Whee this chapter involves a (corny) story about the past! Which I feel like I probably could've worked in as a flashback instead of a straight retelling… And I know I portray Darkrai as an even character in this, but I don't think he is. I love Darkrai to pieces and wish I could give him a hug. This just isn't a particularly happy fic.
Oh and thanks to Damned Lolita and J-pearl96 for reviewing!
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.
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Learning the Legend
For Canalave City being a major port, Hikari was surprised at the lack of sailors in town. Or should she say, the lack of sailors who were willing to take her to Fullmoon and Newmoon Islands…
Growing exhausted, Hikari placed one hand on the side of a building, taking valuable time to rest. She had been at it for a good while now, with no success. Sighing, she sidled around to the front of the building, hoping its residents were possibly sailors. Hikari was in luck; the sign out front of the house read, 'Sailor Eldritch's House'. She rapped gently on the door and stepped inside.
A well-built sailor and a brown-haired woman who Hikari assumed was his wife were huddled over a bed, worry clearly etched into their faces.
"Excuse me," Hikari mumbled quietly, fearing she was intruding. The woman gasped and the sailor turned around. "I'm sorry if I'm interrupting anything… I was just looking for Sailor Eldritch." The man's eyes grew wide at the mention of his name.
"That would be me," he said, "I'm Eldritch."
"Can we help you dear?" the woman asked. "Sorry we did not realize you entered sooner. It's just…our son…" She trailed off, biting her lower lip to fight off the tears she could feel welling up in her eyes. Eldritch led her off by the arm to another room, and then returned to speak to Hikari. She was staring at the boy in bed, with large, fearful eyes.
Damp sheets were wrapped around his boy awkwardly, limbs splayed out in all directions. Beads of sweat dripped off his furrowed brown and his face was contorted in pain. He tossed and turned, occasionally mumbling incoherent words.
"He's been in this state for days," Eldritch said, approaching Hikari from behind. She jumped and turned to face him, somewhat embarrassed. "So you said you were looking for me?" he then asked, changing his tone slightly. Hikari nodded, glancing back at the boy.
"That's my son, Eli. And who might you be?"
"I'm Hikari… And, what's wrong with him?"
"Nightmares. He's being plagued by horrific nightmares." Eldritch stated bluntly. Hikari was expecting this just as much, remembering what she had read just recently.
"I read somewhere that the Pokemon Cresselia can cure those nightmares," she said.
"I know, but I can't find anyone willing to accompany me to Fullmoon Island." Eldritch lowered his head, eyes transfixed on his shoes. "And at this rate, I don't know if he'll ever wake up…"
"I'll go," Hikari said, without a trace of hesitation.
Eldritch's head snapped up. "No joke? Oh Hikari, I cannot thank you enough! Do you mind if we leave now?" Hikari shook her head, and the sailor led her outside. "This is my own boat. We can take it there."
The two of them stepped onboard and Eldritch pulled it away from Canalave Dock. They progressed slowly as the bridge was raised to allow them passage out to sea. Once they crossed beneath it, the vessel took off at full speed, sight set on Fullmoon Island.
X
"Here we are!" Sailor Eldritch announced as his boat docked on the shore of Fullmoon Island. Hikari was met with the relaxing atmosphere of the island. A slight breeze ruffled her hair as she walked further onto the island.
Flowers sprouted sporadically, interspersed between groves of thick trees. Hikari walked through the lush grass, a path already cleared, leading to an opening between dense gatherings of trees. She stepped through, momentarily shrouded by darkness.
Hikari's azure eyes grew wide once she set sight on one of the most beautiful Pokemon she had ever seen. Cresselia, as she assumed it was, had the appearance of a metallic swan, colored blue, yellow, and purple. Her sleek blue body with yellow undertones was hovering above a crescent shaped puddle of crystal water. Cresselia's purple, translucent wings shimmered and twitched slightly at the sight of Hikari.
She turned her face, framed by a golden crescent shape, to confront the girl with piercing lavender eyes. Her formed flickered for a moment, before vanishing completely, high into the sky. Iridescent particles floated down from Cresselia's wings like a veil, and with them, a yellow object.
Hikari moved forward to catch the object in her outstretched hand. It was a feather, of a shining golden color that had a slightly metallic feel. She knew the plume belonged to Cresselia and could feel some sort of power radiating from it. Placing the wing in her bag, Hikari turned to leave. Before exiting the clearing, she felt an eerie presence and spotted a fleeting shadow out of the corner of her eye. She shuddered, a tingling in her spine, sensing something ominous about the dark shape. Shaking off the foreboding ambiance, Hikari returned to the dock.
"That must be the Lunar Pokemon you saw," Eldritch observed. "I saw it fly off. I've also heard tales of it traveling across Sinnoh." He then noticed the wing that had made its way back into Hikari's grasp. "Oh! That sparkle… So that must be the Lunar Wing… I know that will wake my son from the nightmares. We must hurry back to Canalave!"
Eldritch ushered Hikari onto the boat and immediately shipped out. She gently cradled the Lunar Wing in her hands, gazing at it in awe.
So this will cure him from the nightmares, she thought, I still don't understand it though. What's so special about this wing? What properties allow Cresselia to have its powers?
Setting her questions aside for the moment, Hikari glanced at Eldritch at the wheel of the ship. The girl had a feeling the sailor knew much more about Cresselia and Darkrai than he was sharing…
X
Eldritch rushed into his home, surprising his wife, with Hikari scuttling close behind. "Honey!" he exclaimed upon bursting through the door, "We found it! We found a cure!"
Her hands flew up to her mouth, eyes widened in joy. "Oh please tell me you're serious!"
"Of course I am, Isabelle. This is the real deal."
Eldritch and Isabelle both fixed their gaze on Hikari, who was lingering by the door. She slowly stepped forward, Lunar Wing held carefully in her outstretched palms. As soon as the Wing came within a close vicinity of Eli, it levitated out of Hikari's grasp and hovered above the young boy's troubled face. The Lunar Wing gave off an ethereal glow, not unlike the full moon on a clear night. The light was cast gently over Eli, and slowly, his eyelids flickered open.
Eldritch, Isabelle, and Hikari all stood over him in awe, as his restless body ceased turning and he forced his eyes open. The Lunar Wing dissolved above him, sending shimmering sparkles to the ground.
"Oh Eli!" Isabelle gasped, throwing herself at her son, "You're okay! I couldn't be happier!" Eldritch gave his son a squeeze as well.
"And it's all thanks to Hikari!"
Eli looked up at the azure-haired girl with shining, green eyes. "Thank you… Hikari," he said with an innocent voice that warmed Hikari's heart. "I was having such bad dreams and I couldn't wake up no matter how hard I tried. And there were these scary blue eyes, always watching me…"
Hikari noticed Eldritch chew his bottom lip anxiously. "It's alright," she said in a comforting manner. "It's all over now." Eli nodded.
"C'mon Eli, let's go get cleaned up." Isabelle led her son to the other room by the hand, Hikari and Eldritch watching them go. Silence pervaded the atmosphere and an air of awkwardness settled over the two of them.
"Hikari," Eldritch said suddenly, breaking the silence, "I cannot thank you enough. Is there anyway I can repay you?"
"It was no problem," she replied, "But maybe you can tell me a few things… about Darkrai." The fear was evident in Eldritch's eyes at the mention of Darkrai's name. He looked like he wanted to speak, but couldn't find the words, so Hikari pressed on.
"Perhaps," she continued, "you can tell me what this is?" Hikari pulled the Member Card out of her bag and dangled it in front of the sailor's face. His expression was a mixture of distress and trepidation as he snatched the card out of Hikari's hand.
"W-where… Where did you get this?" Eldritch stuttered. "No one should be in possession of this card! The last person to lay hands on this…" He trailed off, slumping down on the couch and burying his face in his hands.
"Please tell me Eldritch," Hikari said, kneeling down before the coffee table and leaning in towards the distraught sailor.
"The last person to have this card was… my grandfather Edward. He was a sailor just like me, but much younger at the time of the-" he gulped- "incident."
"What incident?" Hikari questioned.
"The incident…involving Darkrai. You see, Edward was just getting his bearings as a sailor and the first town he ever sailed to was Canalave. In need of a place to stay the night, he turned to the Harbor Inn.
"Now the young woman in charge of the Inn was actually my grandmother's best friend. Her name was Aileen, and she happened to be in love with Edward."
"Wow, small world," Hikari commented.
"I guess it's kinda funny how they all knew one another… But Aileen would never do anything to interfere with the relationship my grandmother and Edward had. She decided to remain content with being his good friend.
"Anyway, Aileen was overjoyed to see Edward once again, and gave him the key to the last room open in the hotel. She had heard tales of Room 491 being haunted in the past, but Aileen wasn't one to be superstitious. But she said she always had regrets about giving him that room…
"Edward had asked for a wake-up call the next morning, so he could be ready by the time the ship set sail. Aileen was even kind enough to leave a light breakfast outside his door. After a while, Edward was still never seen in the lobby and the food outside his room remained untouched. Aileen knocked lightly on his door, but was met with no response. Overcome with worry, she used the Master Key to enter Room 491, and was met with quite a shock.
"My grandfather was lying in the bed, tossing and turning, a look of pure terror on his face. News quickly spread throughout the Inn and Canalave City that Darkrai had apparently struck once again. People steered clear of Harbor Inn and business ran dry. The only person to stay the night there was Edward, forever confined by Darkrai's spell."
"That's horrible…" was all Hikari could mutter upon hearing Eldritch's words. "So what ever happened to Edward?" Eldritch looked pained, as he had reached the most devastating part of his story. He took a deep breath before continuing.
"Aileen didn't have any other choice. She knew the cruel spirit of Darkrai was residing in her Inn, and the next time she closed her eyes, she could be its next victim. At the time, there was no known cure for the nightmares. Anyone who was infected was simply… left to die." Eldritch couldn't help but to choke on his words.
"Aileen closed down Harbor Inn, sealing Darkrai's spirit- and Edward's body- inside. She never stopped being ravaged by guilt… even at her death…"
"That's so sad… Poor Edward. And Aileen…" Hikari peered at Eldritch's face, and thought she saw his eyes shining with tears.
"Yes… it is sad," he said. "But it was a sacrifice Aileen believed she had to make. After all, there haven't been any reports of Darkrai attacks. Until now, that is. And I fear… the seal may be weakening. And Darkrai's spirit is slowly escaping to wreak havoc once more…"
"So this," Hikari said, retrieving the Member Card back from Eldritch, "is the key to unlocking Harbor Inn?" The sailor nodded slowly.
"But please Hikari, don't get any ideas. I would hate for you to fall victim as well."
"I won't," she replied firmly, "Because I'm going to stop Darkrai's treacherous acts once and for all. I feel the need to right the wrongs done to your family."
"That's impossible!" Eldritch cried, but Hikari had already made up her mind. After all, if she didn't stop Darkrai, who would? She was the only one who held the key. He reached out to put a hand on her shoulder, but she evaded him and darted out the door.
Eldritch could do nothing but hope for the best as he watched Hikari run off into the distance, quite possible to meet her end.
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If you think the story of Edward would be better as a flashback, then please tell me in a review. It might be an interesting view to try and could possibly improve the tale itself.
Hopefully, I'll be updating his tomorrow.
And if you have anything else to say, just drop a review!