A/N: Greetings, reader. This is my first fanfiction, ever... So I'm still trying to figure some things out. It's based on PMD2 (Explorers of Time/Darkness/Sky), so it WILL contain some pretty heavy spoilers if you haven't gotten past the main storyline and/or special episode 5(unless, of course, you don't care about spoilers, in that case go ahead). Anyways, thanks for checking this story out!
Disclaimer: I only own my OC's here, and this story, but not Pokemon.
Chapter 1: A Bargain
Ayaka ran as fast as she could, stumbling over loose rocks and barren tree roots along the way. She could hear the eerie laughter of the Sableye advancing from behind her, feeling their piercing crystalline gaze on the back of her neck. Her feet felt as if they were going to buckle under her weight, and her lungs ached longingly for air as she bolted through the rugged terrain. On top of all that, she couldn't see where she was going. It was perpetual darkness, as it always has been.
She knew she was in a forest, as the collar of her lab coat was getting snagged with thin branches along the way, but the area was covered in a thick, dark fog, making it nearly impossible to see anything. There wasn't really a place to go, so Ayaka did the only thing she could: run as far away from the stockade as possible. Her clothes were covered in dirt and dust from running so much, but she didn't care. She just wanted to get away.
Suddenly, she felt weightless, as if she was flying. Ayaka had stepped on a gust trap hidden underneath a thin layer of rock, and she flung violently into a nearby boulder with a sharp grunt. Pain coursed from her backside up to the rest of her body. Her ribcage was in a stiff discomfort with every breath she took. Traps, that's right, there are traps here, she thought, trying to ignore the pain. She lay there, gasping for air. Her legs hurt from running at full speed for at least eight minutes, her lungs hurt from trying to take in a constant supply of oxygen, her back hurt from being smacked against a boulder...
Ayaka blinked. She blinked again, looking around. Her vision was more blurry than usual. She reached up to her face, and realized that her glasses were missing. She looked around, and found them lying broken on the ground. Pieces of thick glass and a slightly bent frame were scattered there, almost like a display. Ayaka picked a piece up, fumbling it around in her hand, and sighed. "Great," she mumbled. "I needed new ones anyway..." Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard the frantic running and laughter of the Sableye. She wanted to rest a bit more, but she couldn't; she had to keep running. That simply was not an option she'd just give up. They can't catch me, please, don't let them catch me. Ayaka could hear the Sableye getting closer. She had no time to waste.
Ayaka attempted to stand back up, but her movements had stiffened midway, and she fell back to the ground. Her head fell looking to her right side, and her mass of auburn hair sprawled out on the ground. "What…?" she managed to utter out. She was caught in a Disable. She couldn't move, not even turn her head, and her initial shock settled into confusion. No Sableye knew the move Disable… Did they…? She tried to look around with just her eyes, but there were no Sableye, or any other Pokemon in what little sight she had. What…? Did I step on another trap? Ayaka had to put away that thought. She heard the Sableye getting closer, but there was nothing she could do. Soon, they surrounded her, and she had nowhere to go.
There were at least six of them. Their gemstone eyes lit up from the darkness, with their purple gremlin-like bodies inching closer to her. They were grinning devilishly with their razor-sharp teeth. Two of the Sableye walked up to her, and held her up by her arms. To her, they were just blurred purple masses hovering around her body. "Shit..." she grumbled. Ayaka's head hung low, letting her dull auburn hair hang over her eyes. That, and the ground, was all that she was able to see.
Finally, their leader showed up. It was Dusknoir. He soundlessly floated up to Ayaka, with his single red-gold eye peering down at her mockingly. Ayaka could barely see his shadow, but she knew it was him. She was itching to run, her instincts screaming at her to get out of there, but she couldn't do anything. It was yet until the Disable would wear off. Ayaka bit her cheek. She must have looked absolutely wretched, and she hated it. Dirt and dust covered her once-white lab coat, and gray leaves littered in her hair. Her jeans were ripped at around the knees. She looked like she was left outside for quite a while, though it hadn't even been an hour. Even so, Dusknoir seemed thoroughly amused with the situation, as if it was all a joke to him. Ayaka could tell he was going to mock her for it.
"It would be best to hand over those files, human," he said in a low voice. Ayaka knew exactly what he meant, and that simply wasn't something that she'd give up easily.
"No," she muttered.
"Oh, please, human," Dusknoir retorted. "It's not like you have a choice, besides, you already know the consequences."
As if on queue, the Sableye grinned wider, showing off their sharp claws. "Wheh-heh-heh!" they echoed. Ayaka gulped. She knew she really did not stand a chance against an army of Sableye and a Dusknoir following orders from an anger-driven god. But she also knew that the world would be much better off if they did not obtain those files.
"Have I mentioned to you, on how pathetic you look?" Dusknoir commented. The Sableye laughed louder, almost forcefully. Ayaka only scoffed.
"Thanks for noticing, it's my new look," she replied sarcastically.
"All jokes aside, hand them over."
"Nah."
"Should I remind you of the consequences? Or perhaps, give you a small demonstration?"
"No need for yet another refresher, dear."
"Alright, then hand them over."
"Give me a reason why I should."
Dusknoir sighed. "I see mere negotiation won't do it, then. If I asked again, what would your response be, human?"
"My answer would be no," Ayaka said. "Or, if you want it in other words, it would be, 'no can do, nah, request denied, not available, no longer an option, negative, absolutely not...'" Ayaka gave a small, mischievous smirk. "If you want it to be more insulting, well, fuck you."
Dusknoir stayed quiet for a moment, but then burst into laughter. Ayaka was about to laugh along nervously, until she realized how his laugh sounded. It was hollow and humorless, almost malevolent. Ayaka's eyes widened a bit, realising her slight mistake.
"What's so funny?" she asked. She got no response.
The Sableye at her left side lifted her head steadily by her hair. Its claws pricked at her scalp a bit, making her cringe. "Watch it..." she snapped. She then paused when she saw Dusknoir with a bluish-purple flame levitating on the palm of his hand. He held it there for a minute, giving her a steady glare with his red eye. He was no longer laughing. Then, in a blur, he was in front of her.
He brought it close to her face at an alarming speed, as if to punch her. Ayaka winced, shutting her eyes reflexively. She expected her face to be painfully met with his fist, but it never happened. Instead, her skin was stinging badly. She opened her eyes, and was nearly blinded by the brightness of the hot flame. It was a few mere inches away from her face. It burned hotter, and her skin grew to be more painful. Dusknoir was trying to harm her to get the information out of her. "Hey... Cut it out!" she said. Dusknoir didn't respond. In fact, he moved the flame closer to her face, right by her eye.
The burn on her face was getting more and more intense. The pain crawled up and down her cheek, like thousands of tiny needles poking at her skin. After a few moments, it went from a stinging sensation to a more intense pain, as if her skin was melting. Ayaka couldn't take it anymore, as she was afraid it would reach her eye. "I. Said. No!" she shouted.
Dusknoir closed his hand into a fist, and the flame went away. The right side of her face was burning ferociously, and her eyes were watering. Ayaka was panicking again. She inhaled short breaths, trying to focus on something other than her injury. It was as if someone had hit her with a red-hot iron poker, and left it there. Soon the pain dulled, but only by a small bit. She slowed her breath down a bit, and eventually, calmed down.
Dusknoir only sighed, staring at her blankly. "Stubborn human. This is getting us nowhere... Well, if that's the case, we will have to proceed in other methods to obtain them."
Dusknoir's other hand lifted up in a beckoning motion, and a Sableye stepped forward into Ayaka's field of view. It was holding something rather carefully, yet it was struggling, as if it was too heavy for the Sableye to handle. It was holding a child, human, in fact, a bit shorter than the Sableye's height. It had shoulder-length dirty blonde hair and large eyes. The child was wrapped in a fluffy blanket, breathing softly at a rhythmic pace. It was asleep. Ayaka's heart sunk to her stomach, and she held her breath. A bead of sweat rolled down her forehead while she started at the child with wide eyes. Dusknoir peered at her, amused at her change expression.
"If you don't hand over those files… I will have to take your only child from you."
The words hung over her, replaying in her mind like a broken record player. The thought of potentially losing a child was nearly unbearable. On top of all that, she was still unable to move. Ayaka was ready to break down in quiet tears and defeatedly hand the files to them, but she knew better. Then again, is it worth it for the world, or for a child, her child? Ayaka's head spun wildly with thoughts.
"How… H-how did you find..." Ayaka stammered.
Dusknoir laughed again, interrupting her. "Not so brave now, eh, human? If physical pain won't do it, then maybe emotional pain will. We knew you would run, so we merely thought a few steps ahead of you. Besides, it's not like you have another option. You can't move, and your child is on the line. What will you do, human?"
"You... Kidnapped my daughter?" Ayaka said. Her voice was raised a bit. The Sableye stopped grinning, and looked at one another, unsure of what to do.
"If you want to put it that way, then, yes," Dusknoir said.
Ayaka paused for a moment. Then, she was seething with rage. Her heart was thumping quicker now, more violently, as if her blood had been replaced with molten lead. The urge to get up and hit him was overpowering. "You… Dare... Touch... My... Daughter?!" she snarled. Some of the Sableye flinched at her tone.
Dusknoir's eye narrowed at the sound of her voice, as if he winced himself. He shrugged his shoulders. "You left your house unchecked, and no one was home. Whose fault was that?" Dusknoir then crossed his arms. "She put up quite a fuss, so we fed her a Sleep Seed. She isn't harmed in any way, unless you decide to make your situation worse." He leaned down so his dark eye was inches away from her face. "I will repeat myself once more. What will you do, human?"
"I'll make sure you'll perish in this wretched place, is what I'll do," she spat.
Dusknoir only laughed once more. "Heh… Pathetic," he said. "You can't move, your daughter is right there, and you think you can do that? Must I tell you how easy it would be to get rid of you both, for good? Of course, we won't obtain those files, but what's to stop us from finding them? Think, human. Do you really want that to happen?"
Ayaka grew angrier. "First, you drag me to that god-forsaken stockade to 'interrogate' me. Then, you chase me down until I break the only thing I have to properly see how many assholes are chasing me, and after that, you SOMEHOW paralyze me, burn my face, and take my daughter to use as bait... JUST TO GET SOME STUPID PIECES OF PAPER?!" Her mouth started to taste like metal, and her eyes grew even darker. The Sableye were beginning to cower and inch away, and the one holding her head up loosened its grip slightly. They were afraid.
Dusknoir eyed each of his underlings, and they all straightened and walked forward again. As afraid as they were of an angry human, they were even more afraid of their master. Dusknoir turned back to Ayaka and stared at her. "You are very annoying," he muttered.
"What was that? Go on, say that again!" Ayaka hissed.
"You. Are. Very. Annoying. Don't test my patience, human."
"Me? Annoying? I'm not the one who chased you down non-stop and then paralyzed you."
Dusknoir chuckled. "In my defense, I don't know what happened there, nor did I have anything to do about it. Frankly, I don't care. It merely made it much easier to capture you."
"What."
Dusknoir grumbled something under his breath, just quiet enough so Ayaka couldn't hear it.
"I'm sorry, what was that, good sir? I can't hear you through the sound of bullshit."
He said nothing. Instead, he pointed to the child and the Sableye struggling to hold her. Then, he slowly gestured his finger going across what would have been his neck. The mouth on his stomach seemed to grin at that.
"Do you want that to happen?" he asked.
Ayaka glared and opened her mouth to retort, but she held her tongue. She didn't want that to happen, not at all. She wasn't going to put her daughter's life in danger because of her mouth. Ayaka looked down in thought. I don't… I don't have a choice, do I? All that research… All that planning, for nothing? Even if it means disappearing… I just don't want to be here anymore… The team will be disappointed… Ayaka grew calmer, her pulse slowing down, but she was still furious. She wanted to hit Dusknoir so badly.
"Of course, we already know what's in those files…" Dusknoir sneered. Ayaka's eyes snapped up to him, shooting a very nasty glare in the process. "You want to locate the Time Gears, collect them, and place them in Temporal Tower, correct?" He ignored the harsh look he was getting. "And we also know that your countless hours of research on everything you have gotten your hands on, along with the assistance of your colleagues, will aid you in locating them." Ayaka's glare grew colder. "Am I not wrong?" Dusknoir seemed to smirk at her tauntingly. "You'll travel back in time to these locations, and will do it no matter the cost of what happens to all of us."
"If you know that much about the files to begin with, then why do you want them so badly?" Ayaka asked angrily. If looks could hurt, the glare she was aiming at Dusknoir would have burned right through him. Dusknoir's eye narrowed further.
"You, human, are a scientist. I know how you behave, and how much detail you put into mere slips of paper. Surely your plans are much more in-depth than my brief explanation?"
"Besides," Dusknoir provoked, "You did run as soon as we questioned you about them… You didn't want us to know about them, did you?"
Ayaka frowned. After all, he wasn't wrong about that. "Then how did you find out about them to begin with?" she questioned.
"Your team simply isn't good at keeping a secret as important as that. We heard rumors of people wanting to change history, so it's only logical that Master would order us to investigate them," Dusknoir explained. "And this is where we ended up."
"Then why use my daughter as bait?!" Ayaka growled. Dusknoir seemed more amused now.
"As I mentioned before, we thought ahead of you. We would do anything to prevent our own existence from fading away..."
Upon hearing this, Ayaka laughed. It was stupid, it was all stupid, and all she could do was laugh about it. The Sableye that was holding her head up to face Dusknoir let go, letting her hair hang low over her eyes again. "Do you honestly think I want to keep living like this?" she said. "I hate it here, and I'm pretty sure you do too, so excuse me, for wanting to try something different other than living the rest of my life in this desolate place. Even if it means to be erased from this timeline, I want to know I did something worthwhile. In fact, I'd much rather disappear than continue living like this!"
Dusknoir's expression grew from amused to irritated, though Ayaka couldn't tell. "Don't assume what I like or dislike, puny human." Realizing that he was going off-track, he then said, "have you forgotten? Your child is on the line, as is yourself. Master Dialga is very displeased with you, so you don't even bother trying to get out of this situation."
Ayaka said nothing.
"Fine, then." Dusknoir lifted up Ayaka's chin to face him directly, not caring if he got another glare in response. He then proceeded in an even lower voice, "You, human, are stubborn and irritating. You don't know how badly I want to get rid of you. If it were my choice, you'd be nothing more than a pile of dust right now. However, I will offer you a bargain."
Her glare softened, but still remained. She raised an eyebrow to indicate that she was listening.
"Human, if you give us the files, we'll spare you, along with your child. You may carry on with your day as if nothing had happened. If not, we'll let you rot. I'll put you somewhere where I don't have to even think about you. You, in turn won't see your daughter ever again."
Ayaka gritted her teeth. "Was that a deal, or a threat?" she asked.
"Don't dodge the question," Dusknoir snapped, his eye narrowing further. "What is your response?"
A lump formed in Ayaka's throat. She wanted to say no. She wanted to be completely free from her paralysis, to take her daughter and run, maybe kick Dusknoir in the stomach along the way, but she couldn't, no matter how much she wanted to. A deep, cold heartache settled in her chest. The emotions that she was being drowned in didn't help. She was angry, disappointed, scared… She felt numb. The burning pain on her face still lingered, but she ignored it. Ayaka just wanted to go home, back to the observatory, as if this conversation hadn't happened. But it has.
Dusknoir was eyeing her very carefully, his hand still holding her chin up. She was avoiding eye contact as much as she can, but she knew she had to make a choice at some point. After a few moments, Ayaka sighed. She had made her decision. Forcing herself to look at Dusknoir right in in his eye, she said...
"It's a deal."
Her voice was much too small for her liking, but she didn't care; she just wanted her daughter back. Dusknoir took his hand away from Ayaka's chin, letting her head hang low again. The two Sableye supporting her by her arms then dropped her back to the ground. Dusknoir nodded to the Sableye carrying the child, which hesitantly creeped up and slowly placed her on the ground next to Ayaka.
The Sableye set themselves in a linear formation, with three on Dusknoir's left side and another three on his right. Dusknoir turned his head slightly, as if to acknowledge Ayaka's agreement.
"You will bring them to me at Temporal Tower, correct?" he asked.
Silence.
"I expect you to bring them immediately." He turned back, and soundlessly made his way back into the darkness of the forest. The Sableye scampered behind him closely behind. Soon, they were gone.
After a few moments, Ayaka could move again, completely. Her joints felt stiff and heavy as she slowly crawled her way back up. She brought her hand to the right side of her face, and poked at it lightly. It felt rough to the touch, and was very warm. She poked at it a bit more, and it started to hurt. Badly. Ayaka drew in her breath sharply and quickly pulled her hand away. She then let out a long sigh.
Her heart ached longingly, the familiar ache that meant she was about to cry. And she did. Ayaka cried silently, with salty tears flowing down her burned cheek. That only made it sting more, but she didn't care. Her throat and lungs burned like fire while she did so, and every bone in her lower body still ached from running so much. She was exhausted. She buried her face in her hands while crying, her shoulders shuddering with each sob. She kept crying, trying to get that aching feeling out of her chest.
"Mama?" a small voice said. Ayaka kept crying, too lost in her own thoughts to hear. "Mama?" the voice said again, a bit louder. Ayaka looked down to where the voice came from, her vision blurred with tears. The child, still wrapped in that fluffy blanket, was sitting up, looking at her mother. She had woken up.
"Mama, why you cry?" she asked. Her voice was faint and quiet, almost a whisper. She stared up at Ayaka with big almond-shaped eyes. The child looked around. "Why we in woods?"
Ayaka wiped the tears off her face, and pulled the child close. "Mama got in trouble, so mama needs to do something very fast," she explained.
The child looked up at her and furrowed her eyebrows. "Why mama get in trouble? Did mama do something bad?"
"Don't worry about it, Nei', mama will fix it very soon."
"Oh, okay, that's good mama," Nei' said.
Ayaka nodded. "Now, let's go home, okay?"
"Okay!"
Ayaka picked up Nei' and hoisted her on her back. "Yay, a piggyback ride!" Nei' exclaimed. Ayaka chuckled quietly, and the two went back the way that Ayaka came. She felt a bit better now.
The pair had walked for quite a while. Nei' was resting her head on Ayaka's shoulder, still wrapped in that blanket. The fog had cleared a bit around the forest, so Ayaka could see where she was walking a lot better than she had before. She was following the blurred images of broken twigs and misplaced rocks that she had stumbled on previously, during her run from the Sableye and Dusknoir. However, she couldn't shake off the feeling that she was being watched.
Ayaka kept glancing behind her, certain that there was something following her, but each time she looked, there was nothing there. She was beginning to feel anxious.
"Mama, why do you keep looking behind us?" Nei' asked. From the sound of her voice, Ayaka could tell that Nei' was getting tired.
"Oh, it's nothing, sweetheart. If you're tired, go sleep, okay?" Ayaka said.
"Okay..."
Warily, Ayaka watched each and every step she was taking. Lord help her if she stepped on another trap. She continued on like this, with a now sleeping Nei' on her back. One minute turned into two, then to five, then to ten. Just how fast was I running? she thought. Ayaka had noticed that it was eerily quiet. There were no other sounds, except for her walking and Nei's near-inaudible breathing. She began to suspect that something wasn't right.
Nei' started fidgeting on Ayaka's back. Her breathing got more rapid, and she looked uncomfortable. "Nei', Nei' are you okay?" Ayaka asked. Nei' didn't say a word. She was still sleeping. Huh… A nightmare? But, Nei' never gets those… She was getting more worried. The silence was deafening, and the air was filled with unease. Something definitely wasn't right.
She quickened her pace, becoming more anxious. The hairs on the back of her neck were beginning to standing on-end. Nei' continued to squirm around on Ayaka's back, only more violently this time. Fearing of dropping her, Ayaka had to set her down. "Hey, Nei' wake up!" she said. Nei' was still asleep. Ayaka started shaking her by the shoulders lightly to get her to wake up. That, too, didn't work. Nei's face was in a fearful expression, with her eyes squeezed shut tight. She was holding her arms up slightly, as if to push something away.
"No, leave me alone…" Nei' muttered. "Go… Away…"
"Honey, you need to wake up!" Ayaka said. The feeling of being watched was more apparent now. Ayaka stood up, and looked around. All she saw were gnarled old trees and some rubble. The fog seemed to have cleared a bit more now, but it didn't help shake off the 'you are being watched' feeling. The air felt thick and heavy despite its steadily increasing clarity.
Ayaka was just getting annoyed now. Whatever was there did not intend on leaving, unless she tried something otherwise. "Alright, I don't know what's out there or who's watching us, but you'd better leave us alone!" she shouted. There wasn't any response, as expected. Only the echo of her voice bouncing through the trees.
Ayaka was about to pick Nei' back up again, but something stopped her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw something bright blue, like an eye, but only for a split second. She whipped her head around to where it was, but there was nothing there. "Hey, who's there?!" she shouted again. The feeling of being watched still lingered, but after a few more moments, it had disappeared. The air felt lighter now, more fresh, but still, as always. Did I… Really see that? Or is my mind playing tricks on me? she wondered. Ayaka sighed. She picked up Nei', hoisted her on her back, and started to walk again.
Nei's movements were no longer frantic, and she was sleeping soundly. Eventually, she woke up, rather quickly at that. Nei' slowly opened her eyes, blinked a few times, but then snapped them open wide. "Mama!" she said. This startled the mother, almost tripping against another rock.
"Yes, sweetie?" she asked. "There's no need to yell in my ear, y'know."
"S-sorry, mama, but I had a bad dream," said Nei'. She sounded a little shaken.
"You did? That isn't good, can you tell me what it was about?"
"I was being chased, and then I got cornered, and then this big-scary-dark-blob-thing was about to get me!"
That must be why she was saying to 'go away,' thought Ayaka.
"Well, the dream wasn't real, you're okay now."
"I know, thanks mama."
The two walked a bit more, and eventually, the observatory was in sight. It was a worn-down building, built in a dome-like shape. It settled atop a steep cliff, with a large telescope protruding from the middle of the dome. It was a perfect place to study the stars and planets before, but now, it was no longer used for that purpose. "Home sweet home," Ayaka said. Nei' giggled at that, and they started to climb the faded concrete steps up to the entrance. It was a thick steel door, covered in a bit of rust and dents. Ayaka set Nei' down, and she knocked on the door. There was no response. After a few moments, Ayaka knocked on the door, a bit harder. Nei' proceeded to knock on the door as well.
"Coming!" a loud voice called out from within the observatory. A few frantic steps were heard from the other side, and the door slowly opened with a loud creak. A rather tan woman opened the door, with her long, wavy dark hair tied in a ponytail. She looked down at the two with deep hazel eyes, and she, too, was wearing a lab coat, on top of a red v-neck and some jean-shorts.
"Hey, Jo'," Ayaka greeted.
Joanna opened the door wider, smiling with brilliant white teeth. Nei' bolted inside, wearing her blanket like a cape. Joanna staggered back a bit in surprise. "Whoa, there, kiddo!" she said, turning her head to where Nei' ran. Her booming voice rattled against Ayaka's skull like a bell. "Oi, you be careful with those books now! I just finished sorting them!"
"Okay!" Nei' chirped from within the building.
Joanna grinned again, and then turned back to Ayaka. Her grin faded to a more serious expression. "Where the hell were you?" she started. She tilted her head to one side like a puppy. "We were worried sick, oh, don't tell me you were captured…" Her eyes widened, straight on Ayaka's burn. "Oh my goodness, dearie, what happened to your face?!"
Ayaka winced at Joanna's loud voice. Instinctively, she reached for her face. Oh, right, the burn... "I'll explain later, alright? I need to know where the files are-"
"Oh, forget that! You need some rawst berry cream ASAP!"
"Jo', really, I need to-"
"And where are your glasses? Oh, my, your hair is covered in leaves!"
"Yeah, I know, but-"
Joanna's eyes darted to Ayaka's dirt-covered lab coat and jeans. "And why are your clothes so dirty? What exactly were you doing?"
"Jo', please…"
"Eric! Eric, get over here and bring the medical kit with you right now!"
Ayaka sighed. "Jo', I really don't have the time for this, I'm sorry, but I need to know where the files are. I'll explain later, okay?"
Joanna looked at Ayaka with a confused expression, and placed her hands on her hips. "Honey, you need to explain now. What files do you mean, the ones we've been working on? Oh, we can't talk about this here! Come inside, you can explain while we're fixing you right up!"
"...Alright. Thanks, Jo'."
Joanna ushered Ayaka inside, shut the steel door tight, and locked it.
A/N: Hey, what do you all think? I intend on finishing this, so hopefully some questions will be answered. A review or some pointers would be greatly appreciated.
