The sun was beginning it's descent as Dagda set out on the bridge, leaving Hop behind. He enjoyed walking the bridge, seeing bird Pokemon flying above as he looked over the edge. He saw the Wild Area in all of it's glory, the expanse going as far as he could see.
He saw off in the far, far distance was a black brick of a city, and he assumed that he'd end up there sooner or later. He could tell from his place high up on the bridge that the walk would likely take days, maybe longer, but he could see that it was worth it.
The Wild Area itself was expansive, and he could see everything from lakes and ponds to huge stone structures in a desert like area. He turned to the other side, and he saw the part of the Wild Area he was familiar with.
Infact, it was almost too familiar to him. He reached up to his face and touched his scar, a frown crossing over his features as he sighed. As the wind blew lightly and the sun bore down on him, his single purple eye narrowed, a look of fierce determination in it's depths.
"Never again." he said aloud, as if trying to speak his will into existence. Never again would he fall, never again would he be defeated and never again would he allow himself, and more importantly, his Pokemon, to be hurt like that. Danzig and Otis got away with nothing but scars beneath their fur, but Dagda's limited vision was a permanent reminder of his weakness.
As he continued walking, Dagda wondered exactly what he was up against in Hullbury. He had heard about the Gym Challenge from his Mother, who said it was a silly thing that she'd never attempt.
With the fact that he was herding Wooloo in the first gym, he could only guess what unusual act he'd have to perform or puzzle he'd have to solve before even challenging the gym leader.
He was aware that the Hullbury. Gym Leader was a woman named Nessa, a tall, slender woman with dark skin that was one of the region's most popular models. Infact, some of the clothes his Mother had bought on shopping trips were from brands modeled by Nessa, as her face was in any clothing department.
He didn't know much about her team, but he was at least aware that she was a Water type trainer, and Dagda noted that he had no Pokemon that could outmatch the type without too much trouble.
The sun continued to set as he pondered what type of strategy he'd use against Nessa. Should he rely on Dynamaxing quickly to overwhelm her? Or should he be more calculated, as he now had an additional Pokemon to use. He sighed, scratching his head when he noticed that the moon was high in the sky. He looked ahead, noticing that the stone wall that had the Hullbury. monorail atop it was closer than he expected. He sped up his pace, humming to himself. He hoped that their was some form of shop in Hullbury so that he could replace his bloodstained bag, or at the least clean it.
When he reached the town, he was rather surprised. There were hilly roads, a small fishing hole, and he could see a lighthouse shining off in the distance. He sighed, hoping that he could find a room to stay in, as his legs were beginning to grow rather sore from his constant walking.
He noted a few things as he walked through the town to look for a motel or something. First, there was a lower level that had a market filled with street vendors who had closed up shop for the day. Secondly, there was a dock chock full of expensive boats and fishing vessels.
Then, he noted a rather fancy looking restaurant, assumably specializing in seafood, in the center of town. There were lines of similar looking houses leading up a large hill to the monorail station, and the station itself was rather similar in size to Wedgehurst. And lastly, he noted that the entire northern end of the town was devoted to the waterfront gym stadium.
The gym was a massive blue building that actually looked like it belonged in the town, unlike the stadium in Turrfield. Dagda briefly wondered if the stadiums were built according to a singular design, or if other stadiums actually looked like they belong in their respective towns. So far, it seemed more like the former.
Dagda groaned to himself, realizing that he couldn't find a single motel or inn, and he wasn't about to do door to door in the dead of night asking to rent a spare room. He began pondering his options, heading towards the lighthouse.
He passed the lighthouse, seeing two statues of odd looking Pokemon, a pair of long armed, lizard like Pokemon with short legs. They looked like brothers, or at least alternate forms of the same species. He couldn't really understand it, but he kind of liked their odd looks.
He looked to the lighthouse itself, the light completely out at the moment, as if the lightbulb was blown out. Dagda narrowed his eye, squinting at the building. Was there something on the lighthouse?
He noticed a shadow atop the lighthouse, and it seemed to swell in size slightly. Dagda winked, choosing to leave whatever it was alone, heading to the dock and sighing. He'd never been on a boat before, so he hoped he didn't have seasickness.
Using Marko's claws as a lockpick, Dagda broke into one of the large yachts and found a small bedroom, sighing and shaking his head. He knew this was wrong, but as long as the owner didn't show up before he awoke, he could sleep here.
In his dreams, Dagda found himself sitting in a forest clearing, joined by the two facets of his personality, Evil and Fairy. The two rationalized their existence as hallucinations dreamed up in response to Dagda's injuries and mental trauma. He found this rather odd, finding it hard to believe.
"I noticed that you were able to keep calm during your gym battle. Great job!" Fairy said, and Dagda smiled, thanking his… imaginary friend. Evil snickered, shaking his head as he looked to the sky.
"Took you way too long to beat a farmer with two flowers." he said, and Dagda sighed, shaking his head. It was like the two were designed to contrast each other. While Fairy was happy, and supportive, his black garbed twin was a manifestation of all of Dagda's repressed negativity.
"I'm surprised you didn't comment on my battle with Hop." Dagda said, and Evil looked to him, raising a brow. "I supported your actions completely. You might be a complete idiot, but he's scum to me. He has no personality of his own. It's just all an artificial intelligence designed to dickride Leon to a crippling degree."
Fairy frowned, finding that rather rude to say. "You can't say that. He idolizes his brother, and I think it's rather adorable how he imitates him." he said, and Dagda looked to the pink garbed spectre. Did he feel the same? Or did he agree with Evil? Was Hop an endearing friend of his, or was he a representation of everything that Dagda didn't like about himself, or about Pokemon trainers in general? He wasn't too sure.
"Dumbass here grew up idolizing and being inspired by two gym leaders. Do you see him being overly calculating like the Snowbelle Gym Leader or being a fence hopping diva like the Laverre Gym Leader? Idolizing and being inspired by someone doesn't mean that you should strive to be their discounted clone." he said, and Dagda blinked.
He was correct. The Kalosian Gym Leaders were a big inspiration to him and yet, he never desired to mimic their movements, their team structure, their Pokemon's nicknames or anything. All he wanted was to have the kind of confidence that they did. It was different from Hop, who mimicked Leon down to his stance when he threw Pokeballs.
Dagda's internal debate and external slumber were cut short by a loud noise. He rose to his feet from the bed of the yacht, hearing footsteps start to approach the door. "Is someone there!?" he heard, a masculine voice with multiple emotions laced in it's syllables. Dagda cursed, looking down to his sleeping Pokemon before returning them to their Pokeballs and standing against the wall next to the door.
What should he do? Should he expose himself and try to use his kindness to explain himself, and possibly get pardoned from breaking onto the boat? No… he couldn't. The owner would take one look at him, his odd shape and scarred face and would immediately have him arrested. If he was arrested, his Pokemon would be confiscated… no. That can not happen. Ever.
Dagda waited for the door to open, a figure slowly stepping into the room. "I know you're here! Come on out so I can teach you a lesson for breaking into my damn yacht!" he heard, a man slightly taller than Dagda looking about the room.
Praying to whatever God wanted to listen for forgiveness, Dagda jumped the man from behind, wrapping his arms around the man's throat and pulling him back. The man began to shout, coughing and tugging at Dagda's arms to free himself.
Dagda twisted, spinning the two of them before falling back onto the floor. Dagda grunted at the man's weight, but he noticed that the man, garbed in a clean gray suit, was just thin enough for Dagda to wrap his legs around. Restricting the man's breathing with a body scissors, Dagda pressed his left hand on the back of the man's head.
Dagda felt terrible, like the monster he imagined people thought he was, this man fearfully struggling, kicking and wheezing to be free of the monster on his back. Dagda closed his good eye, praying that the man could forgive him. The man's struggle soon ceased, and only after holding him for a little while longer did Dagda releasing him.
The boy began to pant, emotion rushing over him at the fact that he just committed multiple crimes. He didn't want to do any of this. Maybe he should have just went door to door looking for a spare room, or maybe he should have just set his tent up somewhere randomly.
But no, he chose to break into someone's yacht, and then, when that persona rightfully appeared, angry, Dagda choked the man out. He looked to the unconscious man next to him, who laid with saliva oozing from his open mouth. Dagda reached up to his face and felt tears running down his one cheek, releasing a shaky sigh.
His hands shook as he fled. He scanned the area around as he ran, hoping that nobody was around to stop him or expose his crimes. He headed to the lighthouse, seeing that there was no one guarding the entrance or nothing sealing the entrance off. He ran inside, barreling up the stairs in fear.
When he reached the top, he looked down, panting as he stared at the yacht where he just assaulted someone. He felt his body wrack with a sob, the horror truly setting in. He sat atop the lighthouse in the fetal position as the sun rose higher and higher in the sky.
Suddenly, Dagda heard loud, dense flapping sounds. It was like a large bird was flying overhead. He looked to the sky and saw an odd, metallic looking Corviknight flying past. Most Corviknight were a blackish color, varying shades of blue and purple in bright light, but this one was different.
It was a grayish silver color, making it look all the more metallic, and truly making Dagda understand why the Pokemon was called Corviknight. The creature landed on the yacht that he had just fled, standing on the deck and simply staring forward.
Dagda paled, his heart skipping a beat. Was this massive, metallic bird the Pokemon of the man he just assaulted? If that Pokemon were to attack him, out for vengeance, would Dagda have the right to defend himself? He hated this feeling, and it was made even worse when the bird turned it's head.
The bird locked it's glowing, crimson eyes directly on Dagda, turning it's broad body to face him before simply staring again. Dagda was petrified. What should he do? If he moved, would the monstrous bird attack him? He didn't have a chance to ponder any of these questions.
The bird spread it's broad wings, taking to the sky and flying directly towards Dagda. With just three beats of it's massive wings, the creature had cleared the distance between the yacht and the top of the lighthouse.
It landed on the railing, it's might talons gripping the railing as it stared at Dagda. The bird inhaled once, opening it's sharp beak before exhaling. "Heimdall painted a much different picture of you, Dagda De Danann."