The night stretched endlessly over Canalave City, silent as a tomb.
A man in a blue suit and gentleman's hat strode forward, a Lucario shadowing his steps.
Riley gazed at the murky sky, lips pressed thin, fighting against the heavy weight of drowsiness.
Up close, one could see the dark circles under the eyes of this high-level aura wielder.
Riley hadn't slept for two days and nights.
Not because he didn't want to—but because every time he closed his eyes, nightmares dragged him under, jolting him awake in a cold sweat.
He had come from Iron Island aboard Lance's ship to investigate the source of these nightmares.
"The shrine on Newmoon Island… Darkrai isn't there."
Riley adjusted his cap, muttering:
"Judging by its movements, tonight's most likely destination… is Canalave City."
Every year, the two Pokémon inhabiting Newmoon Island and Fullmoon Island migrated in a set pattern.
And these Pokémon weren't unique—they even traveled in herds.
As Iron Island's trainer and a high-level aura wielder, Riley saw it as his duty to mediate their conflicts.
Justice. Duty. Sacrifice.
These were the hallmarks of an aura wielder.
Lucario remained silent, its crimson eyes reflecting the dark sky—until a sliver of moonlight pierced the clouds.
The black clouds parted, revealing a sacred, luminous figure beneath the crescent moon.
"Cresselia?!"
Riley stood frozen under the moonlight, disbelief etched on his face.
The crescent-shaped horns, the pale blue hull-like body, the twin violet ribbons swaying from its chest, and the pink ring-shaped wings behind it. Its narrow eyes gleamed silver.
The Lunar Pokémon, Cresselia.
It hovered in the air, bathed in moonlight, staring intently into a patch of darkness.
Among legendaries, it was known to dispel nightmares, weave pleasant dreams, and soothe those tormented by darkness.
"For it to appear here…" Riley gripped his cap, lowering his head. "Then that means—"
"Darkrai is nearby!"
...
Canalave City, Police Station near the Library.
Officer Jenny rubbed her heavy dark circles and stifled a yawn behind her hand.
Drowsiness washed over her as her head bobbed forward.
Thud!
Jenny slumped onto the desk, her head resting on her arms, fast asleep.
Clatter…
The flashlight on the desk rolled to the floor, its yellow beam shining onto the window.
A shadowy, mist-like humanoid figure flickered across the circular light patch on the glass.
...
The tranquil night sky over Canalave City was bathed in moonlight, with only a few houses still glowing faintly.
"Grandma, tell me the fairy tale about Canalave City again!" A young girl's voice chimed.
"It's late. If you don't sleep, Darkrai will come and take you away."
"Wow, so it's a bad guy?"
"The world isn't just about good and evil."
Grandma spoke slowly: "There are Pokémon bound by circumstances, and there are Pokémon who help others. What matters is how you see them—they'll see you the same way."
"Haaah…" The little girl rubbed her eyes. "I'm sleepy, Grandma."
"Grandma is too… Should I have Marill sing you a lullaby?"
"No! You sing it!"
A dark figure flitted past the roof of the house, and silence returned.
...
"They say this time of year is when Darkrai and Cresselia migrate."
In a jeep, Professor Bill gripped the steering wheel while speaking to Professor Oak in the back seat.
Crystal, in the passenger seat wearing a white round hat, eyes gleaming:
"Unrecorded data… Professor Oak, should I prepare to catch them?"
"Natsume already provided Darkrai's Pokédex data."
Professor Oak smiled. "Besides, Leader Byron surveyed the area—there won't be any disturbances these days."
"But I heard…"
Bill scratched his curly hair, glancing ahead and lowering his voice. "Leader Byron spends most of his time training on Iron Island. He barely handles Canalave City's affairs."
"That's because his son, Mr. Roark, often takes over at Kurt's Gym."
Crystal smiled. "Maybe it's his way of training his child."
The jeep rolled on through the night, drowsiness creeping in.
As they waited for the traffic light to turn from red to green…
"Haaah—" Bill covered a yawn, rubbing his eyes. "Strange… I went to bed early last night."
Thud!
Bill's head hit the steering wheel as he dozed off.
Crystal, strapped in, slumped forward. Professor Oak in the back seat crossed his arms, snoring loudly.
Ahead of the jeep, a shadowy figure rose—Darkrai.
It glanced at the moonlit sky, then at Cresselia bathed in silver light.
Darkrai shot into the air.
...
"Beep… Detecting unusual energy pulse!"
Rotom Pokédex flailed its mechanical arms in alarm.
"Analysis suggests a 999% probability of Darkrai presence, Rotom!"
Natsume shot Rotom an unimpressed look, then jerked his chin upward.
"You needed analysis for that?"
"Darkrai's literally right there!"
Rotom Pokédex: "..."
Click—
"Captured valuable footage, Rotom!" Rotom gloated.
Natsume: "..."
At least the flash was off—no risk of alerting them.
Right now…
Natsume stood on a fourth-floor balcony, his view unobstructed.
Below stretched a dense, shadowy forest.
Above it, two Legendary Pokémon faced off.
Darkrai hovered amid swirling black mist, claws spread, the shadows around its shoulders rippling.
Cresselia, backed by a crescent moon, stood bathed in silver light, watching calmly.
Neither Pokémon paid attention to Natsume spectating.
In a flicker, they clashed.
Darkrai fired a Shadow Ball, only for it to vanish against Cresselia's Light Screen.
Raising its sharp claws, Darkrai's cold eyes gleamed as it flickered above Cresselia—Shadow Claw slashed down!
Cresselia's body suddenly radiated a brilliant halo—Lunar Dance coalesced into Moonblast, silver energy erupting outward!
Boom!
Both Pokémon staggered back, panting, before squaring off again.
[Will you assist—]
[Darkrai / Cresselia?]
If this were a dungeon, the prompt would've appeared already.
But this useless System stayed silent—Natsume gritted his teeth.
Do I have to issue my own quest now?!
Gengar licked its lips, scribbling in a notebook, studying the battle techniques.
"Gengar~" A hint of disappointment flickered across its face.
Natsume fell into thought.
Darkrai and Cresselia… both traveled in herds.
And their instant hostility? Just their nature.
Power-wise…
The Darkrai from Alamos Town was the strongest—Legendary-tier.
This one? Elite Four level at best, maybe on par with Tobias's Legendary Pokémon.
"Seems Moe-Moe's asleep."
Natsume glanced back, then touched the Lunar Feather glowing faintly in his pocket.
"Bringing key items… never fails." He muttered.
"Sylveon!"
A beam of light burst from the Poké Ball—Sylveon emerged under the moonlight, eyes fixed on Cresselia.
It tugged Natsume's sleeve with a ribbon, eyes shimmering.
Natsume blinked.
"Sylveon." Its baby-doll eyes gleamed with determination.
If it could learn from Cresselia…
Even if this one wasn't as strong as Alamos Town's Darkrai, it'd still grow.
"Sylveon!" Its bow glowed as it called again.
"Got it."
Natsume sighed. "But no wrecking the house with Moonblast. Professor Rowan's lab is fair game. Deal?"
A sweet smile spread across Sylveon's face.
"Sylveon~!"
For a moment, Natsume felt like a proud dad whose daughter finally outgrew her rebellious phase.
"Alright then."
He flipped Gengar's Poké Ball in his palm, gazing at the night sky.
"Sorry, little Darkrai!"
...
"We have to stop their fight."
Riley landed on Salamence in the woods behind the library.
The sound of running water led him to a clearing—where two Pokémon clashed fiercely.
Dark Pulse collided with Moonblast, explosions of black and silver lighting up the night.
Riley shielded his eyes—then froze.
At the epicenter of the blast, a Gengar hovered, a shimmering Protect barrier around it.
Crack!
The barrier splintered under the force.
"No way…"
Riley's voice was hoarse with disbelief.
"It's blocking attacks from two Legendaries… alone?!"
Even with Protect, this was insane!
"Gengar!"
Suddenly, Gengar raised its hands—twin swirling black vortices formed in its palms.
The opposing energies were sucked into Dark Void.
Like a reversed explosion, silence fell.
Darkrai and Cresselia stared, stunned.
"Gengar~! ㄟ(≧◇≦)ㄏ"
Gengar grinned, merging the two voids into one giant orb—then turned to Darkrai.
Darkrai: "..."
Its icy demeanor cracked—fear flickered in its eyes.
Darkrai: Σ(°△°|||)︴
Why does this guy know Dark Void… better than me?!
That's my signature move!
Only the Darkrai family learns this—who ARE you?!
Cresselia gazed at Gengar, dazed.
One second. Two. Three…
Its glowing halo dimmed as it shyly lowered its head.
Riley stared at the sky, speechless.
The sight of Gengar would be burned into his memory forever.
"Just… whose Trainer is that?" His voice was rough.
"Gengar."
A commanding voice rang out.
Riley turned—his Aura flared wildly, as if terrified of the man approaching.
Eyes wide, Riley stammered:
"N-Natsume-sensei?!"
Natsume ignored him, watching the sky.
"Dark Void."
Riley whipped around—Gengar's hands glowed as a swirling vortex formed.
Impossible!
A move only Darkrai could master!
How did Gengar learn it?!
Then—
The black orb erupted, dragging debris, water, and wind into its wake—before detonating on Darkrai!
BOOM!!
Natsume's eye twitched.
He hadn't meant to cripple Darkrai…
Dark Void was supposed to just put it to sleep, not deal damage.
Scaring it off should've been enough.
But this…
Well, aside from this Darkrai being weaker than Alamos Town's…
The two Pokémon had worn each other out first.
Natsume: "Whatever… illegal moves aren't exactly rare for me."
As the dust cleared—
Darkrai hovered unsteadily, arms crossed, energy erratic.
Gengar radiated an aura of dominance—like a seasoned elder.
And behind Gengar… that Trainer exuded something inexplicably terrifying.
Darkrai's eyes darted nervously.
"Sorry, but could you leave Canalave City?"
Natsume tried communicating via Aura.
"I know you mean no harm… but there are important people here right now."
"Please go." He narrowed his eyes. "Or else…"
(I'll have to 'heal' you with a full-force attack before sending you off!)
(Even I struggle to control that technique!)
"Gengar!" Gengar hovered beside him, hands on hips.
Darkrai shuddered.
Compared to its centuries-old elders, it was still a prodigy among Darkrai.
But this Gengar used Dark Void better than it did?!
This shouldn't be possible!
"Human, are you threatening me?" Darkrai hissed. "You think you can?"
Natsume nodded. "I get it. Legendaries have pride…"
"Let me make this clear!" Darkrai roared. "If I want to leave, NO ONE can stop me!"
Natsume & Gengar: "..."
Riley & Lucario: "..."
"And by 'no one,' I mean ALL of you."
Darkrai glared around.
"Not even Arceus could keep me here! I mean it!"
Then, it sank into the shadows—leaving only swirling mist and glowing blue eyes.
"This isn't fear. It's a tactical retreat. Understood?"
Natsume: "Of course. By all means."
Darkrai exhaled in relief, vanishing completely.
A final telepathic whisper drifted by:
"Hope we NEVER meet again!"
Under the moonlight, the night was peaceful once more.
Riley removed his hat, awed.
"Natsume-sensei, it's an honor."
"Who are you?" Natsume blinked. "Sir Aaron came back to life?"
Riley: "...That's my ancestor."
"Oh, right." Natsume nodded. "You're Iron Island's Sir Aaron—wait, Riley!"
"…Yes."
Riley explained tracking Darkrai to Canalave City.
Natsume listened, then glanced at Cresselia still hovering nearby.
"Guess we can chat a bit longer."
Cresselia descended gracefully, nodding.
[Thank you, human.] Its telepathy was gentle.
"No problem." Natsume waved. "No gifts needed—just a Lunar Dance and some feathers."
Cresselia: ???
Lunar Dance summons the moon's power—but at the cost of the user's energy!
Is this guy trying to kill me?!
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