Pure White Dreams / First of the Dreams & Destiny Trilogy
Updates Every 5-7 Days
Rating: K+ for occasional minor language
Disclaimer: Despite using characters, story, and some dialogue from this lovely source material, I can only express my admiration, rather than any ownership.
Previously: Touko won her first badge thanks to her newest Pokémon, Panpour. Afterwards, she and Bianca meet Professor Juniper's colleague, Fennel, sending them to the Dreamyard the next day…
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Chapter Five
What Waits in the Fog
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The next day, Touko and Bianca woke early so Touko could get started on Route 3 and Bianca would have time to train for her own gym battle. After a very quick breakfast, they rushed off to the edge of the city, so by the time it was 7AM, the two girls, and their two starter Pokémon stood in the forest clearing known as the Dreamyard.
Touko walked with purpose, eyes alert as they searched through the thick early-morning fog. She'd been there the day before and had gone to every accessibly inch of the yard, looking for more people to train with. That left only one area where Munna could be hiding, which was blocked off by a tree. A tree that Panpour had helpfully learned to cut down thanks to the HM Fennel gave each of them. It seemed that even Fennel's generous gift was part of the plan.
Panpour went right to work once he was out of the ball. With one slice of his claws, the tree was in half and the two girls could climb right over the stump.
"Good work, Panpour," Touko praised before putting him back into his Ball. She didn't want too many Pokémon wandering around. After Lillipup's encounter with Purrloin, she wanted to be sure no one would scare off Munna.
As they explored the fenced in area, Bianca spoke, "I'm just really, really wondering how showing dreams works…"
"You and me both," Touko replied. "I guess you've never seen a Munna before or Musharna anything?"
"Oh no! I wish I have, though!"
Touko smiled in response. Every girl had a dream Pokémon when they were little, probably every little boy too. Touko could remember vividly a summer she spent running around, pretending she was a Zebstrika.
In fact, Zebstrika had been her absolute favorite Pokémon long after that. It probably still would have been if things hadn't gone wrong.
She smiled sadly. But at least most of the memories were fun, running around at the edge of the forest around town. Now that she thought about it, she could remember Bianca trying to figure out how to float like Munna so she could play as well.
It looked like Munna was still Bianca's dream Pokémon.
Just then, beyond the wall, they heard a strange sound.
"Hey! Did you hear that?" Bianca called out in a loud whisper. "Come on, let's go see!"
The two girls raced inside to find the rumored Munna. Bianca had to stifle her squeals of glee since they were trying not to scare it, and instead took to tugging repeatedly on Touko's arm.
Even with the precaution, Munna floated off when it saw them approaching.
"Oh! Wait!" Bianca cried, forgetting all about being quiet. She chased it around the corner faster than Touko could follow so early in the morning.
Get Bianca properly motivated and she could even beat Touko in running. Who knew?
"Wh-what are you doing here! Go away!" Bianca's voice cried out in distress.
That was Touko's proper motivation. She ran toward the sound of Bianca's voice as fast as lightening.
"Bianca!" she called out as her friend's back came into view.
"Touko! They have Munna!"
Touko stopped short when she caught sight an unfamiliar man and woman; though the uniforms they wore were very familiar to her. "You—!"
The man had grabbed Munna and was holding it far more roughly than necessary.
"Wh-Who are you?" Bianca asked, her voice shaking.
Touko stood in front of her friend and answered for their opponents, "They're Team Plasma…and a bunch of hypocrites, obviously. Let go of that Munna! Can't you see you're hurting it!"
"Unfortunately for you, you can't add this Munna to your collection of slaves," the woman informed them smugly, "because Team Plasma has need of this Pokémon's services."
"What could Team Plasma possibly want to use a Pokémon for? I thought you guys were against that. Along with having Pokémon to begin with. Pokémon Liberation and all."
"We're going to use it to the Dream Mist to make people want to release their Pokémon…" the man informed them. "We'll show them dreams to manipulate their hearts. And those that don't listen will get a dose of Nightmare Mist!"
"Nightmare…?" Touko blinked in confusion.
The woman elbowed her companion. "You're saying too much, idiot! It's not even approved yet." She motioned to a hole in the wall. "You better get that Munna back to the hideout and the Sage. I'll take care of the kids."
The man rubbed his ribs with his free hand, but then did as he was told, rushing through the hole in the wall.
Touko glared at the retreat, but she couldn't just go after him and leave Bianca with his partner. "Bianca, go get help! Fennel or somebody…"
"But—!"
"I have more Pokémon than you; I'll be fine. But it'll be better if you get help, so go!"
Bianca looked hesitant, but gave her friend a nod and took off back into the city.
"My, my, what a brave little twerp," the woman mocked as she held up a Poké Ball.
"You guys carry Pokémon around too?" Touko asked in disgust. "What about your ideals?"
"You can't change the world without force, sweetheart. And today I'll start by taking away your Pokémon!" she declared as she sent out Patrat.
Instead of attacking her Snivy, the Patrat immediately dived at Touko, claws out. Startled, she barely had time to cover her face from the blow, but it never came; Snivy ensnared the Patrat in vines before it ever reached her, a fierce look on his face.
It seemed there were no rules of conduct for these folks from Team Plasma.
"Thanks Snivy," she smiled at her partner and stood up straight with regained confidence. "Alright, now I'll show you the strength of a real trainer's bond with their Pokémon. Snivy! Let him go for a new Vine Whip!"
The tide of battle was easily on Touko's side and blow after blow caused the Patrat to faint before he even got a hit.
"I'm not done yet! You'll stand no chance against Purrloin!"
"I beg to differ! My Striaton Gym champion Panpour will wash you away!" Touko replied, her confidence at an all-time high. She was starting to get the appeal of the puns now; it sort of made her feel like a hero from cartoons she used to watch.
She recalled Snivy back into his ball and sent out Panpour as promised. Even if Plasma didn't play by the rules, it didn't mean Touko would stoop to their level.
Her strategy remained the same: Attack, alternating between the forceful Water Gun and the new slashing Cut. It as all she needed against someone so inept and the sheer strength of her trained Pokémon won out in the end.
As Purrloin fell, the woman gritted her teeth. "I can't believe I lost…to a kid," she stated in angered disbelief.
"Yup, just little fifteen-year-old me," Touko replied with a satisfied smirk. "Now, it's the end for you. I knew something was wrong about Team Plasma, now everyone else will too."
As the woman stepped back, inching toward the hole in the wall.
"You're not going anywhere!" Touko immediately sent Snivy back out. "Wrap her up in vines so she can't escape!"
"Sorry, but I don't think we'd like that today," a voice came from above and distracted her before Snivy followed through. The man from before had returned, standing atop the wall and had something in his hand.
"Wait, don't—!" the woman called to him. But it was too late, he'd dropped it and whatever it was smashed to pieces at Touko's feet. Once it had, the woman scrambled up the wall herself.
Touko just blinked in confusion—had he missed?—until a murky dark gas started to rise from the shattered glass. Whatever it was, it looked…wrong…but Touko couldn't look for long. Whatever it was stung her eyes so they filled with tears. She fell to her knees, coughing and her head spinning.
"You idiot! That was almost all we had! We weren't supposed to use it, just transport it to Castelia City! Now, how are we supposed to replicate it?"
Where are Panpour and Snivy? She couldn't see them through the fog. And she wasn't quite sure whether the fog was really there or just a really bad sign.
"That girl would have followed me all the way to the hideout!"
Touko fell to the ground. She fumbled through her pocket where her Panpour's and Snivy's empty balls were waiting. Even if she couldn't see them, she could probably recall them and keep them safe from the gas, whatever it was.
"And you can't take care of one pesky girl?"
"Snivy…Panpour…" she called weakly. There was no response.
"You couldn't!"
"Please…" she whispered. Then she heard a click in each of their balls. She smiled weakly and held them tightly as she curled up.
"Alright, alright, it's fine. At least if we get more Dream Mist. We can act like the Nightmare Mist turned out to be a dud or a fake or something. Then we'll send some back to that lab guy and he can make us more eventually."
Nightmare…? she thought, vaguely remembering it as the thing the man had gotten in trouble for mentioning. The fog was getting worse. Everything was black now and it felt like it was invading her ears, filling it with screams.
"How do we get it? It hasn't done anything so far!"
"Just kick it!"
There was a loud horrible sound and the weak cry of a Pokémon that multiplied into thousands in her ears.
"Please…stop…" she whispered weakly.
Then it happened again.
And again.
Each time was worse, even as she was falling farther away. She fought to stay, so she could help the Pokémon.
Then the darkness started to clear, which could only be good. She reached toward it, getting closer and closer, until she found herself clutching a familiar hand.
Her eyes widened in the sudden bright sunlight. "Dad?"
XWXWXWXWX
When the blinding light left her eyes, Touko found herself walking beside her father in silence, not quite sure of how she got there or where she was. Her concerns over the hurt Pokémon were falling away. Team Plasma, her concern for Bianca, her fight with Cheren…each worry faded further away with each step they took.
Her father wasn't speaking, which she distantly felt might be unusual for him. Why weren't they talking about Pokémon?
Pokémon…there was something important about a Pokémon…something she had to do…
The silence that at first had felt tranquil in the warm light was starting to feel uncomfortable, prickly almost. The air was starting to grow cold. Her legs were growing heavy. Each step took more and more effort and soon her father was getting ahead of her.
"Dad, wai—" she tried to speak, but it felt like her mouth had filled with sand.
Soon, she couldn't walk at all. The silence felt like it was stabbing her with ice. She couldn't even shiver, frozen in place. Every word she tried to bring her father's attention back stuck in her throat.
I have to help him! she thought, though she wasn't sure why.
Then it got dark again and she felt as if she could move. She immediately tried to reach back toward her father, but the sound of a crying Pokémon stopped her.
She remembered small things: the shape of her badge…the sound of Lillipup's bark…the strange feel of Snivy's leafy skin…
The distant sound of that crying Pokémon. She felt as if she could move a little.
Then she heard other things as well and she stopped, not sure she wanted to venture any closer.
"What are you doing?" a voice asked coldly from miles away.
"M-my Lord!" two frightened voices responded.
That voice sounds familiar…who…? Touko tried searching for the memory.
"It was all his fault, my Lord! He broke the container!"
"Not that! What were you going to Munna?"
A memory filtered in through the fog. Not the one she was searching for, but instead the image of a distressed Pokémon.
"…Stop…" she whispered weakly. "…Don't hurt…the Pokémon…please…"
She tried to get up, to move to where the voices that had suddenly gone silent were. But as she searched her mind for more of the memories about this mysterious hurt Pokémon, she was confronted instead by an image of her father and the hope that she could still somehow reach him.
"Dad…"
She stopped fighting.
XWXWXWXWX
It felt like hours had passed now, but no matter how far her father walked away, at least she could still see him.
That should have been good, but it only filled her with anxiety.
The pain had slowly faded away, leaving her surrounded by complete emptiness as she kept her gaze fixed on her father, unable to move.
Every so often, it felt as if the darkness faded for one brief moment, and she could remember something, a happy memory.
But then each time, the memory would change. Something else would come back. The worries, her fears…her nightmares.
After a memory of fishing with her father fell into the darkness, it was overtaken by a vision of a teacher in the hallway.
Her eyes widened with horror. She suddenly could tell where they were. The shopping plaza back in Nuvema Town.
But…she hadn't even been with her father that day!
Even though she knew it was futile, she tried to call for him again, run toward him, anything to get his attention. But he continued onward.
He stopped at the street and looked both directions. He was holding a bag in one hand, a phone in the other. He was talking to someone.
The words drifted across the wind…
"Are you sure that Touko hasn't gotten over her Zebstrika phase? She's turning thirteen now…Well, I hope you're right. I had to check every store in the square. I was starting to think I'd have to go to a city!"
He was laughing. The tears already streamed down Touko's face as she tried to reach for him one more time.
Her father walked into the road and a silent scream tore Touko's throat; she couldn't even look away. This time, she had to see it with her own eyes instead of getting called out of class and hearing the horrible news in the hallway.
And she could do nothing to stop it. Again.
Then the voices started.
"Miss White…I'm afraid your father has been in accident…"
"Your father would be so proud."
"Could you…postpone the Pokémon trip? Just for maybe a year or so?"
"It's ok, Touko. Cheren and I don't mind waiting for you."
"Listen, I'm going on ahead."
"Sorry, Touko! I didn't realize you weren't here too!"
"You're her friend; you shouldn't let her do something so dangerous."
"My father…saying he's proud of how strong I've become."
…It would be nice to dream at least…
Then the words started to blend together; pushing in on her and suffocating her; trying to bury her in every painful word she'd heard in the past few days.
"—I would like to talk to you about Pokémon liberation—you're going to confine many, many Pokémon—don't really need Panpour anymore—You sound like Team Plasma—over the fight and that's why he left—"
At first she screamed, but her voice only added to the sound.
So she fought, ran through the noise to try to find something that made sense, but only found some of the most excruciating sounds waiting for her.
"Poor thing…she's still too young to have lost her father…"
"We found this at the accident, does it mean anything?"
"…because he was out shopping for her birthday too."
"Didn't you used to love Zebstrika?"
"I don't want to just leave her alone! She looks like she's in pain!"
She couldn't remember that last one and it didn't sound at all awful. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on it.
"You already shouldn't be in here. We don't know if it's contagious."
"You read the note! It said it was a gas!"
The voices were getting louder. Maybe, if she tried to reach toward them…
"We don't know where that note came from. Look, I know you're worried about your friend, but the best thing you can do right now is stay out of the way. Loud noises may exacerbate the condition."
"But I promise I'll be—"
"They're right Bianca. Don't worry; I'll help them with the testing so we can find out just what happened."
"Alright…"
Was she leaving?
"Get better quick, Touko…"
Touko couldn't let the only comforting words get away. She stretched out her arm and cried out one last time.
"Wait!" she screamed as she lunged forward…
…And immediately fell down, hitting a cold hard floor.
"Touko! You're awake!" the familiar voice cried. And soon she was encircled in a pair of comforting arms. "I was so worried!"
"Bianca…" she murmured and blinked in the bright lights. For a moment it reminded her of the dream—she realized it must have been a dream now—and she shivered. But as her vision cleared, she found herself in an unfamiliar white room, which contained two other people in white coats.
Not very comforting. At least one of them was Fennel.
"Oh, thank goodness!" the scientist exclaimed and clapped her hands together. "Bianca can stay now, of course?"
"What did I just say about loud noises? And even if she's awake, we're still not sure it isn't contagious! She had—has a fever!"
Touko caught onto what they were discussing quickly. Bianca was the familiar voice that helped her out of that awful nightmare.
She immediately glared at the unfamiliar woman and stated quite firmly, "I don't want Bianca to leave."
"Yes, but you see, you might be contagious and you don't want your friend to get sick, do you?"
"Well, since Touko is awake, she can tell us what happened, right? Then we'll figure it out." Fennel chimed in again.
Touko looked at Fennel and received a wink in return. She looked down, suddenly aware of the attention on her. "R-Right. It was this dark sort of…gas, I guess? Or maybe a mist since they kept saying something like that…Nightmare Mist! You know, sorta like Dream Mist? Except it wasn't like that at all. Anyway, they threw that at me in this glass…thing. Everything started to get dark and…" I couldn't see my Pokémon anymore!
Her head shot up and she looked around in a panic. "Where are Snivy and Panpour? They were out of their Poké Balls when it hit!"
"They're fine," Fennel replied, in a much more comforting tone than usual. She was smiling gently, rather than wearing the playful grin she'd sported just a few second ago. "You got them back in before much of it got into their system. It doesn't seem to have as strong of an effect on Pokémon, since they slept it off pretty quickly. But they're just resting in another room."
"Not at the Poké Center?" Touko asked with a frown.
Fennel's usual smile returned at that question. "Actually, we're in the Poké Center right now."
Touko didn't know quite what to say to that. "Poké Centers are for Pokémon."
"Hmm…yes, well, this is an unusual case. So, for expediency of testing, it seems to be for the best. Whoever found you was pretty swift about that. Either that or pretty weird, because as you said Poké Centers are for Pokémon. And as cute a girl you may be, Touko, you are no adorable little Cottonee."
Ignoring the jab/compliment, Touko went for the more important information hidden in that mess. "You didn't bring me here?"
"Actually no, but Bianca can let you know that full story. Though I'll remind you thatyou do still need your rest." She turned around and faced the doctor. "Are you still here? Doctor, your patient needs rest and we have some investigating to do!"
"R-right…" the doctor mumbled, finally conceding the point and walking out the door.
"The police will probably arrive soon, just as a warning. They've been skulking about." Then Fennel skipped out the door as well.
Bianca had remained silent throughout the entire argument, crying on Touko's shoulder. As she patted her back, Touko realized that their situations probably should have been reversed.
"Are you okay?" she asked gently.
"Don't ask me that! I'm the one that's worried about you!" Bianca complained tearfully. She released Touko and kneeled upright. She sniffled a couple more times and then took a deep breath, putting on her most serious face. "Are you okay?"
"Could be better," Touko replied with a shrug. Then she winced, even moving her head a small amount made her feel dizzy.
"Oh! You're supposed to be resting!" Bianca took Touko by the arm and helped her back into bed.
"Thanks," Touko mumbled as she got underneath the covers, but she adjusted her bed so she could sit up at least a little. Laying flat made her feel like she was on her deathbed.
Once she was comfortable, she turned to face Bianca, who was sitting beside her on the little visitor's stool. "So…what exactly happened?"
"I'm not even really sure…" Bianca began, looking up to the ceiling for her answers.
"Well, just tell me what happened after you left," Touko tried to help.
It was a poor choice of words, because tears immediately filled Bianca's eyes again. "I knew I shouldn't have—!"
"It's all right. I told you to and if you were there…" Touko's blood ran cold just at the thought. "Just tell me…what happened?"
Bianca just looked at Touko with watery eyes, so she tried to smile encouragingly in return.
Then Bianca sighed, took out a handkerchief, blew her nose (quite loudly) and took a deep breath. "After I left, I ran for Fennel's, since I had no idea where the police station might be. At first the people downstairs didn't want to let me up, because she was working on an experiment, but I pushed my way through," she spoke in a miserable informative tone, almost making Touko wish she hadn't asked after all. It was rather depressing.
"It took a while to explain, b-because I was so worried, you know? But then Fennel called for the police and we headed over to the Dreamyard ourselves. Since Fennel's apartment was so close, because of her experiments and all, we got there first. But when we got to where you'd been, you weren't there!
"Then the first police came and we showed them the hole in the wall that Team Plasma guy went off through, in case you followed him or maybe…got kidnapped." There was another small sniffle here, to properly relay Bianca's fears. "After they were gone, Fennel went to search the rest of the Dreamyard, I was supposed to stay put and wait for the police, but I heard a Munna, and I thought it could be the one that was kidnapped…"
"Did you find it?" Touko asked anxiously. Until that moment she'd almost forgotten about the Munna.
"Uh-uh." Bianca shook her head. She must have seen Touko's concern because she added quickly, "But it seems Munna was with you when you came! It was hurt pretty badly, but for a while it just didn't want to leave you."
Touko laid back in her bed and closed her eyes, thinking over this new information. For a while in the dream, she felt as if there were some good ones mixed in with the bad. But it was silly to think… "Munna projects dreams, right?"
"Well, yeah they do that, but they eat them too."
"Eat?" Touko repeated in confusion.
"In order to project someone's dream, they eat it first. Then the person forgets they ever dreamed it."
"Ah…" The sensation of losing the nightmare for an instant before it came rushing back. Munna hadn't been able to give her good dreams to fight the bad ones, but it gave her the opening. "Munna was trying to eat the Nightmare…"
"Nightmare?"
"You know, from the 'Nightmare Mist' or whatever that junk was. It must have been too much since it was weak though…"
"It actually gave you nightmares?" Bianca repeated fretfully. "What kind of nightmare were you having?" She was looking quite concerned. Of course, she'd been watching her…said it looked like she was in pain…
Touko looked away. Bianca obviously was worried, but she couldn't bring herself to talk about it. It took two years, but she had finally started to get on pretty well and those idiots had drudged it all back for her. Ripping open the wound. "Sorry…maybe later? Keep going with the story."
Bianca still looked concerned, but did as she was told. "So, I was only gone for a minute, before I went back, but there as a note on the ground. Then we came to the Poké Center and found you here."
She seemed to think that was the end of the story, but Touko wanted to know more. "What did the note say?"
"Oh, I'm not sure…the police took it once they got there. It was a lot of stuff about a gas, hurt Pokémon, people who hurt Pokémon, some other stuff, and then it said you were at the Poké Center. It was kind of unclear."
"Really unclear…and weird…" Touko commented half-heartedly, disappointed by the information. It didn't tell her anything she didn't already know from being there.
"Even if it's weird, whoever wrote it helped you out! Like a hero!" Bianca said cheerfully.
Touko wasn't quite so sure about that. Things had been all mixed up, but sometimes she thought she heard real things. Things that didn't fit in with the memories. Like with Bianca; and another moment not long after the dream began…
It couldn't have been part of the nightmare, because it hadn't been that scary. Not for her anyway.
Her recollection of it was foggy, but she at least knew there had been someone there with the two Plasma idiots. Someone who they were a little afraid of.
And he'd been mad…because they were hurting the Pokémon.
Touko frowned at the memory. She should have been happy; someone saved the Pokémon. Of course, she was very grateful for that, but it also meant that someone in Team Plasma was being honest and really did care about Pokémon.
Again, this should have been a good thing. But it made the world that seemed to have separated into black and white that morning a lot more complicated.
How could she know which side of Team Plasma was the real one?
Author's Note: Oh, hey sudden swerve. I remember writing this and seeing the words "Nightmare Mist" just pop up to my screen and being like "Really?" It sounded so cheesy and lazy and still does, but sometimes Pokemon villains do nothing but laze around in cheese. So, why not? Ultimately I let it go because the development lead me to some interesting places.
But still. I feel like this is chapter I want the most criticism on. I don't know how much I can change it with altering the story, but it will definitely help me with the sequels if I get some serious feedback here and now. I've done the least editing thus far in this chapter because I can't quite figure what might be wrong. It's frustrating. I hope it's just the fear of leaving the safe comfort of sticking to canon, but because of the shift I want to be sure.
EDIT (7/26/12): Chapter six, originally scheduled to be posted tomorrow, is now delayed for 2-4 days due to writer's inspiration. I've been obsessing about the original content in the next three chapters (the next three chapters are entirely original content really) and I have decided to just go ahead and fix them up so that they're right the first time. This should slow the schedule down, at least temporarily, to once a week.