While I'm more of a Digimon fan, there is one Pokémon series (aside from the anime) that I will always return to - Pokémon Mystery Dungeon, particularly Explorers of Sky. I really like the game, not only because of the story in general, but also because my favorite Pokémon - Darkrai, plays an incredibly important role in the game. Still, playing through it left me wondering - why was he the villain?

Here's where this story comes in. I decided to write what believe to be the reason for Darkrai distorting time in Explorers (and siccing Palkia on the heroes). While I'm satisfied with how the story turned out, I might rewrite it a bit tho, just to convey Darkrai's emotions better.

Still, I hope you'll enjoy it!

Entry 0: The Master of Nightmares

''Sometimes it's hard to know whether someone you meet is friend or foe. That's how it goes, when you're living in the shadow. Sometimes it's hard just to know your place, when something's happening in time and space. It's a rat race, living in the shadow. Now is the time to never die. Spread your wings and learn to fly. Are you brave enough to even try? Living in the shadow (Pokémon)! Living in the shadow of Darkrai! Living in the shadow (Pokémon)! Living in the shadow of Darkrai!''

– Living In The Shadow by Pokémon: The Rise of Darkrai

xXxXxXx

Who… am I?

His icy blue eyes glowed faintly as he opened them, gazing ahead at the darkness that surrounded him. He had been stuck for a while inside this maze-like cave ever since he woke up. Fortunately, the pounding headache he felt upon awakening faded, but to his horror, it was replaced by a very chilling realization. As he attempted to remember how or why he ended up here, he realized that he couldn't recall any memories of what led to his plight.

He gasped in fear and confusion, trying to keep himself calm as he got up, realizing that he was floating. He gazed down at his body, as if his own appearance would give him the answer he needed. He was vaguely humanoid and around 2 meters tall, his pitch-black, hourglass-shaped body almost seemed to be made from a short, tattered robe. His arms were long and tipped with three claw-like fingers, and he also has three spikes on his forearms. Strange streamers trailed from his shoulders like smoke. Instead of a neck, he had a collar that resembles a red-toothed maw and his head had a white plume that resembled hair. He took a deep breath in order to calm down, trying to remember something, anything, that would help him out.

Darkrai… It's Darkrai…

He was a little relieved that he could actually remember his own name, but as he tried to remember more, it was as if he hit a wall. He simply couldn't move past the barrier that blocked him from accessing his memories of his past and it frustrated him to no end. Why was he having amnesia? Why did he forget everything except for his name? How did he end up here, in this cave?

Anxiety and frustration swirled inside him like a storm that was slowly building up, but he knew that, if he wanted to learn what happened to him, he need to remain calm and collected. Taking another deep breath, he focused on his own senses. It may have been some form of memory, but he had the feeling that he wasn't the type of Pokémon who would panic easily.

He waited a moment, deciding to focus on what he knew instead on what he wanted to know. He knew his own name, so that was a good start. Now, his priority was to find a way out of this place. He floated across the dark room, wondering whether there was anyone else here beside him. There might be someone who'd tell him where exactly he was.

There has to be a way out…

xXx

He spent hours wandering through this maze, but hadn't encountered anyone. He also didn't find an exit, although it was possible that he was just going around in circles. Eventually, he sat down, leaning against the wall, sighing.

''This won't work,'' he muttered under his breath. ''I need to figure out a different way to get out of this place. Perhaps, if I leave a mark…'' He grabbed a stone from the ground and lifted it, wanting to leave scratch marks on the wall, but then he realized that this might be a lot more time consuming thant he wanted, as he still had no clear idea where to go exactly in order to escape the place. ''This feels pointless…''

Darkrai suddenly fell silent as he heard footsteps. He quickly got up, floating towards the path where he heard the footsteps coming from. His first thought was to call out for whoever was there, but then he reconsidered the idea, realizing that there was a possibility that whoever was coming towards him might be hostile. He floated back into the shadows, remaining alert.

His eyes narrowed as a red bug-like Pokémon entered the room, looking around for a moment. It didn't appear to see Darkrai, who had blended into the shadows perfectly. Despite wanting answers, Darkrai decided not to engage, as his gut feeling told him that this Pokémon was anything but friendly. He floated towards the far corner of the room, observing the Pokémon, who had now entered the room. It was alert, sensing Darkrai's presence, yet couldn't see him.

Darkrai flexed his claws, not wanting to risk getting into a battle since he still had amnesia. He could recall one or two of his moves, but he wasn't sure whether he'll be able to execute them properly. He still didn't remember all of his abilities either, so he needed to remain careful. He floated back, when suddenly, the Pokémon's head snapped towards him, glaring at him. Its claw started to glow in a bright silver and it rushed towards Darkrai at rapid speed.

''Dark Pulse!'' Darkrai moved fast, firing a beam of black and purple circles at his opponent almost on instinct. The beam his the other Pokémon, knocking it back. Not wasting any time, Darkrai put his hands together and formed a purple and black ball in his hands, firing at his opponent. ''Dark Void!''

The moment the ball hit the Pokémon, it encased it in a black and purple bubble, disappearing a moment later and caused the Pokémon to fall over, fast asleep. Darkrai stared at the Pokémon for a moment, unsure what to think about what just happened.

All he did was defending himself, but somehow, this felt familiar. It felt satisfying.

Darkrai floated over to the sleeping Pokémon, his icy blue eyes glowing faintly as he observed it. The Pokémon suddenly grimaced, shifting in its sleep as if it was in pain. Darkrai frowned as he realized that the Pokémon was actually suffering from a nightmare.

''What have you done?!''

Darkrai was startled when he heard a scream in his head, a flash of a memory he didn't understand. The voice was oddly familiar, but he couldn't recall to whom it belonged. Instead, he focused again on the Pokémon, who was now writhing in agony. Darkrai stared the Pokémon for a moment, his icy blue eyes glowing, but then quickly floated away, trying to get as far away from the asleep Pokémon as possible.

''They'll be forever trapped in this nightmare…''

The strange voice echoed in his head again as he reached the next room. He could feel his heart rate increasing as he took short, sharp breaths, focusing again on the voice, hoping he would hear it again. He knew that someone had been talking to him, but he didn't know who it was. Nevertheless, he understood that what happened to the Pokémon earlier was his own doing. Somehow, he was the one who caused the nightmare, but he still didn't know how this had happened.

Fine, I can somehow cause nightmares. So, what should I do now?

Darkrai gazed at the room again, aware that his main priority was still to escape the place. He now knew that he wasn't alone and that there was a possibility he'd run into another hostile Pokémon. He could defend himself, either by firing Dark Pulse at his opponents or putting them to sleep via Dark Void, but what bothered him was the fact that he was somehow capable of causing nightmares to others. He had figured that it was a natural ability of his, but he still had questions.

How far is the reach of my ability? Is it possible to control it?

So far, his ability had manifested without any conscious input, but he wanted to know whether he could actually control it. He was certain that it would be quite useful, but he had to figure out how to use it properly.

Entering another room, he realized that he could see faint light coming from the far end of it. He quickly rushed towards it, stunned to see a small hole in the rocks from where the faint light was coming from. Relieved that he found a weak spot in the maze, he gathered energy between his hands and fired a Dark Pulse at the hole, destroying it and creating an exit point.

Once he got outside, he took a deep breath, grateful for the fresh air, and looked around, realizing that he was in a forest. He gazed at the night sky, noting that it was far darker than he expected it to be, only to see the moon being hidden in a shadow.

It's a new moon night.

Dakrai remained silent for a moment, listening for his surroundings. He noted that most Pokémon, even the nocturnal ones, would probably avoid being active during a new moon due to the limited source of light, but he was comfortable in the darkest of nights. Still, he had to wonder whether he'd be able to find someone to help him, perhaps direct him towards something that would give him an answer to his situation. He then rushed towards the forest.

Perhaps, if I find the one whose voice I'm hearing, maybe I'll learn how I ended up like this.

xXx

As he made his way through the thick forest, avoiding the foliage, Darkrai tried to recall the image of the Pokémon whose voice he heard. However, all there was to it was a dark blur. He couldn't remember what the owner of the voice looked like, let alone their name.

Sighing, he focused instead on finding a Pokémon in this forest that wasn't hostile towards him, so he would at least find out where he was. However, that proved to be quite difficult, as there didn't appear to be any Pokémon around nor did he hear anything that would indicate that nocturnal Pokémon inhabited this place. It was strange, though. Did some kind of tragedy befall this place and that was the reason why it was so desolate?

Or maybe I'm just searching in the wrong place. Darkrai's mood soured when he realized that this was the most probable explanation. He was roaming in an unfamiliar location, so there was no way for him to know where to find any Pokémon unless he actually knew where he was going. He felt a little frustrated, but still continued, figuring that it probably would be easier to find a way out of a forest than a cave. Not to mention, once the sun rose, he would probably run into someone.

For some reason, he grimaced in disgust at the thought of seeing the bright sun shining over him, illuminating the forest. Even if it would help him find his way, he still preferred the moonlight, no matter how dim and weak it was, over daylight.

''Aaaagh!''

Darkrai was startled by a cry of anguish and quickly followed the sound, partially out of curiosity and partially because he hoped he would find the help he needed. When he finally reached the spot where he heard the cry coming from, he saw two purple monkey-like Pokémon with long tails standing below a tree and trying to shake another of their kind awake. They looked absolutely terrified, but no matter how much they shook their friend or called out for them, nothing worked. It appeared that their friend was stuck in an awful nightmare, unable to hear their friends.

''Hey, wake up! Please!'' one of the Pokémon called out for their friend, but the latter kept writhing in pain, crying in their sleep.

''Get away from them!''

Darkrai wanted to approach them at first, but then backed away, his eyes glowing as he was hit by an icy realization – if he wanted to help them, he needed to leave. At first, he was reluctant, unable to explain how he knew this, but then, he floated away, fading into the darkness. He felt a strange sensation in his chest, like a knot wrapping around it and tightening, choking him. He needed to get away from here as fast as possible.

''This is all your fault!''

The voice once again screamed in his head, but this time, he could see a strange pink and blue blur. Startled, he found shelter under a tree and closed his eyes, trying to remember what this pink and blue blur was and why they were screaming at him and accusing him as if he had committed some kind of horrible crime. Unfortunately, he couldn't remember more.

What have I done to be screamed at like this? Darkrai wondered as he took a deep breath, feeling chills as he recalled the words from earlier. Hadn't the voice told him that someone would be forever trapped in a nightmare? Was that the reason why his senses told him to leave so quickly? It had to be, as there was no other explanation. He gazed down at his clawed hands, clenching them into fists. Am I somehow capable of trapping Pokémon in endless nightmares? Is there a way for me to stop them? Or was the voice the one who would stop them?

Darkrai felt a strong searing headache as he tried to remember more, but his mind was still a blank slate. He was about to lose hope, but then he realized something. It seemed that he would always have a flash of memory whenever his nightmare abilities kicked in. This left him wondering whether he could find someone else to use them on in order to trigger more memories.

Or, perhaps, he could use the ability on himself.

That would probably be easier than finding another Pokémon in this forest. Darkrai closed his eyes. He wasn't sure whether this would even work, as he had no idea whether he was immune to his own ability, but perhaps there was a way for him to control it consciously. He calmed his breath, still feeling a little reluctant, but he didn't have many options left.

If he wanted an answer, he needed to create his own nightmare.

xXx

He felt strange, like a lost wisp of flame that had escaped the burning fire, slowly fading into the nothingness. He focused on his surroundings, trying to regain control of his senses and body, and opened his eyes, realizing that there was nothing but darkness surrounding him. He got up, floating above the pitch-black ground, which was now covered in a thick haze, and tried to figure out what do now.

''This has to be my own dream… or nightmare,'' Darkrai said to himself, his voice echoing pathetically through the darkness. He felt a little disappointed that there wasn't much to his own dream, but then he realized that he probably should focus on the voice again. After all, this was his own subconsciousness, so he probably could manipulate it into revealing whatever secrets were hidden inside it. Even if he did lose his memories, there should be something that would trigger them.

Darkrai closed his eyes once again, focusing on the voice, trying to recall something, anything. He felt a soft breeze carrying the scent of grass and salt, and opened his eyes, realizing that he was standing on the top of a cliff overlooking the sea. He gazed at the sky, observing the full moon shining brightly and turned his head, seeing a forest behind him.

Is this… a memory? He glanced back at the full moon, wondering if he somehow messed things up, when he suddenly heard someone crying out. Startled, he looked around, trying to find the source of the cry, but his surroundings blurred. His confusion was replaced by a sudden onslaught of guilt and shame, even though he had no idea why he was feeling like this.

''Darkrai!''

To Darkrai surprise, a pink and blue blur emerged from the forest, screaming his name. This time, he could see that this Pokémon was blue, having a swan-like body with a yellow underside and pink eyes, a dark pink, round tuft on her head, and a pointed, beak-like snout. The most striking feature on her body were the glowing, pink, ring-like wings on her sides and back. Darkrai remained silent, staring at the newcomer.

''How many times have I told you to stay away from everyone, especially at nighttime?!'' the Pokémon yelled at him, making Darkrai realize that he had somehow caused trouble. ''You put all of the Pokémon inside this forest into a deep nightmare! Do you have any idea what the consequences would've been if I hadn't followed you?!''

Darkrai was stunned for a moment, his confusion and guilt being mixed with another feeling – frustration. Despite knowing that this was just a memory produced by his dream and that his current self shouldn't have any knowledge of this event, he found himself replying, ''I know and I didn't mean to-''

Before he could complete his sentence, the Pokémon interrupted him angrily, ''I have enough of your excuses! Instead of remaining on Newmoon Island like I told you, you ran away onto the mainland again and caused nothing but trouble! I'm fed up with having to constantly worry about what you might do next!''

''Cresselia, I've spent years being confined to that stupid island!'' Darkrai shouted back in frustration, completely lost in the memory. The sensation of loneliness, rage, despair and frustration was growing inside him until it boiled over. ''At least for one night, I wanted to return to the mainland. What happened here was just an accident.''

''This 'accident' would've been easily preventable if you hadn't headed out,'' Cresselia replied furiously. Darkrai frowned.

''It's not my fault that I was cursed with being the bringer of nightmares,'' he protested. ''You know well that I cannot control my Bad Dreams ability.''

He clenched his fist as he glared at Cresselia, who fell silent for a moment, observing her counterpart. He hoped that she, out of all Pokémon, would understand what he was going through. His heart sank when he heard her reply.

''That is why it is so important that you stay away from other Pokémon,'' Cresselia replied. ''Why are you so selfish? Why do you want to hurt everyone?''

Darkrai felt his hands shaking and, in a moment of rage, fired a Dark Pulse at Cresselia. The latter took the brunt of the full blast, being knocked away. Darkrai didn't even bother to check on her and instead flew away. His vision was blurred and he found himself surrounded by that strange haze again. As the haze faded and his vision cleared, he realized that he was floating above a tiny lake, surrounded by a thick forest.

Confused, he looked around, his current self realizing that this was another memory, one that happened before his meeting with Cresselia. This was a memory of how he had ended up being stuck on Newmoon Island. He sighed as a wave of coldness washed over him, making him shiver.

Despite being the only being on the island, he could hear faint whispers, voices of other Pokémon. Even though he couldn't understand what they were saying, he knew well that they were talking about him. He knew that they feared him, mentioning his name only in hushed tones. No one wanted to be around him, as they feared his ability.

Why would anyone be close to a Pokémon who'd just give you nightmares? he thought bitterly.

His environment changed and he found himself hiding behind some bushes, observing timidly a few other Pokémon talking and enjoying their time together. He actually wanted to join them, but he remembered how things turned out last time when he did that. Instead of having a conversation, he was instead screamed at and shunned for something he had no control over.

''Stay away!''

''We don't want a Pokémon like you around!''

''You're a monster!''

Instead of approaching them, Darkrai retreated into the shadows. Finding himself once again back in the memory of Newmoon Island, he sat down on the soft grass, trying to process what just happened. He was hated, even called a monster just because of his ability and even those who didn't know what he was capable of doing would avoid him or be distrustful of him because of his appearance and general demeanor.

That's why I decided to stay here. Darkrai looked at his surroundings. I didn't want to hurt anyone, so I went into a self-imposed exile. He lowered his head. But, the loneliness caught up to me. I had no one I could interact with and eventually, I had enough of my isolation. I spent so many years alone and I just wanted to talk to someone, so I left.

That was when he went through the forest, unaware that he had been followed by Cresselia. Admittedly, it was stupid from him to assume that she wouldn't be around to keep an eye on him, especially during a full moon, when she was the most active. After their last interaction, Darkrai left, making sure that this time, Cresselia wouldn't follow him.

He wanted to live a life that wouldn't leave him confined and isolated the whole time. He wanted to explore the world, meet new Pokémon and gain new experiences. However, that could only be achieved by hiding in the shadows and accepting the fact that no matter what he does, no matter if he had any ill intent or not, he would still be hated for who he is. He would never have the opportunity to be surrounded by friends and loved ones, as there wasn't anyone who cared about him. Even Cresselia was just someone who acted more like a belligerent babysitter rather than actually trying to understand his situation and help him.

Darkrai clenched his fist, thinking bitterly, In the end, the constant solitude and seclusion drove me insane and I wanted everyone to share in my despair. If they would call me a monster, what would stop me from actually becoming one. To create a world I would be content with, a world of eternal darkness… That was the initial plan.

He suddenly got up as one last memory flooded his mind – that of the battle at the Dark Crater. He remembered how Cresselia attempted to stop him from distorting the world, being accompanied by a Chimchar and a Piplup. Despite losing the battle, he didn't engage with them unprepared, opening a Dimensional Hole in order to use it to cause more chaos. But something happened, something that caused him to lose his memories. He assumed that someone attacked the Dimensional Hole, which was the same method he used when he dealt with Piplup the first time they met.

However, unlike in the case of that little pest, my memories have returned.

Darkrai's icy blue eyes started to glow as he was surrounded by darkness once again. The darkness faded and he found himself in the forest again, this time awake. He gazed at the new moon.

Distorting time and space may have failed, but it doesn't matter anymore. No one knows that I'm still here, memories in-tact, so I should remain hidden until I fight the right opportunity to strike. The Master of Nightmares is still active and waiting.

Darkrai's eyes started to glow.

This time, no one will stop me.