Welcome to another story! This story was written for the Mistaken Identity challenge and contest for the message board Writers Anonymous. As always, I do not own Pokémon, and see the author's notes for details.
Light
Darkness stretched out as far as the eye could see. Upon focusing, it was possible to make out the faint outlines of gravestones. However, everything else had been swallowed up by the darkness's black abyss.
It was impossible to lay eyes upon the sizes, the shapes, even the names on the gravestones.
All had disappeared into the darkness, and that darkness left no trace of those that had once lived in the mortal world.
Not even a hint of anything ever being present.
Well, almost anything.
The darkness was suddenly disturbed by the sound of footsteps. It was impossible to know exactly where the footsteps came from, or from who.
But an intruder was still trotting along, feet continuously slamming against a hard surface. The darkness concealed that the surface was a gray brick floor, and that it was part of a large spiral building.
Regardless, the darkness could not conceal the presence of the intruder.
Because the intruder suddenly stopped, face twisting into a scowl that could not be seen.
The silence of the darkness shattered as the intruder swore loudly. But the cries went unanswered, the darkness the only one to hear.
The scowl twisted even more, but the pounding of the footsteps did not resume.
But it wasn't like there was anyone that would notice.
Yet if there was, there would have been quite a bit to pay attention to.
For the intruder was a young boy.
The boy wore a light blue jacket with dark blue on the top and sleeves. A dark blue bag matched the top of the jacket, and was held in place by a dark gray shoulder strap. The shirt below the jacket was also black, but there was little that could be seen. Long dark grey pants were the same color as the bag's shoulder strap. Bright red shoes contrasted with the rest of the outfit, but the gray pants could be seen through the shoes' straps.
The boy wore a red cap with a black symbol. Upon closer inspection, the symbol resembled a round object with a dot in the middle. The object would probably be called a Poké Ball, but it wasn't like anyone could see it to confirm. There was a hint of white on the back of the cap, and a part that jutted out in front was the same color as the object. Brown hair matched brown eyes, the boy's gaze darting back and forth restlessly.
It wasn't long before the boy's hand clenched into a fist.
Though he knew no one could see, he could feel the motion.
As he ought to.
Because he slowly remembered what he had to do.
For he, Hilbert, was supposed to meet some people who were waiting on the roof of this building.
But now, he couldn't.
And that was all thanks to the darkness.
This place was apparently called the Celestial Tower, but it may as well have been a dang dungeon.
A vast expanse of blackness enveloped everything, to the point where Hilbert was sure he couldn't see his own hand in front of his face.
And then…
Something flashed.
Hilbert rubbed his eyes.
What he had just seen in front of him couldn't be real.
No, it had to be just an illusion.
Or desperation.
Yet soon, the flash came again.
At that, Hilbert's eyes widened.
What he had seen was real!
This was no illusion!
There was someone, or something, else here!
But then, what was what he just saw?
It could have been anything!
Should he go near, or simply stay?
But as soon as the question crossed Hilbert's mind, it was answered for him.
For a third time, there was a flash.
And this time, it remained.
Hilbert felt his mouth hang open, and believed his jaw would hit the floor.
Now, there was no mistaking what this was.
This was light, illuminating a bit of the building in a purple glow.
And before long, more appeared.
There were suddenly so many lights that Hilbert couldn't count them. He didn't know where they had come from, but he knew he couldn't stop staring.
The lights flickered like fireflies, turning on and off yet still managing to bathe the area around them in a brilliant radiance.
Hilbert stood transfixed at the dazzling scene.
Who knew that such a dreary place could have something so beautiful?
But as he continued staring at the light, Hilbert realized he could easily make out something else in the area.
Right behind the lights stood a giant spiral staircase.
A smile spread across Hilbert's face.
At last, he could figure out where he was going!
All he had to do was head up the staircase, and he would eventually get to the roof!
After that, he could meet the people he was supposed to meet, and then get out of here!
Before the thought even finished forming in Hilbert's head, he broke into a sprint. His feet pounded on the ground, striking out so quickly in front of each other it was a wonder he didn't trip.
While his feet worked in a frenzy, the grin never left Hilbert's face.
At last, he could move forward!
And at last, he could leave this place!
All thanks to the guiding lights!
The lights grew closer and closer as Hilbert drew nearer and nearer to the staircase nearby.
Hilbert moved so fast he felt like he was flying, barely registering the ground below him despite hearing the pounding of his feet.
And now, he didn't dare stop.
Not when an escape was right in front of him!
Not when the means to continue was so close!
Purple lights flooded Hilbert's vision, almost drowning out the staircase behind him.
And yet…
As the darkness faded away…
As Hilbert could see nothing but lights…
They changed.
The purple was now mixed in with dark blue. The lights rapidly took the shape of teardrops, with the new dark blue color on the bottom. They no longer flickered like fireflies, instead maintaining a constant glow.
Yet the most striking thing was what wasn't there.
Before, the lights had shone so brightly they had swallowed up the staircase.
Yet despite the lights shining constantly, they had become completely transparent. Though the lights had seemed to envelop everything before, Hilbert could now see parts of the spiral staircase straight through them.
Hilbert stopped dead, his eyes wide. Gone was his smile, and he could feel the color drain from his face.
Before the lights been guiding.
Welcoming
Comforting.
But now…
The lights were overwhelming…
Blinding…
Burning…
Burning, like flames…
Flames…
That's exactly what these were…
The colors were unusual, but otherwise, the resemblance was clear…
The shape, the burning, even how the light morphed…
If Hilbert's mouth wasn't already hanging open, he would've swore…
How could he not have realized that mistake before?
Yet Hilbert couldn't dwell on his thoughts for very long, as his attention was suddenly drawn to something else.
From the gloom and burning light, a pair of golden eyes emerged.
The golden eyes rapidly honed in on Hilbert, sizing him up.
Hilbert tried to back away, but the golden eyes stayed focused.
Hilbert found himself shivering.
Who did the golden eyes belong to?
And what was the owner seeing by focusing on him?
Hilbert couldn't even ask for an answer, because not long after, something else appeared.
That something was a creature with a white, small, body and an even smaller mouth. The black mouth looked like someone had drawn it on with a pencil. Yet the mouth could still make emotions as its owner smiled eerily at Hilbert. Stubby tiny arms were at the creature's sides. A substance that resembled melted white wax sat on the creature's head. The wax almost covered one of the golden eyes, but Hilbert could still see it shining through. A circle on top of the creature's head was faintly illuminated by the flame's burning glow.
But Hilbert couldn't focus on that.
He closed his mouth and clutched his stomach. Nausea seized Hilbert, but by some miracle, he didn't vomit.
He wasn't sure how long that would hold true, though.
Because a flash of realization pierced his mind.
This creature was one that haunted all of the Celestial Tower…
One feared throughout the world, one that he had heard of only spoken in stories…
One he only had the misfortune of meeting now, but was only making him shake in terror.
The creature before him was a Litwick.
A Pokémon that pretended to be a guiding light using the flame on its head…
But, in reality, it used the same flame to drain the life force of anyone that dared follow it…
And then, the life force was converted into fuel for the Pokémon's burning flame…
Now…
The Litwick wanted to absorb Hilbert's life force…
All using its blazing flames disguised as comforting guiding lights…
And he had walked straight into its trap…
Hilbert stumbled backward, registering the sound of his own screaming.
The hand over his stomach slammed to his side, but Hilbert barely registered the motion.
Instead, he tried to will himself to run.
To call on one of his Pokémon.
To shout for help.
To do anything.
But he couldn't.
Moving his hand from his stomach to his side could be the last motion Hilbert ever performed, as he realized his muscles were now gripped by fear's paralysis.
Not that the Pokémon in front of him seemed to care.
The Litwick's smile grew even wider, and it let out a cackling laugh. The laugh reverberated through the tower, but Hilbert didn't think anyone would hear.
That is, until several more pairs of golden eyes appeared.
White forms slunk out of the shadows, the same as the Litwick in front of Hilbert.
The purple flames burned so intensely that it hurt Hilbert's eyes to look.
And yet that didn't stop him from staring as the lights flooded his vision.
Even though he didn't move, it didn't take long for Hilbert to see that the many Litwick had surrounded him on all sides.
It was the only way their lights, their flames, were strong as they were, and why they didn't seem to be worried at all about Hilbert escaping.
Hilbert was torn from his thoughts as the first Litwick let out another cackling laugh. This time, the others joined in, filling the air with a deafening cacophony.
Hilbert wanted nothing more than to cover his ears, yet he didn't even attempt the motion.
Instead, he simply stared straight ahead.
Perhaps he could catch a glimpse of the spiral staircase that lay behind the creatures.
Yet there was nothing, as the structure was overwhelmed by the light of the countless flames.
Within moments, the pain in Hilbert's eyes became too much, and he was forced to avert his gaze.
Yet it didn't stop thoughts from entering his head.
The staircase was gone...
His escape…
His reason for coming to this particular place…
Gone, all of it.
All because of his mistake.
His fatal mistake.
And now he would pay for that fatal mistake.
Hilbert found himself slowly squeezing his eyes shut.
He miraculously had enough movement do that, at least.
If he was going to pay for his mistake, he didn't want to see how.
At that point, a sensation seized him.
He wanted to cry out, but couldn't even open his mouth.
Instead, his body felt frozen, as though he was encased in ice.
And this time, he knew it wasn't from fear.
Hilbert thought he was going to go numb because of the invisible coldness.
But somehow, that never happened.
Instead, a sudden heaviness took hold of his limbs.
Hilbert was sure none of his limbs had truly grown heavier, and yet he wouldn't know.
For he couldn't lift a finger, frozen feeling now intertwined with another sensation. Hilbert's arms hung limply at his side, a sudden stiffness flooding through his entire body.
It wasn't long until Hilbert was aware of something else.
His legs gave way beneath him, and he could feel himself lurching forward. The floor invisibly hurtled towards him, and Hilbert registered a sickening sound as he crashed into it. Pain shot through his body upon the collision.
Yet Hilbert did not react.
Could not react.
He wanted so desperately to get back up.
To fight back.
To correct what had happened and move on.
But now he couldn't even lift his head.
The only thing he could do now was lie on the ground helplessly and wait for his inevitable doom, the consequence of his fatal mistake.
Hilbert was suddenly alerted to a jolt of pain in his side.
Perhaps this was part of the life draining ritual.
Hilbert tried to ignore the pain.
After all, soon he would be unable to feel anything.
Yet the pain was relentless, jolting Hilbert over and over.
No matter what, the pain did not stop.
Ignoring it was simply impossible.
But what was the purpose of it?
To torture him?
To make things longer?
To make things easier somehow?
But why would the Litwick do that?
Wouldn't it be simpler just to end things quickly?
And the pain…
There was a sensation of something slamming Hilbert.
That didn't seem like a sensation Hilbert would feel when his life was being drained.
Unless the Litwick were slamming him to drain his life…
But why would they be?
Yet…
Something else wasn't right either.
Despite the pain…
Hilbert suddenly noticed he felt taller.
It was as though he was off the ground, and someone had lifted him up.
But that wasn't possible.
Other than the Litwick, no one was here.
As the pain arrived again, Hilbert's senses became sharper.
The slamming sensation appeared to be coming from his legs.
His legs.
They had no injuries, no bruises, nothing…
There was not even a hint of the weakness that had been there before.
Even though his legs had become unable to support him, and he had collapsed…
Hilbert had been on the floor mere moments ago, and now he felt like he was standing above it….
Standing…
The last thing he was doing before his encounter with the Litwick was standing uninjured.
But if he felt like he was standing now, and his legs were fine…
Then that would mean…
Hilbert's eyes flew open before he could even finish his thought.
He stared straight ahead into the light of the Litwick, seeing the Pokémon through widened eyes.
The Pokémon stared back, their light no longer burning or consuming.
Or perhaps Hilbert had gotten used to it.
Regardless, something else drew his attention.
The Pokémon had curious looks on their faces, and Hilbert wondered if some of them would move closer.
However, they didn't dare, and Hilbert wondered why.
Suddenly, Hilbert was aware of something brushing up against him.
Hilbert thought was a chance his eyes would go wider as he registered the sensation coming from another one of the Litwick.
As Hilbert glanced down at the creature, it let out a soft cry.
Hilbert thought he could detect a mixture of concern and relief, but seeing as he couldn't understand Pokémon, he wasn't sure.
Rather, he was sure when the Litwick rapidly rejoined its companions.
He was even sure when they all focused on him again.
Yet suddenly…
Giant grins appeared on the Litwicks' faces.
Hilbert wasn't sure how their tiny mouths could manage such a feat, with the smiles spreading across every possible area.
Yet they managed, making some sort of message clear.
And what was even clearer was what the Pokémon didn't do.
For not one of them started towards him.
There were no attacks…
No battle cries…
Nothing…
But if the Litwick weren't doing anything to Hilbert, then that would mean…
In their smiles there was…
No malice…
No deception…
No mockery…
Only friendliness…
Kindness…
Sincerity…
But that would also mean…
Hilbert could feel his face flush before his thought even finished.
The concerned cries of the Litwick filled his ears, and Hilbert was sure his face had turned bright red.
To think a supposedly fatal mistake would end up being an embarrassing one!
For Hilbert to think the Litwick would drain his life!
For him to think that he would just become another example of what happened to unfortunate travelers who met the Pokémon!
Only to find that the Litwick weren't even trying to do any of that at all!
But…
If the Litwick didn't want to drain his life…
Then what did they want?
Hilbert was alerted to another cry, this one louder than the others he had heard.
However, there was a soothing tone to it, almost reassuring.
Hilbert's eyes were drawn to another Litwick darting forward.
This one had the same giant grin as all the rest, and flame burned brighter and brighter as it zoomed towards him.
Hilbert felt embarrassment leave his face as it twisted into a cringe.
Had he still made a fatal mistake?
Yet the Litwick stopped right in front of him, flame so close that Hilbert could almost stare straight into it.
Hilbert expected to feel like something was burning and scorching.
But instead there was a different sensation.
Warmth.
Comfort.
Hilbert let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding as he felt himself relax.
The Litwick still wore a giant grin, and Hilbert felt a similar smile spreading across his face.
And it was as if that triggered some sort of unspoken cue.
For the rest of the Litwick seemed to move as one as they rushed over to Hilbert.
Their flames also shone brightly, and those flames flooded Hilbert's vision.
But Hilbert could still feel the flames' soothing warmth as the Pokémon surrounded him.
Hilbert realized that each one wore the same giant grin, and his own grin grew even wider.
The Litwicks' cackling laughs filled his ears, although this time Hilbert noticed something different.
The laughter was not ominous foreshadowing of an unfortunate fate. It probably never had been.
Instead, the laughter was gleeful, like a child playing with a friend.
At that moment, a realization hit Hilbert.
That was what the Litwick wanted.
A friend.
A companion who would look beyond the stories to see who they really were and what they wanted.
So their attempts to guide people like him were genuine.
And they wanted nothing to do with stealing travelers' life force, instead using their flames for warmth and comfort for those who were lost.
But people didn't see it that way.
They saw the Litwick as the creatures from the stories, lurking in the shadows.
The Pokémon were just waiting to encounter someone that would fall into their trap, and then steal others' life force to power their own.
The unwary travelers would just be another figment in the stories, another example of the tales of the hauntings in Celestial Tower being proven true.
Even though nothing of that sort had happened, and probably never would.
And now, the Litwick were in the tower all alone.
With their reputation, they would probably be alone even if they went somewhere else.
All because people made the same mistake Hilbert did.
But he had learned from that mistake, and discovered the truth.
And if he could, there was no reason others couldn't.
So taking a deep breath, he spoke to the Litwick.
"You guys just want a friend, right? I understand, but I will have to leave here, and I can't take all of you with me. But there are other people on the roof, and I can take you to them. Then I can explain your situation, and those people and I can help you find lots of friends!"
As he spoke, Hilbert couldn't help noticing nervousness prick at him.
He knew he couldn't understand Pokémon, and he wasn't sure how much Pokémon could understand ordinary humans.
What if the Litwick couldn't understand him?
What if the Pokémon were trapped in this tower forever?
Worst of all, what if they misinterpreted Hilbert's words and took them as a signal to attack?
But the Litwick only kept their smiles.
Their light seemed to disperse, but Hilbert could see it fanning out. Hilbert registered lights illuminating the area on both sides and behind him.
The area in the front had no extra light.
At last, a way to continue forward was truly revealed.
And the spiral staircase stood clearly in front of him.
But even though the staircase was without light, the area wasn't.
For the light of the Litwick now enveloped Hilbert, their guiding flames continuing to give him warmth.
Hilbert stood in the light and the flames a moment longer before giving a nod.
He wasn't sure if the Litwick could see it, but they must have.
For the Pokémon moved with him as he charged up the stairs.
As he ran up, the smile never left Hilbert's face.
He could only think of one thing.
He would correct the mistake, the true nature of the Litwick would be revealed, and then the Pokémon would always have friends.
All because they led him here with their guiding light.
Author's notes:
-So after researching the challenge prompt little bit, I decided to use the Pokémon Litwick. In addition to being one of my favorite Pokémon, Litwick (literally) lives on the idea of a mistaken identity. Litwick using its flame as a light to guide others and then leeching off of their life force to power itself upon the other making the mistake is something that comes directly from the Pokédex entries in Pokémon Black and White.
With this is the premise, I had the perfect idea for a story involving the challenge prompt.
Except that idea was originally supposed to be very different.
Mainly, it was going to be much darker.
My original idea was to have the Litwick act exactly like they do in the Pokédex entries. So they actually would drain Hilbert's life force and act malicious, along with all the chaos and tragedy that insures. To make matters worse, Litwick's evolved forms were planned to show up. The evolved forms can do things similar to what Litwick does, but they are much more powerful and the results of their actions much more damaging.
However, I chose not to use this idea for many reasons. One of which is that this would make the story both horrifying and extremely sad. It's not the type of story I usually write, so I quickly realized doing that idea would be difficult. Furthermore, it might also be difficult to read because of how terrifying and tragic that idea was.
Another reason was that the original idea didn't fit the prompt as well as I'd hoped. The prompt was to create a story centered around a mistaken identity, but with the original idea, the mistaken identity would not be playing much of a part at all. There would just be the initial mistake of the Pokémon for a light, and then the rest of the story would be dealing with the consequences of said mistake. In contrast, the idea that I did end up using allowed me to incorporate the theme of mistaken identity several times, with many different interpretations. This made it fit with the prompt much easier, so I went with that.
The final reason was that the idea of Litwick and its forms act in the way they're usually portrayed and with tragic results was something that had been done before. It was probably also the first thing anyone would think of when writing a story about them, and so I wanted something a little different. It is worth noting that unlike most of my other discarded ideas, my original idea for this story was fully written out and ready to be used by the time I discarded it. Therefore, I've decided I want to use the idea in a separate, new, and unrelated story. As of this writing, I am unsure when that story will be written.
-But then I left it with the problem of this one, and what I could do instead of my original idea.
So my thoughts turned to something called Pokémon Insurgence.
Pokémon Insurgence is a fan game notable for a concept called Delta Pokémon. Delta Pokémon are alternate forms of canon species. However, Delta Pokémon have different Types, abilities, appearances, and are considered separate species from their canon counterparts. One of the Pokémon that received a Delta counterpart was Litwick.
What makes Litwick's Delta form particularly interesting is that it does the exact opposite of the canon counterpart. So instead of draining life to feed its flame, it gives life via the flame. Its desire to guide others and keep them warm with its flame is also genuine. Finally, due to these traits, Delta Litwick is seen as a positive influence on the world rather than a negative one. With Delta Litwick having all the opposite chance and having that be so fascinating, I wondered if the canon version of could have the traits as well. However, unlike the Delta version, the canon Litwick would not be able to escape its negative reputation and people assuming it was out to cause trouble. All of this led to the scenario used in the story.
-Celestial Tower, Hilbert, and the latter's reason for being at the former comes almost directly from Pokémon Black and White. Hilbert is the male protagonist from those games, although his name is inputted by the player, with Hilbert being one of the default names. In the games, the player has to go up to the roof of the tower to meet a Gym Leader called Skyla. Once the player talks to her, she can be challenged to a gym battle. Celestial Tower looks the same in the games as it does in this story, with one minor difference. In the games, it's not darker than any other area of the player is in. The area is extremely dark in the story to have the encounter with the Litwick and the subsequent identity mistake make more sense.
-Litwick haunting Celestial Tower and having stories surrounding it is based off of my own interpretations of the canon story. In Pokémon Black and White and its sequels, the Celestial Tower is the only place one can find Litwick. In the original Pokémon Black and White games, there is a room in the Celestial Tower where Litwick is the only Pokémon that can be found. With Litwick solely residing in Celestial Tower and the negative reputation the Pokémon gets, I thought it would be feasible for people to believe it haunts the tower, that it is something to be feared in all of the Pokémon world, and for there to be some stories surrounding it. And with a history like that, I also figured it would not be too unfeasible for a traveler like Hilbert to know about them, even if he still mistakes them for something else.
-In the games, it's not known how Litwick absorbs the life force of other creatures or what it feels like for the victims. Therefore, I created my own explanation for this story. However, since the Litwick absorbing Hilbert's life force is in the latter's imagination, the details involved in the match doing it may still be different. It's worth noting that the scene where Hilbert has his life force stolen was from the original idea for the story. In this story would've genuinely had his life force stolen, but I decided to change the scene to him imagining he had his life force stolen. The reason I kept the scene was because I figured I figured I could continue to play into the theme of mistaken identity, with Hilbert and, by extension, the audience mistaking what's happening to be real.