Chapter 13: Moonlit or Not?

(I know it's been a long time since I've written for this story. I think it has potential still, so I guess I'll try to finish it. If not, I'll at least get it to 15 chapters hopefully. Just so everyone is clear, I have absolutely no idea what the original plotline was going to be. So, I'm pretty much just going ahead with an idea.)

{Rui's Point of View}

Waking up was strange. My body and mind felt so alien. Last night I became one of them. I drank whatever that strange liquid and survived. I'm moonlit... but there still turmoil in my mind. The humans. Their disgust. It bothers me. I don't think I can relate with them anymore. This ritual has completely changed the way I think... at least I believe it had. Something about it doesn't seem right. In fact, ever since Silvia drank it, she's been strangely... distant but there. It hasn't been a day, but I noticed. Once I drank and lived, he left to talk with the others. I waited for her in our beds, but she didn't sleep with me. She slept alone. That's not like her. After waking up, she was gone. I had to find her and ask if she is okay.

I left our small home and noticed the place was buzzing with activity. My fellow Gardevians talking, exchanging information, eating etc. I noticed the prisoners are not being guarded. I could smell food being cooked. I was weary though. They can cook and eat human meat. I have to avoid that. 'I may not be human... but I don't have to eat them either.' I walked in and asked what they made for breakfast. The cooks told me it is vegetables grown or picked fresh in the farms or forest. Curious I took a plate with several grilled vegetables. I wanted bacon... or some type of meat... however beggars can't be choosers. The vegetables are seasoned and the freshness and smokiness from the grills really added to their taste. After eating I felt a tingle in my arm. A bright pink symbol seemed to burn into the back of my hand momentarily. My eyes read it as the Gardevian symbol for slave. I covered the mark, wincing in pain until is subsided. I moved my hand only to see no mark there. Several of my brothers and sisters looked at me worriedly. I feigned a smile and apologized to them. I expected murmurs about me being human, but none came. They seemed genuinely worried. It is quite the culture shock. I felt happy... then lonely as I reminded myself of Silvia's missing presence. I brought the dirty dishes to the kitchen and thanked them for their work. One smiled at me, giving a nod of acknowledgement. On my way out I bumped into a male human. He is a part of the Gardevians too, but I instantly noticed something strange. He has a glow in his eyes, a light pink hue behind his normal eye color. He fixed himself, "Aren't you going to say excuse me?"

I bowed slightly, "I'm sorry for bumping into you."

He sighed, "Newbies always have a hard time with manners. Good job last night. I thought you were going to try and run."

I shook my head, "No way. I'm here for and with my mate all the way."

He walked past me, "As the weaker of the bond should."

I looked back at him, watching him get his breakfast. On his neck, I swear I see it. Some kind of pink symbol tattooed to his skin. It bothers me... there's something seriously wrong with this. I also noticed most of the Gardevians in the town currently are male. There are females but much fewer than I saw at the ceremony. Where is Silvia? Why wouldn't she wake up with me? Where would she go? Asking myself these questions isn't going to get me anywhere. As I passed the prisoners, the one who heckled me, Terrence is his name, immediately perked up, "Oh, you lived. Guess you're one of the special humans in the bunch."

I said to him, "I'm one of the moonlit now. I'm no longer human."

Terrence leaned against the bars, "Say it all you want puppet. You'll never be one of them. You're no Gardevoir, nor Gallade. You're not even a hybrid. Just another human tricked into drinking the soup."

I raised a brow, 'Tricked? I sure as hell wasn't tricked, more like pushed.' I asked him, "Why call me a puppet?"

He smirked a bit, "That's what you'll be. Every human that drinks and follows the practices become one. Even your mate will become a loyal follower to Crescent. If you want to know more about this, you'll have to ask Freight."

I felt surprised to hear his name come from a prisoner, "What does Freight have to do with this?"

He whispered, "A lot more than you think. Find him and ask how shitty the weather is. He'll understand." He noticed someone coming, "Get out of here, my least favorite guard is coming to ruin my day."

I looked over and saw a Gardevian coming towards us, twirling the key on a finger with a smile on her face. She asked, "Is my favorite little prisoner causing you trouble?"

I shook my head no, "I just felt bad. He looked thirsty." Terrence shot me a shocked but clearly angry glance.

She giggled, "Don't worry about that." She unlocked the gate and took a step in.

Terrence stepped back, "Come on... not today. I already gave you what you wanted yesterday. You promised me you'll leave me alone for a few days."

She grinned at him, a faint green glow with a pinkish hue radiated from her. Grassy vines erupted from the ground under him and wrapped around his legs. He struggled against them, trying to get free until the vines grabbed his wrists and coiled around his body. He fell to the ground with a loud thud. He struggled the best he could, glaring hatefully at her with a tear developing. She knelt down next to him, "You know you can't struggle against my grass knots. The more you do, the tighter they get. Struggle too much and they might just 'accidently' break your fingers."

A part of me enjoyed watching this... but the moment I noticed, it got me out of thinking like that. I decided to step in, "Sister, I must ask you something."

She looked at me, "Yes brother?"

I looked at Terrence who sobbed silently, cursing her under his breath, "Did... did you promise him to spare a few days if he did something you asked?"

She looked at me and then to him, thinking on how she should answer. She stood up, sighing, "Yes, I did brother."

I gently suggested, "If so, you should follow through on your word sister. We shouldn't lie, not even to the prisoners. It brings us down even if they don't deserve it."

She stood there, thinking about it. She rolled her eyes annoyed, "Damn it... alright." She waved her hand, dispersing the grass knot and looked at Terrence, "It's your lucky day Terrence." She knelt down, caressing his cheek, "I'll come back after the deal expires. When I do, you will be dragged to my home again. You will pay for killing my sister and I will enjoy making you mine."

Terrence refused to look into her eyes, "I've already paid for that..."

She looked down at him, "No, you haven't. You will never suffer enough for taking my sister from me. She fucking loved you. She died because she loved you. You. A piece of shit trying to run when it was not his right."

Terrence cried, "I never wanted her to die!"

She turned to look at me, "Well she did. It's all his fault. He filled her head with lies of escape and to start anew somewhere far from here."

I immediately noticed another emotion radiate from her, "Holy shit..."

She looked surprised, "Silence."

She shoved past me, angrily walking off, 'I know what I felt. She radiated jealousy! She was jealous her sister and Terrence might have been close!'

I looked at Terrence. He curled up, crying into his arms, clenching some dirt angrily. I felt so bad for him. I went back to the kitchen area and got a plate of food. I brought it back to him and placed it in front of him, "It's not much, but this should help."

Terrence glared at the plate for a moment but sat up and ate. He didn't want to look at me but when he did, "Thank you..." is what he said. I smiled at him, "You're welcome. I'm sorry I can't do more."

I brought back the dirty plate when he finished. Another guard locked his cell and I found myself looking for Freight instead of my bond mate. Turns out he's meditating in a tree. I climbed the tree to be closer, so I don't have to yell. He felt my presence and sighed, "What is it?"

I asked him, "How shitty is the weather?"

He seemed surprised, "Pretty damn shitty. Terrence told you to ask that, didn't he?"

I nodded, "Yeah. Said you'd know more about becoming a puppet."

Freight groaned, "Guess he still hasn't learned his lesson. Just to clarify, Terrence isn't trying to help you. He's still trying to escape. He thinks you knowing what is going on will help you see leaving is the only good option."

I shrugged, "Doesn't matter to me. He might be right."

Freight looked at my eyes, observing for something, "Hm... I guess she isn't lying. Humans have a hard time being converted to a follower. Takes a month or so. Your mate will only need a week unfortunately."

I stayed calm, "What do you mean?"

Freight rolled his eyes, "You know exactly what I mean. You drank that shit last night. Didn't you feel strange?"

I laughed a bit, "Feeling strange is an understatement. That shit tasted horrible. Like liquid death."

He nodded, "Yes. It's no secret it tastes terrible, I'm talking about its effects. What did you feel?"

I thought back to last night, "I felt... like I was a part of the moonlit."

He leaned back, "Like you were a part of Crescent?"

I shook my head no, "I felt like I am a Gardevian. I could feel it. Feel them and their presence. Like I am one of them. I could understand Pokémon and why they are the way they are..."

Freight kept looking at my eyes, "Yeah. For your mate, she immediately became afflicted with the moonlit influence. If she's too willing, she may already be a loyal follower. You ever noticed how she allowed or forced you to feel things?"

I asked, "Who, my mate?" He nodded, "All the time, but I've typically been able to tell where the influence comes from."

Freight sighed, "You can, but she wouldn't because unlike you she actually is a Pokémon. The ritual is meant to not only include her as one of them, but to allow Crescent to influence her. Your mate became closer to nature... and nature is controlled through Crescent around here. Next week she may not even be who you knew anymore. She might even throw you aside if Crescent realizes you're too annoying to convert. At most she'll want your children and knowing that you'll know they won't kill you either. She'll lock you up and make the one you loved do what is needed to get what she wanted."

I started to panic a bit. Me and Silvia just got back together and finally moved past our issues. I gave up being myself to be a part of our bond and no one is stopping that. I said, "Alright, so there has to be a way to stop this."

Freight noticed my eagerness, "You want to save your mate, don't you?"

I nodded, "Fuck yeah I do. I'll never just leave her here. I have to stop her from being her slave."

Freight raised a brow, "Despite being one yourself?"

I shook my head, "I'm not, not anymore. Plus, if I do save her, she'll never treat me like that, and I love her regardless. Haven't you loved someone enough to want to do anything for them?"

Freight stayed quiet, "Not since my mom died... but even now I do know." He radiated sadness for a moment before saying, "It isn't something you can do unfortunately. You'd have to stop her from drinking any more of the soup."

I bit my lip, "Shit... how could I even do that."

Freight looked a little guilty, "I don't think you can... She has... plans for her."

My head shot up, "Plans? What kind of plans?"

Freight groaned, "She's going to make sure she keeps drinking... because once under her control she plans on seeing how powerful she is."

I felt confused, "Like a fight or something else?"

Freight nodded, "They'll fight just until either one is about to lose. If she loses, she'll make her drink more soup to prepare for the possession."

'Possession? What the fuck?' I thought before saying, "When I think of possessions, I always think ghost types. She's a psychic fairy type."

Freight agreed, "You're right, but she's old. Very old. She's already possessed three other bodies before this one. That's why she's become so much stronger despite not having human parents. The new bodies did that for her."

I asked, "Where did she even learn something like this?"

Freight shrugged, "I don't know. I just know what I do because she possessed my sister. I promised to be her servant until I die in return for living with the knowledge. I never liked my sister. She was a terrible person. Crescent though, she can go get fucked in hell by Giratina himself for all I care."

I then thought of something, "Wait, what if she doesn't want to possess Silvia? Wouldn't she want our daughter instead?"

Freight nodded, "Oh trust me, she does. She whispered her excitement to herself on our way back. The thing is, she's never possessed someone with a mate nor had her own child. If anything, she might be doing this just to experience what having a bond mate is like. Once she has her baby though, you might not be alive much longer. By then you probably wouldn't have noticed until it is too late."

I asked, "Okay, then where could she be? I need to find her now and stop this the best I can."

Freight shook his head, "You can't just waltz in and stop it. Crescent won't allow it and Silvia is not directly under her control, but the influence will make her listen to a wide range of commands. She could get her to lock you up at the very least."

I knew he was right, "I still can't just sit here, I have to help her! She's the only person I have left now too..."

Freight leaned in, "Crescent isn't pure evil, at least not yet, but she will fuck your shit up if you even try to stop this. It's not too late, maybe you should try and help some of the humans leave."

I shook my head, "Hell no, that's insane! We'd be hunted down and even if we did get away, there are other Pokémon that would kill us. There are wild Pokémon in the world, and they are not the type to talk let alone spare us. At least with the civilized ones you can bargain with."

Freight sighed, "Alright."

I asked, "Why did you suggest that? Are you a human sympathizer?"

Freight nodded, "I lived as one for many years. My sister offered to have me left as a breeder since I was useless... I was one for a month... then my powers awoken, and I broke out of there. I found my sister as... Crescent. I never imagined she'd be possessed like that. Don't get me wrong, I was looking for her to kill her... It was her fault I got stunk in that situation. That's when I noticed she wasn't her anymore. Crescent looked interested. I was ready to fight, a part of me still wanted to kill her. She trapped me in with her, urging me to try. It had been some time since she last fought. She easily beat me and tossed me around like a toy. She presented a choice. Serve her as a personal guard or die."

I snickered, "Damn, I didn't know you were a ghost this whole time."

He rolled his eyes, "You're such a prick. The point is, I used to be in the same boat and after experiencing that firsthand it tends to change your perspective. Thankfully she didn't bother trying to push the ritual on me. She figured her power and authority is enough to make me submit."

I shrugged, "Guess she had a point if that's true. You do follow her."

Freight thought to himself before saying, "She'll be in the Moonlight Cave. It's where she goes to 'preach' about nature and the forest to her followers. All of them are female. Makes it easier to gain control over population as well. Plus, she won't possess a male body, so why bother I guess."

Freight decided it's best for him to lead me to the cave. The first thing I began to think of was cult. Dimly lit candles, random scrawling littered the cave walls and her voice radiated in the distance. Freight let me go ahead and turned to leave. I did, carefully approaching the voice until a large cavern opened and Crescent sat in the center with numerous others sitting in a circle around her. She spoke in Gardevian, reading from a book and I noticed a faint pink glow engulfing the entire room. I reached out and noticed my hand felt far more sensitive once it felt the faint glow. Crescent stopped reading and looked directly at me, "Welcome. Come take a seat. I'm almost finished."

Deciding not to anger her by trying to go against her, I walked into the embrace and looked for Silvia. It felt strange, like I could feel nature flowing through me. My hand hurt and I noticed that symbol from earlier glowing proudly on my hand. I started hearing whispers, not from them but... as if the forest was calling me. My vision started to get disoriented, and I instead saw a forest. I looked at my feet to see them barefoot. I could feel the tickle of grass beneath them, and I looked at Silvia to see her beckoning me towards her. She looked so alluring. I sat next to her, hearing Crescent's words but I kept trying to fight it. I felt Silvia wrap her arms around me, whispering to relax and enjoy the story. I couldn't understand any of it and I slowly found myself laying on my back, unable to move as Silvia got on top of me. She leaned down but didn't kiss my lips. She instead leaned to my ear and whispered that I'm her little puppet.

(I hope this direction is good enough not to seem too out of touch with the original story. Please favorite, follow and review to support the story!)