Before long, the doors of the hospital creaked open, making the agitated Murkrows retreat behind the ridges of their roofs with what could only be described as a flailing of the auditory senses, their flight showering the fear-struck assembly of townsfolk with a cloud of black feathers.
Terror choked the plaza, as they all watched the beast finally crawl out of its cage: even as it weakly pushed itself out of the portal to sway back and forth in the air, barely able to keep itself afloat, even as the black wraith's wounds and the many bandages littering the entirety of its body were laid bare to all those who dared look, none were brave enough to stand their ground and not take even a single step back, whilst many were frightened enough to begin skirmishes over who would get to cower behind whom.
Morgrem, most nervous of them all, had to be restrained in Ursaring's arms, preventing him from running off.
Darkrai, the second most panicked Pokemon in Haven, couldn't even hope to run.
Their eyes... so many eyes, so many fearful eyes to make his bowls turn and leave the Nightmare Weaver paralysed.
He hated this.
Neither the searing of the poison, nor the scorching pain of their blades, nor smoldering of their fists held a candle to the utter, gut-wrenching distress this projector being shone on him caused.
He felt like he was being suffocated, standing there in front of them, sharing a line of sight with them tugged on a knot which had already been strangling his throat since the very beginning of the morning.
The harrowed expressions of Ribombee and Kricketune, then Mothim and Lampent, then Arbok and Oricorio, took turns in banishing his sight, leaving his vision to aimlessly wander from one end of the anxious crowd he dared not look in the eye to another. It eventually passed by Scyther — who likely took third spot for most tormented individual — and then Gothitelle, a face more furious than it was frightened, instantly forcing him to avert his gaze towards Gallade.
From the spontaneous comments on how odd, deformed and perverse he appeared, to the warnings about not looking the monster in the eye — lest the Nightmare Weaver lay a curse upon them — he could overhear being shared, to Mawile's overt threats to mangle him, each whispered remark was a dagger to the heart. Did they not know that he could hear them? Did they care?
It made Darkrai regret ever having accepted to come outside. Ever having accepted to stay there, rather than force his way out of the hospital, no matter the ensuing pain. Ever having been caught and ever having come to Haven that night for that accursed orb. A mere glance at their Nightmare Weaver was enough to revolt them, to make their faces contort with disgust, as if they were on the verge of crying.
There was no use to this, it would not lead to anything good. He needed to get out of there—
"Are you alright?" To the total confusion and concern of the surrounding villagers, little Espurr dared to fly up to the monster's face, holding onto its row of blood-red teeth. "You seem a tad shaken, Darkrai."
He wasn't alright, he couldn't stop trembling, the pounding of his heart was violent and frantic. He knew that it would be difficult, but he had never imagined being legitimately driven to the point of sickness by this. Truth be told, he would rather be tortured in some deep crevasse of the Distortion World, rather than remain there, in front of Haven, in front of the judgmental eyes of those he had done so much wrong to—
A soft, melodious chime filled the air and cleared his thoughts. He felt a newfound serenity wash over him, cleansing away the confusion of emotions oppressing him.
He felt cold, but he had calmed.
"I'm here to help you, you should know," Espurr ceased sounding the Soothe Bell attached to her ear, instead latching onto the front of his carapace and giving him a warm smile. "I'm here for you, if you require assistance in explaining anything or defending yourself, alright?"
Darkrai looked her in the eye for a moment and then clenched his fist. He needed to get this over with, he had made a promise to her that he would do it, that he would tell everything to her village. The full truth, just as he owed it to them, just as they deserved.
Darkrai nodded to his friend, prompting the little gray Pokemon to let go of his battlements and return to the air — still close-by — while the Nightmare Weaver resolved to, once more, face the tyrannising crowd.
This would be an improvised performance, yes, but it was all still theater at the end of the day and, over the years of playing the role of a forest monster, he'd like to think that he had gotten quite good at that!
He could do this, all he needed to do was inspire the slightest degree of amicability...
At random, perhaps, his eyes landed upon Pumpkaboo, whose immediate instinct was to a half-silent shriek and thrust herself deeper into the core of the crowd, ramming multiple of her compatriots along the way.
...
He could garner sympathy through exaggerating his own feebleness!
Yes, that would be the strategy instead: he reeled in his arms and wrapped them around his torso — making certain not to actually irritate any wounds — while his head slightly retreated back into its carapace, he made all three of his plumes slow down in their swaying and fall as low as they could, while he himself descended closer to the ground with an added lurching, all in an effort to make himself appear small and frail, thoroughly battered by the brave protectors of the village.
"I told you that he wasn't ready to float yet!" Leavanny angrily whispered to Gallade once she had noticed the wraith plunge.
"He'll be fine," the latter reassured, before marching over to the forefront, preparing to address the agitated assembly. "Everyone, please calm down!"
Immediately, silence reconquered the Town Square.
"As promised, I have brought the Night— erm, Darkrai to speak before you."
The Guardian looked to the Moonshadow, who could only stare right back at him.
Again, he felt like he was being suffocated, choked out of any words. He understood that he was meant to talk, but he knew not what to say to them!
"I think you should start with greeting everybody," Espurr instantly noticed his struggle, allowing him to finally break free from the eye-lock with the increasingly unnerved Gallade.
"Greetings," he managed spit out with a light rise of the hand.
... they didn't greet him back, they only shrank further.
It was far too monotonous and intimidating — it made everyone at the front of the crowd shudder — he should've done better!
His unblinking eyes pleaded Gallade for aid but, instead, all he received from the Guardian was a stringent signal of the head to go on, while Leavanny just gaped in discomfort.
"He's just a tad shy and quite dazed at the moment, everybody!" Espurr was the one to intervene on his behalf. "So just give him some time to properly think before he speaks. He isn't at his best, right now!"
Darkrai breathe a sigh of relief. Of course, he could count on her aid, at least. He cursed himself for not having turned to her first.
"I... I am indeed your Nightmare Weaver," he began as soon as he had a semblance of a plan. "I realise that, for decades now, I have been a blight upon this town..."
And then the Moonshadow went silent, again.
The initial indecision as to what he would say soon turned into a gnawing unease. What he was on the verge of doing, what he had unwittingly set himself up to do with this haphazard, unprepared speech, was to enumerate the countless crimes he had committed against them... and, looking them in the eye one-by-one, realising just how difficult that would be, made terror course through his veins.
No matter the face onto which his focus shifted, it brought back the painful memories of one which was not there to be seen, the memories of someone who had passed, of someone he had removed from that crowd... once again, he was choking on his words, he... he just couldn't begin!
Whilst he was in the midst of an embarrassing breakdown in front of the village which had feared him so totally, Espurr's paw gently placed itself on his shoulder. "Come on, they're listening now. I know you get embarrassed when you have to speak, but you can handily go through with this!"
He inhaled and clenched his trembling fist. Her encouragement gave him a dash of courage and the momentary respite he needed.
"You all know me to have haunted Haven... and to have preyed upon you... upon your your elderly, upon your young, upon your weakest," half-way through, he paused, already needing a moment to recuperate and concentrate on what he was saying, rather than the crowd judging him. "My nightmares condemning your friends and family to... torturous deaths far more gruesome than anything they could ever endure while awake... without fail, for a century," with a shaking voice, he stuttered through a paraphrasing of the summary Gallade had made his own heart ache with.
He had thought that there would be nothing more fair than to use their own words to describe what he had made them live through, yet, as his monologue had progressed, he had begun to notice anger germinate throughout the plaza. Sparse, feeble, fearful sprouts of anger he could guess at from certain expressions. They were torched once the bearer locked eyes with him, leaving pure fear to overwhelm them once more, but Darkrai's gut twisted with increasing dread all the same, as he had realised by the end just how terrible of a mistake he had made: his recounting, which hadn't failed to upset him yet again, had been perceived as a boast!
He had made another grievous misstep and, rather than act to correct it as soon as possible, the knowledge of what he had done left Darkrai stumped and speechless, struggling to get a word out while he could feel his heart hammer against his chest with increasing violence.
Suddenly, a gray blur flew past his vision and into the air above the Pokemon of the square.
"Do know that he isn't saying this to make fun of anyone, or anything bad like that!" Espurr explained and then swirled back to face him. "Please do tell them so, Darkrai!"
He gave her a curt nod and took a gulp of air. "But... you must believe me when I tell you that... none of what I have done to you was done purposefully."
Once more, he began to notice cracks forming in the layer of fear his presence had enameled them under. This time, he hadn't driven them to further resentment, but rather his words had intrigued the villagers, with some finally daring to lift their eyes off of the ground or narrow their puzzled brows at the wraith.
"I know a trick when I see one, he's making stuff up to save his skin," he could overhear Honchkrow whisper to Arbok, concealing his face with his wing as he did so.
The avian's words — which he likely did not intend for Darkrai to catch — were on the verge of paralysing the Moonshadow with more doubt, before Espurr intervened. "But he isn't! Just please do hear him out some more, Mr. Honchkrow!"
The realisation that he had just been singled out drained the colour from the bird's face.
Honchkrow literally threw himself to the ground, making the phantom instinctively retract his head into his carapace and withdraw into the air.
"Please, O Nightmare Weaver! Please! I am BEGGING you to forgive my slight!"
The Nightmare Weaver cautiously poked his head out again, finding himself utterly befuddled by the sight of the raptor crying face planted into the pavement in front of him, while Arbok and every other Pokemon in the area had retreated away by a few steps.
While the Moonshadow stared at the bawling avian, at an absolute loss for words, Espurr jumped to action and landed by Honchkrow's side, giving him a pat to the shoulder which made the bird recoil away from her with a discomposed squawk.
"It's alright, Mr. Honchkrow, I'm quite certain that Darkrai won't want to hurt you for something so mild," she consoled the ruffled creature. "Just... could you maybe refrain from saying such things about him without having heard him out first?"
The raptor nervously peered over to Darkrai with watery eyes and suddenly jumped back onto his feet, beginning to bow before him over and over. "I am sorry. I am sorry. I am sorry. I am sorry! I will listen! Yes! I will listen! Please forgive!"
"Honchkrow... please," Darkrai made a light gesture for him to move away. "You are forgiven, yes."
The crow looked at Darkrai for a second longer before, immediately ceasing his crying and bolting further back into the depths of the crowd.
Not even a 'thank you'. All theater.
The Moonshadow waited a moment, expecting to overhear snide remarks — even if faint! — from the gathered Murkrows, but nothing came of it. They hadn't found it amusing.
It was... best to continue.
"It is as Espurr here said," he reeled his arms back in again, trying to appear as small as possible, just to signal that he held no grudge against the avian. "I told your Guardian this when we first conversed, but... there has not been one death inflicted upon this village which I have not passed days mourning..."
Even though he truly meant what he said, even though all of the grief he was struggling to expound upon them was one truly gnawing at his hear, repeating those same words somehow... made them feel less genuine. It made them feel cheap.
He would have to do better.
"I... I love this place. It is my home, it has been so for so, so long. I was here to watch it grow from a campfire... it is a place I love more than any other and, if you can believe me, I would never wish ill upon it... I would never... want to hurt any of you..."
...
Nothing. Nothing but seething terror on their expressions.
Not a hint, not even a hint of sympathy for him.
Confusion at best, in sparse cases. Otherwise, only terror.
He had expected... something... anything! A sympathetic glance from someone, at least!
...
He hated this. He hated this so much.
Again, his eyes pleaded Gallade for help. Again, Gallade only responded with a gesture of the head to continue. Again, Gallade had left him to drown.
What was he meant to tell them? They obviously did not care about anything he had to say—
The sensation of Espurr's paws placing themselves onto his battlements again brought him a pinch of comfort. She would help him! He needed all of the help he could get!
"Darkrai," she softly called. "Maybe you could now tell them about how your powers work? I think that would be quite the good idea! It's a marvelous opportunity for it!"
Oh.
Oh.
Oh no.
He was an idiot. A fool. An utter moron. He hadn't even told them. He hadn't even told them the most important part. He had spent so much time lamenting himself and pleading, he had forgotten to mention why they ought to even listen.
Darkrai didn't know if his glance and nod back to her communicated even a fraction of the gratitude he owed his furball-friend, but he knew well that could never express it fully.
"You see," the wraith had taken too long a pause gathering his words, so his voice booming anew startled everyone. "Ever since my creation— my birth, I have been inflicted by a terrible curse... one that I spend every moment of my existence loathing... it has condemned many to their graves without my consent and condemned me to an existence as a hazard and, so, to reclusion... to being seen as a heartless monster of the woods," he looked down to his claws and clenched them in frustration. "A role which I have never wanted to play, mind you!"
...
"The Nightmare Blight which has plagued you was caused by my presence, yes, but... the full truth of the matter is that my will holds no more sway over the nightmares than yours does over your own abilities," as he concluded his monologue, Darkrai's eyes veered towards the ground, avoiding theirs.
And, from there on, there was only an ensuing silence. A silence which made him tremble with dread and frustration. Would he get no reaction? No sympathy at all? Had he truly been so thoroughly ineffective?
"It's quite important to mention that his ability means that Darkrai gets nightmares as well, I think!" His eyes instantly lifted themselves off of the ground, once Espurr's voice took over. "He won't, well... die from them, but that's still fairly horrible! And it happens to him every time he sleeps!"
Mothim and Lampent exchanged fascinated glances, those between Kricketune and Oricorio were more clearly confused, while Skwovet merely gaped at every other Pokemon in turn. Sparse whispers and murmuring — ones not accusing him of being a remorseless manipulator — began to seep through the crushing silence.
He was so grateful for her. He wouldn't have even thought about mentioning that. He wouldn't have had an opportunity to mention it, had he remembered. He wouldn't have seized that opportunity, had it been handed to him. Yet it had garnered him instant sympathy.
"Oh, I can confirm that!" Leavanny finally broke her own quietude. "Darkrai was shaking in his sleep when in the hospital!"
And she didn't even go on to mention that he had slashed at her... for a short second, Darkrai allowed himself to feel hope...
And then...
"Is everyone too tired to think straight?"
Finally, Gothitelle's voice — shrill and searing with ire — sliced through the disarray, sending a chill up Darkrai's spine, a rush of panic flooding through him again.
He really did not want to do this.
He had hoped that she wouldn't manifest. That his presence alone would simply have terrorised her into silence, just like it had done for everyone else there...
Why not her as well, if it would be the case of all those he actually wished would react to what he was saying? Why?
"I could not stomach to hear you continue to lie to them! You can intimidate them into servile silence, but not me! I will not stand for you lying to my village, for you... you... for you playing us for fools!"
With every sentence — each uttered with more ferocity than the last — Gothitelle took another step towards him. Even if he could see that her strides were filled with hesitancy she wished to mask with defiance, Darkrai couldn't help but impulsively retreat away from her all the same.
He really, truly did not want to do this.
And then, a helping hand extended itself: not Espurr's little paw, but Gallade's outstretched arm, and it hadn't reached out to save Darkrai, but rather to block Gothitelle's path, firmly gesturing for her to move some distance back from the Moonshadow.
The wraith's excitement at finally receiving aid was quickly dulled by noticing what had truly motivated the Guardian to step in: behind them both — Gallade and Gothitelle — the assembled Pokemon were petrified with terror, progressively crushed by a worry which had mounted with every single one of her steps towards him, with her poking so liberally at the oh-so-terrible monster.
The help wasn't for him...
"If any of this was true, explain why he would not tell us anything sooner!" She directed her shouting at the crowd, a crowd which couldn't help but shoot Darkrai terrified glances, suspecting that he would snap and lunge at her... and then come for them. "Why would he wait until the very brink? Why would he wait until he so desperately needed our cooperation to tell us this? These are such simple questions that none are asking!"
Eventually, Gothitelle simmered down, allowing a newfound silence to fall upon the plaza. While she caught her breath, her eyes veered towards him, meeting his static, perturbed gaze.
Slowly, she wrapped her arms around herself, as if his glare had made her feel cold, the energy drained from her expression, and she began to tremble.
The reminder of what she had just said — and to whom — had only now begun to sink in.
"S... so?" She stuttered. "What do you have to say for yourself?" Her next stride was a nervous, sideways one, towards the recomforting presence of Gallade.
...
Neither his silence nor stare were meant to intimidate! He was just... overwhelmed... for perhaps the fifth time! This was just so difficult! Especially when he needed to address her now!
"Come on, Miss Gothitelle, I already explained to you that he's just quite shy!" Espurr, thankfully, so thankfully, was there for him. "He could barely speak with me when we first met, it would be quite hard for him to do so alone, in front of everyone here!" She looked to the villagers, realising that was, in fact, what was in the midst of happening right then and there. "Poor Darkrai, you seem so shook," she flew up to him and landed on his shoulder.
Her bell's gentle chiming and her little paw brushing his hair served to soothe the his soul for a moment, before it was soon thrown into disharmony once more.
"And you expect us to believe any of that?" Gothitelle hissed, having found her previous severity, now that she was in the — apparently — secure vicinity of the Guardian.
"Madam, I..."
She practically jumped out of her skin at the first words he uttered, while the rest of the town was signaling to her with a dissonant variety of gestures to cut it off and step away for her own good.
It was... not the ideal start, but this presented another opportunity to accentuate how — apparently — pathetic of a creature he was to them. It was one he could not afford to ignore, even if he was having trouble even looking her in the eye. He would have to break through this curse her mere existence had placed him under.
"Madam, I... I did not know how to confront any of you... or your predecessors, with the truth!" The wraith blurted out after much struggle. "Every time we have met — I and... members of your town — violence has ensued, neither did I come to you to explain myself, but neither did any of you come to simply ask," he averted his gaze to the crowd, whose sterile gaping he suddenly found more welcoming, when the alternative was her glare.
"Wait..." Gothitelle muttered, forcing him to regrettably turn to face her again.
She was having the same trouble speaking as him. Madam was visibly trembling, not with anger, but evident unease. She believed that her words were putting her life on the line... the Nightmare Weaver had to admit that it was awfully brave of her to stand there before him, to push back on what he was telling the village, no matter how misguided.
His stress in this situation was... more irrational.
"So it's our fault that you told us nothing?" The psychic-type snarled with newfound rage. "We should've traversed the woods to figure this out ourselves?"
The Moonshadow's eyes widened and he couldn't keep himself from jerking backwards after realising what he had just told her.
"No!" He exclaimed, making her and the assembly flinch.
Of course it sounded like that! He should've worded it better! He wasn't trying to guilt them, no!
"That is not what I meant! It is just that... the rumours of what I was... of why I... provoked the nightmares preceded any interaction I had with the village. I... I did not know how to proceed, or if they would ever listen, or what speaking to them... or to you, would engender!"
He felt awful. A light reflection on his own words made his stomach turn. What was he even trying to tell them now? That his cowardice in the face of being scratched or given a few bruises justified leaving hundreds to die over the years? What did he even want from them? Was he even asking for forgiveness? Was it even reasonable to ask for it? What had he done to deserve it?
"Okay, well, answer this question: what are you, then?" Everyone shuddered at Mawile's voice piercing through the awkward quietude, defying the monster. The little Pokemon clumsily scurried through the crowd to arrive at its forefront, with Scyther's equally clumsy efforts to pull her back being in vain. "Tell us. Now!"
"Mawile, do not interrupt," Gothitelle hissed, but the fairy-type ignored her and continued to stare at him in wait for answers.
The Moonshadow saw himself left disoriented, turning yet again to the Guardian for aid. "So do... do I answer, or...?"
"Don't dodge the question, mister!" Mawile snapped her appendage at him, making Darkrai — and the rest of the townsfolk behind her — flinch.
"You should not be screaming at him!" Espurr landed in front of her and pouted, before both were picked up by a worried Gallade, who placed the duo at a safe distance away from the Nightmare Weaver.
"Actually, that's an important question," the latter pivoted to him. "Are there more of your kind, Darkrai?"
Before he had even had time to think of an answer, the entire village tensed up in apprehension: between Oricorio shielding her face — one would think that she were on the verge of being struck by a Wild Charge — Arbok plunging deeper into the comfort of his own coils, Honchkrow's mane and feathers puffing up, and every other case which had gone unnoticed by him, it was as if their own passing had just been announced to them.
...
This was a tough query to answer. He knew of important names, names they would likely recognise — Cobalion, Terrakion, Virizion, Zacian, Zamazenta, Zeraora — names they could hear be uttered with utmost reverence in temples and shrines — Kyurem, Ho-Oh, Lugia — names they could find littering every page of their books of history and legend... but he wouldn't mention those. He couldn't mention those.
To them, everything he had said prior already seemed unthinkable, he was already being treated with extreme suspicion. He did not have the social capital necessary to be making such — still truthful! — claims about his origins.
...
He would not and could not use his siblings' stature to raise himself above being but a twisted creature of the woods in their eyes, however, this presented him with another opportunity!
"I... cannot truly answer that question. We were already sparse and secretive beings in the olden days, far sparser and yet more secretive today..." he paused, his eyes veering towards the sky. The Sun was almost overhead. "At the very least I hope that the others of my kind are only sparse and not... wholly gone."
"Good," he overheard Gothitelle mutter under her breath, but this remark had thankfully failed to sting. What he had told them was a lie, after all...
Well, perhaps not entirely... with Giratina banished, Arceus... gone, Kyurem sundered and licking his wounds in some recluse cavern, Necrozma shattered into a thousand shards, Groudon and Kyogre dormant, they truly had become sparser!
"Oh... I'm sorry for that! That's so... sad..." Espurr was the only other Pokemon to speak up. His lie making her unhappy served to in turn downcast his own mood... he knew it best to bottle up such emotions in this situation, and yet...
"I mean, it's only sad if he isn't evil," Mawile responded with her signature, off-putting nonchalance when it came to just about everything.
"Well, I've already made it clear that I don't think he's evil, so it's fairly saddening to me!" His friend retorted.
"Well, why was he here tonight, then?" Mawile turned to him again, her jaw reaching forward, trying her best to threaten him. "Mr. Scyther said that he found you in Miss Gothitelle's Sanctuary. What were you doing in there, huh?"
From the corner of his eye, he saw the establishment's manager narrow her eyes on him. He would have to accept this child acting as inquisitor, seemingly, and provide a delicate answer.
"Well..." a 'delicate answer', those words rang more true the longer he pondered. "I awaited the New Moon, a night during which the range of my powers increases and comes to envelop your poor village, no matter how far from it I am, to search her establishment for an item... the Life Orb, as it is called."
The crowd's eyes widened, their stares became ever more acute, but he managed to continue.
"And Scyther... I did not mean to cast him into a nightmare... his entry startled me and... I would have attempted to flee, otherwise," he locked eyes with the bug, whose wings slowly extended, as if he himself was on the verge of fleeing. "I am terribly sorry for what I made you live through."
His face twisted with disgust.
...
"Okay, but why did you want it?" Mawile called.
"Truth be told, I... you were not the only ones dreading the consequences of another confrontation between us... since I knew of its property to boost a wielder's might, I... was afraid that I would one day be bested. Naturally I decided to take precautions..." a few words of wisdom from the Lord of Time rang back. "We often meet our destiny on the road to avoid it, I suppose."
While many took to inspecting their claws or fists — perhaps asking themselves whether they could beat him — Mawile rubbed her chin and carefully considered his words, before her expression turned gruff. "Well, trying to steal is a pretty bad thing to admit to!"
Darkrai could only narrow an eyebrow. What was he meant to say to that? It was so far detached from the gravity of everything else they were discussing! Was she really going to now slam him for theft?
"Well, he was afraid for his own safety, but I don't think that makes him evil, just a tad mischievous!" His friend intervened in his interests. "Actually, do you all want to hear about how we met? He saved me from Hoothoot!"
Mawile tilted her head. "Hoothoot?"
Darkrai froze. He hadn't even thought of this.
He would have to describe everything that had happened with Hoothoot to them! Convincing them that he himself wasn't evil had all already been an uphill battle — with yet unclear results, nonetheless! — and now he needed to persuade Haven into believing that their former Guardian, on the other hand, was an utterly vile creature!
Why couldn't Gallade have done all of this for him? They would've trusted him more!
"I'll let him explain everything to you!" Espurr looked to him, only to be disappointed by the wide-eyed, paralysed expression staring right back at her. "Ah, fine, I'll do it for you, then."
Watching her jump back up into the air above them calmed his nerves.
He loved her.
"So, umm, well, if anyone remembers," she began. "When I became saddened after hurting Lampent, I said that I went to the meadow. I'm still quite sorry for that, Lampent!" Espurr shouted to the ghost from across the plaza, prompting Mothim to stick to his face and tackle him to the ground, out of view of the Moonshadow. "But... well... I didn't really go to said meadow: Hoothoot came up to me — he was very panicked! — and said that someone was having a nightmare! So I asked him where that Pokemon was, so I could help, and he told me to follow him into the Blightwoods, where he tried to put me to sleep!"
Loud gasps and another round of confiding between the villagers ensued, with Mawile, at the forefront, rubbing her chin once more and narrowing a brown.
"Hoothoot?" She repeated her one word question. "But why would he wanna do that to you?"
"He said that he wanted me gone, because he did not like having to share being Dream Eater... but, then, Darkrai came out of nowhere and bravely fought him off! And he told Hoothoot to leave here forever, because he attempted to hurt me!" Espurr looked back to him. "He's not evil at all, he actually saved me!"
Mawile looking to him with a wide-eyed stare discomforted the Moonshadow: she wasn't afraid of him, evidently, but he knew not what the emotion spread across her expression was!
"Really?" She muttered with sudden awe. "Well... um... good job to you, if that's true! And thank you for helping Espurr!"
Darkrai rubbed his shoulder, made... irrationally embarrassed? By his feats being praised by her in front of everyone?
"And, wait, there's more!" Espurr quelled their grumbling. "Even when I had an outburst because I got scared of him, and I hit him and broke his forest, he didn't become mad and actually remained quite nice to me, still! We've been good friends since then! It's why I'm helping him now," she flew up to him, unexpectedly hugging his arm, which stung a bit. "So I hope that everyone here sees that he isn't that bad, but actually a very kind Pokemon!"
He took a moment to look to her, clutching his arm, and inhaled.
Again, there was hope in the air.
"I know that this might seem... out of character, for what you imagined of the Nightmare Weaver, but... I only wished to help out someone in need."
"I will not allow you to spout such libel against Hoothoot!" Gothitelle's growl made him shudder. He had blissfully forgotten about her! Gothitelle stepped over to the front of the crowd. "The same Hoothoot who did so much to help save everyone he could from the nightmarish deaths you wished to condemned them to!"
"But... it is the truth..." he snivelled and stuttered. "And I didn't... wish to..."
"I find it necessary to intervene here, then," Gallade joined Gothitelle at the forefront and Darkrai was immediately relieved that he had decided to do so, because he was once more at a loss for words. "Though he did initially lie to me about what happened to Hoothoot and said that he didn't know anything about his whereabouts," the wraith tensed up at Gothitelle's narrowing eyes. "Espurr and Darkrai eventually — independently — gave me the same story of what happened with the owl and, as a psychic-type, I can assure you that everything said by Espurr here was of her own volition," she vigorously nodded. "Free of any external influence on her thinking. It seems to be the truth."
"It is the truth!" The furball chimed in.
"How can you be so nonchalant about this all when you literally just said that it lied?" Gothitelle exclaimed. "Isn't that enough for you to realise that it has ill intent? The fact that it very clearly isn't approaching this opportunity you're extending with good faith?"
"Considering I told Darkrai that his life hinged on how that conversation went," Gallade glimpsed back at the Moonshadow, making the latter understand that he needed to nod in agreement. "I think it's fair enough for him to consider if he should go ahead and tell us that he not only saved one of our own, but that the missing Dream Eater was the one who tried to be rid of her. If we didn't have Espurr here to explain this all to us, and if we didn't know that she was trustworthy, I would absolutely not have believed him."
"And you would have been right to do so, because it's not believable!" Gothitelle boiled. "Look at it already having turned you against our own!"
"I already told you that I had noticed Hoothoot emanating an odd aura before this. There was something malicious about that owl, and you were the first to point it out when you complained about him making others' nightmares last to feed on them," he turned to the townsfolk, while Darkrai hovered by and observed as this unfolded. "I also don't think that anyone here would deny that Hoothoot was... an odd character, right?"
The assembly was slow to respond, only after a timid exchange of looks between themselves did some carefully nod their heads.
"We already came to the conclusion that the latency in his Dream Eater taking effect was due to him not being a psychic-type!" Gothitelle screamed at their first movement, before turning to his friend. "Espurr, I can not accentuate enough how thoroughly you have been tricked!" The little Pokemon was startled away by her screech. "You're a delusional, naive little child who's being played like a puppet," she continued to berate his friend, leaving her to wrap her arms around herself and shrivel up like a ball of fur.
She was fuming, but, now, so too had Darkrai's temper sparked.
Resentment washed over him, drowning out any worry or confliction still churning inside of him. Suddenly, he was no longer willing to ponder how legitimate her concerns were, nor to feel so bad for his presence making her anxious, nor did he care to sit and admire how brave she was to stand there and spout vitriol at him.
'A delusional, naive little child'. How dare she?
"None of this makes any sense and the only reason it's taking everyone so long to realise this is that everyone's half asleep!"
There was nothing he could or would be willing to do with the fury simmering inside of him, other than sit silent and choke on it. In an attempt to calm down, he turned his sight away from the still-raving Sanctuary manager, to come eye-to-eye with a terrified Skwovet: a quaking little rodent, hiding behind her tail while pulling her ears down to cover her face.
She was staring right back at him.
That display of anger, of welling up bitterness, hadn't been as discreet as he would have wanted it to be: his plume and shoulder-growths had begun to agitate with greater vehemence, he had unknowingly ascended further the air, coming to almost loom over her... his claws had protracted, as if he was ready to stab her in the back.
The sudden crash of fear managed to still his rage, forcing him to instantly return to his suffocating anxiety. Low to the ground. His three plumes losing their vitality. His arms close to his chest.
Meek.
Feeble.
Pathetic, for all to see and none to need fear.
Gothitelle knew Espurr and Espurr knew Gothitelle, there was no need to get vexed by what one told the other. None. He needed to calm down.
"And, I don't care about what isolated good he may have done, no one else here does, either," Gothitelle stared daggers at him. "If he loves this place 'more than any other' or whatever it was he said, if he has even the most basic care for the safety of anyone here, then he should leave us alone!"
"There is no question about that," Gallade intervened anew, this time, though, not in Moonshadow's interests. "Darkrai will be leaving here, once all is said and done."
Gothitelle seemed to breath a sigh of relief, while, to the wraith's horror, the despondency of the crowd alleviated. It was a measly change — some's trembling calmed, other's brows rose with hints of joy, at best there were spontaneous smiles, vanishing as quickly as they appeared — but he hadn't failed to notice it.
He didn't quite know what he had expected to occur but, even after having explained his nature to them, his regrets, his grief, and even after his few good deeds had been lauded over and over by his friend, they wanted him gone... he truly did not know what else he had expected...
"What!?" Espurr stuck to his arm again, irritating the bandages hugging his wounds. "No! I want him to STAY!"
Her grasp tightening was followed by a worrisome wave of magenta power emitting from her, raising the dust from the pavement and provoking the general retreat of everyone but Darkrai, who could only stare, disoriented.
Leavanny cautiously reached to dislodge the fuming little Pokemon from the Moonshadow's arm, instantly retreating a few steps back, all while caressing Espurr's fur and chiming her Soothe Bell.
Eventually, the impulses of psychic energy evaporated. She had calmed, though continued to pout and bubble in her caretaker's arms, ogling him with tear-filled eyes. "Please let him stay," his friend snivelled.
With the threat now neutralised, Gallade directed his attention back to him. "Look, you extended me your mercy back there, in the woods. You were trying to get me to turn back and leave, I refused, so here we are," he paused. "Darkrai, I'm now proposing you a similar deal, one that I think I owe you and which you've already unwittingly accepted: after you fainted, I allowed for you to live, even though I had very little reason to do so," Darkrai gave a solemn nod. "Now, in return for your continued survival, I want you to leave Haven... to leave Haven and never come back."
"But he isn't healthy enough to even do that!" His friend whined as soon as he was done, breaking free of Leavanny's grasp and sticking to his shoulder, while Darkrai could only stand silent. "And other Pokemon naturally don't like him! He can't leave hurt like he is!"
Her speaking up thrust upon him the full weight of what he was going to be forced to do. He would have to leave home. He would have to leave behind one of the few Pokemon who had come to appreciate him... he had only known Espurr for a short period of time, but... he didn't want to part ways with her!
"Darkrai has made clear that, no matter if he likes it not, he will cause problems wherever ever he goes," Gallade looked Espurr in the eye. "It's either us or, well... anyone else and, I'm sorry, but I have to put our home's safety first by asking Darkrai here to leave us be."
Gallade's facial expression signalled that he was awaiting a response, but the Nightmare Weaver had none to give.
It would be a catastrophe if he was forced into nomadism while injured and with hampered speed. He wouldn't be in serious danger, no, he wouldn't be left defenseless... but that was precisely the issue, because he would still have one — but only one — method to ensure his own self-preservation: casting assailants to wither in the darkness...
Clinging to life was, for him and for the entirety of his kin, not just an instinct to be obeyed, but a veritable duty. That much had been made clear as doctrine within his... family, ever since the ordeal surrounding Kyurem, all those centuries ago. Darkrai intended to respect it, he would be there for the Original One's return, as was expected of him.
Yet, this meant that there would be no way to opt out of the adversity Creation loved to hurl at him... other Pokemon simply knew uncleanliness when they saw it and so, he would either have to flee them, or condemn them... in this state — his every muscle aching, his arms and torso mangled, his breathing made difficult... tired, still — the former option was no longer a luxury he could afford. He couldn't flee...
No.
He would not consent to being forced into ravaging the countryside, and Gallade would need to understand as much.
"Gallade..." the Guardian's eyes widened with horror, he couldn't read a dark-type's mind, but the complication was easy to see coming. "I'm sorry, but my speed, my ability to flee, is a prerequisite for tempering the damages I will inevitably cause until I find a new location to seclude myself to. If... if you force me out of here in this state, you would be forcing me into fights where I would have no other choice but to defend myself by casting others into nightmares. So, I beg you, allow me some time to rest. A night... two nights, I... I cannot leave here so soon after what you did to me," yes, what he did to him. It would — partially — be Gallade's fault, if Darkrai was immediately pushed into having to kill to ensure his own survival. Having to choose that accusatory wording pained him, but... did he have any other choice?
"Well, have you tried not fighting back?" At this point, he knew well that Gothitelle's mockery demanded no serious response, so he gave none.
"He got very hurt when you and Ursaring fought him and, in his sleep, he has very bad nightmares because of his ability as well!" Espurr flew up to Gallade and started nagging his arm, to the immediate curiosity of the townsfolk, who began to quietly discuss the implications of her last statement. "He's been so kind to me and everyone here, and I don't care if only I believe him! We can allow him to rest just a bit, surely?"
The Guardian sighed. "Again, if I were to let him sleep in the woods, the risk of someone here suffering from a nightmare wouldn't be negligible and, as you've seen for yourself with Scyther's condition, Espurr," he shot the quivering bug a glance. "That he's far enough away for us to survive it doesn't mean that it's without danger."
The thought of mentioning his sister's Lunar Feathers came and went. They were far too sparse to be found within an agreeable deadline, when Gallade was already so reluctant to even consider letting him heal for a handful of days, and while Drifblim and Chatot were still absent. Not to mention how... convenient it would be, for him to bring up such an effective-sounding solution... again, he should have approached them and told about the feathers earlier but, now, it would only raise more questions.
He needed to find another way to convince them to let him sta—
"Are we done now?" Gothitelle interjecting made him shudder. "Darkrai has said his part and I think it's pretty clear that whatever he was trying to do here didn't work," she waved her hand towards the crowd, commanding the wraith's attention to their worn out faces. They no longer jumped out of their skin when he looked at them, but his gaze remained unnerving to them, even after he had expounded so much. "It's evident that we all want to sleep and, more importantly, we all want you gone, so make haste in fulfilling your promises!"
"But we aren't quite certain if most agree that he should go!" Espurr chimed in. "Maybe... some want him to stay but aren't showing it! There are some fairly shy Pokemon here!"
"No," Gothitelle dryly responded.
"Actually, let's hold a vote on this matter!" Gallade exclaimed with overwhelming ecstasy. The Guardian was happy to be delegating this decision off of his shoulders, no doubt. "It's the simplest way to go!"
Gothitelle's face first contorted into the beginnings of a snarl... before she gave another glance at the shaken crowd and smirked. "Alright, fine, we'll hold a vote, though it's not as if we need one and, to be clear, a 'yes' vote means that he gets to stay until he heals, not to simply stay," she turned to him. "Darkrai, you will leave eventually, is that understood?"
"That's not fair! Why can't we let him stay forever?" Espurr protested but was immediately picked up by Leavanny, for perhaps the fifth time in one morning.
He stood no chance...
"I... I will leave if the majority want me to," Darkrai eventually relented. He could likely stay if he truly wanted to, yet... "If there is no chance of me ever being accepted here, I will leave."
"Alright then," Gallade heaved a sigh of relief. "Whoever here is willing to allow Darkrai to stay for a few days, raise your hands!"
"I vote stay!" Espurr immediately exclaimed, writhing in the bug's grasp and wildly waving her arm.
He loved her. He loved her so much, yet, the love she was returning alone wouldn't be enough.
"So, I think... I think I'll be abstaining from the vote, then," Gallade added, without elaborating as to why.
...
If Gallade was still conflicted, Darkrai truly stood no chance with the rest. His sights plummeted to the pavement. It was over for him...
"Sorry, but I cannot in good conscience let a patient in such a condition leave," the Nightmare Weaver looked back up from the ground to see Leavanny, with her hand raised, at the center of attention.
"Me too!" Mawile jumped and flailed her arms. "But only because I want you here — where I can keep an eye on you — and not causing trouble somewhere else, Mr. Nightmare Weaver!"
His hope temporarily reinvigorated, Darkrai's blue eye frantically began to scour every corner of the plaza, searching out the — hopefully only tardive to follow suit — votes with... ever decreasing hopefulness, as he found himself looking to the same faces over and over again.
Three votes. More than he could have reasonably expected. He had never stood a chance...
Gallade stared down Mawile and Leavanny, before directing his sights back to the assembly. "Three votes for. So... how many votes against Darkrai remaining here?"
As expected, Gothitelle's arm instantly shot up, with madam then proceeding to scan the crowd around her with the same franticness as Darkrai had... only for a similar apprehension to begin to loom over her, as no other hands rose.
...
None had voted.
...
None were voting!
"Wha...?" She mumbled, taken aback. "What's... happening?"
"If there's anyone else, please, make it known," Gallade reiterated, scouring the townsfolk. "Anyone?"
...
Once Darkrai took to examining the villagers, it finally clicked: none of them were brave enough to vote against him! Their expressions were soaked with terror!
Everyone looked alarmed by what they were on the verge of allowing to happen, yet none had the courage necessary to disrupt the procedure. Even Scyther, who he had wronged not too long ago, kept his claws low. They exchanged harrowed looks but, still, no other hands nor appendages rose. Everyone stood silent, silent and paralysed.
"No one else?" Gallade asked again, evidently getting worried. There was no one else. Only gaping expressions, now veering towards the Guardian.
Darkrai had hoped for a clear answer. He craved a clear answer. Did he even want to be there, if it was only out of fear that they would allow him to stay? Because he had terrorised them into servility, as Gothitelle had said?
Or... should he declare victory?
He noticed Gallade shoot him a glance from the corner of his eye. He had sensed that none truly wanted Darkrai there, it was evident to everyone, really... but would he take that into account, or only how they voted? The Guardian was clearly considering it...
"Darkrai won!" Espurr broke free of her caretaker's hold and latched onto his arm again. "Darkrai, you get to stay!"
And then, the wraith looked down at Espurr, all giddy and giggling while hugging him, and then back to the crowd, static, as before... and made his decision: he had laid out his reasoning and they had done the same with their terms, the vote had clearly gone his way and, so, he would remain there, they would have to stomach him for a few days.
He needed to seize the moment, and the fear he inspired would, ironically, come to full use.
The Moonshadow shook off the illusion of heightened weakness, straightened his posture, planted his legs, revealing that he dwarfed Gallade by far.
"This means that I get to stay," Darkrai could practically see the chill run up Gallade's spine once he growled those words.
The Guardian stared at him with dread for a short moment, before inhaling. "It's been... decided," he stuttered. "With three votes for.. one against," Gothitelle held her head between her hands in shock. "A drove of abstentions and... two unaccounted for, Darkrai will be remaining with us for a few days."