"Nobody?"
"Now Team Galactic isn't even sending members to guard the gate of Alamos Town?"
That night, Riku quietly slipped out of the presidential suite a little after one o'clock in the morning.
He had definitely overthought things earlier, assuming that booking only one room meant he and Cynthia would have to share a bed. But to his surprise, the presidential suite had five rooms in total. Despite that, Riku still felt a twinge of disappointment.
Still, he quickly cheered up. Remembering his promise to Darkrai, he headed to Alamos Town.
The area was swept with a chilling wind, and Riku regretted not wearing an extra layer. After observing the gate for a while and confirming that no one was around, he cautiously slipped inside.
After walking a short distance, Darkrai's voice echoed in his mind:
"Great being, I have been waiting for a long time."
"How have you considered it?" Riku got straight to the point.
"Give me a definite answer. I'm the kind of person who dislikes those who won't drink a toast... and those who drink a forfeit? I take their Pokémon."
"Don't make this difficult for me."
"I agree."
A whole night had been enough for Darkrai to weigh the pros and cons. Since it was going to agree anyway, it figured dragging things out would only risk angering Riku—the so-called great being.
"Not bad. A wise Pokémon knows better than to fight the odds," Riku nodded.
"You can come out now. No need to be evasive—we've already seen each other before. Be more generous."
If any other human had said that, Darkrai would have erupted with twice its battle power and immediately tried to assassinate the arrogant fool. But Riku was no ordinary human. He was the "great being." So, Darkrai complied.
"Not bad, not bad—looking even more handsome."
Watching Darkrai gradually reveal itself from the shadows, Riku smiled and nodded approvingly.
Just as Darkrai was about to speak, Riku suddenly pulled out the Pokédex he had received from Professor Rowan that day and aimed it at Darkrai.
Darkrai was stunned. This was the great being—why would he do something like that? Wasn't it demeaning? The gesture felt awkward, as if a handsome young idol were being shamelessly photographed and drooled over by a group of overly eager, middle-aged aunties. The feeling was hard to put into words.
"Beep..."
"Darkrai, a Dark-type Pokémon."
"Darkrai is a black, shadow-like Pokémon. It has white, mist-like hair that constantly rolls, covering most of its face, revealing only a pair of bright blue eyes. Its hands are black and claw-like with three fingers each, and its upper body is shaped like an hourglass. Typically floating, Darkrai lacks legs but can manifest leg-like appendages. It is genderless, though sometimes seen as the male counterpart to Cresselia.
Note: Darkrai can cause others to fall into endless nightmares unless they carry a Lunar Wing. This ability is a defensive mechanism, not an act of malice."
...
"Great being... is that alright?"
At this point, Darkrai looked at Riku with aggrieved, teary eyes—like a little girl who had just been scolded.
"Alright, alright, no problem," Riku replied, snapping the Pokédex shut like a satisfied photographer.
"Now that you've agreed to stand by my side, tell me where Team Galactic is."
"We couldn't find them all day. Were you playing tricks?"
"Great being, you guessed right," Darkrai replied with a somewhat embarrassed look.
"If it were just you, I wouldn't have dared to play tricks. But since Team Galactic has been monitoring you, I had to act. Otherwise, you and that woman would've found their temporary base."
"If I hadn't stepped in, Team Galactic would've stood no chance against you..."
"No need to explain. I understand your position," Riku waved dismissively.
"Now, tell me the location of Team Galactic. I kept things from my partner today because of you, so I need to make up for it."
"At the Spear Pillar," Darkrai answered directly, pointing into the distance.
As it did, the surrounding gray fog instantly dissipated.
"There really is a tower," Riku blinked.
"You created this fog just to hide Team Galactic's location, huh?"
"That tower... is it where the gods of time and space reside?"
"You could say that," Darkrai nodded.
"But technically, Dialga and Palkia reside in dimensions adjacent to the Spear Pillar. You won't find them just by going there."
"Then how is Team Galactic confident they can summon them?" Riku asked, puzzled.
"Great being, are you aware of the lake guardians—Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf?"
"Professor Rowan mentioned those names earlier while talking about Team Galactic," Riku frowned.
"Gods of knowledge, emotion, and willpower, right? I forget the exact order."
"That's right," Darkrai confirmed.
"These tier 2 legendaries aren't the most powerful, but they're famous—especially after the battle five years ago."
"Team Galactic once used all their strength to capture them. Their leader, Cyrus, planned to awaken Dialga and Palkia through the lake guardians."
"But ultimately, the plan failed."
"Wait, what?!" Riku was shocked.
"You mean Team Galactic caught the lake guardians again?!"
"They're tier 2 legendaries! How could they be that easy to catch?"
"No, no," Darkrai shook its head.
"The guardians have become more cautious, and Team Galactic isn't as powerful as before. Catching them again is nearly impossible."
"However... Cyrus had a backup plan."
"They preserved key genetic material from the lake guardians and, with tech bought from Team Rocket, created replicas."
"Though these clones lack divine power and independent thought, they should be enough to awaken Dialga and Palkia."
"Great being, Team Galactic discovered you today and is now accelerating their plans..."
"How do you know all this?" Riku narrowed his eyes.
"Logically, if they're still plotting against me, they wouldn't reveal anything."
"They didn't," Darkrai said with pride.
"I extracted the information myself. I've taken control of two Team Galactic members and can monitor their every move."
So, Darkrai wasn't a fool.
Riku nodded. "Let's put them aside for now. By the way, am I being monitored now that I've entered Alamos Town?"
"Will our relationship be discovered?"
"Don't worry," Darkrai sneered.
"Team Galactic's surveillance equipment is nothing. I can block it with my fog. They won't see a thing."
"However, if I block it for too long, they'll become suspicious."
"Great being, do you have any other instructions?"
"You seem quite invested in this mission. Are you trying to work with me from the inside to sabotage Team Galactic?"
"Exactly," Riku nodded.
"But just to be safe... I'm going to catch you."
"Team Galactic will surely try to catch you too. But if you're already registered under me, they won't be able to."
Darkrai hesitated.
Being caught by a human—regardless of how terrifying that human was—meant giving up freedom, being confined to a Poké Ball.
"Unwilling?" Riku raised an eyebrow, Poké Ball in hand. He hadn't come out in the middle of the night for nothing.
If Cynthia knew what he was thinking, she'd probably curse him.
That's Darkrai! If Cynthia had the chance, she wouldn't mind waiting a year to catch it.
"Willing," Darkrai finally nodded bitterly. But upon seeing the ball in Riku's hand, it added:
"Great being, are you planning to catch me with an ordinary Poké Ball?"
"I advise against it. Regular Poké Balls won't work on me."
"Why not?" Riku asked.
"You don't have a divine title yet. That means ordinary Poké Balls should work on anything below legendary rank."
"I'm a bit different—somewhere between a legendary and a pseudo-legendary," Darkrai explained.
"At the very least, you'll need an Ultra Ball. Even a hundred standard Poké Balls would be useless."
"Seriously?" Riku groaned.
"Alright, wait here. I'll check if the shop is still open. It looked 24/7 when I scouted it earlier."
With that, he left Alamos Town in a hurry.
After he left, Darkrai thinned the fog slightly, letting Team Galactic's surveillance confirm that nothing unusual had happened.
---
"Sigh..."
"Three hundred and fifty thousand Poké Dollars, gone just like that."
Looking at his depleted bank card, Riku felt his heart bleed.
But for Darkrai, it was worth it. If he offered it to Cynthia for ten billion, she might actually pay it.
Some Pokémon were truly priceless.
Very few trainers would ever trade Pokémon of this caliber.
Returning from the shop took him about an hour. Full of anticipation, Riku stepped back into Alamos Town when Darkrai's voice rang out:
"Great being, don't come in yet!"
"Team Galactic executives just arrived on patrol... Leave quickly! I think they've spotted you!"
What the hell?!
After all that effort—going back and forth, spending a fortune—was it all for nothing?
Just as Riku cursed inwardly, two figures appeared in the distance.
Annoyed, he didn't intend to run.
Team Galactic executives? So what?
Even Bruno, an Indigo League Elite Four veteran, wasn't his match.
If he ran from a few executives, how would he ever brag about defeating Bruno again?
-----------More Bonus Chapters!!!!
Every 300 power stones = 1 Bonus Chapter