Pokemon Mystery Dungeon
Shadows of Ganderosa
Chapter 47
A Shadow of a Doubt
As the final bolt of lightning was thrown, the litleo fell to the floor, barely conscious enough to cradle his wounds from the fight. The scuffling sounds of the desert town around them contrasted the held breaths within the sandy alley-way.
Dillan stood there, cautiously eyeing the three guildmembers before him. He panted whilst supporting his left arm which now had a light burn across the front. The gabite couldn't take his eyes off of the enemies, even while they lied before them in a disheveled manner.
"Dang it…" the litleo cursed as he managed to plant one foot below him.
"Don't try it," Valery advised triumphantly as she crossed her arms whilst wearing a smug face of proudness. "You've already lost. You should just stay down and accept that you're just not strong enough to fight Valery G."
"If we're done here," Ryan said.
He walked towards the litleo – who snapped his fangs at the pachirisu - before he whacked the litleo swiftly with the blunt side of his hand. The litleo's eyes curled up inside of its head and passed out. Ryan then walked passed the rest of the unconscious guildmembers towards the end of the alley-way. He turned slightly to face the gabite through the corner of his eye.
"We should get out of the town while there's still light," the pachirisu stated.
"Wait a minute," Valery said slowly. "What about Trinity?"
"What about her?" Ryan said with a shrug. "She said she didn't want any part in what we're doing."
"She's just saying that," Valery argued, huffing at the pachirisu.
"It's fine," Dillan said as he walked towards Valery. "We'll go to the edge of town and wait there. If she doesn't join us by sundown, then we'll leave without her."
"Y… You're kidding, right?" Ryan asked, this time facing Dillan completely.
"Do you think she'll come by then?" Dillan asked the mienfoo.
Valery looked to Dillan with a blank look on her face before her eyes began to well up. She nodded quickly before whipping away the tears. "Y-yeah," she said.
"Then that's what we're doing," Dillan said.
"This is crazy!" Ryan argued. "She's made it clear that she doesn't want to come with us! Waiting for her is wasting time!"
"We have time," Dillan said. "The Enemy is after the Sapphire Star." The gabite tapped the crystal around his neck. "As long as we have it, then they can't do anything but look for us."
"Plus, we need her," Valery said as she straightened her back. "Trin is one of the strongest pokemon I know!"
Ryan looked at Dillan for a few seconds with a muddled look before he shook his head and walked towards the end of the alley-way. "Fine." He stopped at the end and stood motionlessly as if waiting.
"Alright," Dillan said as he nodded, walking towards the end of the alley.
The group of pokemon made a quick pace from the alley-way through the streets. As they walked, Dillan seemed to feel the nervousness radiate off of him like the heat-waves on the stones beneath their feet. He tried his best to look inconspicuous – natural – but it was hard when you had bruises and marks across your body and a fresh burn on your arm. He would have wrapped it up in something, but they didn't have the supplies.
Ryan seemed to be back to his cold-self, not really talking with anyone or meeting their eyes. His brow was tightened as he seemed to be thinking. Dillan assumed it was about the mission, though he couldn't be certain. Maybe he was just worried, the same as he was.
Valery walked on with a sort of childishness about her. She didn't seem as nervous as Dillan or as cold as Ryan. Instead, she wore a cheerful smile. It was as though she was completely ignorant to the chaos they were in the middle of. And even after Fitz left the group – left her – she acted as though she knew the hakamo-o would not be gone forever. It made Dillan wonder what drove her to remain so cheerful: what made it possible for her to keep her innocent mind-set in a world that seemed to force most to grow up instantly for survival's sake.
Then he began to wonder once more about the reason for Ryan to have come. Dillan may have been on the verge of believing Ryan was done with Giratina. He was ready to believe the pachirisu cared. But still…
The lies and secrets buried his mind in doubts. He could look at Ryan and feel he was a friend, but he could also feel worry and a fear of betrayal. He wished the pachirisu would give him something to work with: something to show a trust between them.
As Dillan continued to wonder about his group and its members, he realized it seemed to take away some of his nervousness on the mission ahead. It also made the walk much more bearable. Pretty soon, they were met with parting buildings, allowing the three to look upon the vast expanse of the desert. Cacti shot up from the desert's ever rising and falling landscape. The sun was towards their left, casting shadows across the sands. It would be a few hours before the sun fell behind the town and out of sight, and a few more before the sky turned dark.
"Alright," Ryan said as he sat on the sand, leaning against the back of a house. "You wanted to wait, so that's what we'll do."
"Ryan," Dillan said. "Why are you here?"
"Because I wanted to help," Ryan said simply.
"That's not the only reason, is it?" the gabite asked.
As Valery took a spot on the ground near Dillan's feet, she watched the two of them with curiosity. A gust of wind blew through Ryan's dirty fur and against Dillan's burn. Ge winced, but did nothing to take his eyes off of Ryan. The pachirisu looked between Dillan and Valery before smirking and shaking his head.
"What makes you think I'm here for any reason other than to help?" Ryan asked.
"I think…" Dillan began slowly, sitting down in the sand himself. "I think if you really cared about me to only be here to help… you wouldn't have left Hazel and me in the first place."
The pachirisu continued to look on a the gabite with a small smile. "There's no other reason."
"He's not stupid," Valery spat. "And neither am I or Fitz. We all know you're here to take the Sapphire Star."
"If Dillan believed that, I wouldn't be here, would I?" Ryan questioned.
"I'm not sure what to believe…" Dillan admitted, looking towards the ground. "You won't tell me anything, Ryan."
"But if I really wanted to take the Sapphire Star, would I have let you out of Judah's dungeon?"
"If it was a trick," Valery offered. "If you only did that to get close to Dillan."
Ryan rolled his eyes at the mienfoo. "Who is she again?"
"She saved me in the Alkan Islands during a snow storm," Dillan said.
"A White Hole," Valery corrected.
"None of it matters," Dillan said, a bit annoyed with the tangent. "I just want an answer, Ryan. Why are you here?"
"I told you," Ryan said.
"Well, I don't believe it," Dillan said coldly. "I'm sorry, but I can't wrap my head around what you're saying."
"What does it matter?" Ryan asked harshly. "If I'm being honest, I'm not sure what you guys want from me."
"The truth," Dillan said. "I want the truth. I want to trust you – I really do – but I don't see how I can do that if you won't at least try to help me understand what you're doing here. Because I honestly don't believe you came here solely to help. It just… doesn't add up to me."
"What if I'm not ready to tell you?" Ryan asked through gritted teeth. "What if you're not ready to hear?"
"Then…" Dillan said, struggling to find something to say to get him to understand or, at the very least, talk to him. "Then… Then you… Then I can't…"
"You can't 'what', Dillan?" Ryan shouted. "You can't 'what'? Just tell me what you can't do?"
"Then I can't trust you: not… to be on a team with me, or to be on this mission with us."
There. He said it. He said the one thing that had been on his mind since the moment Ryan had made his choice to betray them, then come back without explanation.
Silence followed. Valery held her breath at the tension in Dillan's voice while Ryan just scowled at Dillan. It all made the gabite's heart beat in his chest.
He didn't want to continue like this. Causing conflict wasn't him. He would rather skirt by without fighting with the people he cared about. But now that it was out, it was clear that avoiding the topic was impossible to begin with. This was bound to happen.
"It's just…" Dillan began, trying desperately to keep his nerves in check. "I… don't think I can trust you to have my back in a fight… And if it came down to trusting you to save me…"
Ryan stopped looking at Dillan, scanning almost everything but. His face seemed to morph an intense stare. "I did save you," he stated.
"I want to believe that…" Dillan admitted. He took a deep breath, his heart beating his ribs as he knew his next words would sting. "At the very least, I need you to tell me why you came… or I can't trust you to come with us…"
Ryan stood up, placing his paw under his chin in deep thought. He stayed like this for a long time before saying, "Give me some time to think about it…"
"How much time?" Valery questioned.
"As long as it takes," Ryan snapped at the mienfoo.
Valery scowled at Ryan before sticking her tongue out and humming. Otherwise, she remained silent.
"Until Fitz gets here, or until sundown," Dillan stated. "That's when we're leaving."
Ryan smiled coldly before nodding. Seeing the pachirisu's reaction sent his heart spiraling downwards further than before. He felt ashamed.
"Alright…" Ryan said as he stood up, slouching from Dillan's words. He turned from the two pokemon and began walking into town. Dillan felt very confused. He was about to ask Ryan where he was going before the pachirisu spoke up, saying, "If I'm not back by the time you have to go, then leave without me."
Dillan watched as Ryan walked into the town behind them and out of sight. The last thing he saw was the pachirisu's hunched shoulders as a single drop of water drenched some sand below.
A few hours went by since Ryan had left the group. Since then, there had been no sign of the pachirisu or Fitz.
In those hours, Valery had taken to try multiple games for entertainment such as tic-tac-toe in the sand, skipping around Dillan as she hummed a catchy tune, or making impressions in the sand with whatever was available: whether that be a few pieces of trash from the town or her paws. As of now, she was counting what few clouds were passing overhead with a droning expression plastered to her face.
Dillan had taken to his usual place to be occupied: his thoughts. He began contemplating multiple things about his situation. For instance: Why were Dialga and Palkia afraid of the Sapphire Star when they first met? Why were they not doing more to help the world around them? Why leave this task to a human? Who was Giratina? Why was he trying to achieve world peace?
It seemed to the gabite that the more he thought, the more unanswered questions he had. He then recalled what Lily had said to him:
"Just ask me anything and I will probably have the answer."
Dillan pondered those words. She did seem pretty knowledgeable. The lycanroc may have the answers to his questions.
"Alright," Dillan said as he took a deep breath, eyeing the crystal below.
"Alright 'what'?" Valery questioned hopefully.
"I'm going to talk with Lily," Dillan explained.
"Oh…" Valery said as though Dillan had just let her down.
"What?" Dillan asked.
"Nothing," Valery shrugged as she went back to her cloud counting. "Just thought you'd have something a little more interesting in mind is all."
Dillan looked at her for a second, taking a bit of offense in her words before shaking his head. "So, I just need to tap this a few times… right?" he asked himself.
He looked down at the crystal, hovering his claw before it for a few seconds. Dillan had to admit: he was a bit hesitant. What would happen the moment he touched the crystal? Would he pass out? Would it be like a dream? Or would it feel more real than that? Would it hurt?
I doubt Valery would have any answers to those questions… Guess there's only one way to find out, huh?
Dillan tapped the crystal around his neck twice, then winced. He waited for his mind to explode or something: maybe turn off like a switch had been thrown. But nothing happened.
"You have to concentrate," Valery said as she giggled at Dillan. "That's what Lily told you."
"Right…" Dillan said, the back of his neck growing a bit hotter from embarrassment. He looked back down to the crystal before tapping it twice. He then closed his eyes and formed words he could focus on. Take me to see Lily…
Within seconds, there was a feeling as though something was pressing against the back of Dillan's mind. Soon after, a set of three quick knocks on his brain echoed through his head before the world around him grew dark. In a split second, Dillan felt as though the world had been pulled out from underneath him, forcing him to fall forwards, spinning uncontrollably. His eyes shut themselves as an all-consuming darkness overtook him. The sounds of the desert wind and shifting sands ceased in almost an instant. Then, the gabite opened his eyes.
It was almost as if he had blinked away the surroundings of Kerroshia, replacing the world with a white-walled room accompanied by black-and-grey, marbled floors and a blank ceiling. In front of the gabite was a long wall plastered in paintings: each one with a gabite surrounded by various, familiar scenes.
The right wall was filled with paintings as well: most being blurred beyond recognition, yet a couple being barely distinguishable. The first one he could make out was of a hallway with machines being carted around a grief-stricken gabite. The second was of a beach which rested behind a teal light that seemed to shine radiance across the entirety of the picture.
The left wall was covered in blank canvases. Each one seemed to sing with possibilities of colors or images that would soon be created. Every painting in the room seemed bordered with a smooth, golden frame.
There was one more item of interest in the room: a crimson form standing in the middle of the room, looking between the pictures along the front wall.
"The mind is a fascinating place," Lily noted, tracing the picture before her with her claw. The one in question was one of a horde of ghosts seemingly surrounding the gabite on all sides. "Yours, to be specific, seems to have created a place where you can gather all of your memories in one place." She nodded slowly before continuing. "Maybe it decided to create this room to remind you of hardships and achievements. It may be a way to remind you of your memories in an attempt at subconsciously combatting what forced you to lose your memories in the first place."
"It's been a while since I've been here," Dillan admitted, unable to recall the exact circumstances of the last time he had dreamed of this place. "I think Reya was here last time… and Jake… or… Giratina, I guess."
"Do you remember what this place is?" Lily questioned.
"It's my mind," Dillan said. "Those paintings are my memories… but…" His voice trailed off at the end.
Lily turned quickly to face Dillan before smiling. "But this room isn't why you've come, is it?"
"No… it isn't," Dillan admitted. "I have some questions for you."
"I know," Lily stated. "You wish to learn about Giratina, no?" she asked, gesturing to a picture further towards the right. It was one of a sky filled with smoke, only being pierced by deep, glowing, red eyes.
"I want to know about a lot more than that," Dillan said. "Like… why is a human here?"
"To save Ganderosa," Lily said simply.
"That's not what I meant…" Dillan said slowly.
"Why you specifically, then?" Lily asked. "Or do you mean, why a human and not a pokemon?"
"I guess the second one," Dillan said, knowing full-well why they picked him. He had to admit: it still made him a little mad that Grace's death was why he was chosen specifically. But that was another talk for another time.
Lily walked towards a blank canvas along the left wall. "It has to do with he crystal around your neck."
Dillan's claw instinctually went to the Sapphire Star, yet it wasn't there. Instead, there was only his purple bandanna with the white sun. It immediately sent him into a miniature panic attack. As his eyes tore across the ground of the room in a frantic search, Lily snapped her claws together, pulling his attention towards her.
"It's safe," Lily said, smiling at the gabite. "You're not in the actual world, remember?"
"Then it's not here?" Dillan asked.
Lily shook her head, still smiling at Dillan. The gabite felt a bit of relief come to him. He began breathing slowly, trying to force his heart into calmness.
The lycanroc reached out towards the canvas before her, stopping about an inch from the surface. "Let me show you something about the Sapphire Star I've been meaning to for a while now."
"What is it?" Dillan asked.
"Truth."
With that final word, Lily touched the blank sheet with the tip of her claw. Almost instantly, the walls of the room seemed to break away from the two. Dillan watched as darkness engulfed everything around them. Within the darkness, Dillan noticed sparks of red light arching off of what he could only assume were black clouds that surrounded them on all sides. Dillan listened to the sparking clouds whilst watching them in wonder at the lack of familiarity. Wasn't this his mind? Should he not recognize anything and everything in it?
"Where are we?" Dillan asked in wonder. He walked forwards towards the clouds to give them a closer inspection when he noticed that the cold feeling of smooth marble was missing from the soles of his feet. Instead, there was a roughness accompanied by the crunches of dead grass. Dillan looked downwards to witness what was below him but saw nothing.
"This is the world Giratina created," Lily said grimly.
Dillan immediately looked towards Lily with shock. "The second world?" he asked.
"My ancestors who previously inhabited the Sapphire Star referred to this place as Alterum. You're welcome to do so, as well."
"And the clouds?" Dillan asked, turning his attention back to the sparking objects. "What are they?"
"That is Shadow Matter had it been given a physical form." Lily reached out and grabbed a bit of the cloud. Dillan watched as she held it in her palm like a pile of jelly. The miniature cloud began to spark wildly, sending red jolts into the air and up Lily's arm. "This is what resides in your friend Hazel."
Just then, the cloud began contorting and sparking more sporadically within Lily's paw. To Dillan's horror, it stretched over her paw, covering it entirely.
"Lily!" Dillan shouted in wide-eyed shock.
"This is what it does," Lily said with a sickened tone whilst allowing the cloud to squelch its way up her arm before stretching across her chest. "It surrounds you – covers you like a parasite." As the blob-like-smoke covered her chest, it wrapped itself around her other limbs. Pretty soon, the entirety of Lily Raksha was covered in black, red-sparking smoke. Her red eyes glinted through the smoke.
Dillan took a step back from the lycanroc and her intimidating gaze. He looked up and down her body with absolute horror. Is… Is this what Hazel's been going through…? Is this why she's so terrified?
"The entirety of Alterum – the second world – is enveloped in Shadow Matter." Lily reached towards Dillan with a paw. Her claws extended in an instant into what appeared to be blades of red lightning. "It enhances natural abilities, stats, physical strength, and, in rare cases, a pokemon's attacks. If used in the correct doses, it could be considered a gift to enhance a pokemon. If not…"
Lily looked towards the sky and shook her entire body. Her fur waved through the air with each twist. The smoke broke away from Lily, flying in lumps every-which-way back to the corners of the circle. Dillan watched as a clump began sailing towards his own face. He brought his fins up in a defensive stance, but the smoke seemed to pass through his own body and back towards the bigger, encircling mass. There, in place of the smoke and lycanroc, was a shadowy figure with deep, red eyes, long, white claws, and razor-like fangs.
"You know as well as I that it turns you feral," Lily stated. Her voice was much more growly than usual.
"How does… that have to do with Giratina's motive?" Dillan asked cautiously.
Lily stared at Dillan for a few seconds before walking towards him. With each step, the gabite felt like retreating, although those feelings quickly left him when he realized that the lycanroc was turning back to normal with each inch that was closed between them. "I can't say," Lily stated, looking and sounding normal once more.
"Why not?" Dillan questioned.
"Dialga and Palkia," Lily said. "For now, they wish to keep that a secret."
"Don't you think I should know?" Dillan asked.
"What information you are entitled to is not my priority. The only thing I am allowed to teach you as of now is why you are here and not anyone else.
"The Sapphire Star and Amber Amulet are pieces of bigger crystals which are imbedded in Dialga and Palkia's bodies. You also know Giratina used them to create Alterum."
"Okay," Dillan began. "So?"
"In doing so," Lily started, "Giratina managed to make an unstable world filled with Shadow Matter. And since Shadow Matter is always trying to consume everything in contact with it, it tried to consume the Sapphire Star and Amber Amulet.
"But instead of consuming and altering them as Shadow Matter normally does with what it comes into contact with, it somehow bonded with the two crystals. It hasn't changed a thing about them, but it has made them extremely dangerous for any normal pokemon to use."
"It bonded with the Shadow Matter?" Dillan repeated.
"See for yourself," Lily stated as she held her paw out in front of Dillan. In a flash of blinding, blue light, Dillan winced. He watched as the light died, revealing the Sapphire Star which balanced on its tip in Lily's palm: but it was strangely different.
Dillan observed the four-cornered star with a disturbed look. He watched as red sparks within the smooth, crystalline walls of the Sapphire were flaring wildly around a black cloud.
"Shadow Matter is… inside of it?" Dillan asked slowly, feeling as though his chest were growing heavier with every breath. "I've been carrying Shadow Matter on my chest?"
"Yes," Lily said. "And anyone who carries it comes into contact with a low concentration of Shadow Matter." Lily reached out and grasped Dillan's right arm with her spare hand whilst smiling reassuringly. "It isn't enough to hurt anyone while shielded."
"So, it won't hurt anyone," Dillan said.
"Not necessarily," Lily said calmly.
Dillan stared at the lycanroc, his nervousness increasing with every word she spoke about this new secret of an object he thought was something from a fairy tale. Now it was looking like an object from a nightmare.
"How does that work…?" Dillan asked, unsure he truly wanted to know. He was starting to worry whether he was being exposed to Shadow Matter while wearing the crystal. "Will it make me feral?"
"No," Lily said. "You're a different case, though I'll get to that later.
"As I was saying before, the Sapphire Star has become bonded with Shadow Matter. As of now, most of it remains trapped within the crystal. A small amount does escape, though it's not enough to drastically change a pokemon. Although, if exposed to the Shadow Matter for long periods of time, it will give you an enhanced ability.
"The Shadow Matter from the Sapphire Star is why I had the ability to strike at my opponents without touching them. It's why I had an enhanced ability.
"Although…" Lily continued as she brought both paws over the Star, though the tips did of the Sapphire breached her grasp. "It makes the power of the Sapphire Star very deadly to ordinary pokemon."
"Deadly how?" Dillan questioned.
"You ask too many questions," Lily said with a smirk. "Just allow me to show you."
Dillan watched with a mix of fear and anticipation. The Sapphire Star began to shine from within Lily's claws. The light pierced through the cracks in her fingers, but so did red sparks. The gabite looked on as the clouds around them began to slow to a halt. Sparks that had been shot out randomly now sat in the empty air, suspended in time. Yet the sparks between Lily's claws didn't stop. Instead, black, bubbly sludge began seeping through Lily's grip, spreading all around her as the smoke did before. It encroached once more across her entire body until she was practically bathing in Shadow Matter.
"The power of the Sapphire Star is not to be taken lightly," Lily began. "You know of its ability to distort time, no?"
"Judah explained it to me in Jarondai…" Dillan stated slowly, feeling unnerved by Lily's shadow-covered form. "He said that I could use the Sapphire Star to warp time if I wanted to."
"He was right," Lily said. "Although he neglected to explain that using the Sapphire Star releases a high concentration of Shadow Matter that consumes the user."
"But I think I've used it before," Dillan said. "Back when I first got here, I was in a diner and everything stopped in place. If Shadow Matter was released, why don't I have an enhanced ability?"
"Humans are physiologically different than pokemon," Lily explained. "It would be too simple to believe that your body is completely pokemon."
"You mean… I'm still part human?" Dillan asked. He looked over his body with wide eyes as if expecting to see different appendages than he was normally use to. Yet he still looked like a pokemon.
"Your mind and aura are both human," Lily stated.
"Aura…?" Dillan asked.
"It's like an energy that every creature emits from their body," Lily said. "And as a human, yours is different than a pokemon's. It is why Dialga and Palkia chose your species to help us defend the Sapphire Star. You see, your aura – the human aura – allows you to repel the Shadow Matter."
In an instant, a flash of light erupted from Lily's chest from underneath the smoke. It blinded Dillan for merely a second before revealing Lily once more as her usual self.
"Your aura makes you immune to the effects of Shadow Matter," Lily said.
"So, it won't hurt me," Dillan said. "Meaning I can use it without being attacked by the Shadow Matter."
"That is the idea." Lily opened her paws, revealing the Sapphire Star to Dillan. "Now, then. I think that is enough explaining for right now."
"Hang on," Dillan said. "I still have some questions."
"For another time," Lily insisted. "As for right now, I believe it is necessary for you to learn how to use the Sapphire Star." Lily let the crystal slide out of her paw before closing it around the string. She held it before Dillan, spreading her fingers to allow the loop to open.
Dillan reached for the crystal, allowing it to catch on the edges of his arm-fins before lifting it over his head and around his neck.
"Alright," Dillan said. "How does this work?"
Lily smiled. She walked around the back of the gabite before pushing on his shoulders. "Relax yourself," she said as she rubbed the edge of Dillan's back-fin. He was surprised to feel his shoulders loosen from the simple motion. His heart began to slow.
Dillan looked back at Lily to see if she had done anything other than rub his fin.
"Eyes to the front," Lily said calmly as she snapped her fingers together.
"Alright," Dillan said, putting his attention ahead.
"Now take deep breaths and focus."
"On what?"
"On anything that calms you," Lily answered. "Being calm is the first step to controlling time."
"Alright…" the gabite said slowly, unsure of how that would help. "Then what?"
"When you complete the first step, I will tell you more," Lily said as she strolled back to Dillan's front. "Before then, it is merely a distraction. So, for now, focus on relaxing. Take deep breaths, breathing in and out."
Dillan watched the lycanroc. He watched her with a stillness about him before he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
"There," Lily said through the darkness of his eyelids. "Now think of a place that most calms you. Imagine that place as though you were there. Hear the surroundings. Feel the air. See the sky."
Dillan took one more deep breath before imagining Tom's boat. He listened the rocking of the waves as they lapped over the side, spraying him with droplets of salt water. The sun upon his blue scales brought heat while the wind delivered a chill. It seemed to be a perfect temperature to the gabite: not too hot, but also not too cold.
Dillan seemed to forget about breathing entirely. He began to feel as though he was actually there on the boat. It was almost magical. Maybe being in his own head stimulated his imagination much more, making images even more vivid than before?
"Focus on the Sapphire Star," Lily's voice called from above the waves. "You know flame-thrower, correct?"
"Yeah," Dillan said.
"It is the same principle. You need to feel the Sapphire Star within you. Let it call out to you. When you locate it, grasp onto it. Let those positive motions that you have inside of you fuel the Sapphire until everything around you becomes drowned out in silence. That silence will be the cue that you have frozen time."
"Alright," Dillan said.
He began searching his body: not physically, but through his own mind. Just like he would when searching for the flame within his stomach, he looked for a new feeling: something unfamiliar.
Dillan continued his inner search for a few minutes before confusion stated building up inside of him along with a bit of frustration.
"Where is it supposed to be?" Dillan asked. "What is it suppose to feel like?"
"That is for you to learn," Lily stated. "The Sapphire calls out to a pokemon in many different ways and places. Sometimes, the call is as simple as a word or a feeling. Other times, it may call out to you on an instinctual level. Eventually, you will be able to merely breath and connect with the Sapphire. But as a pokemon who has very little experience when dealing with one of the crystals before, will need to learn from stage one: that being an inner search for that call."
"That's confusing," Dillan said. "And it doesn't really answer my question."
"Just search," Lily said.
"And what if I can't find it?" Dillan said, opening his eyes and looking at the lycanroc.
Lily's calm demeanor fell into a tensed look of annoyance. "You just broke your own calm and concentration," she sighed.
"But what if I can't find it?" Dillan asked.
"I don't expect you to find the calling on the first try," Lily stated. "And neither should you."
"But I'm supposed to be this hero, right?" Dillan asked. "What if I can't ever find it?"
"You are the hero," Lily said. "But at the same time, it takes time to evolve into the hero you want to be, correct?"
"Y-" Dillan said, stumbling on the first syllable. "Wait… What do you mean by the hero I want to be?" he asked.
"Exactly that," Lily said with a raised eyebrow.
Dillan looked at Lily for a few seconds before his eyebrows tensed. He looked towards the floor, scanning it with a bit of confusion. "The hero… I want to be…"
Those words stood out to him like a sore thumb. The phrasing seemed a little odd. Though it made him wonder: what kind of hero did he want to be? Was there another kind?
"What I meant is by being the hero you want to be," Lily began. "Is choosing to be a hero and going with it."
The two pokemon stood in silence. Lily had a concerned look on her face as she watched Dillan.
"Dillan," she began. "You do want to be the hero, right?"
"I…" Dillan began. "I mean, yeah." he said.
Lily looked at the gabite with a bit of confusion. Obviously, she didn't think he was being confident with his answer. "This is what you chose… correct?"
Dillan didn't answer. He began thinking about that question. "Why wouldn't it be?" he asked. "I mean, being a hero is why I came to this world, right?"
"Dillan," Lily urged. She walked up to him and took his shoulder. "Is this what you want?"
"Pokemon are in danger and need to be saved," Dillan said. "That's all that matters, right?"
Lily looked at Dillan with shock. She sighed, wearing a look of pity. "Is this what you want? Or is this what others want from you?"
"Why does that matter?" Dillan asked, meeting the lycanroc's eyes.
Lily looed at the gabite and shook her head. "Why are you fighting?" she asked.
"Because there are pokemon who are suffering," Dillan said as he shook his head. "Because my friends are hurting…"
"Is that really it?" Lily asked. "Or is it because this is what your friends want from you?"
Dillan was about to answer her but hesitated. Her words seemed to cut into something deep inside of him. It was almost as if with a single word, it started making him question why he was here. Do I… really want this? He shook his head fiercely.
"What are you trying to do?" Dillan asked suspiciously. "Why are you making me doubt myself?"
"If you doubt yourself over this," Lily began. "It's because you don't truly want any part of this."
"No," Dillan said, forcefully shaking his head. "I need to do this. I'm the only human here. Dialga needs me. The world needs me!"
"The world needs you because you are human," Lily said. "But if you truly wanted to, you could be replaced."
"N-no…" Dillan said slowly.
"Why are you here?" Lily asked once more. "Is because pokemon have set expectations on you: expectations that you don't have the confidence or the mind to deny? Have you been going along with this entire thing solely because you feel you have to?"
"Th… that's not true…" Dillan said.
"Then deny it," Lily stated. "Tell me a fact that would make me believe otherwise."
"I…" Dillan said, searching his brain for something.
"You might have had control of what you were doing when Reya talked to you," Lily said. "You may have listened to her because of her knowledge on your past… Yet I don't think you have had the chance to truly ask yourself why you are here in this world: why you want to be here."
The gabite looked at his surroundings. He watched the crackling of the red lightning. He looked on at the abys of black clouds, veiling him from the world around.
"I…" he said once more. "I… don't… know…"
"Dillan," Lily began. "A hero is a great thing when they put another's needs above their wants and desires. But if you don't know what that is-"
"That's enough!" a powerful, booming voice echoed throughout the entire room. Dillan clasped his ear drums with his fins to block out the ear-piercing voice.
Lily looked up towards the sky with confusion. "M-Master Dialga?" she questioned.
Then, a flash of blue light from the Sapphire Star blinded the entire room. Dillan felt his mind squeeze within his brain as he lost all sense of feeling. With a final shout, the blue light enveloped the entire room.
The gabite shot up, panting from a pounding heart.
"Dillan?" Valery questioned worriedly from the gabite's side. "Are you alright?"
Dillan looked around quickly, observing the desert before him. He looked the darkened sky as he touched the back of his neck with his fin. He felt sweat moving down his spine. He took a hard swallow before attempting to steady his breath.
"Dillan?" Valery asked once more, shaking his arm. "Talk to me, please!"
"I'm… alright…" Dillan lied.
"Are you sure?" Valery asked. "You were shaking and moaning in your sleep."
"Yeah…" Dillan said, finally catching his breath. "I'm fine…"
He felt a sharp pain race up his arm. He winced and yelped before looking over at a frustrated mienfoo whose fingertips were currently digging into Dillan's scales. She crossed her arms before scowling at the gabite.
"Don't scare me like that!" she chided as though this was his fault. "As your guardian, I'm supposed to make sure nothing bad happens to you, and I can't do anything about a nightmare! So don't act like you're dying in your sleep, alright?!"
"Alright," Dillan said with a nod.
"Good," Valery said.
Dillan took his eyes off of Valery and directed his attention back to that dream. If that's what it was…
Why would Lily say those things? She's supposed to be encouraging me. She's supposed to be helping me through this thing… But why would she say all of that? Why would she make me doubt why I'm doing this?
And… why am I doing this? I mean, she's right about my friends not really needing me… I mean, there's not much I've been able to do for either of them. I can't help Hazel with Shadow Matter… and I can't help Ryan when he keeps lying to me… and I'm not sure he'll ever tell me the truth at this rate. Even then, I don't think I could ever help him with his problems…
As for helping the world, Lily's right. I could easily be replaced by another human. Someone else could do a better job than I could ever do… So, if I can't help them or anyone… then why am I really here?
Dillan took his eyes from the mienfoo before looking off into the horizon. He watched the darkened sky. A shadow was currently cast over the two pokemon. As a gust of wind blew by, Dillan felt just how chilly the desert was.
We should probably be heading out by now… Dillan told himself. He looked around the area and found no sign of Ryan or Fitz, only Valery and what looked like circles of footprints.
Dillan shook his head slowly before standing up. Alright… "We should probably head out now," Dillan stated.
"Wait!" Valery said. "What about Trin?"
"I don't think she's coming, Valery," Dillan said slowly. They're probably long gone by now…
"But… Trin wouldn't abandon us!" Valery insisted swiftly.
"We've waited too long," Dillan said. "I think those pokemon we met before are looking for us… and I don't think we'll have much time to wait, anymore."
"No!" Valery insisted. "Trin wouldn't leave me!"
"Then stay here," Dillan said calmly. He didn't want to argue with he mienfoo. If she didn't want to come, then he would do this himself.
But would he do this himself? Could he do this himself? Doubts he hadn't considered before began flooding his mind. Why was he even on this path? Was Lily right? Was I because of expectations? Was it even his choice in the first place?
"Fine," Valery said sadly. "But Trin will find-"
"Find what?" a voice called out from down the path into town.
Valery looked down the path and jumped with excitement. "Trin!" she screamed joyfully as she ran towards the hakamo-o.
Dillan watched the two pokemon as they hugged each other in a warm embrace. Then, behind the group, Dillan noticed a tall figure standing behind them.
It was a krookodile: a big, brick-red and white crocodile with black stripes along its head. The pokemon stood up straight. It eyed Dillan with an intimidating glare.
"C. C!" Valery cheered as she hugged the krookodile. She climbed up the pokemon's back and began hugging its massive head. "I missed you!"
"This is the human, mistress?" the krookodile asked.
"Yes," Fitz answered. She walked towards Dillan before gesturing towards the krookodile. "This is my associate, Fremont Conner. My hope is that he will accompany us and give us enough strength to take on the Eevee Tribe, should things take a turn for the worst.
"Are you coming with us, then?" Dillan asked, trying to keep his eyes off of the krookodile's gaze.
"I would never leave Valery with that traitor," Fitz said. "I merely left to acquire some back-up for our mission." She looked around quickly, scanning the immediate area. "Speaking of the pachirisu, where is he?"
"He…" Dillan began slowly, guilt filling his throat. "He left… and I don't think he'll be back…"
"Good," Fitz said pompously. "Then he will not interfere."
"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" Ryan's voice asked as a whit form came bounding down the pathway towards the group. He slithered underneath the krookodile's feet as he darted up towards the group of three.
Fitz closed her eyes as her brow tensed into a scowl of disapproval. She then sighed audibly and conspicuously.
Dillan looked towards Ryan with a bit of hope, but also with a worried fear. "Ryan-"
"It's fine," Ryan said. "I thought it over, and you're right. You can't really trust me if I'm keeping secrets from you…"
"Then you're going to tell me what's been going on with you?" Dillan asked.
"I mean…" Ryan said nervously. "Not entirely… I'm not ready to tell you everything…"
"Then forget it!" Valery shouted from atop the krookodile, Fremont.
"Hang on!" Ryan shouted, glaring at the mienfoo. The krookodile bared his teeth at the pachirisu before Ryan shook his head and backed down. "I'm not going to tell you everything right off the bat," he insisted. "But I do want to build more trust between us. So… I need you to make a promise to me."
"What is it?" Dillan asked.
"Let me join," Ryan said. "I promise to eventually tell you everything… but I just can't right now."
"And in exchange?" Fitz asked with a glare.
Ryan looked at Fitz then towards Dillan. He smiled lightly before sighing. "I'm here to help you on this mission," he began. "But you were right when you said it wasn't the only reason I'm here." Ryan gave a confident stare into Dillan's eyes before saying, "I came here to fix a mistake I made a few years ago."
"You are being vague," Fitz stated shortly. "Care to elaborate for the gabite?"
"Alright, Ryan," Dillan said with a nod. "You can come with us."
Fitz looked at Dillan with a glare. "He's admitting to wanting the Amber Amulet for himself!"
"I didn't say that," Ryan snarled through gritted teeth.
"It's fine," Dillan assured Ryan. "Do you promise to tell me everything eventually?"
"Yes," Ryan said without hesitation.
"Why are you agreeing to this?" Fitz questioned.
"Because he gave me something," Dillan said. "And right now, that's all I asked for."
Fitz wore the most infuriated look on her face before she huffed and walked onwards towards the horizon. "Fine," she stated. "But we should leave now before the desert becomes unbearable."
"High ho, C. C!" Valery chanted, pointing forwards.
The krookodile walked onwards, passing the two pokemon.
Ryan looked at Dillan with a thankful smile. He opened his mouth to form words but couldn't seem to get any out.
"It's fine," Dillan said with a nod. "I get it… but I just need you to tell me everything. Even though it isn't now… I want to believe that you will eventually tell me."
"I will," Ryan said. "I promise that I will."
"Alright," Dillan said with a nod. He looked towards the desert, watching the orange tints of the sun touch the rest of their group. He was about to take a step forwards… but he found his feet seemed planted to the floor.
"Come on," Ryan said as he dropped to all-fours and began running to meet their group.
Dillan watched the pachirisu, dropping whatever confidence and calm he had. He felt so lost. As he took a step towards the group, his ankles felt weighted. With each step, he continued to wonder what drove him to take the next one. He began thinking that Lily might have been right. Was he taking each step on his own? Was this his path? Or was he simply following what others wanted of him? Was this truly what he wanted?
(Author's Notes)
Hey guys! MasterKnight2142 here!
Been a while, huh? Well, I might be late a day or two (or a few… haven't checked my original "hiatus post" thing :P), but I did make a new chapter! And MAN does it feel good to be writing again!
With finals right around the corner, I can't tell you for sure when I'll have time to write up another chapter. But I'll be working on the story a lot more frequently when I'm finished with this semester of college!
Shout-out to "DocOfDoom", "Just-A-Reader0Love", and "Wilson Farrell" for following/favoriting the story! I hope you guys liked the chapter: you new-comers and old!
That's all I have to say for now! I'll see you all in the next chapter!
