For some reason, I have such screwed up priorities that I want to write the story when I should be studying or sleeping. I don't quite know why, but I'm sure that you all are happy about it. On with the chapter!

Chapter 28: Welcome to My Nightmare

-Drowzee's POV-

Marill helped me adjust Rio and Meowth on the straw bed that I set out. They both looked to be asleep, but their minds were within Azurill's nightmare now. I sent them a telepathic message to repeat the warnings I gave them, to make sure that they stuck.

After a bit of time standing awkwardly around, Marill asked, "So… do you think that everything will work out?"

"If anyone can do it, they can. I just wish I could send in some more help."

Marill looked at me confused, "Why can't you?"

I shook my head, "Going into somebody's dream myself doesn't take much effort; I just meditate and, poof, I'm in. But to send someone else, I need to monitor them and make sure my concentration doesn't slip or their real bodies will draw their dream ones back. I could still manage while I went in myself, but like I said, I'd just slow them down."

I believe I may have a solution.

I looked around startled and said, "Who's there?!"

"Uh… Mr. Drowzee? There isn't anyone around…"

No, there is someone. I concentrated and felt a presence nearby. It smelt like someone having a dream, but I can't see anybody. I sent out a telepathic message. Who are you? Why are you here?

Sorry, didn't mean to startle you. I'm a friend of Meowth's. I overheard your conversation, and I believe that you can send me in since, as you can plainly not see, I don't have a body.

Anybody can say that they're someone. How do I know I can trust you? Besides, if you go in there, I can't pull you back if your body isn't here.

I don't care. I was brought here to help Meowth, and that's what I fully intend to do. From what I understand, though, I can't do anything from out here.

I paused as I gave the matter some thought. It was true that I would feel better with the two of them having some extra help. But… What is your name?

James.

Recognizing the name from so long ago, I nearly keeled over. Marill looked at me, shocked, "Mr. Drowzee?!"

It can't be… It just can't… It's simply not possible…!

I'll have to ask how exactly you know about me later. Meowth is very careful with information. What's important is not how, but why I'm here. Send me in.

Trying very hard to not accidentally think about extracting the information from Meowth's dreams, I nodded and said aloud, "You're right."

Good.

-Rio's POV-

I looked around as we continued through Azurill's nightmare. There didn't seem to be anything really indicating a cause. We had already run into a few of the enemies that inhabited this odd realm, one of which surprised me a bit.

I looked between Meowth and the other Meowth that just walked in, now running toward us. Meowth looked at the other and said, "Is my head really dat big?"

Regardless, Meowth was clearly identified by his Defense Scarf, so I had no problem knocking out the other with a punch to the face.

As we moved on, Meowth said, "Dat looked like it was a bit too easy for ya ta do…"

I shrugged, "These Meowth aren't you, so it's just a matter of landing the first hit, and type advantage takes care of the rest."

"Hey, type advantage ain't everythin'."

"I know; if all of them planned like you did, then that would be a problem. Plus, I don't think they're as strong. I didn't put much into that punch."

We continued on, fighting off the enemies. As we continued, we noticed some chasms in the ground. Meowth and I looked down in the uneneding abyss. Meowth took a Gravelrock that we found from the Treasure Bag and dropped it off the edge. We both strained our ears, but never heard a sound after.

We both turned away from the edge and Meowth said, "Okaaaay… It'd prob'ly be better if we didn't fall off…"

I turned to him as we continued, "But why do you think that there are tears in the dream?"

Meowth thought about it, "If I had ta guess, I'd say it's cuz o' whatever put dis nightmare on poor Azurill. It's tryin' ta make da dream so that nobody can get out."

As we went deeper into the nightmare, we ran into a monster house. But Meowth was more prepared this time and he used a Petrify Orb, allowing us to pick them off one by one, making sure not to touch any of the others. It was a sound plan, until a Selfdestruct Trap went off, freeing four enemies at the same time that it damaged us. We pulled through okay, but not before Meowth gave another muttered string of curses about traps.

One particular trap kept ruining the apples that we packed. I gave the still-fresh ones to Meowth and looked at one that was slightly less rotted from the trap. Taking a tentative sniff, I started opening my mouth when Meowth said, "Please tell me you're not gonna eat dat."

I looked at him, "I can't afford to use Rest with the possibility that we'll get ambushed again. I need to keep up my strength. And since you're the pickier of the two of us, I'm toughing it out." (AN: Just thought I'd incorporate the Survivalist IQ for a bit of comedy.)

Meowth looked visibly ill, even though I was the one eating Grimy Food. I tried to not chew too long (the rotting sludge at least helped in that department) and swallowed right away. Coughing as it went down, I tried to grab another, but Meowth grabbed my hand. "Dat's enough. Take it from a guy who's travelled; ya shouldn't push your luck wit' expired food."

I nodded and stood up. Meowth led me forward, and soon the dungeon led us to a wide, straight corridor. Meowth leaned forward as he looked, "Looks like it's a straight-shot from here. We must be near da end. Hopefully we'll find what's up."

As we walked forward, the entire area dimmed and then blacked out completely. I felt Meowth grab my wrist and pull me, "Stay close, Rio! We're not alone anymore."

A voice sounded from up ahead, "…You… How did… How did you get here?"

Meowth growled beside me, "None o' ya business how we got here. Show yaself!"

"I am…" There was a flash as the area lit back up and someone was standing right in front of us. Both Meowth and I jumped back. Then I recognized the Pokémon.

"I am… Cresselia!"

"Cr-Cresselia…!" I whispered. Meowth took a half-step away, now that the room was lit, but he still kept close.

Cresselia continued, "I cannot fathom how you've come here, but… I find your visit ever so convenient! I've longed to meet both of you!"

Meowth still held his guarded stance, "So you came into our dreams because…?"

"What I told you in your dreams is true…" Cresselia shook her head as she continued, "You two are not supposed to exist in this world."

Meowth stared Cresselia down, "Dat's a pretty big thing ta point fingers about, Cresselia. We don't wanna be left in da dark. We need reasons."

Cresselia paused for a moment before continuing, "…If the distortion in the fabric of space expands, the power of darkness will expand as well. Eventually… the world will become enveloped within a nightmare."

Meowth sighed, frustrated, "You mystery Pokémon, always beatin' around da bush. Gimme a straight answer."

"Do you know where we are at this moment?"

I answered, "We're in Azurill's dream aren't we?"

Cresselia nodded, "That is correct. More precisely, we are in Azurill's nightmare. Azurill will remain trapped by the nightmare… never to awaken again. This nightmare will eventually creep across the world. For now, only Azurill is afflicted with this nightmare. But soon other Pokémon will be drawn in by the nightmare's widening web. More and more Pokémon will fall into unending sleep. And, ultimately, all Pokémon will be locked in this nightmare without end."

I balked. All Pokémon?!

Meowth said, carefully, "What'll it take ta get rid o' da distortion in space?"

"There is but one way to eliminate the distortion," Cresselia answered. "That is… for you to disappear!"

"What?!" I shouted.

Cresselia continued, unphased by our shock, "I have been waiting for this opportunity." She loomed closer, "The opportunity… to make you disappear!"

Meowth said, "Hold up! We wanna know more about why we're causin' dis. Give us one solid fact about how we're da cause o' all dis!"

"So you would rather see all Pokémon swallowed up by the nightmare?" Cresselia asked. "Rio is a Pokémon who came from the future, and you went to the future and came back! Your very existence is driving the world to ruin! The only way to save the world is to eliminate both of you."

I heard Meowth mutter, "Wrong answer…" He tugged my arm back, "Rio, let's run for it!"

Cresselia flew forward, "You cannot escape what has to be done!"

"Weezing, use Smokescreen!"

An odd-looking orb flew in front of us, and it popped open, releasing a burst of white energy that formed into a Weezing who shouted, "Time to run!" while he shot smoke, blanketing the room. I felt Meowth pull me back some more before we were both scooped up by a large arm, suddenly moving much faster.

"Weezing, return!" In the limited visibility, I saw the orb held next to me by a gloved hand. A red beam shot behind us and retracted after a while. Next to me, I heard Meowth say, astonished, "No way… It can't be…"

As we were carried away, I heard Cresselia shout, "I was interrupted this time… But I will see to it that you two disappear!" Her voice seemed to echo as she said, "However, if you wish to save the world yourself… You should make yourselves disappear first."

We were soon a far distance away, and we were put down. I turned around and saw a blue-haired human, trying to catch his breath. He had more of those odd orbs fixed to his belt, and he had a white uniform with a black undershirt and matching purple gloves and boots. His shirt had a large, red symbol on it. Looking closely, it looked like an Unown without the eye.

Next to me, Meowth said, "I can't believe it. Jimmy, what're ya doin' here?! And have you been liftin'? You are buff!"

The human held up a hand as he took a few more deep breaths, "For… huff… the last… huff… time, it's James!"

Meowth crossed his arms, "I'll call you Jimmy long as I got breath in these lungs. How'dja even get here?"

James held up a hand, "Now is not the time to explain. There's no guarantee that that Cresselia won't follow us. We need to get out of here and meet up on the outside."

Meowth pulled out an Escape Orb, "You're right. If we get back to the entrance, we should be able ta call Drowzee ta get us out. We got a lot ta discuss."

James nodded back and suddenly I felt very singled out of their sub-conversation.

After we got back to the entrance of the nightmare, we called out for Drowzee and he pulled us back out of the nightmare after asking if the "extra help" he found was with us.

Once we were back in our bodies, I looked around. I saw the same bluish translucent figure that I'd seen earlier in the day. I couldn't make out many details of his body, but I knew where he was floating.

Once everyone in the guild was called, Meowth and I told about what happened and what we learned from Cresselia about the distortion of space in relation to Azurill's nightmare.

Chatot nodded, "…I see. So you encountered Cresselia. And she said that Azurill's nightmare is caused by the distortion in the fabric of space."

Meowth nodded, "Yeah."

Chatot continued, "If nothing is done about it… all Pokémon will join Azurill in unending sleep. That is what Cresselia said?"

I sighed, thinking back to what Cresselia said about how to stop it. "Yes."

Chatot squawked, "If that's all true… this is terrible trouble, to be sure! We've got to do something!"

I spoke up, "So, Chatot, what do you know about Cresselia?"

Chatot crossed his wings, thinking, "I know of the Pokémon… but only from rumors. It is said that Cresselia appears only during the night of the quarter moon. It is also said that this Pokémon can heal others' emotional scars simply with the gentle light from her body."

I murmured, "She didn't seem too nice to me…"

"There is one more thing about Cresselia," Chatot continued, unaware of my statement. "This Pokémon is said to possess a mystical power that can banish darkness."

Corphish chimed in, "Hey, hey! So let's get this straight. If we don't do something… All the Pokémon in the world are going to fall asleep forever? Hey, hey! That means we have to do something now to fix the space distortion!"

Drowzee called, "Hey, Meowth. Did Cresselia say anything about… how the distortion of space can be stopped."

My eyes widened, but Meowth remained calm and tilted his head thinking about the question. "…No. Can't say we learned anythin' 'bout dat."

I turned to Meowth as Drowzee said, "Ah, I see… That is unfortunate…"

"Well, anyway!" Wigglytuff chimed in. "Let's look into the distortion of space together! If we don't, we won't be able to stop the nightmare from spreading!" He turned to Chatot, "Chatot!"

"Y-yes, Guildmaster!" Chatot turned to address everyone in the room. "All right everyone! We'll disband for the day. And starting tomorrow, you are to individually investigate the distortion of space itself!"

"Yup yup! Will do!" Bidoof answered.

"All right, dismissed!" Chatot called out.

Everybody, including us, left and after hearing out the reports from our recruits since it was already sunset (for some reason, James stayed outside of the café), the three of us headed to Sharpedo Bluff as it went to night.

Once we were inside, Meowth asked, "Jimmy, are ya there?"

Rio, can you hear me?

I nodded and turned to Meowth, "Yes, he's here. I can see something like a bluish outline shadow."

It would be better if everybody was out to hear this. You two may want to scoot back.

I passed James' message on to Meowth, and we both backed up a fair distance until James let me know that it was enough. Soon flashes of white light went off, blinding us in the darkness. Soon six Pokémon stood in front of us. Meowth gasped and said, "You got your Pokémon wit' ya?! How?!"

The Growlithe said, "We were brought here to help. We don't know how, but we're here for James, so by extension, we're here for you too."

Meowth greeted each of the Pokémon in turn (turns out the Growlithe had a nickname, Growlie) and introduced me as his new partner and friend and co-founder of our new team.

"He's helped keep me on da straight an' narrow since we started an exploration team."

I turned to Meowth, "From what I heard, you were already resolved to reform long before I met you."

He told you? I've never known Meowth to freely share his past.

I've noticed. He told me as a show of trust.

Meowth raised his paws, "Alright, enough wit' da reunion. We got some serious business ta discuss."

Weezing said, "James says, 'Right. About what the Cresselia said, correct?'"

Meowth nodded, "Somethin' seems really fishy about da reasons she gave."

Cacturne crossed his arms, "What about it? What did she say?"

Meowth said, "She said dat da distortion in space dat'll put everyone ta sleep forever is bein' caused by us."

Chimecho said, "James recalls seeing such a hole on his way here. Whatever sent us here used that to bring us over here in a pseudo-physical form. Something about 'using his damage against him'."

Meowth raised an eyebrow, "'His'? So dat voice knows somethin' 'bout da distortion of space. An' more importantly, knows dat it's a 'him' not a 'they'."

I held up my hand, "Could somebody please clarify what exactly you mean? I'm afraid you've lost me with all of the subtext in your speaking."

Meowth turned to me, "Sorry, years of double speak are hard ta break. What we're sayin' is dat dis distortion of space is bein' caused by someone specific, not by accident. Somethin' else, if it were our accident, then the voice would've said 'their damage'."

My eyes widened, "S-so that means…"

Meowth nodded, "It means we're clear, but we've been framed. I thought that it was fishy how Cresselia was dodgy about answerin' why in my dream, but what she said in da nightmare was da clincher."

Growlie said, "And what's that?"

"She said dat da reason I was distortin' space was because I went to da future an' came back. Dat waved a red flag for me because, if I were causin' da distortion, it'd be cuz o' me being warped here from anotha world. But she didn't mention dat once."

Mime Jr. said, "James says, 'So that means that either someone fed Cresselia misinformation, or she's out to get rid of you two for another reason.'"

Carnivine said, "What other reason could there be?"

Meowth shook his head, "Dat, I don't know. We were told dat we were causin' a distortion of space at a place called Luminous Spring, but nothin' was mentioned about it causin' da end o' da world. Right now, we got conflictin' information. But we know one thing fa sure. It ain't certain dat Rio an' I disappearin' will solve anythin'. We oughta take more time ta look inta dis; see if we can find anotha way."

We all nodded, and I said, "Seems like a good idea for now."

Growlie yawned and said, "I believe it's time to sleep. Do you mind if I stay here? I don't really like it in my Poké Ball."

I was about to ask what a Poké Ball was, but Meowth said, "Sure. There's some extra hay over there for a bed. Make yaself at home, I guess." The other five Pokémon turned into transparent red energy and seemed to disappear into the blue shadow's outstretched hands.

Growlie set up a bed for himself and we all curled up. I heard Meowth yawn and say, "Hey, James, later we oughta catch up on what's goin' on on your end. I dunno how much time's passed since I left our world, but I'd like an update."

I heard Growlie say, "James says, 'Sounds good.'"

We all went to sleep for the night.