As Raiden and the newly named Mona made their way back to Pokémon Square, they were relieved to see that some citizens had returned to gawk at the meeting currently being held by the large crater in the centre. Shops nearby looked worse for wear, and a tree had fallen onto the dojo, based on the loud sobbing Rai had picked up on from a makuhita being comforted by Beatrice the persian. The kecleon brothers were offering supplies to anyone who looked like they needed them, and it made Rai wonder how those that remained of Treasure Town were doing. He caught a comforting smile from Mona, and he returned a small one of his own to the cresselia.

The meeting consisted of Ella, Magnum, Skuntank, Roger, and Rayquaza, who seemed to be glaring down at the group he was talking to. Things quieted down as he and Mona approached, Rayquaza's glare fell on Rai, and the luxio gulped.

"You," the sky god sneered.

"Me?" Raiden asked hesitantly.

He felt all eyes fall on him and he gulped. Did he do something wrong?

There was a tense silence as Rai felt himself staring at Rayquaza's piercing yellow eyes.

"…"

"…Thank you."

Rai blinked in surprise, and he glanced over at Ella. The sylveon seemed to be proud of someone– Rayquaza? He looked back and the glare on the god only seemed to deepen.

"Did you hear me?" he snapped, his voice loud and commanding.

"E-Er, yes! You're welcome…!" Rai stammered. Was he just thanked by a god? He felt light-headed.

"See, was that so hard?" Ella asked. "Everyone needs help once in a while, Zephyr."

Skuntank grunted. "Does he really have one of those hugh-mon-y names?"

"Human," Rayquaza corrected stiffly. "And you do not call me that! You refer to me as Rayquaza;, I hate that name."

"But we call you Zephyr all the time!" Ella protested.

Rayquaza's large form seemed to squirm as he looked away. "Yeah; well, you don't listen," he muttered.

Roger drifted closer to Rai, raising a flipper to rest it on his was uncomfortable, and almost like a large tongue that threatened to slick back his fur. Still, he appreciated the gesture all the same. It was a strange comfort. "Rai!" the whiscash exclaimed, a relieved smile on his face. "I'm glad you're alright...and congratulations on evolving!"

"Uh, yeah, good job and stuff," Skuntank added with a grumble.

"Thanks, you two," Rai smiled. "What's happening now?"

Ella answered, "We were waiting for you to wake up while Zephyr was recovering some of his strength— he said he wanted to talk about Darkrai."

Rai felt his body tense up at the name. This was it. This was the time for questions and answers before the next fight began. While he was eager for Rayquaza to put a stop to Kyogre and Groudon, he was also eager to learn more about Darkrai's past.

"Why do we need to talk about this maniac?" Skuntank snapped. "I'd rather rush back to save what's left of Treasure Town before the stupid fighting legends destroy the rest of that place!"

"He's got a point," Roger agreed. "We're in a rush, can we talk about this later?"

Rayquaza lifted his head and turned out towards the ocean. Rai noticed that he seemed to be focusing on something outside of his vision. No doubt the sky god was looking out towards the raging battle between Groudon and Kyogre. "Hm. Very well, you have a point. It is my duty to stop those two before they destroy the world," Rayquaza said. "Cresselia, I may need your help to do the same thing you did with me. I feel my presence alone won't be enough for them to stop."

Mona bowed her head. "Understood, and please, call me Mona. I'd like to adopt the name culture that Pokémon Square has."

"I see." His eyes narrowed. "What made you do that?"

"Watching the mortals here give themselves names has created a special identity for each of them," Mona replied, a soft smile forming. "If we joined them, it would be easier for us to communicate with mortals and get along with them. We shouldn't have to hide in our homes as gods to be revered; we're Pokémon, too!"

Rayquaza grunted. "…It's silly, adopting something humans do. We don't need anything like that."

"But look at this place! Everyone loves it. It's something that's theirs, no matter who they are!" Mona insisted.

Raiden heard Skuntank mutter. "I'm with the snake guy, this name thing is strange."

Rai looked around, once again noticing that all the citizens of Pokémon Square– children, parents, shop owners, and even explorers, they all had their own name, like the one given to him. He closed his eyes and focused, hearing and taking in all the names. Beatrice the persian ran a bank. Kent, Wayne, and West were the members of the famous Team A.C.T. There was Ella, Corsair and Magnum as well, and even as he listened, he heard Pokémon call each other something other than their species. Everyone called each other by a different name, and it worked. It was a perfect system where everyone knew everyone, regardless of who they were.

When this was all over, and Treasure Town rebuilt, what would happen then? Would things change? Would things continue as they were? Rai hadn't been able to spend much time going around the square, but even in his own experience, having a name…it just felt personal. Special, even.

…What if Treasure Town could follow suit?

Something wet and slick touched his back again, snapping Rai out of his thoughts. He jolted in fright and yelped. "Hey, Rai, are you alright?" Roger asked as he moved his flipper off Rai's back. "You zoned out for a moment there."

"Y-Yeah…I'm good, I was lost in thought," Raiden murmured. "When are we heading out?"

"We?!" Skuntank snapped. "What are we going to do about those two in the ocean? One of us can swim, but the rest of us? Nu-uh! And besides, they're giants! We'd get washed away or stomped on in an instant!"

Roger narrowed his eyes. "What, are you saying you're a coward?"

"No! I'm sayin' we're small, and they're freakin' huge!"

"So?" Ella stepped forward; her eyes narrowed at the poison type. "Does that mean you should sit back and wait for something to happen?"

Skuntank glared. "Of course I want to do something!" he snapped. "But I'm not about to kill myself trying. What'll happen to my friends if I– "

Rai watched as Skuntank grit his teeth and glared at the dirt pavement. The way Skuntank was acting now reminded him of…well, himself. Today jumping into a waterfall and diving into quicksand felt so trivial compared to the other stuff he'd been through. But, Skuntank…? He hadn't done any of that. A familiar nickname rang in his mind from what felt like so long ago…the word had hurt back then, but now…The luxio stepped towards his old 'rival,' sucking in a breath.

He heard Rayquaza growl with impatience.

"Rai…" Mona whispered as he passed her. "What are you doing…?"

"Skuntank, why are you being a chicken?"

Raiden heard Roger snort and Mona gasp, and he certainly felt all eyes on him.

Especially Skuntank's.

Raiden stared back at the deadly glare, but instead of seeing anger in Skuntank's eyes; all he saw was fear.

His voice was dark and cold. "What did you just call me…?"

"You heard me," Rai told him, keeping his voice level. "I'm calling you a chicken."

Skuntank shouted and immediately sprung forward, his fangs glowing with a dark energy. Raiden stood there and watched, not even flinching. He didn't move even when Ella's ribbons wrapped around Skuntank and pulled him away while he yelled, and Rai still didn't even flinch when Roger had moved in front of him, loyal as ever, ready to defend his friend and leader.

"C-Calm down!" cried Ella. "We don't have time for this!"

Rai heard Magnum say something similar among the buzzes of alarm from the magnezone.

"You don't know what it's like!" Skuntank screamed as he pushed against his fleshy restraints. "I haven't done any of this before! I'm not like any of you!"

"Oh, get a grip!" Roger hissed. "You're here now, so make yourself useful!"

Then Mona asked, "Skuntank, why did you even come along?"

Rai watched him seize up in response.

It was almost fascinating how quickly he responded to the goddess. He tensed, then growled. "It's none of your business!"

Rayquaza sneered. "What, were you trying to be the hero or something?"

"Yes! No! I mean– argh! Leave me alone! Let's just go fight the damn things already!"

Ella kept her ribbons wrapped around Skuntank as she stared at Rai. He felt himself gulp. "Raiden, apologise to Skuntank so we can move on!"

Roger moved out of the way, allowing Rai to face his 'rival' once again. He stepped forward and let out a sigh. He'd been about to say his piece when Rayquaza lurched forward, allowing Ella barely enough time to let Skuntank go before two large, scaly, green hands closed over Rai and Skuntank. Darkness closed in and Rai heard Skuntank shout next to him. "Ngh, Rayquaza, what are you doing?!" Rai cried.

"Speeding things up. Talk while I fly, it's time to go," he growled.

"Zephyr, what's going on?" Ella asked.

"Making them talk. Cresselia– er, Mona. Take the rest to the cliffs. If any stray blasts go towards the destroyed town, I want the rest of you to repel them. Plus…I have an uneasy feeling about this." His gaze turned out towards the sea with narrowed eyes. Rai could sense Zephyr's body tensing up. Skuntank refused to meet his eyes when Rai tried to glance at him.

"Understood," Rai heard Mona say softly. "I'll support you however I can.

"You can count on us, Rayquaza!" Roger said.

"Let us go, you crazy snake!" Skuntank demanded, stomping a paw against his cage.

There wasn't even a warning. Suddenly everything felt weightless as Zephyr took to the skies, Rai heard both Skuntank and himself cry out while they quickly ascended. Rai's ears began to feel funny, and going by Skuntank's irritated grunts, his were too. "Stupid snake, stupid Darkrai, stupid everything! If I knew things were going to be this crazy, I'd have backed out before we even left!"

Rayquaza's flight turned into something a little more leisurely, and suddenly Rai felt a little better. The pinpricks of light that snuck past the sky god's claws allowed Rai to see the ever-present glare on Skuntank's face.

"So?" he spat. "Aren't you supposed to apologise or something?"

Rai sighed. "I'm sorry you got dragged into this mess. This was just something I wanted to fix alone, but clearly, it's beyond just my power."

"Yeah, no kidding."

Bursts of wind also snuck past Rayquaza's claws, as Rai felt gusts making the starts of his mane even messier. He hadn't even thought about grooming himself, his mind had only been on what was happening in front of him. He could only imagine what kind of mess he was.

"Remember back in the day, when you called me Chicken?"

Skuntank grunted. "What? You wanted some petty revenge or something? I thought we were past that."

"We are, I just remember being really scared back then, and how terrifying the whole journey to save Temporal Tower was. I had Sera by my side to help me gain courage, but… I realised that you don't have anyone like that here. You must be more terrified than I was, and… I guess I wanted to help."

"How does calling me a coward help?"

"When I was scared, I had Sera to talk to about it, and she'd always know the right thing to say," Rai sighed. "I'm not as good at this as she is… but I want to help you through it."

Skuntank laughed. He laughed until he wheezed from the shorter air, and all that time, Rai stood and watched. Only the howling wind was heard between them as the occupants of Rayquaza's hands stared at each other. Then the former let out a defeated sigh.

"I came because I wanted to protect my friends, Zubat and Koffing," he confessed reluctantly. "They're helping Diglett and Dugtrio, going out to other places to gather food and stuff. I wanted to be helpful too, I couldn't just watch them volunteer and leave me behind. This was better than pretending to be muscle at the guild. I… wanted to give them a home to come back to.

"So, I figured if you and Vulpix could save the world, why couldn't I? I thought I could just tag along and help save the day, but it's a lot more complicated than that…"

"Her name is Seraphina," Rai replied. "And… yeah, saving the world is hard. Just because I don't show it doesn't mean I'm not scared. I'm terrified, especially after seeing everything Darkrai is capable of. I can't believe he destroyed Treasure Town, and so many lost their lives…"

"And that's why you want to stop him, right?" Skuntank asked, tilting his head a little.

"Yeah. Sera gave her life to save this planet… and I don't want to see that go to waste. Not anymore."

Skuntank grunted in acknowledgement. Rai supposed he wasn't used to this kind of openness in a conversation, and having that courage alone filled him with respect for the poison type. "So, about that name thing of yours… Did she give it to you?"

Rai swallowed a lump that formed in his throat but didn't feel that sickening pit in his gut that he usually got when thinking about her. It… really had been months since Seraphina had to leave him, months since he'd been alone. Did it not feel as awful anymore? "Yeah, when we first met, I asked for one on impulse. I don't know why, but having a name just felt right. It felt… special, like Mona said. You get it?"

"I think so. That means you're Raiden, right?"

"That's right."

Skuntank shifted closer with a sigh. "Then… Raiden. I'm… sorry for your loss. Vulp–I mean, Serafeena. She was strong, and you both showed me there was more to life than thievery and trickery. I owe you both for that, so thanks."

A boom of thunder preceded a flash that cut across the sky, and suddenly Rai could feel the humidity making his fur tingle and sweat. Or maybe it had been like that for a while, and Rai just hadn't noticed it. He peered through a space between Rayquaza's hands, there was the warmth of a fierce sun, but not much sunlight could pierce the dark clouds as rain poured heavily. He heard two primal roars, ones that sounded very familiar to him at this point. Kyogre and Groudon were still fighting.

The luxio turned back. "Thank you, Skuntank. It means a lot to hear that from you."

"Don't mention it. Now, can we actually do something about those guys messing with our home?"

"Finally!" Rayquaza snapped, then his voice dropped into something calmer. "I was about to say, we're here. They haven't noticed me yet…and… I'm glad you could work it out."

"Wha–Rayquaza, were you listening in?!" Rai cried.

The serpent's hands shifted so Rai and Skuntank could see one of his eyes peering in.

"I had to hold you two close in case I dropped you guys, what do you want me to do, go deaf?"

Skuntank snorted. "That'd be a start," he said. "So, what's the plan?"

Rai heard Rayquaza's smirk. "Hah, you're about to see why Ella calls me Zephyr! Apparently, it's a name related to some mythical god in her own home, and she thought it matched with my powers. Don't blame me if you fall and drown."

"I thought you didn't like that name," Skuntank pointed out.

Rayquaza growled. "Don't toy with me, or I'll throw you." Rai noted that Rayquaza didn't respond to the accusation, but he decided not to voice it– he didn't want to be thrown into the raging sea, after all. Then, the sky god's voice changed into something softer. "Now, I'm going to hand you both over to Mona. She'll take you to the cliff with the others, where you'll be needed to fend off attacks in case."

"What?!" Rai cried, "But I want to help fight!"

"Don't be a fool!" Rayquaza snarled as his eyes narrowed. "You got lucky fighting me. Against those two rampaging in the sea? You won't have a chance."

"He's right, Raiden," Skuntank agreed. "Let's just do what he said– there's no way we could get close to those things like this!"

Rai glanced down, getting the briefest glimpses of red and blue flashes far below. Just how high up were they? It didn't matter. When Rai first saw the two gods fighting to no end, all he wanted to do was stop them. Everything in him screamed that this wasn't right, they weren't meant to fight each other! Kyogre and Groudon needed to be freed. Rai wanted them to be themselves again.

"I fought Dialga, I stood up to Darkrai, and I fought you!" Rai glared at Rayquaza's eye. "When I saw Darkrai in my dream, he was struggling. He wanted all of this to stop before something else took over!"

Everything went still. Rayquaza closed his eyes in thought, then gasped as he stared at the two in his hands once again. "Are you sure?" he asked, his voice urgent. "Please, you have to confirm this."

"Uh…what's going on?" Skuntank asked hesitantly.

Rai quickly recounted his most recent encounter with Darkrai. While he did, he thought about it once again. He'd been given a glimpse of a lucario, and a promise… what did it all mean? What had happened to Darkrai's friend?

"…I was afraid of this…" Rayquaza mumbled, "Thank you, Raiden. This whole thing makes a lot more sense now."

"Zephyr, what happened to Darkrai?" Rai pressed. "I want to know- I want to help him!"

Skuntank narrowed his eyes. "If something sketchy is going on, I think we deserve to know."

"Later," he growled. "For now, I want both of you on top of my head. Don't be afraid to dig your claws in to hold on."

"Wait, we're staying?!" Skuntank cried.

"Yes. Is that not what you both want?"

"Uhh… I guess. Riding on a Legendary sounds pretty cool."

"This is not a joyride! Quickly now and prepare your best moves."

Before Rai could add anything, their cage broke apart as Rayquaza's hands parted and lifted, quickly rising to meet his lowered head. It had barely been moments and Rai already felt soaked to the bone from the torrential rain. Without prompting, Rai took a deep breath and jumped. He sprung onto the serpent's neck and crawled closer to his head. After a moment, a heaving Skuntank joined him.

"Phew! Man, th-that was exhausting!" Skuntank wheezed as he finished crawling up. "This is hard work!"

"And we haven't even started yet," Rai told him with a grin. "Are you ready?"

"No!"

"Hold on tight!" Rayquaza said, and then he began the descent.

"W-Wait! Oh SHI–!"

Raiden focused as he dug his claws into Rayquaza's scales, hoping that Skuntank would do the same. He had to force his eyes shut as the harsh, hot winds and rain whipped against his face. Rai heard Skuntank scream beside him, making his ears press against his head. The cry was enough to make his head hurt, unless that was the air pressure.

In the middle of the flight, Rayquaza glowed in the familiar light he was bathed in not long ago. Under his paws, Rai could feel the god getting stronger, and bigger, and a draconic wind surged around them. This time however, these winds didn't hurt thanks to Zephyr being in control now. The glow Rai saw through his eyelids faded, and he knew Rayquaza had mega evolved once again.

As they approached, Rai could hear the roars and the clash once more. Zephyr barely had a chance to give a warning as he suddenly darted to the side, and Rai opened his eyes in time to see a green beam firing past them and piercing the clouds above. "Here we go! Strike when you can!"

"I think I'm gonna be sick!" Skuntank whined.

Rai steeled himself and crawled forward. He wrapped his front legs over Rayquaza's head crest, his fur crackling with electricity. Groudon glared up at them with fierce blue eyes as he roared, causing lava to erupt from the seabed and solidify, giving it more ground to stand on. Even Kyogre had the same, chilling blue eyes, just like Zephyr had.

They really were under Darkrai's control.

He had the smallest moment to see Sharpedo Cliff in the distance, and if he squinted, Rai could make out Mona's glow and the silhouettes of others.

Kyogre had just swerved around Groudon to avoid the beam from before, and now saw the new opponents before it. Rai gulped as the ocean behemoth flapped its fins, pushing forward in a burst of speed. Several blue rings appeared around Kyogre, each unleashing torrents of water towards them.

"Ah, look out!" Skuntank cried.

"You fool, do you know who I am?" Zephyr snapped. He rolled and swerved by each torrent, and Rai had no choice but to hold on as tightly as possible. Skuntank shouted something that Rai missed over the winds, for he was too busy focusing. When they got close, Rai focused and charged his fur with electricity, causing a blue bolt to strike Kyogre. It screeched in pain, and Rai felt a little surge of pride.

Skuntank crawled over to join Rai at the top of Zephyr's head. A beam of spiralling darkness left an opening in his tail, also landing a direct hit. "Hah! Did you see? I did that!"

Zephyr opened his jaw and fired a dragon pulse, which also struck Kyogre as he passed it. Which left him open to a barrage of ethereal rocks from Groudon. Rai and Skuntank ducked as a rock from the ancient power sailed over their heads, and Zephyr grunted in pain.

"A-Are you okay?" Rai asked.

"Of course I am! It's going to take more than a few silly rocks to stop me!"

Zephyr navigated the air like there was no harsh rain pelting his body, or any heat from the hidden sun to exhaust him. It almost didn't even feel like it was approaching nighttime with how everything was. Instead of darting straight down for an attack, Zephyr seemed to take a more careful approach, as if he was considering the passengers on his head.

With a roar from Kyogre and a flap of its fins, a large wave picked up from the ocean. At the same time, Groudon moved forward, rock and lava forming under its feet with each step. It stomped the ground it made beneath its feet, causing more to form ahead of it at a rapid rate. Once it neared the wave, the ground erupted into molten lava and rock and a fissure burst from the center, causing the water to spray everywhere and while it made Groudon wince, it appeared to have hurt a lot less than it was going to.

While Groudon had been dealing with the wave, Kyogre had taken this time to once again approach Zephyr and his passengers, charging an ice beam in its own maw. Skuntank countered with a flamethrower from his tail, which was quickly being overpowered.

"Ngh, guys, do something!" Skuntank snarled.

He didn't need to be told twice. Rai started to charge electricity in his fur, feeling the crackles of energy surge through his body. At the same time, Zephyr charged a ball of fighting energy in his maw, then fired just as blue electricity struck Kyogre.

Kyogre's pained roar pierced the air, making Rai and Skuntank wince. But the battle didn't even allow for them to recover, because Zephyr weaved out of the way of a solarbeam and slithered through the air towards Groudon. Rai quickly charged a thunderbolt, while Skuntank's tail opened and spat out a sludge bomb as they passed the land god. Raiden heard a growl before Zephyr ascended.

"Hold on again!" Zephyr called.

Before either of them could question it, Zephyr's body dipped into a rapid spin, picking up wind as he went. Rai held on to the Rayquaza as soon as he felt the dip, and since he could still hear Skuntank's screams, he could assume that he was holding on as well. All Rai could see was a blur, but while Zephyr spun, he could feel the god's power building. Quickly.

Was he planning to end this soon?

When the spinning stopped, ethereal rocks flew over them, striking Kyogre's underside as it focused on firing another ice beam at Zephyr and his companions. With no time to evade, the beam struck Zephyr directly.

He roared and jolted, suddenly throwing his passengers. Rai had barely managed to hang on and dug his claws into a ridge in Zephyr's scales.

Skuntank had not been so lucky.

Before he could say anything, Skuntank was wrenched from his position on Rayquaza's head. Rai barely had time to snap his head in the former crook's direction before he had plummeted out of sight. Raiden's heart leapt into his throat as he watched his friend quickly disappear

"SKUNTAAANK!" Rai screamed over the wind and rain, like it would bring him back.

Why did this all have to happen? Why did Darkrai have to cause all this destruction? Why did it all come back to him?

Why…

Zephyr swore.

"This is why I didn't want you mortals joining me, because stuff like this happens!" he yelled after driving Kyogre back with a powerful dragon pulse. "Stay on my head and pray your friend can hold his breath. We cannot help him while they rage!"

Zephyr's words were enough to drag Rai out of his thoughts and deafen the incredibly loud pounding in his ears. As Rai held onto Zephyr as he took deep breaths. The storm had made his eyes sting too much, he couldn't even tell what was making him cry.

Darkrai had taken far too much from him.

He wasn't going to let him take Skuntank too—he had to stop these gods from rampaging!

Rai wasn't going to let Skuntank die. He was going to make Kyogre come to its senses so it could save Skuntank.

"What are we going to do?" Raiden called over the winds, unsure if Zephyr could hear. "Don't we need Mona to wake them up?!"

"We do, but we need to weaken them enough for Mona to step in. Just like before!" Zephyr replied. "At least… I hope it works like that."

Rai didn't have a chance to retort. Streams of flames shot towards them, and Rai's fur crackled with electricity as he charged a thunderbolt. The two elements combined and clashed, resulting in a loud explosion. He didn't have time to shake the ringing from his ears.

The weather was just as chaotic as the battle. Despite feeling like it should be nighttime, he could still feel the warmth of the afternoon sun and the torrential downpour that seemed to have no end.

Zephyr swerved, Rai desperately clung to his head. Attacks were fired from both sides in what felt like an almost equal trade of power. A small part of Rai felt that since he'd taken on the likes of Dialga and Dusknoir, anything was possible.

He could save the world- again.

"That's enough!" cried Mona.

With a flash of pink, the glow he'd seen from afar was suddenly much much closer. The cresselia stared Kyogre and Groudon down with determined eyes. She radiated a strange, bright aura and Raiden was certain that if he was closer he'd be able to feel its warmth, too.

"Do it now!" Zephyr barked.

Kyogre and Groudon roared in protest, but Mona yelled back and expelled the aura. It rippled and burst out in a bright, pink wave. He heard Zephyr hiss.

The technique struck the raging gods, knocking Kyogre into the violent ocean as it screeched, creating a giant splash. Groudon fell backwards, landing on the ground he'd made. It rippled and cracked, and with a piercing SNAP, the fault lines shot right for Sharpedo Cliff.

"N-No!" Rai tried to scream, feeling his throat ache in protest from how raw it felt.

Raiden watched as the cliff face started to collapse, rocks falling bit by bit into the ocean below. He watched his home, his memories, and his heart all sink into the waves… and anyone who might have been standing up there, preparing to fend off stray attacks. All of it gone in one go.

Roger, Magnum, Ella… and Skuntank. They'd all fallen into the ocean. Kyogre's domain. That… that wasn't it for them all, right? Surely Raiden hadn't just lost so many friends?

"Roger sensed that something bad was going to happen," Mona explained hurriedly once she flew over to them. "Before I left, he said that they should go while he searched for Skuntank… I hope they got out safely…"

Raiden shook his head. "They have to be fine," he insisted. "They need to be!"

They had to be. They couldn't be anything but fine. Raiden refused the idea that they weren't okay.

Zephyr exhaled sharply through his nostrils. "Let's not get emotional, Raiden," he warned. "Let us find their bodies and confirm before you mourn them."

"Rayquaza!" Mona chided. "Don't be so crass! I'm sure Raiden's feeling very upset and stressed right now!"

Inhale. Exhale. Raiden took his breaths slowly. He needed to focus. "Zephyr's right, I can't get worked up now. I should check, first."

Raiden saw the concern in Mona's eyes as she watched him, but instead of protesting, she frowned and nodded. "Right… I suppose he's right. But don't bury those feelings, okay?"

The waters below were starting to calm, turning from surging waves to tempered ones. Rai felt himself focus, and he sighed.

"You're lucky. I'll let you get away with calling me Zephyr, mortal, just this once," grumbled Zephyr. "You're in a bad state, and I pity you."

Raiden squinted at that. "Er… thanks?" he said. Legendary Pokémon were far stranger up close.

"Come on," ushered Mona. "Let's get to the beach and see if everyone made it." As she turned to fly towards the beach, Zephyr followed. Raiden could feel the scales underneath him coil and shift as his ride slithered idly through the air. Zephyr needed a break. That was when Rai felt his own tiredness settle in, and he felt his own body relax.

He had to take any chance he could get to rest.

The flight over had been quiet and cold. With Groudon's sunlight fading to give way to the light of the full moon, and the cold of the night. The breeze ruffled Raiden's scruffy mane, making him shudder each time it cut through his fur. The last few hours… fighting three legendary Pokémon back-to-back was, in short, exhausting. Even after that moment of rest, Rai didn't feel any less tired than before.

As the shore of the beach got closer, Rai couldn't help but think about Darkrai. What was he doing right now? Why hadn't he shown up yet? Despite being a threat, Rai realised that Darkrai had yet to actually show himself in the waking world. Was there a bigger plan underfoot? Was it too late to stop him?

He didn't have the answer to any of these questions. When Zephyr arrived at Treasure Town's beach with Mona in tow, Rai felt his heart soar with relief and his face stretched into the biggest of smiles.

They were all fine.

Ella and Magnum weren't looking much worse than they did after fighting Zephyr. The sylveon's fur was ruffled and her ribbons were anxiously fidgeting together while the magnezone buzzed with concern.

Roger looked exhausted, but by his side was a severely drenched Skuntank, who was coughing and trembling, but otherwise fine.

A gentle fire was going, but it didn't look like it was going to help Skuntank get dry anytime soon.

"See? They're fine! Oh my goodness, you're all okay!" Mona said with relief. "I was worried that…" she trailed off, a wave of calm washing over her.

Skuntank glanced at her and he smiled. "Psh, y-you were worried about good ol' me?" he said while shaking. "S-Some water isn't going to keep me down!"

"You were screaming when I found you," mumbled Roger.

"Shut it," Skuntank murmured back.

"Not only are they fine, I see Skuntank hasn't changed at all," snorted Zephyr. "Come on Luxio, go say hi."

A hand moved high enough for Rai to jump down into, then the rayquaza lowered it to the ground, letting Rai feel sand underneath his paws once again.

It almost felt strange being back on solid ground. Well, mostly solid ground. The uneven sand crunched under his paws, and Rai welcomed it. The grains swallowed his front paws, and he sighed.

Nothing else mattered to Raiden at that moment. As he looked at the weary eyes of all his companions, he was just relieved that they were all okay.

"Rai…" Roger said, "I'm glad you're-"

His words were interrupted by Skuntank bursting into laughter. When all eyes fell on him, he raised a claw to wipe away a tear. "S-Sorry! I just can't get over how silly Raiden looks with his fur sticking up everywhere! All that air travel did nothing good for your fur!"

At those words, Ella stared at Raiden then snorted. Mona was giggling, and even Roger was trying not to crack a smile. Rai had no idea how he looked, but he could only imagine what a mess it probably was.

Rai was feeling quite self conscious now. "Look- I haven't had a spare moment to clean up, okay? A lot of stuff has been happening!"

"Hm, while all of you relax for a moment, I'm going to check on my counterparts." Zephyr flew back towards the ocean, slithering through the air as he went.

"Sorry," Skuntank said again. "Once I saw I just couldn't stop thinking about how silly you look… ah well. I'm just glad I'm alive, honestly. I owe Roger my life."

The whiscash paused at that. "Did you just… use my name?" he asked in amazement.

"Don't make a big deal of it. I'm… learning," Skuntank mumbled. "I'm trying this thing where I start using everyone's names and treating them like my friends."

"Is that because we are?" Ella asked with a sly smile.

"Guess so," Skuntank grunted. He looked away.

Mona smiled. "I think that's great, Skuntank! So do we get to help you choose a name yet?"

"One thing at a time!" he said with a scoff. "I'll… look into it."

"That's the spirit!" Ella cheered, wriggling her ribbons, while Magnum added some excited beeps.

Skuntank's cheeks almost seemed to redden. "And that's only because when people talk about this moment, I want them to know which Skuntank helped save the world."

Rai smirked at him. "Sure, and I'll be the one spreading the word. You did good… friend."

Skuntank's eyes met his, and Rai saw the faintest of embarrassed smiles. "Ah, yeah… back at you… erm, friend."

Ella twirled in the sand and cheered. "Oh, I just love it when new friendships are made! It just fills me with so much excitement!"

"Did you make a lot before fighting Zephyr yourself back in the day?" asked Roger.

"I did! A lot of us banded together to beat some sense into him!" she said with a smile, then a soft sigh escaped her. "I love seeing what Pokémon in this world are capable of! I don't remember much of the human world… but I know we certainly weren't capable of saving the world like this. I guess things were also a little different there, too…"

"Do you remember what it was like?" Raiden asked.

"I'll show you the human world one day, okay? I promise!"

That Lucario… she'd told Darkrai she'd take him there. Something about that memory made his head ache. Was… that something he was after? How did he even go after such a place?

"-ike I said, I don't remember much," answered Ella, as Rai snapped from his thoughts. "Humans don't have abilities like we do, which means things are generally less chaotic, but also… we have our own conflicts, I think. We called them wars. They were violent and terrifying… nothing like Pokémon battles."

"That does sound scary," Mona murmured with a frown.

"Yeah, but on the other hand, humans were capable of so many things! We could build much more advanced stuff and instead of exploring and dungeons, there were just towns and bigger towns called cities everywhere!"

"Would you ever want to go back?" Rai asked.

Before Ella could answer, a large shadow rose over him. For a moment, Rai held his breath, then looked up to see the light of the fire illuminating Zephyr's emerald green scales.

"Kyogre and Groudon will be fine… they pass on their thanks. They are returning to their homes to rest," he explained to the relief of everyone. "I'll check on them in due time… but I think they'll be safe, now."

"That's good," said Roger with a relieved smile. "I'm glad they're doing okay!"

Zephyr nodded and frowned down at Mona. "How much do you know about the Tale of Darkrai?"

"Ohh… not much," she answered. "The other legendaries wouldn't speak of it!"

"Hm, very well. I will have to tell you all the whole story then."

"The story?" questioned Skuntank. "There's a whole damn story to this guy?"

"Yes. It is a guarded story… for we weren't sure if he'd ever return or not. But now that he has…"

"So you guys knew something like this would happen, and didn't act sooner?" Skuntank scowled. "Great, so you made it our problem…"

Zephyr glared, then sighed. "Fine. I guess I had that one coming… All of this began with Lucario, the first human-turned Pokémon to ever arrive in this world."

Ella tilted her head slightly in thought. "Before Gengar Shen?" she asked.

"Much much before," said Zephyr. "In fact…"

It was the day after a particularly vicious storm in Trove Bay, a small village near a beautiful beach and a strange, jagged cliff overlooking the sea.

Darkrai floated down to the sandy beach, keeping to the outlined path that took him down there. His tendrils gently brushed against the sand underneath him. It was coarse and rough, and he wasn't a fan.

But there had been a reason he'd come down here. Something had been calling him here. Since the storm, Darkrai had felt a strange presence, and it was getting hard to ignore it. Normally Pokémon didn't come down here, because the tide of the ocean could get unexpectedly rough. Nobody really knew when someone would get washed away, and so everyone was warned to keep their distance from the beaches.

Except Darkrai wasn't like other Pokémon, he felt. He was different in this peaceful little village. The ocean did not scare him.

So when he arrived at the beach, he narrowed his eyes and focused. There was something here. Something…

A riolu, unconscious by the water. She was covered in flecks of wet sand, and a clump of seaweed had wrapped itself around her ear. Was she someone from the village who had gone missing?

No… Darkrai didn't remember any riolu like this.

He reached out with a hand, shaking her lightly.

"Hello…?" he asked, his voice timid and gentle. "Are you alright?"

Slowly she woke up, and both of them jumped in surprise, yelling.

"Aah, you're alive!" yelped Darkrai from behind a rock.

"Of course I am! What the heck are you?!" demanded Riolu. "Who are you?! Where am I?!"

She had woken up in the world of Pokémon, but she had no idea what they were. To her, they were strange creatures she'd never encountered, read, or heard about…

"I'm Darkrai," he said nervously once he'd explained where she was. By this time he'd emerged from his hiding spot. "I'm kind of rare around here, and not too many like me because I keep accidentally giving people bad dreams…"

"Okay… but what am I?" she asked.

"You're a Riolu," Darkrai said. "A Pokémon who can look into auras and stuff… Should we get you into the village? I don't know if you're hurt or anything…"

"That… sounds cool, but I'm not supposed to be a Riolu, I'm a Human! A Human named Amy!"

"Ae…me? That sounds weird," stated Darkrai. "What's a hooman?"

"W-Well, Darkrai sounds weird!" she protested. "And it's 'human!' Hugh-man! Got it?"

"Heughman…"

Amy sighed, then smiled a little. "Close enough, I'm sure you'll get it right one day…"

When Darkrai finished helping Amy settle into Trove Bay, he showed her around the small bits of the village. Nobody had really heard of humans before besides a small handful of myths and folktales. Amy told anyone who listened all about this world she came from. A world filled with creatures called animals, who were absolutely nothing like Pokémon. Humans lived with those creatures in different kinds of farms. While there had been some strange similarities, Amy's home had sounded like no other.

Darkrai had become enticed by this, while others quickly thought Amy to be strange. In no time she'd learned and adapted to the ways of Pokémon, but her stories continued to separate her from everyone else.

She didn't seem to mind. Despite this, she was a friend to all.

She worked in the berry fields each day, dawn to dusk. Ploughing fields, watering plants, gently picking berries, and even cooking meals to share with the village. On the days she was given a break, Darkrai would take her somewhere special.

This place was on the top of the strange, jagged cliff not far from the village. The two of them would sit together at the top, and stare out into the vast ocean ahead of them.

"Tell me about your family again," Darkrai said. "I want to learn all I can about them…"

"Why is that?" Amy asked with a gentle smile. "I think I've told you all I can… I'm pretty sure I told you about the story where my brother dropped his toy in the toi-"

"Yes, you did tell me about that one," Darkrai nodded, grimacing. "I feel bad for him! Must have been gross!"

"Heh, yeah, it was. What exactly did you want to know?"

"...Do you miss them?"

Amy's expression turned forlorn. "Yeah… I do," she answered slowly, "Sometimes I wonder if I could seek out Palkia like in those legends, and ask them to take me back home, but then… I decide I don't want to."

"Huh?! Why not?!" he cried. Every time he saw that sad expression… he didn't like it. Darkrai wanted to do anything he could to make it go away.

She turned and gave him a small smile. "Because I like it here! I've learned all of these cool things, I've made so many new friends and really helped a lot of people here! And… I have you."

"M-Me?" he stammered. "But my bad dreams…"

"They haven't affected me from day one! Trust me Darkrai, I'm fine. I've never felt scared around you!"

"You haven't?" he asked with hopeful eyes.

"I promise," Amy said firmly, though her eyes carried that same gentle light he'd grown to love.

Darkrai enveloped Amy in a tight hug, twirling as he did.

"H-Hey, Darkrai! Put me down!" she giggled. She sounded different. Felt different. Did she get taller…?

So Darkrai put her down, but in the riolu's place was a lucario. She still had those kind eyes.

"Amy!" he gasped with excitement. "You've evolved into Lucario! I can't believe it!"

"I can!" she said with a big smile. "Didn't you say they only evolve when they feel really close to someone?"

Darkrai paused, then nodded, smiling.

"Yeah… I did. But… are you really sure you don't want to go back? I mean… I can help you get there. We can look for Palkia together!"

Her smile was warm. "Sure. When we find Palkia and find a way there, I'll show you around the human world, and then we'll come back here, okay? I promise."

That promise… it sat firmly in Darkrai's heart. He wanted more than nothing to see the world his best friend had come from. If she could settle into his just fine… surely he could do the same? He wanted to see that sad smile disappear.

That was his promise.

…

When Amy had evolved, things started changing. Pokémon were reported turning to stone after huge fights broke out. Word took time to spread, but even from the nearest settlement away from Trove Bay, things were looking dire.

Nobody knew what the cause was, but Amy had put her paw up to investigate. There weren't many leads, and Darkrai knew he couldn't let her go by herself. While she'd become a skilled fighter, something told him that he shouldn't let this human do things by herself.

"I'll come with you," he insisted. "I won't let you go alone, and… I can fight, too."

Amy smiled sweetly. "I know I can't stop you, so… yeah. I'd love to have you along. Where were the last signs of stoning?"

"A little place north of here. It's a few days away, but hopefully we can see something before anything bad happens here…"

"Got it. Then let's head out, I want to see what's happening to our world…"

The next few days of travel consisted of the duo following word of mouth from various settlements. Each day they'd follow the most recent sighting of Pokémon turning to stone, and everytime they asked about it, Pokémon described the day itself as 'feeling terrible' even before anyone had been frozen.

What they'd been able to put together is that shortly after Pokémon were frozen, the bad feeling they'd all had that day had vanished, and they could continue on as normal. Except for the part where everyone was panicking about being next.

Amy was determined to save everyone.

"Why?" Darkrai asked her one morning, while they travelled across a grassy field.

"Because I live here, silly! And so do you and all my friends!" was her reply.

That made Darkrai feel warm.

Then when the sun was setting and Amy was thinking they'd have to camp out once again, everything changed.

The bad feeling had sunken into their hearts, and suddenly they were on alert. This dread. The emptiness. The numbness. Having the feeling that nothing could turn their day around… this was the very feeling that Pokémon had been describing.

"Alright," Amy said, staying calm. "No arguing, let's take this slowly and search the area. It's just us out here, so maybe we can find something!"

"On it!" Darkrai nodded and floated away, beginning his search. While Amy searched and climbed trees within the vicinity, Darkrai checked the ground. Shrubbery, rocks, even the shadows, just in case.

He had to find this thing, whatever or whoever it was. Darkrai wanted nothing more than to stop all the Pokémon from turning to stone, because it meant he could keep Amy safe. It meant he could help her get home and…

A patch of nearby grass rustled, wrestling Darkrai from his thoughts.

"Who's there?!" Darkrai called, looking for the culprit.

The head of a pichu emerged from the bush, blinking. But immediately something was wrong. This pichu was completely grey, with its black stripes looking even darker.

And those eyes.

As Darkrai stared back at this pichu, he felt strangely drawn to the red light in its irises, and the likewise, almost throbbing red light where its heart would be. Despite looking and feeling like a Pokémon, something in Darkrai screamed that this was far from anything he'd ever seen before.

"Uwaaah!" Darkrai yelped, zipping backwards some distance from the creature.

"S-Scary!" wailed the pichu, dipping back into the grass.

"Darkrai?!" Amy called, jumping from the tree she'd been looking in and darting over. "I just felt its aura- it was hiding from me before, are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah!" he said, "I just… it's a pichu, but what is it?"

"It hid from you… I think you scared it. Maybe it's friendly?"

"Amy…" warned Darkrai. "Be careful."

She smiled at him. "Don't worry, it's as scared of us as you are of it… surely it didn't mean to hurt anybody…?"

The lucario slowly approached, taking careful steps through the grass. "Hello," she called softly. "I won't hurt you, my name's Amy. Don't be scared, okay? What's your name, little guy?"

"Name…?" it asked. Its voice sounded like it echoed in their minds but was spoken aloud at the same time. It sounded young. "I don't know what… that is."

Amy parted the grass again to look down at the pichu. Even though she had to admit it was strange, she didn't let that deter her. "A name is what you call yourself. I'm Amy, and my friend you met is Darkrai. Do you call yourself anything?"

It looked confused. "Anything… Anything?"

"Hmm… Darkrai, this just feels like a little kid. This can't be what's causing everything, right?"

"Little kid… is that what I am?"

Darkrai frowned. "Are we sure it's not pretending?"

"It can't be! Look at this little guy!" Amy grinned and scooped up the pichu into her arms. It wriggled and a splotch of white colour wriggled across its body for a moment.

"F-Feels weird! Let go!" it said, and Amy let it jump from her arms and back onto the ground.

Darkrai and Amy exchanged glances.

"I… want to take him back home," said Amy.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" asked Darkrai. "If this thing is responsible for the stone incidents, it's dangerous! Especially if it can't control this power!"

"Then I'll teach it just that," Amy replied, looking determined. "You taught me, so maybe I can help him!"

"Him…? Amy? Amy isn't scary."

She grinned. "Of course I'm not! And I decided on a name for you too- Simon!"

"Your… little brother?" questioned Darkrai. "Why?"

"I like the name," she answered, and Amy knelt down to meet the creature's level. "And he's cute and little. How about it? Should your name be Simon?"

It smiled a little. "Simon? Simon!"

Amy giggled. "Then it's settled! Your new name is Simon!"

. . .

Days bled into weeks, and Amy nurtured 'Simon' as if he was her own. Simon initially rejected all of Amy's affection, but then over time he started to enjoy the ripples of white across his body whenever she hugged him. Before they seemed to hurt. Darkrai had initially been quite wary of this creature, but even he was warming up to it.

One night he had a dream. Arceus had appeared before him to say that the pichu was a creature named Dark Matter, and that Amy needed to destroy it, not keep it.

But Darkrai refused. Amy was going to raise it, and he decided he'd be there with her every step of the way.

Arceus warned him that this would not end well.

Darkrai told him to suck it.

Pokémon stopped turning into stone. There weren't any future incidents…

Until one day…

"Hey, watch it!" Ursaring growled. He'd been storming down the main street of Trove Bay, and seemed to be in a rush when he'd bumped into a swellow.

"No way, I was walking here first!" snapped Swellow. "Why're you in such a rush, huh? You're going to hurt someone!"

The quarrel continued, and Amy had been ready to break it up, but Simon beat her to it.

"S-Stop it! You're both scary and bad!" he wailed.

As soon as the last word left his mouth, the two bickering Pokémon had slowly turned to stone.

Everything in the square stopped, then panic broke loose. Everyone was running and screaming, and some had turned to Amy and Simon.

Amy scooped up Simon before anyone could retaliate, and ran home as fast as she could. Amy didn't know what had happened, but she was determined to keep him safe. To her, it had been an honest accident.

"Bad…" whimpered Simon. "I felt scared. Why did they have to feel bad?"

"Well, um, Pokémon just fight sometimes, Simon. That doesn't mean you turn them to stone," Amy said, frowning. "Everyone's in a panic… and surely they'll snap out of it and march over soon…"

"It's not safe," Darkrai said with a sigh. "They're afraid, so they won't want him here. Especially because we don't know how to undo the petrifications yet…"

There'd been nothing about it in his research, not one bit. There had been simply no records of a creature named Dark Matter, and he hadn't had any more dreams…

"Did I do something bad? Sorry sorry, I didn't mean to…"

Amy turned to him and pulled him into a hug. Those speckles of light darted across Simon's body and he wriggled. "I know you didn't, Simon," she said gently. "We'll figure it out, okay?"

"Okay…"

"Amy, what are you going to do?" asked Darkrai timidly. "Are you going to run?"

"Well they're not going to listen if I explain things to them so… yeah, I'm going to run and take Simon with me."

Darkrai tensed. "What if… he's meant to be destroyed?"

Amy's eyes narrowed. "Sorry? What happened to helping Simon?"

"Well it's just… what if he can't be helped? Arceus said-"

"I don't care what Arceus said!" Amy snapped. "I don't care if he's Dark Matter or Grey Matter! Simon's a living Pokémon and I'm going to help him!"

Simon trembled. "B-Bad…" he whimpered.

Amy sucked in a breath. "Are you with me or not, Darkrai?"

Darkrai knew what his answer had to be. He promised he'd always be there for her.

"I am," he said firmly. "I'm always with yoー"

…

Rai had found himself pulled into the story with such intensity. The more and more Zephyr had spoken of Darkrai, the more Rai felt sympathetic towards him. He had his best friend and their simple life, and one encounter had turned it all upside down. What had happened next? Surely it didn't end well, because…

But before Zephyr could reach its end, a shadow from the campfire stretched out against the wall, and out stepped Darkrai himself, his red eye gleaming furiously at them all.

"I didn't give you permission to tell that story!" he howled. And in his hands was something regal, spherical, and pink. From where he sat, Rai could feel the tremendous power that exuded from it. He sensed everyone around him tense, and even his own fur stood up from the strange, intimidating feeling that suddenly permeated the air.

"Th-That's…!" gasped Roger.

"...Palkia's power," finished Mona, sounding grave. "But when did he…?"

"Whatever you were planning to do, it's too late! The world of Pokémon is going to die and you're all going with it!"