Alicia stared at the night sky, observing that the moon and the stars were shining brightly, she continued to stare at them as if they held some answers to questions that she had been thinking about for quite a while now.

She rested against the tree; the girl was taking a break after entertaining several of the Pokémon for quite a while now. As she stared at the sky, she did not appear to be smiling, instead she had a frown on her face.

The cool wind gently brushed her hair and body like silk. The night sky looked beautiful this evening.

It appeared that something was troubling her, but what could it be? It was unusual for a happy girl like her to be so down.

There was no way Alicia was planning on going back home anytime soon. For once, she wanted time for herself. She was absolutely fine with the consequences she would most likely receive once she got home.

Alicia tightly closed her eyes, fearing that someone or something was watching her break down.

Freak!

What a disgrace!

Weirdo!

Outcast!

Why would she defend an ugly monster?!

As she was sulking with shame and disappointment, she was unaware that a dark silhouette began to emerge from the grass.

"Alicia."

Alicia began to smile when she heard his voice, internally thankful that her friend Darkrai had arrived. She appreciated the other Pokémon that lived in the garden, but Darkrai always managed to make her feel happy. Even when it was one of those days.

"Hello, Darkrai, what brings you here?"

Alicia understood that Darkrai never talked much, and she respected that. Nonetheless, she was still able to understand him through his actions. The mystical pokemon still tried to make an effort to talk.

"You seemed alone."

Alicia let out a laugh, but it did not sound happy. It sounded so broken. This caught Darkrai's attention. Something was definitely wrong.

"Well, yes, I am very exhausted from today. This garden is amazing, but it can be pretty lonely sometimes..."

Darkrai slightly tilted his head with confusion. What did she mean- Oh?

The young girl slowly began to frown, which caught Darkrai off guard. He has never seen his friend so... upset. What happened? Was she okay?

Alicia felt Darkrai's blue eye focus solely on her. She noticed that he steadily got a bit closer.

"Alicia, are you okay?"

His friend shook her head and said, "No. I'm not Darkrai." "For once, I just wish things were different."

Darkrai did not mutter a single word. He waited for Alicia to continue.

After noticing that Darkrai was not going to say anything, she released a shaky sigh, and she hesitantly continued.

"The truth is... ever since we became friends, some of the Pokémon in this garden are scared of me. And it's not just the Pokémon, other people think I am some kind of… freak. That's why I'm so alone all the time. No one ever wants to talk to m-me. It's like I don't exist…"

Alicia hugged herself, suddenly feeling cold. Her chest began to tighten. She felt like she was unable to breathe.

Stay calm.

Breathe.

Breathe.

BREATHE!

There was silence before Alicia let out a sob, which stunned Darkrai.

"Al-"

She turned to face her companion; tears slowly began to pour down from her eyes. There was some snot emerging around her nostrils. Alicia looked completely devastated.

"Darkrai, why can't they understand?! You're not a threat to anyone! You have no control over your powers... it's just something you need to do. T-This garden is the only place that ever makes me... h-happy."

Alicia quickly looked away. She used her sleeve to wipe away the tears and mucus. Is this what it felt like to be an outcast? The pain was unbearable.

She used to have many friends, the people, and the Pokémon always greeted her happily. They considered Alicia to be a ray of sunshine for everyone in Alamos Town, her school, the festivals that would occasionally happen once a year, and the garden.

But now?

The only thing Alicia would receive nowadays was insults, angry looks, her so called 'friends' no longer associating with her, and the Pokémon hiding with terror whenever the girl was near.

All because she was friends with Darkrai. A 'monster'.

Alicia feared telling her parents of the bullying and what she had to deal with on an everyday basis. But the child knew that her parents would most likely prevent her from coming back to the garden ever again.

Which meant she would never see Darkrai again. That thought alone deeply terrified her. Even if Alicia had her parents, they were always busy. They never had the time to spend time with their own child.

How sad is that?

Only Darkrai was able to calm her down.

The garden was the only place where she truly felt safe. It made her relieved to see that numerous Pokémon still treated her as a friend. Even after she made friends with a dangerous Pokémon, they still treated her with respect.

But…

That still was not enough.

So many people and Pokémon clearly believed she was strange or ridiculous just because she made friends with a Pokémon that had the ability to deliver anyone or any Pokémon awful nightmares.

And at first, Alicia could understand their fear. Darkrai's were known to cause terror, pain, and horrible nightmares to their targets.

But this was starting to get ridiculous. Darkrai proved himself various times that he was not evil. He was just a Pokémon, simply doing what all Pokémon had to do.

Darkrai was not like that. He never truly appreciated his actions, nor did he find it entertaining to see others suffering because of him.

As much as he detested it, he had no other choice but to obey. After all, it was his job.

However, this? This was just wrong.

Darkrai felt his heart tore to pieces just by seeing Alicia in such a vulnerable state. Her whimpers and sobs ripped him apart.

He knew that he was the real reason everyone was so scared of him. At this point, he was used to it.

But Alicia?

She did not deserve this.

She was just a child.

How has Alicia been able to hide all of this pain? Did he ever notice how strained or fake her smiles were all this time?

Or how Alicia would straight away show a frown when she thought no one else was looking?

Just how long was Alicia able to keep this up? And how was her home life?

Did her parents even know what was going on?

A part of him was screaming in rage, why Alicia? What did she ever do to receive this treatment?

She was a sweet little girl, and the first one to ever show Darkrai sympathy and kindness. Throughout his life, he at first wanted to have a companion, but all he has ever earned was anger and fear. So he gave up until one day. In this garden, he obtained affection and friendship. Something he was grateful to have.

He had to do something. There was no way he was going to leave his friend suffering all alone. As much as he wanted to take out his anger on those who treated Alicia wrong, he knew it would make the situation much, much worse. There were more important things he had to do first.

"Alicia."

Alicia did not respond; her face was buried in the hem of her dress. She was ashamed that Darkrai had to see her like this.

How embarrassing. She wished the ground could just swallow her up.

"Please."

That single word made Alicia's gut twist with guilt. She could not lose her only friend!

Cautiously, Alicia sluggishly looked up to stare at Darkrai. Her fingers began to grow paler since she was firmly clutching her dress.

Time seemed to go slow, as Darkrai was extremely close to Alicia. His arms carefully opened wide.

And what happened next startled her.

She felt Darkrai wrap his smooth arms around her, pulling her toward his chest.

"It hurts, Alicia, but do not let them bring you down. You are a good friend, and I am forever grateful for your kindness. You make me feel happy. I will always belong in this garden and will never leave you. I am here for you."

Hearing those words sent Alicia sobbing again, but this time it was tears of happiness. Alicia softly wrapped her arms around the Pokémon. Darkrai did not hesitate to wrap his arms around the girl, being careful not to hurt her fragile figure.

Alicia slowly stopped shaking; it was evident that Darkrai's words were starting to make her feel better.

"Friends always help each other out."

Saying the word 'friends' tasted foreign to the mystical Pokémon, he never had a companion ever since he came to this world. Darkrai was still learning friendship, and luckily, he was getting better every day.

Even if the situation was not going so great at the moment, Alicia knew Darkrai meant it when he declared he was never going to leave her side.

Alicia gave Darkrai a smile, but this time she genuinely meant it. It made Darkrai delighted to see that he was able to cheer up his friend.

Now that's the Alicia I know.

"T-Thank you Darkrai. Can we stay like this for a little longer?"

Darkrai sat against the tree, his arms securely wrapped around Alicia. He watched Alicia, his gaze never breaking.

His eyes crinkled into what appeared to be a smile.

"Of course, friend."