(A/N: ...So, guess what? Copper has decided to come back to the story. Cool, huh? Anyway, he helped quite a bit with the part in the middle and the magic and stuff, and he also wrote the end segment with the Dream Corps (obviously). You know, I was planning on ending the story in two or three chapters, but then Copper wrote something that seems like super-cool foreshadowing and I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT TO DO WITH IT AND HE HASN'T GIVEN ME ANY CLEAR DETAILS ON WHAT HE'S PLANNING HERE AND I'M SCARED SOMEONE GET ME OUT OF HERE- *muffled screaming, a THUNK, the sound of something being tied up*
(Lyra: Ignore her. They've clearly got everything under control. pikaree1 does not own Pokemon, Natalie, Mithril, Nicholas, Eleanor, and Benjen. All rights go to their respective owners. Please enjoy this surprisingly long chapter.)
After Crystal managed to calm everybody down (partially, at least- Orange was still sobbing quietly over Jo), she turned her attention to Green and nodded as if in signal. The spiky-haired man took the hint and placed a bowl in front of himself. "Slekt." It filled with water, and he began to scry.
"How does that work?" Natalie whispered to Lyra, her brows furrowed in confusion.
"Magic," the girl deadpanned.
Mithril perked up, happy to know the answer (though she couldn't exactly move well with her cast). "I know! I know!" she chirped. Green looked up briefly from his work in order to shoot her a glare, and she lowered her voice. "It depends on the enchantment the scrying pool's got. Sometimes all you need is a name, but something that belongs to the person you're looking for, like hair or clothing, works better."
"Why do I get the feeling that you're just quoting someone else on this?" Lyra muttered.
Mithril looked offended. "Are you doubting me?!" This time, both Green and Silver glared at her. She tried to slide down in her wheelchair but only succeeded in getting the bandages on her right foot stuck in the footrest.
Lyra sighed and whispered, "Advisor Oak is good at magic that involves gathering information- accelerating the rate the brain can take in information, lie detectors, scrying, stuff like that. Who knows if he'll be able to find The Boss, though..."
"But The Boss's violin has a forcefield that can protect him from that stuff!" Mithril exclaimed, her voice rising a third time.
Silence reigned until Green broke it.
"Oh, now you tell us," he said dryly. "I appreciate it, I really do."
"...Oopsy?" Mithril tittered nervously and tried to free her arms of their casts so she could wheel herself behind someone else and use them as a shield against the glares the more serious people in the room were sending her way.
"Shouldn't Hope's power be able to assist the scrying if that's what we're up against?" Kaz suggested when she got bored of freaking out the younger blancette. It was an amusing pastime, but there was a deadline to meet before her brother's mental state deteriorated to somewhere beyond her (and the medical ward's) reach.
"Right," Crystal said briskly, standing up. "That was originally supposed to be the second order of business, but I suppose there's nothing else for it. We will reconvene an hour before dawn tomorrow at the ninja squad's training field, just in case Orange doesn't get his magic training through his head." She glanced at Red. "I hope your son inherited at least a tenth of his mother's magic capacity?"
He chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his head. "Well, he should have enough power, but, uh... Well, his pronunciation of the Qi'Drehan language isn't very good..."
"We'll work with what we have," the queen said dismissively. They didn't really have much of a choice, after all. All they could do was prepare the kid as much as they could and then hope for the best. "Silver, can you clear your subordinates out and guard the gems?"
"Of course."
"Perfect. This meeting is adjourned."
"Dad? Why d'I nee' ta learn hata pr'nounsh Kid'ayan?" Orange asked over dinner that night.
"Qi'Drehan, dear," Yellow corrected him. Key-dray-an, though the last syllable was pronounced quickly, almost uncaught by Orange's ears. "And don't talk with your mouth full."
"Qi'Drehan's the language of magic, kiddo," Red explained. "All chants are said in it."
"Why?"
"...I'm fielding this question to your mother," Red coughed before diving back into his bread and Tamato berry stew. He was a warrior, not a mage; healers knew more about this kind of stuff because those capable used magic as well as herbs.
Yellow chuckled. "It isn't that complicated. Akai?"
"Using magic is using the essence of the forces of nature," the black-haired girl recited. "The Qi'Drehan people built their language around magic, and magic theorists say that the words captured the essences and no other language can summon magic."
Orange grinned and ruffled her hair. "Someone's been studying hard while I've been away, eh?" he chuckled.
"Big brother, stop it!" she protested, batting his hand away. "Or else..." Her spoon swooped towards his bowl and stole a succulent chunk of Tamato berry to deliver into her own.
"Hey! No fair!" Orange protested. Chu laughed uproariously before Chuchu pushed him back to his meal. He looked like protesting, but Pika gave him a severe glare. "Alright, then-!" Orange's spoon dove to Akai's bowl only to be stopped short when her Pidgey pecked his hand.
"Watch your horseplay," Yellow sighed, removing her own bowl from the fray. "We don't want a repeat of the food fight incident, do we?"
"No!" her children responded, both looking distinctly frightened. The visiting tailor Ruby had gotten hit by a stray piece of Bluk berry that escaped via the window, and... Well, the man was a known neat freak and had been wearing a white shirt of all inconvenient colors. The repercussions had been far less pretty than Princess Topaz's birthday dress (which also got ruined by the very person it was intended for, but that was a story in itself). Granted, he wasn't anywhere near the capital at the moment, but they didn't want to risk something similar happening.
Orange and Akai returned more peacefully to their dinner, and Orange grinned slightly. He'd missed this- the closeness of his family, the secureness of his parents' presence. He did enjoy the road (wanderlust had run in his father's family for generations and usually hit in the teenage years; thankfully, Akai had inherited their mother's more grounded attitude towards home), but learning from his father, putting up with his mother's light nagging, messing with his sister and being messed with in return, the pokemons' interference...
The easy familiarity was nice.
Orange flopped into his bed, grateful for it. The group had only returned in the morning, after all- they were originally a ways away from the capital, and having injured people didn't really help their progress. He sniffed his pillow, recognizing the heather-y scent of the soap his mother received for free from the medical ward. The wooden carvings of pokemon that his father had made when he was a boy and the crude attempts of his own were on their normal perch of his windowsill, and the paintings he and his mother, and eventually his sister, had made on the walls were still there as well. He recognized the Viridian forest, his mother's birthplace, and Pallet Village, his father's hometown. A barren, rocky place that his mother had told him was where Green had trained her in magic; a peaceful glen with pokemon and animals going about their daily lives; the nearby woods where he and his friends had always played in as children... He would have to visit them after the battle with The Boss if he survived. He hadn't done so yet, and he'd likely be leaving as soon as the evil mage was located. He closed his eyes, allowing himself to fall into slumber, but was awakened immediately by his parents' whispers. He quietly slipped out of bed and snuck to his door, glancing through the crack into the kitchen.
"I'm scared for him, Red," Yellow said softly. "He's been okay so far, but against such a dangerous opponent? What if he doesn't make it?"
"He will," Red responded gently. "He's got our blood running through his veins, after all; he's tough. Besides, he's not going to be doing the fighting, remember? He's on the support team."
"But still, there's just so much that could go wrong! A stray blow, being targeted- he's limiting The Boss's power, what if someone's sent after him because of that?"
"He'll be all right."
"Red, he's only seventeen-!"
"That's plenty old enough to defeat an evil villain and make a name for himself. He's already adventured, traveled, seen a lot stuff, and I'm sure he'll pull through." Red squeezed his wife's hand. "Besides, how old were we when we fought Giovanni? And Lance?"
Her lips tightened in a thin line. "...I suppose you have a point. But I still don't like it."
Red chuckled. "It figures. But think about it- how did Wilton feel when he went to Viridian and you weren't there?"
"Uncle was always telling me to go out into the world like other young folks my age," the blonde woman deadpanned, though her voice sounded slightly choked. "...I'm worried, Red."
"And so am I, but he'll be fine," he assured her.
A silence fell upon the couple, and Orange snuck back under the covers. Pika drowsily raised his head from where he was curled up with Chuchu and Chu, but Orange shook his head- everything was okay. Apparently satisfied, the Pikachu dropped his head and resumed dozing.
There was no 'if' about it now. Orange was going to return from the fight with The Boss alive. He wasn't just about to let down his parents. Besides, his father was right. He was on the support team and out of direct conflict. Dying on the job would be lame.
Orange was awoken and dragged to the kitchen an hour and a half before dawn. Atop the table were all his childhood favorites- Pecha berry pancakes, Oran berry juice, Belue berry waffles, scrambled eggs, toast with Bluk berry jam spread on it. "Gee, is it my funeral breakfast?" he joked.
Bad move. His mother paled and clutched his arm more tightly. "...Please don't say that," she whispered. His father, Pika, and Chuchu gave him accusing glares, and he winced.
His lifeline arrived in the form of a very sleepy Akai. Despite not being an early riser, she forced herself up in order to say what might be her final goodbye to her brother.
After a tense breakfast in which Akai almost fell asleep in her soup and Orange attempted to ease the mood by cracking bad jokes he had heard from Natalie the day before, it was time to depart to the training field.
"Orange, be careful," Yellow said apprehensively. "Ah- wait here." She sped off back into the house. Orange blinked.
"...I don't remember getting such a worried send-off when I was thirteen and about to face the world," he mused.
"Your life wasn't on the line then," Akai said candidly, leaning against him as if he was an oversized pillow. "Come back alive, big brother."
"Found it!" Yellow came running back and plopped a straw hat on her son's head. When he blinked uncomprehensively, she explained, "Think of it as a good luck charm. I wore it when I went adventuring at the behest of Blue. Good... bye."
"Don't look so sad, Mom!" he said quickly, hugging her. "I'll be back! As soon as Kaz beats The Boss, home is the first place I'll go!"
"You'd better," she sniffled, hugging him tightly back.
They stood there for a while, just so Yellow could be sure he was still standing before he left.
"Kaz!"
Kaz glanced behind herself and saw Eleanor running towards her, a package in her hands. Nicholas stumbled along after. "Yes?"
"We brought this for you," the girl exclaimed, holding up the package and gasping for breath. "I bet you're wondering what's in it!"
Actually, Kaz was wondering why a shinobi was out of breath just from running, but she did want to know what useless, sentimental thing they wanted to give her, so she put her comment aside for a moment and quirked a questioning eyebrow. She accepted the gift and unwrapped it, then found it filled with herbs. She recognized them- rosemary, ginkgo, and ginseng to name a few. But what was the lavender doing there? She looked up again. "I don't suppose you think I'm going senile, do you?"
"That's not it at all!" Eleanor exclaimed frantically. "Um... since Benjen forgot about you, I was hoping that herbs that help memory might help him! And, well... Emerald from the research department told me that your Gengar was caught in Lavender Village, and that area has a lot of lavender, so I thought it might help jog his memory..."
And Kaz had smelled strongly like lavender when she first arrived- the scent had faded over time, but Nicholas hadn't forgotten, mostly because the strong smell used to keep him from falling asleep.
Kaz's smile widened. She thanked them, polite as always, and continued on her way.
"Hey, Nicholas?" Eleanor said as she watched the olders ninja's form recede into the distance. "Do you think her smile was... I dunno... happier than it usually is? I mean, she's always smiling, but I feel like she was actually really happy just then, you know? ...Nicholas?"
Nicholas had fallen asleep.
Kaz continued to walk, her smile returning to its normal sickly sweetness. Genuine happiness? Right... She wouldn't feel it until Benjen returned fully.
She did appreciate that they were trying to help, though.
(But they were still ignorant and annoying greenhorns as far as she was concerned.)
"Alright, everyone's here," Crystal exhaled. They were an hour ahead of schedule, that was good. "Orange, you'll be reading this-" she handed him a slip of paper, "-for the ritual. Do you know how to use magic?" Please, please, please, Arceus, let him know...
"Uh, well, kinda..." Orange said sheepishly. "I never was good at theory."
"We're doomed," Lyra groaned. Mithril, now free of her body cast, stomped on her foot. Natalie didn't bother to reprimand her friend, instead opting to sleepily pull her pilot shades over her eyes.
"It's easy!" Crystal said encouragingly. "We'll just give you a crash course. Green?"
Green stepped forward. "Right. Orange, since you're a swordsman, we've created a special speed method just for you."
"Really? Wow!" Orange gasped, amazed.
Green coughed. "Right, so the first part of magic is feeling the energy around you. Orange, can you tell me how many fingers I'm about to hold up in front of you? Close your eyes."
Orange closed his eyes and focused. As any decent warrior could, he could sense the life energy radiating off of the five humans around him. He focused on the one in front of him.
Orange could see an extremely faint silhouette if he focused hard, but he couldn't make out the number of fingers.
"Are you focusing on me?" Green asked.
"Yes!" Orange replied.
"That's no good. Try to sense the life energy of everything around you!"
Orange relaxed, and he was once more aware of everyone around him. He listened, and heard the earth's heartbeat. He subconsciously began breathing to the beat. Slowly but surely, he began sensing green flames, weakly at first, but then more powerfully. he could clearly see the shape of everyone around him, and countless tiny green flames dotted the thin red flames that he assumed to be grass. Orange looked in front of him, and he saw green flames in the shape of Advisor Oak. Orange concentrated on his hands, and saw two green flames sticking out from a circular flame.
"Two!" he declared.
"That's right. You can open your eyes now," Green said.
Orange opened his eyes. "Is that it?" he asked.
Green shook his head. "No. Next you have to learn how to summon the energy and shape it."
Orange nodded. "So how do I do that?"
"Start sensing life energy again. Then try pooling that energy into your hand."
Orange closed his eyes and started sensing the green flames again. He willed the flames to come to him.
They didn't.
"They aren't coming!" Orange shouted.
"That's because you tried to force the energy. Only those with incredible willpower can force life energy to bend to their will. You have to persuade the energy to come to you," Green replied.
Orange nodded. "Right. Persuade. Got it." Orange tried using his own energy to send up a beacon.
It didn't work.
Orange tried calling with his mind. Hey, party! Festival over here! We're gonna make magic!
It didn't work.
Orange tried sending out warm, fuzzy feelings to make the flames easier to sway.
He got a few flames, but not many.
Orange tried sending out a wave of his own energy. His energy hit many things, and when he called it back, he got his energy and bits of life energy of things he had hit. However, he didn't get back the energy that had hit humans.
"I got it! What now?" he asked.
"Pool the energy in front of your hand," Green suggested.
Orange concentrate, and he managed to move his energy, still melded with the other energy, to the area in front of his palm.
"Now speak a spell!" Green said.
Orange didn't know any spells, but he remembered what Green had said the other day.
"Slekt," he muttered. A massive drop of water materialized and fell to the floor, splashing everyone's feet.
"Wow, that was fast," Lyra commented. "Doesn't it usually take a year or two to do a basic magic spell?"
"Green's not the Trainer for nothing," Crystal reminded her.
"Uh, guys? I feel faint..." Orange collapsed.
"He used up too much magic energy," Green muttered. "We'll have to hope he replenishes soon."
Forty-five minutes later, dawn was approaching and Orange woke up.
"Good, you're awake," Crystal said with relief. "Dawn will arrive soon, so we don't have much time. Just focus your magic."
Silver started placing the gemstones in their proper places in the circle of runes, and Jo was dragged out of Orange's hands and into the middle of it. "Begin, and please don't mess this up."
Orange nodded, an uncertain half-smile on his face. "Well... Wish me luck."
"Break a leg," Lyra said, patting him on the back. "Don't lose one." She cast a meaningful glance at his left leg that no one except her and Silver understood. "Or your right arm." When Orange opened his mouth to ask what she was talking about, she stomped on his foot and muttered something about him having far to go.
Orange gulped and stepped forward, holding one hand palm-up in front of himself and using the other to hold the paper.
"Alk odho fjode, odho ladk sil slekt, odho ladk sil aerw, odho ladk sil jlladk, zei odhe lakhdr alsh dlakht hen jlladk, lesghi ledniri birs hen aldj lahgdmer ish odho ladnua. Ledni dhor lahgd, Xerneas!"
He was unsure about some of the pronunciations but hoped it would suffice. Something was leeching his energy, so that meant it was working, right? Everything within the circle was vibrating, and the runes were beginning to glow. He tried to offer more of his power to whatever was taking his energy, tried to speed up the process, but it was as if the magic had hit a brick wall with a tiny hole in it- it only accepted a small amount at a time at its own pace and refused to be rushed.
The sky lightened as the sun stained it first purple, then pink, then orange. The proverbial hole in the wall seemed to expand and become more like a vacuum, greedily draining his magic reserves. He gritted his teeth. Was this supposed to happen? He was becoming weaker.
Finally, something else happened. Something shiny flared to life inside the circle, right above Jo. Orange squinted, barely making out a magnificent set of horns. Was this Xerneas? It got nearer. Nearer and nearer and nearer until it hit his palm.
He whited out.
It felt like a second, and it felt like a century. Orange woke up and found himself surrounded by a vast white expanse, barren of color except for himself, but even he was faded, almost like an echo. "...Am I dead?!"
There was a low chuckle, and he swiveled to look behind him. A mighty stag stood there, its body covered in black and blue fur while its horns were a pristine ivory color. Rainbow stones were set in them, and Orange vaguely wondered if it hurt. "Nay, thou art not dead. I merely took thee out of thy time and into a separate dimension." Orange froze. Who said that?! He looked around frantically but saw no one. Turning back, he found intelligent blue eyes staring back at him. "Look thee not so surprised. Darkrai told me thou spoke with him, and my communication with thee is based upon a similar principle."
"...Okay?" Orange said cautiously. "Are you Xerneas?"
The stag dipped its head. "That I am. Art thou the child who summoned me?"
"Um. Yeah." Orange couldn't help but continue to stare in wonder. "This isn't what happened in The Boss's flashback!" he blurted out.
Xerneas nodded again. "Indeed. In the ritual of chaos, the summoner must exert his or her own will upon the entity summoned and tame it with force. However, this is the ritual of hope, and the summoner must win the approval of the entity summoned- me. Only then shall I grant thee this power. Come hither, child, and tell me- why dost thou summon me?"
Orange gulped and complied. "Well, uh... There's this guy called The Boss, and he's kinda running rampant in the world, and he's been killing people and kidnapping people and he's trying to get even more power and with that power he's gonna be able to take this to a world level-"
"I know."
Orange gaped at Xerneas in shock. "You kn- Then why aren't you doing anything?!" he demanded. Xerneas shook its head and heaved a great sigh.
"There is always evil going on, and if we legendary pokemon always backed different champions, we would constantly be at war with each other. Furthermore, The Boss's goal is not yet to conquer the world- he plans to defeat an ancient evil with the power he will attain."
Orange's jaw dropped further. "What?! Then why's he using the power of chaos?!"
Xerneas shook its head. "His fear of Kyuukushu holds him in check- he lives in constant fear that she will somehow escape and he will not be ready. However, should he defeat her, he will be free of all inhibitions and will be able to do as he pleases, causing terror and strife wherever he roams. The power of chaos will aid him in committing heinous acts." Orange opened his mouth again, but Xerneas cut him off. "I shall ask again, child- why dost thou summon me? Speak truly thine desires, not thine reasons."
"How are they any different?" Orange protested.
Xerneas shook its head again. "Speak of what thy heart desires in this venture, not of what causes it to be so. No lie can escape me. Speak only the truth."
"Well... I guess I just wanna protect people. I always have. Ever since I was a kid, I've wanted to be the kind of guy that others could depend on. When I see someone in trouble, I want to help. And now... there's a lot of people who could be in a lot of trouble if The Boss pulls off whatever he's doing. So I wanna help protect them, even if I can't fight The Boss."
Xerneas narrowed its eyes. "Thou wish to protect, yet thou summons me to limit Chaos's power only. Art thou unwilling to put thyself in danger and fight thine own fight?"
Orange shook his head frantically. "No! That's not it! I would rather fight, but..." His head drooped. "I'm not nearly as strong as Kaz, and I can't stomach death. I probably would mess everything up and be unable to finish The Boss in the end."
Xerneas studied Orange carefully. "And yet you summon me still. Hast thou no qualms about assisted murder?"
Those words struck Orange like a tsunami. Deep down, he knew that he was helping to kill The Boss. Heck, that was the entire point of him doing this! But somewhere in his mind, that thought refused to be broken down. Orange had thought that it would be fine as long as he wasn't the one to strike the killing blow. But for the first time, he truly realized that he was helping to kill someone.
Helping... to kill someone.
Helping to kill.
To kill.
Kill.
Orange gulped. He had trained to kill, of course, but that hadn't gone so well. Even the thought of being one of the guilty parties, however indirectly, in murder was enough to make his head spin. Even worse, he had done this fully intending to help kill The Boss. Could he really help to kill someone, even a person as evil as The Boss?
"If thou art unready to stain thy hands with crimson blood, thou hast no business here," Xerneas advised. "Leave."
Orange's stomach swirled and he closed his eyes. He wasn't ready, and he knew it. But he couldn't go back. His friends and family were counting on him. His country was counting on him. Heck, the entire world was counting on him. Well, actually, Kaz was probably planning to just go off on her own and kill The Boss even regardless of her extremely high chances of failure if he didn't manage to summon the power, and a great number of people probably didn't even know of the threat, but still. If he wasn't ready... then he would just have to become ready. Orange thought of what would make him most resolved to kill, and his conclusion was anger. Orange imagined all the worst-case scenarios, remembered everything that ever made him mad, and was ready to dive into it, let it engulf him. As he was preparing to pass the point of no return, Orange remembered something his father had said to him during his training.
"Rage isn't the same as resolve," Red had said. "Letting anger control you is the shortest and surest way of destroying everyone and everything you have ever loved."
Orange recalled those words, and then he let go of his rage. He released those angry feelings, and, rather than focusing on the part of himself that screamed, "I want to kill," he focused on the part of him that said, quietly and determinedly, "I will protect." This brought up all the happy moments in life, everyone he had shared a laugh, chuckle, or even a smile with, everything he had ever defended, and he knew that he had to protect them, no matter the cost. Orange promised then and there that he would fight, bleed, and even kill to protect those he loved. Orange opened his eyes and looked at Xerneas again.
"I'm ready," he declared solemnly.
"Then reflect upon thyself, child. I once more implore thee- why dost thou summon me?" Xerneas queried.
Orange took a deep breath. "I want to protect. I want the gem of hope so I can negate the powers of Chaos, and if Kaz can't kill The Boss, I want the power tho protect everyone directly."
Orange waited. And waited. After what seemed like an eternity, Xerneas still hadn't spoken. Hadn't he spoken from his heart? Did he have doubts of some kind? As soon as he thought the word, devilish little thoughts began invading his mind. What if, even with power, he failed to kill The Boss? What if he couldn't control the gem? What if this happened? What if that happened? Doubts ran through his mind, and in the midst of them all, Xerneas spoke again.
"Thou hast doubts." Xerneas's voice wasn't loud, but it somehow pierced through the turmoil of wavering thoughts. "Hope requires three things: a calm mind, a clean soul, and a clear heart free of doubts. Calm thy mind, cleanse thy soul, and clear thy heart. Do this and ask again, and I may grant thy request."
Orange worked hard to quell the doubts in his mind. It wasn't that he shouldn't fail, for that would mean that he might fail. It wasn't that he couldn't fail, for that implied a lack of choice where he had a choice. Orange had already made his choice, and he knew that, in order to protect those he cherished, he wouldn't fail. He had come here to get something done, and he would do it.
"Please!" he said. "Give me the gem of hope! And if Kaz can't win, give me the power to fight! In order to protect my family, the ninja, the guards, the administration, Lustrous, Adamant, Grisseo, Chu, and everyone else in the country, grant my request!"
Xerneas mulled it over. "Hope is multiplied and held by everyone once started. I shalt give thee the gem. However, power, when coupled with responsibility, is an extraordinary burden to bear alone. Art thou sure thou canst carry it by thyself?"
Orange nodded. "Yes. I can and I will."
"Dost thou not often rely on thy Pichu when in trouble? Thy power is thine to bear. Thy Pichu shalt no longer be able to aid thee in times of trouble."
"I don't know how you know that, but I won't rely on Chu anymore. The little fella's never really seemed happy with me, and sometimes I think he's only with me for the Elexecutor. Once this is all over, I've promised myself to release Chu and let him live his own life doing whatever Pichus do. I'll even let him keep the Elexecutor if he wants. But I won't rely on him anymore. If it comes to a fight between me and The Boss, I'll fight on my own. That battle will be solely my responsibility."
Xerneas smiled. "Not thine only. Look." It nodded its head to an area behind it, where a familiar Pichu's eyes were filling with tears.
"Ch-chu?" Orange said in bewilderment, taking a few steps toward his friend.
"PIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!" Chu cried, leaping into Orange's arms.
"CHUUUUU!" Orange sobbed, hugging his friend tightly.
Xerneas continued to smile as the pair hugged and cried together. After they stopped hugging an crying, Orange wiped his eyes and walked toward Xerneas.
"I'm ready," he said.
"Very well. I shalt grant thee my power, young one. But be warned- thou may only wield my power until The Boss is killed and the Chaos power along with him. After that, my own power shall leave the gem, destroying it and the instrument it is channeled into in the process. Luck be with you, child."
And it lowered its head, careful of stabbing Orange by accident with its horns as it touched its forehead to his.
And suddenly, the barren space wasn't so barren after all. Vivid colors sprang to life, the green of grass and leaves, the rich brown of bark, the deep black of soil, and the varied hues of flower petals, and Orange wondered why he hadn't been able to see them before. He himself was no longer faded and even the dull, worn color of his clothes was brighter than it had been even when they were new. He felt so at peace, so happy, it was almost scary.
It felt like a second, and it felt like a century. Orange exited the dimension.
"Yow!" Lapis yelped as he fell onto his butt. Normally a ninja wasn't affected by such things, but he had been caught unaware.
"Oof!" Grisseo grunted next to him.
"Oh, yeah, humans can't float," Darkrai realized.
Lapis quickly took stock of his surroundings. All around him, he saw... sand, sand, and more sand. Not to mention it was sweltering hot. Stupid black outfit.
"Hey, where are we?" Grisseo asked, also realizing that there was sand all around them.
Darkrai looked around. "We appear to have landed somewhere in the Satara Desert."
"Satara Desert? Where's that?" asked Grisseo.
"It's da biggest desert in da world!" Lapis exclaimed. "Haven't ya heard of it?"
"Nope!" Grisseo replied proudly.
Lapis facepalmed.
"It's in the country Arkifross," Darkrai informed them. "You know, across the Syfric Ocean."
"Ya know," Lapis added, "Below Hoenn."
"Ah, I remember now!" Grisseo exclaimed. "So this is where the dreamer is?"
"Nope," Darkrai replied promptly. "Every dream world is as big as the real world, because everyone is born with an innate knowledge of the planet they live on. Of course, most dreams are nearly identical to real life except in the vicinity of the dreamer. So let's go search!"
"HOLD IT, HOLD IT, HOLD IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITTTTT!" Lapis screamed.
"Is something wrong?" Darkrai asked.
"YES! How're we s'posed ta find ONE LOUSY PERSON when we've got da WHOLE WORLD ta search?!" Lapis demanded.
"Flying around at super speed, obviously," Darkrai replied.
"HUMANS CAN'T FLY!" Lapis yelled.
Grisseo, meanwhile, was repeatedly jumping off the top of a sand dune in a desperate attempt to fly.
Darkrai thought about it. "Well, there's really nothing I can do about that..."
"Hey guys! I got it to work!" Grisseo yelled from high in the air. "I can fly!"
Lapis gaped. "...?"
Darkrai snapped its fingers. "Oh, right! Since this is a human's dream, and humans have always wanted to fly, flying is possible in everyone's dream!"
"Woo hoo!" Lapis shouted, running up a sand dune and jumping off. "HAHAHAHA! FLIGHT!"
"Right, let's get going!" Darkrai said, sweeping an arm around the wide expanse of sand. "It should take about 30 minutes to circle the world. You two go one way, and I'll go the other. Let's move!"
"Yes, sir!" Grisseo exclaimed, saluting. "Let's go, Lapis!"
So they branched off to search for the dreamer.
"Say, Lapis?" Grisseo began as they flew over the massive expanse of desert.
"What?" Lapis replied.
"D'you think that when Darkrai said that this world is identical to the real one in almost every way, do you think that includes wild Pokemon?"
"Maybe. Why- Oh, no."
Krookodile used Smack Down!
Darkrai whizzed around the world, looking for any signs of life. Since life was only found when dreamers dreamt about it, it looked for a giant moving fox. Suddenly, spears of light fell around it, forming a cage. Darkrai looked around, but could see no fox. It wasn't near the dreamer.
"What is this?" it wondered aloud. The only beings capable of dream hopping should be Darkrai and anyone they let in. Darkrai weren't allowed to interfere with one another's work, so who was it?
"Wondering who trapped you?" a voice asked amiably.
"Um, yes, please," Darkrai replied politely.
"Well, I'll show you! It's me!"
A man cloaked in a muddy black cloak smiled and waved. "Hi! I'm The Boss!"
"That's nice to know. Mind letting me go now?" Darkrai asked. It had already tried its instant dream escape, but for some odd reason, that failed.
"Oh, of course not! If I let you go, you might find the dreamer!" The Boss replied.
"Why don't you want me to find the dreamer?" Darkrai asked. He realized that The Boss must have gotten the Staff of Shadows, a relic imbued with the power of Darkrai, and now had a limited power to travel dreams. But to be able to trap a dream entity was astonishing. It was almost like this was a dream he had taken control of.
"Well, the dreamer isn't technically asleep. He's been locked into the deep recesses of his mind, and I don't want to have you go wake him up."
Ah. Darkrai had heard about this. "Benjen?" it guessed.
"Correct! Unfortunately, I've had to trap you and your little friends so that you can't go wake him up."
Darkrai was puzzled. What did The Boss have to gain by trapping a Legendary and two kids in a dream? They would eventually get out, even if they had to wait for Benjen to die.
"Please just sit still here," The Boss said as he walked up to the cage. Lowering his voice to a whisper, he continued, "until the day Benjen no longer exists."
(A/N: MPPPPH! MPPPPH! *thrashes*
(Lyra: Cut it out, prisoner! And why'd Orange get such a big part?!
(Bob the cameraman: Ms. Gin? We're rolling...
(Lyra: Ugh. Everyone, please forget you ever saw that. *kicks Petal under a table* Thank you for reading, and please review.
(Bob the cameraman: Ms. Gin, don't you think this unserious ending detracts from the serious note the chapter ended on?
(Lyra: Bob?
(Bob the cameraman: Yes?
(Lyra: Shut up.)