I've had this chapter done for a year now...I figured I might as well post it, lmao. I don't know when the next chapter will be out, but I just wanted this to be a reminder I'm not ready to give up on this story yet.
Chapter 1: Back to Normal, or So it Seemed
DAISY'S POV
"Ugh, can't you guys do this somewhere else?"
Daisy whipped around to glare at her annoying brother, her arms crossed over her chest. "Can you learn to deal with it? We're just cuddling! It's not like we're making out in front of you or anything!" She huffed, going back to leaning against River's chest. He let out a loud laugh from his place next to her.
"Maybe he's just upset cause he doesn't have a girlfriend of his own," River teased, winking at Sam.
"Do you want to get beat up?! I'm not afraid to hurt you!" Sam clenched his fists angrily as he took a step towards River, but Daisy knew he was just messing around. "Don't forget I did have a girlfriend. But then I had to leave her..." All of a sudden his eyes clouded up and he turned away. Obviously he hated to express his feelings to anyone, even his sister.
"I'm sorry for bringing that up," River muttered. "For some reason I forgot... My memory of the Guild is getting hazy."
It had only been a few days since their return to the human world, but Daisy as well was already beginning to forget the time she had spent as a Pokemon. It was like her memory was being erased again, but this time she was forgetting her life in the Pokemon world. It was weird, and it frustrated her. She never wanted to forget her friends back at the Guild.
"I know what you mean," Sam replied. "I'm forgetting a lot of things too. But I could never forget about Kasai."
And I don't think I can ever forget about Ethan.
"Hey guys, what did I miss?" another voice spoke as he walked up to the couch and sat down with his legs resting comfortably on the table and a piece of pizza on his lap.
"Where did you get that?!" Daisy scowled, slapping Nick on the arm. "You know how much I love pizza!"
Even though Nick had always seemed like a loner, he honestly wasn't that quiet if you got to know him. In fact, he was so comfortable with the group now sometimes he couldn't stop talking.
"In the fridge," Nick said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "But wait," he said before Daisy could make a run for it. "I took the last piece. Sorry."
Once he saw the expression on Daisy's face, he snickered.
"I'm seriously done with you people taking my food," Daisy muttered in annoyance. "This is my house, you know."
"Yeah yeah, whatever," Nick said, shrugging it off.
River looked over at Daisy through puppy dog eyes - well, eye. Unfortunately, when he'd woken up in the human world, he'd found out his eye was still gone. It hurt Daisy, but River had tried to calm her down by telling her he was already used to it. "Since I'm your boyfriend, will you at least let me eat from your fridge?"
Daisy stared at him blankly. "No."
"Hey, that's not a very nice thing to say to the guy who's been your best friend for years," Sam said with a chuckle.
"Well, I tried," River said with a shrug.
Deciding to change the topic, Daisy rested her legs on the table next to Nick. "You know, it seems so different and peaceful now. It feels weird, but not in a bad way."
"Yeah," River muttered. "Nearly every day spent in the Pokemon world was depressing... Now that we're back as humans, it seems so different, like nothing will go wrong."
"Don't jinx it," Nick joked. "You know when people say that, there's always something that ends up going wrong."
River rolled his eyes. "Oh, shut up." Suddenly his eyes widened in realization. "Shit!"
"What's wrong?" Daisy asked nervously. "Are you okay?"
"I nearly forget Dustin was coming over."
"Who the hell is he? Why are you inviting random strangers to my house?" Daisy snapped, crossing her arms. "You couldn't at least ask for my permission first?"
River chuckled, wrapping his arm around her and ruffling her hair. "Daisy, calm down. He's a good friend of mine. Remember, I've talked about him before?"
"Oh yeah," Daisy realized. Before they turned into Pokemon, River had always spoken of Dustin in a good light. Still, she felt awkward of the fact that there was going to be a random stranger in her house.
As soon as she finished that thought, the doorbell rang. Daisy let out a sigh and made a mental note to talk to River alone about this later. She had been hoping to spend the night with just her, Sam, River, and Nick, not including her little sister Lily and her parents.
"I'll get it," River said, practically jumping off the couch. "You guys can stay here."
Right when he left, Daisy gave Sam and Nick an annoyed look. "Am I the only one who thinks this is weird?"
"Eh," Sam said with a shrug. "I wish he would've warned us beforehand, but if it's one of River's best friends, then I trust him."
"Yeah, you're right," Daisy said with a nod.
Nick opened his mouth to speak, but before he could say anything, a guy with black hair and dark brown eyes walked up to them, giving them a smile and a wave. "Sup? I'm Dustin, River's friend. It's nice to meet all of you."
He seems pretty friendly so far, Daisy realized. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad. She smiled at him as she gave him her name, as did Sam and Nick.
After he had settled down next to them on the couch, Sam spoke up. "When are we going to bed? It's already midnight..."
River snorted. "You call that late? Typical younger siblings..."
"Oh, shut up," Sam snapped, shoving him roughly. "Fine, I'll stay up later."
"He's never gone to bed past midnight," Daisy told the group with a chuckle. "We should just let him sleep."
"Stop embarrassing me!" Sam scowled, giving her the biggest glare he could muster.
"Alright, alright. I'll stop...for now," she teased.
"You are so dead after they leave," her brother snapped.
Daisy laughed, a wide grin spreading across her face. "Are you sure about that?"
The rest of the night was filled with playful fighting and laughter, the way everything used to be before they got stuck in the Pokemon world. It was a relief everything was finally over. No more worries, no more tragedies, no more pain.
Daisy, River, Dustin, and Nick ended up crashing at around four am, while Sam had already fallen asleep by one.
Where am I? was the first thought that went through Daisy's mind when she found she had woken up in a dark forest - a little too dark for her liking. The sky was pitch black, barely any stars to illuminate it, and the moon wasn't visible. All she could see around her were trees dotted everywhere; she barely even had enough space to walk. This must be a dream...but then why does it seem so vivid...?
Before she had any more time to think, three Pokemon walked out from behind a bush and came up to her, grim looks planted on each of their faces.
Wait... Pokemon?!
Oh no...
"Star? Snow? Gardevoir? What the hell is going on here?" Daisy stared at her hands, relieved she hadn't turned back into an Umbreon, but still...what were they doing here? And how did they manage to find their way into her dream while she was in the human world?
Star was the first to speak. With a shaky breath, she began, "I'm very sorry that it has to come to this. I know how much you wanted to stay in the human world; I know you don't deserve to keep on having to deal with these tragedies..."
"W-What are you saying?" Please don't tell me that they're about to say what I think they're going to say... If it was true, she had no idea what she would do. Her entire world would feel like it was going to crumble.
"First, I want to say that it was very hard for us to come here," Gardevoir said. "We never would've done it if terrible things weren't still occuring. Luckily, Spirit Island has a connection to the other two dimensions, so we're able to talk to you during your dreams. It's difficult, though..."
"We've already come to Nick, Sam, and River about this as well," Star told her. "I'm sorry to say, but they'll be coming with you to the Pokemon world."
"What? Okay, what the hell is going on and why do we have to come back so soon?" Daisy demanded, her patience running thin.
"There's not much time, we think," Snow muttered. "You may need to come as soon as possible. We don't have all the answers, but do you remember when Darkrai said he passed down his powers to possess Pokemon to Thunder, Stream, Zeke, and Storm?"
Daisy narrowed her eyes. "Yes... What about it...?" Snow seems to have completely changed her personality... She acts so depressed now, when she used to be so kind and carefree. It's so sad what pain can do to you.
Snow let out an exasperated sigh. "Well...he wasn't lying like you thought he was."
"The world seems unbalanced," Star commented. "Something feels... different, and not in a good way. Something's telling me that there are still many more secrets to be revealed, and I don't think it was the right time to have let you go."
"Well, that's fantastic," Daisy snapped. "Why did you let us go, then?"
"We didn't know," Gardevoir replied. "Please don't blame us, Daisy. We had no way of knowing that the dimensions were still at stake, but now that four Pokemon have Darkrai's power, we have no choice but to bring you back. We need you."
Instantly, the memories of staying at the Guild came rushing back to Daisy like a flowing river. It no longer seemed hazy. I'll be glad to see my friends again...but I won't be glad to have to face the pain again.
She let out a deep breath, trying to control her emotions. "So when are you taking us back...?"
"When you wake up, you, Nick, River, and Sam will go to the lake behind your house. From there, you should find a portal. It will lead to the Pokemon world. If we find out you're not in the Pokemon world by tomorrow afternoon, we will have to bring you there by force. I'm sorry, but we don't have much of a choice."
"I understand." I guess. "But don't think I'm happy about this. I can't believe when I finally thought things were going to be alright again, they come crashing back down."
Star frowned. "We thought the exact same thing. But it won't always be like this, Daisy. Not if you and the other humans work together. You can save the world again. I'm counting on you."
The last thing she saw was the three grim faces looking down at her before her world turned black.
Daisy woke up with a severe headache. She groaned as she looked in front of her and noticed River and Nick snoring very loudly by her side, including some other random guy. Wait, what...? Oh right, that's Dustin..
Oh shit! She shot up from the couch as soon as she recalled the dream she'd had last night, and instantly her headache felt ten times worse.
"Guys, wake up!" she practically screamed in River's ear as she nearly shoved him off the couch. "Wake up now!" she screamed in Nick's ear next, then looked around wildly for where Sam could be.
A loud groan sounded from next to her, and Daisy frowned guiltily as she realized she had accidentally made River fall off the couch.
He looked at her for a few seconds before his eye widened. "Did you get that dream last night?!"
Great... Now I know it wasn't just a nightmare.
"Yep, I did," Daisy muttered, rubbing her head in annoyance. "And I'm pretty pissed about it."
"I'm just upset," River muttered. "I can't believe-"
"What's all this racket about?" Dustin complained as he slowly sat up from the couch, rubbing his eyes tiredly. "I was trying to get some sleep!"
"Uh..." River and Daisy exchanged glances with each other, unsure if they should tell him the truth.
Finally, Nick was the next to wake. He stared at everyone as if they were insane. "What time is it, six? Why the hell are we all up? That was a two hour sle-oh, right.."
"Oh, right, what?" Dustin stared at Nick as if he'd grown a second head.
"Um...Nothing. Just a weird dream," Nick said quickly. He stared at Daisy, River, and Sam with wide eyes, as if wanting to talk to them alone.
Before anyone could say anything, Sam practically threw himself down the stairs, his breath coming in short gasps. "Did you guys have the same dream I did?"
"I don't remember having any dreams," Dustin said, puzzled. "But why would we have the same one?"
"Um, I guess we should probably tell you the truth," River muttered, scratching the back of his head nervously.
Dustin sighed. "Are you guys hiding something from me?"
"Kind of," River muttered. Daisy watched as he began to explain everything - from the moment they had first entered the Pokemon world, how they had to save the dimensions, and how they were being forced to come back again.
As soon as he stopped explaining, Dustin burst out laughing. "That's a pretty funny prank, man."
"Er, this isn't a prank," River said grimly. "I knew you wouldn't believe me, but we'll prove it to you soon when you see the portal. And, that's actually where I lost my eye."
There was still a wide smile on Dustin's face as he rolled his eyes. "Is this really the best prank you can come up with? Come on, River. I know you guys all came up with this to try and fool me."
"Just come with us to the lake and we'll show you," River said.
"What lake?" Dustin asked, still chuckling a little. I can't blame him... I'd be laughing too if I was in his shoes.
"The one in Daisy's backyard," he replied. "I forgot you've never been here before." Without waiting for a response, he opened the back door and walked outside.
As soon as Daisy stepped outside, she was greeted with a fresh summer breeze. I really want to say goodbye to my parents and Lily...but they'll think I'm insane. Why the hell did River even decide to tell Dustin?
She stared at the lake that was directly in front of them, and scanned her eyes around the water for any sign of a portal.
There was nothing.
Dustin started laughing again. "I can't believe you gu-"
Before he could finish his sentence, a huge, swirling portal appeared directly in front of them, blocking out their sight of everything else.
"Holy shit... What the hell? You've got to be kidding me..."
River gave Dustin a sad look. "Nope. I guess this is goodbye for now..."
"No way! I'm coming with you," Dustin said, putting his hand on his best friend's shoulder. "This seems pretty cool."
"That's not the way it works," River muttered, shaking his hand off. "Only four of us are allowed to come."
Nick, Sam, and Daisy exchanged glances as Dustin grinned. "Oh, yeah? Well what if I defy the rules?" Before anyone could say anything, he put his arm inside the portal. "Looks like I'm about to enter the Pokemon world."
"You're crazy," River said, shaking his head.
"Well, I'm not leaving you guys to do this alone," Dustin told him. "You're my best friend, River, and any of your friends are my best friends as well."
He must really care about River, Daisy thought. It's sweet...
"Dustin, I don't think you can come with us," Nick said with an annoyed gleam in his eyes. "Why the hell do you even want to, anyway? If I had a choice, I would definitely stay home."
"Because I want to help my friends, of course," Dustin said with a smile. "Besides, I'm curious to know what it's like to be a Pokemon in the Pokemon world... It would be interesting."
Daisy sighed. He has absolutely no idea...
"Well, in that case I guess you can come with if you want," Nick said, shrugging. "There's no harm. Right, guys?"
River frowned. "I guess not... But if you change your mind when you get there, Dustin, just realize that there's no way to get home until we save the world. You're putting yourself at a huge risk by coming with us."
"I can deal with it," Dustin said, giving him a thumbs up.
"Okay then," River said with a curt nod. "You guys coming?"
I can't believe I am... But we don't have a choice, do we?
One by one, each of them stepped into the portal. First it was Nick, then it was Sam, then Dustin jumped in excitedly(he's completely oblivious to what he's about to deal with), then it was just Daisy and River.
"Don't worry, Daisy," he told her, grabbing her hands and staring into her eyes. "I know we can get through this just like we did before. I love you."
"I love you, too," she muttered, burying her face in his chest for a few seconds.
Well, I guess it's time...
Without any second thoughts, both of them jumped into the portal together.
Soon after, Daisy and the group found themselves in the middle of a forest, almost exactly like the one in her dream, yet she knew that this was Smoky Woods.
She looked down at her feet - paws now, sighing when she realized she was an Umbreon again.
"First of all, how the hell are we going to find the Guild?" Sam snapped. "Or even Pidgeot's Training Camp? We're in the middle of Smoky Woods!"
"Oh how I missed this place," River said sarcastically as he began to walk with his arms crossed. "Just keep going straight, I guess. There's no other clues that could lead us to where the Guild might be."
Daisy frowned as she padded a little closer to River's side. For some reason, the woods seemed a little more quiet than usual. It could've just been her paranoia, but who knew if Storm, Thunder, Stream, and Zeke were lurking around here, waiting to attack at any moment?
"Where are Star, Snow, and Gardevoir when you need them?" Nick grumbled to himself, stomping a little on the ground to show his annoyance.
"Keep quiet," River told him. "We don't want any enemies trying to attack us. We could be in the most dangerous part of Smoky Woods for all we know."
"Why would they make the portal to the Pokemon world go here? Why couldn't it have been in front of the Guild?" Daisy wondered aloud.
Before anyone could answer, a gasp sounded from behind them. The group spun around in fear to see Dustin staring at his reflection in a puddle. "Holy shit! I'm an Arcanine? That's pretty cool!"
"Dude, you almost gave me a heart attack," River said, chuckling. "And you just noticed?"
"Well, I'm a little busy being shocked that I'm actually a Pokemon, and so are you guys," Dustin said, staring at them in wonder. "Also, I have no clue what you guys were talking about... Who are Star, Snow, and Gardevoir...?"
Daisy rolled her eyes. "It's a long story, one I don't feel like explaining. You'll find out later. Let's find the Guild first, if we even can..."
"Well, I see a light up ahead if that's useful," Dustin told them, beginning to walk a little faster. "I can't wait to come to the Guild~! Wait, am I going to have to start a rescue team like they do in the games?"
"If there's any Pokemon willing to start one with you, yeah," Sam said. "There's probably going to be a lot of them, due to all the deaths that occurred..."
Dustin stared at him. "Wait, what?"
Nice job for not telling him about that, River... Now he's probably having second thoughts on coming, Daisy thought.
"Anyways," Nick said, changing the topic, "the light looks like it could hopefully be leading to Earth Town."
"Yeah, hopefully," grunted River.
None of them were in a good mood due to the fact that currently, they should've still been sleeping on the couch in the human world, back to the way things used to be. The only person in the group who seemed to be a little bit cheerful was Dustin, but since Sam mentioned the word 'death' he probably wasn't so excited now.
The five humans - technically, there were six now - continued their trek in silence, the only sound coming from the fresh breeze causing the leaves on the trees to rustle.
It wasn't long before they could make out the half-broken sign saying 'EARTH TOWN.'
"Finally," Daisy muttered. It was a short walk, but she still wanted to get to the Guild as soon as possible. As much as she hadn't wanted to go back to the Pokemon world, it would be nice to see their friends again.
"So where's the Guild?" Dustin asked curiously, glancing around the town. It looked almost exactly the same as it did before Daisy left, but Darkrai had done a bit of damage.
"Just follow me," River said, beginning to speed up. Daisy swallowed, feeling her heart start to pound as she gazed at the green building in the distance. I wonder what they'll say when they see we've come back...
It felt like ages before they made it to the Guild. Constant thoughts were running through Daisy's mind about how her old friends would react; what it would be like there since Darkrai had made his appearance.
Finally, she was in front of the grate. She couldn't help but swallow a gulp of fear and stared at River. "Um, can you go first?"
"Of course," the Buizel said, giving her a small smile. It didn't reach his eye.
Once they were done getting their footprints checked, with a comment from Dustin saying how cool this was, River took a step towards the door.
"Why do you guys look so nervous?" Dustin asked.
"I'm just a bit worried on what everyone's going to say," River said. "They didn't think we were coming back, and now we just randomly show up again two days later, with a random stranger."
"Just open it and get this over with," Sam said, looking a little peeved. Daisy couldn't blame him.
River blinked, and without another moment's hesitation, pushed open the door.
As soon as Daisy walked in, she instantly remembered the fact that she wouldn't have a rescue team and would need to find a new partner.
She took a deep breath as she looked around her. To her surprise, there weren't as many Pokemon as she thought there'd be, but the ones that were there looked at them with shocked faces.
Golden was there; so were Sky and Tackle, she noticed. Daisy looked away awkwardly when she met the gaze of Sapphire, who was staring at them with an emotionless expression. Her partner was nowhere to be found.
The last time her and Sapphire had talked, it hadn't ended on a good note. River seemed to realize this, for he glared at Sapphire cautiously, as if to make sure she wouldn't say anything stupid. Sapphire scowled and looked away, lifting her chin.
Golden was the first to speak. "W-what are you guys doing here? We thought you went back to the human world..." Daisy could tell he tried to keep his voice steady, but with everything that had happened, it was difficult, and she couldn't blame him for acting this way.
"Yeah, we did. And we thought we'd get to stay," Sam muttered, crossing his arms over his chest. "But then three Pokemon came to us in a dream...Star, Snow, and Gardevoir."
"Apparently, our time here isn't over yet," Daisy added.
The Charmeleon stiffened, his eyes flashing with an unknown expression. "What do you mean, your time here isn't over yet? Did they say if anything bad was going to happen that we need to prepare for? Because why else would they go through the trouble of bringing all of you back..." His eyes stopped on Dustin, and they widened in surprise. "Who's this?"
"Oh, it's just a friend we brought from the human world..." River said awkwardly. "Nothing bad. He'll just need to find a rescue team. And uhhhh... No, they didn't exactly tell us if anything was going to happen."
Daisy shot him a look. Why did he lie? I guess, we can go without telling the entire Guild the truth for now. They might panic, especially if they know they could possibly be one of the Pokemon who'll get possessed. Besides, this is our problem to worry about.
Golden sniffed. "You brought another human? Why? Isn't five more than enough?"
"I'm sorry, Golden, but he really wanted to come," River sighed. "There was no stopping him."
"Um, I'm Dustin," River's friend spoke awkwardly, lifting a paw and smiling slightly. "It's nice to meet you all."
Several Pokemon murmured their hellos, but most just stared at the group blankly, including Golden. Daisy couldn't blame them. After just being told that trouble could still possibly be coming, who wouldn't be scared and upset? They had just recovered from what happened with Darkrai - probably not even fully recovered yet - and now they had to deal with the shock from this news.
"They don't seem very friendly," Dustin whispered to the group of humans. It must've not been a quiet whisper, for a few heads turned and glared at him.
I'm a little surprised and hurt no one's that excited to see us...
At that same moment, a small Flareon shot up from somewhere near the back of the crowd and dashed towards Daisy, nearly knocking her over as she skidded to a stop next to her best friend. "I'm so glad you're back!" she shouted cheerfully.
I stand corrected.
"I missed you, Kasai," Daisy said, smiling at her friend, though it didn't reach her eyes. To be honest, she hadn't thought of Kasai much when she came back to the human world. The only memory she was mainly focused on was Ethan. It was strange, considering how evil he used to be, but he had redeemed himself in the end, and how could anyone forget that?
She was shook from her thoughts when she noticed tears in Kasai's eyes as she buried her head under Sam's. "I missed you so much. I thought you were never going to come back...but here you are."
"Here I am," he told her softly, love sparkling in his eyes.
The Guild had seemed to go back to normal, rescue teams going out on missions or Pokemon chatting around the room. The way everything used to be while Daisy was here.
A bunch of Pokemon were still staring at the teams in awe and slight fear. I will protect this place as much as I possibly can... I love my friends here.
"I can't believe it's really you." Daisy turned to see Silver, the Poochyena staring at her with wide eyes.
"Silver," Daisy muttered, walking up to her friend and nuzzling her. "D-did anything change while I was gone?"
"Well, Moon and Skye both left. They're living somewhere in Smoky Woods now, I think. But at least they're together," murmured Silver. "And...so did Blast. I don't know how he's going to survive by himself. But there were no rescue teams available for him. Either that, or they just didn't want him."
Daisy frowned. "Well, that's kind of sad. I can't imagine him surviving alone."
"Me neither, but no one else cared much, I guess." Silver rolled her eyes. "Hey, since Storm is...gone, you're probably looking to be in a rescue team again, right?"
"Duh," Daisy snorted angrily. Noting the hurt expression on her friend's face, she quickly apologized. "It's just been a lot to deal with lately. I thought everything was going to be okay and back to normal. Only a few days passed before I was forced to come back here. Now, everyone's relying on the humans to save the world again. It's so much to deal with..."
"I'm sorry, Daisy," Silver muttered. "If it helps, I'll always be here. You're not alone."
The Umbreon smiled slightly. "Thanks, Silver."
"So like I was saying, since you're going to need a new rescue team, how about joining me and Fuse? Team Flash is Bronze Rank now!" She did a small jump of excitement, before the happiness quickly died out of her eyes to be replaced with an emotionless expression.
Daisy shrugged. "Why not? It definitely saves me the trouble from trying to look for a rescue team that's available. Thanks for the offer."
"Of course!" Silver used to be so easily excited all the time. Daisy could practically imagine her bouncing up and down at one of her best friends being the one to join her rescue team. But now she only gave her friend a small smile. Her eyes didn't even sparkle. The fact that Silver, out of every Pokemon, had outgrew her blissful personality really said something. Daisy could tell she had changed. Everyone had changed.
And she had a feeling it was only going to get worse from here.