{DISCONTINUED} When the Ozone Fell (PMD Fanfic)

Chapter 15- Returning to the Dark

I closed my eyes and opened them again. Within a blink, the dark world was in front of me.

I turned my head towards Gengar who was looking around. "Do you know where Darkrai is?" I asked.
"Uh- I think so."

He levitated off and I followed him. My surroundings were getting dimmer by the second as if we were travelling to the depths of the dark world.

Gengar came to a halt and bit his lip. "Dammit. Wrong way again. I can't make heads or tails of this... and for once, I don't blame you."

He was getting surprisingly serious, as I never thought he would. We both turned in the direction we came from as I silently begged to myself to head back.

"Humph. Is Darkrai even down here? Did it leave?" Gengar asked, probably not expecting an answer.
"..Was that a rhetorical question?"
"Well you haven't answered it, so uh, I guess so."

It was a good minute before a surprisingly familiar environment showed itself. The whole area looked pretty much the same, except the place where Darkrai stayed.... and where the portal was that it brought me here from.

"That's Darkrai's place." I stated.
"How do you know? And... yeah, it is. It ain't there though." Gengar added.
"...Can you communicate with it?" I asked.

Gengar looked at me with a blank look, then his eyes widened. "Ya know... I never really thought of that... I ain't a psychic type or anything, so I don't know telepathy." Gengar explained "How would ghosts even communicate with one another? Darkrai isn't even a ghost, what am I on about?"

I sighed as Gengar kept questioning the existence of the ghost typing. I looked around, surely Darkrai would know we were down here, right? I mean, we're both alive, and I'm not even a ghost or dark type.

A crackling noise was made as Gengar's speech faded off into mumbles. We both slightly flinched and turned our heads to face behind us.

"...Oh crud, that sounded like Darkrai." Gengar stated. "Wait, that's good. HEY DARKRAI, TREECKO WANTS TO TELL YOU SOMETHING IMPORTANT!" he yelled.

Silence.

Another crackly noise was heard. This time, it only scared me.

"I swear, if that's Spiritomb, I'll be mad." Gengar put his hands... dammit. Not this again. He put his hands on his hip-cheeks.

Then Darkrai appeared.

"I was wondering if you'd come down. Did Rayquaza communicate to you via dreams again?" It asked. Gengar pulled a face of confusion. "Whaaaaat? Rayquaza communicated to you via dreams?"

We both gave him a look.

"Wait a minute... RAYQUAZA'S ALIVE?!" He exclaimed in realisation. Darkrai sighed.
"We assume it is. Anyways, tell me everything, Treecko."

I inhaled.

"I-it wasn't Rayquaza. I don't know who it was, but... they were saying how Rayquaza's gone. Not dead, gone." I started, quoting the voice "..."

I didn't know if I should say the thing about it knowing I was a human. For now I wouldn't, and.. I was surprised Darkrai didn't know. Or he did, but he didn't want to tell me.

"...Do you recognise the voice?" Darkrai asked.
I thought for a bit. I couldn't really remember what it sounded like, but it wasn't too calming.
"I don't think so." I replied.
"Well I need either 'yes' or 'no', so think about it harder. Over time, not now. Anyways... we know Rayquaza's alive. We just need to find it." Darkrai explained. "That'll also explain about Xatu's vision... the voice, whoever it is, must have tricked Xatu. That's why he didn't see it coming."

My eyes widened. It... it made sense.

"What about the clicking noise that Alakazam heard?" I asked. I turned around randomly to see if Gengar was still there, and he was. He looked intrigued but confused at the same time.

"I don't know about that.. either it was a distraction by the voice, or it was something else." Darkrai theorised. It looked around.

"I'm.... confused. One moment I hear Rayquaza's dead, then I hear it's alive, and now Alakazam hearing clicking noises? And XATU?? What the hell is going on?!" Gengar randomly said.

"It's not your problem, Gengar. Just.. don't tell anyone." Darkrai stated. Gengar nodded his head.

Darkrai opened a portal and transformed into Sableye.

"We need to go tell Alakazam." Darkrai ordered.
"But he's probably asleep, it's nighttime in the real world." I said.
"Time passes faster here than it does there. It'll either be sunrise or about to be."

With that, Darkrai hopped into the portal, and I was about to follow.

"You coming, Gengar?" I asked.
"I have no idea what's going on. Yes." He replied. I hopped in and so did he.

***

It was still nighttime, but I saw the sky getting slightly pink at the horizon. Darkrai looked around.

"Gengar, why did you come?" It asked.
"I wanted to."
"Tch, fine. Alright, Treecko, do you know where Alakazam lives?" Darkrai asked again.
"Uh... I think so." I replied.

***

I knocked on the door of Alakazam's house. We waited. Gengar floated to the window and tried to have a peak inside.
"Gah, curtains are closed. What's up with some sunlight getting in?" Gengar asked.
"Gengar you are a literal shadow, shut up." Darkrai mumbled. Gengar levitated down before crossing his arms like a teenager.

I knocked on the door again when it suddenly opened. Alakazam was there, as expected.

"Oh, Treecko! Are you up early because you had another dream?" Alakazam immediately asked me. "Did you manage to communicate with Rayquaza?"

I inhaled. Before I could speak, Darkrai spoke up. "First things first, are you feeling okay?" It asked.
"Oh, Darkrai, is it? Yeah.. I'm feeling fine. Anyways, come in, I want you to explain everything to me."

We went inside, including Gengar, who Alakazam questioned about being here. In response, he shrugged, and had a little look at Alakazam's books. Darkrai returned to his normal self.

"Be careful with those, Gengar... anyways, what was Rayquaza saying this time?" Alakazam asked.
"It wasn't Rayquaza talking to me. I- don't actually know who it was, but... they said how Rayquaza wasn't dead, but was gone." I began.
Alakazam's eyes widened. He looked at the floor then back at me.
"Did you recognise the voice?"
"No."

Darkrai stood up.

"We theorise that the voice is the cause of all this. We don't know why it took Rayquaza, but we know it put us through all this. It messed with Xatu's visions, your attempts at connecting to Rayquaza, and.. even the dark world. It... it sent me all those fake reports to make me believe Rayquaza was dead. To make us all believe." It explained.

There was silence as everyone, including Gengar, stood there motionless to process Darkrai's speech. But.. it made sense.

Alakazam sighed.
"Treecko, I have a private question to ask you. I don't know if Gengar and Darkrai know this, but... did the voice know you were a human?"