Chapter 10: Learnings
"Awww, who's the little one with you?" asked the woman on the screen.
"Go on," said Misty, nudging Mia forward with her palm.
"Hi. My name is Mia. I'm from Pallet Town. When I went to visit my Uncle Brock, this weird door appeared and I ended up in Jubilife City where I met this girl named Marie and she helped me get back to Kanto, but I could only go to Cerulean directly, which is where I knew Aunt Misty lived so I figured she would be able to help me back home from there."
"Aunt Misty?" replied the woman. "Hmm, you do look like him a little. The problem is, I know who else you look like, and other facts sort of…conflict…with your existence. What to make of this?"
"Serena, a long time ago, you told me of an adventure you had in Reflection Cave. Could this have something to do with that?" inquired Misty.
"Oh, you're right! This might be similar to that. If that were true, she should have soon run into her counterpart in our world. Someone who should behave in a somewhat opposite fashion to her."
"I don't know. Mommy and Daddy say I drive them crazy when I'm bouncing off the walls."
"Misty, do you think it could be her?" asked Serena.
"Yeah, it just might be. In which case, it's going to be a long day of sorting things out, isn't it?"
"Looks like it. I'll try to get in contact with everyone. We'll talk soon. Bye. Bye Mia."
"Bye, Serena."
"Goodbye. Hmmm, now what to do with you?" Misty folded her arms and tapped her foot against the floor.
"Hey, Aunt Misty. Some guy told me you were trying to become a member of the Elite Four. Is that true?" asked Mia.
"Yes, it's true. The requirements for getting in are tougher than I ever imagined. I'm so close to the end of the trials I can almost taste it. Only have three days to prepare for the final exam, so you can stay here while Serena sorts things out."
"Thanks, Aunt Misty! Is there anything I can do to help while I'm here?" The two began walking down the hallway again.
"Have you ever taken basic care of Pokémon before?"
"All the time at Professor Oak's lab. Feeding, watering, and even grooming the less dangerous ones. I wanted to do more, but Daddy and the Professor said I was too young."
"I see. Good. You can help keep the Pokémon in tip-top shape and I can spend my time training. One more thing. How fast is that weird Zubat you have?"
"I've never tried to find out. Zubat, fly as fast as you can!"
Zubat launched itself from Mia's head. It zipped around the room.
"Not as quick as I'd hoped. It'll have to do. You can help me train my Starmie in the evenings."
"Really? I've never gotten to help with real training before. Thanks again, Aunt Misty!"
"It'll give you something to do besides sit around here. It's still afternoon, so why don't you familiarize yourself with the place and then meet me in the arena in a couple hours?"
"I already know my way around here. I've been here lots of times with Mommy and Daddy."
"You should probably get to know all the Pokémon again. I don't think they'll recognize you. I'll have Miles keep you company while you swim, okay?"
"Aww, why does it have to be that guy?"
"He was just doing his job. You were just a special case. He's a nice guy otherwise."
"Well, since you said so, I'll believe you."
The two stopped at the entrance to the pool. Misty handed Mia a device she recognized that allowed humans to breathe underwater. The door to the pool opened. A gigantic tank of water sat in the middle of an even larger room. Bleachers surrounded the rectangular container on every side. It was filled with Fish Pokémon, though no Gyarados dwelled within the pool. Misty called for Miles and the man came running to her. She told him to lock the doors and keep an eye on Mia while she swam. Then she was off and Mia was left alone with Miles.
"Sorry about earlier," she said.
"It's all right," said Miles. "Something weird's going on. I'm sure we'll get to the bottom of it in no time. Now you just enjoy yourself."
"So you're not mad?"
"No, not at all. It was just a misunderstanding. Now go swim with the Pokémon. It's the best way to get to know them around here."
.After a quick change, Mia dove straight into the pool. Zubat perched in the bleachers with Miles. It was quite lively underwater. Goldeen and Seaking darted about. Shellder and Clamperl hopped about merrily on the floor of the tank. Thanks to the water, the whole scene was surprisingly quiet despite the bustle. Mia swam around the tank, enjoying the freedom that the artificial gills she had found gave her. She mingled with the Pokémon in the pool, racing the quick Seadra and calmly stroking the shy Frillish.
A few hours later, Misty came in and asked her to get out of the pool and bring Zubat along for the training session. Mia quickly left the pool and toweled herself off. Misty had said there was no need to leave the pool area, as the pool doubled as the Gym battlefield. Mia helped Misty toss a couple of floating platforms onto the water. The bottom of the pool slid apart a few feet, allowing the Pokémon inside to dive down into a much larger lower tank before they commenced with the training session. Mia stood across from Misty on a flat platform that had risen from the floor next to the pool.
"Are you ready, Mia?"
"Anytime, Aunt Misty," she replied. "Come on, Zubat! Pichu, watch closely. We're about to help a soon-to-be Elite Four member train. It'll be great experience."
The yellow Pokémon flew to Mia's side from the bleachers. Pichu appeared from within its PokéBall.
"All right, here we go! Come on out, Starmie!"
***s***
"Out,Illumise!"
"Illumise!" came a cry from within the white light.
The light dissipated. A Pokémon not much larger than Ame appeared before Erani. It had stubby arms and legs and small wings on its back. Its body was black, save for a patch of blue on its upper chest which itself was topped by a pale yellow region. Two bright antenna sat atop its purple-collared head.
"I'm taking the first move! Illumise-"
"Hold it, you two," interrupted Anano. "Erani, we'll have to change some things since our normal of switching off and having the oddball out referee won't work here."
"Oh, right. So, will one of you two be our ref?"
"I'll judge the battle between you two. Everyone set?"
Milli and Erani nodded affirmatively.
"Battle begin!"
"I'm taking the first move still! Illumise, use Sweet Scent!"
A pink cloud rose from Illumise's collar and drifted toward Ame. Ame's eyes became half-lidded as it inhaled the aroma.
What was that for? "Just ignore it, Ame, and use Aqua Jet!"
Water being poured from her feet pushed Ame forward. Illumise easily sidestepped the slow-moving Surskit.
"Illumise, Quick Attack!"
"Lu!" Illumise darted toward Ame, leaving a white streak in its trail. It crashed into Ame, knocking the smaller Pokémon over.
"Ame, are you OK?"
"Surskit!" replied Ame, shaking its head. Her eyes were fully open again.
"Good, you're back to normal," said Milli.
"Illumise, use Quick Attack again!" commanded Erani.
Illumise darted toward Ame again.
"Ame, dodge it this time!"
Ame moved to the right swiftly. Illumise caught up in an instant and knocked the small Pokémon over again.
"What was that? Ame should be plenty fast enough to dodge Illumise!"
"That was Sweet Scent at work. It lowers a Pokémon's evasiveness by making them relaxed, which causes their reaction time to be slower," explained Erani.
"It won't matter if you can't tell which one's the real one. Ame, use Double Team!"
A horde of illusory Surskit appeared on the battlefield.
"Illumise, let's show them those wings aren't just for show! Get up in the air!"
Illumise began to run, then jumped and took to the air, hovering a few feet off the ground. The larger bug looked down at the mob of Surskit below it.
"Have fun dodging this! Ame, use Bubble!"
Bubbles shot forth from every Surskit's antenna. They flew from nearly every direction at Illumise. The purple-collared Pokémon tossed and tumbled through the air, turning on dimes, effortlessly avoiding bubbles both real and illusory. After a few seconds, all the illusions disappeared, followed by the pop of the real bubbles, leaving just Ame on the ground.
That's…that's impossible! thought Milli. How could Illumise be so agile? No Pokémon should have been able to dodge that! Ok, Ok, just need to think. Illumise can be beaten, I know it. But how to go about it? When in doubt, attack!
"Ame, use Bubble!"
Bubbles once again shot forth from Ame's antenna, and were easily avoided by the hovering Illumise.
"Now, Signal Beam!"
Green-pink light erupted from Ame's antenna and hit Illumise with full force. The hovering Pokémon fell to the ground.
"Illumise, back to the air!"
The black Pokémon began to run and then slipped, landing on its back. It quickly got to its feet for a successful second attempt at flight and looked at Erani apologetically.
"Sometimes you trip on air, Illumise. It happens to the best of us," consoled Erani.
What just happened?It might work to my advantage. Still, I can't hit Illumise easily when it's flying and it can do all those tumbling moves.
"Ame, use Bubble again! Do it slowly."
A third round of bubbles came bursting out of Ame's antenna. The bubbles drifted lazily toward Illumise. The hovering bug knew not what to make of this development .Each bubble, Milli noticed, had separate reflections of Illumise. The bubbles all popped far from Illumise, who had wisely moved away. The answer came to Milli at that moment.
Got it! thought Milli.
"What was all that for?" asked Erani.
"Certainly nothing important," said Milli mockingly. "Ame, use Double Team!"
"Surskit!"
Once again, a crowd of illusory Surskit appeared on the battlefield.
"I see your plan. We'll just dodge again!"
"And now use Bubble to surround Illumise! Be careful not to get Illumise with the attack!
Nearly a thousand bubbles appeared in the air. They formed a sphere around the surprised Pokémon.
"This is quite the strange situation, but you can't do anything either, you realize."
"Oh yes I can! Ame, use Signal Beam! Now that you're in a smaller area, there's no way you'll dodge! From inside those bubbles, it must look like a million Signal Beam are about to launch."
"Really? How so?"
"Earlier when I saw Illumise behind that bubble, I saw it reflected a bunch of times into many Illumise. It's basically a second Double Team!"
"It doesn't matter! Illumise is the queen of aerobatic maneuvers! Show her what you can do, Illumise!"
He took the bait.
The Signal Beams launched as massive blasts of green-pink light. Bubbles both illusory and real were shattered by the attack. Illumise dodged beam after beam of energy, narrowly avoiding collisions with them, once even managing to cause two beams to collide with each other with impressive pyrotechnic results. After a few seconds, Illumise lost its concentration and was struck by the only real Signal Beam. It fell to the ground for a second time during the battle.
"Illumise, get back up in the air! Then, we'll use our best move from above!"
"Illu!" it replied.
"Gotcha! Ame, use Aqua Jet!"
Jets of water blasted forth from Ame's feet. The small blue Pokémon rocketed toward Illumise. Illumise began to run and then fell flat on its face.
"Again?" cried Erani. "How could this happen twice in one battle?"
"I'll explain in a minute. Ame, full power!"
Another burst of pressure shot forth from Ame's legs, pushing the little Pokémon forward even faster. It collided with Illumise at great spped. Ame hooped back from the impact. Illumise lay on the ground.
"Illumise is unable to battle! Ame is the winner, and therefore the victory goes to Milli," announced Anano.
"Great job, Ame! Now return and have a nice long rest."
"So, how did you know Illumise would slip on the ground a second time?" inquired Erani.
"I realized it was from Bubble popping. When the bubbles pop, they don't just disappear. They rain down a bunch of smaller bubbles. They usually dry up quickly enough that it's of no importance, but not today."
"Congratulations on your victory. Do you want to judge their match?" asked Erani.
"Nah, sounds like it's your usual thing to do and I wouldn't feel right taking that away."
"It'd be fine by me."
"Also, I'm terrible at judging whether a Pokémon is in the Sleep or Faint condition," Milli continued.
"Never mind, I'll do it then," said Erani quickly.
"I know Illumise isn't your strongest Pokémon," stated Milli as Erani walked to the battlefield.
"Wait, what? How could you tell?"
"I'll explain later. Just go referee their match."
"I'll be waiting. You two ready?"
"We're all set. Who's our ref?" asked Anano.
"I'm on duty," replied Erani. "Milli's just a spectator. All right then, on my right is Anano, the Dark-type Pokémon specialist. On my left, Parelan, the mysterious foreigner."
"Must you do this every time?" asked Anano.
"Let him have his fun," said Parelan. "Continue, please."
"On your mark, get set, go!"
"Come on out, Houndour!" shouted Anano.
"Mienfoo, the time to put on a show is now!" answered Parelan in kind.
***s***
M followed the Fossil Maniac back into the house. M noticed a mat on the floor. The Fossil Maniac gestured to the mat, and M accepted the silent invitation. The two men sat across from each other.
"Tell the truth, I was hoping not to have to tell anyone this story."
"It's fine if it bothers you. I will just take the rod and go." M began to get up. The Fossil Maniac held up his hand to stop him.
"No, stay. You did well to earn it. I was going to have to face this eventually in some way. We met a long time ago. It's been about forty years since that day. I don't remember the details of how we met too well. From what I can recall, we were at some ceremony. He was sitting next to me with a fishing pole slung over his shoulder. He always had that fishing rod slung over his shoulder no matter where he was or how appropriately it applied to the current situation. We got to talking and struck up some sort of friendship. He seemed to enjoy hearing me talk about Fossils and even helped me dig up a few. The largest Fossil I ever found was on a dig during which he was accompanying me. I'd fish with him on occasion. I seemed to have the opposite effect. No matter where we went, we would only catch Magikarp while fishing. We tried to break my curse. We visited a place that we knew contained a small pond where only Finneon were allowed. We caught nothing until sunset that day. I managed to get a bite on my line just before the sun had set completely. Reeling it in excitedly, I was both dismayed and surprised to find a Magikarp on the end of the line. We both looked at each other in shock, followed by bursting into laughter at the sheer impossibility of it all. It was one of the best days of my life."
M listened quietly to the Fossil Maniac. He wondered briefly how long the story would be, mentally reprimanding himself not to be rude by asking that. The Fossil Maniac noticed him zoning out.
"Are you still there, lad?"
"Yes. Sorry, I have a tendency to space out sometimes, even if something interests me," said M.
"Just like the Guru. He'd often be lost in thought during our trips together. I could never tell what he was thinking. He always had that faint smile. Then, about five years ago, he showed up here unannounced and asked me to accompany him on what I foolishly assumed to be a routine fishing trip. I told him I knew something was wrong. He just talked me off it. I should have realized sooner that his smile was gone. During our trip, he asked me a lot. Where I was going, if I felt fulfilled, things like that. While we were catching Magikarp in the lake, I thought he was just going through a fairly standard mid-life crisis. It was only when we got back to my home that I realized it was something different. 'Take this," he said, handing me the rod that was always slung over his shoulder. I thanked him, and asked him why. 'Sometimes, there are no good reasons," he replied. 'Farewell, good friend.' And with that, he took off running, ignoring my cries for him to come back and explain what he meant. And that's my story. As you can probably guess, the rod he gave me is the one you chose. I don't regret wagering it on our battle. From the moment you walked in, I knew it would leave with you. Now there is something I must ask you. How is it that your Mismagius knows Hypnosis and Nightmare? It shouldn't be able to learn either move."
***s***
A gray Pokémon appeared on the platform in front of Misty. It had ten points and a red, octagonal center.
"Starmie, the Mysterious Pokémon. Starmie's core emits radio waves that some believe it uses to communicate with alien life. Starmie's core flashes when it is low on energy," stated Mia's Pokédex.
"Awesome! We're helping Aunt Misty train her Starmie. So, what should I do, Aunt Misty?"
"Just have Zubat dodge all of Starmie's attacks that it can as fast as it can. I'll take care of the rest," replied Misty.
"You heard her, Zubat! Dodge, dodge, dodge!"
"Starmie, try to hit Zubat with Hydro Pump!"
"Hmmmm." The gray Pokémon shot a massive jet of water toward Zubat, who deftly dodged it.
"Hydro Pump, rapid fire!"
Many massive jets were shooting from Starmie towards Zubat. Zubat evaded them, though not easily. Starmie had nearly cornered it a few times.
"Now, Rapid Spin!"
Starmie's body began to whirl around at incredible speed. Its limbs became one large blur. It flew towards Zubat.
"Zubat, dive down!"
Zubat plummeted toward the pool with Starmie missed Zubat by a hair's breadth. The Mysterious Pokémon was now above Zubat.
"Hey. I think I know how to get past the final trial! Thanks, Mia! Now watch this! Starmie, keep up the Rapid Spin and use Hydro Pump at the same time!"
Starmie's spinning body began to shoot out a twisting cone of water. The cone surrounded Zubat completely.
"Starmie, drop down while continuing the attack!"
"Get out of there, Zubat!"
Zubat attempted to fly out and was caught in one of the twisting columns of water.
"Gotcha! Starmie, Thunder, straight down!"
A massive yellow bolt was emitted from Starmie's red core, striking the pool. The electricity traveled throughout the water and back up the water columns, badly shocking Zubat. Zubat fell onto one of the platforms, defeated.
"Zubat! Are you okay?"
Mia jumped onto the platform to pick up the small Pokémon. She cradled the yellow Zubat in her arms.
"We didn't go too far, did we?" asked Misty, who had raced across the platforms to check on the injured Pokémon.
"No, Zubat will be fine. It just needs some rest. So you figured out a way to get past the last of your tests?"
"Yeah, thanks to you. I was having trouble figuring out how I was going to defeat Dragonite since it can fly, but the Rapid Spin-Hydro Pump- Thunder combination should work just fine."
"That's great, Aunt Misty. By the way, did you and that nice Serena lady manage to talk to everyone?" asked Mia.
"Oh, that. I wouldn't worry about it too much."
"No, then. Another question. Who was it that you both thought my counterpart here was?"
"We did manage to contact a few of the others. Ash, Brock, May, Dawn, they're all aware of the situation. Serena was smart enough to record the call so that we had proof of the matter. They also agreed with us on the matter of who your counterpart is here. We all think it's Marie."
"***s***
Milli stood on the sidelines and watched the battle between the two older Trainers intently. Mienfoo dodged every blow, yet Houndour attacked relentlessly, never giving an inch to Mienfoo that would allow for a counterattack. Milli could see that Erani had been right. Both Anano's dismissive personality and Parelan's wavering confidence had been replaced by the fire of battle. As the battle began to wear on, the amount of energy being used started to take its toll on both Pokémon. Houndour's attacks became messier and Mienfoo missed several opportunities to strike back. Milli found herself unable to decide who would win the battle. Then, Houndour stumbled. Parelan saw her shot and ordered Mienfoo to use Mach Punch. The hit landed squarely and Houndour fell. Mienfoo was declared the winner.
They were both great. They'll both make good opponents, thought Milli.
"So, Milli, of us, who is it that you wish to next battle?" asked Parelan.
"That's a difficult choice. You're both clearly very skilled. Since you won, Parelan, I'll save you for last. I'll battle Anano next," answered Milli.
"I'll be accused of favoritism if I judge this one," said Erani. "So, I'll sit out this round completely."
"Very well, the referee shall be me. Are you two ready?"
"Yes," came the simultaneous reply.
"Let the battle begin!"
"Go, Pichu!"
Pichu jumped onto the field.
"Go."
"Absol."
A large white Pokémon covered in white fur appeared on the battlefield. A black oval patch appeared above its face. It had red eyes. Its claws, bladed tail, and scythe-shaped horn were also black.
"Take the first move, Milli," said Anano.
"Fine. Pichu, use Thundershock!"
A yellow bolt of electricity darted toward Absol. The larger Pokémon swiftly dodged the attack.
"Use Leer."
Absol stared Pichu down with its fierce red eyes. Pichu backed away.
"Follow up with Scratch."
Absol leapt forward and raked its claws across Pichu. The smaller Pokémon let out a brief cry of pain.
"Pichu, use Iron Tail!"
Pichu's tail glowed white. She whipped her tail toward Absol.
"Sucker Punch."
Absol disappeared from view. It appeared behind Pichu suddenly and struck it with its paw. Pichu was knocked to the ground.
"Pichu, get up and use Thundershock!"
Pichu got to her feet. She shouted her name as small yellow bolts of electricity shot forth from her body toward Absol.
"Use Night Daze."
Absol's front paws glowed white. It slammed them into the ground and a crimson-black shockwave emanated from the point of impact. The two attacks collided. The force of Pichu's attack clove a path directly to Absol through the Night Daze. Absol was struck viciously by the Thundershock. Night Daze was not stopped, however, and slammed into Pichu with only slightly lessened force.
"Hang in there, Pichu!"
Pichu managed to stand tall. Milli noticed Absol begin to shift. The Pokémon's body glowed a silvery color and began to shrink into a small sphere. The sphere grew brighter and smaller over the course of a few seconds. The light then dissipated to reveal a new Pokémon. The new Pokémon was dark gray in color with a collar of black fur around its neck. It had a tuft of fur on its head that was crowned with red, as were it paws. Two small red dots sat between its eyes.
"Who's that Pokémon?" asked Milli.
"This is Zorua. Its Ability allows it to take on the guise of other Pokémon. Of course, now that it's been revealed, its Illusion Ability won't take effect again unless I call it back," said Anano.
"Neat. Must be fun for messing with people."
"No, my Zorua's prowess is battling, not deceit. Illusion just happens to be its only Ability. The match will continue now. Zorua, Leer."
The small Pokémon stared at Pichu. The effect it had was clearly not intended, as Pichu began to laugh at the small Pokémon's attempts at intimidation.
"I suppose that's one way to lower Defense," said Anano. "Use Scratch."
"Pichu, stop giggling. Show off your new move. Use Sweet Kiss!"
Pichu's laughter died off. Zorua was charging the yellow Pokémon with its claws fully extended. Blue hearts appeared around Pichu and swarmed toward Zorua. The hearts hit their mark. Zorua began wandering around the field, knocking its head against the ground.
"Snap out of it, Zorua!" shouted Anano.
The small black Pokémon ignored its Trainer's commands and continued to injure itself out of confusion.
"Pichu, use Thundershock!"
"Sucker Punch, Zorua!"
Pichu had no chance to move before being struck by Zorua's attack. Zorua then went back to smashing its head into the ground and wandering around aimlessly.
I forgot that sometimes moves can hit through the confusion. If I lose here, I won't stand a chance against Parelan. I must win. Think, think. I can tell Zorua isn't his strongest Pokémon. He would have used his strongest against Parelan. Or it might be that Absol he has. Either way, I know I have a chance to win this thing if I can just think up a good enough plan, thought Milli.
"Pichu, get in close and use Thundershock!"
"Chu."
The yellow Pokémon took off running towards Zorua. Zorua still wandered around in its confused state. Pichu slid underneath Zorua and unleashed a bolt of electricity, shocking the black Pokémon. Zorua shook its head. The confusion had finally worn off.
"Hold down Pichu, Zorua."
Zorua pressed its back paws down on Pichu's feet. The yellow Pokémon was trapped by the strength of the paws.
"Zorua, Night Daze."
Zorua grinned. Its front paws glowed a deep crimson color and it raised them into the air.
"Pichu, use Iron Tail!"
Pichu quickly slammed her glowing tail into Zorua's belly, launching the small black Pokémon into the air. It fell back to the ground, damaged but not defeated.
"Pichu, use-"
"Zorua, Sucker Punch."
Zorua disappeared from the field and reappeared between Milli and Pichu, who had turned around by the time Zorua was there.
"As I was saying, use Sweet Kiss!"
Blue hearts bombarded Zorua, leaving it in a confused state again.
"Pichu, use Thundershock!"
"PIchuuuu!"
A jolt of jagged yellow electricity raced toward Zorua. The Pokémon was meandering about the battlefield without purpose. On occasion, it would slam its paw into the ground.
"Zorua, use Sucker Punch!" commanded Anano.
The command had no effect. Pichu's Thundershock struck Zorua full-on. The black Pokémon fell on its side.
"Zorua is unable to continue in battle. The winner is Pichu, and the victory is given to Milli."
"Return, Zorua." The Pokémon disappeared in a flash of red. "Good job, Milli. I underestimated you. I won't make the same mistake twice. Why don't you take a break and watch the battle between my brother and Parelan?"
"That sounds good. Your battle with Parelan was amazing. I can't wait to see how it goes between her and Erani."
Anano chuckled. "I wouldn't get your hopes up."
"Why not? Erani is a tough opponent."
"For people who aren't used to his Pokémon's style of movement, yes. For me and Parelan, not so much." Anano walked onto the field to be the judge. "Ready? Battle begin!"
***s***
"A fan of strange Pokémon, are you?" asked M.
"Of course. Why else would I study Pokémon Fossils? The past ha the strangest and most wondrous Pokémon of them all! Now, go on and share your story. I've shared mine already."
"Very well. Mismagius and I have a long history together. It begins before I was even born. My parents were walking along one day outside of Opelucid City when they came across this strange Egg. No one was able to tell them what type of Egg it was. They decided to care for it. My mother discovered she was pregnant a few weeks later. The Egg hadn't hatched in those weeks, and wouldn't hatch for many months, despite my parents' best attempts to bring the Pokémon out of its shell. When they took my mother to the hospital, they brought the Egg along with them. At the same moment I was born, a Misdreavus hatched from the Egg. The Misdreavus was almost normal. Her necklace was made of black pearls rather than the usual red. We went home the day after." M paused.
"That's it?" asked the Fossil Maniac.
"Of course that's not it. Just catching my breath. Continuing…a few weeks after I was brought home, my mother noticed that I wasn't sleeping very well. Normally, newborns wake up every few hours. I was waking up every thirty minutes. Misdreavus always slept in my room with me, so my mother tried separating us. That didn't work, as apparently, I wouldn't sleep at all without Misdreavus in the room. My mother asked my father to watch over me for one whole night to discover what the problem was. That night, however, Misdreavus showed off its unusual ability to use Hypnosis. When I awoke the first time that night, Misdreavus drifted over and put me to sleep with Hypnosis. My father would wait pointlessly for the next eight hours waiting for me to wake up screaming as was normal. My mother woke to find that she had slept through the night."
"That doesn't explain Nightmare, only Hypnosis," interjected the Fossil Maniac.
"That is coming up very soon. As I was saying, my parents were then able to sleep peacefully. For the next seven years, at least. During that time, I grew up playing with Misdreavus. Misdreavus was very strange. She didn't age like other Pokémon. She aged along with me. Excepting Hypnosis, she had no moves. When I was seven, the nightmares began to break through Misdreavus' Hypnosis during the night. At first, it was just little ones that slipped through, waking me in a panic a little earlier than I was used to. They began to grow larger and eventually I was waking up in the middle of the night, terrified. The whole process took place over the course of the next three years. My parents tried everything. They took me to every doctor, every medicine man, every aromatherapy shop. Nothing was working. My parents had just about given up hope. On the night before my tenth birthday, I had the longest, most terrifying, most horrifying nightmare that I had ever had. To me, it seemed to last an eternity. I only know what my parents told me of what happened that day. I wasn't waking up from the night before when dawn broke on my tenth birthday. All day, I was writhing and tossing in bed. Misdreavus hovered about me, trying to help me with its Hypnosis. My parents were desperate. That evening, they brought a Drowzee in to use Dream Eater on me and try to end the nightmares. Drowzee ate and ate and ate, but the nightmare didn't end. Something changed in Misdreavus that day. After Drowzee failed, she used Screech. Remember that she had only been capable of Hypnosis before. Apparently, this caused me to stop writhing in the bed. I was nearly still except for grimaces crossing my face. Then, Misdreavus' black pearls flashed deeper black. A thick, cloudy red substance poured out from my body and into Misdreavu's necklace, leaving behind only the two black pearls on the right and left. I was told this went on for over half an hour. When the last of it had been absorbed, I, still sleeping, smiled. Misdreavus smiled back and fell next to me on the bed, exhausted. I was told of what happened the next day. My parents and I figured out that Misdreavus' feat had given it the ability to use Nightmare as an attack move. I decided not to tell my parents that I remembered the entire nightmare from the day before. A week after all the fuss, I was off on a Pokémon journey with Misdreavus and Snivy from Professor Juniper." M had made sure to end the story on a happy note.
"That was quite a tale. So, just how long have you been with Mismagius, then?"
"It's been eighteen years, five since she evolved."
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