Author's Note: Oh, hey, some Darkrai POV. It's been a little while since we had that. And more Giratina! Him, too! I just hope the first part of this chapter strikes a good balance between making Darkrai understandable but wrong, because that's what I'm trying to go with in general for him in this fic.

Chapter Seven: Ideas and Development

Darkrai was frustrated.

In the weeks that he'd been with his new companions, they'd told him nothing. Well, that wasn't entirely true… They had, in fact, admitted that he'd met them before. Still, they hadn't explained how they'd met, or told him anything about himself, or even properly explained why they were all so awkward around him. Darkrai still didn't believe that half-baked 'explanation' Iris had given him the other day.

"We'll tell you more when we think you're ready," Bruce said. "It just might…be a little while, is all."

What did that even mean—when he was 'ready'? What could Darkrai possibly be 'ready' for? That had just annoyed him further.

And then there had been the human's reaction. Claire was far more visibly upset than anyone else was. At least she'd left for now, so he didn't have to deal with her shooting him awkward looks all the time. (Honestly, the fact that she tried to be nice despite being so blatant was even worse.)

Darkrai sighed as he eyed his teammates. Everyone had been asleep for a little while; even Iris had dozed off a few minutes ago. He was naturally more alert at night and often took the longest to fall asleep, but that was fine. He could get by on small amounts of sleep if he needed to.

This might be his chance. Giratina had apparently known something about Dimensional Holes; Darkrai hadn't been able to get that out of his head. If his 'friends' wouldn't tell him about it, then he would go to someone who would.

It was a unique ability, after all. What was the point of power if you couldn't use it? Darkrai was going to use his skills, not let them rust. He wasn't going to sit around and be satisfied with such a repetitive, simplistic schedule.

Yes, he wanted to get more powerful. Darkrai was fairly sure he remembered how to get to World Abyss, too. He'd go by himself and learn what he could, and then he'd show them.

Sure, it was somewhat petty, he admitted, but Darkrai brushed that aside. He quietly slipped out of the bluff's cave, eyeing the rest of Team Shadow. None of them heard him—perfect.

Soon enough, he'd made his way through the silent streets of Treasure Town, and then he was on his way.

…Okay, perhaps going alone wasn't the best of ideas. Darkrai could acknowledge that having allies would make the trip easier, if nothing else. He managed to reach the end of the dungeon, but he was quite battered by the time he arrived in the last chamber.

At least Giratina was present, and that was comforting; Darkrai hadn't come all this way for nothing. The dragon stretched, shadowy wings fluttering behind him as he straightened up. Finally, he glanced down at Darkrai, bobbing his head in acknowledgement.

"Ah, it's you again. Come back for another round?"

"No, there was something I wanted to ask you," Darkrai replied cautiously. "About Dimensional Holes."

"Ah, yes; you were the one who opened one, correct?" At Darkrai's nod, Giratina continued, "Well, then, what was it?"

"First of all, what do they even do?"

Giratina stared at him for a few seconds, and then he leaned his head back and laughed. Well, it did sound ridiculous, Darkrai thought. How could he open one without knowing what they were and how they worked? Still, he couldn't help bristling at the reaction. If he didn't need to rely on Giratina for help, he probably would've done far more than just bristle—but Darkrai held back for now.

"You are a curious one, aren't you?" Giratina shook his head. "Dimensional Holes are used for traveling through time. Obviously, most Pokémon would want to use them for long distances, but they have a surprising amount of applications for shorter periods, too."

"So, when you said they could be used to 'skip fights'…"

"You could 'skip' ahead a few hours, past the point that whoever you were fighting would be interested. Of course, they may want to battle you if you ever went back… But if you merely wanted to escape, you could simply drop yourself somewhere they wouldn't be bothered to look. If you were worried about them chasing you, they'd waste time searching for you when you didn't 'exist' properly, and therefore tire themselves out."

Darkrai hummed thoughtfully as he mulled over this information. He supposed going backwards an hour or two would also work, as long as he didn't end up crossing paths with whoever he was trying to avoid. But that raised another question in his mind.

"Yes, I can see how that would be useful," he agreed. "But you'd have to carefully decide where you ended up, yes? How do you pick your location?"

"It gets easier the more you practice. If you were stressed enough, or if you had little enough experience, wanting to get away could translate into 'anywhere but here'—and then you may not like wherever it is you landed."

Darkrai considered this as well. That had been his thought process during the fight, to be honest. He'd thought it unfair that he was the one being targeted the most, and he'd just wanted to get out of there as soon as he could. Even with his limited knowledge, Darkrai assumed Giratina was right on that.

There was something faint nagging in the back of his head, though. It was something familiar… Had he felt like that before? Darkrai wasn't sure. Perhaps it was a clue; perhaps it wasn't.

"…I see," he finally said. "I'm still not sure how I came to learn about them, but this has been quite informative."

"Oh, that's simple; you must've been taught by Dialga at some point," Giratina replied. "He's the only one with full knowledge on how to use them properly… Though I don't see how anyone could forget about him, honestly."

"I suspect there are many things I've forgotten. Many…important things." Darkrai scowled. "But you say I must've learned from this 'Dialga'… So I had to have known him at some point."

"Yes, you must have." Giratina nodded. "I'm quite surprised, though. He's been so reluctant to teach others, ever since…the incident."

He winced, and Darkrai blinked. What kind of incident could prompt that sort of reaction from him? Was it something personal? Darkrai was curious now; if Giratina was still willing to answer his questions, he may as well ask.

"What incident?"

"Well, you see…it was a very long time ago. I wanted to learn how to open Dimensional Holes myself, and then I'd gotten curious about Palkia's abilities as well. I'd hoped to be able to combine the two, and…well…" He cringed again. "I was told that I was 'treading on others' domains' and 'threatening the stability of space-time' and other such nonsense. After that, I was stuck here as a mere treasure guardian instead of getting a domain of my own."

"…Ah." Darkrai paused, unsure what he was supposed to say to that, but then something else struck him. "So, you thought Dimensional Holes could be altered in some way? Imagine the potential in that!"

Yes, if he could change and improve them somehow, then he'd have an even more unique power. And who knew what Darkrai could do from there? Sure, it sounded risky, but the opportunity was incredible nonetheless. He'd be the one to apply Dimensional Holes in new and uncharted ways, and—

"Yes, that was what I'd hoped." Giratina laughed again, though it was in a more ironically bitter kind of way. "But I went too far. Still…if you could figure out some small way that went behind everyone's notice, then…"

"Perhaps we could make it work," Darkrai offered. "And I would be happy to help you with that, if you were still willing."

"Am I still willing? Of course I am—it's something I've wanted for a very long time now."

Darkrai felt his excitement rising. Maybe Giratina was just curious to see if it could be done. Maybe he just wanted to 'prove' himself or get an opportunity he'd been denied. He didn't seem like the type to let it run wild; he'd probably let it go once he was done.

But Darkrai? He wanted to go beyond that. He wanted to create and use something new. If he could get it to work, then he'd do whatever he could to keep using it.

He had his chance, and he wasn't going to let go of it.