Pokémon Mystery Dungeon 4: Explorers of Space
Chapter 7: Meeting and Help
It is almost midnight now. Everyone goes to sleep, exhausted by the day's events. They want to have their full strength for the big trip tomorrow. Crystal finally comes out of her annoyed state and fixes Croagunk's shop by using her psychic powers. Needless to say, Pikachu had apologized over and over again for disobeying her and causing her trouble, but Crystal says that it is all right as long as he doesn't take her weapons without permission again and stays out of trouble.
Team PokéPals are allowed to sleep in the Guild considering how the heroes are probably worried for going outside late at night. Plus, as Crystal points out, it is possible that Shadow Souls are lurking around. The heroes need their rest after their little encounter with Darkflame anyway. As of the moment, they are asleep in the extra spare room Crystal was healed in earlier. Chimchar burnt the bloody leaves and the heroes replaced new ones for beds. Chatot has checked Team Gothica and found that the girls' health are very good thanks to the mystical flute Sunflora had used. It confuses Crystal as to how, but she decides to worry about it later and insists that she would take just it in case they would need it again. Before bedtime, Wigglytuff gives Crystal her jewel necklace, much to her shock and delight. She is happy, to say the least, as she wears it around her neck and doesn't take it off. She hugged the daylights out of Riolu as thanks, to which he responds that it is no big deal before stating that she is choking him unintentionally.
As for where Crystal and her team are sleeping, they decide to share Wigglytuff's room with her father and Chatot. Crystal and the girls have always seen the two as family, so they are allowed to share with them.
As the whole Guild sleeps, only a few Pokémon remain awake for a short while. Riolu and Pikachu sit on their beds while fiddling with their Communication Watches. They wordlessly experiment with their personal blogs and send each other wireless messages. They are ecstatic as they understand the usage better, but soon their eyes grow tired and they agree to turn in for the night. Meanwhile, Grovyle, Celebi, Dusknoir, Chimchar, and Piplup are watching the two fiddle their watches with amused looks. But soon, weariness also overwhelms their senses and they fall right to sleep. All the heroes are now asleep except for Piplup.
Piplup gazes out the room's window with slight interest. His eyes, despite being very droopy, force him awake. He can't explain why he is feeling restless and at the same time tired. He hopes that if he watches the full moon long enough, he would be lured to sleep in no time.
He nearly earns his wish until movement catches his eye. Blinking himself awake, Piplup looks through the window down the cliff to see three dark figures jumping on rocks barely above seawater. The first figure is four-legged while the second is two-legged and the last is actually floating. All three look like they are circling each other before lunging forwards for an attack.
Alarmed, Piplup jumps up to his feet and forces himself awake. He tiptoes through the base, careful not to disturb any of his friends or the Guildmembers. Thinking he makes it out quietly, Piplup sneaks up the ladder and heads outside briskly. He fails to see a pair of gold eyes peering cautiously at his direction from the darkness.
Piplup rushes out the Guild towards the cliff, looking down to see that the three figures are still attacking each other. He can hear some shouts, so he decides to intervene. He runs down the flight of stairs and around the foliage to reach to the tall cliff holding Wigglytuff's Guild. As he makes it to shore, he notices that the figures are on rocky boulders engulfed by seawater. One would think that having a fight in such an area is risky. Waves crash against the boulders, but this doesn't seem to bother the three figures at the very least.
Curiosity getting the better of him, Piplup waddles over and squints to get a better visual of what the figures are. There is a large boulder close by the shore, so Piplup hoists himself on top of it and jumps from boulder to boulder over to the figures. Being careful not to trip, he stops just a few feet away and looks at the figures carefully. When he realizes who they are, he nearly stumbles back in surprise.
In front of him are Crystal and her team. They are doing what looks like training on the dangerous and slippery terrain, blocking some of each other's moves while trying to pounce on one another. Needless to say, they are very swift and skillful on their feet. All three girls don't look ready to back down at any second. They occasionally make several grunts as they punch or kick forward, looking somewhat similar to performing expert kung fu moves. They are oblivious to the little penguin at moment, too enthralled with their training to take notice that they are being watched.
Dreavus and Midnight grunt, jumping away from their leader as their skin/fur are soaking wet. It appears they are trying to take Crystal down together but have a hard time of doing so. Panting, they gaze carefully at Crystal, who smirks and crosses her arms. A cool breeze blows through them, making some crashing water spray on them and their hair move smoothly along with the wind. Tightening their limbs, Dreavus and Midnight yell as they charge forwards. She doesn't move for a moment until suddenly jumping upwards, avoiding their attack. This ends up with the girls landing into the sea with startled yelps.
Their heads pop out of the water in a panicked manner. The girls gasp for air as they climb up a boulder and look around for their leader. They hear childish giggling and look up to see that Crystal is flying in the air with glowing blades. She holds a slightly mocking look as she smirks and laughs at them. Dreavus and Midnight glare at her while they shake the water off their fur/skin, making Crystal wet in the process.
"Hahaha!" Crystal laughs, grinning as she lands two boulders away from her friends. She doesn't see Piplup standing right behind her as she faces the girls. "Man, that was priceless!"
"No fair, Crystal!" Dreavus whines. Water still drips down from her face to her scarf as she looks at her friend. "You can't fly in training!"
"You float, so what difference does that make?" Crystal counters crossing her arms. Dreavus pauses before sighing in defeat.
"Touché." She mutters. She and Midnight walk up to their leader slowly. "But you can't just-" She pauses her movement and complaint, looking over her boss' shoulder directly at Piplup. Midnight stops as well, and after seeing Piplup she looks at Crystal with a smile. "Crystal." Midnight says while gesturing behind her leader.
Somewhat curious on what had interrupted their training, Crystal looks over her shoulder and sees Piplup.
There is silence between the four of them, save for the breeze and crashing waves. They just stare directly at each other's eyes as if reading their lives just by looking deep within their souls. After that long moment of silence, Crystal's lips form into smile as she turns around to face the small penguin.
"Piplup, good evening." She greets formally.
"Team Gothica, hi." Piplup waves slightly as Dreavus and Midnight jump over the two rocks to greet him. They shake some water off before presenting themselves to him. Piplup didn't notice it before, but Crystal seems to be practically glowing under the moonlight, her white skin illuminating like diamonds. Her blades and black marks are nearly blending into the darkness, showing how mysterious she seems to appear. Her eyes are glowing a powerful gold hue compared to her skin. Unlike her, Dreavus and Midnight don't have their own skin glowing in the same fashion. But their eyes do glow just as brightly as Crystal's are. Piplup had to wonder if they are merely reacting to the moonlight or just look better at night in general.
"Is there a problem, Piplup?" Crystal asks, her soft vocals having a hint of concern. She tilts her head as she gives Piplup a curious look. Piplup snaps out of his musings and looks up at her, pondering over her statement before shaking his head.
"Nah, I just couldn't sleep."
"I'll bet." She smiles kindly, making Piplup strangely feel like a child being spoken to by his mother. It makes him feel welcome and safe. "After all we had been through earlier this evening, I couldn't sleep either."
"But you're training in the middle of the night." Piplup states, looking at her with a curious look. Crystal smiles again. "We are Team Gothica. We have always long preferred the night to do our work, Piplup. The sun just irritates our skin, so we train and patrol when the moon is out. The moonlight gives us energy."
"Oh." Is all Piplup says. Of course, that's what Team Gothica is. They didn't just make up their name to sound powerful or cool, but the night is what they are a part of. They are night creatures. And due to the fact that Crystal is part Shadow Soul, this makes much more sense. Remembering her demon half makes Piplup suddenly feel uneasy.
"But there is something else bothering you, isn't there?" Crystal asks, automatically sensing his tension as she reads his mind. He looks up at her, and before he can say anything Crystal turns to her friends. "Girls, go patrol the area. I would like to speak with Piplup privately." She requests.
Nodding in understanding, the two members of the dark team turn around and jump from boulder to boulder to shore. They bolt through the foliage and disappear from sight. Piplup and Crystal watch them go before turning to face each other.
"Wow... You guys are fast..." Piplup remarks surprised by how fast the girls are with their feet. Crystal shrugs and says, "Eating a lot of Zinc helps us increase our speed. Since we're always in a rush, it's helpful." She shakes her head and focuses on Piplup carefully.
"My demon side bothers you, doesn't it?" She doesn't even say it as a question but as a clarified statement. Piplup looks up at her hesitatingly before nodding slightly.
"It's just..." Piplup begins, holding his flippers together as he looks at the ground bashfully. "It's just that I never expected all of this to happen so quickly. A few days ago I fought a powerful Pokémon called Darkrai." Crystal visibly tenses at the name but continues listening with interest. "And I found out he is the cause of my transformation. A few days after I defeated him, Dialga came to us and brought back Dusknoir, Grovyle, and Celebi. He said that I needed to meet you in the future. He sounded really nervous for even mentioning you. I think his anxiety has something to do with the fact that you are part demon. If it is enough to scare the Master of Time, it sounds very dangerous."
Crystal listens to every word he speaks and begins to understand his meaning. True, Darkrai is not someone pleasant to think about considering he is a Reaper who likes to cause deception and fright to even the hardest hearts. She would know; he is also a Shadow Soul. But she is not about to tell that to Piplup out of fear that he would panic about it when he has enough things to worry about. And as for Dialga, Crystal feels guilty once she remembers that she snapped at the Time Master. Why she asked him to bring the three heroes back is her secret. In time, she would reveal why later on. And despite that the penguin's prediction about Dialga being intimidated by her is a good guess, it was far from the truth. Dialga respects Crystal because of personal reasons that only they both know.
Crystal sighs, understanding his thinking about her demon side being intimidating. Placing an arm around Piplup's shoulders, she says, "Piplup, I understand what you are saying. I am afraid of what I have become as well but I don't know how to fix it. But know this; I would never hurt you or any innocent Pokémon on purpose. It's because of my sane side that keeps me from giving into my bloodlust. It is my strong sense of free will that lets me control my actions. Believe me; it is very hard to control myself. That is why I couldn't stand to be near anyone for a while after my incident with Darkflame; it was my fear of my bloodlust going out of control that made me push everyone away. After a few weeks, I manage to stabilize my demon half after finding out that I still have some sanity in me. If anything, it is a miracle that I am still here and I'm grateful for that."
Piplup is speechless as he listens to Crystal's speech. His eyes widen as he hangs his mouth open in slight awe. He knows that she must be telling the truth seeing how she is looking at him. He could tell that there is a lot more to her than meets the eye despite her unique color combo. She is... mysterious, to put it bluntly. And that makes Piplup even more curious about the girl. For some reason, just staring at her eyes triggers something into his gut, making him feel as if he knew her from somewhere before.
Crystal smiles at him in an almost knowing manner before beginning to walk with him back to shore. She picks him up and carries him across the slippery boulders before placing him down safely on the sand. As soon as they reach the shore, they feel the waves brush gently against their feet. Crystal then turns to face Piplup fully again, kneeling down to look at his eyes.
"I sense that another thing is troubling you, Piplup." She states more than asks, just as she did before. She looks at Piplup curiously while waiting for him to speak. He casts his glance down and ponders if he should ask her what has been on his mind for the past few hours. But he can't determine if it would be appropriate to ask or if the event just happened in his head. In fact, he still wonders if he is dreaming right now and that none of this ever happened for real. He would scold Pikachu for picking bad Berries when he wakes up.
Sensing his frustration and bewilderment, Crystal places a hand on his shoulder. "You can always tell me the truth, Piplup. No matter how silly it sounds or how confusing it is. If there is something that is bothering you, I am willing to help you fix it." She kindly says.
Piplup looks up at the girl's gold eyes again and makes his decision.
"Before you fainted… after the battle with Darkflame… you called me something. I think you called me… Gavin."
Crystal blinks, taking in the thought as she thinks about what he said. She barely remembers anything after her encounter with Darkflame, but once it comes to her she mentally curses herself for her slipup. How is she going to explain about that without getting suspicious?
Piplup notices how uncomfortable Crystal is by the question. She switches her gaze side to side uneasily, looking somewhat guilty as if she had been caught doing something illegal. Regardless, he has to know and she must tell him. He is wondering why she called him something other than his name, and she did promise to help him with anything. Truth being told, he feels like has heard that name from somewhere before, but he couldn't put his finger exactly where...
"Crystal?" Piplup asks looking eagerly up at the white lizard. She casts her gaze down and sighs. "Piplup, the truth is that I had blurted out the first name I thought of when I saw you. You see, I had a close friend named Gavin. He was so much like a little brother to me. We were best friends growing up together while I was in training for the Guild. But suddenly he disappeared one day. He never said where he went to or why he had gone. I never saw him again." Crystal says smiling weakly. She looks at Piplup's eyes. "You remind me a lot of him."
Piplup looks at her carefully, wondering if she is telling the truth. After a while, his skeptical look turns into one of understanding, making Crystal mentally sigh in relief. 'If I tell him the truth, he would never believe me.' Crystal decided to give him a different storyline, hoping that the lie would satisfy his suspicion for a little while. She only hopes that she wouldn't be caught red-handed later. But if so, she would definitely have to explain herself and tell the truth. She fears that he might think she's crazy and not believe her.
"OK..." Piplup sighs smiling up at Crystal. He now has his answer to the question that has been bothering him all night. Crystal smiles back, patting him fondly on the shoulder as he goes the next topic. "How is it that you can fly? Is it because of your demon side that gives you that ability?"
Crystal shakes her head. "Nope. I had the ability to fly for as long as I can remember. I recently learned it after my evolution. You can honestly say how surprised Wigglytuff and I were when we found out. Most grass Pokémon excluding Tropius and Hoppip don't fly. I guess it's another gift I am blessed with, but I'm not complaining. It's very helpful for many missions."
"I bet." Piplup grins. Soon the two carry on to new topics and at the same time get to know each other more. Their topics change from their likings to their adventures. Piplup trusts Crystal enough to share some secrets of what he has discovered during his travels. Crystal listens on with interest even though she has been to most of the areas he mentions. But when he brings up the topic about what the future looked like, she couldn't help but wonder what she was doing during that time area.
"So you're saying that the future was a dead wasteland?" Crystal asks. She sits against a boulder as she makes herself comfortable. She looked at Piplup, who is sitting right next to her and has his flippers behind his head. He looks up at the starlit sky.
"Yeah. That was why Grovyle stole the Time Gears in the first place. He didn't want that future to happen, so he needed to get the Time Gears to Temporal Tower to avoid darkness dominating the land. Despite that he knew it would cause him to disappear from existence, he said it would be for a worthy cause for the other Pokémon to live through and experience the joys of life."
"Indeed. Life is not something you should throw away." Crystal smiles at the thought of Grovyle's brave and considerate nature. "Even though many people don't think about it, life is a wonderful thing to have." She sits up straight and holds up both her hands. "Yesterday is history, so we can either remember it or learn from it. Tomorrow is a mystery and that makes life an adventure."
Crystal then suddenly slams a tree next to her with her fist, making several Pecha Berries fall to the ground. She catches a berry without any effort as it lands on her palm. She smiles at Piplup's stunned expression. He keeps gawking at her until a berry lands on top of his head. Glaring at the berry, he rubs his head as it rolls away from his body. Still smiling, Crystal waits until Piplup turns his attention back to her. "But today is a gift." She hands her berry to Piplup, who takes the berry and gazes at it curiously. "That is why it is called the 'present'."
Piplup looks up at Crystal, amazed by how she looks at life in such a philosophical way. He knows that she is an intelligent being, but now he wonders if she knows everything. Regardless, he is grateful to know her. He smiles genuinely as he takes a bite out of his berry and savors its flavor. Crystal picks up another berry nearby and takes a bite out of it, smiling back at Piplup. The two stay silent for a moment and eat their berries until Piplup breaks the silence.
"Crystal?"
"Hmm?"
"I was just wondering..." Piplup pauses. He looks down at his tiny feet before looking up at the white lizard with a curious look. "You said that you help Wigglytuff chart every part of the world you find. That means you must have come across many different kinds of Pokémon, right?"
"Right." Crystal nods. She holds a curious look for what he is implying on and tilts her head.
Piplup pauses again and looks down in a nervous manner.
"Did you ever come across Darkrai?"
Crystal blinks several times while taking in the thought. When Piplup looks up at her, she seems to be in a stunned daze. She shakes off her stupor and looks down at him.
"Yes, Piplup. I did meet him once." She admits truthfully. She pauses, and with an afterthought she adds, "But there is something I should probably tell you about him."
Piplup leans in close, wanting to know what is bothering the Grovyle so much and why she seems hesitant to tell him about the dark Reaper. She wonders if it is a good idea to tell Piplup. At the end, she decides that he should know in case he would face the said Dark Legendary again.
"Darkrai is a Shadow Soul." She looks at Piplup. The little penguin could swear that he feels his stomach clench in anxiety at this statement. "And to make it worse, he was elected as the demon leader some time ago."
Snapping out of his thoughts, Piplup looks at Crystal uncertainly. "Define 'some time ago'..."
"Almost about a month ago. I came across him for the first time and I can admit that it was not a pleasant encounter. He somehow manages to get to me through my dreams, so I believe that he has the power to control nightmares. That power itself is very dangerous. You are most vulnerable when sleeping, so if your mind is destroyed and it kills you, your soul shatters."
Piplup gulps, feeling nervous about this piece of information. To think that Darkrai had encountered him through a disguise in his sleep and that he had the power to kill Piplup this whole time, it was nothing compared to horrific or terrifying. It was no wonder Azuril was a wreck that fateful day. The poor little guy nearly died from the torment Darkrai plagued onto him! Piplup decides to keep his own encounter a secret, finding that since it happened only once and nothing had happened during the time doesn't make it seem like a big deal. Then again, he realizes that lying to Crystal is nearly impossible since she can easily read his mind and find out herself. To save his situation, he decides to think about Darkrai and his election as leader of the Shadow Souls. It seems appropriate due to his dark nature, but the thought of possibly encountering him again is a bit unnerving...
"But enough of this ghost story talk," Crystal says out of nowhere and shakes her head. Piplup looks up at her after snapping out of his thoughts. "It's past midnight and we both need to get some rest."
Piplup looks up at the moon's position for the time and notices that it is indeed past midnight. He stands up and stretches his back while yawning. "Yeah, you're right. We will need our energy for the journey. How far is it again?"
Crystal also stands up to stretch her legs and thinks for a moment. "From the Guild, it is about a three days walk if we rest each night."
"Really? That's almost as far as Foggy Forest." Piplup says stretching his arms. Crystal shrugs and says, "I suppose it is. Oh, that reminds me. I think it would be a very good idea to bring along Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf for the journey."
Piplup looks at Crystal in slight confusion. "They are close friends of mine. They taught me all my powers and train with me occasionally. With their help, our protection from Shadow Souls is guaranteed. I'll see if I can gather them before dawn."
"You sure? You should get some rest." Piplup says giving Crystal a concerned look. Crystal doesn't say anything but gives him an amused smile. Piplup then realizes his ignorance again and smiles sheepishly. "Right... I gotta start remembering that you and your team are nocturnal people."
Crystal laughs and the sound of her laughter is melodic as she grins down at the penguin. "Of all the things we have been addressed as, I have never heard us being called 'nocturnal'." She shakes her head. "Anyway, just get some rest, Piplup. By morning, I should be back with the Legendaries. If I am not back by then, tell everyone I am still getting them together and will return shortly."
Piplup nods. "Okay. Thanks for your time, Crystal. It is an honor to know the leader of Team Gothica personally." He bows his head respectfully.
Crystal then gives a dramatic bow with a smile. "Same thing goes to you, Piplup. It is an honor to know the savior of our world as well."
Piplup smiles while blushing. Somewhat flattered, he stammers, "Well... g-good night."
"Sleep well, Piplup." They nod at each other their farewells. Crystal leans forward to plant a soft kiss on his forehead before turning away to leave. She smiles at his stunned look before jumping over the foliage and disappearing in the forest.
Piplup is paralyzed from shock, his eyes wide as his arms remain outstretched. He then shakes off his stupor and blushes a bright red color. He figures out that it is just a friendly gesture and smiles before turning to head back to the Guild. But he stops as soon as he comes face to face with Grovyle.
Grovyle holds a surprised look and crossed arms as he looks questioningly at Piplup.
"Oh, hey Grovyle." Piplup waves to him and forces himself to stop blushing. Grovyle doesn't say anything for a long while as he stares hard at Piplup. After a long moment of silence, he asks, "What are you doing up in the middle of the night?" His voice is noticeably harsh and scolding. "You need your sleep."
Somewhat startled by his tone, Piplup looks up at him in slight anxiety. "I was just talking to Crystal about some things. I couldn't sleep anyway."
"About what?" Grovyle's tone holds a hint of incredulousness.
"The usual. We got to know one another and she told me that Darkrai is the Shadow Soul leader. So I need to be aware of my surroundings from now on. She is also going to get Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf to help with our journey." Piplup doesn't bother adding the detail of reminding Crystal of her old friend. He thinks it is just mere coincidence that has nothing to do with their mission. That is going to be between him and Crystal alone, and he figures that the female lizard would want to keep it quiet as well.
Fortunately, that answer seems to satisfy Grovyle. However, he still holds a stony expression as he looks down at Piplup. But when he hears Darkrai mentioned, he raises his eyebrows in slight surprise. "Darkrai is a Shadow Soul, huh? That explains why he sounds as dark as you claim he is."
"Yeah," Piplup nods in agreement. Grovyle continues with his questioning. "And Crystal is grabbing the three Legendaries, you say? For what?"
"To help with our protection. They are psychics, so I figure Crystal wants their help to increase our safety from the Shadow Souls. I think she is close to them in a family sense."
"Hmm." Grovyle says and nods in understanding. Dropping his arms, he then says, "All right then. Well, like Crystal said, we better go to bed. You will need all the energy you can get by morning."
Somewhat startled, Piplup wonders how much Grovyle has overheard him and Crystal talking. He figures that Grovyle has just come in at the end of their conversation, otherwise he would question about their other topic involving the Gavin issue. But Piplup pushes the concern away as he nods in agreement. Side by side, the two start to walk through the foliage towards the road to head back to the Guild.
Meanwhile, Grovyle is feeling somewhat aggravated but keeps his thoughts to himself. It started when he wakes up and finds Piplup missing. He looks around outside for the penguin until he hears voices near the cliff. Curiosity getting the better of him, Grovyle finds Piplup and Crystal talking near the shore of the rocky terrain. He hides himself and listens into their conversation from how far their destination is to everything after. They have said their farewells and Grovyle was about to confront them until he sees Crystal kiss Piplup on the forehead. For some reason that action made him freeze.
He knew that he was surprised by the affection and that it was merely a friendly gesture coming from the female lizard, but it doesn't explain the angry pain that erupts in his chest. As he watched her leave, for some reason he develops deep anger with Piplup and this confuses him. He feels like he wants to protect Crystal from the small penguin and beat Piplup senselessly for no reason. The thought shocks him more than anything. Piplup is his friend; he would never do anything to hurt him. But it still doesn't ease the fury rage inside him. Regardless, he decides to keep his thoughts to himself, thinking his annoyance is caused because of his exhaustion. He really needs to go back to sleep.
But it still doesn't explain the powerful anger he randomly develops, so he decides to ask Dusknoir about it later. Hopefully the older ghost knows what is going on with him.
It is a silent walk towards the Guild until Piplup breaks it. "Hey, Grovyle?"
"Hmm?" Grovyle looks down at the little penguin, his eyes holding a curious glint. Piplup pauses as he looks up at Grovyle. He could have sworn that he has the same look Crystal wears when she waits for an answer. But Piplup isn't going to mention that since it isn't the thing that is on his mind.
"Out of curiosity, did I have a name when I was a human?"
Grovyle blinks at the randomness of the question before staring at Piplup questioningly. It is obvious that the penguin wants to know for either out of curiosity or for just bringing up a topic. Grovyle thinks hard about the question before answering.
"Well, I mainly just called you Piplup because you liked that species so much. But your birth name is... Gavin, I think."
There is a long pause of silence as Piplup stares hard into Grovyle's eyes, hardly believing his ears. He reacts quickly and says, "Gavin. Hmm, sounds cool. OK then, thanks."
Grovyle notes the slight skittishness in the little bird's tone, but he decides to shrug it off. "No problem." He responds coolly.
With that, they return to the Guild still lost in their thoughts. They quietly sneak back into their room without waking anyone. As they make themselves comfortable in their beds, Grovyle is sound asleep once again while Piplup is still enthralled with his own thoughts.
Grovyle said that before he transformed his name was Gavin. Hearing that his real name is what Crystal has accidentally called him made him even more lost in his doubts. He may be naïve but he isn't stupid. Wigglytuff has never said anything about Crystal having another close friend in her younger years. And with the fact that all the Guildmembers said that only Flame (Before turning into Darkflame of course), Dreavus, and Midnight have been her close friends for life, Piplup comes up with the disheartening conclusion that he wishes isn't true.
Crystal has lied to him.
:)(:
Crystal watches Piplup walk away with Grovyle and smiles. She is looking from a distance of the main road at their retreating figures. She turns on her heel and is about to look for her friends when she suddenly sees them standing behind her, smiles plastered on their faces as they look up innocently at her.
"I was just about to come get you guys," Crystal chuckles, holding her hands on her hips as she looks at the girls coolly with half-lidded eyes. "Anything out of the ordinary?"
The two shake their heads and share their own inputs.
"Nada. No demons within range."
"Everyone is safe and sound asleep."
"Good." Crystal nods in approval and is about to say something when Midnight cuts her off.
"Did you tell him?"
"Who?" She asks cluelessly at first, although she has an idea of who the shiny Absol is talking about. The said dark Pokémon rolls her eyes and repeats herself more clearly.
"Did you tell Piplup about your relation with him?"
Crystal pauses and looks at her. She then looks at Dreavus, who also looks intrigued. Crystal hesitates at first before sighing in defeat. "No, I haven't."
Dreavus groans in annoyance, closing her eyes as she face-palms herself. "Cryssy, you gotta do it sometime. He's gonna find out sooner or later that you're his sister, and it's better coming out of you instead of someone else in public."
"I know." Crystal groans in annoyance. She then adds irritably, "But that would be an interesting topic in the middle of the night. 'Hey, Piplup. It's nice to meet you. By the way, I happen to be your long lost sister that you never even knew about!'" Crystal holds up her hands dramatically as she proves her point to her two best friends.
There is slight silence coming from Midnight and Dreavus. They glance at each other, unable to come up with a retort. Snorting, Crystal crosses her arms and shakes her head. "My point exactly. I don't think he'd take it very well considering what is going on right now. I will wait for the right moment to confess."
There is another silence between the three friends. Before Dreavus and Midnight could say something, Crystal cuts them off. "Right now I got a job for us that needs to be done tonight. Did you get all our weapons?"
"Yup." Midnight randomly pulls out three belts holding all the weapons in their respective pockets from behind her. She hands Crystal two of them while putting on the third belt. "I got them while everyone is asleep. Courtesy of Dreavus, of course," She shoots a grin at the ghost female, who bows dramatically as if she had just done an amazing trick in front of an audience. Snorting, Crystal shakes her head again as she puts her belt on and presses the repel button.
"While you go through walls and steal stuff," Dreavus pouts at this comment while putting her belt on. "I have already told Piplup that we will be going to pick up three certain friends of ours."
The girls hold looks of confusion before Dreavus groans. "Please tell me they aren't Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf. Or A.K.A: the Three Losers of Life."
"Those are exactly who I mean, Dreavy," Crystal says shooting a slight glare at the smoky being. "And they aren't losers. They are our friends."
"But why?" Midnight asks tilting her head curiously. Unlike Dreavus, Midnight doesn't have a problem with the three Legendaries as far as Crystal is concerned.
"Because they are good and they help me with my-"
"No, I mean why do we need to go get them?" Midnight corrects herself, slightly annoyed by Crystal's slight ignorance. Crystal then answers, "Because they are the best psychics I know of. We need their protection, especially since I am aware that Darkrai invaded my brother's mind not too long ago."
The two friends widen their eyes in alarm. "You mean..." Dreavus starts.
"Yes. Ever since I have heard of Darkrai's defeat, I was suspicious about if he has affected Gavin through his dreams. That is another reason why I wanted to come get him; if Darkrai has affected him in any way through his dreams, I would know. I practically smelled the aftermaths of his attack."
"Piplup told you that Darkrai invaded his dreams?" Midnight asked skeptically.
"No, but I read his mind. I could sense he was trying to hide that memory from me. He doesn't want me to worry. But I am correct; Darkrai has invaded his mind. Fortunately, he didn't do anything other than manipulate Gavin; that's about it."
"Good." Midnight sighs in relief while wiping her forehead. "The little guy got it off lucky. Did you tell him-?"
"Yes. He knows that Darkrai is a Shadow Soul and what he is capable of." Crystal interrupts the Absol with a nod. Dreavus holds a look of annoyance as she asks her question.
"And what does this have to do with getting the Three Losers of Life?"
"First off, stop calling them that," Crystal snaps, glaring irritably at her friend and poking her on the chest. "They have names, you know." Dreavus just snorts, not at all affected by Crystal's tone. "Secondly, like I said, they are powerful psychics. During our journey, we will most likely be invaded by Darkrai through our nightmares. Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf are the only Pokémon I know of that can help repel his invasion."
"OK, if you say so," Dreavus sighs shaking her head. It is obvious she is not willing to go along with the plan, but Crystal would have none of it. Crystal then says, "Okay, to save up the time we have left, we need to split up. Midnight, you go get Azelf at Crystal Cavern."
"Okay," Midnight nods in acknowledgement. Crystal knows that since Midnight once lived in Crystal Cavern before she joined the team, she knows Azelf personally.
Crystal turns to face Dreavus. "Dreavy, you go get Mesprit at the Underground Desert. And please, for the love of Arceus, do not try to kill each other."
"Fine. I'll behave as long as she does," Dreavus grumbles glaring to the side. Crystal knows that despite Dreavus and Mesprit are close to her, they hate absolutely everything about each other and would always end up in a cat fight. But if they are to complete their mission, they will have to suck in their differences and work together. Crystal only hopes that they would come back to the Guild in one piece.
"And I'll go get Uxie. But I need Dreavus to warp a Dimensional Hole in order for me to get there. Otherwise it'll take days to reach Foggy Forest." Crystal says. Dreavus shrugs and replies, "OK."
Crystal then nods to her friends. "I'll meet you back in the Guild by morning. If you have trouble, then you know what to do." By 'what to do', she is implying that they would use their weapons for protection or call each other with their Communication Watches for help. They all nod in acknowledgment before Midnight turns on her heel and bolts down the road, disappearing into the forest towards her destination.
Turning to face Dreavus, Crystal nods in confirmation. Nodding back, Dreavus closes her eyes and focuses. Soon, a glowing portal appears in midair and Crystal jumps right through it, disappearing in thin air. As the portal disappears, Dreavus shakes her head from slight weariness. Then the ghost Pokémon pulls herself together before taking off to a different direction from Midnight, heading towards the desert at the east.
They all brace themselves as they hurry to their destinations. All in the while, they avoid fighting Pokémon as best as possible and hope that the three Legendaries would help them with their mission.
:)(:
Midnight pants as she runs through the outskirts of the forest. She soon comes across a large cave that is unusually colored blue. As she goes through the entrance, she is greeted by millions of glittering crystals of different shapes, sizes, and colors. However, she is not affected at all by their brilliance. When she lived here, she was too used to the brightness. Right now she is too busy with her mission to give the gems much thought. Instead, she struts down the cold cave and keeps going until she comes upon three huge crystals.
She sighs and shakes her head as she goes to touch each one. Each contact makes the large crystals change different colors. She makes all three gems turn blue before backing away. The crystals start to glow before creating a lightning flash forming a new doorway fashioned by more crystals from underground. Nodding to herself, Midnight walks through the doorway into the hidden chamber.
As she walks through different floors, she is greeted by several of her old friends. They smile widely as they welcome her back. She returns the smile before continuing on her way through the cave. Soon she comes across a massive doorway and walks right through it.
She stops at the entrance and looks around the room, marveling the beauty bestowed to her. She is in what looks like an underground lake made up of just water and pure crystal. Above her are several sharp crystals dripping with water, so she decides to be careful by how loud she is in case the vibration is strong enough to make the crystals fall. As she makes her way through the crystal surface, she looks around for something before her sights stop at a large crystal-shaped bridge heading towards the center of the lake, which holds nothing but more land.
She walks over to the bridge and looks ahead, stopping at the middle curve. But to her disappointment, she finds no signs of life anywhere.
"Hello?" She calls out, her voice slightly soft but loud enough to create an echo in the cave. She looks around to find someone, but the only sound she finds other than her echo is water dripping from the crystals. Frowning, Midnight walks down the bridge and rushes to the tiny speck of land in the middle of the cave, careful not to slip and crash in the water or sharp gems. As she stands in the middle of the island, she still finds nothing.
"Hello?"
Again, no response. She suddenly hears movement and turns around to see a huge crystal floating in midair aiming directly at her. She shrugs, not thinking about it before turning look on ahead. When what she sees adjusts to her mind, she freezes. With wide eyes, she turns to face the crystal again and notices that it shoots towards her like a bullet. As it comes closer by the second, Midnight squeals in alarm before jumping to the side. The large crystal crashes into the once perfectly formed land surface and remains implanted there.
Bewildered, Midnight turns to see that three more huge crystals are aiming at her. Like the first, they launch at her with speed to rival lightning. Midnight has to jump and dodge to avoid being hit by any of the crystals, but the attack doesn't stop her shrieks.
"AZELF, YOU CRAZY TWO-TAILED JERK! ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME? IT'S ME, MIDNIGHT!" She yells at the top of her lungs. Soon enough, she becomes grateful when the crystals above stop their movements in reaction to her screams.
Soon the crystals lower down as a familiar shape forms from the water. It takes form of a small blue cat-like creature with a blue turbine-shaped head. Once it takes complete shape and form, it looks like a blue cat that has two tails with rubies and another ruby on its forehead. It slowly opens its yellow eyes in slight curiosity and confusion.
It takes one look at Midnight before speaking.
"Midnight, is it really you?"
Midnight sighs in relief, coming out of her little barricade of damaged crystals thrown at her earlier. Surprised, Azelf immediately drops the large crystals into the lake as he floats towards the Absol. He holds a somewhat happy and calm expression. Midnight nods with a slight smile and says, "The one and only shiny Absol. Of course, I'd still be shiny even if you try to kill me." She smirks.
Azelf rubs the back of his head sheepishly, blushing as he looks away. "Yes, I apologize for that. Next time I'll check who comes in here before I unintentionally kill my close friends." He looks at Midnight carefully. "Is there a problem, Midnight? How are Dreavus and Crystal doing?" He couldn't help but be concerned for his other two friends, especially Crystal. Despite that Dreavus treats him like crap, he cares for her as well. Crystal is a different story, though. He cares for her as he would care for a sister, so he is genuinely worried why Midnight came without her or Dreavus.
"They're both doing good," Midnight says. She then shrugs as she goes straight to the point. "Actually, Crystal sent me here to ask for your help."
Azelf frowns and asks, "What is the matter?"
For a good ten minutes, Midnight explains everything that has happened to Crystal. She explains from finding out about the Shadow Souls to Crystal's need of help from him and his other two counterparts. She leaves out the part of Piplup being Crystal's sister. She knows that it is best for Crystal to keep the secret to herself and to her team only.
As soon as she finishes, Azelf is quiet as he puts a hand on his chin and gazes at Midnight thoughtfully. "So you have found out about these monstrous creatures called Shadow Souls, who are being lead by Darkrai, who has infected Piplup through his dreams. You are preparing for a journey with Piplup and Wigglytuff's Guild to fulfill a prophesy made about Piplup. But you need my counterparts and me to protect your group and especially Piplup from being disturbed by Darkrai's nightmare control and possibly any other Shadow Soul assault?"
He says this all within one breath, so if you don't pay close attention you could easily get lost within his statement. However, since Midnight is smart and quick, she nods and says, "Yes. You and I both know that Crystal would never come to any of you for help unless she knows that it is very serious."
"Indeed," Azelf nods in agreement. Sometimes Crystal would occasionally visit him just to talk or to train, but she had never asked for any help. Plus, Midnight is right. Whenever Crystal needs other people's help, it is usually very serious. "If Crystal needs our help for this journey, then I am more than willing to accompany you. She has been good to us and has proven to earn our trust." Azelf says.
Midnight sighs happily in relief. Just one down and two more to go. Azelf looks around his cave carefully before asking, "Speaking of Crystal, where have she and Dreavus run off to?"
"We need to leave by this morning, so we split up to come grab you, Uxie, and Mesprit separately," Midnight explains. "Crystal went to go grab Uxie while Dreavus finds Mesprit."
"Dreavus is after Mesprit?" Azelf quirks his eyebrow in a skeptical manner and crosses his arms. "You do realize that they hate each other much more than Zangoose and Seviper do?"
"Oh, yeah," Midnight shakes her head with an amused look. She visualizes the image of Mesprit and Dreavus in a catfight and smirks. She then shakes the thought away and grows serious. "But Crystal assigned us to our destinations, so what our boss says goes." She shrugs.
"Hmm." Azelf says. "Then I am ready to go with you at any time. Shall we head to your base tonight?"
"If you're up for it. We're staying at the Guild, but we have our own base nearby that you and your counterparts can use."
"But what about-"
"Don't worry; we don't use it much anymore. We're staying with Wigglytuff in his Guild after… something that happened not too long ago, let's just say," Midnight hesitates, looking somewhat uncomfortable as she remembers the fight with her leader's ex boyfriend and the aftermaths it created. If it wasn't for Sunflora and the mysterious flute, Team Gothica would probably be dead or still resting in the base. But Midnight doesn't dare say anything to Azelf; if he wants to know, he is going to have to talk to Crystal about it. The Absol is not in the mood to talk about her humiliating defeat.
Azelf senses her hesitation, but he decides not to press further onto it. If Midnight doesn't want to talk about it, then it isn't his business unless she wants it to be. But he could sense that it affects her badly, and he really wants to help rid the feeling and leave it forgotten. Regardless, he shrugs and asks, "Shall we get going?"
Midnight shakes out of her thoughts and nods quietly. And just like that, the two head out of the underground lake towards the entrance. Midnight runs fast while Azelf floats and catches up with her. They set their sights straight to heading back to the Guild.
All in the while, Midnight turns on her watch and emails to Crystal that she has successfully added Azelf to their team and is heading back towards the Guild with the Legendary for a good night's rest.
:)(:
"Why did I have to be the one to grab the stupid pink brat?" Dreavus grumbles to herself, slumping as she floats towards the entrance of the underground oasis. She looks around the lake cautiously before making her way towards the shore, listening to the dripping sounds of water.
The cave itself is pretty but somewhat eerie if one is scared of being alone. The closer you go, the deeper the lake seems to be until it reaches the other side of the cave. Some sharp rocks stick out of the water, looking like long needles from a distance. On land, there is soft and wet dirt, making Dreavus somewhat grateful that she can float for this case. However, she is not happy about the fact that Legendaries seem to disappear at the most inappropriate times when they are needed most.
Finally, after looking around in silence for a long while, Dreavus loses it.
"MESPRIT! BITCH! I KNOW YOU ARE AROUND HERE SOMEWHERE! SO STOP WITH THE MYSTERIOUS EERIE SILENCE AND SHOW YOUR UGLY PINK FACE!"
There is absolute silence for a while save for the echoes caused by Dreavus' shriek. Even the water seems to stop dripping in fear of aggravating her even more. The air seems to still in response to her outburst, as if she is daring for anything else to move so she would have an excuse to go in for the kill.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, a small figure looking like a large drop of water appears floating in midair from the middle of the lake. It has a round shape until it takes the form of a small cat-like creature that has two tails with rubies on the center and another ruby on its forehead. As it changes its form, it also grows two long pieces of what looks like hair on each side of its head before it changes color. It has a small blue body with a pink head and yellow piercing eyes. The mysterious Pokémon gives Dreavus a heated glare as it starts floating over to shore.
It crosses its arms as it floats towards the ghost Pokémon, looking as if she had just woken up and was looking for the source of her rude awakening. Dreavus smirks; she loves to torment this girl so much. How they are allies other than through Crystal is a mystery.
After a long moment of silent glaring, they greet each other bluntly.
"Dreavus."
"Mesprit."
"Tell me," Mesprit says rubbing her eyes tiredly as she yawns. "What makes you come into my humble abode uninvited to so rudely wake me?"
"Cut the crap, Mesprit," Dreavus snaps glaring at the female psychic with piercing red eyes. "Crystal needs you and your counterparts' help." Dreavus carries on explaining about their latest discovery involving Piplup and how Crystal needs the Legendaries' help. Like Midnight, she doesn't bother adding about Piplup's relation to Crystal. No point getting the girl worked up if Mesprit questions her about it later.
As she finishes, Mesprit is silent but she doesn't lower her glare as she thinks over what Dreavus says.
"So you're telling me that Crystal wants me and my counterparts to go with her because she knows that we can repel dark magic from these Shadow Souls and she also needs to keep Piplup safe in order to get to this new place?"
"Yes, that is about it," Dreavus says flatly, holding back a smart reply of 'You're smart for a psychic'. She was not in the mood to fight with one of the Pokémon she despises most, especially Mesprit. She is too tired to even consider it anyway. Plus, she did promise Crystal that she wouldn't attempt to fight the Legendary before they return to the Guild, so she is going to have to be as nice and tolerant as possible for her friend's sake. Wanting to get moving, Dreavus asks, "So, you up for it?"
Mesprit pauses, softening her gaze as she thinks. She then shrugs and says, "Very well. I will accompany you with your journey. I have no doubt that Midnight and Crystal have already grabbed Uxie and Azelf. But," She holds a skeptical look as she gazes carefully at the female ghost. "How do I know that you're not pulling a prank on me again?"
Dreavus looks up at the Legendary in aggravation. She doesn't have time to toy around with the Legendary; all she really wants to do is just go back to the base and get some sleep. "First of all, do I ever come to you just to pull a prank on you? And secondly, you're the telepath so you tell me."
Mesprit curses to herself after realizing that Dreavus has a point. She knows that Dreavus wouldn't even come a mile close to the desert just to bug the crap out of the pink feline. Plus, she indeed reads the ghost's mind and finds out that she is telling the truth. The pink Legendary sighs in defeat. "Fine, you got me. I'll come along with you and Crystal for your mission."
'Finally...' Dreavus mentally sighs. Without another word, she turns around and starts floating towards the entrance with the pink creature following. They exit out the cave and up through the sinkhole easily with their levitation and speed. After dusting sand off themselves, they race through the desert to the forest towards the Guild. All in the while Dreavus uses her watch and sends a message to Crystal about her success having Mesprit join their cause (without a fight) and that they are both heading home to get some rest for the night.
:)(:
Crystal jumps from tree to tree in the Foggy Forest, wearing her Sensor Glasses as she moves briskly through the foliage. She has just jumped out of the black portal Dreavus had summoned for her earlier and lands in the middle of nowhere. This doesn't affect her one bit. She knows the forest like the back of her hand even though it is a foggy wasteland. She uses her digital glasses to see in the eerie darkness. Once she knows of her location, she bolts towards a destined direction.
She soon comes across a rather warm cave entrance. She stops right at the mouth and studies the hard surface. She puts her hand on the wall and senses a lot of steam flowing through the rocky substance. Deciding to not waste any time going through the dungeon, Crystal steps back and outstretches her arms. As soon as her leaf blades glow brightly, she flaps her arms and forces herself to fly upwards into the sky.
She flies up high hoping to see a large chunk of land supported by a tiny stem of rock (she could never figure how that works out even through physics). She flies up higher until she notices the fog starting to disappear. Smiling to herself, Crystal flies faster upwards until she sees clearly out of the fog. She looks directly at the speck of land being supported by such a small stem of rock. The hidden island is mostly just a large lake with some portions of land surrounding the water. There are walls surrounding the island, but some holes are at the corners so water from the lake flows freely down to the ground, acting like waterfalls. Wasting no more time, Crystal floats forwards and lands on the rocky surface a distance away from the lake.
She suddenly feels the ground shake as she walks forwards. She stops her movement. She notices that pebbles are trembling as she feels the ground move. She frowns in confusion. How could there be an earthquake if this island isn't even on Earth's ground, so to speak? If that is the case, then the whole island would crumble down from its support and crash into the forest.
Then she thinks again and uses her common sense to find a reasonable solution. She suddenly hears a roar from a distance suspiciously close. The ground starts to shake even more as Crystal notices the roars growing louder. She sees a large figure coming from the lake and pauses.
Coming up to her, the figure reveals its true identity to Crystal. Groudon glares menacingly down at Crystal as it lets out another piercing roar and stomps towards her.
Crystal looks up at the Pokémon in slight surprise before frowning again and staying in her spot. "Right. I forgot about that little trick Uxie uses..." She sighs shaking her head. When she and her team came up to the island for the first time, they were greeted by the same hologram of Groudon. When they defeated the hologram with ease, Uxie greeted them afterwards. Despite that he has been thinking about erasing their memories, Crystal insisted that she and her team mean no harm by any means and promise to keep the island a secret if he wants it kept quiet. When Uxie looked at her carefully, he looked as if he has seen her before from somewhere. He then stated that he will take her word for it only for the sake that he can sense that she is a strong being with a steady mind and pure intentions. It is then that he has gathered his two counterparts and they all agree to train Crystal to her full potential with her psychic powers. Why, Crystal honestly doesn't know. During their training, the Legendaries have grown close to Crystal and her team (excluding Dreavus sometimes). Truth being told, Uxie is rather fond of Crystal as he would be fond over a little sister. When she has succeeded her full training, Uxie and his counterparts have said that she and her friends are welcome to visit them at any time. But right now it is apparent that he doesn't realize that he has just sent out another Groudon hologram at Crystal...
"Hello, Groudon hologram," Crystal says without any humor and crosses her arms. The Groudon pauses as it looks down at her curiously. "Remember me? I'm Crystal. I'm a friend of Uxie, and I need his help." She speaks her terms to the hologram, remembering that it is somewhat alive since it is a part of Uxie's mind. She knows that Uxie made sure that the hologram would not harm her if she ever comes to visit. All she needs to do is explain her reasons for coming to the island to the hologram. Once she does, the hologram would stand aside and let her enter the lake.
Groudon tilts its head as it gives her a somewhat perplexed stare. Soon it gives a somewhat eerie smile as it nods and stands aside, gesturing for Crystal to enter the lake. Apparently it has understood her words and is allowing her access. Satisfied, Crystal smiles and nods at the hologram. "Thank you."
All the hologram does is just nod before disappearing into thin air with a flash of light.
Crystal moves through the slightly narrow cliff as she makes her way to the lake. She takes off her glasses and puts them into their pocket on her belt. Crystal still has her arms crossed as she stops at the very edge of the cliff and looks down at the deep lake. She has to admit that it looks beautiful at nighttime. The moon reflects through the calm waters, making the lake somewhat like a huge mirror for the starlit sky. The center of the lake glows for some reason and brightens up the underskirts of the lake.
Suddenly the mood is shattered as Crystal hears a loud splash coming from the lake. Alarmed, she tilts her head up while rapidly taking out her Aura Sword and summoning the burning blade out. She twirls the sword around expertly and prepares to fight.
She sees a water blob rapidly springing upwards to face her. Crystal tenses as she holds her sword up high and prepares to strike but stops herself. She watches the tiny blob taking shape of a blue cat with rubies on its forehead and two tails. Soon it takes full shape and is revealed to be a blue cat-like creature with a yellow turbine-shaped head and closed eyes. It seems to look at Crystal with a bewildered frown.
"Crystal? Is that you?"
"Uxie. It's so good to see you again." Crystal smiles in relief and quickly turns her sword off before putting it back into its sheath on her belt. She continues smiling as she takes several steps closer to the Pokémon. Uxie holds a stunned look before smiling politely at the lizard.
"As it is nice to see you again so soon, Crystal." Uxie nods before holding a thoughtful look. "Is there a problem? Where are Dreavus and Midnight?"
"I need your help with something, Uxie." Crystal holds a serious look as she explains everything to the older psychic. She starts from her discovery of a new dungeon to the discovery of Shadow Souls to the prophesy involving Piplup and how she needs Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf's help for the journey. She doesn't bother telling Uxie about her relation with Piplup since she fears that he wouldn't understand or take it seriously. Plus, that is her business and Piplup doesn't know yet either. She only hopes that neither Dreavus nor Midnight told the other counterparts about it.
As she finishes her story, Uxie holds a more thoughtful look as he stares at her. "But why do you want to protect Piplup so much?" He asks incredulously. He couldn't help but wonder if there's something she's not telling him that may be crucial to the problem.
Crystal mentally curses to herself. Uxie is always the hardest Legendary to trick. He is always aware of some loopholes about certain things, and that makes him the smartest but most difficult Legendary to lie to without being caught. However, Crystal knows that he trusts her indefinitely and she hates to lie to him after all he did for her. So she decides to go around with the truth. She replies honestly, "Because Piplup is needed for this prophesy to be fulfilled. Why, I do not know. Plus... to be honest, he's like a little brother to me. I'd hate for anything to happen to him."
Uxie still holds a suspicious look for a while. Fortunately, he accepts the answer and nods. "Yes, Piplup is a very noble person." He pauses, thinking for a moment. He then says, "...Very well. I will accompany you with your journey. When do we leave?"
"This morning." Crystal replies smiling in satisfaction. "That's why the girls and I separated. I had to get Dreavus and Midnight to go grab Azelf and Mesprit while I came to get you. But..." She trials away, and Uxie understands why she hesitated.
"But now you have no way to get back to the Guild by morning," He finishes for her with a sigh. He shrugs and adds, "That's OK. I will warp us to the Guild."
Crystal smiles and grabs the psychic for a hug. Startled, Uxie gazes at her in surprise but doesn't protest. "Thanks, Uxie." She murmurs. Uxie cracks a small smile as he hugs her back. "It's no problem. I'll be right back..."
With that, Uxie floats away quickly to where Crystal arrived at and is gone. Soon he comes back and says, "I have to leave my hologram in charge until I get back." Crystal nods in understanding. "All right, then. Let's go." He holds out his hand to her. "Take my hand and don't let go until I say otherwise."
Crystal looks at his hand before taking it. Uxie then concentrates on his powers to teleport them to their destination. Meanwhile, Crystal sneaks a quick glance at her watch and sees that it is about a quarter to three in the morning. She notices two texts on her computer and quickly accesses to them. They are from Midnight and Dreavus. Crystal reads the messages quickly.
Got Azelf. I'm heading back to the Guild with him to sleep for the night. He can sleep in our old base with his counterparts. I'm sleeping in Wigglytuff's Guild.
Got Mesprit (without a fight, for once! :P). I'm heading back with her to the Guild and we're going to sleep afterwards. She can sleep in our old base with the other counterparts. I'll stay in the Guild for the night.
Crystal smiles, glad that her friends have succeeded in getting the other counterparts (and quite proud of Dreavus for not killing Mesprit). And she has to agree that the Legendaries resting in their old base is a good idea. After all, the girls don't really use it anymore but it is still clean and spacious enough for the Legendaries to be comfortable resting in for the night.
Her thoughts shatter when she notices that she and Uxie are floating in midair. Uxie's raised palm starts to glow brightly as he continues concentrating. Crystal immediately closes her eyes tightly, bracing herself for the teleportation. Soon after a flash of light, they are gone.