Chapter One: The First Nightfall

Dawn: Canalave City


"We need to find a place to stay for the night." Damion pointed out, his eyes searching the city for some area of refuge. "An inn, or something."

"The Pokemon Center's closed?" I asked. Lucas nodded, and Damion rolled his eyes. "Their computers were busted up. Plus, there weren't any spare rooms to stay in." He tossed his green scarf back, and stopped to wait for us, impatient as always. "Come on, let's find a map. I'm getting sick of walking around aimlessly."

The boys ran up ahead, while I just walked around, surveying the foreign city and its exotic air. Wingulls flew overhead, squawking, and the salty smell of the sea air engulfed us. Although there was so much commotion, I felt oddly at peace. I knew that Canalave City held an air of adventure, and adventuring was what I loved to do most.

Lucas looked back at me, his eyebrows raised. He was always the smart one, who always knew what to do, but he could be a real annoyance sometimes. His sarcasm was probably the reason why I felt more comfortable around Damion...

Or maybe it was the fact that Damion and I had been friends since we were little kids.

But whatever the matter, I always felt a little more defensive around Lucas, although we considered each other friends. The way he was looking at me now... I don't know. I guess it was making me uncomfortable, because I crossed my arms and stopped walking.

"What?"

He stopped, causing Damion to stop as well. "Dawn, could you hurry up? I don't want to go back and look for you when we've found somewhere to stay."

"Fine, fine." I huffed and shouldered my bag, brushing past some strangers and walking up to Damion, who grinned. "Still slow as always. You haven't changed a bit."

I knew that Damion considered anybody slower than him to be dumber than a rock and anybody quicker than him to be a maniac. Rolling my eyes, I ignored him and walked on. The sun was swiftly setting, and the skies were a strange crimson shade. It would've been picturesque, if not for the sailors shouting curses at the docks nearby.

"Wait here." Lucas motioned with his arm for us to stay put and ran up to a stranger walking ahead. Damion groaned, evidently not enjoying the notion of "staying put", while I looked ahead at what he was doing. The flustered man was trying to convince Lucas of something, but the stubborn kid just kept on shaking his head and trying to explain our current predicament. They were too far ahead for us to hear anything, but I caught a few words that seemed to mean nothing out of context. Finally, the stranger gave up and walked away in the opposite direction.

"Arceus." I heard Lucas say under his breath as he walked back to us. "What the heck's wrong with this city?"

"I don't know. You were the one talking to him," I pointed out. Lucas glared at me before walking ahead again.

"What's wrong with him?" I mused quietly, low enough for only Damion to hear. He shrugged, although I knew he only didn't want to explain. We walked on, watching the skies worriedly, knowing that we had to get some shelter before night fell.

I knew that Lucas had a reason to be stressed out. He was just a normal kid like the rest of us, but none of us had gone through what he did. His parents had lost their jobs at Jubilife City, and they all had to move to Sandgem Town, where Lucas' grandparents lived. And then Professor Rowan came back to Sinnoh. His parents became researchers, and quite unwillingly, he became the professor's assistant. He didn't jump at the chance to do the Pokedex project, even though he loved Pokemon as much as the rest of us. He didn't want change in his life anymore, and I knew that it was especially hard for him to travel now.

Still, I wondered, it wouldn't be too much to ask for him to be a little less frustrating.

We walked still, our feet aching from the miles we had ran the day before. We hadn't realized how much energy we had spent until after we had arrived at Canalave. The joy of getting another gym badge (our fifth) somewhat erased any signs of tiredness, I guess. Anyways, we were tired, hungry, and the Pokemon Center wasn't accepting any more travelers.

"Lucas?" Damion called, albeit a little shakily. "Uh... it's getting dark. Did that stranger say anything about a hotel? A place to stay, at least?"

"Yeah," I contributed, trying to sound encouraging. "I did a little reading back at Jubilife. We could stay at Harbor Inn. I think it's that old place behind the Pokemon Center; you've seen it?" Damion nodded, and I shrugged. "Should we go check if there's any room?"

I guess Lucas cooled off a little after walking, because he shrugged and stopped to wait for us. As we got closer, he started again, talking as we searched for a map.

"The guy actually told me not to go there," he remarked nonchantly, his blue eyes betraying a sliver of annoyance. "Says that we're better off camping someplace."

"Any particular reason why?" I prodded, trying to get the answer out. Damion just stood by, foot tapping the floor impatiently.

"He was creeped out about something," Lucas finally muttered, after a moment of contemplation. "The guy said that there was something wrong with the city. Somehow, this place has been plagued by some evil spirit, and they think that Harbor Inn is where the entire thing began."

"You're really going to believe that superstitious cra-" Damion began hastily, but I cut him off.

"So what's been happening to these people?"

Lucas pointed in the direction of a chubby-looking sailor, who looked good-natured but a little sad. "See that sailor? He was the previous owner of the inn. Rumor has it that his son's fallen to some nightmares, ones that he can't wake up from. He also claims to have seen some strange Pokemon... I don't know. It's just a rumor."

"Creepy." Damion said, but I rolled my eyes.

"You guys, you know that we need somewhere to stay for the night. And you know that rumors aren't very reliable."

"That's true, Dawn, but the stranger said that it's happened before. He said that every person who's stays at Harbor Inn will get plagued with the same kind of nightmare." He glanced around the city, as if he were looking for something. "I guess we should just go back to Jubilife City and rest there. I know some people that'd let us stay for a while."

Damion looked crestfallen. Lucas and I both knew that he was the most excited about gym battling, and that he wanted to face Byron, Canalave's gym leader, as soon as possible. I felt the same way, but mostly, I wasn't too ecstatic about walking back to Jubilife. I guess we could fly there, but... I shook off the thought, and turned to the guys, who were having an animated conversation about finding a place to stay.

"Look, Damion, I know that you want to do some battling, but it's better just to play it safe. The guy told me that the nightmares are even spreading to wider parts in the Canalave region. There's no known cure for them."

"You're just scared of some weird old legend. Nightmares aren't a big deal!"

"Not if they're affecting just one or two people. Harbor Inn's deserted now that every guest's fallen to them!"

"Yeah, but they're just a bunch of weaklings. I'm about to be Sinnoh champ! Nightmares can't stop me."

"So you'd sleep in some deserted inn just to prove that?"

They went on, and on, and I knew that this would get us nowhere. "Guys, look. Let's just... I don't know... flip a coin." They looked up, and Lucas sighed. "Fine, then. I call heads."

"Tails," Damion griped. I quickly flipped through my Poketch apps until I got to the Coin Toss one, then flipped the coin lying in the center.

"Tails," I called out, causing Lucas to groan and Damion to smirk triumphantly.

"I swear that thing is rigged," Lucas muttered, and Damion laughed.

"No, Dawn just wants to make sure her best friend gets to win."

Lucas shot a glance at me, and I shrugged. "What? You can look at my Poketch if you want. It says tails, right here..."

He ignored me, and continued on. Damion, sensing my bewilderment, quietly sided with me and continued walking.

"What now?"

"I guess we follow Angry Boy." I answered quietly. The streetlamps surrounding us shone like beacons in the night sky, shining through the dark clouds that blanketed the night. The wind had grown cold, and I shivered.

"That's it," I decided. "A change of clothes is in order." Damion rolled his eyes and gave my scarf a yank.

"About time. I was wondering if you were going to do anything about that skirt."

The three of us walked across a wooden bridge, the waves of the sea crashing below us. Damion peered over with curiousity, while Lucas just continued on without a word. I silently followed, hoping that he knew where he was going. I didn't want to get lost now, with the wind howling and the skies black with nightfall. It looked like a storm was coming, with the pitch-black clouds shielding the new moon.

"Dawn?" Damion looked at me as if he were waiting for me to do something. Suddenly, I realized that I was too busy getting lost in my thoughts to really pay attention again.

Lucas had crossed the bridge and walked a little farther ahead. He stopped in his tracks, and in the dim glow of the streetlamps, I could see a broad smile cross his face. It had been so long since I'd seen him so happy, and it was a huge improvement over the sour mood he had been in today.

"Lucas? Anything wrong?" Damion called. I wondered if he was blind and couldn't see Lucas' obvious happiness.

"Guys, come look at this." He called, motioning for us to hurry up.

We ran across the bridge and stopped where he was. In front of us was a towering building, almost as tall as the Veilstone Department Store, but slightly older and less modern. A fountain decorated the entrance, and the lights inside looked safe and comforting. A sign by the door read "Canalave Library."

"Hm. No wonder he likes this place," Damion snorted. We all knew that Lucas was really into learning about Pokemon. He was always getting top marks on his school reports and such, but he wasn't considered a nerd by any of his classmates (probably with the exception of Damion, who was eyeing Lucas with a smirk). He was too aloof and detached for anybody to really get close to him. It wasn't until we had decided to take up a summer internship program at Professor Rowan's that we really got to know him.

"You know what this means, do you?" Lucas asked Damion. I could see a faint glimmer of excitement shine in his blue eyes. Damion rolled his amber ones and shrugged.

"If we read up on the legends of Sinnoh, this'll give us a chance to stop those blue-haired freaks. Team Galactic. They want to steal the Pokemon of the lake, but if we find out more about them, we'll be able to get all the information we need to stop the commanders."

"But remember, we're still trying to find a place to stay for the night," I pointed out. "Now's not the time for reading up."

Lucas' excitement dimmed away. "Alright, then. But I'll come back in the morning, I guess."

"I thought we were going to the gym tomorrow!"

"Maybe in the afternoon, Damion."

Damion sighed, and I could sense his disappointment. He was always trying to be the best, trying to meet up with his father's expectations. We all knew that he was somewhat impulsive, but that was because he wanted to win all the time. He would stop at nothing to become the best.

Maybe that was why out of all of us, he wanted to be the Sinnoh Champion more than anything else.

But me? I guess you could say that I'm a lot more easygoing. The battling's fun, but for me, it's the journey that counts. Going new places and seeing new Pokemon... it just makes me happy, sappy as that sounds. Damion used to joke around and compare me to Mesprit, the Mirage Pokemon of Lake Verity. Ever since we've learned about the guardians of the lakes from Professor Rowan, Damion's been comparing us three to the legendary trio. Me, to Mesprit, because we're both always moving around and going places. Him, to Azelf, the being of willpower. Both stop at nothing to do what they want. And finally, he jokes about comparing Lucas to Uxie, the being of intelligence. It's pretty self-explanatory.

Whenever he brought that up, I'd always roll my eyes. "We're not deities, Damion." And that would shut him up. But I was always determined, after every single battle with Team Galactic, to defeat them, because I knew that whatever they were doing, it involved hurting the guardians of the lake.

Even I knew that Sinnoh couldn't survive without them.

--

"So it's settled, then? We're staying at that old inn?"

"There's noplace else. But if some spirit assaults you in the middle of the night, you brought it on yourself," Lucas replied blankly, the sharpness in his voice dulled by his excitement at finding the library. I just trailed the two as usual, trying to keep the weariness out of my step and the hunger out of my stomach.

"No matter what happens, just remember that it wasn't really my choice. But Harbor Inn is the only place we can stay tonight, you know? We should go if we can."

Lucas said nothing, and I could see a trace of reluctant acceptance in his eyes. Damion just nodded resolutely.

We had walked across the bridge for nothing, it seemed. Night had fallen, and the streetlights cast an otherwordly glow onto the stone-paved road. We retraced our path, making our way across the now-empty bridge again and to the Pokemon Center, where we checked again for a place to stay. The most we could do was to get something to eat, and at least that much was allowed. Stepping into the semi-deserted cafe, glaring lights flashing onto scrubbed white tabletops, I could tell that we all felt a tinge of relief that we were safe from the biting-cold breeze that had stirred up outside.

"So," Damion started, leaning against his seat as Lucas told the waitress his food choices in a low murmur. "I'm thinking that you and I should go gym battling in the morning. We can all meet up at noon, right?"

"Right," I replied, trying to ignore the smell of cooking food that was wafting through the air. "But Lucas wants to read up on a few things, and I think we should go with him too."

"Why? The sooner we get our badge, the sooner we get to leave this creepy city."

"Now who's the guy that's scared?" Lucas cut in, apparently done with his order. The waitress took all our menus as we turned to the red-hatted boy. "The Prof's going to get on all our cases if we don't categorize every single Pokemon that lives in Canalave. We should stay as long as we can."

"We're not going on another research expedition, are we?" Damion groaned, and I shrugged, somewhat cheerful about seeing new Pokemon but disheartened when I saw the disappointment on my best friend's face.

"Yeah, I think we've got to. There's tons of new Pokemon that live around Canalave. Iron Island's not far from this city, so we could also get a few more entries into our Pokedexes there," Lucas mused absentmindedly, seeming as if he were making notes in his head. He did this sometimes, and both Damion and I marveled at how he could remember almost everything. I guess it was just force of habit, him being the professor's assistant and all.

"So it's a good plan, then?" I spoke up after a minute or two of silence. "A research expedition to Iron Island?"

"Sounds like the ideal thing to do," Lucas sighed, then pointed to Damion with a wooden chopstick. "Your thoughts?"

"Ugh, come on," was the griping response. Iron Island sounded really fun to me, and I could tell that even Lucas was a little excited at seeing new Pokemon. It was only Damion that was crestfallen, and I could tell that he just wanted to get through all the gyms as quickly as possible. That meant leaving Canalave after just being here for a day or so, and despite all those spooky rumors, I wasn't too keen on traveling for days on end just to get to another city.

"You guys don't get the idea of saving time," he muttered as Lucas tried to reason with him. The researcher sent me a look that meant "Help me," and I wracked my brain, trying to remember what I read about Iron Island back at school.

"Damion, look on the bright side. Iron Island's got tons of trainers! You could battle them and make your Pokemon a lot stronger," I decided in an attempt to cheer him up. It seemed to work, because the droop in his face seemed to lift and he shrugged, a little bit of the impudence in his voice fading as he replied:

"Fine. Fill our Pokedexes and whatnot. But only for a day."

I beamed at him, and Lucas seemed to be pleased in that smug way of his. I had no time to say anything else, as the waitress came again, this time trying to balance three bowls of noodles in her circular tray. As she slid them onto the tabletop, I hastily distributed the bowls to Damion and Lucas and dug into mine.

"Quite the eater, eh?" Lucas muttered to Damion, who nodded, noting that I was blazing my tongue with every sip of the hot soup I took.

"Yeah. Don't be surprised if she wakes up tomorrow with half her tongue burned off."

--

"You should go," the spectacled man mumured. "The sooner the better. I forsee a tragedy; it's better that you're there."

"Your insight is appreciated, Lucian," came the quiet, contemplative reply. Grey eyes darted around the empty room, as if something's prescence had been sensed. "Canalave is in danger. It seems as if those apparitions grow stronger by the day."

"Any new developments?" This time, a hint of curiousity tinted the man's voice. The woman, golden locks framing her pale face, leaned against the wall with the air of one that had seen too much in too short a time.

She sighed, then, a firm resolution hiding the weariness that lay under her gaze.

"By the time I get to Canalave, Lucian, I figure that I'll find out more than I care to know."

"But with you there, it's only a matter of time before the ordeal sorts itself out," he noted. She acknowledged this with a small smile.

"I'll leave tomorrow morning, then. Take care of all the challengers; I'll deal with them in due time."

A faint flicker of a grin manifested itself on Lucian's face. She noted this with a raise of an eyebrow; she hadn't intended the statement to be a joke.

"What's so funny?"

"The mere thought of any challengers getting past you."

She said nothing, just turned away. Lucian cleared his throat and didn't attempt to break the silence, just waited until the woman spoke.

"The people of Canalave are strong. I know that Byron keeps a steady watch over the city's proceedings," she replied, somewhat absentmindedly. "If the problem hasn't been fixed in two years, I know that it'll take more than just my help to keep the area safe."

"Try the trainers there. There's plenty, according to Byron's complaints."

"Yet, only a few do manage to get past his team," she murmured. "We could always relieve Aaron and Flint of their duties. Postpone any challenges to the League for a brief time and send them to investigate."

"Isn't it bad enough having the champion away?" He responded, and she tried to bite her words back. She was just being selfish again, trying to lighten her workload. Champion of the League had sounded lovely at first, but as the grandeur faded away, she had realized the hard work that came with it.

It was facing dozens of tough and arrogant trainers each day, fighting with her all as her competitors shouted at their Pokemon and she tried to keep her eyes from closing in tiredness.

It was trying to stop those blue-haired fools... Team Galactic, was it? Trying to stop them from taking all that she had worked for in the end.

It was doing things like this. Saving cities and such. And then coming back from a week or two of excruciatingly difficult work and making her Pokemon slave and battle and fight just so she could maintain the position she hated so much now.

The world had not been kind to the Sinnoh region's champion.

"Fine, then," she found herself stating quickly, as if a split-second hesitation would make her bite her words back. "I'll go alone. Maybe find some help along the way."

"Trust me," Lucian chuckled as she nodded to him with weary resolution and headed to the door. "You'll find help in Canalave. Lots of it."

--

Harbor Inn was a derelict little place with a small, crumbling sign that was barely legible. I presented it to them with a flourish, trying not to note the look of utter disdain on Lucas' face and the hesitation in Damion's step.

"What? Not good enough for the two of you?"

"It's perfectly fine. Charming," Lucas remarked sarcastically, and I nodded as if taking it literally.

"It's just that when you see it up close, it does look like the place some evil spirit would haunt," Damion murmured. Lucas eyed him with an air of annoyance, and I had to fight back the urge to comment on that.

"So what's up? You guys not tired yet? Get a move on!"

"You go first, Dawn," Damion offered, hanging behind. Lucas made no effort to contradict him, and trailed along behind me. I sighed, realizing how ironic it was that I had the most courage for once, and during a situation like this, too.

The door made a hollow, empty sound as I knocked on it. Paint was peeling, and the entire house looked like it had given up and was deteriorating at will. "Hello? Anyone here?"

I tried that again, but to no avail. The door didn't swing open, and it didn't budge when I turned the doorknob. "Can we stay here tonight? Anyone?"

"He-Hey, well, I guess not! You know, I'm starting to think that staying at Jubilife does sound good tonight, eh, Lucas?" came Damion's shaky reply. Lucas, who I was sure felt the same way, took advantage of the other boy's mounting trepidation and shook his head, having some fun at the guy's expense.

"You wanted to stay here for the night, remember? The coin toss says we stay here, so we do."

As the boys bickered behind me, I sighed and knocked on the door again. The dark was really unnerving. The clouds covered the sky and blanketed it with an aura of grey, and the streetlamps gave off only the faintest bit of light. I wished that the moon was out- anything would've been better than standing here, the wind biting at my open skin and making me shiver in the darkness.

In a last-ditch attempt, I flung my fists at the door and rapped the deteriorating wood as if my life depended on it. Lucas stopped trying to reason with Damion to glance over at me, a hint of amusement in his gaze. Damion, who was just standing there, looked as if he were fighting with himself. Jubilife or Canalave? Bravery or safety? I didn't ask myself these questions, because I was too afraid that I would suddenly turn into a coward and jump on the "return to Jubilife" bandwagon, Lucas' snarks annoying us the entire flight there.

"Well," I relented then, pulling my reddening knuckles away from the door. "It's locked, it's deserted, and nobody's there. This is just great, you know."

"I guess we don't have a choice. Let's go to Jubilife before the hotels fill up," Damion added, a subtle relief flooding his voice. I shrugged, knowing that there was no other way we could go about the situation, when Lucas walked up in that solemn way of his, a Pokeball resting in his hand.

"Dawn, you really want to stay here?" he inquired, something slightly different in his tone of voice. I nodded.

"This is the only place we've got. It's too cold to be traveling... I just want a good night's sleep for once."

"Fine, then. Staraptor, give the door a pounding," he murmured, his voice barely audible. The grey bird escaped from its confines with a small squawk, wings fluttering in the chilly air. Her trainer pointed to the crumbling door, and she walked up, cautiously tapping the door with her beak, and then ramming it repeatedly onto the wood without warning.

It was interesting how Lucas had once been the person who protested staying at Harbor Inn. Now, he wanted to do anything to get inside, just to prove that he wasn't afraid of it. I could tell this newfound confidence had been spurred on by Damion's fear.

Or was it something else?

His voice had held a strange emotion I hadn't heard before, something that transcended pure pride. I had no idea what it was; Lucas was still detached and different even as a traveling companion. I figured that both Damion and I could spend a lifetime with the guy and never really know him.

"That ought to do it," he mused, while Damion tried to hide his annoyance and I looked on, just wanting to get into a warmer place. Canalave was all but deserted. The only sounds in the city, it seemed, were the cries of Wingull and the waves crashing against the harbor. And, oh yeah. The Staraptor's beak ramming against the door.

"That's not gonna work," I pointed out. "And she'll get hurt by doing that. You should call your Staraptor back, Luke."

He eyed me with an air of resolute calmness, and I lowered my gaze. Who was I to argue with the Professor's best young researcher? Instead of ignoring my request, though, I heard him mutter a "Never mind" under his breath and recall the bird Pokemon. Damion eyed this with an interested look in his eye, and for once, I couldn't put a finger on what he thought of the situation. I'd have to ask him about that later.

"So what do we do now?" Lucas asked to nobody in particular. "Camp out, or return to Jubilife?"

"We gave it our all, but I say we should just go back to Jubilife." I announced weakly, trying not to sound too disappointed at traveling again. Lucas nodded (did I sense some relief in that?). Damion just shot a small grin at the two of us and walked on, a new assurance in his step.

"I think that Jubilife'll be better than this weird old city. What's ten minutes of travel? We'll just wake up earlier in the morning so we'll beat all the other trainers to the gym," he announced firmly, and Lucas and I just trailed him. I could sense that Lucas wanted to go back to the library; I just wanted to throw myself onto a bed and take a nap.

"Besides," my best friend continued, talking quickly like he always did when he was relieved, "I'm looking forwards to getting some Poketch upgrades. And the TV Station sounds fun. Maybe we could check the Trainer School out, you know, get some training..."

He walked ahead briskly, his voice becoming ever-fainter, as Lucas leaned towards me and murmured, "He's just glad to be away from the inn, right?"

"You know him so well," I sighed. We walked on together, then, the streetlamps lighting a path back to Jubilife.