Chapter 16: Nightmare

Team Sunrise followed along behind Marill, the water-type doing his best to explain about his brother’s condition as he frantically led the explorers through Treasure Town’s residential area. In his haste, Marill nearly bumped into several of the other pokemon who were going about their business along the way. Each time, Marill hastily called out a timid apology, though he still didn’t slow down.

Flynn couldn’t blame Marill for his panic, given the circumstances. But it wouldn’t do the water-type any good if he hyperventilated before even reaching the house. “Just breathe,” Flynn quietly spoke up.

“Y-Yeah,” Melody nodded. “Azurill will be alright in the end. You’ll see.”

Marill didn’t seem completely convinced at the words, but he shakily returned the nod. “I-I hope so. I just… I wish there was m-more I could do about all this.”

“Did the doctors have any idea what could be causing this?” Melody asked.

Marill shook his head. “N-No. Not a clue. None of them had ever h-heard of someone being stuck in a n-nightmare like this before.”

“I remember when I ran into you two at the library, a couple weeks ago… Azurill mentioned that he’d had a bad dream then, too,” Melody said. “Has… he had more of them, since then?”

“I-I think so,” Marill said. “He never t-told me much about what they were like, though.” He shuddered a bit. “O-Ooh, if I’d known that something as serious as this might have happened, I’d… I-I’d…” He could barely hold himself back from tears.

Flynn silently grimaced, his thoughts turning to Cresselia. He refused to believe she wasn’t involved in this somehow. She’d already been haunting his and Melody’s dreams lately. It wasn’t hard to imagine she might be able to do something like this. The only question was why. But they’d need a chance to talk to Cresselia again in order to answer that.

After a few more minutes, the trio finally arrived at Marill’s home. Unlike most of the various shops in Treasure Town, this building had a fairly simple and plain design, though the mailbox out front did sport a small pair of blue ears modeled after its owners.

Marill rushed up to the door, opening it wide for Team Sunrise before quickly stepping inside. As Flynn followed, he spotted Azurill laying on a small straw bed. Azurill’s face was scrunched up in pain, and he tossed and turned fitfully as he groaned in his sleep.

A distraught looking Azumarill sat beside Azurill’s bed, her eyes still wet with tears as she stared helplessly down at her child. “Shh… It’s going to be okay, sweetie,” she managed to whisper. “Your big brother’s back with more help, see?” She slowly glanced up at Marill for a moment, before her eyes turned toward Flynn and Melody. “You two… must be Team Sunrise, then?”

Flynn gave a halting nod, as Melody answered, “Y-Yes. That’s right.” The pair had heard about Marill and Azurill’s mother in passing a few times, but they’d never had a chance to meet her in person before. From what Flynn remembered, she had apparently been rather ill for a while back when he and Melody had first joined the guild. It was nice to see she was in good health now… though it sadly seemed that the poor family just couldn’t catch a break for long.

“My boys have told me about everything you both have done for them,” Azumarill quietly said. “And… for everyone, really. I… can’t really thank the two of you enough.” She glanced sadly down at Azurill again. “I just wish the circumstances were different right now.”

Marill nodded shakily. “I-I know you two are probably just as l-lost as we are, on s-something like this. But… like I said before, I-I didn’t know who else to turn to.”

Melody nervously walked up to Azurill’s side and settled a paw on his forehead. “It doesn’t feel like he has a fever. I… I could try to use Heal Bell on him, but… if none of the doctors could do anything, I-I don’t know if it’d do much.”

Flynn let out a thoughtful hum, trying to come up with anything they could try. “Could… a psychic-type potentially look into his dream?”

Marill tilted his head a bit. “Y-You know… I didn’t think to ask. But it… seems like a sensible idea. Maybe if we could see what his nightmare is about, i-it might tell us how to fix it.”

“We should try and bring him up to the guild, in that case,” Melody suggested. “If something like that is possible, Chimecho might be able to do it. O-Or if not, we can at least ask Chatot if he knows anything else that could help.” She turned to look at Azumarill. “Do you think it’ll be fine moving Azurill all the way up there?”

Azumarill nodded. “Like you said, he doesn’t seem to be sick or injured. Whatever’s going on, I don’t think moving him should hurt anything.” She gently lifted Azurill into her arms. Her eyes quivered at the pain on Azurill’s face, but she quickly shook her head. She took a deep breath, steeling herself as she turned to follow Team Sunrise out the door.

Nobody said another word as Flynn and Melody started to lead the way towards the guild.

---

Unfortunately, Chimecho wasn’t able to provide much help. As it turned out, not just any psychic-type would be able to look into a pokemon’s dreams. A task like this would require a more specialized pokemon, like a Drowzee or a Hypno.

Melody instantly thought back to the first outlaw she and Flynn had caught. And judging by the brief change she noticed in Marill’s expression, he was likely flashing back to the same thing. Thankfully, that outlaw was not the only individual of his species they could seek out for help. Chatot happened to be aware of a Hypno doctor living here in Treasure Town, who should apparently have the skills they needed. He sent Bidoof out to go contact the Hypno, while Team Sunrise continued to wait by Azurill’s bedside in one of the guild’s empty crew rooms.

Melody silently glanced over at Azurill’s family. She wished she knew what to say. She wanted to try and reassure them, but she wasn’t exactly feeling the most calm herself. Flynn’s presence helped a bit, but… Azurill’s condition wasn’t even the only thing weighing on her mind right now. Cresselia’s words from the other night still rang in her head. She wanted to believe that Flynn was right, that Cresselia had to be lying to them, but… she couldn’t help but worry.

She was glad that Chatot had left the room to deal with other business. She had a feeling he had connected the same dots as well, even knowing only what they’d told him before, and she was still not prepared to try and tell him everything that Cresselia had said, if he started asking.

Finally, after a half-hour which felt much longer than it was, Bidoof returned, trailed by an aged-looking Hypno with a small set of spectacles perched on his long nose. The psychic-type took a moment to softly clear his throat before looking around the room. “I was told you all need a dream specialist, yes?”

Marill flinched slightly as he looked up at the Hypno. He hesitated for a moment or two, before turning to gesture back at Azurill. “Y-Yes, sir. My… my b-brother… h-he’s been asleep for over a day, now. N-Nobody knows how to wake him. He just… t-tosses and turns, like he’s stuck in a nightmare.”

The Hypno slowly stepped over to Azurill’s bed. He held out one hand, closing his eyes as a faint psychic glow started to envelop Azurill’s body. After only a couple of seconds, a frown settled on Hypno’s face. “Hm… Very strange.” The psychic glow slowly faded, and the Hypno opened his eyes.

“W-What is it?” Marill anxiously asked. “D-Did you see anything? Do you know what’s going on? C-Can you…” Marill trailed off as the Hypno held up a hand for silence.

“I saw… some of it, anyway,” Hypno said. “But… whatever this nightmare is, it’s quite different from anything I’ve personally encountered before. It feels like… like a thick dark fog shrouding Azurill’s mind. Even for me, it is difficult to see through the fog enough to tell what is happening in the dream.”

“Can you do anything to help him?” Azumarill asked.

“Hm… I believe there is one option.” Hypno’s gaze drifted across all of the pokemon gathered in the room. “I cannot do anything from out here. But by linking up dreams, I should be able to let one or two of you go into Azurill’s nightmare for yourselves.”

Melody’s eyes widened a bit at that. “You can do that?”

Hypno nodded. “It requires quite a bit of focus, even from someone as experienced with dreams as myself. But yes, it is possible.” He looked down at Azurill once again. “If you can manage to find Azurill within the dream, you might just be able to help him wake up.”

“But… if this nightmare is keeping Azurill trapped, would it really be a good idea to send other pokemon in?” Azumarill asked. “What if they get trapped too?”

“I believe I should be able to sever the dream link before that could happen, if need be,” Hypno said. “Though I will not pretend there are no other risks. As I said, I have never encountered a nightmare like this one before. I can barely guess as to what you may encounter in there.” He paused, a deathly serious look on his face as he looked around at everyone. “If we are to attempt this, I suggest whoever is going in should be prepared for anything. Preferably, it should also be someone Azurill trusts, as that may make it easier to help Azurill once you find him.”

It didn’t take long for everyone’s gazes to turn to Team Sunrise. Melody shrunk back a bit at the sudden attention, not helped by how nervous she’d already been. She turned to meet Flynn’s gaze. After a moment, both of them nodded. “W-We’ll do it. For A-Azurill.”

As the pair walked up to Azurill’s bedside, Hypno reached into his satchel and pulled out a small stone ring attached to a thin string. “Before we can get you into this dream, I’m going to need you two to fall asleep first,” he said. “Just keep your eyes on this. It should only take a few moments.”

Melody and Flynn complied, staring at the stone disk as it began to slowly swing like a pendulum. Back and forth. Back and forth. The slow, steady rhythm was quite hypnotic, and Melody quickly found her eyelids starting to droop…

---

When Flynn and Melody next began to regain consciousness, they could instantly feel that something was off even before they could see any of their surroundings. The air itself felt dark and heavy, sending an unpleasant shiver down both of the explorers’ spines.

As Flynn slowly cracked open his eyes, the sight that met him caused his breath to briefly catch in his throat.

They appeared to be back in the middle of Treasure Town. Or, at least… what was left of it. Most of the buildings and merchant’s tents had been heavily damaged, loose beams and tarp laying strewn about the street. The town was completely deserted; not a single other pokemon was visible anywhere.

Flynn and Melody exchanged a solemn look. Even knowing this was merely a nightmare, it still hurt to see the town in this kind of shape.

Before either of them could say anything, Hypno’s telepathic voice rang out in both of their heads, startling them both slightly. “Can you hear me? Have you two safely entered the dream?”

Melody instinctively tried to look around for the source of the voice, but of course Hypno was nowhere to be seen. “Uh… Y-Yes, we have,” Melody replied.

“That is good to hear. The link seems to have stabilized, so we should be safe to proceed. If you find anything you think may be important in there, or if you need me to pull you out of the dream, just say the word.”

“U-Understood,” Melody said.

She turned to meet Flynn’s gaze again. The pair nodded silently to each other, their faces hardening with resolve.

Team Sunrise started to explore the ruined streets of this distorted version of Treasure Town, keeping their eyes peeled for anything of interest. For a while, things remained disconcertingly quiet. They still hadn’t encountered a single pokemon, hostile or otherwise, or seen any indication of what would have caused this kind of damage.

Perhaps the most unnerving part was that… despite the fact that they still hadn’t encountered any other pokemon here, Flynn couldn’t shake the feeling that they were being watched. At first, he thought it was just the way Hypno was monitoring them. But he didn’t think that was it. This felt… too familiar.

“W-What is it, Flynn?” Melody spoke up. “Did you notice something?”

Flynn remained silent for a moment, slowing to a stop as he scanned the surroundings. Eventually, he shook his head. “…Just can’t shake the feeling that Cresselia’s here, too.”

Melody visibly shuddered a bit at that. “I-I’d sort of noticed it too. It’s… certainly possible, considering this is another dream.” She looked around warily for a moment herself, before adding, “Do you… think she could be responsible for this?”

“Would be surprised if she isn’t,” Flynn said bluntly. Cresselia had claimed that she hadn’t caused Team Sunrise’s recent bad dreams. That the two of them had brought the nightmares on themselves, somehow. But the fact that she’d conveniently always been there watching them during those nightmares seemed to say otherwise.

Still, the thought that Cresselia would target someone as innocent and helpless as Azurill, like this… Flynn felt his inner fire flare up slightly in anger. He was going to have more than just words to exchange with her, the next time he saw her.

Flynn shook his head softly to clear it, before he started slowly walking down the path again, ready to continue their search. But after a couple of steps, he realized Melody wasn’t following. He stopped and turned to face his partner. The Skitty stared down at the ground, her ears folded down and a distant look on her face. “…Melody?”

Melody gave a slight start at Flynn’s voice. She raised her head to look at him. “S-Sorry. I-I just, um…” She hesitated for a moment, before shaking her head. “…N-Never mind. Let’s, u-um… l-lets just go.” She quickly stepped out in front of Flynn, unable to meet his eyes as she started down the path ahead of him.

Flynn frowned. He followed along behind Melody for a short while, mulling over what to say. “…I still don’t think she’s telling the truth,” he eventually spoke up, taking his best shot at what was bothering her. From the way he saw Melody lightly wince, he’d been right.

“I-I know,” Melody muttered with a shaky nod. She still didn’t meet Flynn’s gaze, however.

Cresselia had barely explained anything, the last time she appeared in their dreams. She’d simply claimed that their mere existence was distorting space itself, and that it would lead to some kind of disaster if not dealt with. If it weren’t for the fact that the first part lined up with what the voice at Luminous Spring had previously told them, Flynn would have thrown out her words altogether, and Melody would likely have done the same.

As it was, Flynn’s gut was still adamant that Cresselia was not to be trusted. But for now, they didn’t have the evidence to say that for certain. And until they did, Flynn knew there was nothing he could say that would fully put Melody at ease, much as he wanted to.

For now, he supposed the only thing he could do was stand by her side, like he always did. Hopefully that would be enough.

The pair continued their search along the rubble-laden path. Suddenly, a distant noise caught both of their attention. Melody perked up her ears, and both of the explorers gazed out into the distance for a moment, trying to figure out what they’d heard. The sound had been too faint for Flynn to make out. But Melody seemed to have heard it a little better. “I-I think it was Azurill. It sounded… it sounded like he’s crying.”

For a long moment, everything fell silent. Flynn focused as hard as he could, trying to listen out for the noise again. Eventually, Flynn heard it. “…Think it’s coming from this way,” Flynn said, pointing a paw down one of the nearby paths.

Melody nodded. With renewed focus, the pair began following the sound, hoping it would lead them to Azurill.

Only a couple minutes later, they found something that neither of them were expecting: a staircase leading down, laying right in the middle of the street.

Flynn glanced around at the surroundings with a new sort of suspicion. This nightmare… couldn’t be a mystery dungeon, could it? Some of the terrain here had felt a little dungeon-like at times; fallen debris had often forced the explorers into constrained paths, and Flynn was certain he’d seen the same half-destroyed building at least three times in different places as they’d gone along. But it didn’t make sense for a dream like this to actually be a mystery dungeon. Especially when Azurill had likely barely experienced any dungeons himself.

Of course, if someone else was crafting this nightmare… then it might make a little more sense. Flynn couldn’t help but scowl, even more certain now that Cresselia was behind this.

The stairway was shrouded in darkness, making it impossible to tell where it lead to. Still, the pair had no other clear way forward. After sharing a brief nod, Flynn and Melody started to climb down, mentally preparing themselves for whatever they might find on the other side.

A few moments later, they found themselves on the next ‘floor’ of the nightmare. Oddly, this one didn’t bear any resemblance to the last. Instead of a ruined vision of Treasure Town, they were now on a craggy mountainside. And whereas the previous floor had felt vaguely like a mystery dungeon at times, this floor blatantly was one. Given how familiar the light gray stone that formed the rugged walls looked to Flynn, perhaps this was even modeled after a specific dungeon.

Which of the mountain dungeons that they’d been to did this remind him of, exactly? He tried to think… it wasn’t Mt. Horn, it definitely wasn’t Sky Peak…

…Oh. It was Mt. Bristle. They were in a recreation of Mt. Bristle… in the middle of Azurill’s nightmare.

Almost as soon as that realization sunk in, Flynn noticed a certain yellow and brown pokemon slowly advancing towards them from one of the nearby corridors. Drowzee wore the same faux-polite smile he’d had when Team Sunrise first met him… though this Drowzee was at least twice as tall as he’d been in reality, towering well over Flynn and Melody’s height.

“Well, what do we have here? Are you two lost?” Drowzee asked. “I’ll tell you what, I can lead you both safely down from this mountain, free of charge. Just follow me.”

Flynn and Melody exchanged an uncomfortable glance. “…We can, um… handle ourselves,” Melody said. “But thank you for the offer.”

“Oh, but I insist.” Drowzee continued to slowly walk towards them. Flynn and Melody backed up towards a different corridor out of the room, keeping their eyes on the psychic-type the entire time. Drowzee’s expression hardened slightly in response. “What’s the matter? I’m just tryin’ to be generous, here. There’s no need to be scared.”

If this were the same, regular Drowzee that Team Sunrise had fought so many months ago, Flynn wouldn’t hesitate to fight. They’d defeated him when they were still only rookies, they could certainly defeat him now. But this clearly wasn’t just a normal Drowzee. This was a nightmare influenced by Azurill’s memories from that day. Who knows what kinds of tricks this thing could pull out if they tried to simply beat it in a straight fight?

Melody seemed to reach the same conclusion. So after sharing another brief look, Team Sunrise nodded to each other, before turning around and dashing down the corridor as fast as they could.

“Hey! You get back here, you brats!”

Loud, thumping footsteps that nearly shook the floor under their feet sounded from behind Team Sunrise as they sprinted down the corridor. A part of Flynn wanted to glance back to look, but he didn’t want to take his eyes off the path ahead.

As they entered another large chamber, Melody’s ears perked up a bit, angling towards one side of the room. “I-I think… I hear A-Azurill again,” she panted. She diverted her path to head down the appropriate corridor, and Flynn followed her lead. Sure enough, he could faintly hear Azurill’s sobbing off in the distance too now that she had pointed it out.

“All I needed you two to do was go get some treasure for me,” Drowzee called out, still following closely behind them. “You could’a made things nice and easy for all of us, but no, you had to be difficult. So be it.”

A small gravelerock whizzed past Flynn, missing him by a hair as it flew down the path ahead of him. The Cyndaquil flared out the flames on his back in response, hoping the plume of fire might slow their pursuer down at least slightly.

The pair kept following the sound of Azurill’s crying down corridor after corridor, until finally the stairs came into view. Before they could reach it, though, a pink glow enveloped a small boulder up ahead, starting to roll it into the way. Without slowing down, both Flynn and Melody leapt over the obstacle, only stumbling a bit as they made it over top of it. Neither of them dared a glance back at the Drowzee as they dashed down the stairs together.

Only when they arrived on the next floor did Team Sunrise take the time to stop and catch their breath. Flynn looked around at their new surroundings. Surprisingly, they were back in the ruined town again, though the sun was noticeably lower in the sky this time. Thankfully, Drowzee didn’t seem to have followed them.

“I… suppose I… should have expected that Drowzee might… s-show up in here somewhere, considering,” Melody said between breaths. “But it still… caught me by surprise…”

Flynn nodded. In hindsight, it seemed natural. But he hadn’t put enough thought into what kinds of things they might see in here.

“A Drowzee, you say?”

Both Flynn and Melody jolted in place at the sound of Hypno’s voice in their heads. They’d nearly forgotten that he was still listening. After a moment, Melody shook it off enough to respond. “A-Azurill and his brother… had a run in with a Drowzee outlaw. Would have been… n-not quite a year ago, now. So it, um…”

“Hm… I see.”

For several seconds, the telepathic link went silent again. Team Sunrise remained where they were, letting themselves rest for a minute after the chase they’d just gone through.

“Those of our species have a… less than favorable reputation,” Hypno eventually continued. “Perhaps understandable, given our powers. I have always tried to do what I can to counter the notion. Show that most of us are perfectly upstanding citizens. But I regret to admit that my son has not quite done the same.”

Melody perked up an ear at that. “You, uh… you don’t mean…?”

Hypno let out a sigh. “He was arrested several months ago. Three counts of petty theft, and one count of kidnapping a young Azurill. I could not be certain this was the same child, but I had my suspicions.”

“A-Ah. We, um… s-sorry to hear that,” Melody said, fidgeting uncomfortably. She refrained from mentioning that she and Flynn had been the ones to apprehend Drowzee in the first place.

“On the bright side, the incident seems to have knocked some sense into him, at least. I’m told he’s been quite cooperative with the authorities since he was brought in, and he genuinely regrets what he did. If he keeps up his good behavior, he could be out on parole in another month or two.”

Melody’s expression softened slightly at that, and the two explorers shared a look. If it was true, it was a little nice to hear that at least one of the outlaws they’d apprehended was looking to turn his life around.

“But I digress. I suppose this is all irrelevent to you two,” Hypno said, unaware of the pair’s thoughts. “I apologize for rambling. I will let you focus on the task at hand.”

With that, Hypno’s telepathic voice faded back out into silence.

After a moment to gather themselves, Flynn nodded to Melody, and the pair resumed their search through the depths of the nightmare.

---

The various ‘floors’ of this strange dream world mystery dungeon continued to alternate between the ruined Treasure Town, and other settings likely drudged up by Azurill’s fears.

One floor was shrouded in complete darkness, with not even Flynn’s fire able to provide any light. Team Sunrise had to fumble around in the dark for several minutes before they managed to find the stairs. Nothing outright attacked them during that time… but loud, scrabbling footsteps from elsewhere in the pitch black gloom made it clear that they were not alone.

Another floor was covered by a fierce thunderstorm. Vicious bolts of lightning frequently struck the ground or nearby trees, forcing the team to tread carefully. Of course, given Flynn’s typing, the heavy rain was just as big of a problem as the lightning, if not more. Flynn was glad that his passho scarf had carried over into the dream – even with its help, he struggled to endure the constant deluge.

Finally, after trekking through several more floors, Flynn and Melody finally reached what seemed to be the end of the ‘dungeon’. They were back in the ravaged Treasure Town, the sky overhead having gradually shifted to sunset as time had gone on. Azurill’s crying was louder than ever now, and before long it had lead them straight to a lone building. The only building they had seen thus far that seemed to still be perfectly intact.

Both of the explorers recognized the home right away. They’d seen it just earlier that morning, after all.

“I-It’s… it’s their home,” Melody murmured. She and Flynn slowly looked over it all, from the structure itself to the mailbox out front. “Everything… e-everything looks the same, still…” There was nothing visibly wrong from out here, and that somehow made the whole thing worse.

With wary hearts, Flynn and Melody carefully pushed open the front door and stepped inside.

Flynn felt his heart break a little at the sight that met them.

The scene was very similar to what they’d seen earlier that morning. Just… reversed. Azuril’s mother was the one lying unconscious on the bed, her face a sickly pale. She looked to be breathing, but very shallowly, her face contorted in pain.

“M-Mommy…” Azurill was curled up next to his mother, sobbing quietly into her side. He halfheartedly nudged the larger water-type’s arm as if to wake her up. But no matter how hard he tried, she did not respond.

Had her illness been this bad, Flynn wondered? He knew she had been sick at one point, but this…

Melody stepped forward a bit, wrapping her tail around Azurill her best attempt at a comforting hug. “Shh… I-It’s alright, Azurill,” Melody quietly spoke, fighting off tears of her own. “It’s alright. Y-Your mom’s fine. It’s just a nightmare, that’s a-all.”

None of the Skitty’s words seemed to get through, though. Azurill didn’t even seem to notice Team Sunrise’s presence at all, too lost in sorrow to register anything else.

“A-Azurill…?” Melody tried again. “Azurill, p-please…”

“He can’t hear you.”

Both Flynn and Melody suddenly froze in place as a chillingly familiar voice spoke up from behind them. The pair slowly turned around, finding Cresselia floating silently in place on the other side of the room. The psychic-type glared at Team Sunrise, cold malice radiating in her eyes.

“The nightmares… they are growing stronger,” the psychic-type continued. “They pull their victims in deeper and deeper, clouding their senses until nothing of the outside world can get through.”

She slowly began to float forward. On instinct, Flynn took on an aggressive stance, ready to protect Azurill and Melody. But Cresselia barely even paid the Cyndaquil any mind, floating right over him to get a closer look at the sobbing Azurill. “To this child, there is nothing but this dream now. He is hopelessly trapped in its web. There is nothing he can do to free himself.”

For just a brief moment, her cold eyes seemed to soften ever so slightly, a hint of pity shining through. But as quickly as it came, it was gone.

When she turned to face Team Sunrise again, her expression had returned to the same furious glare she had worn the last time they’d seen her. “If things are not changed, this fate may well befall all pokemon, thanks to you two.”

Both of the explorers recoiled a bit at that. “I… We… W-What!?” Melody stammered. “H-How… How are w-we responsible for this? We aren’t doing anything!”

Flynn’s fire roiled angrily inside of him as he glared up at the floating psychic-type. “…Probably your doing, if anything,” he spat, just loud enough for her to hear.

“As I told you last time,” Cresselia growled, “the two of you are distorting the fabric of space with your mere existence.” Her eyes flashed, and a blade of psychic energy materialized in the air beside her. “It must be stopped.”

“T-That isn’t an answer!” Melody shot back. “You still haven’t explained anything! We… w-we aren’t…” Flynn could see her holding back tears as she fought to maintain some measure of composure. “W-We aren’t doing a-anything wrong…”

For a long moment, Cresselia continued to stare the duo down. Just as Flynn was thinking it might devolve into a fight, the Legendary finally relented. “Very well,” Cresselia sighed, her Psycho Cut angling down to rest against the floor. “I suppose you are owed at least that much.”

She focused her gaze directly at Flynn. “You… are a living paradox. A lingering fragment from a timeline that has ceased to be. You should not still be here, and yet you remain.” She turned to glare at Melody. “And you. You have traveled through time as well, seen that same doomed timeline with your very own eyes. Your distortion is somewhat smaller, but still no less dangerous.”

Flynn and Melody remained silent, letting the words soak in. Flynn wanted to refute Cresselia’s words, but… they couldn’t truly know if there had been any consequences to Dialga bringing him back after history was changed. This… it wasn’t an impossible claim, given what they already knew.

“H-How… How does that connect to these nightmares?” Melody asked, her voice little more than a whimper. “I-It’s… a little hard to see how one l-leads to the other.”

“The best way that I can explain it to mortals like you is that… it’s as if these distortions in space are fracturing the barrier between the waking world, and the world of dreams.” Cresselia gestured down at Azurill. “If a nightmare is allowed to take hold of the dreamer’s mind itself, it can start to block out all of the dreamer’s real, physical senses, until the nightmare is the only thing left that they can feel or perceive at all.”

That… sounded awful. But… it seemed to match what had happened to Azurill. Flynn felt a shiver go down his spine, and he shook his head.

“As if that were not bad enough,” Cresselia continued, her gaze growing even more fierce, “you also need to understand that these kinds of distortions, by their very nature, are incredibly unpredictable. For now, they are manifesting in the form of these endless nightmares. But who’s to say that they won’t lead to other, even worse consequences down the road?”

Flynn and Melody felt an invisible force start to envelop them, holding them in place. Before they could even register what was happening, Cresselia’s eyes gave a bright flash, and she teleported the three of them just outside of Azurill’s home.

“If something is not done soon…” Cresselia gestured out at the nightmare’s ruined version of Treasure Town. “…perhaps this dream will prove to merely be a premonition.”

Melody gulped, her whole body trembling as she once again looked out at the wreckage. “A-And… h-how do we stop them…?”

“I’m afraid the disruption in space is directly linked to your existence in this world,” Cresselia said. “Which means the only way to put an end to them for good…” She raised her crescent-shaped psychic blade once again, and pointed it directly at Flynn and Melody. “…is for the two of you to die.”

The words were cold and blunt. After everything Cresselia had previously said and done, Flynn had almost expected this, but to hear it said out loud… it sent a chill through both explorers’ hearts.

Flynn still didn’t trust Cresselia. He still felt in his gut that she wasn’t telling the whole truth, and that she was somehow more responsible for all of this than she would ever admit. But…

…What if she really was right? He didn’t want to think about it, but could he truly say for certain it wasn’t the case?

Melody, for her part, still hadn’t responded to Cresselia’s words either. But Flynn noticed the Skitty faintly trembling, a hint of moisture starting to well up in the corners of her eyes. Without a word, Flynn rested a paw on his partner’s back, trying to offer some shred of reassurance despite his own heart starting to doubt.

Then Cresselia started to slowly float closer. That was enough to snap Flynn out of his thoughts for the moment, and he hastily stepped in between Melody and Cresselia. “…No,” he growled, his flames flared out like a blazing shield as he glared up at the Legendary.

Cresselia raised an eyebrow at him. “You would truly sacrifice the entire world for the sake of your own lives?”

That small pang of doubt briefly flickered in Flynn’s chest again. But he refused to back down. “…There has to be another way to fix things,” he insisted. “Just have to find it.”

For a long moment, Cresselia kept up her staring contest with Flynn, both of them silently seething at the other. Ultimately, the psychic-type was the one to crack first. “Tch. Stubborn fools.” She let out a sigh, shaking her head as she dismissed her Psycho Cut. “Unfortunately, killing you in this dream would accomplish very little, in the long run. And it would be… difficult for me to manifest to you two like this in the waking world. So I suppose I will simply have to defer to someone a little more qualified to deal with the two of you.”

Flynn’s glare intensified. “Is that a threat?”

“It is a promise that I will do what must be done,” Cresselia answered coldly. “I would have thought you of all pokemon would understand that much. You had the conviction to sacrifice yourself for the world once before.”

She turned and started to float away, before casting one more unsettling remark at the pair. “If you truly wish to save this world… I suggest you both find that same conviction once again.”

With that, she teleported away, leaving Flynn and Melody alone amid the rubble of this nightmare’s twisted vision of Treasure Town.

Flynn slowly turned back to face Melody again. The Skitty seemed almost catatonic, standing nearly completely still with her ears folded down onto her head. Even when Flynn settled a paw on her back in an attempt to reassure her, she barely reacted at all. Flynn opened his mouth to speak, but it took him several seconds to muster up any words. “…We should go back,” he eventually managed to say. “There’s… nothing more to do here.”

Melody shivered a bit, before finally giving a faint nod. “…I-I guess,” she muttered, just barely loud enough to hear. She still appeared concerningly out of it, but at least she’d responded this time.

Flynn wanted to say more, wanted to try and find some way to comfort his partner in that moment. But before he could find the words, a telepathic voice in their heads startled both Flynn and Melody to attention.

“Who were you two speaking to?” the Hypno’s voice asked. “I could hear you both talking, but I couldn’t tell much from only your side of the conversation.”

Melody visibly shuddered a bit, and she huddled just a bit closer to Flynn’s side. Holding back a sigh, Flynn glanced up at the sky overhead. “It’s… a long story.”

“I take it that you two are ready to leave the nightmare, then?”

Flynn nodded. “Yes. Please… wake us up.”

“Very well. Just give me a moment.” A bright, ring-shaped portal of light slowly started to form a short distance ahead of the pair. “Step through that, and I will start pulling you both out.”

Flynn glanced around carefully as he stepped towards the portal, just in case Cresselia was still lingering somewhere nearby. When he was satisfied that she was gone, he turned back to face his partner. “…Ready?” Melody gave a small, silent nod.

The pair stepped into the light, an odd numbness overtaking them as the dream world around them started to fade away.

---

Slowly, Flynn and Melody began to wake from their slumber. Flynn gently cracked open his eyes, letting out a yawn as he took in his surroundings. A brief wave of relief washed over him at the sight of the crew room. If nothing else, at least they were safely out of the nightmare.

“O-Oh thank goodness! Y-You’re awake!” Marill cried out. He and his mother seemed to have barely moved from Azurill’s bedside in the time that Flynn and Melody had been in the child’s dream.

Flynn blinked the last of the sleep out of his eyes, and shook his head slightly to clear it. “…How long were we out?”

“A little over an hour,” Hypno answered. “I was about to ask for another update on your progress when I heard the two of you start talking to Azurill… and then someone else.” He paused to adjust his spectacles slightly, a hint of regret on his face as he glanced back behind himself. “I told the others that it sounded like you may have found something, but I did not expect the room to get so crowded as a result. I apologize.”

It was only then that Flynn and Melody looked past Hypno, and realized that in addition to Azurill’s family, almost the entire guild had gathered together here too. Everyone’s eyes were all focused straight on Team Sunrise, waiting for any information the pair may have learned.

“D-Did you find out anything?” Marill asked. “Do you know w-what’s happened to my brother, o-or how we can wake him up?”

Both Flynn and Melody wilted under the pressure. Neither of them had had time to even recover from what Cresselia had told them, and now this… What were they supposed to say?

Melody timidly backed a couple steps away from the crowd, visibly trembling. She opened her mouth as if to speak, but after several seconds she still couldn’t muster a single word. She turned her pleading gaze toward Flynn.

The Cyndaquil remained silent, taking a series of deep breaths as he tried to think through his options.

He could try to lie. He could claim that they hadn’t heard anything, and that the cause of the nightmare was still a complete mystery. But even if he actually thought he could convince Chatot and everyone else of that… he wouldn’t feel right about it. These were their friends, their guildmates. If there was anyone they could trust with this, it was the guild.

After exchanging one more look with Melody, Flynn steeled himself.

“We… encountered Cresselia, while in the dream.” Hypno’s eyes widened a bit at that, while Chatot merely gave a faint nod, as if he’d suspected as much. Only a couple of the other pokemon seemed to recognize the Legendary pokemon’s name, as the rest silently cocked their heads in confusion.

Flynn slowly recounted Cresselia’s explanation of why Azurill couldn’t wake up, and how the distortion in space had caused the nightmare to spread and take hold of him. The gathered pokemon all gave him their full attention, their faces growing increasingly worried the more he went on.

“Oh my gosh…” Sunflora fidgeted with her leaves. “It’s sad enough to see poor Azurill like this, but to think that the situation’s this dire…”

“G-Golly… With the way you described it, it’s enough to make you never want to sleep again,” Bidoof said.

Loudred scratched the back of his head, looking a little bit confused. “So, if I’ve got this RIGHT… we have to stop these distortions in space to stop these nightmares from spreading. But… how do we do THAT if we don’t know what’s causing the distortions?”

Out of the corner of his eye, Flynn saw Melody shudder at that. She nervously shrunk back further towards the wall, letting out a faint, miserable whine that stabbed Flynn through the heart. He reached out to settle a paw on Melody’s back, trying to offer what reassurance he could, before he turned to face the room again.

“The distortions… she claims that… we’re causing them, just by existing.” He felt Melody tense up even more as he spoke, but he kept on going. “Because I was… from the future, and Melody was brought there too. So… she said the only way to stop it is… for us to…” His voice trailed off into silence, but everyone in the room could tell what was left unsaid.

For a long time, nobody said a word. Team Sunrise, the entire guild, even Azurill’s family… everyone was at a loss for words. Flynn slowly glanced around at all of the other members of the guild. Bidoof quickly averted his gaze as soon as Flynn turned his way, unable to maintain eye contact. Sunflora silently shook her head, as if unable to believe what was happening. Loudred looked almost ready to punch a wall, more upset at the situation than at any actual pokemon.

Then Flynn noticed the Guildmaster. Wigglytuff’s eyes were shut tight, a faint trickle of tears starting to flow down his face. Once, then twice, Flynn heard him let out a sniffle.

Suddenly, the floor started to shake. Everyone jolted in surprise, several pokemon nearly losing their balance. All of the guild members immediately turned to face Wigglytuff, panic in their eyes as they realized that he was starting to cry.

“G-Guildmaster!” Chatot called out frantically. “Please, remain calm, Guildmaster! Guildmaster!?”

Just as quickly as it had started, the tremor suddenly stopped. Flynn saw Wigglytuff draw in a deep, long breath and let it out just as slowly. When he finally opened his eyes, Wigglytuff’s slightly tearstained gaze had hardened with resolve. Flynn and Melody couldn’t help but flinch slightly as he looked at the two of them, before he panned his gaze across the rest of the members of the guild.

“Everyone,” Wigglytuff announced, “starting now, our guild has a new mission: find another way to stop the distortions. Understood?”

“Y-Yes, sir!” the whole guild echoed in unison.

Wigglytuff nodded at the group, before turning to look at his second-in-command. “Chatot?”

Chatot jolted slightly at the sound of his name, still worked up over what had just happened before. But after a moment to calm down, his face hardened into his usual stern demeanor. He cleared his throat. “Alright. Until further notice, regular guild missions are suspended. We do not have a lot to go on, and we don’t know how quickly this problem may progress, so we will need to be quick and methodical.” He raised a wing to point at one of the apprentices. “Bidoof!”

“W-Wha?” Bidoof jolted slightly at the sound of his name, before quickly straightening up as best he could. “Y-Yes?”

“I want you and Sunflora to head to the library. Look through everything there that you think may offer some insight. Books that cover the Legendary pokemon Palkia would likely be a good start. If you find anything substantial, report back here as quickly as you can.”

“O-Okay.” “Understood.”

Chatot nodded at the two of them, before turning his focus elsewhere. “Corphish! I want you to head to the Hot Springs and have a talk with Elder Torkoal. Ask him if he knows anything that may help in our search.”

“Hey hey, you got it,” Corphish said.

As Chatot continued to assign orders, Flynn noticed the mood in the room slowly rise. The despair that had hung over the guild members just a minute ago gradually gave way to a determined resolve. If there was any way out of this, they were going to find it.

Bidoof and Sunflora paused briefly at the doorway, turning to offer a silent nod towards Team Sunrise just before they left for their assignment. The message was clear and simple. ‘We’re with you.’

Flynn turned to look at his partner, a small, hopeful smile on his lips… only for it to fade as he took in Melody’s expression. She was still barely moving, a distant look in her eyes as she stared down at the floor.

“Erm… excuse me.”

Flynn glanced back at the Hypno doctor, who had remained in the room even as Chatot began giving out orders. The psychic-type looked around the room uncertainly, before turning his eyes toward the Guildmaster.

“I-I do not wish to sound uncaring. I understand this is a deeply unfortunate situation. But given the stakes, would it not be prudent to consider-” The Hypno quickly stopped himself short as he realized Wigglytuff had started to frown, the guild’s earlier shaking still fresh in his memory. He raised his hands in a placating way. “-Then again, I… suppose it is better not to rush into things…”

Chatot cleared his throat to draw the room’s attention again. He stepped forward, giving the Hypno a stern, unamused look. “I assure you, we will not be taking this situation lightly,” Chatot said. “But we are also not going to rush into such a drastic solution off the words of a single pokemon, Legendary or not. It will be considered the last resort, not the first.” Chatot paused to look around the room. “Until then, I trust that all of you will keep what has been discussed here quiet for now, yes? The last thing we need is to start a panic.”

All of the remaining guild apprentices nodded immediately, as did Marill and Azumarill. A moment later, Hypno followed suit. A few members of the group shot Hypno dirty looks for even suggesting what he had, though no one said anything out loud.

Soon after, Chatot finished assigning duties to everyone. With the guild members and Hypno gradually filing out, the room was left much quieter for the pokemon who remained.

Chatot let out a heavy sigh. “Legends above, what a mess.”

Flynn nodded solemnly. It was reassuring to have the guild’s support, but he knew this still wasn’t going to be easy. As Chatot had said, they didn’t exactly have much to go on.

He glanced toward the doorway. “Why were all the guild members still here, anyway?” Flynn asked. He would have expected most of them to be out on missions of their own, by this point in the day.

Chatot hesitated. “…I debated whether or not to tell you this before you went into the dream, but…” He turned back towards the Guildmaster. “We had received word earlier this morning that another pokemon in town was found trapped in a nightmare like this as well. It seems this is indeed not a one-off occurrence. So I ordered the rest of the guild to remain on standby, with hopes that you’d bring back information we could use to help find a solution to this.”

Melody paled even further at the news. Flynn gave her side a gentle nudge, but she didn’t respond.

Chatot gave the Skitty a sympathetic look, before turning his eyes on Flynn. “I sincerely hope you have some idea of where to start looking,” Chatot said. “Otherwise, I’m not certain how much we’re going to be able to find.”

After a hesitant silence, Flynn gave a small nod. “I… have one idea.”

---

Melody barely registered anything that happened in the next few hours. She knew that Flynn had gone around, asking a few different pokemon about the spacial distortions, including Lapras and Scizor. But even as Melody followed silently along, none of the words really sunk in at all.

Her entire body just felt… numb. Heavy. Every step she took required all the effort she could muster, and she could barely manage to breath.

She could feel her partner’s concerned gaze on her, every time he turned to look. For that matter, every other pokemon who saw her could probably tell she wasn’t doing well. But if any of them ever spoke up to ask what was wrong, she never heard it. Not that she’d have had the words to answer.

At least the rest of the guild believed in them, she supposed. A part of her wanted to think that counted for something. But she couldn’t bring herself to share their optimism.

She and Flynn… they were the cause of all of this. Intentional or not, they were driving the world to ruin. And if nothing was done about it, more and more pokemon would continue to fall into this unending nightmare. Or worse.

Her thoughts turned to her sister. Just a few days ago, when they’d been visiting… Aria had mentioned having bad dreams lately. Just like Azurill had, only a couple weeks before he’d succumbed to this. A fresh wave of tears started to well up in her eyes at that thought, and she nearly broke down right then and there. But at least in the moment, she managed to keep on walking, one numb step at a time.

Eventually, the sun started to sink lower and lower in the sky. Melody vaguely registered Flynn’s voice suggesting that they should head back a little early for the night, though she’d lacked the strength to respond with anything more than a stilted nod.

As soon as they’d gotten back to Sharpedo Bluff, Melody collapsed onto the floor without a word. She hadn’t even made it to her bed, simply curling up into a miserable ball barely a foot from the entranceway.

Flynn, for his part, silently made for the team’s food storage, pulling out a couple of apples and berries and beginning to roast them a bit with his fire. It dully reminded Melody that the two of them hadn’t eaten a thing since early that morning, before they’d learned about Azurill. But despite that, eating was the last thing Melody felt like doing right now.

A minute or two later, Flynn had finished preparing the simplest dinner he could. He gently set a roasted apple and a pecha berry on the floor in front of Melody. But she made no attempt to acknowledge it at all. After a few seconds, the silence finally grew to be too much for Flynn. “Melody?” he spoke up gently. “…Melody, you have to eat.”

The Skitty folded down her ears, pointedly turning her head away from Flynn. “…not hungry.”

Undeterred, Flynn moved in front of her once again. There was a sad look in his eyes, and it took a long moment for him to find his words. “Melody… we’re going to get through this.”

She could only respond with a mix of a sob and a laugh. “I-I… wish it was that simple. But y-you heard Cresselia. W-We…”

“Cresselia’s still hiding something,” Flynn insisted, his tone firm and confident. “There… has to be another way.”

Melody silently shook her head. She couldn’t understand how Flynn could still be like this, even now. How he could stay so relatively calm, and keep on acting like everything was just going to be fine. Azurill was suffering because of them. And her sister… Aria was going to…

“The whole guild is going to help,” Flynn continued. “It’s only a matter of time-“

“W-We don’t have time, Flynn!” Melody snapped, her sudden outburst catching both of them by surprise. Flynn flinched back slightly in surprise, fumbling his own apple onto the floor.

Melody shakily held her partner’s gaze for a moment, trying to hold down a roiling mix of emotions that felt like they could tear right out of her chest.

She… she usually loved this side of Flynn. His calm, stoic bravery even in the worst of times. It was contagious. It made her feel strong too, and gave her the courage to stand right there with him. It… it was the only reason either of them had ever gotten through several of their previous ordeals.

But for some reason this time, it felt… almost frustrating. Like he was just too stubborn to accept the situation.

“W-What if Cresselia really is telling the t-truth?” she asked. “What if we really are d-driving the world to ruin, just b-by existing? What if we can’t f-find another solution, a-and the only way to s-stop it is to… is t-to…”

She couldn’t finish that sentence. She hastily turned away from Flynn again, just before the dam finally broke, tears flowing freely as she sobbed into the floor.

Without another word, Flynn moved to her side. He drew a paw across her back, holding her tight as he leaned his head against her. He tried his best to maintain his composure, but even his eyes looked to be faintly damp with tears.

A long, painful silence passed over the pair before either of them were ready to talk again.

“E-Ever since… ever s-since Dialga brought you b-back, I… I-I w-worried, sometimes, that you’d… d-disappear again someday. F-Forever.” Melody sniffled, huddling further into Flynn’s embrace. “I-I tried not to think about it m-much. I-I told myself, Dialga wouldn’t do that. D-Dialga wouldn’t be so cruel as to bring you back, j-just to take you away a-again. But it’s… b-been there in the back of my mind, now and then.”

She glanced out at the vast ocean through the open maw of Sharpedo Bluff. “N-Now, though…” She hesitated a bit over her next words. “I-Is it… is it w-wrong that I… a s-small part of me is almost… r-relieved, that it’s n-not just you that has to go, this time? That… T-That this time, at least we’ll be… d-disappearing t-together?”

“…Don’t talk like that,” Flynn immediately replied, his voice soft but stern as he met her tearstained eyes with his own. “I… don’t want you to give up, until we’re out of options.”

Melody held Flynn’s gaze. She could see his flames flickering nervously on his back, and feel his paw faintly tremble as he held onto hers. He… he really was just as scared as she was, deep down. But somehow, he still had the strength to keep up a brave face.

“What… W-What makes you so c-certain that Cresselia’s lying?” Melody asked.

Flynn paused for a moment, as if to try and come up with a genuine reason. But in the end, all he could say was “…I don’t know. She just…” Flynn let out a sigh. “…She still reminds me of Dusknoir. It feels like she’s… telling us half-truths, and hiding most of what she knows.”

“S-So it’s… just your g-gut feeling, then.”

“…Mostly.”

“B-But…” Melody hugged her tail tighter to Flynn’s side, afraid to let him go. “B-Back when… w-when T-Temporal Tower was… y-you didn’t hesitate, then. So w-why…?”

Flynn frowned. “That was different. I didn’t… choose to disappear. I chose to change history, and… accepted what would follow.”

“I-I see.” When he put it like that, Melody could understand the logic. “At least t-then, you… you k-knew the world would be safe, afterward. B-But this time…”

“…We only have Cresselia’s word,” Flynn finished. He shook his head, the scowl on his face speaking volumes. “And she… still hasn’t made herself very trustworthy.”

“B-But who else could we even ask?” Melody spoke, tilting her head a bit. “W-Who else would even know a-anything about spacial distortions, like this?”

Flynn’s expression lightened a bit at that, a hint of a smile twisting his lips. “You were… too lost in thought when I talked with Lapras. But… he mentioned that there’s another Legendary pokemon… a counterpart to Dialga, who controls space instead of time. Palkia.”

“O-Oh?” Melody perked up an ear. “D-Did he know where to find them?”

“Not exactly,” Flynn said, shaking his head softly. “But I thought… if they’re a counterpart to Dialga…”

“…Then Dialga should know where to find them!” Melody realized. “W-We can ask Dialga if there’s any way to contact Palkia! A-And… and even besides that, Dialga himself even might know if bringing you back would have caused these sorts of problems! Dialga could… c-could maybe answer everything!”

Flynn nodded. “That’s the idea, at least.”

Hope gradually started to bubble up in Melody’s chest the more she thought about the idea. Though there were still potential issues.”I-It’s… not going to be easy to cross the Hidden Land again. And… would Dialga even let us return to his tower, just to ask him questions?”

“Lapras is willing to make the trip,” Flynn said. “And we… don’t really have much else to lose.”

It wasn’t perfect, but at least it was a plan. For the first time since this morning, she really felt like… like they had hope. As long as there was still a chance… Flynn was right. They had to keep going.

But… there was still the possibility that Dialga wouldn’t give them the answer they wanted. It wasn’t an outcome either of them wanted to think about, but it wouldn’t do them any good to pretend it couldn’t happen.

“F-Flynn…” Melody whispered. “I-I… I won’t give up, if you won’t. B-But… if this d-doesn’t work… i-if we really d-don’t have any other options…”

A long silence fell over the pair. Flynn closed his eyes, took in a deep breath, and let it out slowly. When he opened his eyes again, his burning resolve had taken on a melancholy tint. “If it comes to that…” Flynn tightened his hold on Melody, pulling her a bit closer against his side. “…I promise to be right here by your side… to the end.”

Melody shuddered. She leaned heavily into Flynn’s embrace, as if fearing he might disappear if she let him go.

“F-Flynn… I… I-I’m scared.”

“…So am I,” Flynn whispered. “But we’re going to get through this. Together.”

She wanted to believe him. She wanted so, so badly to believe him.

---

Flynn and Melody struggled to find sleep that night. There were too many things on their minds; fears of what tomorrow would bring, what answers they might find… what dreams might haunt them, if they did manage to fall asleep.

After a long while of lying awake in bed, Flynn let out a tired sigh. He lifted his head gently and looked over at Melody, peacefully curled up by his side. A part of him wanted to get up and take a short walk, just to try and clear his head. But he also didn’t want to disturb Melody, if she’d managed to finally doze off for a bit. They’d need whatever rest they could get for tomorrow.

Flynn softly shook his head. He turned his gaze towards the open maw of Sharpedo Bluff. Even without moving from here, he could at least look up at the stars.

For a handful of minutes, Flynn silently enjoyed the view, letting his mind wander to less dire thoughts. Both of happier times in the past, and of what may await them in the future, if… when they got through this. They’d absolutely want to celebrate somehow, once this was all resolved. It wouldn’t have to be anything fancy. Just an excuse to take things easy for a while, have a quiet evening-

Flynn drew in a sharp breath. He wasn’t sure what it was, but there’d been an unmistakable shift in the air. An odd, overwhelming sense of pressure that made his heart rate gradually speed up. He glanced around warily, trying to figure out what it was.

He felt a gentle shift against his side. “Mmn…” Melody slowly began to stir, blinking open her eyes as a slight shiver ran down her body. “What… What’s going…?”

“So, you two are the source of the disturbance I have been sensing.”

A deep, almost painfully loud telepathic voice spoke up in Flynn and Melody’s heads, causing both of them to flinch. Flynn got to his feet, shaking off his tiredness as he took on a defensive stance in front of Melody.

“Did you think I would not notice your reckless tampering with my domain? Or did you simply think you would face no consequences for your actions?”

Melody, now fully and urgently awake, trembled slightly as she looked around for the source of the voice. She took in a deep breath, trying her best to remain calm as she stepped up beside Flynn. “W-Who are you?”

A bright ball of light quickly formed in the air just outside the bluff. It grew and grew, before exploding in a blinding flash that forced both explorers to cover their eyes. When the light faded enough for them to look again… a massive draconic figure now floated right outside the jaws of the bluff.

“I am Palkia,” the dragon spoke, its voice still just as imposing as when it was speaking telepathically. “I command the fabric of space. I hold dominion over dimensions.” It poked its head in through the bluff’s opening, staring directly at the much smaller pair. “And you… you have disrupted my domain for far too long. I am here to put an end to it.”

The sheer, smothering pressure in the air had grown even stronger. It took genuine effort for Flynn to merely hold his ground, returning the massive Legendary’s glare with as much defiance as he could. “We… aren’t doing it deliberately. We just…”

“Do not think you can deceive me with your lies,” Palkia interrupted. “I know well what you plan to do. I will not allow you to tamper any further with space.”

Before either Flynn or Melody could react, Palkia reached into the den with both of its arms, grabbing the pair tight enough to nearly squeeze the air out of their lungs. They struggled in the titan’s grip as it lifted them out into the open night air, but they could not come close to freeing themselves. Even when Flynn let his flames erupt at full force, Palkia barely seemed to react.

Then, with another bright flash of light, the three of them were gone.