PMD: Black Atonement
Prologue - Adrift
POV: ?
All around me was darkness. I felt myself floating in air not consumed by water. I was adrift in the endless gloom of the void, with no recollection of what happened. My mind was a complete blank, save that I was trapped in this space now. I couldn't even tell what I looked like. I closed my eyes, resigning myself to this eternal exile before a godly voice resounded through the empty space.
"RISE"
"H-huh…?" I blinked my eyes to see a glowing horse-like deity appear before me, its midsection caught in between a four-pointed golden fence. I found myself choking back some laughter despite my confusion. Whomever this person was, they looked absolutely ridiculous. The deity seemed to notice my amusement and glared, freezing me instantly.
"SO YOU'VE BEEN DEFEATED AND SENT INTO THE VOID BETWEEN WORLDS"
"W-who are you? And who am I?" I asked meekly, shielding my eyes from the glowing aura of the deity. They didn't answer, instead eyeing me with flat intrigue.
"YOU'LL FIND OUT ONCE YOU WAKE UP. I HAVE DECIDED TO GIVE YOU A SECOND CHANCE"
"A-at what?"
"REDEMPTION"
"Redemption…?" I repeated, "What did I do?"
"SOMETHING THAT WILL CAUSE YOU GREAT GRIEF, SUFFERING AND TRIALS WHEN YOU AWAKEN," The deity rumbled, "BUT CLEANSING YOURSELF OF THOSE SINS WITH YOUR LIFE IS THE WAY TO ATONEMENT. TO OPEN A NEW PATH TO YOUR SPECIES"
"My species…? Just what did I do?" I asked again, getting a little frustrated, "And who am I? Please tell me!"
"HM, A LITTLE MORE MEEK THAN WHEN I LAST SAW YOU," The deity replied before his aura grew brighter, forcing me to avert my eyes, "SEEK OUT A PLACE CALLED LUSH PRAIRIE, DARKRAI"
Before I could respond, the deity flashed in a great burst of light and I blacked out.
…
"So far, nothing out of the ordinary," An Espeon named Priscilla said as she guided her exploration group through the jungle-like Mystifying Forest. By her side was a Cresselia, Latias and Dusknoir, "Are you sure this is the right place, Selenia?"
"I am certain. This feeling of dark energy is familiar. I had to respond to it immediately," The Cresselia, Selenia replied, "Forgive me for dragging you three out here on a whim"
"No worries. We were on standby while the rest of the team went to the Sky Stairway, so we needed something to do," Priscilla shook her head, "Still, if this dark energy is enough to make you notice, something must be wrong"
"Is this something personal to you, Selenia?" The Latias, Julia asked, "Because I don't sense anything out of the ordinary. It's just Mystifying Forest, like it usually is"
"There IS something disquieting in the air," The Dusknoir, Aluciad frowned, "Look around. No wild Pokemon in sight. The air is disturbingly tense too"
"Yeah… the shadows seem to periodically darken slightly as well," Priscilla noticed, "Just what is happening?"
"Haa! Back off, fiends!"
"Aaah! It's Darkrai!" A voice wailed through the humid forest, "After him!"
"Darkrai?!" Priscilla jerked her head to the sound of the voice instantly. It was to the group's left, "How did he- It's only been a month since we beat him!"
"Sounds like he got out of his stupor early. Let's hope he isn't causing any trouble," Selenia arched her eyebrows before floating over to our left, "Sounds like he already is though…"
"Get away from me! What did I do?!" Darkrai's voice wailed through the forest before another explosion rocked the area. The Torterra and Flygon attacking him were tenacious and didn't give up easily.
"You caused all of this! You stole the Time Gears and tried to paralyze the planet!" The Flygon screamed as it lunged at the dark robed Pokemon with Dragon Claw. Darkrai swerved out of the way just in time to back off. He needed to get out of this place fast, "Come back! YOU CAN NEVER BE FORGIVEN!"
"Leaf Storm!" The Torterra shouted and a swarm of giant leaves came flying out of the tortoise's tree on its back, slamming into Darkrai's back hard, "Now's the time to finish this. Wood Hammer!"
"Right. Outrage!" Flygon cried and the two Pokemon leapt onto the fallen Darkrai before suddenly, a pink psychic barrier was created out of nowhere, shielding Darkrai and bouncing both Pokemon off, "H-huh?"
"Stop this at once!" Selenia ordered in a stern voice, "Nobody is harming Darkrai on my account!"
"W-what? Who are you?" The Flygon growled, "Don't you know what this… monster has done?!"
"I know exactly what he has done. That doesn't give you the right to kick him down when he is broken," Selenia hissed back, "His punishment has already been served. Leave him be"
"Well, I can't forgive him for a second. He tried to destroy the world!" Torterra snarled, "Are you in league with his schemes too?"
"No, but I cannot abide-"
"Then there are no other words. Leave and never come back or we'll force you!" Flygon lunged at Selenia with Outrage, but Aluciad stepped forward with Ice Punch, felling the dragon in one blow. The Torterra slammed the ground with Frenzy Plant, but another Ice Punch took down the enemy Pokemon.
"It had to be done. They threatened our safety otherwise," Aluciad said grimly and Selenia nodded her head in understanding. Turning back to the beaten Darkrai, Priscilla and Julia were healing his wounds with berries and Heal Pulse. The nightmare deity was resting against a moss covered tree, panting hard.
"W-who are you? Why did you save me?" Darkrai asked feebly. Such a far cry from the conniving, selfish and trickster of a god he was only a month before, "Everyone here has been trying to kill me and screaming for my death… I-I don't… I…"
"Let's get you out of here first," Priscilla began to hum with power, indicating Teleport. Ever since becoming a Psychic type, the former Eevee has been relying less and less on items, "Then, start from the beginning. There's a good reason why people hate you so much"
"I… I know, but why? What did I do?" Darkrai asked with a ting of desperation, "Everyone says I stole the Time Gears and tried to paralyze the world, but what does that mean? How can I even do that? What are the Time Gears?"
"Oh boy, we got ourselves a handful," Julia sucked in a breath as Priscilla evoked a warp circle under everyone's feet with Teleport, transporting everyone out of the dungeon and to its entrance instead, "You have amnesia?"
"Yes. Ever since I woke up in the forest, my mind has been completely blank…" Darkrai rose his hand to his head, trying to shake up some memories, "I wasn't left with my thoughts for long though and Pokemon started to attack me"
"If you were able to defend yourself, it's clear your powers still remain," Selenia said with a hint of worry in her voice.
"My… powers? Can I even call it that?" Darkrai frowned, "It ran wild and I lost control of it quickly. I didn't want to hurt those Pokemon and yet…"
"You had to do it in self-defense. You aren't at fault there," Priscilla arched her eyebrows, "So what are you going to do now? Everyone in the world hates you with murderous intent"
"I… I want to know what I've done. What horrors I've wrought," Darkrai replied slowly, "What have I done to deserve such hatred. I want my memories back"
"Understandable," Selenia nodded, "Let's get you back to camp first. I'd imagine you wouldn't be safe anywhere else"
"Hey Priscilla. Good to see you and your team again," A familiar voice called and the Espeon gasped as a duo of Ursaring came up to the ground, "Who is your new- AAH!"
"Is that-"
"Yes, that's Darkrai. He's in my custody now," Selenia intervened quickly with the same stern voice as when she ordered the Flygon and Torterra, "I won't have anyone laying a finger on him but me. Carry on with your business"
"R-right. See you guys around," One of the Ursaring said nervously and the duo trekked into the forest. Darkrai watched them leave with a somber look on his face.
"Just what did I do wrong…?" He mumbled sadly.
…
"Are you sure you remember nothing?" Julia pressed once the group was on the road back to camp in Lush Prairie. The Latias and Dusknoir flanked Darkrai like bodyguards, keeping him hidden from view from anyone else on the road. It helped that Darkrai blended into the shadows of Dusknoir's large body well.
"I… I remember one thing. Before I woke up, I was in a void of darkness. I was floating, like I was in water," Darkrai replied slowly, "Fear crept up to me in that darkness, combined with my amnesia"
"Fear of the dark… now that's something you don't hear from a Darkrai," Selenia murmured as the group crossed the one landmark between Mystifying Forest and Lush Prairie: a large waterfall that flowed down to Serenity River, "No Darkrai would admit that, even jokingly. That at least proves you aren't faking this"
"A Darkrai?" Darkrai repeated in confusion, "There are more like me?"
"It's a long story," The Cresselia sighed, "Anyways, forgive me for sidetracking you. Carry on"
"Right… I floated in the void for a while until suddenly, I saw an intense, bright light. Something descended into the darkness with me," Darkrai continued, "I couldn't even behold its true form. It was just… a white horse-like thing caught in between a golden fence. I thought I was hallucinating,"
"Lord Arceus…!" Selenia gasped, "What did he tell you?"
"He… I… uhm…" Darkrai poked his head again, trying to rouse his vacant mind, "I don't remember the whole thing. My head is in pieces right now"
"Mm… Lord Arceus is a presence you never forget. Try to remember what he told you," The Cresselia arched her eyebrows, "It could be important"
"I'll… try. One thing I do remember is that he's giving me a second chance," Darkrai said meekly and Selenia perked up, "At… something"
"Redemption probably," Priscilla suggested, "You lost your memory and was "born" again into this world. Doesn't that make him a different person?"
"It's not as simple as that, Priscilla," Selenia shook her head, "In the eyes of the masses, this Darkrai is still the same one that tried to destroy the world. And the same one that killed my mother"
"A-ah… right. I forgot about that," Priscilla looked away, ashamed, "I'm sorry"
"Hmph. I don't pride myself dwelling on sorrow," The Cresselia stared at the ground, "But regardless, this means the sins of Darkrai's past will continue to haunt him for the rest of his eternal life. He'll never gain the normal life of an explorer like I had"
"Is there really no way for him to atone?" Julia asked as the group entered Lush Prairie and the camp began to come into view on the verdant horizon, "I mean, I know people remark I'm naive and innocent, but can't a Pokemon be forgiven if they really show they're trying? Maybe Darkrai should become an explorer and try to help others"
"That won't solve things. People are forever scarred by the crimes Darkrai did upon this world. The amount of people he killed and lives he nearly ended to gain the Time Gears…" Selenia stared at Darkrai, who was looking at the ground in shame, "You can't forgive that with any amount of charity. It must be earned"
"Well he won't earn that forgiveness by doing nothing," Aluciad suggested, "I like Julia's idea. Maybe Darkrai can become a part of Team Skylar and try to live as a normal Pokemon. Like you, Selenia"
"We risk dirtying Team Skylar's reputation by doing that," The Cresselia chewed her lip, "After all, we're housing a criminal above the likes of even the worse here"
"We'll hold a team meeting and see what everyone else thinks," Priscilla decided, "For now, we'll give Darkrai bedding and a place to stay. We can't just let him fend the world for himself"
"That's a surprising attitude for one who must hate Darkrai with all her heart," Selenia raised her eyebrow, "After all, he dragged you and Silvin into his scheme and nearly killed you for it"
"The hate absolutely still exists," Priscilla nodded, "But the past is the past and I can't let myself dwell on it forever. What I have to look forward to is the future"
"Smart words," Aluciad nodded, "Do you forgive Darkrai for his crimes then?"
"Absolutely not," The Espeon replied quickly, "His crimes will never be excused, but I believe in second chances and atonement. If this new Darkrai can prove himself a good person, then maybe the wounds will finally heal…"
The group went silent after that as they approached the gates of Team Skylar's base. It was a simple establishment: a fence surrounding an array of tents next to a forest. Security looked light, but nobody dared to mess with Team Skylar and there was always someone on patrol in case of thieves.
"I killed Selenia's mother, I dragged Priscilla and this Silvin into my "scheme" and I slaughtered so many others for these Time Gears…?" Darkrai thought as he shriveled in Aluciad's shadow, "What was my past me possibly thinking…? What was he doing?"
"Maybe Selenia is right. I'll never find atonement or forgiveness," Darkrai slumped in despair, "My heart is too black and the scars are too deep to heal…"
"Here we are," Selenia said at last once the group entered Team Skylar's camp, "Your new life begins now, Darkrai. Are you ready for the trials that await you?"
"Trials… Lord Arceus said that too," Darkrai realized, "That whatever I did would cause me great suffering and grief. This is it, huh?"
"Darkrai?"
"Y-yes. I'm ready," Darkrai nodded, "I can't turn back now. I'll try to make up for my misdeeds however way I can. And if the world doesn't accept me then well… so be it"
"Misdeeds is a light way of putting it…" Priscilla sucked in a breath, "But alright. Let's get you started with where you'll stay. Follow me"
"My new life begins now. I hope I don't cause too much trouble for this kindly band," Darkrai thought as the group disbanded and he followed the Espeon further into the establishment, "Lord Arceus… watch over me"
Our team:
- Darkrai: Amnesiac Atoner
Level 70
Abilities: Bad Dreams
Moves: Dark Pulse, Dark Void, Nightmare and Double Team
IQ Level: *
- Selenia, Cresselia: Goddess of Dreams
Level 70
Abilities: Levitate
Moves: Psycho Cut, Psychic, Safeguard and Moonlight
IQ Level: *****