~~~ Chapter 52 - Interlopers ~~~

"It is also true, however—and we are aware you did not ask this—" Darkrai said, "—you are not, currently, within Cresselia's realm, but my own. Most of your dreams are not, and will not be, even if the dream itself is from another, within her realm."

It was as if the curtains were being yoinked off. Internally, I mean. Externally, I had expected the pink twilight to turn gray, but no, nothing changed. I was still held in place, the twilight sky remained.

The pink—the pink of the ocean wasn't actually pink? I looked down—it wasn't pink. Well it was. It was, well, like a layer of pink oil atop an endless black depth that I could not see the bottom of if I'd tried. Not that I could see that far anyway.

Do they make glasses for bugs? It was a stray, unrelated-to-anything kind of thought.

Before the two gods of dreams I stood, holding my position in front of Darkrai, doing my best to hold my mouth shut. Panicking in his realm—sinking meant consigning myself to a nightmare of some kind, assuming I wasn't already in one.

So long as I wasn't up against a bird of fire, I could be okay. What had worked for me since day one—fighting through them, there was every reason to believe that strategy would keep working. Pokemon were fighters. I would have to fight.

These are the dream worlds. Anything goes here, I thought to myself.

Fighting my way through nightmares? Would it really continue to work? I wondered. My mouth inched open as the lunar duo stood across from me. Again, I clamped it closed, the snap drawing an audible click, even there, standing on the infinite oceans of dream soups—it would do no good to panic.

Still, there was nowhere to run. So instead, the only sane action was to watch the lunar duo. As they floated in front of me, both surprisingly larger than I felt, Cresselia's little pink disks bobbing into and out of the ocean, picking up little waves and ripples of the liquid from these worlds of dreams. Physically, I was still in the pokeball. I was probably safe. The duo had remained silent, Darkrai's white hair lifting up into the air above, fading into whisps.

What did I really want? Why had I forced myself here? To develop a plan to get stronger? Would I even keep to a plan if I made one? No, no, I wouldn't.

Not without external help or motivation. I could make many, many plans, but only the short term ones ever panned out. A garden? With humans as customers? It would never, actually happen, I knew now. Had Cebi lied?

Lebi had said—"You're being awful patient," I said, cutting off the thought

Cresselia glanced at Darkrai's face, who made no move. He continued standing there, above the little patch of black and pink oil, being menacing. She spoke up.

"We have not but time here, Dreamer," Cresselia said.

Great, I thought. This was some kind of test—wait. Darkrai had said that I was their "first proper guest" since a celebi visited. I shivered, the images of Lebi's body, the black, absorbed by the misdreavus.

"You don't allow just anyone in here, do you? Why me?" I asked. Not that I used reason and thought in everything I did or wanted to do…

If Cresselia could shrug, that's what she did. Darkrai spoke, this time. "Cresselia has taken a liking to you, as she finds you, and your… activities, interesting. Novel, even."

"You are very… amusing, dreamer," Cress added.

"Many are those whom attempt trespass upon our realms," Darkrai said, "they would see these oceans drained for their own uses, would force themselves into these tenebrous depths," he motioned with his hand, waving them out upon the waters. "For glimpses into pasts, presents, futures and pull things from them that never were, ought not be, or ought not to have been."

"And yet," Cresselia said, "you are here, and seek not to drink. Why? How?" she asked. Good questions for me.

"I have no idea," I said. "Because you let me in?" That seemed obvious, but it was the best answer that I could come up with that didn't sound insulting. Surely, the duo weren't … lonely?

"Have either of you ever been on a roller coaster before?" I asked. Neither of them responded, just chose instead to stare at me. Cresselia's question seemed rhetorical, at least the how aspect. Unless there was some kind of perpetual psychic draw to these oceans? Were all species of all drawn into an ocean?

No.

Did they know I was human?

They had to. Right?

They were gods, and Cresselia a psychic god. Less powerful psychics had read my mind. Cresselia had to know my dreams. Darkrai knew my nightmares. They continued awaiting a fuller explanation.

"When you stand in front of a roller coaster," I began. I imagined myself, as a kid, a young thirteen year old girl, in line with my older brother and father, the first time I'd been to six flags. I was just then tall enough to go on "The Superman", a roller coaster that was supposed to take you up and then drop you.

"You're in line for, I dunno, ten to thirty minutes, depending on how long it lasts. It's not like dreams, where you're either on the roller coaster or not. You stand there, in the line. It is there, in the open air. It demands you to challenge it," I said, my mind recalling my own trepidation as I stared at the hulking thing, taking deep breaths as I waited in the line, staring up above at something I'd only ever dreamt of. Brother had said it was a softer, shorter ride, one that a person with less lung capacity like me would have been able to handle.

"But the challenge of the Titan is that it doesn't want to fight. It still asks you, 'Are you strong enough'? 'Are you healthy enough?', and if it's the first time, it towers over you. It keeps no secrets. It just is. You know it's there. And yet, the whole experience. Entering the park. Planning out the day, running around with family and friends, making friends at the park."

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

"It's so simple. And yet, if you've never been on it, it looms over you, challenges you. All day long, the roller coasters each invite you, they say, 'this is what I am'. And then you get off the ride, you either throw up at the end, and say never again. Or it challenges you again. And you defeat it. Again. By riding them over and over again. And by the end, you're a bit older. You know a bit more about yourself, the risks and challenges you can take."

Darkrai and Cress both just stared at me. When I was human, I had always wanted to go on roller coasters, but each time we went, I could only convince myself to get on the really, really big ones. For some reason, the smaller ones were the most terrifying.

That day, I'd ridden "The Superman".

Then, I wondered—would I, as I am now—a leavanny, a bug-pokemon, allowed, or even able, to get on a roller coaster and ride it? How would the mechanics even work?

I could see Darkrai in a train car of a coaster, though he might have trouble with how thin his waist was, the car might have issues holding him in, but if he had over-the-shoulder straps, I was sure it could work. Cresselia might have some issues, but really, it was mostly the two pink hula hoops that circle around her that would pose the most issues.

They just continued to stare at me, bobbing in the supernatural stillness of the black liquid oceans. There was no end in either direction of the ocean. Could anyone drain these oceans dry? No. Not realistically, any—"No," Cresselia said. "No, we have not been on a 'roller coaster'," she said.

I didn't move. It did make sense. She'd eaten candy after I'd asked her what her favorite was before. Though, it was hard to believe—they didn't just sit around in these spaces playing games with the other pokemon deities 24/7? It was, in a word, disappointing, in a perfect, boring, almost expected way. I hadn't lied in my answer. And she hadn't lied in hers. Darkrai and her stood across from me, standing just between Cress' pink ribbons, as she'd rotated them to allow him to draw close. They'd drifted back from when Cresselia had initially twisted her head at me. I held my spot in the vast ocean. Would they understand?

I didn't want nightmares. That was a no thank you. What would my own nightmares consist of?

I had been holding myself above the ocean of black—the same way I had originally, and yet apparently they had had enough of me, as Cresselia glanced at her counterpart, who nodded. The tenebrous oils of black began to boil under me. Oh I truly hoped they understood what I was trying to say. This time, As the water boiled up, it was Darkrai who broke the silence, speaking in his raspy voice, yet formal tone: "Farbeit from our fancies and interests to impede your efforts to train.

Thus, I shall grant you this gift: entrance to my realm each night you sleep. Make of this gift what you will, dreamer, for you will be stronger." he finished, waving his hands, the ocean itself seemingly gaining a life of its own, seeking to drag me down. I, like earlier, tried to step forward and away—but I could not move. This… This was not my world. Nor did I actually want to be immersed in nightmares each night.

Black filled my vision and Cresselai and Darkrai were gone. My last thought, leaving their presence was, I don't think they understood.

~~~

What did it mean when you found weaker beings amusing? I didn't see anything amusing about what I was doing or asking. It was a sadistic amusement, I decided. When I got up I was in an empty field of grass, it was late afternoon—the duo hadn't responded. I didn't understand! I'd asked a genuine question. Marking that one down as a mystery of the gods, I looked around, observing my environment. I didn't see Lanky or Leaf anywhere.

Again, the sky was gray. I didn't see the sun. But I was warm. A wave of fire around me erupted, and I heard screams from trees and bushes that hadn't been there before—my nest! It was burning! Those were swadlies and sewaddles! Before I had even thought about it, I ran to them, through the field of burning passing through the waves of flame.

~~~

I was flung out onto the grass. It was late evening. I felt cold. Lanky and Leaf both stood behind me, Leaf still attached to Lanky with the lead. Crackling fires and the cries of birds, the screams of my nest-mates echoing in my head. I could catch the smell of a nearby city, as well as the bugs and bees, though we were to the west of the city. Poor thing.

There were no birds that I could see in the trees above us. We weren't in the soft meadow Lanky and Lyra had camped in. A blonde girl in a blue shirt and capris was resting, a krokorok before us. Lanky had met up with Sundresser while I'd been in the pokeball. Lyra hadn't returned.

When nothing outright attacked me and no birds of fire marked the sky—I relaxed, dropped my arms, and just decided to lie down and rest, trying to avoid the lingering taste of smoke in the air. The crocodile-like pokemon eyed me, staying at its trainer's side in a kind of lock-step. Did Sundresser already get Lenora's badge? I didn't know. Did I really want to get stronger, if I was to sleep like that? What had Darkrai said? It was every night, while I slept?

Lanky and sundresser both had their rolls out. Actually—I could smell another person, on top of the angry-smelling venipede, the scrafty, and my favorite scorpion all nearby. Virizion was near. He had been following us. Lanky released another pokeball, releasing a silcoon. Him getting some variety onto our fledgling team was slightly comforting, at least. I walked over to our trainer as he pulled out his backpack. I inspected my arms, the smell of smoke finally fading.

I inspected my body. My leaves were in good shape. I was fine. My dress was fine. It was hard to move. Not unlike a few days ago, when I'd struggled to move, though not quite that exhausted. Lanky gave us three food as he held a light conversation with Sundresser, who occasionally took the opportunity to look and glance my way, especially when Lanky said my name. Small, simple words were beginning to click, even ones Lanky hadn't taught me, were occasionally registering. As if the missing puzzle pieces were filling themselves in as I'd slept.

Was this a boon of Darkrai or Cresselia? I doubted it, though conversation in their dream realm might have helped? I wasn't about to say no. Lanky held two items in his hands, calling me forward, and we began to practice some more words, again. By the end, with a full belly and a piece of candy melting in my mouth, I was feeling alright.

~~~

Cresselia looked toward the leavanny, sinking into the black. She smiled. She loved the theatrics. The ploy of it all. Though, she did feel a little bad.

"I do hope to see it again in my own realm, dear," she said.

Darkrai rhasped, "And yet it wishes to be stronger."

"That won't make it stronger the way it wants," she said.

Darkrai didn't respond, holding his hand out around Cresselia's head. "I do so rarely get bugs. And I relish to see what becomes of one, given my blessing. The moon is yet strong for days more," Darkrai said. "Will you chase away my gift?"

Cresselia huffed, dipping slightly more into the ocean of black. "We are both watching it. Nor are we the only ones. Until the dragons reawaken, it is honey for the interlopers."

Darkrai pulled back, folding his dark, ethereal arms. Both their realms had agreed—the dragons would reawaken soon, and the land would be torn apart in their cyclic wars. Already, there was one soul, strong enough to bear the burden of one dragon, that they knew of. A second soul would make themselves known soon. The war would threaten to spill over, across all the lands and regions.

If the worst came to pass—as always was a risk with each awakening—there would be no dreams of the inhabitants of the lands funneling to their realms. The oceans would dry, and they would be forced to move to another.

"There is enough to resolve it all without our… assistance," Darkrai said. Cresselia's head turned to him, tilting. "No," he rhasped. "You wish to preserve its life?" He smiled.

"Not merely preservation," Cresselia said, "I want to see more like it. And we cannot do so if it is drained each time it wakes. The interlopers will be drawn to it, and we will draw too much attention if we intervene any further. I am tired. Each cycle is the same. I wish for something new."

"What, then, do you, or your others, propose?" Darkrai asked. Cresselia wasn't too interested in drawing much attention to themselves. They had been able to disguise their activities under the guise of others thus far. But those took both her and Darkrai months, often years to set the plans into motion, of dreams they'd both seen.

"To handle each moment by their moment," Cresselia said.

Darkrai's mouth was never visible, covered in complete black. But she could tell by his eyes and the way the ocean rippled—he was amused.

"You want to ride a roller coaster, don't you?" he asked.