Author's Note: Hey, you want some more Darkrai? Here's some more Darkrai! Along with a couple of headcanons on the Relic Fragment, and a character who I'm actually pretty sad only shows up in this chapter. Maybe I'll figure out something more to do with him eventually, but he's really mostly here to explain who the present Dimensional Scream user is and why he doesn't show up in the fic proper.

Learning

It had taken months of searching, but Darkrai finally found the second part of his "proof."

In a cave near the beach, he found a small stone with a certain intricate pattern carved onto its surface. It looked just like a smaller version of the mural on Brine Cave's wall. That had to be it.

Darkrai carefully approached it and reached out to pick it up. For a few seconds, the stone refused to budge. Then, the pattern on its surface faintly glowed, and he was able to pick it up.

There. Darkrai smirked to himself as he carried it out of the cave. Now, he just had to make his way back to Brine Cave and see what happened.

It could sense a deep determination within the heart of its current holder. The Relic Fragment could not discern his motives, but it knew he was intelligent and motivated. He would be a worthy holder for the time being.

"So, does this mean you'll take me to the Hidden Land now?"

Darkrai's tone of voice was smug when Lapras arrived in Brine Cave's far chamber. He'd laid the stone in front of the mural, and a beam of light had shot out of the wall's center. The Water-Type eyed him warily, and there was obvious distrust in his voice when Lapras spoke up.

"I don't like this one bit," he replied. "How did you find Dialga's key? Regardless…he would be displeased with me if I did not take its holder to meet him. Fine. I'll show you the way. But be aware…should you prove to be a threat…Dialga will do something about it."

"That's more than fine with me," Darkrai sneered.

Lapras responded with little more than a cool stare as Darkrai perched on his shell. It didn't matter what happened as long as he got there. He had two goals: learn how to damage the tower, and figure out how to travel back and forth between time periods. As long as he didn't make the first goal too obvious before he completed the second, he would be all right.

Now all he had to do was wait.

Darkrai made his way through the Hidden Land and Temporal Tower once he arrived. It was nothing too difficult, but it would've been easier had he been able to use his full powers. But, no, he reminded himself; he had to be on his best behavior for as long as possible.

When he finally arrived at the tower's summit, he found Dialga conversing with a human. That was unusual—Darkrai had only seen one or two other humans before. And here was another one, in the Hidden Land of all places.

The two of them turned to face him when he approached, and Darkrai bowed lightly. He extended a hand and held out the patterned stone as he spoke.

"Excuse me, sir," he began. "This sigil is yours, correct? I've been doing my research, and I would like to help you, if you'll take me."

"Your kind is an unusual sight here, Darkrai," Dialga replied slowly, his voice deep and booming and powerful. It held a hint of judgment, and Darkrai knew he would have to be careful. "They usually remain hidden. And you would come here to me and offer yourself like this?"

"Of course; is that so wrong? Must I be chained to my species' reputation? I would like to prove that we may be useful instead of harmful. If there is anything you can teach me to accomplish that goal, I would gladly learn it."

The speech was somewhat rehearsed; he'd mulled over things to say on the way up the tower. Dialga peered down at the human, and Darkrai watched them carefully for a few seconds. Finally, the human shrugged.

"I think letting him go would worry you more than keeping him would, Master Dialga," he said. "And if you find it necessary…I can use my Dimensional Scream to ease your worries."

"All right." Dialga nodded before looking back down at Darkrai. "I will accept your offer. But be warned that Christopher will know if you are up to anything."

"Of course." Darkrai raised his eyes, doing his best to look appreciative. "You have nothing to worry about."

Still…he eyed the human cautiously. That wasn't something he'd expected, and he'd have to watch out until he knew how this ability of Christopher's worked. But until then…he was there, and that was all that mattered.

The following months passed slowly. Darkrai came and went from the Hidden Land, learning its history and purposes from Dialga. He learned how Temporal Tower had been constructed, what its strengths and weaknesses were, and how it could be supported by the Time Gears in times of necessity.

The Time Gears…most Pokémon had heard of those, of course. They were said to regulate the time flow in their regions, and Dialga confirmed that to be true. But this secondary purpose could prove to be important. If they did repair the tower, as Dialga said…he'd have to do away with them once he accomplished his plans.

Christopher still didn't trust him completely. It was after a lesson in building Dimensional Holes that the blond man approached him.

"Master Dialga may believe you, but I don't," he announced sharply. "He was excited that someone would want to learn about his legends, but I think you're just playing on that eagerness to teach."

"Oh? And what would you do about it if I wasn't trustworthy, human?"

Christopher didn't reply beyond grabbing Darkrai by the arms. Before he could wonder what was going on, he saw Christopher's eyes go out of focus. His lips parted slightly, and he stood there in silence for a few seconds. Finally, Christopher shook his head and stepped back, releasing his grip on the Dark-Type.

"I know what you're planning. The Dimensional Scream showed me," he replied. "I'm going to alert Master Dialga. Now."

Christopher turned on his heel and stormed off. Darkrai stood in silence for a few seconds before quickly melting into the shadows. He had to act—he had to do it now. He'd hoped to get in a little more practice with Dimensional Holes, but he couldn't wait any more.

The Dimensional Scream… Dialga had mentioned giving it to Christopher's family. It was something Darkrai would have to keep in mind. Should Christopher have any children, they could pose a threat if the ability worked backwards as well as forwards.

For now, his priority was to weaken Temporal Tower. Darkrai knew the weakest points were near the top, but he didn't want to attract too much attention. While the base of the tower was the strongest part, he'd be harder to spot down there, too.

Darkrai reemerged near the base of the tower. There…he carefully ran a hand along the wall. If he could dig in here, that would give him a good indication of how sturdy the material was. He extended his claws, raked across the stone…

Yes; Darkrai nodded as he moved back. There were noticeable tears in the tower's stone walls. He should probably attack a few other spots, too, though. As he flitted upwards, Darkrai kept an eye out for Dialga. The dragon usually stayed on the pinnacle, but if he went any lower today, he could spot Darkrai at any time. Still, he found another of the sensitive points and chipped out a few pieces of the wall. That was much better—one of the holes stopped just short of going all the way through.

Darkrai quickly melted into the shadows when he heard Dialga's rumbling footsteps. Maybe Christopher had found him already. He wanted to do a little more damage, just to be sure; he couldn't get caught now.

He found another spot near the middle, and then one near the top. Darkrai pulled back, satisfied with his handiwork. Subtle, but effective; some of the damage was noticeable, but it could be chalked up to the elements if necessary. Now, he had to get out of the Hidden Land, and he made his way back to Lapras.

In his haste to leave, Darkrai failed to realize that he'd dropped his stone "key."

When he noticed later, he supposed it didn't matter. Darkrai had accomplished what he'd set out to do; he didn't need it anymore.

It had failed at its one duty. The Relic Fragment had picked a poor owner, and it had let a dangerous Pokémon into the Hidden Land.

It had to pick carefully now. It had to find a Pokémon capable of undoing the damage. One that had a kinder, more docile nature.

It eventually found one that exuded an aura of gentleness. Shaky hands picked it up from its spot buried in the beach's sands, and the fingers brushed away the grit covering its surface. There was timidity in the touch, but deep below, there was the steady beat of a soft heart. He may need some help getting there, but it could sense that he was eager to improve himself.

Its pattern glowed. It had found its new owner.

The effects were gradual. At first, Dialga didn't seem to notice or change.

But slowly, ever so slowly, Dialga became snappier and more impatient. He wouldn't listen to Christopher's words, and he was far more likely to resort to force when angered.

"You will just betray me, Christopher," he finally growled. "Just like the other one did! You were just here to enable him, all along!"

Christopher scrambled backwards, narrowly avoiding the Metal Claw. His breath was ragged, and he looked desperately up at the giant dragon. There was no trust in those eyes—not anymore.

He had to get out of there. Now. Christopher fled as Dialga roared wildly at him. He found his partner—a Salamence named Heath—on the floor below, climbed onto his back, and ushered him out of the area.

Until Christopher figured out what was going on…he couldn't stay in the Hidden Land any longer.