A Dance With Lunacy

The moon was a silver circle in the cold cloudless sky, as the shadow-cloaked figure quietly strolled into the crystalline buildings of the quiet city. Few Pokemon were out here tonight – something that worked well to the stranger’s advantage.

Walking the worn old streets brought memories to his mind – memories of better times and better places.

“Isn’t it beautiful, darling? At night the city is so quiet and peaceful. No one cares who we are or what we do.”, his companion said. Their yellow fur shone in the moonlight, taking on a silvery sheen as if he was one of those elusive shiny folks.

“Indeed.”, he replied, “There are no guildmasters, no haters, no one who could separate us. It’s just you and me, as it should be.”

His companion smiled. “Me and you. Say, we had a long day at the academy today. How about we get some Lumjuice and drink until we’re senseless?”

“Really? When tomorrow’s our first real expedition? You must be a lunatic.”, he replied, crossing his feathered arms.

His partner leaned forward then, kissing him on the cheek. “Come on, that’s what makes it fun! Don’t you think?”

The bird smirked. “Alright then. For you, I might as well be the biggest lunatic in the world.”

The stranger walked to an old tavern, a sign reading the Ugly Ducklett hanging outside it. It looked worn and dusty now, but still warm light spilled from its windows as the sounds of music and laughter and clinking dishes rang from inside.

He strode up to the door, thinking for a moment. Then he pulled his cloak around him and pushed open the door, striding over to the bar where a grumpy Indeedee was cleaning glasses.

“Oi, whaddya want.”, he grumbled, looking up at the strange figure. Then he turned pale.

“Wait a second, I remember you…”, he began.

The stranger hushed him, a fierce look in his eyes. “I want a glass of Lumjuice and some quiet. You would be better off if you forgot I existed.”

The Indeedee nodded nervously. “As you say, sir…”

He hurried to the back and rustled around, returning with a tall mug of the sparkling green liquid. The traveler took a long sip of it, the odd mixture of flavors dancing upon his tongue. He looked towards the window, a beam of moonlight shining through.

“To think we became real explorers.”, his friend said, “It’s almost unbelievable, especially from where I come from. Most other cities would have cast me out for being what I am. My species is practically nonexistent. People in this world don’t like strange things much at all.”

He took a deep swig from his tankard. “Even with this badge I get odd looks and slanderous remarks. I’d hate to know what they’d think if our relationship were to be known. The outcast and the golden boy.”

The bird drank from his own mug. “There’s no use reasoning with those Pokemon. They don’t see what I see. Know what I know. Our relationship is just as valid as anyone else’s. Perhaps even more so.”

“After all.”, he continued, “Our relationship is a unique risk that we wouldn’t dare take if it wasn’t a true bond, wouldn’t you say?”

“You’re right.”, his partner admitted, “You always are. It’s why I love you. You help me see the truth and not get lost in my little lies.”

“Someone has to.”, the other replied, smiling.

Even if my lies are far worse than yours.

The figure downed the rest of his drink, a couple of coins materializing into his palm. He slid them on the table and silently slipped out the tavern. No one paid him any mind. They had their own issues to deal with.

And he had his own. He dared not sit still too long for fear that his memories would overwhelm him. Especially here.

He soon reached the market square, the shops empty with only the sounds of the diamond fountain in the middle to fill the night. The moonlight sparkled off the water drops and danced across the diamond surface, filling the square with its own light. The fountain had been carved to resemble the god of the city, a mighty steel dragon that was renowned for its tremendous power. The wanderer walked up to it, running his hand through the rushing water. A soft energy filled him, his Water-type nature reacting to its presence.

In the fountain, many golden coins glittered in the silver rays, left by thousands of Pokemon seeking shelter or a new future. The traveler could hardly guess how much Poke had been sacrificed here.

“Oh, look, it’s Dialga’s Fountain! Perhaps we should throw a coin in and make a wish!”, the partner declared.

The duck frowned. “You do know that’s just a myth, right? A fountain like this cannot grant wishes any more than a Lechonk can fly.”

The cat shrugged. “It’s the thought that counts, you know? Come on, just this once!”

The duck chuckled. “Alright, as you wish.”

The two slipped out a pair of gold coins, flipping them into the sparkling water. The coins shimmered as they sank, the moonlight dancing upon the shining surface and twinkling in the ripples.

“What did you wish for?”, asked the partner eagerly, turning to his companion with a brilliant grin.The other closed his eyes with a soft sigh. “Nothing…and everything.”

He took his partner’s paw into his hand, causing the cat’s eyes to widen and his fur to buzz with surprise. “After all, all I could ever wish for is right here.”, he continued, staring into the electric blue eyes of his beloved.

The cat stared at him with awe and adoration of his own, their emotions for once perfectly mirrored. “The moon is full, and there is no one watching. Come, I know a perfect place.”, the lover said, “It is time to dance.”

After all, he thought, this might very well be their last chance.

The bird stared into the fountain thoughtfully. Wondering if the coins they had cast that day still lingered, hidden in the shadow of the brilliant diamonds. If they had not yet been darkened by years of wishes destined never to come true.

The moon cast a pale shadow. He wondered how many poor souls it had watched over.

How many lives could have been changed.

He tossed his head aside with a scoff, strolling away from the fountain. It seemed to mock him from behind. Knowing well that nothing he could do could change what had been done. Time could not go backwards after all. It marched forward regardless of people’s desires. Hopes and dreams were all but meaningless.

Especially his own.

The streets wound up the stone hills of the city, and the rogue followed them, carefully tracing the path to the glowing heart of the city. The place he had been trained in…the place he now loathed.

As he skulked through the streets, he could taste the darkness in the air – many cruel things had been done in this shining city. Many Pokemon had suffered for the sins of a few. It was up to him to fix it. No matter what it took.

Yet even in the stained air, his memories kept flowing back. The memories of that last night.

“Where are we going, my love?”, purred the cat, leaning fully into his natural charm. The bird kept smiling as they went up the street, his mind racing with energy.

“At this time of night, no one will be in the courtyard.”, he whispered, “The moon shines brightly there, and the night flowers are always blossoming. There, we can simply be ourselves, and enjoy the darkness.”

As they continued to stroll up the hill, the partner said, “Something tells me you’ve been planning this outing a while.”

The bird smirked at him. “And what if I have?”

The cat smiled. “Then I know it’s gonna be a perfect night. After all, you would never settle for less.”

“It is only natural.”, his companion admitted. “After all, why settle for less than perfection? Especially for someone as mythical as you.”

His mind started drifting after that statement. If only he could make the world perfect too…he had been noticing so many things wrong lately. The greedy taxes the guild posed on every recruit. The constant fighting between queens. The endless suffering of common Pokemon. The cruelties everyone imposed on each other.

The hatred for any who dared to love one who was not their opposite in gender.

He would do anything to set things right. Even if the odds of success were as mythical as his partner.

“Are you alright, my love? You seem to be lost in thought.”, asked his partner, distracting him from his thoughts.

“It is nothing.”, came the reply, “Tonight our only thoughts should be each other. I wouldn’t want to spoil the mood.”

The cat looked a little concerned, but nodded. “Of course. Just remember my ears are always open for you.“

“And when I am ready I will tell you.”, the other replied, “But tonight, we dance.”

He did not want to think of what would happen after this night. It was best not to worry his partner. Even though the weight of what he was doing threatened to crush his heart from the inside.

Before him rose a brilliant diamond castle, moonlight dancing through the blue crystals and casting sparkles on the surrounding stone. Statues of famous explorers stood all around, worn and weathered from years of wind and rain. The light sparkled across them, as if they were the heroes anew and alive.

But these were but lifeless copies, a failed attempt by the Guild Academy to reclaim its former glory. Now the place was ruled by a tyrannical queen, and any who were deemed unfit for any reason were thrown out into the streets mercilessly and carelessly.

How it made his blood boil. How he longed to tear them down, show the people how they served false ideals and false heroes. Show them a new path, a better one.

No matter what it took.

The moon shone brightly above him. He once again wondered if he was a lunatic. After all, it was said the moon could drive people mad.

But if it had? He didn’t care anymore.

He crept around the castle ramparts, avoiding the unerring gaze of the guards on the wall. Cloaked in shadows he snuck towards an entrance he had found long ago, a weak spot in the unbreakable palace. The weakness that would bring it shattering down much as it had shattered him.

It wasn’t long before it revealed itself to him – an innocuous-looking hole behind a statue of some old Purrloin hero or something. He hadn’t bothered to remember the name.

The hole, however, was a lot wider and deeper than it seemed at first glance, created by a Dugtrio a while back who had wanted to sneak out into the city without permission. It also, however, allowed people to sneak in. Perfect for the rogue’s mission.

As he snuck through the dark, wet tunnel, he couldn’t help remembering sneaking through this all the time when he was younger, the yellow static fur of his partner always by his side. Now he was alone with only the dark and cold for comfort.

But it only made him grow more determined to see this end.

He reached the end of the tunnel, but there was no light. He pulled himself up behind some dark bushes, the shadow of the castle walls attempting to drown him in their vastness. He had tunneled into the courtyard, the hole buried behind some fragrant flower bushes. Rising above his head were several rare varieties of berry trees, and looking around the plants extended all around the large square. Paths weaved gracefully through the flowers, and in the center was an open plaza featuring stone statue of a Turtwig and a Vulpix, standing guard before another massive diamond statue of Dialga. The dragon god loomed judgmentally over everyone, radiating an aura of power and strength.

But the rogue did not fear it. He was beyond that now.

Yet he couldn’t help but feel a greater sensation of grief than any he had felt before…

“So, this is the place?”, his partner asked, gazing at the moon as it reflected off the statue of the greatest adventurers known.

“It is.”, the lover replied, taking his hand. “Normally only the queen and her retinue are allowed here. But tonight they’re occupied elsewhere. It’s just you and me.”

The cat looked around cautiously. “And what of the guards?”

“They are also occupied.”, the duck replied calmly.

The cat gave him a suspicious look. “Did you cause a mess somewhere?”

The other winked. “Perhaps a small one.”

Oh, it’s very far from a small one.

“All you should worry about now…”, he continued, guiding his partner into the plaza, “is having a good time.”

He started the dance off slow, helping the cat through the motions. He was clumsy at first, for after all he was used to fighting hard and fast, not moving gracefully and slowly. But the bird was a master dancer, for his very species was by nature, and he patiently guided his partner into a steady rhythm. Then the real dance began.

They weaved elegantly through the plaza, the purple night flowers filling the air with a peaceful sweet scent. The moon glistened off the two lovers’ eyes as they stared into each other, the light of adoration shining ever brighter from within. 

Faster and faster they moved, their waltz transitioning into a tango, their hearts warm and beating to their own song. A song they composed together, a dance solely their own. 

Their feet seemed to move of their accord, guided by the graceful light from above. All they could see was each other, feeling the other’s warmth, breathing in their scent. The dance moved ever faster and more erratic, a dance of madness and burning passion.

They whirled into a blur of blue and yellow, the dance reaching its climax. They saw nothing beyond themselves, the entire universe consisting of the man wrapped in their embrace, their eyes focused only on the greatest treasure in their life. Nothing else mattered.

And then, as fast as it started, it ended. The cat leaned back as the bird leaned over him, the two nuzzling each other with a passion only two lovers could share. The moon shone ever brighter, their gasping breaths the only thing that could be heard.

They were an odd pair indeed. A Zeraora and a Quaquaval. A most unlikely pair, impossible to believe it could exist. And yet, here it was, existing in spite of all the odds. No queen or god could stop them.

The two stared at each other for quite a while more. Then they stood up and stepped back, looking towards each other with eyes as full of affection as any two soulmates could ever get.

“You really are a good dancer.”, the Zeraora breathed.

“You’re not too bad yourself, for a first timer.”, the Quaquaval chuckled.

The Zeraora looked around the garden, and chuckled himself. “We really are lunatics, aren’t we?”

The Quaquaval smiled warmly. “If we are, I would never want to be anything else. Not for the entire world.”

The partner stepped back towards him. “Shall we dance some more?”

The duck stepped forward as well. “Yes. Let us dance with lunacy. After tonight, nothing else matters. We shall both be madmen, and no queen or Pokemon can stop us. No Pokemon at all.”

“A dance with lunacy.”, the rogue murmured, “Ah, what fools we were.”

He walked over to the statue, brushing a blue-feathered hand over it. “Do you remember that night? How warm it was, yet how suddenly it turned as cold as your lifeless form? How everything was stolen from me under your watchful eyes, how I was driven to the edge of the abyss and cast into the darkness? All because I dared challenge the corrupt authority you let form.”

He chuckled quietly to himself. “That night was the end. But it was also the beginning.”

He slipped a dagger into his hand, a cold steel blade sapping what little warmth the moon had left. “Now, it is time for something else to end. Something new to begin.”

The assassin dashed down one of the paths out of the courtyard, slipping through one of the doors into the castle. The queen, overconfident fool that she was, had never dreamed someone would dare sneak into her diamond fortress, dare challenge her god-gifted might. Dare put an end to her cruel reign, dare cut her heart out like she had so many others.

The bird spotted a guard marching down the corridor nearby. A flick of his wrist, and the Pokemon collapsed with a gurgle, a dagger in his neck and red blood pouring across the diamond floor, staining it. The duck calmly strode over to the dying mon, pressing a foot to their chest and ripping the dagger free. He traced the blood down the blade, savoring the warm liquid and the aura within. This would be useful.

He glided away, not a feeling in his heart. There was no room for sentiment left. Not after what these soldiers had done, what they had allowed. 

The rogue carved a path of death towards the throne room, soldier after soldier falling to his cursed blades. But he stopped when he reached a certain door, one engraved with the winged badge of the Guild Academy. The Guild Academy, he remembered, was attached directly to the castle, to better allow the queen to communicate with the guildmaster and survey the hopeful young students who came here to learn.

He had been one of those once. But he had learned now. One day these students too would learn. 

The bird doubled back, dragging several of the corpses here. He kicked open the door and pushed them in, before using the blood to trace a message on the door. He would teach them. They would fear him, yes, they would not believe him at first, but the words of blood read only the truth. Reading out the abuses the queens unleashed daily, each word a jab at all the sins monarchy had wrought.

One day they all would understand. Authority was a set of silent chains, a cruel weight used only by the few to control the many. A weight only lunatics could see, and cast aside. Only madmen dared fight the system.

But the system was failing. And with every life he took, that system would break apart. And Pokemon would seize the freedom that was rightfully theirs.

The last word was traced, and the rogue continued deeper, his blood blazing like fire, his heart made of iron determination. He reached the opulent doors of diamond, the gates that led to his prize. The walls the queen used to pretend she was greater than the Pokemon outside, that her word was any more valuable than theirs.

That only she could govern life and death.

The assassin shattered the gates like she had shattered his heart.

The chase had gone on for days, the bird running far from the castle. In his bag, he carried two treasures – one a glowing blue crystal shaped like a gear and a clock, the power of a stolen god beating within. The other a ring he had never been able to slip onto his love’s paw.

Twas the price for defying the will of a monarch.

The soldiers pursued him from behind, hoping to seize the stolen treasure and burn him alive for daring to love a man. They would use lightning for that, seeing as he happened to be a Water type, but it would achieve the same goal. Every step took the thief closer to death. Yet he would not stop running. There was too much left to be done.

He remembered the dance just a few hours prior. A dance disrupted by a flood of soldiers, summoned by a traitor that the duck thought had been a friend. That Pokemon would be found dead in a couple weeks. No one would know what happened to them.

The bird recalled how they had captured his love, still warm and happy from their dance, how they had dragged him away into the darkness. The bird had fought to get him back with all his might, but it was too late.

It was always too late.

The ground grew emptier and lifeless, undoubtedly how his partner’s life was failing right now. Nothing could grow here anymore. The barren earth awaited his bones, seethed with anticipation. There was only so much more he could run.’

There’s a bridge ahead.’, he thought, ‘They cannot pursue you over the bridge. It is cursed, forbidden. No one in the service of a queen dares cross the chasm of all evil.’

But suddenly, there was no ground left to run on. The bird staggered, the chasm appearing out of nowhere, like a mirage. An infinitely deep pit of darkness, the other side a distant shore never to be reached. He turned, panicked, looking for the bridge. But he had taken a wrong turn. There was no bridge here. There was nothing but death. The duck grabbed his satchel, staring at the accursed treasure within. Why couldn’t he have waited another night? Why had he needed to dance to the tune of the queen’s anguish?

There was too much left to be done. And yet it was already too late.

“There he is! The thief and the heretic!”, roared a guard, the soldiers appearing on the horizon. They rode a wagon pulled by feral Mudsdale, the wild Pokemon treated as nothing more than beasts of burden. But the bird could see the seeds of wisdom still inside them, a chance to be more than a monster stolen so cruelly from them.

The rogue looked at the bag again, and felt a sudden calm. It was over for him. But he could still do one thing more.

With a mocking grin, he tossed the bag behind him, listened as it bounced off the cliff walls and fell into the darkness, never to be seen again.

The queen was now just like any other Pokemon. She would die one day, once another saw what he had seen.

The soldiers rushed towards him, the brokenhearted Quaquaval readying his blades for one final fight.

It was another dance, a dance with death this time. His blades weaved through armor and flesh and blood, seizing life with every strike. But he was only one, and the soldiers were many. And even he could not fight them all.

A sharp pain in his gut. A spear fused with his flesh. With a ragged gasp, he staggered back, falling to one knee.

“No one will remember you, traitor.”, the stabber growled, “You will just be another set of bones in the maw of evil. There won’t even be a body to bury.”

He kicked the duck in the chest, sending him falling into the chasm. As he fell, the bird looked up towards the moon, the pale light gazing down at the dying soul. Slowly, he reached out a hand, his eyes leaking tears as he remembered how he had danced before it. How it still shined on him in his final moments.

His love, he hoped, could see it too. Would remember their final moments together. Keep him close to his heart forever, would survive, live, and understand.

Then the darkness swallowed him, his life consumed.

The rogue burst into the throne room, his eyes glowing red with malice and power. Shadows whirled up around him, reacting to the fury in his blood.

At the end of the hall, the queen gave a startled gasp, the bejeweled Roserade alarmed and afraid for the first time in her life. She had stayed here late to wrap up some military plans, thinking that she was safe in her impenetrable walls and strong defenders. Her diamond throne glittered in the moonlight pouring in from the windows – a throne that would soon be darkened with blood.

Ten soldiers rushed towards the shadow-wreathed bird, and he welcomed them with open arms. Ten daggers rose up around him, held by tendrils of pure shadow. Ten lives were snuffed in an instant, drained into the darkness bursting from his soul. Death was meaningless now. He was the herald of a god, an angel of vengeance. The world had hoped to steal everything from him. Now he would steal everything from it.

The queen grabbed a nearby sword, her eyes wide with fear. The bird’s eyes fell upon a scroll hanging around her neck, and he grinned maliciously. “You have something my master wants.”, he purred, his every step a mocking dance as he grew closer and closer to her, “But I could care less about that. No, this?” He brandished his bloodstained dagger, the queen’s name carved out in burning letters upon it. “This is personal.”

The queen trembled, holding her sword close. “What are you!? How dare you come here!?”

“Oh, you don’t remember me, Rosanna? I stole your precious diamond. I danced in your garden. I served in your castle, following your silly little rules and chafing under your silly little regime. And you? You stole my love. Dragged my little cat into the dungeon to die, simply because he loved me.”, the assassin purred, “But of course you don’t remember. I was just another annoyance. You’re used to dealing with those.”

He lunged forward, grabbing her throat and slamming her against her throne. “Unfortunately, this annoyance got a little too powerful.”

Rosanna choked and squirmed, the sword clattering to the ground. Moonlight poured through the windows, the silver light turning red as blood. “William.”, she hissed.

“Oh, you do remember me! Or perhaps you remember the other queens. I’m starting a little quest of regicide, you see. Unless they decide to serve the true lord of this land. The compilation of all the sins you rulers have committed.”, William said, pressing her tighter against the wall. The dagger pressed against his hand, singing to the lifeblood pulsing beneath him.

“But you? You don’t even get that choice. You killed me and my future. You put my friends through hell until they broke or submitted. Drained all their hard-earned coins, for what? To furnish your little palace? The Guild Academy was the perfect scam after all.”

William’s face twisted into a grotesque grin. “Unfortunately, Giratina sent in a call. Your sins have caught up to you. And now it’s your turn to pay the price.”

He twisted her head towards the window, forced her eyes to gaze upon the blood moon. “Look there. That was the last sight I got to share with my love. That red color? That’s your blood.”

Then he made his slice, and dropped her lifeless corpse to the ground.

“Such an unfortunate soul you are. Your life cut short and cast aside, everything you loved torn apart. And yet there is still so much to be done.”

William laid broken on a rock, surrounded in darkness so deep no light could ever penetrate it. The spear was still buried in his gut. His blood still soaked the rocks around him. And yet, he was somehow alive. The only pain the blazing anguish in his heart.

The voice shifted upon sensing him. “Ah, you awake. You must be so very confused. You were dead. And now you are not quite as dead as before.”

William frowned. “What are you? Why am I here?”

“Ah, you ask the real questions. You may know me as the Darkness. And you are here because I decided the world has not gotten enough of you yet.”, came the voice. “I saved you from certain death, because I want to make a deal.”

“What kind of deal, exactly?”, inquired William suspiciously.

“Vengeance…”, purred the Darkness. “Change. You and I, we are both chained by fate. Destined to suffer for being different, for daring to overthrow the status quo. But both of us refuse to let that be all, don’t we? We both want to fix this, make it the right way, our way. You and I could make a great team. Together, we can change everything.”

William asked, “And how exactly would we go about that?”

“Oh it is far too simple. Together, we have more power than all the queens combined. Together, we can make them bow, or destroy them if need-be. Together we can take the whole world…and use our powers to make it the best world all will ever know.”

“An interesting proposition.”, William mused, “But all I want is Zerys.”

The Darkness hissed at the name. “Such a shame, then, that there is nothing I can do to save him. Not broken and chained like this.”

“But.”, it added, “If you can free me, I will have all the power in the world. And you and Zerys shall dance again.” The Darkness sighed. “But of course, you can choose not to. But he will have died in vain. And you will never find anyone else who can or will give you such a fair deal.”

William clenched his beak. But he knew that the Darkness was right. He could sense the genuine tone of its voice. Could feel the power begging to be free. And a primal piece of him wanted that power too. But all of that was nothing compared to his blazing desire to see those blue eyes again. To brush a hand through that static golden fur. Hear the sweet purr of his voice.

He would do anything to have that. Even making such a dark bargain as this.

“Very well. What must I do?”

William plucked the scroll from around the queen’s bleeding neck, shaking off the excess and slipping it into his pouch. Alarms began ringing across the city, Pokemon panicking at the sight of the moon as it shone as bright red as the pool forming at the duck’s feet.

They were all about to have a very bad night. The Darkness was coming. It was a dark storm on the horizon, a black hole which no one could escape. Such a monster could destroy the entire world and no one could stop it. William questioned whether it was right to unleash such a horror.

But then Zerys appeared in his mind, and his soul hardened with an iron will.

“Perhaps I am mad.”, William whispered, “But oh, I don’t care anymore. Now it’s just me and lunacy. But the entire world will join the dance, and my little cat and I shall be the star performance.” (-o-)