//------------------------------// // Darkrai: A Bountiful Nightmare // Story: My Little Pokémon: Grander World // by Amarvax //------------------------------// Sinnoh. Up in the skies. Nightfall. A silent night here in the Sinnoh Region and for most of the Pokemon World. At least, that's how it seemed. It didn't take long for something to occur. Up in the skies, the sound of helicopter blades going off could be heard. The trees below would shake. Following that was the flicker of light in the night sky that seemed to resemble lightning bolts. These bolts flew through the air, rapidly moving as they seemed to be targeting something. Or rather, someone. These bolts came straight from none other than a Team Rocket Ship. Specifically, the ship of Matori and her Matori Matrix. The secretary to Giovanni was busy once more and as always, she and her group were hunting down a Pokemon. The Pokemon in question was none other than Cresselia. The Lunar Pokemon. The Psychic-Type flew through the night sky, doing her best to evade the bolts from Team Rocket's Helicopter. "Cress! Cress!" And it certainly wasn't easy for her. Already, Cresselia had taters and scratches on her as signs of her desperate flee. Matori and her group were persisent. After all, this was a Legendary Pokemon. Catching Cresselia was a plan that her group had for a while and would finally try to execute. And with so many bolts, she would be bit hit by some, causing the Lunar Pokemon to cry out. "Sselia!" With a bellowing cry, Cresselia would descend, heading for the forest below to try and lose her pursuers. A small lake where the moon could beautifully reflect off of it was seen and chosen as Cresselia's place to hide. "Don't let it escape! Take us lower!" Matori exclaimed, ordering her men. "Yes ma'am!" They would also descend with the helicopter, not slowing down for a bit when trying to capture this Legendary Pokemon. But despite her injuries, Cresselia still managed to get ahead, already entering the forest before they could descend. The Lunar Pokemon, despite her vibrance appearance and size, managed to conceal herself. Even when Team Rocket descended, getting a better look at the forest, Cresselia was out of sight. The Matori Matrix would exit the ship, already having their Pokemon out which consisted of Croagunk, Purugly and Rhyperior. The search for Cresselia continued as the Matori Matrix would try and occupy this forest from every direction. As for Cresselia, managing to evade the eyes of her pursuers, she would carefully fly away, quietly dropping into the lake and making a mild splash in the process. For now, Cresselia was safe, floating away to lose the Matori Matrix. However, Cresselia wasn't the only rare Pokemon around here. There was another. Darkrai. Sensing the presence of the Pokemon that was its antithesis, the Pitch Black Pokemon would ascend from the darkness. Masking itself perfectly to remain hidden in the night, Darkrai would eye down a nearby city in the distance. By appearing with the moon, Darkrai sensed Cresselia's presence over at that city, advancing towards it. The Dark-Type caused a large stream of water when it moved across the lake which led to a sea that connected to this city. Equestria Ponyville. SugarCube Corner. Day. Meanwhile, a new day had come once the Sun arose. And at the moment, in contrast to what happened last night, an exciting moment for Ash and his friends was occurring. They were just having fun. Nothing more, nothing less. And this fun was centred around food. Specifically, their favourite kinds of food which had been served by Pinkie Pie. They would even pass their favourite foods to their friends to let them have a try. It was practically a gourmet here as even the Cake Family was partaking in this delicious moment. This was certainly a unique way to enjoy themselves and it was the most delicious way as seen by how satisfied their faces were. "So, you couldn't find anything at Chargestone at all, huh?" Ash said, speaking to Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie who had just returned from Unova. "Nope. I Guess Scyther's not there. Oh well..." Pinkie Pie shrugged. "But...we did see some pretty sharp cuts on those crystals. Which means Scyther was there. It might be gone now." "Bummer though...I was really looking forward to having my own Alpha Pokemon." Rainbow Dash grumbled. "Oh well. At least the food's good enough to cheer me up and get me ready for my next Gym Battle." "It should be. And as for these..." Pinkie Pie would turn to hold a large box of sweets that was twice her size. She would be assisted by Rarity who used her magic to raise it. "This'll cheer up Bea as well. All these sweets...It's tempting not to eat them all here..." She held her tongue out, wishing to snack down on these sweets. But they were all for her friend Bea. "Guys! Guys!" Rushing in here was none other than Goh as he came to a screeching halt. "Big news!" "What's up, Goh?" Ash asked before devouring a croquette that was made by his lovely mother, Delia Ketchum. "Update from Professor Cerise. You'll want to see this one!" Goh showed his Rotomphone to everyone. On it were notes that Professor Cerise had given out to Goh to share to specifically Ash but everyone else would see it. These notes were focused on none other than Darkrai. "It says here that people across Sinnoh have been experiencing nightmares all of a sudden. It's only over at cities more than anywhere else." The phone would then show images of people with bags under their eyes, yawning while the Sun was shining beautifully. But that beautiful Sun was only keeping them awake some more. "Is it a Pokemon doing this?" Applejack asked. "It is. Take a look at this." Goh showed the main crux of this information and the reason he came dashing in here. On the screen, Darkrai had been seen. "It's a Darkrai." "Oooh, a Darkrai!" Twilight and the girls collectively cooed. How rare was it for them to see another Darkrai? The only one they knew about was the Darkrai that was with Princess Luna. Other than that, no other Darkrai had been seen. "That's what I said," Goh replied. "Darkrai huh..." Ash uttered. "Wouldn't put it past that possibility. No one can spread nightmares faster than Darkrai." "But, Professor Cerise noted that Darkrai usually stays at a place called Newmoon Island. So it's kinda weird that it's going all over the place since the Darkrai all rarely leave their homes." "Newmoon Island? Do uh...more Darkrai live there or something?" Rainbow Dash questioned. Twilight was already on it, leaving SugarCube Corner and returning to it via teleportation. "You're right on that." She had the book she needed to confirm this. "It says here that Newmoon Island is the home of Darkrai. It's A small, round pond that lies inside a closed-off forest. Presumably, every Darkrai can be found there but only one can ever be spotted. And if anyone comes close to spotting more than one, nightmares will be placed upon them and they never get that chance again." "Well! Sinnoh it is, today!" Ash stood up, declaring a new destination. The wonderful Sinnoh Region was the next place to journey towards. "Wait, we're going to Sinnoh?" Rarity asked. "Ah, I wish we could just make more gateways. But that doesn't seem to be the case, otherwise, I would've found all the time in the world to head to any region and come back home for my main job." "It is what it is," Fluttershy replied. "Maybe we'll get lucky and run into that Infinity Gateway that Pinkie and the others found last time. It can't be too hard to miss with its unique shape, right?" "Well, we don't have many gateways left, but we still have planes. That's good enough, right?" Goh shrugged. "I've already told Starlight about this and now all of you. I'll meet with you over at Vermillion City." "We haven't travelled together in a long time, now that I think about it. There was that time over at Vermillion City previously but aside from that...It's been a while." Twilight realized how long it had been since her entire friend group have travelled together across the world. Previously, with all the gateways, it was incredibly easy to go wherever they wanted so they wouldn't have to worry about wasting time. "It's always great to do it again, right?" Applejack nudged. "Getting out there...seeing all the sights...Tasting the food..." "Yeah...the food..." Pinkie closed her eyes along with Applejack, thinking about all the delicacies that the various regions had. That was one of the main appeals of the regions despite the Pokemon themselves. "I need to get ready then!" Rarity stormed out of SugarCube Corner to prepare herself. "I should probably tell Krookodile and the others about this." Fluttershy would head out to inform the Pokemon House of her departure once more, leaving everything in Krookodile's care. Everyone else would go ahead, already being as ready as they could be. It was off to the Sinnoh Region to investigate. And the fact that this was centred around a new Darkrai was an even bigger attraction. Anything to see a rare Pokemon. News travelled fast across the world about this as the events over at Sinnoh were available for many to see. Especially those at Equestria. They would receive their news via newspapers instead of Rotomphones or any other amazing technological device that the Pokemon World has crafted. And of course, there was one pony who was fixated on this. Princess Luna. Luna was currently away from Canterlot for today, still focusing on her growth as a Pokemon Trainer with every chance she can get. Becoming Equestria's first-ever Pokemon Champion was her top priority. In her hooves, she received the newspaper, courtesy of a Pelipper who would drop it from above. "Nightmares across Sinnoh? This all seemed to happen so fast." Being the Princess of the Night, Luna's duty was to stave nightmares away for everyone. So obviously, this was of great importance. "Did this happen after we left the Dream Realm?" "I think so." Darkrai would slowly emerge from the shadows behind Princess Luna, hearing the news report. "Whoever did this must've done it once we were done in the Hyperdream." "Who then?" Luna wondered. "Look." Darkrai then pointed at the people at in the paper, pointing out their baggy eyes while the Sun was up. "They're still awake in the morning despite their nightmares. Whoever's doing this must've left behind one nightmare each for them instead of multiple." "Only one nightmare? That would be repetitive unless that singular nightmare was the absolute worst that they could have..." Luna pondered before gasping. "Do you think that-" "Only another Darkrai can do that." Darkrai finished her sentence for her. The Pitch Black Pokemon already deduced that another one of his species was behind this. Now that another Darkrai had been mentioned, Luna definitely had to check this out. She was already planning to ever since the reports of the Sinnoh Region came through. Kanto. Vermillion City. Professor Cerise's Lab. Day. "No vacation!? What are you talking about?!" Over at Professor Cerise's Lab which was also his home, the voice of Chloe could be heard booming out as she was in her pyjamas, having bed hair and everything. "Sorry about that. We can't go on our family vacation since we took a delivery of some Pokemon Eggs at the lab and they need to be taken care of." Cerise rubbed the back of his head. A promise had been made to her daughter that his whole family would go on a family vacation trip. That meant her mother Talia and her brother Parker were exempt from this family vacation as well. "I'm afraid I just can't leave now." "Why can't you leave?! Aren't Ren and Chrysa going to be here to take care of that?!" Chloe questioned, referring to Professor Cerise's assistants. "You're right. They are going to be here. But I've been working diligently to hatch these eggs. I want to make sure it's done right. My goal is to face them head-on and show those Pokemon what's in my heart!" Professor Cerise boldly and proudly said. But judging by Chloe's narrowing eyes, she wasn't all for it, which made Cerise gasp and flinch. "I mean...! Oh, Chloe! Please forgive me!" Cerise asked for forgiveness. "Me too. I received a rush job on an important illustration." Talia spoke. "Sorry." "You're kidding..." Chloe lowered her head as this was not the outcome she was hoping for. "We planned our vacation a long time ago. And here I was looking forward to our big family trip! School's only on a break for two days and it's gonna be wasted like this! Parker! Weren't you set on going too!?" "Hm?" Her younger brother Parker, who could be seen playing with Yamper swivelled his head. "I don't have to go." But he didn't seem too bothered by it. "My friends invited me to a summer camp so I can go with them." The odds were greatly against Chloe. Her entire family would be too busy to go on this trip, focusing on something else. It was safe to say that she was distraught by this. "You've gotta be kidding me..." And with only a few days of break for school, that trip was impossible now. "I know." That is until Professor Cerise had something to suggest. "Chloe. You don't regularly visit Equestria that often. It was only during the second Pokemon Festival now that I think about it. And you've never really got the taste to journey with Ash and Goh. They're currently set to do some research in the Sinnoh Region. I can guarantee you that their friends from Equestria are there too." "And what does that have to do with me?" "It's a chance to do something while we're all busy and you have a break. Don't you think this is a great chance to meet up with them there? It's a big world, Chloe. Even bigger thanks to Jirachi." "Well...There's nothing else to do and you want me to just contribute to your research?" Chloe grumbled at Cerise. "Gh! Uh well...Not like that! I just thought you could go and have fun, that's all. Not only that but you'll meet all kinds of new Pokemon. What could be better?" "Pokemon...Pokemon...That's all that's on your mind, huh? I just wanted to spend some time with my family." "Well...I..." Cerise tried reaching an understanding with her. "Well, fine! I'll head out!" Surprisingly, Chloe would choose to go. Of her own volition but with some agitation towards the fact that her family couldn't come along with her. She would walk off to get dressed while Cerise lowered his head, sighing. Chloe would depart to the Sinnoh Region but with Eevee on her side. That way, she wouldn't be alone when venturing off. Sinnoh. Jubilife City. Afternoon. She had arrived. The Sinnoh Region. And the first location was none other than the massive Jubilife City. The most modernized city in the region and the largest in Sinnoh by far. "We're here!" Chloe arrived, gazing at the bountiful city that was Jubilife, putting her arm over her head to block the sunlight. "This is actually exciting, I'll be honest. Let's have fun, Eevee!" "Eevee!" There were many distinctive buildings in Jubilife City for her to explore and experience, including the TV Station which was the central network of Sinnoh's entertainment. There was also the option of the Pokétch Company, where the developer and manufacturer of the famous Pokétch could be found. And there was more to see. With so many options, Chloe wasn't sure where to start. Even when holding a magazine which was specifically made for trainers with no direction. But even that wasn't all too helpful. "Uh...Where to go...Eevee, what do you think?" "Oh, a tourist?" A boy passed by Chloe, noticing her lack of direction. "Ah, travelling solo with just your Pokemon, eh?" "Y-Yes. I'm a bit lost on where I want to go." Chloe stuttered. "Ah, I bet you're here to take on the gyms." He immediately assumed that she was looking for a Gym Battle and emerge as the Sinnoh Champion. He would then hold out a Poke Ball, believing that to be the case. "How about a battle then?" "Uh...Sorry! No thanks!" Chloe instantly declined it before she bolted off at high speeds with Eevee, leaving the boy confused. She was still lost even when taking off to another side of this city. Such was the flaw of entering a new region and the first location just happened to be the heart of the region. By now, she wished that she came with someone who was well-experienced and packed with knowledge about this region. An example would be Ash. Unfortunately, that was not the case. Sure, Ash was here, but finding him and the rest of his friends would be challenging. "Is there a tourist info centre anywhere?" Chloe wondered, looking for anything to lead her. "Today's feature guest is a Legendary Pokemon Coordinator." Catching her attention was a broadcast that was being shown to Jubilife. A large TV could be found on one of the buildings, showing this broadcast as it was currently about a Pokemon Showcase. "She's claimed victory in countless contests with her Pokemon. Please welcome Johanna." The featured guest was none other than Dawn's mother Johanna, who was incredibly known for her past as a Pokemon Coordinator. Though she was retired, that hasn't stopped her from receiving colossal notoriety. Alas, Chloe had no idea who this was but she would keep on watching. "Johanna. I hear a Pokemon Contest is starting soon in Eterna City." "Mhm. It's shaping up to be a lively contest." Johanna replied as video footage of different Pokemon pulling off contest moves had been shown. "I'm looking forward to seeing these performances." "Eevee! Vee!" Eevee would suddenly jump frantically after witnessing this Contest Footage. "Eevee? Are you interested in a Pokemon Contest?" "Vee!" Most definitely she was excited by it. "Oh. Well, I guess we have something we can head to. Finally..." Chloe was relieved to hear that there was a set destination instead of aimlessly wandering around. She would much rather prefer having a fixed position that moving around with no sense of direction whatsoever which could lead her into rather surprising and potentially unfavourable positions. She was only here for a bit before School could start again, after all. She wasn't Ash. Speaking of Ash, his group was also here, located on another side of Jubilife during their investigation. For this group, they could care less about any sense of direction considering why they were here. But even though they showed up to investigate the nightmares, they took the time to enjoy themselves. "Looks like everyone in Jubilife is A-Okay!" Ash exclaimed before dashing off along with Rainbow Dash and Pikachu who were ahead of their friends. "This way, you guys!" "Wait for us!" Goh panted, trying to keep up with them. "Did you hear about that Pokemon Contest that could start at Eterna City?" Fluttershy overheard the announcement along with Audino. "Maybe Eterna City is completely fine too." "I hope so." Rarity nodded. "It'd be a shame for those coordinators to be sleep-deprived. Then again...perhaps Sweetie Belle would be immune to it." "She does stay up late at night practising her moves, doesn't she? Guess she wouldn't mind one bit. Nightmares or not." Applejack said which prompted the others to laugh about it. The group would continue chatting, choosing to head to the next city since Jubilife was fine at the moment. They didn't have to worry about any towns, thankfully. It seemed like Darkrai was only going for large-scale locations. Surprisingly, Jubilife City, which was the largest city in Sinnoh, hadn't been hit yet despite being so rich with people. Ash's group and Chole weren't the only ones here at Sinnoh. Sharing Ash's group's goal of investigating these nightmares was none other than Princess Luna. Instead of heading to the city, she would appear out in nature instead, located at Route 218, which was relatively close to Jubilife City. "Tonight, we'll wait for it to appear. You will stay out here Darkrai while I shall enter the Dream Realm, just in case." Luna said as the only time to really swing into action was nightfall. No other time was necessary. "In the meantime...they say that Route 218 is a great fishing spot." To kill some time, Luna would fish for some Pokemon, turning her attention to the lake. Darkrai would simply descend into the shadows, waiting for his fellow Darkrai to show up when the time was right. Three sides with only two of them sharing a common goal. All the while, the location of that Cresselia was unknown or even unaware by many. Except for Cresselia's pursuers. The Matori Matrix of Team Rocket. Time passed. On her way to Eterna City, Chloe and Eevee entered a forest, following a map to lead them there. And at this time, the clouds were starting to gather, darkening. This was due to the incoming rain. Raindrops descended from above, forcing Chole and Eevee to take shelter somewhere. A shame there wasn't a cave to hide at. Only the trees would suffice as a means of cover. Short trees to be exact. They would stay under the tree until the rain would subside. Unfortunately, for them, the map was caught up in this already. Chloe gasped as her means of reaching Eterna City with a guide had been battered by the rain, tearing up the paper of this map. Complete disappointment. Thus, it came all the way back to aimlessly moving around, but at least Chloe received some memories of the map and could go a few distances. More time passed until the Sun was slowly setting. The rain would pass, only lasting for a while before the clouds gave way to the sun's rays. But soon, the rays would vanish and bring in the light of the Moon. And when moving along, Chloe and Eevee were fortunate to come across a beautiful lake. Sinnoh was known for having an abundance of lakes. Whether it was the three famous lakes where the Lake Guardians could be found or even the lesser-known ones, they were all beautiful either way. "Oh...it's so pretty!" The two of them watched the sparkling water of the lake as a group of Drifblim flew by. "If we didn't come here, we would've never seen this beautiful lake. I'm glad we did." This was paying off for Chloe. Sure she was still a bit lost and wet from the rain. But the sights of Sinnoh certainly made up for that. Her father's suggestion wasn't so bad at all. Then again, to many, it would be an amazing suggestion, but for Chloe, who doesn't get out that much, it was something else. After viewing the wonderful lake and moving along, the Moon would soon rise. Most definitely from Luna who was also around. Even she had to raise this super-sized Moon that was made via the combination of two moons that used to exist in separated worlds. But not before the Sun left behind an orange glow that connected beautifully with the dark part of the Moon. In a way, it looked like Celestia and Luna were sticking alongside each other despite the time gap. Ready to rest up for the night, Chloe would try starting a fire, pushing two sticks against each other to get somewhere. Unfortunately for her, she failed to do so. She could only get sparks. "Hm...It won't light. There's a lot of stuff in my bag, but I'm not sure what they would do." Chloe dug into her bag. She had a plethora of items at her disposal, courtesy of her mother. But since this was her first time journeying, she was a rookie at everything that many were well-versed at. "Vee..." Eevee's stomach would rumble, craving something to eat at this point. Thankfully, Chloe had a pot with her along with many items to make some food. It would take a while though as the Moon would finally show itself in all of its silver glory. At least Chloe had some experience cooking and last, after minutes of pushing the sticks against each other, she managed to start a fire, placing it underneath the large pot where a stew was cooking. "This looks good...Just hold on a bit, Eevee. I know you haven't eaten in hours now." "Eevee!" "So this is where we're sleeping now...I would've preferred if it was at Jubilife honestly." Chloe sighed while looking at her surroundings. "Oh well...at least this forest doesn't have any dangerous Pokemon around. So honestly...I think we'll be fine." As soon as she said that, some rustling could be heard from the leaves, making Chloe and Eevee scrunch their faces. Chloe was hoping that she hadn't jinxed herself. Thankfully, it was the best kind of jinx. One that wouldn't result in a bad outcome. A Pokemon would show up, attracted to the scent of the stew. "Piplup!" It was a Piplup. He ended up crying out, diving his face into the stew without any second thoughts. That was definitely the wrong move as the stew was currently piping hot. And even though he may be a Water-Type, the heat was nothing to scoff at his face was turning red. "Luuuup!" Piplup screamed, jumping out of the pot after receiving a powerful burn. "Hey, Piplup! Wait!" Someone else could be heard, shouting in the distance. Chloe and Eevee were altered once more as it came from the same direction that Piplup showed up at. Arriving here was none other than one of Ash's many good friends and the one who calls the Sinnoh Region her home. Dawn. "Oh!" Immediately after showing up, she tripped over, landing flat on her face, joining Piplup on the ground. "A-Are you okay?!" Chloe gasped after seeing them both drop in their own respective ways. "I-I'm fine...No need to worry..." Dawn uttered as her face was now a mess. A truly chance encounter. Chloe didn't come here to meet with Ash's group and only focused on her own journey. But alas, as fate would have it, she met with someone that was affiliated with Ash either way. And it just so happened to be Dawn alongside her partner Piplup. Now Chloe had something else to focus on rather than just heading to Eterna City, much like both groups. All the while, Ash and Luna's respective groups would be extremely busy at this time, looking out for Darkrai. Nightfall was the time for the Pitch Black Pokemon to appear. And the time for each group, mins Chloe's to make their moves. Especially the Matori Matrix as the journey continues. Chapter 45 End.