Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon. I do however own Alex, and this characterization of a member of the Darkrai, Purugly, Kricketune, Ponyta, and Murkrow species. Also, this characterization of the other human in this chapter.

Chapter Thirteen:
Oneiroi

-o-O~OOO~O-o-

Purugly paused on the path ahead and turned around, reporting something to Darkrai in a frantic tone. Darkrai nodded and set Alex down, sinking into the shadows nearby. They had been traveling like this since yesterday, as her team seemed content to continue to care for their trainer by helping out with the chores of setting up and tearing down camp last night and this morning. And, of course, Darkrai had only left her side to wash out the dishes during that time, even spending the night with her in her tent again. And she'd had another dream.

She was sitting on Darkrai's 'lap' in a Pokémon stadium and it was feeding her popcorn and grooming her hair while they watched a match between a blue haired man in a maroon half cloak and a constantly changing line up of trainers. The blue haired man had a Darkrai on his side of the field while each trainer that came to oppose him sent out full teams of six that all fell one by one as the dark type merely stared them down with the same impassive gaze as the man. Then suddenly, a young boy with a Pikachu on his shoulder stepped up to the podium and yelled at the pair. The man and his Darkrai jumped in surprise as the Pikachu flew from the boy's shoulder and lit up the arena with a brilliant flash that blinded everyone.

Then she'd woken up to another legendarily bad fur day, and the dream had faded from the forefront of her mind as the realities of the waking world had taken over.

Now though, as Alex continued down the path with Darkrai watching from the shadows and the rest of her team hanging back, she kind of wished she had written it down, because the blue haired man from her dream was now loitering at the dark entrance to the Oreburgh Gate, directly in her path.

Gathering herself, Alex called out to the man. "Hey—are you lost?"

The man jumped in surprise and spun around, taking in the new arrival with wide, bright green eyes while his mouth dropped open slightly. He blinked a few times as Alex approached, closing his mouth and shaking his head as if to clear it.

"No, umm, I'm trying to get to Oreburgh—but I think the power's out in the Gate."

Alex frowned and looked into the darkened entrance. The Oreburgh Gate was a long, branching tunnel that continued the main path from Jubilife to Oreburgh, and was normally lit up by a string of flood lights along the most direct route between the two cities, but it seemed like the power was out for now.

"Don't you have a Pokémon with flash? Or a flashlight?" Alex asked, turning back to the man.

The man shifted uncomfortably. "Well, yes, I do, but…" he trailed off, sighing and looking away. "This is going to sound really stupid."

Alex raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"I get claustrophobic in the dark," the man mumbled to the ground, "I'm afraid my lantern will run out halfway there and I won't be able to change the batteries in the dark."

"Oh." Alex wasn't entirely sure what to say to that. The solution seemed simple: let the man tag along while Alex lit the way with Ponyta. They were both headed the same way after all, and the man wouldn't be a burden for very long—Alex guessed that it would only take a day or two to transverse the darkened tunnel with her glowing Pokémon. Under normal circumstances, she would help him—but with Darkrai hovering around in the shadows, she didn't want to take any chances.

"Well, I wish I could help you," Alex began, alighting on a good enough reason to give the man the slip, "but I don't like making a habit of traveling through the dark, miles away from help, with strange men I've only just met." The man glanced up to her, genuinely surprised. "Even in this day and age with a team of Pokémon, we women have to be careful."

The traveler gaped at her. "I'm not going to rape you!"

Though the man seemed rather offended at the mere idea of it, Alex crossed her arms and nodded sagely. "But you'd say that regardless, wouldn't you?"

The man looked taken aback by her paranoia. "Don't you have Pokémon to protect you?"

"Yeah," Alex glanced pointedly to the man's belt, where a full team of six sat in their balls, "but I have no idea what you have. They could be much stronger than mine."

The traveler dropped his gaze to his belt in surprise, as if he hadn't expected the Poké Balls to be there. "I guess you have a point," the man reluctantly conceded.

Alex let out an internal sigh of relief. "I'll try to make it through quickly and get someone working on the power so you can cross." With a sad nod, the man backed away from the entrance to the cave and gestured for her to enter. Alex turned back to the forested path and called to her team. "Okay you four, come on out."

Purugly, Kricketune, Ponyta and Murkrow emerged from the path and encircled their trainer protectively while the man looked on in interest.

"You let your Pokémon walk with you?" the traveler asked.

"I prefer it, actually," Alex stated defensively.

The man gazed at her with hurt in his eyes. "You could have just told me you'd rather spend time with your friends than a total stranger. I would have understood."

The female trainer felt a stab of guilt and sighed. "I'm not used to people understanding."

"Me neither," the man looked down at his belt and shook his head before glancing back up at her. "Can I at least get your name?"

Alex raised her eyebrows. "If you give me yours, first."

The traveler grinned. "Fair enough. Call me Toby."

"And you can call me Alex," the trainer answered after a moment. Toby… Why did that name sound familiar? "I'd better get going."

Toby nodded. "Hey—don't worry about me, I'll just mooch off the next traveler to come by. Or wait for the lights to come back on."

With a short wave and a half smile that wasn't forced, Alex turned to the cave and led her team into the darkness with Ponyta by her side, lighting the way.

OO OO OO OO OO OO
OO OO OO OO OO OO
OO OO OO OO OO OO

Alex woke in the darkness to a scream. It was the day after (as far as she could tell by glancing at her watch) they had entered the cave, and because of the enclosed space, they couldn't get the fire pit out for warmth or light (although Darkrai was very happy to keep her warm while she slept, having slipped into the cave through the shadows after them) and as Ponyta's flames died down while he was unconscious, it was pitch black in the tunnel.

Alex fumbled around her tent for a flashlight and was struck by the absence of one large, dark, fluff, warm Pokémon in particular. Finding the gadget, the trainer flicked it on and confirmed that Darkrai was not in the tent with her.

Another scream ripped through the tunnel as Alex unzipped the tent flap and rushed out, pausing for a moment to assess the direction of the sound (and slip on her shoes) before making her way down the path back to Jubilife.

After a few minutes and a few more gut-wrenching cries, Alex came upon a disturbing sight. Darkrai was floating over a squirming sleeping bag on the floor, which seemed to contain the source of the yells—Toby, who looked to be caught in the throws of a terrifying nightmare.

Alarmed at the actions her Pokémon was taking, Alex stepped up to Darkrai and put a hand on its shoulder. "What are you doing?"

Darkrai flinched from its task and turned to look at her with narrowed eyes. "Krai Darkrai rai, Krai."

He was following us. "So you attacked him?" Alex gaped at the legendary's dramatic behavior.

"Don't…" The trainer and her Pokémon jumped as Toby stirred, grimacing. "Blame it…"

"What?" Alex blinked as Darkrai vanished into the shadows.

The errant traveler paused in his attempt to unzip his sleeping bag to pant. "It was… just pro… protecting… its territory."

Alex backed off a pace and shined her light in Toby's eyes, barking out, "What are you talking about?"

Despite the circumstances, Toby grinned. "You."

Unsettled by the stranger's reaction to getting attacked by a legendary Pokémon in his sleep, Alex backtracked. "You were having a nightmare."

Toby nodded. "A very specific nightmare." Groaning, the traveler finally managed to slip out of his sleeping bag and stand up, digging an item cube out of his pocket to return the roll before turning back to Alex. "A kind of nightmare I recognize."

Alex narrowed her eyes. "Who are you?"

"Someone familiar with the species." Toby stretched, glancing down the tunnel they'd both come from much earlier with a look of unease. "We need to get moving."

"Um, no." Alex crossed her arms. "Not until you tell me who you are."

Toby scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Sorry, I kind of got into the habit of concealing my true identity." He dropped his hand and shrugged. "Ah well, I guess you'll find out soon enough anyway." Before the mysterious traveler could explain though, both of the humans' attentions were grabbed by the sound of footsteps echoing from back up the path towards Jubilife. A sly smile took over Toby's face as he dropped his gaze to the ground. "I was wondering when you guys would catch up."

Toby turned to face the two humans who stepped into Alex's flashlight beam. Though their outfits were different, the man and woman both wore predominantly white or very light colors and both had strange contraptions on their faces that involved a camera pointed towards their eyes and a tube running under their noses.

The duo frowned as they saw Toby. "Who the heck are you?" Asked the man.

Toby blinked. "You really don't recognize me?"

The woman shook her head. "It doesn't matter—we're here for her." She pointed at Alex.

Alex felt her hackles rise. "Hearsay."

"Hand over your Darkrai and no one has to get hurt," the duo demanded, brandishing Poké Balls.

Toby spread an arm protectively in front of Alex and looked back over his shoulder at her. "It's about to get really bright in here," he whispered, turning back to the Hearsay team. "You want a Darkrai?" he asked, pulling out two Poké Balls of his own and tossing them, "Then have mine! Darkrai, Latios! Bring the light!"

The Poké Balls exploded into light as Alex covered her eyes, nearly getting blinded anyway as an even brighter flare flashed, lighting up the room and causing the two Hearsay members to yelp in pain. The trainer blinked her eyes open slowly as the illumination faded to a dim glow. A large blue and grey bird floated between them and the Hearsay team, but Toby's supposed Darkrai was nowhere to be seen.

"To answer an earlier question," Toby's voice rang out while the spots faded from Alex's vision, "I am Tobias Oneiroi, Champion of the Valley and Legendary Guardian—" Tobias looked over his shoulder again and whispered, "Get ready to run," before continuing his dramatic announcement, "—and I'm here to deliver an unofficial request to cease and desist!"

"Tobias? Wait!" The male Hearsay member shook his head, trying to get his vision back. "Isn't he the guy who—"

"Doesn't matter!" the female shouted, tossing her ball, "Rush them!" A Primeape sprang out of the light from the ball and ran at them, howling and screeching.

Tobias smiled. "Latios, Giga Impact."

"Tios!" the blue bird acknowledged, flying straight at the Primeape while a ball of glowing orange energy encircled it. The sphere faded to purple a split second before the two Pokémon collided, sending the pig monkey flying back as Latios deflected upwards, aiming at the ceiling… which for some reason was encrusted with ice.

Tobias turned back to Alex and pushed her side, spinning her around. "Go, Now!"

Alex chose not to argue as she heard a resounding Crack! echo from the roof of the tunnel, followed by an ominous rumbling as the cave began to collapse behind them. As the trainer ran back in the direction of her camp, Darkrai appeared behind her and scooped her up, flying swiftly through the dark. Alex's breath caught in her throat as she glanced to the side and saw a similar scene involving Tobias, though the other Darkrai held him under his arms, pointing him parallel to their flight path rather than using the bridal carry that her Darkrai seemed to be fond of. Flying up between the two dark types was the same blue bird from earlier, easily keeping pace with the two human-ferrying legendaries.

The Darkrai holding Tobias glanced over to hers. Alex leaned forward to see her own Darkrai's reaction and noted it returning the stare with open curiosity. Eventually, the five of them reached Alex's camp where the rest of her team were already up and in the process of looking around for their missing leader. The two Darkrai set their humans down and moved off to the side, circling each other in an almost ritualistic manner while everyone else stopped what they were doing to watch.

"They're greeting each other," Tobias explained to the rest of the spellbound audience, "The circling behavior lets Darkrai 'taste' each others' essence from a safe distance before moving in for a friendlier greeting." Alex glanced to the other trainer in surprise as he continued, "Once they're comfortable, they'll circle closer and closer until they meet in the center, then, if they accept each other, they'll touch."

Alex frowned, watching the two legendaries 'greet'. "How do you know?"

"I've seen it before—and not just with another Darkrai." Tobias didn't take his eyes off the pair as he spoke, "I've seen mine circle things it's curious about—especially if that thing gives off some form of energy. I'm pretty sure it's an instinctual response to encountering an unfamiliar situation." The other trainer finally broke his gaze from the legendaries to glance at Alex. "I've had my Darkrai for almost three years, now. They have a lot of interesting behaviors that no one ever talks about in the legends."

The two trainers quieted down as Tobias's (Alex wasn't sure how she could tell the difference, but she could) Darkrai circled closer to hers. Her Darkrai responded by shying away, and the other Darkrai stopped moving closer, instead holding steady in its orbit. Alex's Darkrai broke the staring contest it held with its mirror to lock eyes with its trainer and send her a questioning look.

Alex could only shrug. "I don't know, either. But they helped us out with those goons, so they can't be all that bad."

Tobias turned to her in surprise as her Darkrai went back to staring at its double. "How long have you known your Darkrai?"

Alex thought for a moment. "About two weeks, why?"

The other trainer's eyes widened. "That's a very strong bond to have with a Darkrai after just two weeks."

Alex shrugged again. "I blame the Pokénip."

Tobias looked horrified. "You gave it Pokénip?"

"No, that was Purugly," Alex responded, watching her Darkrai slowly circle closer to the other, "And it was just once. I think." Alex frowned, suddenly unsure. "Hey Purugly? You just pulled that prank once, right?" The fat cat nodded absently, enthralled by the bizarre dance going on in front of them all. "Yeah," Alex confirmed, "just once."

Tobias glanced between her and her Pokémon. "You have a strong bond with all of your Pokémon, don't you?"

Alex nodded. "We're a—" team? The trainer frowned. That word didn't feel right after the last few days. A small smile crept onto her face as she finished, "—family."

One by one, each of her Pokémon cast surreptitious glances in her direction, but none of them seemed bothered by their new designation, quickly returning their attention to the two dark legendaries drawing closer to each other.

Finally, the two drew even and hovered in place a few feet away from each other. Tobias's Darkrai brought its talons up to 'waist' level and spread its claws apart. Alex's Darkrai shifted its gaze from its double's face, to its claws, to its own claws, and back to the other Darkrai's claws. Then, it slowly mirrored the other's stance, pressing their palms together and entwining their talons.

Suddenly, Alex's Darkrai's eyes went wide as its longer fur was tossed around as if caught in a gale while the other Darkrai watched, completely unperturbed by its fellow's alarm. After a few seconds of this, the wind died down and the other Darkrai let go, allowing Alex's to back away and dart to its trainer and hide in her shadow.

Tobias laughed as his Darkrai floated sedately back to him. "I'll wager a guess and say that yours hasn't met another of its kind before."

Alex glanced down at where her Darkrai had poked its head out of the ground. "I'm not sure, but I think you might be right about that."

Tobias grinned at his Darkrai, patting it on the shoulder. "Don't worry, it'll come around eventually."

"Darkrai, ark rai dark," his Darkrai replied, sounding a bit disappointed as it nodded and turned to the blue bird lighting up the tunnel.

"Tios tio, Latios," it told the dark type.

Alex turned around as she heard a clamor behind her. Her other four Pokémon had surrounded the spot on the ground where her Darkrai was hiding and seemed to be pelting questions at it. Eventually, Darkrai got tired of the pestering and emerged fully from the shadows, mumbling out a few lines to satisfy the others as it crossed its arms and looked pensive.

"Well," Tobias said, recapturing Alex's attention, "since it looks like we will be traveling together after all, how about we make some introductions?"

-o-O~OOO~O-o-

End chapter.

Enter Mr. Badass, stage right.
Seriously, though, I know my characterization of Tobias is a bit off from the anime—the reason for this is that it's been a very eventful three years for him, and certain things have happened that have caused him to look at the world a bit differently than before.

To my reviewer who wanted to know how Alex had a full team with four Pokémon—simply put, the last two slots were eggs. I'm not sure how it goes in the anime (as most of the time any of the characters have eggs, their parties aren't full), but in the games, eggs take up party slots.

Questions? Comments? …Concerns? Well, not even Darkrai can read your mind (not Alex's, at least), so if there's something you want to say, make sure to post a review to let me know. I welcome constructive criticism. I will never yell at you for stating your opinion—but please include a reason if you're going to flame.