Nightmares
Rating: Teen
To Trevor:
This has been a long time coming. It's been 10 years at this point. But… I need to face my past if I'm going to move on from this mistake I've made.
I guess introductions are in order. This is Darkrai writing you. Yes, THE Darkrai. But I'm not here to brag or boast or anything of the sort.
Rather… I'm here to apologize.
Pain. Pain was all Trevor was feeling for the past hour. He wasn't sure how a belt could be so painful, but he was learning fast.
"You worthless bitch! What's wrong with you, quivering like a sissy?! Didn't I teach my son to be a MAN?!" his father sighed, incredibly dissatisfied with his son.
Trevor whimpered. "D-Dad, please… I don't understand… I…"
"I guess the belt isn't enough for you. Perhaps you need to be reminded that you really are a little bitch. Maybe a few days in the basement would be good."
"Th-The basement?! With all of the rats and grime and the… and the darkness down there?"
"Yes. I think it could help make you a little less of a little bitch."
Tears poured from Trevor's eyes as his stronger dad lifted him up and locked him in the basement, with no way out. Immediately, Trevor began pounding to be let out.
"Please, dad! Please let me out! I-I'm so scared! PLEASE!"
"Stupid brat…" Trevor's dad could be heard saying as he left the door.
I am… very aware of the traumatic nightmare I inflicted upon you as a child. It was… nothing justified that. The… the extreme rage that filled me that day likely transferred to your nightmare. My counterpart Cresselia and I had a bitter argument, and I… made the mistake of going to Canalave City to try to cool off. I took residence in a small forestry near your house.
"Mom! Stop! Please!" Trevor pleaded, running as fast as he could to his own room, avoiding the knife swings his mother attempted at him.
"Lousy B grades! That's all you can make?! I raised my son for As, not middle-of-the-road damn Bs!" she yelled, seething with rage as she took chase after her own son, determined to inflict her own punishment.
She grabbed a nearby vase filled with water and made of glass, hurling it at her own son. It knocked him square in the head, with shattered glass and blood coating his head. He knelt down, sobbing.
"Mother, please! I studied! You always said that if I did my best, that's all that mattered! I never slacked off! I always studied to be a good student! Why… why are you doing this…?"
You might ask how I even know it was you who had the nightmare. Well… on anybody I inflict a nightmare on, intentionally or not, a record of nightmares administered is recorded by Arceus. She oversees the whole thing, and alerted me to this particular nightmare. And while I've accidentally delivered plenty of scary nightmares, this one was… I can't believe I had actually done that. I wouldn't have wished it on my worst enemy.
"Oh, look. It's the whiny rich kid. Come to rub your new smartphone and golden jewelry in our faces? It's so gaudy, you know."
"Chris, what are you even talking about? I'm well-off, but I don't even wear jewelry. I'm… 10."
This didn't stop the punky and muscular 15-year-old from picking up the younger child.
"Lipping me off, aren't you? Don't you know it's rude to disrespect your elders?"
"Chris, please. I just… I'm not doing really well, so could I please just get to class?" Trevor pleaded.
"Nah… I don't think so. You need a lesson in humility, for always flaunting your stupid stuff because of your loaded parents and being so selfish and snobby about it."
"What…? I've never been like that. I've got a phone, but I don't flaunt it. I mean, Garrus is guiltier of that than me."
"Not the point, brat." Chris snarled. "But don't worry. I know the perfect place for that lesson in humility…"
For the rest of the school day, Trevor was tied to the flagpole and stripped to his underwear. Along with fellow students hawking loogies and throwing debris at him, it was the most humiliating moment he had ever experienced…
It was… I mean, as I said, nobody deserves that. For the past 10 years, I've been beating myself up about it. I utterly despised myself for that. You actually had to go to a professor psychiatrist for that nightmare for the help you needed.
I certainly wasn't going to be of any help. But… I realize that I'm also bringing back some bad memories. And perhaps this is selfish of me to ask, but… I have to put this behind me as well. It's your choice, though.
I'm going to be at Canalave City's harbor tonight. I'll be there all night. It's your call if you want to meet up with me. I just want the chance to apologize to you in person, even if you never forgive me. But if you never want to see my face again, I'd understand. Don't let me influence your decision.
Sincerely,
Darkrai
Trevor had looked over the note several times by now.
"…What would a Legendary Pokémon want with me?" he had to ask himself. "This had to be some sort of weird, awful joke. The legends say that Darkrai was a causer of nightmares, and that he maliciously spread them across Sinnoh. But… those were just old wives' tales, passed down from generations. There's no actual proof that Darkrai himself… or herself… or itself was even real… right?"
He thought to himself again. The whole incident with nightmares itself was known to only a few people. His parents (obviously), his therapist, his best friend, and his long-time girlfriend. For him, while it was an issue for years, he had been 'over' it for a long while now… until this letter came around.
Trevor sighed, folding up the letter. "Might as well give some prankster some entertainment, I guess…"
The now 20-year-old looked at his watch.
8:00PM, it read.
"Eight o' clock IS considered night, right? It better be. I'm not giving some jokester that much satisfaction of keeping me out here for hours."
He walked through the harbor, going by some cranes and storage containers. He didn't really have much connection with the harbor, but it was always a nice 'safe place' he went to at night when he was haunted. It was always quiet at night.
His thoughts turned to anger briefly. "I swear, if this actually IS Darkrai, I'm going to punch him in the face for…"
"…For what I did? Well… can't exactly blame you. I guess you deserve a free few hits on me."
Trevor's eyes widened. The voice he heard was almost ethereal, but distinctly masculine. He looked around, though seeing a black-colored Pokémon in the blackness of night wouldn't have been the easiest thing to do.
"Should've brought a flashlight with me…"
He then heard steps. Someone was definitely here. Now it made sense. Someone wanted him out here to rob him blind. At least he didn't bring a wallet with THAT much cash in it…
But now the steps were walking away from him. A slight distance away, a figure was walking into one of the dim streetlights.
"Look at the streetlight to your left." He was told. It was the same ethereal-sounding voice from before. Terror struck his heart as it occurred to him… this could actually be him.
Trevor rotated his body, his eyes closed. He calmed himself down with some deep breathing, a relaxation technique he had learned in therapy, before counting.
"1…"
"Am I really ready for this? I mean… I thought this was behind me. Why should I confront it again?"
"2…"
"…No. It's not behind me. If this is really him, then maybe he deserves a fair chance to apologize… but I don't know if I'll ever forgive him."
"3."
Trevor opened his eyes… and none other than the Legendary Pokémon, Darkrai, was standing there in the dim light, looking very forlorn.
The human walked up slowly to the Pokémon, taking in his features carefully. Darkrai's legs were the most notable thing right off the bat, appearing as thin as sticks. Were they just for show?
His main body was a bit hourglass-shaped, the black skin of the Pokémon almost looking like a 'dress' spreading outwards. What looked like a red collar was around the Pokémon's neck, appearing spiked inwards. Inside the 'collar' itself was not a very distinguishable face, but a single eye. It was very glassy, as if it was on the edge of bursting into tears. The appearance of the glassy eye almost had Trevor fail to notice the white flickering 'hair' on top of the Pokémon's head.
By the time Trevor finished looking over the Pokémon, he was right next to him. There was no other answer for it. This WAS Darkrai.
There was silence for a few moments before Darkrai spoke up.
"Hello… Trevor." He said, a clear tone of shame and regret behind his voice.
Trevor was at a complete loss for words. Here he was, standing in front of the very being responsible for the trauma he had that night 10 years ago. He was standing in front of the Being of Nightmares himself. He thought that a Being of Nightmares would gloat about the ability to inflict nightmares that were not only horrifying, but had the power to traumatize someone. And yet… he was…
"…You're ashamed?" Trevor said, almost in astonishment at this idea.
"…Yes. Extremely."
Trevor's shock soon died down. "So… you knew everything. For 10 years… you knew everything." He said, feeling something inside him start to emerge. Something that had been sealed for years and is now looking to lash out.
"…Yes."
"And you pick NOW to apologize?! After I think I'm finally over this trauma?!" Trevor yelled, his anger building up. "Do you honestly think I'm just going to forgive you for all of this?! That I'll just say 'it's OK' and it'll all be over?!"
"…No. I don't expect that at all. I'm not a fool. I never expected your forgiveness. I just… want to put out my apology. Thank you for coming so I could at least do that. So… I'm sorry. I know it won't make up for anything, but… I truly am sorry for what I did."
"…And that's it?"
"…That's it. I'll take my leave now."
Darkrai started to walk away, going back out into the darkness.
"Wait." Trevor said.
Darkrai turned back, hearing the command. "…Yes?"
"…You really wrote that letter, didn't you?"
The Pokemon nodded. "I did."
"And you meant… you meant every word, didn't you? I can see your eye. It's still glassy. You still… want to cry, don't you? I know that feeling."
Trevor's words pierced through Darkrai's own soul, shattering any control he had left, dashing back to Trevor and sobbing.
"I'm sorry." Darkrai choked, in between sobs. "I mean, I'm the one that did this to you. I mean, it wasn't on purpose, but nobody deserves that! I just… I feel horrible. I can't believe it happened. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…"
Trevor softly took him into a hug, letting him get his sorrow out. He had truly overcome his trauma.
"I don't know if I can forgive you yet… but I accept your apology."
Darkrai sniffled. "Th-Thank you. Arceus, I'm not usually such a wreck, but I… I just can't keep it together."
Trevor smiled softly. "Don't worry. I've had those days too."
Pokémon © Nintendo / Game Freak
So this is a thing I did. It was a nice little experiment, really. Not sure how successful it was, but it was nice to get an actual completed piece of fiction out. Breath of the Wild basically consumed my life in March. XD
Regardless, I hope you enjoy this little thing.