Story 15 - It's Not Real, written by: Pazkallan

January 25th. A crack of thunder split the night sky. With a shriek, the Typhlosion's child dug even further into her bed to hide from the sound. Her mother sighed… It was already so late. Why did it have to be raining this violently?

"Settle down, Deirdre." She knelt as best she could, speaking softly. "It's just a little rain. You can go to sleep now, and it'll be nice and sunny again in the morning."

A muffled moan came from the hay. "But I can't sleep!" Deirdre pulled her head out, giant jade eyes darting around the bedroom lit by her own uncontrolled blaze. "What if Darkrai comes and gets me?!"

Another sigh escaped her. More pokemon had been talking about the concerning news as of late, and Deirdre must have overheard some while she was in the square. "That won't happen, sweetheart. Trust me."

"But it might!" Tears hovered at the edge of her gaze. "I've heard it all around the village! H-He's gonna come and get us, a-a-and he's gonna trap us in nightmares! He has these big black claws, a-and this evil smile, and-"

"Ssssssh, honey." Her mother interrupted her, smiling warmly. "It's going to be okay. I'll be right here with you until you fall asleep." She caressed the Cyndaquil's head as she talked. "No evil thing is gonna take you on my watch. You can count on that, alright?"

The light from Deirdre's back gradually started to dissipate into embers, and the room got noticeably cooler. "Y-You… you promise?"

The Typhlosion nodded. "I promise." Her expression brightened as if she had come to a revelation, and she held up one paw as she stood. "I'll be right back."

Deirdre nodded with a speed only adrenaline could produce, still clutching some hay tightly. With a final comforting smile, she exited and padded into the living room. It had been left a mess since Harriet had thrown a fit during dinner; bits and pieces of Leppa Berry scattered themselves across the tight space. She was a bit younger than Deirdre, so it made sense that she wouldn't be as well-behaved yet. Deirdre was exceedingly well-behaved for somemon her age, too.

She shook her head at the state of things before heading into a side nook to the right. A small nest of hay rested inside with a couple of books embedded within it with the name "Melia Carter" plastered in red ink on the front. The stamp for Alex's Delivery Service was next to the name. She had to read the books for school by next week, and she had only started one the previous day. She'd probably have to read some after Deirdre went to bed, by 'lamplight'.

She gathered all of the hay, beginning to shiver. It had gotten even colder all of a sudden, stupid drafty house. She backed out of the nook the same way she came in and swiveled back around wide. Everything appeared a tad darker, too.

She reached Deirdre's room again to find she had tucked herself in while she was gone. Good. She needed her sleep. She was snoring softly, though she also seemed to be discontented from the newfound cold. The Typhlosion set up her own nest next to her and laid down quietly, setting a book in front of her and lighting up ever-so-slightly to be able to see the writing.

Chapter 3: Correspondence of supply and demand. It's truly fascinating how the economy can function in convenient consistency, yet still-

Her eyes suddenly lowered from the book without her control. A jolt of panic danced its way through her nervous system, though the feeling was wiped away less than a second after it began. Cold as ice, her breath began clouding in front of her. She made another effort to move to no avail, and that was when she saw him.

Two menacing crystal-blue eyes shone out of the encroaching dark. There was something about them that was inescapable. The more one would look, the less one would feel inclined to look away. It was more than simple hypnosis. It was amnestic.

One hand extended closer, a finger held to the face's non-existent lips. All at once, her body failed her. She lost the feeling in her limbs, then chest, then her neck, slumping to the hay of the nest. She desperately fought the affliction off, eyes fluttering. She couldn't leave her kids with this monster. She couldn't.

…but it was no use.

January 26th. The Timburr had gotten suspicious of some of the recent happenings in the village. It wasn't his business to snoop, but some of his clients hadn't been coming to their usual meeting spots, and he hadn't seen them after work either. Something weird was going on.

Until that day, he didn't have anymon he could talk to about it. He wasn't in contact with his parents anymore since their fight last summer, and his brother had recently moved to a town on the mainland. Every other friend he had was more of an acquaintance since he ran personal messages around town for work. What was it Rodney had told him they called it over there? Mail?

Whatever it was called, his work took him from one corner of Lariat Peak to the other every single day. It was a brilliant way to keep in step with the current gossip, even if it had turned serious lately. However, today wasn't a day he could waste delivering messages. His curiosity was at its peak.

"Hey. Alexander." The voice of his one close friend pried him away from his clouded thoughts. Him and Alexander were sitting under a tree on the outskirts of the village, a few minutes away from his house. The incline of the hill to get there was rather steep, and it had been raining for a whole day now, but the path was still traversable enough. Especially under the cover of the leaves, not much rain reached the two of them now.

The Rockruff stared him dead in the eyes. "Thought I lost you there. Go on."

"What was I saying again?" A thick raindrop hit him, causing him to reel back briefly in surprise. The everstone necklace around his neck rattled against his chest.

"That Gengar." He glanced at the forest boundary in the distance. Trees surrounded the whole village, sprawling as far as the eye could see. Further than that, past the trees themselves and muddled in the distance, was the shoreline. He'd never been there. Always heard stories about ferals running rampant.

Alexander's expression turned dour. "Oh, right. The Gengar." He laid his back against the tree. "He's been super shifty since a few days ago. His name was… something. Like Lucius something or another? Everymon I've talked to says the nicest things about the guy, but, come on, look at him, Locke. He doesn't say anything, he doesn't do anything, and- most importantly- he doesn't SAY anything. He's creepy!"

Locke chuckled lightly. "Being creepy doesn't warrant you stalking him back."

"I'm not stalking him! Yet!" He laughed back. "But I'm telling you. I saw somemon that looked like him leave Layla's house a couple of days ago, and I haven't seen them or him since."

"And… why were you watching Layla's, hm?" Locke cast the Timburr a sarcastic look. "Be still that aching heart of yours."

Alexander's cheeks reddened. "I-I wasn't watching it o-on purpose, Locke! I just happened to be in the area delivering messages, and I… stayed there a while… so that I could talk to Layla if she came out… I was just in the area!"

A hearty chuckle came from Locke. "You've been trying to ask her on a date for weeks. Be brave."

His voice came out an octave higher than normal, if that was possible. "Do I seem like a brave person to you?!" Locke continued to giggle at the outburst, and Alexander folded his head in his hands. "We're all adults here, Locke. You can stay out of my love life, I can stay out of yours."

"Believe me, I try to stay out of yours. It always finds its way back." Locke's smile slowly melted away as a thought came to him. "What direction did he go?"

"After he left the house? Southward, I think." Another few raindrops pelted Alexander simultaneously. "O-Ouch! I kind of don't want to check it out in this weather, though."

Locke rose. "Are you certain?"

Alexander stood as well, grinning. "Is the sky blue?"

Without missing a beat, he got a response. "It's gray right now, actually."

"Locke, you- ugh." He ran a hand across his face. "Never mind. Yes, I'm sure."

The two proceeded to make the trek back down the hill to the village to rest for the remaining daylight. They would meet back up tomorrow night, rain or shine, to investigate the rumour further.

January 27th. The rain had not let up since the previous afternoon like Alexander and Locke had hoped. The lower areas of Lariat Peak had flooded. If either of them had fur, it would have been soaked through as they crept off the path in the direction Alexander had seen the Gengar go toward.

They had a brief conversation before setting off under Locke's roof, keeping quiet to avoid prying looks from his Helioptile neighbor. Alexander was all in to continue the investigation, but Locke was still on the fence. Thus, they came to an agreement. Should they go twenty minutes off into the distance without a hint of conspiracy, they would return to Lariat Peak, and Alexander would be on his own. If they did… they would cross that bridge when they came to it.

As luck would have it, twelve-ish minutes of trudging into the dismal rainfall later, a shadow passed rapidly in front of them. Alexander held a hand out to stop Locke, and they stared after it wordlessly. It wasn't a normal feral pokemon, since it would have attacked them if it was. It was simply a mass of shadow. The duo nodded to each other, continuing more quietly than before.

Then, suddenly out of the darkness, a cave loomed ahead of them. Water dribbled into its pitch-black depths. Locke stepped forward first, having better night vision inherently than Alexander, and they descended inside. A constant whisper of flowing runoff filled the area.

Alexander poked at the back of Locke's head. "Don't get lost. This cave's probably flooded too."

Locke nodded, keeping on carefully finding footholds to go further downward. He could see something further ahead that looked like a light source. It could have been his eyes playing tricks on him, but it seemed to be true. Alexander's stifled gasp suggested he saw it as well.

One more step revealed just the thing they were looking for. The shadow that had breezed in front of them was lying on the floor, bubbling as if it had come to a boil. The dim light from the three amethyst flames around it circled closer as its form slowly coalesced into something recognizable. Locke and Alexander stopped immediately to watch.

Bit by bit of pale violet skin was revealed. An arm shot out of the mass, dripping with what was either blood or shadow. Then a leg, bent disproportionately to one side, cracked itself into being. Then, all at once, the rest of body took shape. A Gengar. They stayed on the floor for that moment, exhaling deeply. It was not quite lethargic, but almost melancholy.

"Three down." He spoke. His voice was deep but laced with scratches, the subtlest hint of an English accent evident beneath its breath. "What is that, then. Eleven now?"

"Eleven?!" Alexander whispered to Locke. "Eleven wh-" Locke punched him in the side to signal him to stay quiet. They had to hear more. At that same moment, the Gengar started to plod further into the cave. Alexander pushed ahead of Locke with a quick glance back at the receding traces of cloud-covered moonlight. "We have to follow him." He tiptoed forth, not waiting for a response from the Rockruff.

The Gengar stopped after a seemingly arbitrary number of steps. With a wave of his fingers, the flames surrounding him focused on a specific area of the wall to his left, scattering dull trails of illumination upon it. Marks were etched into the stone in a weirdly formal pattern. First a vertical mark, then a series of three symbols underneath it, some of them repeated under different marks.

"Layla… Harriet… Deirdre… Melia… there. Empty space." He picked up a stone that had been placed conveniently next to the carvings and started scratching another entry into the line. First the vertical, as before, then a methodical series of three symbols.

Alexander's face fell. "Did h-he say… Layla?"

Locke stared at the scene. "Melia too. I haven't seen her in days either."

"You don't think…" Alexander cut himself off abruptly as the Gengar froze. The flames pointed quickly in the direction they stood. They were caught.

"...so you've followed me, have you?" He took a step forward. "I'll have you know I don't appreciate young 'mons like yourselves sneaking around my property."

Alexander looked around exaggeratedly. "Your property, mate? I don't think this is anymon's property!"

The Gengar's eyes narrowed to slits of azure. "And you think you're smart. I don't believe you understand what you've gotten into, boy."

"Believe me, he knows." Locke interjected, backing up. "We'll be going now. Thank you for letting us look at your wall paintings."

An eyebrow raised from the Gengar upon inspecting the Rockruff further. "Those everstone charms lead me to the conclusion you're from Lariat… if that's the case, then what's coming to you is more than welcome."

Alexander got lower into a faux-fighting stance. "What do you mean?!"

"You'll see." The Gengar snapped its fingers, and the flames smothered out. "It's… getting late, don't you think? Isn't it just about midnight?"

"What does that have to do with anything?" Alexander shook himself off. "You aren't making any sense!"

"I think… it's time for a little nap."

The last thing that Alexander saw were crystal-blue eyes.

January 28th. There wasn't any time to rest. Locke had been on the run for hours now, and there was no sign of the Gengar giving up the chase. It was a matter of time before he would grow too tired to keep running away.

He had watched Alexander fall limp in the Gengar's gaze. One second he was itching for a fight, the next he had fainted with no sign of waking up. Why the same fate did not befall him, he was uncertain. He only knew he needed to take the opportunity to flee while he had it. So, while the fiend was still busy with Alexander, Locke bolted for the surface.

Panting from exertion, he kept running steadily. Withered branches whipped by his face, cuts plastering his muzzle from the force. The cold wind cut at his wounds, making the incessant sensation of broken skin that much more biting. He didn't even know if he was heading in the direction of Lariat Peak anymore. He had gotten totally lost.

He slowed down to catch his breath. He was lost, hurt, bleeding, running from a ghost. Even if he got back to the village, what would he say? And if all of those markings on the wall were pokemon that had already been taken down in that way, how long did everymon else have? Melia was the first on the wall, and he had seen her alive and well just a couple of days prior. If the Gengar truly dedicated himself to the cause, he could have the entire village wiped out by the end of the month.

Could he stop such a thing from happening? He glanced down at his everstone locket. "...lord Lunala, why have you forsaken us…"

"Forsaken?" A familiar pair of eyes opened bright within the darkness. "She's not forsaken you, boy. She doesn't exist."

Locke jumped back. He had been found. "How could… how could you say that?" Locke shouted over the rain, now pounding against his forehead and taking over his senses. "She gave us this land! She keeps us safe from… pokemon like you! How dare you forsake her name like this?!" Tears came to his eyes. "What did you do to Alexander?!"

The Gengar came out of the shadows a foot away from Locke. Neither moved further. "What I 'did' to him is not of your concern. I'm uncertain why you cannot fall victim to it yourself, but that is no matter either." He placed a paw on Locke's head. "I will give you a choice. You can attempt to keep running from here, and I can kill you where you stand. I have no qualms with this. Or… you can go to sleep, and make it all go away." An eerie grin covered his face. "Which sounds better to you?"

Locke hesitated. "...sleep… if this is the end, and I accept that end… could you at least tell me why?"

"Why what?" The Gengar's countenance faltered.

Locke's tone was one of defeat. "Why… everything. Are you…"

The paw slid over Locke's eyes, holding them open to face the Gengar's. "I'm afraid I can't say. Not here, and not now. But, in three days' time, when the boat for the mainland returns… I believe then is when you may know the truth."

An overwhelming sense of calm enveloped him. "In… three days…"

"Yes. Simple, isn't it?" He continued talking, his voice getting further and further into the muffled distance. "You'll wake up then to a new world. An entire new existence."

Locke's eyelids grew heavier. "Are you… Darkrai?"

"Darkrai?" The Gengar chuckled. "Darkrai, they call me… how interesting. How interesting, indeed."

Locke's consciousness failed, and his head fell to the mud of the undergrowth. His dreams met him with open arms, like a parent after a long day. After a while, his thoughts slowed, and his eye movements ceased.

None of them ever woke again.

Fin