Only A Dream

[Laterna]

Wow lots of responses ^^ thankies to all of you *cookies*

An-chan ~ We need Dawn!!! *wails * she's the whole point of this fic :-P

As stated in the conversation between Skya and Lucas, Skya views Gardevoir as her own child due to their close relationsip and how long they've know each other and, for the same reasons why a mother would not endanger their own child, Skya would not endanger Gardevoir, even if it is to help out someone in dire need. Particularly in future chapters, this will become a lot clearer than seen in this conversation (I'm only providing little snippits of characters at a time just to keep you wondering and asking questions like this) ^^

It was annoying to write it too actually, but I felt that he would be over-compensative due to their family situation as you said yourself.

Pointing out the bad gives me something to work, you know? As you said yourself, if all I get are one-liners saying how good it is then the fic would never improve. Thank you *cookies*

Artek ~ I assume you mean "tense" problems? I re-read that first segment and there's only one bit that is arguably a tense issue, could you please be a bit more specific? Also, I'll get right on those errors ^^

Well consider, usually after a person reaches the age of 10 they go on their Pokémon journeys, but Twila and Skya did not have that and so stayed on at the Trainer's School and, naturally, they led them on to becoming teachers (also, their dad runs the place, obviously they'll get more opportunities, you know?).

The stairs at the end was my favourite bit. If you notice, it is the exact same as Dawn coming down the stairs in Chapter 02, which is the main thing I had hoped to mirror, as well as the opening... I'm glad that went across well ^^

Shnowi ~ drama is a key piece in all writing, it's probably the main thing that keeps folk into it, you know? I'm glad that went over well, I'm working really hard with this one and it makes me so happy to hear that it's going well ^^

celuthea ~ I based the phone on the ones they got in the Pokémon Centres in the anime lol I decided that, by this time, it would be a more widely used appliance. But, just for a small hint, that means that the Centres have something better then don't it? *taps nose*

Thank you all for your comments. The feedback, all the comments and discussion has been immense and intense and just incredible *does a dance* I hope you all stick around for one of my favourite chapters so far, Chapter 04 ~ Alternatative Adventure... *rain of cookies*

 

[Laterna]

Chapter 04 ~ Alternative Adventure

Hey ya'll ^^

Here we are with the longest chapter since the first one ^^ hope it's just as good *cookies*

Chapter 04 ~ Alternative Adventure​

Skya moved closer towards the green door, reaching out for its handle. Her head was empty, her heart was pounding. She gripped the silvery handle tightly and twisted it and pushed, causing the door to swing open into the room to reveal her mother... gone?

"Mom?" Skya fully entered the room, taking in the scene.

Nothing was out of place, the room was the way it had always been - the light blue walls were being blue, the bed sheets were rosy as ever, carpet was perfectly clean and fluffy, but the window was... open?

Skya darted over to the open window and peered out over the ledge. She was looking down on the tree that always rattled against the glass on windy nights, with its roots nestled in a lovely mess of soft soil. Several of the smaller brown branches and thick strands of ivy that weaved its way up the tree had broken off and there were footprints in the mud. The only logical conclusion the dark-haired girl could come to was that her mother had gone out the window, climbed down the tree and done a runner.

On that thought, "Twila!" Skya screamed as she ran back out the door.

Skya tore through the doorway and back into creamy hallway. She raced down the stairs two at a time while her sister bolted up them three at a time. The pair met in the middle. Skya stood just a step up from her sister, looking down on her. Seeing them both standing, facing each other, it was like looking at yourself in a mirror, but it was a mirror version of you - Skya with her long Prussian blue hair, perfectly straight and sleek, but Twila with hers short, messy and tied back recklessly. Twila gazed up the steps deep into the seemingly identical brown eyes of her sister, seeing her reflection of messy hair and casual clothes just slapped on any old way. She looked her sister up and down, taking in the breath-taking sight of her black dress-suit with pearl buttons and her diamond bracelets.

"Mom's gone," Skya gasped. "She must've gone out the window."

"What? How?" Twila was shocked by the statement. "What?" she shook her head, not really aware of how to respond.

"I went upstairs to check on her and, as I entered the room, I saw the open window, the broken branches of the tree and the footprints on the dirt below," Skya explained more calmly. "From that, all I can really conclude is that she climbed out the window and down the tree and ran off to God knows where!"

"Alright," Twila turned away and started to head back down the stairs, with her sister close behind. "I'll head out and begin to search for her while you..." she was speaking very quickly, but cut off her sentence even quicker.

As they neared the foot of the stairs, standing right by the solid red front door, was their grandmother. The twins hushed up immediately, looking at each other nervously, praying that Johanna hadn't heard them. The old woman stood, a scowl on her face, a shawl on her shoulders and her hands on her hips.

"What's going on?" grandmother's voice was firm as she questioned the girls.

"Nothing," Skya smiled and pushed past Twila, wrapping her arms around Johanna and turned her round to face the direction of the living-room. "Nothing's wrong Grandma, nothing at all."

As Skya led Johanna through into the living-room, she turned her head sharply and grunted towards the front door, signalling to Twila that she was to proceed with her plan. Having grown up with each other all their lives and being so close, the twin girls had learned to interpret each other's actions precisely and finish off each other's sentences as they knew each other well enough to know what they were going to say. It provided them with a means of communication beyond the power of words.

Skya and Johanna entered the wine coloured living-room tentatively, with Johanna looking around nervously after Twila not-so-quietly snuck out the door. After watching, and hearing, Twila "sneak" out of the house, Johanna could only surmise that something had happened to Dawn. Considering all that had happened to her daughter over the past few days - doing things in her sleep, loss of memory and control of her body - and also considering her daughters behaviour in this instance - yelling after rushing out of their mother's room, Twila sneaking out - Johanna could only surmise that Dawn was missing, otherwise there would've been no need for Twila to leave the house.

"Please, my dear," Johanna implored her grand-daughter as they sat down on the leather sofa at the end of the room, "please, tell me what is going on?" she only asked to have her suspicions either confirmed or quelled.

"It's nothing," Skya lied. "Why don't I make you some nice tea?"

"Okay..." Johanna sighed, apparently accepting that she wasn't going to get anything out of the girl.

Skya rose from her seat on the black sofa, straightening out her long black skirt and equally long dark hair while she moved swiftly through the red room and into the kitchen. Once she was safely in the other room, Johanna decided to seize this opportunity - she got out of her seat and walked quickly, but quietly, towards the big red front door. Silently, she creaked open the big door and opened it to look out into the big world before her - it was so peaceful, the flowers were just bearing new seeds of life, golden leaves fell from the tears making a bed of gorgeous flames on the grown, and all the Pokémon... oh, the Pokémon...

Johanna wiped a tear from her eye as she took in the scene. It wasn't so much that she never got to go outside or anything, no, she always went on long walks with her daughter on nice nights and, when it was wild out, they would stay in and bake and play card games and watch television together or, even, just talk. This time was different for her though, this time she was leaving the house with a purpose.

"I will find you," Johanna said to herself.

With fond memories in hand, she wrapped her tan shawl tightly round her purple cardigan and headed down the garden path. Johanna, however, did not stop to fix the broken flowers in her garden, she did not stop to clean up the mess of mucky leaves that had gathered at the gate, she did not stop as a light wind blew and forced her to shiver, she did not stop when she thought of Skya all alone at home worried. Johanna walked down the dirt path road, the small yellow houses lining the streets of her hometown of over sixty years. She smiled at the memories she carried and re-lived as she walked her way out of the main town and through the more nature-filled places. Trees were the main line of the town, providing it with a border that separated it from Lake Verity. It made sense to head there as it was one of the first places Dawn journeyed to when she first started out on her adventure. Thinking on that day, Johanna also remembered that day her daughter came home after all those months of travelling.

"I will not stop until my daughter is home!" Johanna declared to the world.

Upon hearing her shaky cry, a large group of grey starling Pokémon flitted out of a nearby tree they had been resting in. Johanna was standing at the edge of the forest that separated Twinleaf Town from Lake Verity, her weary eyes gazing deep in the forest, hoping to see her daughter through the brush. Her heart was beating fast, thumping hard in her chest, filling her with adrenaline and purpose. She knew fine well that this was terribly bad for her health, but she cared not - Johanna was going to find her daughter, even if it was the last thing she'd ever do!

"I swear it," she said in a low whisper.

Johanna headed off, walking deep into the forest, gently lifting her fluffy grey skirt as she struggled to step over a tiny log. Her heart was beating so fast, she placed her left hand to her chest and took in a deep breath. The trees around her were gigantic, towering over her, a tiny, shrivelled old prune. Johanna rested her other hand against one of the sturdy trees as she tried to catch the air that kept escaping her. Her heart's frantic beats intensified, producing a sharp pain to shoot through her chest and then to her head. The old woman felt dizzy. Johanna tried to raise her left hand to her head, but it was dangling limp by her side. Failing that, she raised her right hand, losing the invaluable support the tree had been providing her. Johanna let out a weak cry and collapsed to the ground, her right temple hitting off one of the trees upturned roots as she crashed to the floor. Everything went red and then black and Johanna began to slip away. She could feel a force tugging at her mind as she lay unconscious on the forest floor. Then... she was gone...

"Mommy?" I spoke to my mother.

I wasn't exactly sure what I was doing or how I was doing it. Everything is different where I am... I remember waking up after that beautiful dream and then sitting in the living-room with my mother, my daughters and my friend, but then it was different. The world around me had changed, but I had not and my horrendous nightmares became real. After I plunged in the earth, everything was black. I don't mean my vision... I'm not sure, it was like I was floating in a dark void. There were other people there though. I... I saw... him...

Somehow, thankfully, I've learned to control it. From the moment I vanished, I've been able to watch my family. I remember clearly my last few moments on the earthly plane and, not a long while later, I could see all the events that followed after. The first thing I saw was my daughter, my bright Skya, walking up into my room and discovering, at least partially, what had happened to me. I watched as my mother snuck out of the house shortly after and headed into the forest to find me... and... and... and I watched her as she collapsed just a few metres from the spot where I was taken...

I'm not sure what to think right now. My head is spinning that someone got so close to finding me and couldn't make the final stretch. I only hope that someone finds my mother before her condition worsens beyond what it already is...

"Dawn?" my mother's aged voice breaks my thoughts.

"Mommy?" my voice is quiet and shaky from tears.

"Dawn, my angel, what's wrong?" my mother's voice is soothing and strong.

I am unsure of what to do, I consider that she doesn't even know what is happening to her and, I know this sounds selfish, but all I want is for her to help me...

"Mommy?" my voice quivers.

"Yes, angel, talk to me," my mother's gentle tone leads me to believe that she is smiling.

"I need your help," my voice steadies as I begin to explain my situation.

"Anything," my mother lets out a sigh, relieved that she can do something to help me.

"I'm trapped somewhere, I'm not sure where, with several other people, one of whom I know has gone missing like me," I elucidate. "I believe that the so-called God Pokémon, Arceus, is behind this."

"Arceus?" my mother asks. "Isn't that the deity that created the Legendary Pokémon you encountered on your journey with Ash?"

"Yes, it..." I say but correct myself, "he pulled me into this dark plane of existence through my nightmares."

"The Parasomnia and, what was the other one?" my mother references her frequent conversations with the doctor regarding my condition.

"Narcolepsy," I remind her.

"That's the one," mother sounds like she's smiling again. "I miss you so much my angel."

"I miss you too mom," tears fill my eyes. "I should probably finish what I have to tell you, before it's too late."

"Too late?" my mother's voice grows louder, more panicked. "What do you mean 'too late'? Dawn, what is going on?"

"Arceus pulled me into this world so he can use me to be reborn into our world," I said plainly. "I'm not sure why and I'm not sure when, but I know it's happening and I need my daughters to travel the Sinnoh region and learn about the deities of the region - Dialga, Palkia, Mesprit, all of them, any information they can find and figure out a way to save everyone who's trapped here."

My mother remained silent. I could hear her faint groans as she tried to process all the information I had just given her.

"Please, mom, please," my voice was filled with anger and sorrow. "I need your help."

With that I lost the connection, my tie to her was cut...

Johanna awoken to find herself in a bright shiny white room, tiled to mid-way up the wall and the top half a lovely cream coloured paint. She was lying in a pristine bed, silky soft sheets wrapped tightly around her. Various wires and instruments were plugged into her. Her two grand-daughters and their father were standing over her.

"Grandma!" Twila gasped gleefully upon noticing Johanna's open eyes.

Skya and Lucas, who had been loitering at the bottom of the bed picking at a tray of fruit quickly moved over to be by her side.

"What happened?" Johanna moaned weakly.

Skya placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"You snuck out of the house to look for Dawn," the more responsible of the two girls explained. "It was just too much for you... you had a heart attack."

Twila broke down in tears, nuzzling into her grandmother's shoulder.

"It's alright my dear," Johanna said softly. "I'm here, it's okay."

Twila calmed down a bit and took in some deep breaths to control and restore her composure.

"Twila and dad were out searching for mom too," Skya continued.

"With the help of several of her friends here in town," Lucas's strong masculine voice pierced the conversation.

Johanna glared at him. Even though Dawn had chosen him to be the proverbial "one" and Johanna herself had liked him well enough in the past, that all changed when he decided his career as a Pokémon Researcher was more important than his family. Of course, at the start, he was around regularly for various reasons ranging from spending time with his children to fulfilling certain needs that he and Dawn shared.

"As I was saying," Skya resumed. "Twila and dad were out looking for mom, with the help of family friends, they elected to search near Lake Verity first because it was where mom first started out really and, on their way there, they found you lying unconscious and bleeding."

Johanna cringed as she remembered the incident.

"Lucas called the emergency services immediately and, before we knew it, we were all here together," Skya smiled, "with you plugged into monitors and all stitched up and better again."

Johanna stared into the faces of each of them, moving from the fair-face Twila to the hard-faced Skya. The two girls were so similar yet so opposing at the same time, Johanna could still remember the day when Skya vowed that she would take a different path in life and not be a "wild rebellious brat" like her sister. Then there was Lucas, the girls' father and the man who broke Dawn's heart. Johanna glared at him.

"I'll go get the doctor," Lucas said nervously, sensing that it would be best if he were to leave.

The well-built man walked slowly towards the white door with the window in the top-centre. He look back, his gelled spiky hair flopping as he turned his head to look on the faces of his daughters. Lucas let out a quiet sigh before opening the door and exiting, his long white lab-coat swishing behind him as he went.

Once he was gone, Johanna ushered her grand-daughters to come closer, "there is something very important I need to tell you."

~~~END OF CHAPTER FOUR~~~​

As you can clearly see, the main plot of our story is about to unfold from here on out. Will Twila and Skya find their mother? What of the other people trapped in the void made by Arceus? Some many questions and so many answers as the story continues in Chapter 05 ~ Long Night.​

See ya'll soon *cookies*​

 

[An-chan]

Hmm, this was a very good chapter. I like it how the Dawn-parts are always in the first person view. Also, the plot came up a great deal more than in the previous chapters. This is getting very interesting, with the other people and the connection to the 'normal' world and all. Moreover, I thank you for letting Lucas have an actual physical appearance! \o/ Yay, I really hope there's some romance involved, but well, it's your fic, right? ;)

Johanna's one stubborn old lady, isn't she? I wonder how old she is exactly, and how old are her granddaughters (has it been told already? In that case, I think I've missed it somehow...)? But my real problem is I keep on mixing Skya and Twila. I recon Skya is the more responsible and sensible one, and seems to be on better terms with Lucas than her sister. Am I right?

Now then, something to complain about. Hmm...
Umm, all right, let's see...
Uh-oh...
Well, um, Empoleon didn't make an appearance, and, uh...
I give up, I can't find anything bad to point out. There are some "not equally good to the best parts"-parts, but there are no bad parts. I'm sorry!

Well, I'm looking forward to the next chapter. I want to know more about Dawn, about Lucas, about their kids, about the pokémon involved in this story, about this trap by Arceus...
You did well with this one, now just keep this up!

 

[ArtekOublier]

An-Chan is right sweetheart there is nothing wrong with this chapter, probably that Empoleon didn't make an appearance seems a good worthwhile complaint.

Seriously though this story is getting rather emotional. I love how you show Johanna's maternal instict just to go and find her daughter, as if nothing else matters, it really shows how much she cares. I can't help welling up while writing this either. Just her intuitive nature.

This chapter really hit me, especially the paragraph where Johanna collapses. As you know both of my grandmothers died of heart attacks, and that I was closer to one that I was the other and it really struck me and alot of thought and pivital memories came flooding back. I thank you for that....I love you.

Lucas's strong masculine pierced the conversation.

This is the only mistake in the whole chapter. I think you omitted a word, be it "voice" or whatever you choose. ^^

Anyway I also liked the mirror likenes on the stairs, almost an opposite of each other, I can relate that to another story I read about 2 twin sisters one a sorceress the other not.

I also loved when Dawn came back...I couldn't stop not trying to cry. it's just so nice that she got to talk to her and Johanna found what she was looking for.

That's all really...I can't wait to see how they deal with Arceus whenever he comes in and what Twila and Skya do and who they meet if anyone along the way.

The next chapter will be amazing for sure. Thanks for this one esecially.

I love you bibi

xxx

 

[Snowfire]

Oh wow, I loved this chapter!

As ArtekOublier said, this story is getting very emotional. I also like how the story is told from first person, that's hard to pull off. But I'm not surprised, you're an excellent writer!

I only saw one mistake here, and it was very small.

any information they can find and figure out a way to safe everyone who's trapped here."

Shouldn't safe be save? Other than that, there is nothing wrong with this chapter, I loved it!

I look forward to seeing more chapters!

 

[.Ozymandias]

I really enjoyed this chapter, it was awesome! I hope the story will continue to play out just like this chapter, but I have really enjoyed the way to switched between different character's points of view. And I loved how you described the mother-child bond, completely perfect!

 

[Laterna]

Romance will come, Am-chan, in good time ^^ Johanna is rather stubborn, but it's more a case of she knows who she is and she knows what she knows and she sticks to her guns... bascially what I mean is, she is stubborn, but in a good way ^^ you know?

Empoleon...? What Empoleon?

I'll get right on those mistakes point out ^^

I knew this chapter would impact on you Artek as, as you said, I am aware of your background. However, believe me when I say that chapter 04 is just the tip of the iceberg ^^

Thank you all for your comments and, to that end, I have decided to post the next chapter a little earlier than planned ^^ I just hope it performs just as well as previous chapters.

Chapter 05 ~ Long Night
​

The darkness slowly descended, encircling and captivating everything within its unending grasp. It pervaded upon the gently dancing treetops as the sun died down and the moon rose up and up onto the black canvas. The clouds steadily turned from their pastel colour to a pale purple and then into a deep dark blue. Then, slowly and yet suddenly, little lights flickered on and off, twinkling as the black canvas was made into a pointillist picture of the night sky. A cool breeze blew on this dark night, it made the tops of the trees move but not their sturdy wooden bodies, all of which housed all manner of creatures from gentle little mice to terrifying spirits of the underworld. The small hoot of a nocturnal Pokémon was heard, then the howl of a much larger beast that prowled this forest at night with its pack and then, more suddenly and sharply than any other noise this forest had to offer, a scream...

"EEEEEEEK!!!!!" a young woman shrieked at the sound of the howl.

She jumped right from her spot, her long Prussian blue hair flailing about wilding as leapt into the air. She had been walking along a dirt path that had been winding her and her companion through the thick trees, but had relocated herself to a quiet hole within some bushes.

"You know," Twila said smugly, "that hole is probably crawling with bugs."

"EEEEEEEK!!!!!" Skya screamed are and jumped right out of the bush and landed right next to Twila, clutching on to her sister.

"Would you please just calm down?" Twila sighed and shrugged her sister off of her. "Nothing out here is going to hurt you and, if anything should happen," she placed a reassuring hand on her belt, "we've got our Pokémon with us for protection."

The girls had been travelling since that morning. Not even a day had passed since they had heard the information their grandmother had received, through what could only be some sort of telepathy, from their mother. As soon as visiting hours were up at the hospital, the girls had headed home...

"What do you want to do?" Twila asked her technically younger sister.

"I'm not sure," Skya groaned as she unlocked the solid red front door.

The girls walked inside, absolutely exhausted from the day they'd just had - their mother had vanished, their grandmother had nearly killed herself looking for her and they just got told they'd have to go on a long journey to find out information on any of Sinnoh's deities and hopefully through doing that discover a way to help their mother.

"It just seems so farfetched, you know?" Skya asked wearily.

Twila could do nothing other than smirk at her sister's comment, but she decided not to make such an obvious an old joke about a certain duck Pokémon given the circumstances. So, together, they both hung up their coats on the rack just by the door and made their way through to the living-room, as they would do on any other day coming home from somewhere. The room's usual red colour looked more like dried blood in the dark, making Skya in particular highly uneasy considering all that had happened the past few days. Thinking on that and the memories she held of her mother, Skya reached a decision on what to do with the situation they were currently presented with. She waited, though, until she turned on the yellow light in the centre of the room, showing the walls' true colours, and walked her tired sister onto the leather sofa by the door before voicing her decision.

Skya sighed before speaking, "she's our mother."

The younger of the twins sat, her elbows on her dark suit-skirt, hands clasped between her knees. Her long Prussian blue hair flowed down over one side of her face and shoulder. Her dark eyes were completely glued to the floor, totally lost in thought and exhaustion as she spoke.

"What else is there to do?" she looked up at her sister, her eyes pleading. "We have no choice really because..." her voice quivered, "because she's... she's..." Skya's voice grew more broken and high-pitched.

"I know," Twila said immediately and pulled her sister in close. "I know."

Skya's wheezed sobs were muffled under her sister's shoulder as everything that had happened over the last twenty years with her, her sister and her mother flashed endlessly through her mind. She knew this was the way it had to be. They had to go on this journey to get their mother back, there was no choice and nor would there ever be a choice because...

"She's our mother," Twila finished Skya's sentence.

Twila gazed out on the night sky, her sister weeping and shivering in her arms. The night sky was clear and she saw the stars flicker like candles, some going out and some coming on and she knew that no matter what happened, their mother would be coming home with them...

So here they were, out in the middle of Verity Forest. Gigantic trees towered high above them, their branches stretching right up to almost touch the stars themselves. They moved slightly, some broke with the moving of night Pokémon and some stayed deadly still, even as the wind blew stronger as they night dragged on. It made Twila very uneasy - she was more than certain that Skya's scream had alerted something to their presence, but what? Some kind of night-time hunter like Houndoom? Or perhaps an ethereal creature such as Dusknoir? Or, what if, even worse? Twila gulped as the thought passed through her mind. The dark lord of nightmares himself... Drakrai?

"Twila!" Skya gasped and grabbed her sister's shoulders.

"Argh!" Twila yelped. "What?" she snapped.

"Ssh..." Skya hissed and pulled her sister down low.

"You scream twice in the middle of the forest in the middle of the night and you're telling me to be quiet?" Twila groaned. "That's the dumbest thing I ever."

Skya covered her sister's mouth and whispered slowly in her ear, "someone is out there."

The two girls were crouched on the dirt, Skya's silky black trousers getting dirty, as they waited silently, listening to every little sound the forest had to offer.

Silence.

Nothing.

"There's nothing out there," Twila let out an exasperated sigh and rose to her feet.

"Yes there is!" Skya insisted. "I heard someone," her voice was still quiet and low.

"Look, I'll prove it," Twila said smugly. "HELLOOOOO?" she called out.

"Shut up!" Skya yanked her sister back down on to the ground. "It'll hear us," she hissed.

"Get off!" Twila grunted and pulled her sibling back to her feet. "There is nothing out there you prissy twit!"

Skya groaned and turned away from her sister, crossing her uncovered arms over her chest. She was in the huff and Twila so did not care. Then, Twila did have to consider that, for the girls, this was their first time travelling, which was especially difficult for Skya because Twila did have some field experience due to her profession as a practical teacher at their father's Trainer's School, but she was not prepared for... this...

"Ew, ew, ew, ew, ew!" Skya hands were up in front of her and they were shaking violently, her voice growing more and more shrill with every "ew".

"What now?" Twila huffed as she straightened out her short sleeveless jacket.

"There's a bug," Skya quivered, inching closer and closer to her sister.

Twila exhaled sharply, kneeling down on the dirt path in order to look through the trees clearer to see where to go next.

Ignoring her sister she said, "we need to find a nice clearing somewhere so we can set up camp, we can't stay on the road."

"What about the bug?" Skya asked nervously, her long scarlet scarf dancing round her black trousers as she tried to manoeuvre away from the leafy green bug that was having fun chasing her red shoes.

"Pokédex," Twila finally responded unhappily.

Twila was ready to continue, but knew her sister well enough to know that if Skya was scared of something, she'd want to know absolutely everything about it before she could put it to rest. Hence why the Pokédex - an electronic device they had received from their father that morning - was the best solution as it provided information on all known Pokémon in the world.

"Burmy, the Bagworm Pokémon," the feminised mechanical voice of Skya's purple Pokédex kicked in upon scanning the bug. "They make their cloaks out of what materials are available primarily for shelter and defence. The materials used alter what type of Wormadam a female Burmy evolves into," the Pokédex explained.

Its body was seemingly comprised of lush green leaves, but, from what the Pokédex had said, this was obviously just a coat of leaves. Skya thereby concluded that its actual body was a similar dark grey colour to its small round face.

"Oh wow," Skya gasped and peered over the purple device to look upon the creature. "But, what about a male Burmy?" Skya asked the device, provoking another sigh from her sister.

"Male Burmy," the Pokédex responded, "evolve into Mothim."

"Interesting," Skya's eyes gleamed as she read all the statistical information the Pokédex could provide on both the creature and its evolutions.

Twila smirked at her sister, thinking on how this was all mainly new to her, but, to Twila, it was nothing. However, she had great admiration for her sister's intellect and mousy nature. The two of them, when together, balanced each other out and it was no secret how much they were always there for each other, in every one of the decisions in lives. It was always a difficult process, dealing with each other's lives on top of their own as well, but they did everything together... especially something as big as this...

The morning before they had left, Skya and Twila had wandered over to their father's lab to discuss their plan of action while travelling.

"Well, if you're looking for Legendary Pokémon," Lucas explained, "you'd be best travelling to Lake Verity first for its closeness and from there I'd suggest you travel up to Eterna City and through to Celestic Town, a town surrounded in legend, and south to Lake Valor."

"Aren't there three lakes in Sinnoh?" Twila inquired as she knew more of Sinnoh's geography than Skya.

"Actually, there are four," their father winked. "Lake Acuity lies far to the north at Snowpoint City and then there is the Sendoff Spring, the secret lake of Sinnoh."

"And all of these locations house Legendary Pokémon?" Skya asked bluntly.

"Well, yes, so legends tell... many Legendary Pokémon inhabit the Sinnon region," Lucas enlightened his daughters. "Two islands off Canalave City are home to Legendaries, the Spear Pillar at the top of Mt. Coronet... there are many places to find them, even just by running around in the wild."

The two girls sighed as they realised just how big their journey was going to be. However, they knew it would be alright because, after all, they had each other...

The night sky had come into full bloom by the time the two girls reached an appropriate spot to spend their evening. They were in a small clearing, trees forming a wall across all sides. A sharp wind blew through the trees and the glistening grass as the twins set up their sleeping bags.

"Does it have to be so cold?" Skya moaned as she set out her violet bag.

Twila smirked and thought just how thankful she was that she didn't have to help her sister pick out clothes and accessories for the journey and that dealing with just her voicing her complaints was all she'd have to deal with.

"I'm serious!" Skya said. "It's absolutely freezing!"

Twila laughed and Skya joined in. It was good, just the two of them. Twila couldn't help but feel very secure knowing that she was going to be journeying with one of the brightest people she knew. The girls changed separately, both of them going behind different trees for privacy. Twila emerged wearing a light blue t-shirt that was far too big for her and a pair of boy's boxers while Skya wore long silky pink trousers and shirt.

"Goodnight," Twila smiled whilst climbing into her dark green bag.

"Goodnight," Skya responded without thinking as she too settled down for the night.

It wasn't long before Twila was snoring as loud and usual. Skya lay huddled in her bag - she was a lot more frightened about sleeping outside in a forest at night than she let on. It wasn't easy for her to be out, she more used to living indoors, away from nature. She was a woman of science and laboratories and non-fresh air. It was just so hard, but she knew she had to get over it. Skya knew there was no other choice but to stay strong and confident, for her Pokémon's sake...

"Now remember," Lucas had said just before the girls left. "Your Pokémon are dependant on you, they draw their strength from your strength."

"What do you mean?" Skya asked, looking away from her courier bag to focus on her father.

"Well, basically," Twila explained, "if you're upset, your Pokémon will feel that and will be upset too... it's just like you and me, you know?" she smiled.

"Yeah," Skya winked. "I think that's us all set," she spoke directly to her father.

"Take care my angels," he hugged them both tightly.

"Bye!" Twila cried as she raced off.

"Bye dad," Skya kissed him on the cheek and then chased after her sister. "Hey! Wait!"

Lucas felt a tear roll down his face as he finally realised that his little girls had grown up... without him...

Skya sighed as the night began to settle in. She gazed up, staring on the stars framed by the treetops. Was she looking up at them or down at them, she wondered. It was going to be a long night, she thought as she shivered from the cold. Skya admitted to herself that she was scared and felt totally lost out here on the field. One could say she felt like a deer in the headlights - she just wasn't sure she could handle this.

Then suddenly and sharply - a shriek!

"EEEEEEEK!!!!!" a girl screeched.

It pierced the night sky, owl Pokémon took to the sky, clearing the forest instantly. Twila snapped up right and looked around.

"What? What the hell was that?" she yelled and glared at her sister. "Was that you? What is it now?"

"Th-th-that wasn't m-m-m-me," Skya stammered, looking around the forest as she rose to her feet.

Twila kicked her bag off her legs and scrambled to her feet by her sister's side.

"Don't worry," Twila said slowly and calmly. "I'm sure it was nothing."

"EEEEEEEK!!!!!" the scream came again, closer this time.

"Nothing!" Skya snapped. "It sounds to me like there's some poor little girl out there somewhere screaming her head off, probably lost or hurt or... worse!"

The girls glared at each other, both preparing for this to escalate into another full-blown fight.

"EEEHEEEHEK!!!!!" it rattled the forest again, but it sounded...

"Odd," Skya whispered and looked back at her sister. "That was..."

"Distorted," Twila finished.

It was obvious now that this was not some lost little girl in the woods at night. It was something far more sinister.

"What if?" Twila began.

"It's not a little girl?" Skya continued. "What if?"

"It's a Pokémon," Twila finished.

They both looked at each other, eyes sparkling, "Misdreavus!" they cried happily.

Sure enough, it appeared - floating before them, the small wispy dark blue hair ball.

"Right then you little brat," Twila growled, pulling out a red and white orb.

"No-one, but no-one, disturbs my beauty sleep!" Skya too produced a Pokéball.

"Let's do this!" Twila called out as she threw the ball into the air.

"Now! Centre stage!" Skya yelled as she tossed her ball as well.

Both balls opened in a dazzling flash of white light, concentrating itself as it spiralled down towards the ground and taking on the shape and form of their Pokémon.

The energy from Twila's Pokéball focused itself into a short dog-like creature standing upright, but it moved down onto all four paws as it arched its furry black back, shook out its plush dark ears and opened its blue jaws and snarled at its opponent.

The energy from Skya's Pokéball intensified into a small bouncing creature, with long floppy ears tipped by fluff and wearing the softest wool around its legs, it smiled happily and bounced and bounced and bounced.

"Riolu!" Twila's eyes gleamed. "Show that ghost that kicks still hurt even if you're dead!"

"Buneary!" Skya twirled beautifully. "Teach that tie-dyed tart a lesson in courtesy!"

The Misdreavus smirked, flicking a portion of its pink-tipped hair out of its evil red eyes. It was obvious that Misdreavus, being a Ghost type had the advantage here... or did it?

"Riolu, use Ice Punch!" Twila ordered.

Rilou rose to stand on its two black hind legs and made his left hand into a fist. a cold wind drew from all around, encircling his hand and solidifying it as a giant block of ice. With that complete, he leapt into the air and struck the Misdreavus square between the eyes, knocking it onto the ground.

"Buneary, Ice Beam now!" Skya commanded.

Buneary's ears rose up fully, frigid streaks focusing in the middle to form a small orb of ice. The Misdreavus looked up in disgust. Buneary winked cutely and the fired a blast of frozen air, hitting the hair ball directly and sending it blasting off through the trees. Buneary bounced up and down, cheering at an easy victory. Riolu sighed, unsatisfied by the win.

"Well that was easy," Skya smiled comfortably and climbed back into her bag.

"Feel better?" Twila looked deep into her eyes as she too got ready for more sleep.

"Much," Skya beamed.

Skya lay on her back, staring up at the stars. Twila was snoring loudly within moments. Riolu paced around for a few moments before settling, curled up in a ball on Twila's stomach. Buneary was already nuzzling away in Skya's arms, like a cute little teddy.

"The night's may be long," Skya said quietly, "but I'm not alone and that makes them shorter."

~~~END OF CHAPTER FIVE~~~
​

Longest. Chapter. Yet. :D:D:D:D:D:D:D

Awesome stuff, it took me ages to get this to go the way I wanted it to, but I finally cracked it the other day and I could not be happier with it. I hope you all enjoyed it *cookies*​

 

[Snowfire]

Awesome chapter! =D It could not be better.

I love how you use such descriptive adjectives, it really pulls the reader into the story itself.

I spotted a few minor mistakes here:

She jumped right from her spot, her long Prussian blue hair flailing about wilding as leapt into the air.

'Wilding' should be 'wildly'.

It wasn't easy for her to be out, she more used to living indoors, away from nature.

I think you missed a word there, 'was'.

"The night's may be long," Skya said quietly, "but I'm not alone and that makes them shorter."

'Night's' is possesive. I think what you meant for it to be was 'nights'^^

Overall, this was a great chapter, can't wait to read more! =D

 

[ArtekOublier]

Another amazing chapter. The bond between these sisters is stong, just like Johanna's bond with Dawn, obviously genetic or nurtured into them.

I spotted mistakes *gasps*:

even as the wind blew stronger as they night dragged on.

tbh it seems to many as in this sentence although the real problem is the, not they.

She was in the huff and Twila so did not care.

The word "so" I think should be in italics to stress it, think of saying it to yourself an emulate it here.

in every one of the decisions in lives.

I think this sentence doesn't make sense XD "the" should maybe be their.

she more used to living indoors, away from nature.

Missed a was somewhere.

She gazed up, staring on the stars framed by the treetops.

I think this should be at the stars. But you could leave it.

I love the whole bug thing, reminds me too much of Mmmmmmisty ^^ But I also like the way she though, like she needed to know about it first to be unscaredof it.

As soon as the girls headed into battle I smiled. The bond of them could not have been stronger then.

Anyway amazing chapter. Shows abit more emotion in Lucas, and maybe a slight bit of regret too.

I do wonder what deity they will get to see 1st, anyone got any ideas on that? I'm betting it's a lake trio Pokémon.

I do have to wonder though...where are Gallade and Gardevoir? And how did Skya and Twila get Buneary and Riolu?

Is buneary that buneary?

Keep it up sweetheart ^^

 

[An-chan]

You sure can write, Laterna!

There were some spelling mistakes, but they're already covered, so I don't have to care about them.
Also, some clichés you had there with the pokédex and all that were slightly... well, clichés. I suppose that was the purpose, but I don't know how well it works for people. At least it caught my eye.

I like Twila more, which is a shame ;_; I would like Skya more, with her being a scientist and all, but she's just a bit too annoying. Their journey will surely build her character :laugh: But why did they beat up that poor misdreavus? And how come Skya knows misdreavus but not burmy?

...And why isn't my Lucas traveling with Skya and Twila? ;_;
Since when was he "my" Lucas..?

Anyway, this was a great chapter. I have the feeling it could have been slightly better - well, basically everything can be - but there certainly is nothing wrong with it. At least I don't see anything wrong with it. It was well written and entertaining - as always.

Well then, now I'll withdraw and wait for the next chapter to appear.
An-chan over and out!

 

[Laterna]

Chapter 06 ~ Ash In Their Hearts...

Sorry for my recent inactivity, I've had a lot of offline issues to deal with... but I'm back and in full force, ready to carry on ^^

Here's chapter six, but, before we go on, a warning - this chapter has some adult themes in it, particularly of a sexual nature. However, there is nothing explicit I don't think, but please be aware of it before reading.

Anyways, on with the show!

Chapter 06 ~ Ash In Their Hearts...​

The dawn slowly arose, surrounding and enchanting every creepy corner it could find in the dense forest. It crashed down on the still, resting treetops as the moon was absorbed into the clear blue sky and the sun rose up and up onto a gentle azure screen. The clouds steadily turned from their deep dark blue colour to a pale purple and then into a soft pastel white. Then, slowly and yet suddenly, everything awoken, every living thing in the forest and beyond raised it's head and gazed out upon the world, ready to face the day with vigour and fortitude. The air was still as the day broke, the fragile treetops stood as strongly and proudly as their sturdy bodies, out of which poked the tiny faces of the day-time Pokémon who had awoken with the break of dawn, ready to forage for food for their young. The tender hoot of a nocturnal Pokémon was heard as it settled to sleep for the day.

"We can't be far off now," an older woman, in her late thirties, moaned.

Her hair was light brown, greying at the roots, which were hidden under a leaf-green bandanna. She walked wearing white trainers, tight blue jeans under a short silky white skirt. As she walked, she sorted her bright orange shirt and white gloves before sighing.

"I think we should rest," she groaned.

Her travelling companion let out an exasperated sigh and turned back to face her, a light breeze blowing his long wavy orange hair around his face like a mane. His eyes were a gentle brown, his face sharp and his body strong.

"I'm not a young girl anymore," the woman smiled. "Please, let's rest."

The man smiled back and nodded, his hair falling around his shoulders, dancing around his dark violet shirt as the breeze picked up once more.

"You know," the guy said hesitantly, "I could've handled this alone, I'm not a kid anymore mom," he sighed.

"I know," she placed a hand on his pale cheek. "I know you are a very capable young man, just like your father..." she paused. "But... it's just that she's...she's..." the woman began to sob, smothering her face in her hands.

"I know," the man said softly, making no further action to comfort her.

Suddenly, a noise!

The woman gasped sharply, the man whirled around, scanning the area while pulling a small red-and-white orb from his dark belt. He pushed the button on the front of the ball to make it grown to the size of his hand. They stood back-to-back, both with Pokéballs at the ready for whatever challenge they were about to face.

It then emerged...

He stood, staring down through the protective glass at the room full of pearl white cradles holding crying babies being rocked by tired nurses. His brown eyes focused on the one near the middle, but to the left slightly and closer to the window. The tag around his wrist read "Rekka".

"You mother always did have a penchant for odd names," he smirked.

He hated small talk, any woman would testify to that. So he stopped with it.

"You've ruined my life," he spat. "I hate you," his voice was filled with venom.

The new-born stared at him blankly, totally unaware of what he had done to upset this man, whoever he was. It infuriated the man so that, even though this... thing had destroyed his reputation, everything he had worked for all those years, yet it received no blame and carried no burden for the shadow it had caused to loom over this man.

"I hate you!" he yelled and smashed his fists against the screen.

As a consequence, his son erupted in tears, security was called by a nearby nurse and the man ran away, never to be seen again...

Or so it was believed...

From the rustling bushes of the forest emerged a young girl, probably around fifteen at the least. Her hair was blonde with flicks of pink, her bright orange dress made her look like a cheerleader and the fact that it was decorated by six balls really didn't help the image this girl was portraying.

"Oh," the woman gasped, returned her ball to the small green pack around her waist. "Are you alright?"

"No," the girl panted.

The man too moved to a more relaxed stance, but looked disappointed that he could not do battle with something.

"Please, sit," the woman motioned to the grass beneath them.

The woman knelt down first, her long white boots creaking as she moved causing the girl to giggle. She then sat down as well, stretching out her wide orange skirt to cover her bare knees.

"My name is May," the woman smiled, "and this is my son, Rekka."

Rekka nodded, his flaming orange hair bobbing up and down with his head.

"It's nice to meet you," she blushed, refusing to look at the tall handsome young man. "My name is Cheri."

"So what brings you all the way out here Cheri?" May asked gently
.
"Well," Cheri responded matter-of-factly, "I heard there was this like mega-rare Pokémon living in the lake and I really wanna prove to everyone," she paused, "that I'm... well, that I'm a totally awesome trainer by catching it!" she exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with determination.

"Wow," May's eyes widened. "That's quite an undertaking."

The trio sat on the grass in silence, all wondering what to do or say next. It really was a huge undertaking after all - a fifteen or so year old girl hunting a Legendary Pokémon? A lot of people, especially the older and, in theory, wiser with more old-fashioned opinions, would say it was horrendously absurd.

"Mesprit," Rekka's tough but gentle voice broke the silence.

"Huh?" Cheri gawked at him and not in the good way.

"The Pokémon you referred to is Mesprit," the hot guy explained. "It is one of the three Mirage Pokémon of Sinnoh."

Silence prevailed once again.

"You know," May looked into Cheri's eyes excitedly. "We," she placed her hand on her chest and then motioned to Rekka, "are looking for Mesprit too."

Rekka's eyes grew with fear and horror as he glared at his mother. The last thing he needed on this trip with his mother was some love-struck teenage girl with only one thing on her mind - him!

"I think," May continued, staring down her son before returning her attention to Cheri, "it would be more helpful, on both parts, for us to combine our resources and look for Mesprit together," she ended on a smile.

Cheri grinned pleasantly and responded, eying up Rekka, "that sounds wonderful!"

"Not again," the man groaned as he let the receiver drop, ignoring the woman on the other end of the public call box.

The streets around him were bustling and no-one seemed to notice him at all, like he was nothing and not worthy of anything anymore.
"Hey, I recognise you," the seductive voice of a woman broke the silence that enveloped him.

The man turned around only to eye up this gorgeous young thing, barely over twenty years old. He stood a head taller than her and smiled down at her. The man had to admit, after all these years he often felt his age catching up on him. However, it pleased him almost to no end to have a woman so young and beautiful come on to him, an older man well into his twenties (past the prime of youth in his opinion) with a tarnished reputation. To her, though, he was still the hottest guy around.

"Do you wanna," she pulled a thick black marker from wherever she had been hiding it in her skimpy outfit, "sign my shirt?" she asked, thrusting out her chest.

He placed his arm around her waist, burling her around and leading her down the street. Together, they walked away from the image of the now sobbing woman still waiting on the other end of the phone.

"Why don't we go somewhere a little more public?" he whispered in her ear before gently biting it.

The girl said nothing, but giggled hysterically. She didn't even notice the heartbroken pregnant woman still waiting for an irresponsible father to take responsibility...

A deep mist cascaded and swirled and danced up over the lake, spreading out among the dense trees that formed a solid circular wall around the water. The lake sat silently, simply watching the three visitors. It remained motionless and lifeless, not caring that people, humans at that, had come to visit.

"Looks like there's nothing here," Rekka sighed, folding his arms over his strong chest.

"Oh poo!" Cheri slumped to the ground.

"I remember someone telling me," May said, looking up at the stars directly above the lake, "that there used to be a cave here," she pointed to the centre of the lake, "right there in the middle."

Cheri's eyes lit up as she leapt back up on to her feet and gazed out through the mist only to be disappointed.

"But it was abolished after the G-Incident," May finished, "and, as a direct consequence, the Pokémon of Emotion has not appeared since."

Cheri gawked at her, naturally too young to remember the incident itself.

"Or..." May sighed, "the person who told me didn't say much beyond that and I would ask her, but... but... but she's... she's..." her voice quivered as she broke down in heavy sobs once again.

"We'll find her," Rekka moved along the damp grass and placed an arm around his mother's shoulders.

He looked up into the stars for some kind of guidance...

The phone rang and rang and rang. A young woman, in her twenties more-or-less, rushed over to it, picking up soft toys and new baby stuff along the way, tidying up as she went along. Eventually, after what seemed a whole day of cleaning, she picked up the green receiver to answer the call, activating the screen in the process. On the screen appeared the soft a gently face framed by Prussian blue hair of her friend Dawn.

"Dawn," May said softly, her face aglow. "How are you?"

"Weirded out," Dawn smirked. "I was just about to call you."

It was so early in the morning and both of them had more-or-less made their first task to phone each other. They both had to admit, it was a tad odd.

"Just shows how close we are," May smiled.

"Yeah," Dawn beamed. "Anyways, I have big news."

"Wow, weird," May's expression looked worried, but good all the same.

"How so?" Dawn, too, was now getting a bit nervous.

"I have big news too," May winked.

"I'm pregnant!" they both said at the same time and then scream excitedly.

Couldn't imagine it... becoming a mother, both of them, together at the same time... who'd have thought...

Rekka was incredibly stressed after that long day - leaving his home soon after arriving, having to journey with his worried sick mother, a big quest looming over head, now, on top of everything else, having a love-struck teenage girl lusting after him.

"Great," he sighed as he slid into the waters of the lake.

May and Cheri were further back in the trees, well out of view, having a girl to girl chat about life. May felt the opportunity to pass on some wisdom to the young lady and felt it would be best for the twenty year old boy not to be present during the proceedings. Which was more than fine with Rekka... he plans of his own.

Through the steam rising up from the warm water another figure appeared. The pair embraced, pressing their bodies up against each other in the water. Rekka had to admit, it felt really nice to just relax for a change.

Suddenly a noise.

Rekka looked around frantically, fearing it was his mother. The person with him, barely visible in the fog, stayed focused on helping him unwind. As his eyes searched the immediate area, he heard a splash and saw someone, noticeably a woman, dashing out of the lake on the other side and running back through the trees. Although it did worry him that someone had seen what he was doing, Rekka shrugged it off and pulled his attention back to his lover.

After all... there was no point in stressing over it...

I gasp for breath, the darkness seeps in through my eyes, my nose, my ears, fuming its way through my body, violating my very being.

"No!" I scream and force it all away.

I pull in as much air as I can.

"I have to..." I pant, "stay strong... for my daughters."

The void of black stretches for as far as I can see. There are other people here, including him... I don't think I have the strength to do this anymore.

"When ash falls in your heart and the mist becomes too deep," that gentle voice from my dream speaks, "all your dreams may come true... all you must do is believe and a new era shall dawn..."

I feel a new strength within, a sudden surge of emotion becomes all encompassing, projecting its way into my soul.

Floating here, on the surface of the lake, I watch carefully as a girl with long Prussian blue hair rushes out of the water and vanishes into the trees. I turn around to survey the area and see two other people doing all manner of things.

They see me...

~~~END OF CHAPTER SIX~~~​

Intrigued anyone? ;) Next chapter is going to be a special chapter, featuring a story from Dawn's past. It will more-or-less be a huge flashback detailing certain aspects of her character and her relationships with her mother, daughters, Pokémon and Lucas. The next chapter ~ The Nightmare Begins ~ will be set around three weeks before the first chapter ^^​

Anyways, please read, rate, review and question as always ^^​

 

[An-chan]

he plans of his own.

I believe this sentence is missing a "had".

This was a great chapter (again), although I have to admit I was a wee bit disapointed that it didn't have Twila and Skya in it at all. The appearance of May and Rekka pretty much makes up for it, though. But who's the annoying teenaged girl? And does her name come from that berry? :laugh: I really liked those flashbacks, expecially when they were scattered around the chapter like that. Also, I liked the way you described May, Rekka, Cheri and surroundings in the beginning. A very good chapter indeed.

This time, however, I can come up with a minor detail to complain about! Yay! Why is it a good thing? *rolls eyes*
This minor detail I'm talking about is the title of this chapter. I think it's a bit "off", if you can say so, as it pretty much has nothing to do with the chapter. The reason for the title comes up only in the very end of the text. That's not a big issue or anything, and many people may not think much about it anyway, but I think it could be done a bit better. How, you ask? Well, beats me, but I know there could be a better (i.e. more descriptive) name for this chapter.

Oh, and want to know something funny? 'Rekka' means a truck in Finnish *chuckles*

 

[Ruphire]

Laterna..... I just wanted to say Chapter 6 was incredibly awesome!!! I really hope you keep on making these!

 

[.Ozymandias]

Again, another interesting chapter, brilliantly written! I loved how you set the scene in the first paragraph, how you moved it along and still managed to keep a little mystery going. Awesome! More please!!!

 

[Graceful]

Its a very good story!
But I must imit!

 

[ArtekOublier]

First of all well done on the first paragraph absolutely loved the descriptions. Even though it's long winded somewhat it really captures the rising of the sun and the starting of a new day. it's almost like you're waking up with the chapter too. I need food now XD breakfast in particular after that lol.

I do love how you never let on who the woman and the man were until Cheri came about. You just left it as a description of who they were and what they were wearing and left it as that until they had to introduce themselves to Cheri. I rather like Rekka though he seems to be...I dunno...possibly of a rather selfish nature, but close to his mother.

It came to me only when reading the scenes in italics, obviously flashbacks of past events here, that I knew who the man looking at the baby Rekka was. That's why I don't think the title was a bad idea. But. as always not everyone can share the same opinion of everything.

At the end of that scene the "Or so it was believed..." makes it seem as if someone saw them when it was happening, I wonder who.
I'd be the same as Rekka really, I don't like Cheri just yet either, but something tells me there more to her appearance without having any relation to anyone about. So I'll be watching out for her.
Anyone any idea who she is?

I do want to ask, why you referred to Rekka as "the hot guy"...obviously he is the one with the orange-ish hair on your new banner. Anyway, the other flashback scene containing that guy, if it is who I think it is, what has happened to him? Why is he being so uncaring and...like what he is? And so unlike what he was? A complete change in personality. Also, who was the pregnant woman on the other end of the phone? It can't be Dawn, because we the girls are Lucas's...so that means...oh...That means that man is Rekka's dad? Interesting! ^^ And it all confirms it when May and dawn both day that they are pregnant at the same time. So Twila, Skya and Rekka are all of the same age?

Having a "love-struck teenage girl" lusting after Rekka would be considered by most guys to be a good thing. it's kinda obvious that he doesn't like Cheri, in that way. You also mention "lover" an the fact that they cannot be seen for the fog, so that no one else can see then. Are you hinting at Rekka's sexuality?

Also well done on bringing Dawn back into the picture ^^. it was a bit weird not having the twins and her in it this time. The girls even more so. But I'm sure you have an idea as to why they are there and that they weren't really featured in the chapter at all. So will Rekka tell may that he's seen Dawn? he has to...he knows how much May and Dawn care for each other.

Phew, what a chapter!

Now a comment on your banner Mr ^^ I loved Twila and Skya the first time I saw them in the first banner but you've actually made the other characters too. you must be rather good with sprites. May does look a lot older, and can I surmise that it may (^^) be Dawn in the background beneath the ripples. Also Cheri isn't close to anyone and it away but so is Skya. What are you planning?

Anyway loved the chapter, this story just keeps getting better and better all the time. can't wait for the next instalment ^^

 

[Snowfire]

Another amazing chapter! You described the first scene perfectly, a person could almost see it!

I love how you kept the mystery going, makes you want to read more! I didn't see any mistakes, and if there were any, they must be really small^^

Overall, this chapter was excellent, keep up the great work!

 

[mew darkrai shaymin.]

This is kinda cool, hey check out my story: the chosen from fate. I hope it will be good enough for you. Anyway, cool begining. It reminds me of Darkrai. Keep on writeing girl!!!

 

[Laterna]

Finally finished all that college work *sighs* phew!

Thank you all for your comments, this chapter was by far one of my favourites and I'm glad it went down well with you all ^^

Skya did have a cameo at the end, the girl with the long Prussian blue hair coming out of the lake... it'll be explained in chapter 08 ^^ The title does make sense if you've figured something out ;)

But I must imit!

I'm not sure what you mean here, please clarify if you can ^^

Anyone notice that that first scene is an exact parallel to the opening scene of chapter 6? O.O

Does it strike anyone as interesting that a lot of things weren't known - such as May and Rekka's names - until they actually stated their names? Tie that in with what Artek caught on to about someone potentially watching Rekka and his lover and also the fact that Dawn stated in chapter 4 that she can see all that happened when she was in that dark place and you've got quite an interesting perspective going on here... any thoughts?

Twila, Skya and Rekka are all roughly the same age yes. As for the man in the flashbacks, it's the same guy twice and he is Rekka's father. In the other flashback, the pregnant woman is an unknown person for now, but only for now ;)

All I'll say with regard to Rekka's sexuality is that I am only hinting for now... I haven't decided yet ;)

You're spot on with the banner too Artek, great analysis ^^

Interesting point mew,darkrai,shaymin - Darkrai is representative of nightmares, etc and the story begins with Dawn having nightmares and such and the next chapter is called The Nightmare Begins... can anyone surmise who's gonna have an appearance or possibly has had an appearance? ;) Oh and I'm a guy btw :P

Speaking of that chapter, it'll make its debut on Friday night. I've deliberately put it off to post it on Hallowe'en ^^

 

[Laterna]

Chapter 07

Hi everyone!

Thank you all for your patience and it is now rewarded with the first of our Special Chapters ^^

A word of warning to begin: the language is a little bit stronger in this chapter and this one, in my opinion, is quite strong in terms of content emotionally, so just be aware that it may evoke some powerful emotions - I know it did for me while writing I can assure you ^^

Chapter 07 ~ Special! The Nightmare Begins...​

Under a tree, I find myself... I'm walking slowly through dense golden foliage... it is Autumn, but it is not for that reason that the trees are golden... it is the fires... the fires of war... it has taken everything... my friends... my family... myself..."you do not belong"... an angry masculine voice speaks... this beautiful world is falling apart before my very eyes and I am powerless to stop it... "you are the cause"... that deep masculine voice echoes in my head... it causes the earth to shudder, the earth begins to crumble beneath my feet and a new being is born... Arceus...

I cannot shake the nightmare images as I sit with a dear friend in my wine-coloured living-room. We are sitting on the black leather sofa by the back wall, I'm gazing out the window, my head turned away from her. My eyes are fixated on the fuchsias and azaleas growing in my back yard, but my mind stays with that nightmare I had had the night before. It haunts me to no end...

"Are you alright?" Lyxah asks.

I slowly turn to face her as she places a hand on my shoulder.

"What is it?" her voice is deep, husky.

I'm not looking her, my eyes are still fixated on the nightmare images flitting about in my mind.. Lyxah's beaded dreads jingle and clatter as she flicks her long her back over her purple covered shoulder. The sounds re-affirm reality and snap me back.

"What?" my attention goes to her.

Her green eyes are bright, brilliant, penetrating... you cannot lie to her eyes.

"Okay, okay..." I sigh and smile at her, my head down, my eyes looking up at her.

"Come on honey," she rubs my shoulder. "Talk to me."

"I've not been sleeping well," I say tentatively. "Last night, I," I shake my head, "I had this... horrible, horrible nightmare," my eyes are filled with worry, my face white and my heart pounds in my chest.

I feel all clammy and sweaty, like I've done something wrong by talking about the dream. A wave of paranoia washes over me and I succumb to it willingly, instantly regretting my decision to discuss the dream. My eyes dart about frantically, my hands tremble and I await Lyxah's reaction.

"It was only a dream, hon," Lyxah places her hands over mine, holding them steady. "I wouldn't put too much stock into it."

I say nothing, but nod... I can't think of anything else to say...

"Come on," Lyxah stands up, "let's make some tea."

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Under a tree, I find myself... I'm walking slowly through dense golden foliage... it is Autumn, but it is not for that reason that the trees are golden... it is the fires... the fires of war... it has taken everything... my friends... my family... myself..."you do not belong"... an angry masculine voice speaks... this beautiful world is falling apart before my very eyes and I am powerless to stop it... "you are the cause"... that deep masculine voice echoes in my head... it causes the earth to shudder, the earth begins to crumble beneath my feet and a new being is born... Arceus...

I gasp for breath as I sit up sharply, clutching my chest, wanting to rip out the pain I feel inside. I feel weak and sick, like I have a fever although I know I suffer from no such affliction.

"It was only a dream, it was only a dream," I tell myself, rocking back and forth.

However, I know it was so much more than "only a dream"... this nightmare has come at me twice now. I have the strangest feeling that if I turn around to face the blinking green numbers of the clock by my bed that it will say 2:32 because it did so the other night too. Regardless, I turn around anyway, hoping against all hope that it doesn't... but it does... my suspicions have been confirmed.

I look around my room: always seeing a shadow on the light blue walls out the corner of my eye, thinking I see a shape crawling across my rose-patterned bed-sheets, a noise tapping at the double-glazed window opposite the bed, someone rustling behind the green curtains... but I know it is just my imagination, it's all in my head and yet I can't shake the images and go back to sleep.


One can't help but cry in this situation and so I breakdown as I try to think about what has happened, what has gone wrong. I smother my face with my hands so that my mother and daughters won't hear me and come through and worry. They know not of this dream, but only because it is "only a dream"...

Suddenly it is morning, the pure light of the sun has transformed every inch of my room, turning it from the hellish nightmare world of 2:32 to my oceanic sanctuary. I feel safe again, even though I am lying propped up against the headboard, my neck and back are aching. But, this is nothing, this is just part of how I must deal with this situation.
"Shake it off, shake it off," I say to myself as I sit up properly.

I am unsure of how to act as the second day of my nightmare-ish life begins. The feelings I feel, the thoughts I think... I know they are all wrong. I do one thing - no-one can ever know about this, my panicked reaction to telling Lyxah yesterday tells me to keep this a secret.
"Our secret," a deep, but familiar, voice whispers behind me.

I spin around and see nothing but a dense shadow on the floor slowly evaporating and being consumed by the overwhelming light.

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The green screen-phone doubles as a computer, allowing me to research into dreams. I find myself having an ever-growing obsession as the day comes into full bloom. I research dreams, meanings of images, nightmares, conditions and, perhaps more important than anything else, that Legendary demon... Darkrai.

While I do learn a great deal of various nightmare ailments to dream psychoanalysis, my thoughts keep whirling me around to Darkrai. I stare for hours at the distorted images from phone-cameras, half seen shots from behind that could be just about anything in reality. I read every scrap of information I can, but find myself not knowing anything beyond my own true-to-life experience with Darkrai.

I remember clearly - I was travelling, with friends, to a place called Alamos Town, in order to participate in a Pokémon Contest there. We made several friends very quickly during a tour of the town and in a training battle, but we soon learned that it wasn't all going to be fun and games... Alamos Town was famous for two things - the Space-Time Tower and it's luscious gardens. My friends and I were in the garden we, suddenly, Darkrai rose from a shadow and forced us to retreat to the Pokémon Centre. Things go a bit chaotic after that - one of the guys I was travelling with, he began to have strange nightmares and, after another attack from Darkrai, the Pokémon were reduced to a permanent nightmare-state. None of us could believe that a Pokémon could be so evil, especially to its own kind...

However, Darkrai was not at fault. As a matter of fact, a good portion of what happened was really the fault of humans for retaliating against Darkrai who was only trying to help! What we weren't aware of at the start of it all was that another being, another Pokémon, had come to Alamos Town. It was Palkia, a Pokémon with an overwhelming control over space. It had been battling in a parallel dimension with the Time Pokémon, Dialga. One of the pink orbs on Palkia's shoulders had been damaged, severely weakening it and it had come to Alamos Town to seek refuge. Darkrai, immediately sensing the danger Palkia presented, made every effort to drive it away... but, it wasn't enough. Dialga came through and the town began to disintegrate and Darkrai was brushed aside easily and lost the battle. It then fell to us mere humans to prevent a cataclysmic battle between two Pokémon giants.

The Space-Time Tower is very special in that it has the capacity to play different melodies and reverberate them throughout the town, allowing all in the vicinity to hear and appreciate them. We employed this effectively to calm the colossal Space-Time duo and, through the use of a song called Oracion, designed to calm down Pokémon, the battle was temporarily averted. Darkrai's sacrifice had not been in vain.

Thankfully, Darkrai had not been fully quelled either as, just as we said our goodbyes, we caught a glimpse of his shadow towering over the town, watching over all of its citizens in triumph. Ever since then, I've felt a deep connection to the Nightmare Pokémon...

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The most terrifying sensation is the thought of losing one's mind. You can't help but feel trapped and hollow in a certain respect. Like, you don't know who you are anymore or how to act in certain social situations and everything just becomes insanely awkward, even amongst your own family. I constantly find myself thinking about how much a person's life can change purely based on their own psychosis, how much your subconscious can impact your conscious life and how it can slowly eat away and devour everything you hold and everything you will ever hold dear. A tiny thought, a small image, a miniscule concept can just pry its way into your head, crossing the apparent vast threshold between the dormant world and the waking world. It changes you, just a little bit at a time and you think it is so insignificant, but it's not, it never was and never will be. Your life becomes like a mirror world, where one thing is merely a facade and the reality is hidden. You life based on such a simple concept - no-one can never know just how far gone you are. So you live a lie, the facade is a facsimile of the person you used to be and the reality is what's hidden just under the cardboard cut-out, the bit that you don't want people to ever see. That makes you even crazier. Little pieces of the reality bleed through and cover the facsimile and people get just a little snippet of what is really going on underneath it all, but you hide so fast that they don't question, they don't see and make no move to help. That makes you even crazier. So you're left having to hold it all inside because, by now, it's too late to do anything, it's too late to change it all and ask for help because you can't bear the burden of people asking "why didn't you tell us this before?" That makes you even crazier. Everything falls apart, your mind begins to collapse under the weight of itself and all you can do is wander through your life, day to day, pretending, faking it all, acting as if there's not a damn thing wrong and there's nothing you can do to make it stop and everything just begins to disassemble and die inside and all that is left is an empty shell of a person who can do absolutely nothing but wither and wilt and turn to dust.
It all just turns to dust...

Under a tree, I find myself... I'm walking slowly through dense golden foliage... it is Autumn, but it is not for that reason that the trees are golden... it is the fires... the fires of war... it has taken everything... my friends... my family... myself..."you do not belong"... an angry masculine voice speaks... this beautiful world is falling apart before my very eyes and I am powerless to stop it... "you are the cause"... that deep masculine voice echoes in my head... it causes the earth to shudder, the earth begins to crumble beneath my feet and a new being is born... Arceus...

My life, my legacy, everything I've bled for turns to dust and is spoiled just because I am not strong enough, I am not worthy of my life. I do not deserve to call the amazing woman who sacrificed her own life and give me mine... I do not deserve my two beautiful daughters who have made this house my home... I don't even deserve the recognition I am being given in this very space, this very moment in time. I deserve nothing.

I am a failure.

It must end...

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Under a tree, I find myself... I'm walking slowly through dense golden foliage... it is Autumn, but it is not for that reason that the trees are golden... it is the fires... the fires of war... it has taken everything... my friends... my family... myself..."you do not belong"... an angry masculine voice speaks... this beautiful world is falling apart before my very eyes and I am powerless to stop it... "you are the cause"... that deep masculine voice echoes in my head... it causes the earth to shudder, the earth begins to crumble beneath my feet and a new being is born... Arceus...

I gasp for breath as I sit up sharply, clutching my chest, wanting to rip out the pain I feel inside. I feel weak and sick, like I have a fever although I know I suffer from no such affliction.

"It was only a dream, it was only a dream," I tell myself, rocking back and forth.

However, I know it was so much more than "only a dream"... this nightmare has plagued my existence every night for almost a week now. I know that if I turn around to face the blinking green numbers of the clock by my bed, I know that it will say 2:32 because it always does. Regardless, I turn around anyway, hoping against all hope that it doesn't... but it does... it always does.

I look around my room: always seeing a shadow on the light blue walls out the corner of my eye, thinking I see a shape crawling across my rose-patterned bed-sheets, a nose tapping at the double-glazed window opposite the bed, someone rustling behind the green curtains... but I know it is just my imagination, it's all in my head and yet I can't shake the images and go back to sleep.

One can't help but cry in this situation and so I breakdown as I have done every time this has happened. I smother my face with my hands so that my mother and daughters won't hear me and come through and worry. They know not of this dream, but only because it is "only a dream"...

Suddenly it is morning, the pure light of the sun has transformed every inch of my room, turning it from the hellish nightmare world of 2:32 to my oceanic sanctuary. I feel safe again, even though I am lying propped up against the headboard, my neck and back are aching. But, this is nothing, this has become a part of my daily routine.

"I can help you," the dark, raspy voice of Darkrai echoes throughout the light. "Let me be seen."

"No," I sob and smother my face in my hands. "It's only a dream, it's only a dream, it's only a dream, it's only a dream, it's only a dream, it's only a dream..."

The circle of shadow I can sense is on my floor vanishes, but I cannot stop...

"It's only a dream, it's only a dream, it's only a dream, it's only a dream..."

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Two weeks on and the facsimile has taken its full form. I go about my day-to-day business, cleaning the house as normal, pretending and acting my way through life as I struggle and battle myself on the inside. It kills me, but I have no choice. It must be this way for the sake of my family. If they knew what was wrong, I would surely be committed, but then, who would take care of mother, the house, the Pokémon, or... Lucas?

"Then let me help you," Darkrai's voice pops into my head.

I drop the duster and turn away from the kitchen table. I turn to face the door at the far end, opposite myself. A space on the yellow wall, just above the cooker to my right, a circular shadow appears and from it floats out a creature of almost humanoid shape, it wears a ragged clock, its hands shaped like claws, its face hidden behind red teeth and under white smoke. Only one cold blue eye may be seen.

"Darkrai," I gasp and knock into the table behind me.

I make a dart for the back door, I run around the wooded table to the white framed glass doors, but before I get close the shadows envelope me and I find myself in a world of black.

"Do not be afraid," he speaks in his deep, hoarse voice.

"Why shouldn't I be?" my voice is alarmingly high. "You've been implanting nightmares into my brain, tormenting me night after night after night!" I yell at him, regaining my composure as I exert some dominance. "Give me a damn good reason not be afraid then!"

"Came down," he raises his dark clawed hands in a gesture of peace. "Let me help you, you know I am not the enemy."

I hesitate and am suddenly overcome by the fact that this Pokémon has taken me from my home and plunged my into his own... dimension you could say.

Thinking on that, "I guess I have no real choice."

"You under-estimated me once before," he reminds me, "are you sure you want to again?"

"Just say what you want to say," I sigh angrily, admitting defeat on that round.

"The nightmares are to prepare you for what is to come," he says in his usual direct way. "If they know I have contacted you then I will be eliminated."

"They?" I repeat, my eyes wide with fear and shock.

"The nightmares are obscure, but they serve a purpose," he carries on, ignoring me. "But not the one you will think, but you must not tell anyone that."

"Please," I stop him, raising my hands and closing my eyes. "Just tell me straight what you want from me."

He nods and continues, "we need you to stop them, when they time comes you will understand," he pauses. "They have Arceus."
Everything goes silent for a very long time.

"They have Arceus?" I gasp and begin to pace back and forth and seemingly nothing, but there is no time to focus on that. "How?"

"Please, just listen," his low tone goes higher, almost as if he was scared. "You need to understand that there are things, even people, in this world who are not quite... what they seem, Arceus is one of them, they have him, they are using him to take away any threats, including the boy, that man..."

"Rekka's father," I whispered.

"Ash Ketchum..." Darkrai clarifies. "And they're coming for you next."

Within an instant I am back in my kitchen, as if the conversation never even happened. A new fear fills me - if they've got Ash, there is no way to know what that could mean for countless others, including myself. Will they come for me next?

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I whirl around, my breathing growing frantic as I begin to panic. I have somehow found my way deep into a forest in God only knows where. The huge sturdy trees surround me and close in, limiting my choice of direction. Every free route is covered in thorny bramble branches or holly leaves and there is no hope. Various parts of my body sting. I inspect myself and find I am covered in many cuts and scrapes, undoubtedly from my journey here... wherever here is...

"What do you want from me?" I shriek through the trees. "Why have you done this to me?"

My knees weaken, I feel dizzy and I cannot breathe. I collapse to the ground and begin to cry. I can't think in my head of what could possibly be happening. It's too much information. I see fire. It burns! It licks away at my flesh, eating me alive. I begin to sob and roll onto the ground, screaming in pain and terror. I gaze incoherently at the canopy of Autumn leaves above me, but it is not Autumn - the trees are burning!

"You do not belong!"

"No, no, no, no, no, no, NO!" I squeal. "I do belong! I DO!"

The ground around me begins to crumble in a terrifying earthquake. The trees fall down, crashing all around me, drowning out my screams and yet I cannot stop myself. I pray that my daughters will hear me, that someone will hear me and come running to save me. A large tree collapses, snapping through some of the thorns that previously blocked my path - this is my chance!

I scramble to my feet, every inch of my body in agony and I throw myself towards the newly created clearing.

"You are the cause!" that deep voice booms all around me and causes another tree to fall.

The large hunk of solid wood breaks through the earth and plummets into darkness. My eyes widen at the sight and I claw my way towards the clearing. I can feel the earth behind me falling through, it is try to swallow me!

I howl into the fiery storm above as I too fall into darkness.

"And a new being is born," those final words escape my mouth and echo in the infinite void I am in, "... Arceus..."

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My mother wanders through the edge of Verity Forest, heading for the lake at its heart. I can see her as she goes alone on a perilous journey to look for me, none of her trusted Pokémon by her side. I feel so honoured to have someone who cares for me that much, someone who would go out even in the most terrible of conditions just to find their daughter. I feel a tear dribble down my cheek and a new sensation of power and control fills from when I first appeared in Arceus's dark void just a day before.
Something is wrong, however, my mother stops. Why? She is panting, holding onto a tree for balance, clutching at her chest. What's wrong? What's wrong? Why can't I get through to her? She is gasping for breath, it's hurting her. She's in pain, so much agony, I can see it in her eyes. Don't worry mommy, it'll be okay, it'll be okay, please calm down, please be alright! Her left arm falls dead, it appears numb and useless so she tries to raise her other hand to her obviously aching head. She loses the support of the tree and... no, mommy! Mommy! Mommy! No! She's fallen, she's on the ground, she's hit her head, I don't know what to do, oh God please help me, do something! Please! Mommy! Mommy! I can feel her getting closer and closer yet she's so far away. She's dying please! Somebody! Mommy! Help her! Help her! Please!

"Stop," a gentle, feminine voice speaks in my head.

I recognise it as being the one from a good dream I had had, right before the nightmare became a reality.

"Speak to her," it whispers and fades away.

"Mommy?" I speak to my mother.

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I gasp for breath, the darkness seeps in through my eyes, my nose, my ears, fuming its way through my body, violating my very being.

"No!" I scream and force it all away.

I pull in as much air as I can.

"I have to..." I pant, "stay strong... for my daughters."

The void of black stretches for as far as I can see. There are other people here, including him... I don't think I have the strength to do this anymore.

"When ash falls in your heart and the mist becomes too deep," that gentle voice from my dream speaks, "all your dreams may come true... all you must do is believe and a new era shall dawn..."

I feel a new strength within, a sudden surge of emotion becomes all encompassing, projecting its way into my soul.

Floating here, on the surface of the lake, I watch carefully as a girl with long Prussian blue hair rushes out of the water and vanishes into the trees. I turn around to survey the area and see two other people doing all manner of things.

They see me...

~~~END OF CHAPTER SEVEN~~~​

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