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.

Chapter Twenty One:
New Moon

-o-O~OOO~O-o-

"Darkrai?" Alex called, wandering through the scraggly brush, "Purugly? Kricketune?" She came upon a rocky cliff edge that fell away into a churning sea of blackness. "Ponyta? Murkrow?" Alex retreated from the precipice as a wave crashed over the top, soaking her shoes in brine. "Poochy? Anyone?"

The trainer made her way back to the center of the island, casting her gaze about for her missing team. She'd woken up in the middle of the barren island she recognized as Darkrai's old home, New Moon, with only six empty Poké Balls in her possession. Four were plain, but two were different. One being a Moon Ball, while the other was a Nest Ball. Alex had a feeling that she needed to catch her team. But to do that, she'd have to find them first.

"Mama?"

Alex nearly tripped over a stray rock as she turned to face the tiny voice. Poochyena's little head was poking out from behind a boulder, watching her wearily. "Poochy?"

"Mama," the newborn said from its hiding spot, "I waited four years for you, Mama. Do you know why?"

Alex shoved down the sudden trepidation she felt at the question. "I wasn't ready, before." She smiled, kneeling down on the gritty terrain. "I am now."

"Are you gonna make me strong, Mama?" Poochyena took a step out from behind the rock.

Alex nodded. "If you can help me be strong, Poochy."

"Mama!" the young dark type cried, rushing to her and licking her outstretched hand. "I'll help you be strong, Mama."

Alex took out the Nest Ball. "Let's go find the others."

-o-O~OOO~O-o-

Alex didn't wake up.

Darkrai stared down at her as it came to, disengaging its fur after making sure it could support her prone form with its arms.

"Alex?" The legendary shook her.

Nothing.

Unease bubbled in Darkrai's chest as it bent down to listen to the trainer's heartbeat. She was alive… but in a deep sleep. Yet, the dark type's instincts were quiet.

Darkrai glanced around the clearing where they had landed last night. Or, rather, tonight. It was still quite dark, and the legendary felt that sunrise was a few hours off yet. It looked back down to Alex, and lifted her up. This was the first time in what felt like life times that Darkrai was truly alone, but it didn't matter.

There was, after all, only one mile to go.

-o-O~OOO~O-o-

Alex picked her way through the brush, coming upon another boulder strewn clearing on the island. Perched on a large flat rock in the middle was Purugly.

"So, I see you've managed to convince the little one to join your cause," the fat cat sniffed.

Alex grabbed the first Poké Ball on her line up. "Come on, Purugly—we need to get out of here."

The Tiger Cat Pokémon snorted, standing up on the rock and glaring down at the trainer. "What makes you think I want to go with you? You're weak, and I'm strong. Maybe I should be your master."

"I am not weak," Alex snarled.

"Really?" Purugly chuffed, "Then prove it." The fat cat leapt from her boulder and landed in front of the trainer. "Fight me!"

Alex took a step back. "I don't have any—" She cut herself off as she realized that, technically, she did. "He's just a baby!"

Purugly snorted. "Pokémon are born to fight. They can battle from the moment they hatch. You know this."

"I don't even know any of his moves…"

"Excuses, cub." The voice that came from Purugly's mouth then did not belong to the fat cat. "Never your fault, always something holding you back."

Alex sucked in a breath and took another step back as the possessed Tiger Cat sauntered forward.

"No more excuses, cub."

The trainer backed into a boulder.

"It's time to fight."

-o-O~OOO~O-o-

Darkrai lowered its shoulder and burst through the Pokémon Center doors, shielding the unconscious trainer in its grip from hitting her head on the thick glass as it barged into the lobby, startling the resident Nurse Joy and several other humans with their Pokémon.

Nurse Joy blinked as the legendary shot over to her in a panic. "Darkrai…?"

"Please, you have to help her—she won't wake up—he said Alamos, but he didn't say where and this is the only place I could think of—"

"You're not…" Joy's eyes widened. "You're a different one."

Darkrai growled in irritation, presenting its cargo to the nurse. "Help her."

Nurse Joy's gaze traveled over the two for a moment before quickly making her way from behind the counter. "Follow me, we have a room set up." Darkrai drifted after the nurse, pausing as she called over her shoulder, "Tonio!"

The legendary glanced around as a young male yelped and struggled to keep a hold on the strange device in his lap as he jumped. "Don't do—Darkrai?"

The dark type blinked as Joy shook her head. "Different one. Go get Alice and her friend."

"Another one?" Tonio stared at them stupidly for a second before springing into action. "Right! I'll, go, now. Bye!" He snapped his device shut and shoved it into his bag before dashing out the door.

Putting the strange behavior of the humans out of its mind, Darkrai turned and followed the nurse through a hallway into a small room with a bed.

"You can lay her down here," Joy gestured to the bed.

The legendary gingerly set its trainer down on the mattress as Nurse Joy bustled about the room, looking through drawers while cursing under her breath.

"Damn that man, I keep telling him to put it back when he's done with it—ah!" She pulled out a light green feather from one of the drawers and held it up. "This is a Lunar Wing. It has the power to awaken a sleeper from a Darkrai induced nightmare."

Everything inside Darkrai recoiled at the sight of the feather, and it was all it could do to keep itself from fleeing as the nurse showed it the pinion. "That thing can wake up Alex?" The legendary wasn't so sure it wanted that vile object anywhere near its trainer.

Joy must have seen the apprehension in Darkrai's eyes, for she moved quickly to reassure it. "Don't worry, it won't hurt her at all."

Reluctantly, the dark type gave its consent, nodding to the nurse. "If you're sure…"

Nurse Joy hummed, turning back to Alex's sleeping form and slowly lowering the feather to touch the trainer's head.

"Stop."

Darkrai jolted at the voice in its head as a hand shot out of the shadows and grasped Joy's wrist, pulling it back before the feather could make contact with the trainer. The legendary followed the restraining arm up to the very familiar form of another Darkrai. The other caught its eye, and the frantic dark type stilled, paralyzed by the gaze.

"Whelpling."

Darkrai tried to reply, but couldn't unstick its tongue from the roof of its mouth. The other's voice echoed in its head, leaving an impression of power that far exceeded anything it had ever come across—even the Darkrai that called Tobias its trainer.

The other Darkrai turned its gaze to Nurse Joy, who looked to be caught between annoyance and apprehension. "Leave us."

The nurse pursed her lips as the other let go of her wrist, apparently coming down on the side of irritation rather than fear. "Fine. But if she's not up and walking around by dawn, I'm coming back in here and using the wing."

The other simply watched her as she placed the Lunar Wing back into the drawer she had pulled it from and left, closing the door behind herself. It turned back to Darkrai once she had gone. "Whelpling," it said again, using its own tongue instead of telepathy, "Do you know what is happening?"

Darkrai forced itself to speak. "I've trapped Alex in a nightmare—I didn't mean to, it was an accident."

The other considered it without blinking, then turned to Alex. "Her soul is being judged."

"Judged?" Darkrai remembered hearing something similar from its sire.

The mysterious being placed a talon on the trainer's forehead. "She does not have long."

The words sent a javelin of ice straight through Darkrai's chest. "Sire said that there was something I could do to help—a technique—can you teach me it?"

The other looked at its lesser curiously. "Yes."

Darkrai hovered closer to the godly legend cautiously. "Please, I need to help her—I can't lose her."

The other turned to it fully. "I will teach you this."

The wave of relief that resulted from hearing that sentence halted abruptly as the other grabbed Darkrai's head in its talons. Darkrai froze in terror as a bolt of energy pushed itself into its mind, settling around the edges of its thoughts with a vague awareness that thoroughly disconcerted the younger dark type.

After a few seconds, the other let go. "I have given you what you need." It turned to leave.

Darkrai blinked at the others abruptness. "Wait, what do I do?"

The other glanced over its shoulder. "You will know." It paused again before leaving, and seemed to consider something. Then, it hovered over to the side of the room and opened the drawer containing the Lunar Wing, an empty drawer, and a drawer containing a towel. It then used the towel to move the feather to the empty drawer before putting the towel back. Then it closed all three drawers and turned back to Darkrai. "I will tell the human not to interfere. Come find me in the garden when you are finished."

Then it turned and locked the door from inside, dropped into the shadows and flowed out through the door crack, leaving Darkrai and Alex alone. The bemused legendary looked down to its talons. "I will know?" Taking a breath, Darkrai hovered over to Alex's side and placed a talon on its trainer's forehead, as it had seen the other do. There was a strange tug at the edge of its mind that seemed to originate from Alex's. Darkrai wasn't sure it wanted to trust its instincts anymore, but from what the other had said…

Taking a deep breath, Darkrai concentrated on the pulling sensation and followed it, disappearing from the room.

-o-O~OOO~O-o-

"Go, Poochyena!"

Darkrai's vision faded in, revealing a very unsettling scene. The newest member of the team stood between Purugly and Alex, who literally had her back to a wall, jaw clinched in determination. The legendary itself was mostly hidden in the shadow of a tree. It wanted more than anything to go to its trainer, but knew that it wouldn't be a good idea to distract her right now. Darkrai blinked. Where had that come from? It gave itself a mental head shake and decided, somewhat wearily, to bide its time and watch the battle unfold.

Purugly suddenly dashed forward.

"Sand Attack and dodge!" Alex commanded.

Just before the fat cat reached Poochyena, the little hyena pivoted on its front paws and kicked up some of the loose dust on the ground, blinding Purugly, before jumping out of the way of the charge, landing in front of a boulder facing Alex.

"You little—"

"Howl!" the trainer interrupted.

"Yen, aaA!" Poochyena howled, tossing its head back with a wild look in its eyes.

Purugly growled, turning her head to face the little dark type. "Hold still!" she demanded, charging again.

Poochyena calmly looked up to Alex, waiting for instruction.

The trainer silently jerked her thumb up and to the right.

Poochyena crouched down, and sprang out of Purugly's way again just as the fat cat was about to hit it.

Purugly ran head first into the boulder, cracking it down the middle. The Tiger Cat reeled backwards, face screwed up in pain.

"Tackle!"

Poochyena rammed Purugly's exposed flank with its shoulder, making her yowl.

Alex snatched one of the Poké Balls off of her belt as the fat cat continued to retreat backwards, eyes closed and head shaking, and tossed it. The ball whacked Purugly on the forehead and rebounded into the air, opening up and swallowing the Pokémon in a haze of red light.

The ball dropped to the ground and shook.

Once.

…

Twice.

…

Three times.

…

With a ding! the red light faded, signifying a successful capture.

Alex let out a breath and made her way over to the inert ball, sinking to her knees before it. "I think I see a pattern here," she said, picking it up, "and I don't like it." Poochyena waddled over to her, taking a seat and placing its head on her lap. "Hey Poochy," Alex smiled, scratching the dark type behind the ears. "You did great."

Poochyena wagged its tail. "You did too, Mama."

The trainer stroked her hand down its back. "You did better."

"No, you did," the little hyena countered playfully.

Alex giggled. "We'll just have to agree to disagree." She pulled out the Pokémon's Nest Ball. "Ready for a rest?" Poochyena nodded, and Alex returned it. The trainer sighed, looking between the two balls in her hands. "I'm gonna have to catch 'em all, aren't I?"

Darkrai wanted to go to her then, but something told it that this still wasn't the right time. It wasn't sure what it was waiting for, but it knew somehow that interrupting her would do more harm than good. So the legendary sat back and watched as its trainer rose to her feet, took a deep breath, and marched off down a path into the woods.

-o-O~OOO~O-o-

Alex wandered down the path between the cypress trees, drawn by some inextricable force that led her further from the clearing where she had just recaptured Purugly. She wondered briefly at this new sense of purpose that had suffused her being, but shoved away her hesitation. She could psychoanalyze herself after she got out of whatever bizarre scenario was playing out on the island.

Soon enough, she came upon another flat rock with one of her Pokémon perched on it, this one bearing Kricketune on the side of the path.

"Am I going to need to fight you too?" she asked the bug.

Kricketune blinked at her. "In a manner, yes."

"What do you mean?"

"Why do Pokémon let themselves be caught?" the bug asked suddenly.

Alex winced internally as she admitted, "To get stronger."

"Why do they need to get stronger?"

Alex frowned at the question. "To defend themselves."

"Why would they need to defend themselves if they have a trainer?"

Alex blinked. "What?"

Kricketune calmly reiterated, "Why would a Pokémon fight, if it had a trainer to defend it?"

The trainer stared at the Pokémon. "I don't know."

"Yes, you do." Kricketune returned her stare evenly. "It is the same reason you fight."

"I fight because I have to," Alex retorted.

The bug type blinked again. "Not all battles are on the field."

Alex waited for her to continue, but Kricketune remained silent. "I'm sorry, I don't…"

The Cricket Pokémon sighed. "Why do you not fight, then?"

"I… don't want you guys to get hurt." The words rang hollow even to Alex's ears.

Kricketune merely stared her down in silence, watching her crumble.

Finally, Alex let her gaze drop to the ground. "I don't want to fail."

"Fail who, Alex? Yourself?"

The trainer's gaze shot back up to the Pokémon. "No!"

"Then who?"

"You!" Alex squeezed her eyes shut, willing herself not to cry in shame in front of her Pokémon. "You guys put so much trust in me, and you expect so much… How could I possibly bear losing?"

"No one expects you to win every battle."

Even though she knew it was childish, Alex retorted dryly, cracking her eyes open to stare at the ground, "I'm nineteen years old with a full team of loyal Pokémon. I'm not allowed to lose to ten-year-olds."

"Not all failure results from a lack of success." Alex looked back up at Kricketune. "And not all success stems from a lack of failure."

Alex scowled. "Tobias hasn't lost a single battle," she paused as something tugged at her memory. Pushing it aside, she continued, "in ten frigg'n years. I'd call that successful."

"Tobias had a legendary by his side."

"So do I."

"One you will not use."

The trainer sighed, glancing off into the brush. "I couldn't ask it fight. Not after the life it's had."

Kricketune hummed. "Perhaps you should let it decide that."

"I'll ask next time I see it," Alex said flatly. "Oh." She realized something. "I'm gonna have to catch it again, aren't I?"

"One battle at a time, Alex."

Alex blinked. That was something Professor Rowan used to say to her. She replied, as she always did, "Yeah. I guess so."

Kricketune was silent for awhile, letting her trainer ruminate on her words before speaking again. "It is easy for those like us to fight for our loved ones. It is very difficult, however, to stand by and let them fight for us. But in the end, we are both fighting for the same thing."

And with that, Alex finally understood. "We fight for each other."

Kricketune nodded, hopping down from her rock. "I will fight for you, Alex, if you will fight for me."

Alex knelt down, pulling out the third ball on her belt. "I'll do my best."

"That is all I ask."

The trainer pushed a button on the Poké Ball, and Kricketune disappeared into the red light. Alex sighed. "Three down, three to go."

The trainer stood and continued on down the path. It wasn't long until she came to a rocky clearing, and another of her Pokémon stood upon a pillar of stone waiting to test her.

"So, you decided to show up."

Ponyta leapt down from his pedestal and trotted over to her, head held high in contempt. "Do you really think you're worthy of having my support? Of all your Pokémon, you've failed me the most."

Alex grimaced. "I know. And I swear, once we get out of here, I'll battle with you until you evolve."

Ponyta snorted. "Prove it."

"Ponyta…" Alex sucked in a breath, readying herself for the inevitable.

"Fight me!" the fire colt demanded, "Right here, right now. Prove that you're willing to do what it takes."

The trainer took a step back as the Pokémon cantered a ways away. She didn't think Purugly would have recovered yet, and Poochyena was probably still tired, so that left her most recent recapture. Alex gritted her teeth. It would be a major type disadvantage, but she'd made a promise to her Pokémon.

And she'd be damned if she didn't keep it.

"Go, Kricketune!"

Alex let the ball fly from her hand, catching it as it rebounded midair and deposited the bug type in front of her.

Not wasting any time, Ponyta immediately galloped full tilt at Kricketune, coating himself in flame and lowering his head.

"Double Team!"

Wreathed in flame, the fire colt crashed through the bug type just as her form duplicated itself in a circle around him. Neighing in frustration, Ponyta lashed out with his rear hooves, making contact with the Cricket Pokémon and sending her flying back.

"Keep using Double Team, Kricketune!" Alex encouraged as her Pokémon got up.

The bug type nodded in assent and began dashing around the boulder strewn field, using her wings to help change direction as she sough to confuse her opponent.

Ponyta waited before charging again, though, tensing his muscles and preparing to attack.

Alex recognized the Agility. Knowing what would come next, the trainer quickly issued another command. "Hone Claws!"

The shink-shink! of blades being sharpened echoed through the clearing as Kricketune obeyed, managing to maintain her evasiveness even as she readied herself to strike.

Ponyta tensed further.

"Keep going, Kricky!" The trainer made eye contact with her Pokémon, indicating one of the boulders with a glance.

The fire colt's nostrils flared.

"Now!" Alex commanded as Ponyta tore forth, aiming at one of Kricketune's doubles, "Fury Cutter!"

All at once, every single one of the bug clones closed on the fire type, glowing forelimbs raised to strike in succession.

Ponyta kept his course, going straight through one of the clones and continuing forward.

The real Kricketune sprang from behind a boulder right next to where Ponyta had ended up and struck just as the flames of his attack died, nailing him in the ribs with blow after blow from her deceptively strong limbs.

Ponyta whickered in pain, dancing to the side to get away from the critical hit.

"Lean back!" Alex yelled just before the fire colt pivoted and lashed out with his back legs.

Kricketune reeled backwards as Ponyta's razor sharp hooves flew over her face, missing it by centimeters. Taking advantage of the moment, the bug type struck at the fire colt's unprotected belly, earning another pained neigh as she fell flat on her back.

"Roll!"

Kricketune flicked a wing against the ground and tumbled out of the way of Ponyta as his rear legs crashed to the ground, followed swiftly by the rest of him.

Alex snatched the fourth ball from her belt and threw it at the battered Pokémon panting on the ground. Ponyta could only flinch as the Poké Ball smacked him on his neck and bounced off, absorbing him in a flash of red light.

The ball fell to the ground and shook.

Once.

…

Twice.

…

Three times.

…

And ding!ed with a successful capture.

Alex let out a breath and made her way over to the Poké Ball, kneeling down to pick it up as she addressed Kricketune. "Are you okay? Ponyta kicked you pretty hard."

"I am fine," the bug resolutely replied from her position on the ground.

"Still," Alex plucked Kricketune's ball from her belt, "take a rest. You deserve it."

The Cricket Pokémon offered only a nod as she disappeared into her ball.

Alone again, Alex reattached the Poké Balls to her belt and collapsed onto her knees, holding her trembling hands out in front of her and examining them. "That was so close… How the hell am I going to catch Darkrai?"

"Are you giving up?"

The trainer jerked her head up to the source of the scratchy voice and found Murkrow perched on top of a boulder, staring down at her kneeling form.

" 'Cause it kinda looks like you're giving up."

Alex scowled. "I'm not giving up. I'm just taking a rest."

The little bird hopped down from the boulder and landed on Alex's lap. "Good, 'cause I promised Boss I'd listen to you, and I want to fight."

The trainer blinked. " 'Boss'? Do you mean Darkrai?" Something again tugged at her psyche.

"Boss!" Murkrow cawed in affirmation.

"Huh." Alex pushed aside the strange feeling and regarded the tiny dark type on her lap. "What moves do you know?" She'd rather not fight with either of the babies, but it did seem to be the theme of the day, and if the pattern followed, she'd be facing off against Darkrai with Murkrow. And she'd really rather not be left guessing as to what moves her Pokémon knew again.

Murkrow fluttered from her lap over to an empty space. "I can do this," the little bird shot glowing feathers from her wings, "and this," her beak glowed and she jabbed it at the air, "and this," she leapt to one side with a flap of her wings and disappeared, reappearing in the other direction and striking at her imaginary foe. "Boss taught me that one!" she chirped, coming to a rest next to Alex. "I also steal shinys!"

Alex hummed. "So that's Feather Dance, Peck, Feint Attack, and… Thief?" The trainer stared at the crow. "Where'd you learn that one?"

"Mightyena!" Murkrow cawed.

Alex smiled faintly. "Of course you did."

"Are you gonna catch me now?" the dark type squawked.

The trainer took a breath. "Is… Boss going to appear immediately?"

"I dunno," Murkrow huffed, "Boss does what Boss does."

Alex held her hand out. The trembling had mostly stopped, but she knew it'd be back soon enough. She sighed, dropping her hand. "I guess there's no point in delaying it." Taking out the fifth ball in her lineup, she aimed it at Murkrow and pushed the button, catching her without a fuss.

Alex took her time getting up, knowing deep down that she wouldn't be able to talk Darkrai into submitting—even if that was, essentially, how the legendary came to be on her team in the first place. She half wished Mightyena was there so he could tell her what he'd originally said to the king of nightmares to convince it that being caught by the weakest trainer in Sinnoh was a such a great idea.

"You're not weak."

Alex jumped out of her skin and spun around to face Darkrai. "Wh-what? How'd…"

The legendary cocked its head. "You were muttering."

"Oh." Alex blushed at being called out. Then frowned. "You're talking."

"You're listening," Darkrai retorted.

The trainer shook her head. "No, I mean, I can… understand… you…" She blinked, memories of previous nights coming back to her. "I'm having a nightmare, aren't I?"

Darkrai flinched. "…Yes."

"Hey," Alex frowned at it, "it's not your fault."

The legendary looked down to its claws. "But it is. I've been giving you nightmares…" It clinched its talons into fists. "I've been hurting you… and I think… No, I know I'm going to do it again."

"What do you mean?" Alex asked.

Darkrai looked back up at her. "I met someone, after you fell asleep, who… gave me knowledge."

" 'Gave you knowledge'?"

"I can't explain it. I just know what needs to happen next." Darkrai paused. "I think we have some time, first."

"Time?" Alex repeated.

"To talk." The trainer got the sense that Darkrai was smiling, just slightly. "I have so much to tell you… I hardly know where to start."

Alex looked down to her belt. "Are they…?"

The legendary shook its head. "No. I think they're constructed from both our memories of them… and your fears. But…" Darkrai paused again, appearing to think. "That doesn't mean you shouldn't treat them as if they weren't real. It's very important that you act like your Pokémon are really here with you."

Alex smiled somewhat bitterly, recalling her conversations and battles with them. "It's good to know they don't really feel that way."

Darkrai gave her a concerned look, hovering closer. "Remember, they're made from my memories, too. Most of the things they've said are things they've told me, things they actually feel… Though all of them left out one very important detail."

Alex frowned again. "What's that?"

Ducking down, Darkrai scooped its trainer up into a hug. "That you're the most amazing being I've ever met, and we, all of us, love you, and are proud to have you as our trainer."

Squeaking in surprise, Alex tried to protest the praise. "I—"

"Shut up, it's true," Darkrai quipped matter-of-factly, pulling back after a moment to gaze at her. "You're incredible."

Alex snickered at the patronizing look on the legendary's face. "If you insist." She grinned, happy to put off the inevitable for just a few minutes. "I'm glad you're here." Her smile faded as Darkrai glanced away. "What?"

"Alex…" the dark type began, shifting its hold on her to set her down, "Do you know what needs to happen next?"

The trainer sighed, nodding. "I need to catch you. For real, this time." If only, somewhat ironically, in a dream.

Darkrai stared down at its claws again. "Not just that…" It glanced to her still bandaged wrist and flinched. "Do you remember what happened when we first met? How I was?"

Alex rubbed her wrist. "Yeah. You looked like you were about to kill me." She offered a tentative smile. "Good thing I was wrong, huh?"

Darkrai was silent.

"Darkrai?"

The legendary refused to meet her eyes. "You weren't wrong."

Alex blinked. "What?"

Darkrai took a shuddering breath. "I had been fighting for so long… I was desperate for something to change… I thought the only way to make it stop…" It clenched its claws, finally looking back up to her. "Alex, that night… If not for Mightyena…" It shook its head. "I would have killed you."

The trainer felt a chill down her spine as a million and one 'what if?' scenarios flew through her mind. What if she'd retired Mightyena before going to the island? What if Mightyena hadn't gone against her wishes and popped out? What if she'd chosen to wait till the next night to go to the island? What if that little kid had gone there before her, all alone?

"Alex?"

Darkrai's concerned tone brought her out of her morbid musings. "What did Mightyena say to you?" she asked suddenly.

"What?"

"On the island, when we… met," Alex clarified, "What did he say to you?"

The dark type paused, mood slowly turning thoughtful. "He called me a coward."

"He…" Alex gaped.

Darkrai nodded. "He called me a coward for hurting you. He said that real Pokémon don't need to attack trainers—they get their point across by battling their Pokémon."

"What'd you say to that?" the trainer wondered, somewhat gobsmacked by the audacity of her old friend.

"I told him that I'd been 'battling their Pokémon' for as long as I had been on the island, nearly a thousand days, and I had yet to get my point across to them. He asked me if I thought that hurting you would get my point across better. I said, 'Something had to.'

" 'The only point you make by hurting people is that you're wild, and dangerous. Humans frown on that. They'll send a ranger to remove you, and if that fails, a champion to defeat you.'

" 'I just want to be left alone.'

"He snorted. 'That will never happen. You're too desirable.'

" 'I will never let myself be caught.'

"He glared at me then. 'Why? Do you think you're better than me?'

"I glared back. 'I could kill you with a single swipe of my claws.'

"He… laughed. That old dog had the gall to laugh at me. 'You might break my body and cause my soul to flee, but you will never be better than me.'

" 'Why is that?'

" 'Because you are alone—something I will never be. One day, you'll question why you keep fighting, why you're even alive if that's all life holds for you. I will never ask that question.' He looked over his shoulder at you, and said, 'Because I already know the answer.' I had no response to that."

Alex teared up, thinking of all the times that Mightyena had fought for her with his body and his words, finally, finally knowing what he had been saying all those years—if only a little. "So… what happened then?"

She felt Darkrai smile again. "Then you threw the ball." It paused. "I felt you, felt your concern, your sorrow, your panic… I could feel what you felt towards me, and it wasn't greed, like so many others felt…" The legendary paused again, huffing out a single dry laugh. "Though I doubt you knew it at the time, you empathized with me."

Alex blinked.

"For though I had defeated every single trainer that had challenged me, I never truly won." Darkrai tugged her close again, leaning its head down to brush against her shoulder as its body tensed. "I have to fight you now, Alex, and I can't hold back—not if we want to get you out of here." The nightmare king's voice dropped down to a whisper, almost childlike in its tone. "But I don't think I can." After a moment, Darkrai leaned back and stared beseechingly into her eyes. "I don't want to hurt you again."

"I don't want to fight you, either." She smiled sadly, steeling her resolve as Darkrai let her go. "But if that's what we have to do…" She looked down at the hidden scars on her arm, then, holding her wounded limb between her and Darkrai, took the bandages off. "Then maybe it's time we both face our demons." Taking a deep breath, the trainer locked eyes with the Pokémon.

"Darkrai, I challenge you to a battle."

-o-O~OOO~O-o-

End chapter.

Sorry about the cliffhangers, but, well. Tension. You know?

As to the story Alex was telling last chapter, that was based on the plot of the second Poképark game. It's… interesting.

Also, this is the last prewritten chapter I have, so if I don't update next week (which will be Christmas day, mind you) (and a full moon, at that!), just know that I'm not writing because I'm spending time with family.

Questions? Comments? …Concerns? Well, not even Darkrai can read your mind (but it can mess with it), 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.