red and the others? They all depended on them too and he might even begin to miss Silver after a while. What about their Pokémon?

…Wait, their Pokémon! His were still in his pocket in their Pokéballs from when he had first fallen asleep at the Day Care so even in a dream they should still be there physically.

That's it!

Gold quickly returned the embrace then stepped back putting a hand around either of her arms to keep them still. "I think we've both had enough dreams for one night, I just hope this works like the Move Tutor said it would..."

"…Togebo!"

A white Pokémon with a round body, an egg-shaped body with red and blue marks on its underbelly, large wings and stubby feet emerged from the pokéball with a melodic coo, hovering.

"Heal Bell!"

The jubilee Pokémon beat its wings a few times to lift itself higher. The angelic wings glowed blue and it clapped them together emitting a pleasant chiming sound that resonated.

The image of the flowery field shattered around Gold and he was back in the National Park standing next to Silver who had also been awakened from his own dream.

Silver glanced around before looking back at Gold in complete astonishment. "That was brilliant." He said "How did you manage to call out one of your Pokémon?"

"I'm not even sure how I did it. I just thought that maybe if my body would still respond it would work. "

"…Gold? What am I doing in the National Park?" Crystal asked groggily while the other children also seemed to be waking from their sleep. "I thought I saw a Pokémon I'd never seen before and I wanted to catch it for Professor Oak, but…"

"You wretched Boy!" the robed woman shrieked "How dare you stop the happy dreams on these children!"

She lunged forward to swipe at Gold but he managed to duck out the way just in time pulling Crystal along with him while Silver dodged in the opposite direction.

"Togebo, Metronome!" Gold called

The Togekiss landed pointing its wings straight up like arms and waved them rhythmically a few times then stopped. It retracted its wings and closed its eyes then suddenly reopened them, glowing blue. It's whole body glowed then with the same blue aura and let it lose in a wave that didn't seem to effect anyone but the robed woman who let out another shriek when the wave passed over her, causing her own body to glow blue then change shape revealing a small hovering Pokémon with a blue, swan-like body with unusual ring-shaped wings reminiscent of the veils the woman had worn and the same crescent headdress.

"Metronome allowed it to use Foresight…" Silver gaped

"That's the Pokémon I was trying to catch!"

"No Way!" Gold blurted out his own surprise after Crystal

The lunar Pokémon reared and opened its mouth poising for an attack which Silver had anticipated. "I've got this one!" he assured the other two and stepped forward "Weavile!"

A Pokémon with black fur and red frills on its head and around its neck, long sharp claws on both hands and feet with two red tails appeared with shrill shriek.

"Protect!"

Weavile raised both arms up and the elbows and closed to together producing a barrier around all three trainers that blocked the Aurora Beam that the blue Pokémon had launched.

"That's probably not going to work a second time, so what are you waiting for?" The redhead called out over his shoulder.

Gold and Crystal nodded in heed

"ExtremeSpeed!"

Togekiss charged forward with blinding speed tackling its opponent head-on causing it to flinch and giving Crystal the chance to call out her own Pokémon; a large, red insect with long legs and large pincers that almost made it look more like a crustacean and a large mushroom on its back instead of a protective exoskeleton.

"Parasee, Stun Spore!" the pigtailed girl commanded

The Parasect hunkered down and shook its mushroom sending forth a cloud of golden powder that made contact, paralyzing the formerly human-shaped Pokémon and bringing it down.

"What kind of Pokémon is this, anyway?" Gold cautiously craned his neck out to try to get a better look but Crystal was the first one to pull out her Pokédex.

Cresselia: Lunar Pokémon.

National Identification Number: 488

Type: Psychic

Height: 1.5m

Weight: 55.6kg

Those who sleep holding Cresselia's feather are assured of joyful dreams. It is said to represent the crescent moon.

"It doesn't sound like it's really dangerous…"

Crystal gave the Pokémon a sympathetic look. "You're right, I don't think it ever wanted to hurt them, it just wanted to bring them more sweet dreams where they could do whatever they wanted"

"But even the freedom of a dream world is no substitution for the real thing." The boy with silver eyes interjected.

Cresselia had begun to right itself after the temporary paralysis had worn off but remained grounded once Gold had approached and squatted down to its level with a smile. "You asked if I wanted these kids to be happy, so now I'm going to ask you the same thing." He began. "Sure they're happy now, but their parents are all worried about them and even if they don't like being told what's best for them they need to be home with their families."

"…I want to go home"

"Me, too…"

"I miss mom and dad…"

"Yeah…"

There were a few other scattered sounds of agreement from all around as the lunar Pokémon looked towards each of them in turn. It lifted off the ground and bowed deeply with an apologetic hum then drifted higher in the direction of the moon that was already waning for the night until it was out of sight.

The bluenette let out a sigh "So much for catching it, but getting everyone home safely is the most important thing now and at least I got the data for Professor Oak… I'm going to need it to explain all of this…"

"What about the Drifloon?"

"They were just trying to help Cresselia, so I don't think they'll be causing any more problems." Gold shrugged

"Then I'm going to head back to Mr. Pokémon's house to let him and Professor Oak know I'm okay. I can make sure that everyone who lives in Ecruteak, Violet City and Cherry Grove get home if you two will look after the ones that live in Goldenrod and Azalea and our flying Pokémon can take care of any others" Crystal suggested holding up the Pokéball that contained her Xatu.

"Hear that, Togebo? Make sure they get home safely!" The golden eyed boy tilted his head back over his shoulder towards his Togekiss who cooed in affirmation with a salute of its wing.

Silver watched as Crystal called back her mushroom Pokémon, switching it with the mystic Pokémon that looked like the bird portion of what should be a larger totem poll and did the same, returning Weavile to its Pokéball and releasing his own avian Pokémon. "You too, Honchcrow." He instructed.

The three groups split up going their separate ways with Gold and Silver going in the same direction. The redhead sped up to his rival just as soon as Crystal's group was out of sight.

"You could have just told me Crystal was the one you were so concerned about. She's my friend too, you know."

"Uh… right" Gold said evasively

"And also…" Silver continued closing his eyes in his own method of evasion "I would have probably done the same thing if it had been Green who had gone missing because I feel the same way about her."

The breeder was left behind, dumbfounded, with a blushing red face and his jaw hanging open.

"No way, you've got it all wrong! It's not like that at all..." he continued his protests trying to catch up with Silver again, but was completely ignored.