Friday, June 9th, 1978, 0015

I flopped down onto the comfortable mattress with a deeply contented groan. Since leaving home, I felt grateful to sleep on something other than dirt for the first time. The mattress was lined with a beautiful silken sheet that struck an excellent balance between being too light and waking the user with a sheen of sweat.

I liked camping, I really did. I had become used to sleeping in various uncomfortable situations over the last few years, but it was an uphill battle to beat the feeling of a well-earned rest on a comfortable futon after a long day.

And today had been long indeed.

I was still struggling to wrap my brain around the last few hours. Ellie had, in classic fashion, interjected herself into the situation at a very inopportune moment.

Not only had it completely shattered the fragile sense of intimacy I had been carefully cultivating, but Ellie and Dani had also seen me crying.

Again. For the second time in a week.

Most of my life had been spent suppressing my emotions to a large degree, and now that I was finally opening up, the only two girls I knew outside of my family had seen me crying my face off two times in the same damn week.

I couldn't even remember what had prompted the crying, truly, but I tentatively chalked it up to the bizarre exodus of smoky black substance after Dani had told me about her dad.

Without a third person observing the situation, I had no guarantee that the same substance hadn't been leaving me either. That dark tendrils had been drained from me into the hungry, puckering mouths that dotted the obsidian shrine.

I was aware that I generally harbored more negative emotions than was expected. Thinking back, hardly a day passed without Kiriel or Sula calling me serious, sullen, or petulant. Their critical words had given tacit approval for most of the staff to follow suit, and I had to deal with subtle barbs whenever I moved through the compound.

Since the conversation after Sula's match last week, I began feeling a growing sense of anger at how my family treated me. They never took me seriously, finding ways to demean me and poke fun at my attempts to keep up with their inextinguishable progress.

My dad spoke up occasionally, which I did appreciate, but he never had the backbone to follow through with his words, preferring to focus on his work and leave the 'parenting' to Kiriel.

However, that feeling of anger had all but dissipated after the run-in with the shrine not but a few hours earlier.

Dani had mentioned that all of her negative thoughts had been magnified since she'd entered the inn, and I was inclined to agree, at least at first glance. The bad feeling I had upon first seeing the manicured path had increased all the way up until I fell asleep with Larvitar after arriving.

The nap had been brief, less than thirty minutes. Yet I had woken up feeling fresh and happier than I had felt in a long time. It wasn't like my worries were gone by any means. It was more like feeling them through a thick glass wall that muted all the sharp bits that poked and prodded at parts of my heart long ago, worn raw.

Even now, I realized I could think dispassionately about experiences that might have bothered me just a few hours ago. Typically, talking about the massacre in Hoenn brought up deep feelings of inadequacy and shame, but I had been able to talk to Dani about it without hesitating.

The more I thought about all these factors, the more I grew confident that the theory I expressed to Dani was correct. This inn, or even the entire area away from the route, was the domain of a powerful entity that somehow escalated and consumed the negative thoughts its 'tenants' offered.

The thought was both horrifying and fascinating. On one hand, the idea that there was a pokemon powerful enough to alter humans' thoughts and potentially even consume them scared me to my core.

However, it would be remiss not to consider the other possibilities. The tiny but salient part of me wanted to believe the purpose was simply to relieve patrons of their trauma. Even the name potentially indicated that the goal was to allow their guests to enjoy untainted, or golden, dreams.

However, my knowledge of ghost types suggested anything but. Stealing negative thoughts could elicit pleasure for ghosts or even serve to increase their power.

For several long minutes, I methodically parsed through the various benefits such a facility could offer. I knew that until I thought through this to its logical extent, my mind would never let me rest.

With great effort, I finally managed to still my spinning thoughts and focus on sorting through my day. Carefully going through the day's events had long been my routine before I attempted to fall asleep. It was helpful in noticing flaws and working to improve them.

I tried to remember how my day started. I immediately realized I could hardly recall anything after we left the primary route to explore the odd path. There were bits and pieces, and I remembered Ellie's fight with Anabelle but not much else.

The sense of unease I had felt upon first encountering Ona clawed to the forefront of my mind. Sleep? Unlikely, even though I knew I was exhausted.

"Tar, larvi," cooed Larvitar from his position, nuzzled up against Nana's belly. The two pokemon were lying at the foot of the mattress, and Eon was nestled near my neck where she usually slept.

I leaned up in bed, apologizing to Eon for the disturbance. Larvitar was thrashing, with mewling cries that were growing in distress. I continued observing, waiting for the motions to abate, as they usually did when one of my pokemon had a bad dream.

They didn't.

First, a minute, then five, and then even ten minutes went by, and Larvitar's movements continued to escalate in their violence. At this point, Nana and Eon looked at the little guy with concern.

I finally made up my mind and moved forward to wake him. I placed my hand on his stomach, scooping him towards me with a grunt. I always forgot how heavy he was! Standing less than two feet tall, the pokemon looked like he couldn't weigh more than twenty kilograms. Try close to one hundred.

"Lar?" he questioned groggily as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

"You looked like you were having an awful dream," I explained gently. "Can you remember anything? You're safe here."

"Tar? Larvi," he said with a shake of his head. I turned to Eon for confirmation, and she just shrugged. I guess that meant he was okay? Or at least that he couldn't remember what he was dreaming about. It was hard to tell the nuances of things like that from a casual shrug, even if it was from one of your starters.

I laid back down, tucking Larvitar tightly between my side and arm. He snuggled in with a little squeak of joy. I couldn't help but smile; I knew he was jealous that only Eon generally slept with me at night. Nana preferred to keep watch outside the tent.

I didn't usually let Larvitar so close, considering his rocky skin easily slaked off layers of my skin if either he or I moved during the night. The first night he had hatched, I had woken up in a spattering of flesh and blood after his hide removed a large patch of skin from my ribs. It had frightened Ellie, and it had taken days for the wound to heal.

In mere seconds, I could tell he was fast asleep. I waited to see if he was going to be wracked with another nightmare, but his breathing stayed relaxed and even.

Eon had appeared concerned, as well. Nana just went straight back to bed. After confirming he was securely asleep, Eon returned to her usual position and joined him.

I still felt uneasy, but the exhaustion was finally wearing me down. I systematically reviewed the parts of the day I could remember, focusing more on the last few hours since they were still clear in my mind.

The conversation with Dani had been a pleasant surprise. It was rare that my plans went better than I anticipated. I still felt slightly embarrassed about giving her such a blatant compliment, but she didn't seem to mind. I was flattered that she told me about her dad, but I mostly felt guilty.

There had been many a night in my life that I wished that one or both of my parents were dead. Or gone in some fashion, rather.

I loved them in my own way. I did. I was sure of it. But their actions had caused me so much grief that it hardly felt worth it sometimes. My clan was so focused on honor and family above all that it practically felt like I was betraying them just by quietly fantasizing about it on a particularly rough day after the people who were supposed to love and care for me put me down and teased me.

I felt terrible that I had ever wished for such a thing when people like Dani routinely lost people they loved and cared for. It made me feel like I needed to put in more genuine effort the next time I encountered Kiriel. What kind of son wishes such a thing upon their parents? After my admission about Sula, I knew I could never tell anyone else such dark thoughts lest I incur unwanted judgment.

The run-in with the bizarre tendrils of darkness didn't provoke much in me when I thought about it now. I had no idea how long we had simply cried there together, our pain and negative thoughts being drawn out like a physician lancing an infected wound near to bursting.

However, I couldn't deny the fact that I did indeed feel better. A hot-spring inn where you could restore your body and soul simultaneously? I could see why Sula had indicated the location with a golden star. I didn't regret doubting her intentions, but I was at least willing to grant her the benefit of the doubt the next time I encountered her.

Without a doubt, I had made much more progress on all fronts than if we had camped out another day in the muddy environment. I had also learned some interesting things about my two companions.

Ellie had not been lying when she said we could ask her anything. I learned that her birthday was March 5th, and she liked tall blond boys with nice muscles. Her first kiss was in the third grade with a boy named Henry, but had yet to find a boyfriend. Her favorite color was green, and she was a sucker for romance movies.

She especially liked the ones that included a 'meet cute,' which was a term that I had just learned. It apparently referred to the first meeting between a couple that was particularly charming or cute in some way. Ellie had laughed and told Dani and I that our first meeting had counted.

There had been an awkward silence after that. I had to remind myself that although Ellie paled in comparison to Sula, she was not to be underestimated.

Still, I was privately gleeful that Ellie counted it, although I would never admit it openly. I felt hopeful that things were on the up and up.

As to Dani, I had learned much. I had abruptly realized that although I knew some of the significant and profound parts of her life, I otherwise knew hardly anything about her.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

She told us she was a climber, which explained her physique. Fuchsia apparently had a nice climbing gym, which I had never heard of. It sounded fun. She had also participated in competitive swimming while attending Fuchsia High, but she never really clicked with the team.

Her favorite color was blue. The really dark and vivid kind, although she didn't know its proper name. She didn't like to watch TV at all, only watching it with her younger siblings or during family movie nights before her dad had passed. If she did have to watch a movie, she liked dramas. She told us how she first encountered her Beedrill and the subsequent run-ins with various bug types. Her worst fear was to lose her mind.

No matter how much Ellie had poked and prodded, Dani had refused to confirm or deny whether or not she had a first kiss, even going so far as to make out with her hand for a dare to shut Ellie up. I couldn't complain; both outcomes were captivating enough for me to be more than satisfied with Ellie's unintentional wingmanship.

I had found myself speaking openly and honestly with the two of them, and Ellie's impromptu idea of truth and dare had done more to bring us together than anything else could have.

I had told them more about my family, how Kiriel had never once told me she was proud of me. Nor Jamie. About how I regularly experienced violence at the hands of those I was close to. How I was expected to revel in it. I talked about my travels throughout the region and how my favorite food was roasted tofu with pineapple, a dish the household staff made for each of my birthdays.

It was the first time I felt like I could enjoy a regular activity with people my age.

In short, today had shaped up to be the best one I had ever had. With this thought on my mind, I finally drifted off to sleep.

It wasn't long before the golden dreams took me.

----------------------------------------

"Tyranitar, use Hyper Beam," I commanded with a confident smile.

Down in the arena below, my armored pokemon charged for a split second before releasing a massive beam of crackling energy. The opposing Dragonite could not dodge in time, taking the full brunt of the blow before falling listless to the ground. A thud rippled through the area, shaking me down to my bones. The audiences of thousands quieted as the gravity of the blow sunk in. It was so silent that I knew someone in the crowd could easily hear the rapid 'ba-dump' of my beating heart.

Before I could say another word, the crowd erupted into deafening cheers.

Cheers for me. Cheers for Tyranitar. The crowd's roar vibrated through my heart, and I thought I would burst with joy. I had done it. I had won.

Across the way, Ellie looked dejected. In classic Ellie fashion, she recovered and plastered on the cheerful smile that carried her through life. "Aw, shucks. Guess you got me this time, Mare! Congrats on winning the conference. I could never have made it here without you!"

Without asking permission, one of the conference guards shuffled me out of the raised platform I had been commanding my pokemon from.

I could hardly breathe, swept up in the frenetic energy in the arena. I recalled the high points of the last year as they dragged me to wherever we were going. If I was being honest, I couldn't care less.

Ellie and I had torn through the circuit, easily defeating the gyms one by one until we were back in Fuchsia City to face Kiriel.

Surprisingly, things had gone my way, and she had been unable to make it through Eon, who I had evolved into a Vaporeon after buying a stone at the Celadon market. Tyranitar had swept through her team after they wasted their energy stores on the too-resilient Eon.

During Ellie's match, Willow had used her superior speed to dodge the slow-moving poison blobs Kiriel seemed to rely on. She had quickly dispatched them with an onslaught of powerful Dragon Pulses.

Kiriel had granted us her badge, and we had made our way to Victory Road to train for the last months before the conference.

Dani had split with us while in Celadon, choosing instead to spend time with her family and find her own dream. We were going to connect again when the time was right. I was happy she finally did what she wanted instead of pursuing her father's fated-to-fall dream of becoming the champion.

Our mission had been successful, and tension between Kanto and Johto had all but dissipated as the connection between Ellie and I began to receive more and more attention. Her success at the conference was likely only going to improve things further. Johto trainers would flock to local training arenas, hoping to end up like Ellie.

My dopamine-induced reverie was disrupted as the guard said briskly, "We're here."

I took in my surroundings. We had been following a tunnel up a gradual uphill slope for the last few moments, and we were now standing outside an ornate door wrought with all manner of beautiful filigree. I could see depictions of the legendary birds and the more well-known Arcanine and Ninetales that Kanto was known for.

"Where is here, exactly?" I asked politely.

"You're here to meet with the champion," the guard explained patiently. "Are you ready to go in? There will be a lot of important people in here."

I nodded graciously. "Lead on, good sir. I look forward to meeting my eventual coworkers after I make my way through the Elite Four."

The guard's eyebrows raised nearly to his receding hairline, but he nodded anyway. "Of course, sir, whatever you say. Follow me."

He opened the heavy-looking doors as if they were the lightest glass panes, and I entered a large dining hall.

The table must have easily been sixty feet long, and I immediately noticed all manner of rare delicacies from between the two regions. More importantly, I made out many faces that I knew well.

Dani was there with her twin siblings and her mom. Her mother looked just like her, the only difference being the slight crinkles around her eyes, indicating a life full of laughter.

Dani waved at me shyly, and I waved back in turn. On the other hand, her siblings had blond hair that I could only assume came from her father. They waved excitedly, clearly happy to be meeting the conference champion.

I waved back, making sure to catch Dani's eyes directly. When she noticed, she blushed darkly and looked away.

Nice. Gone were the days of the buds.

I continued following the guard, receiving polite nods and greetings from the other table members. Gym leaders, local politicians, and even members of the Elite Four greeted me like an old friend.

I felt embarrassed; even in my wildest dreams, I couldn't have imagined the friendly reception I was experiencing.

The guard cleared his throat and gestured to an empty seat at the table's edge. "We're here sir. You can take your place."

I nodded and took the proffered chair; it was heavy and padded comfortably with cushions of a vibrant indigo hue.

I settled in, sighing contentedly at the luxurious feel of the furniture.

A slow clapping drew my attention toward the other end of the table, where Kiriel sat next to Sula and Jamie. Strangely, Ellie was present, too, chatting amiably with Sula.

When did they get so close, I wondered? Still, it was no big deal to me. I was glad Ellie was feeling better after our match. A loss like that must have been hard on the compassionate girl, whom I was proud to call a best friend.

"Congratulations, Mare," Kiriel said warmly, and the entire table silenced themselves at her words. "You've worked hard and overcame many difficulties. I can't begin to express how proud I am of your accomplishments. Your father was always so afraid that you might break if I pushed too hard. I'm heartened to see he was proven wrong."

Jamie laughed uneasily. "Oh honey, you didn't have to say that in front of all these people! I believed in you, Mare. Don't mind her. Don't mind any of this. Focus on yourself. It's all going to be okay."

I cocked my head at the odd statement. It sounded almost like a warning. What could possibly go wrong with a celebration of my success?

Sula chimed in. "Yeah, Mare! Listen to dad. He always has good advice, especially for softer people like you. He never wants to hurt anybody. But coddling people doesn't do them any favors, especially in a world like this. You'll be saying 'thank you' later. I promise."

Sula looked fondly at Ellie, giving her a nod as if to indicate it was her turn.

Okay. Now, I was getting a seriously odd feeling about this whole event.

Ellie hesitated, even after the encouragement. "Mare… I don't know where to start. I didn't want to do this." She trailed off uncomfortably before her father, Mikhail, spoke up.

The ordinarily happy-looking man looked distinctly worse for wear. "Just tell the truth, Ellie. Let's finish this charade so we can all go home. If you just play your part, we won't ever have to worry about money again."

Ellie slapped her cheeks as if to psych herself up for something. "Mare, this isn't real. I'm sorry. This has all been a plan. I have to go now. That was enough, right? That has to be enough," she said to Sula, who nodded and gestured for her to leave.

Ellie stood and left the room, and I could hear her crying grow fainter as she scurried away.

I felt sick to my stomach. I didn't know what was happening, but I didn't like it. I laughed nervously. "What's going on, Kiriel? What's the meaning of this?"

Kiriel stood up and languidly approached me like a Persian stalking an unsuspecting Rattata. Her face was distorted into a venomous rictus of a smile. Her lips were far too red and stretched garishly across her delicate features.

"I'm not surprised you haven't already figured it out. This is all for you. This whole charade, as Mikhail called it. Did you seriously think you, of all people, would simply win the championship like this?"

She chuckled, but it quickly became a shrill, maniacal laugh, making me feel like I would throw up or stop breathing. I knew which one I preferred in this moment.

As if her laugh gave permission, the rest of the room followed suit, and the room soon echoed in a nightmarish cacophony of cruel laughter.

I frantically looked around, trying to find Dani. She would at least know what was happening and have my back.

Kiriel noticed, and as she put a hand up, the room fell silent.

"Looking for your little girlfriend? Sorry to disappoint you, Mare, she didn't want to be here for this part. We already paid her and her entire family off. She said something about not wanting to see you cry again. You are a crier, aren't you? Either way, she's gone and isn't coming back."

I felt hot tears start streaming down my face. This couldn't be happening now! But I could do nothing to stem the flood. They just kept falling and falling and falling, and soon enough, I was drenched.

Except they weren't tears, they were blood. I swiped my hands frantically every which way, trying to disperse the growing pool of blood.

Kiriel calmly observed me, but her smile had not left her face.

"Let this be a lesson, Mare. I'm not proud of you. None of us are. If you had a single redeemable quality about you, we would've never had to go so far. Your father was right. You're soft and always have been. I spent my life trying to find a way to beat it out of you, but nothing worked. Sula came up with the idea, actually. She said we could only ever truly get it through your thick skull if you thought people believed in you."

Kiriel was close. Too close. Her blood-red lips were very nearly pressed to my neck, and I could feel her hot breath. "It worked, didn't it? It finally sunk in. You're nothing. You'll never amount to anything. Face it, Mare, you're worthless. The hardest part of this whole thing was how difficult it was for the other gym leaders to lose to a pathetic trainer like you."

Somehow, Sula was there now, too. She looked condescendingly down at me with a smug look on her face. "It's okay, little brother. It's just like I told you on the first day of your journey. Even if you're not as good as me, I'll still be proud of you. I'm still proud of you, even if you're just a pathetic crying man. Get over it. Learn from it. Grow from this, and maybe you'll earn the right to stand in my shadow after all."

I could feel the exact moment my heart stopped. It had been beating louder and louder until suddenly, I felt a little snap in my chest as if the crucial pieces couldn't take the strain any longer.

The last thing I remembered was the crowd of milling faces laughing down at me as I died in a pool of my own blood. As I finally drifted into a peaceful darkness, I saw a pair of gleaming red eyes and a gaping maw smiling at me as if telling me it would all be fine.

The good kind of fine, not the one we tell each other with plastic smiles as we go about our lives.

The type of fine that meant it would all be over soon.

I blinked my eyes open, stretching out entirely on the comfortable mattress. Sunlight streamed into the room, and I could hear the soothing sounds of water trickling from the nearby spring. The room was the perfect temperature, and I internally cheered at the feeling of waking not covered in sweat.

I felt good. I had never experienced such a deep and dreamless sleep before. All the aches and pains of the previous day were forgotten, and I was left with a refreshing sense of bliss about the state of my life.

I was traveling with two beautiful women, one of whom I had just made decent progress with the previous night, and was well on my way to raising one of the most powerful pokemon in all of Indigo. My life was great. The Golden Dream really lived up to its name.

This sense of uncharacteristic elation lasted all of thirty seconds before I glanced over at my pokemon, who were huddled up in terror in the corner of the room.

Larvitar looked at me with wide eyes, flinching when I caught his gaze. Even Eon, who wasn't afraid of anything, looked like she had seen a ghost.

Well, maybe she had.

"Guys, what is wrong with you? Why are you over there? What happened last night? C'mere Eon. It's me, Mare. I promise I won't hurt you," I pleaded. The bliss I felt rapidly became a commensurately strong sense of terror.

Nana just ignored me, choosing instead to stare out the wide-paned window.

Surprisingly, it was Larvitar who made the first move. He slowly ambled his way towards me. When I moved to greet him, he jumped with a yelp but finally made it close enough to touch me.

He reached out with one of his small, paddle-like hands, and I quickly grabbed him and pulled him into a hug, ignoring the pain as his rough scales finely sanded my bare torso.

At first, he squirmed, trying to escape, but something must have clicked. He stopped fighting me and felt his way up to my face, getting close to look deep into my eyes.

"Lar?" he questioned cutely. "Larvi-tar, tar-lar," he explained nervously.

I couldn't understand a lick of what he was saying, but I had the feeling he was asking if I was okay.

"Yeah, little guy, I'm alright. Everything is fine. Better than fine. I don't know what scared you guys so badly, but it's gone now. I promise."

We stayed like that for a few minutes, and eventually, Eon and Nana made their way over, with Eon settling gently across my knees while Nana supported my back.

I breathed a sigh of relief. I had a few scary run-ins before, but seeing my pokemon like that had sent a unique trickle of fear down my spine that was now melting at the display of support.

It was going to be okay.