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PMD: The Twilight Brigade Chronicles Chapter 6 - Radiance

"You're in over your head, kid." Without a moments hesitation, Magmar blew out a stream of flame at Artomis, who did a side jump to avoid it. The attack caused the flame Pokémon to leave his side open, and that's exactly what Art was locked on. He dashed forward, using a quick attack to knock his enemy to the side, just mere inches from a solid rock wall.

Standing his ground, Art began to think of his next move. In his delay, the Magmar had begun to recover, but only once he was standing, Art noticed he was holding a large rock in one hand. He launched it at Art, only to then blow another Flamethrower attack to push the boulder on its path. Art tried to dodge, but he stumbled. In a last effort, he thrust his leg forward, kicking the boulder up into the air. He barely had time to cover his face before the flame reached him.

Magmar watched as the deflected rock landed just above the doorway Art had entered from and caused the foundation to collapse, closing off the only exit. Looking down at the ground to the charred Riolu, he walked up to his target, chuckling at how truly weak the punk was.

"What's so funny?" Magmar gave a surprised look just before Artomis jumped up and did an upper-cut, his fist flying into the Magmar's chin. Art landed on his feet, Magmar on his back. He wiped a bead of sweat off his chin and showed a grin, looking down at his foe for the second time now. "What's wrong? Face hurt?"

The Magmar got back up slowly and Art could tell he was quite angry at this point. Once the Magmar was up, it dashed up to Artomis, a flame engulfing his hand before he punched Art right in the stomach. The small Riolu's body buckled up over the fist, exposing his back for another blow from the fierce Pokémon. With his open hand, Magmar slammed his palm against the open area, causing Art to crash hard against the ground. A smile formed on Magmar's face as he lifted his foot and stomped on Artomis' back. "How pathetic. Your little girlfriend lasted longer than you did."

Just as the Magmar went to stomp on Artomis again, the Riolu fought past the pain and was able to roll himself into the foe. This caused Magmar to collapse just beside Artomis, who was now trying to recover back on to his feet. What am I going to do? This guy's all over me... What was it I did when I was in trouble the first time in the forest? While lost in his thoughts, Magmar was already climbing back up to his feet, cursing at Art for being cheep. Artomis looked towards the entrance to see it now blocked off and let out an annoyed grunt. Looks like this is do or die. I might as well try my hardest.

Once Magmar was back on his feet, Art began to feel the haze in his mind come back. Everything around him besides his target had a blue tint to it. Clutching on to his head with one paw, Art began to lose hope. He watched as the Magmar took a single step forward, something beginning to form in its hands. A second step, then a third, the closer Magmar got, the worse Artomis' head felt, then everything went dark.

"Do it now! Use Aura Sphere!"

Artomis' ears perked up at the voice. He then saw three forms, two red and the other blue. ...What? That sounded like... He then saw the blue form tuck its arms back, then launch them forward, releasing something past Art's vision.

"We don't have time! Just get out of here and save yourselves, Xavior!"

"How pathetic, you have to close your eye before I beat the tar out of you? I can't blame you, but that won't change anything."

Opening his eyes, Art came back to reality just as the Magmar now directly in front of him was pulling back for another Flame Punch. Just as Magmar was thrusting his fist forward, Artomis jumped back and narrowly avoided the attack. Once back on the ground, he moved his paws to his right side and let out a deep breath. The haze in his mind was building up so much that all he could really see anymore was blue, but he began to feel pressure building between his paws. He began to concentrate harder, beginning to faintly remember his first time in Shimmering Forest. He aimed all the pressure in his mind to between his paws, which seemed to clear the vision impairment. He looked down at his paws to see a golden sphere between them, but quickly turned back towards his opponent.

Magmar saw what Art was doing and dashed forward, hoping to knock the Riolu out before it could release its attack. Art saw this and pushed the ball he held forward, launching it right into the oncoming Magmar. On contact, the sphere exploded, causing both of them to fly away from each other. Magmar landed hard on the ground about 30 feet away from the wall Artomis had been blown into. Art fought the pain in his body and watched the still foe, hoping that the Magmar had finally passed out.

Panting heavily, the Riolu slowly got back up on his feet. He could feel a warm liquid flowing from the back of his head. He reached his paw back and touched the new injury. It shot a wave of pain through his head, but he could tell by the feel of the wound that it wasn't severe. Bringing his paw back in front, Art saw a crimson coating over his fur.

He looked over to the only exit, letting out a sigh. Great, now that it's blocked, how the hell am I going to get out of here...?

"Stuck again? You sure do like getting yourself in trouble, don't you?"

If you want to call it that. Wait, Cyrus?

Just as Art realized who had spoke to him, his Guildmaster appeared right before him, a smile on his face. "Looks like you had a fun fight."

"Well, if you want to call getting my ass kicked, then getting a lucky shot a good fight... Then yeah, it was fun."

Cyrus held out his hand and helped his teammate off the hard ground. "Everyone is waiting for us back at the base. We should get going ourselves."

Forcing a smile, Art gave a slight nod. "That's great, but I can't teleport like you, so how am I going to get out?"

A chuckle came from the Kadabra. "Don't worry about that. In fact, watch." Cyrus pulled his badge out from his pouch and touched the top of Artomis' head. Instantly, the Riolu's form flashed white then disappeared. Cyrus then put away his badge and looked over at the fallen Magmar. "Looks like this is going to be interesting. The boy is struggling, but he presses through. I must push him harder. If we survive what's to come, I might just give him a chance to prove himself yet."

"'We don't have time! Just get out of here and save yourselves, Xavior!' ...That's what I heard. I don't know what it-- Ouch!"

"Hold still! I need to make sure these stitches are straight!"

"Sorry Faith..." Trying to hold still, Artomis explained everything to his guildmates that had happened once inside of the cave in Doom Grove. He had a little trouble remembering everything clearly, but once he finished, he was pretty sure he covered it all. "But that voice... I think I know that voice."

Zaphiel jumped up in shock. "You knew it? What do you mean?"

Cyrus tossed Zaphiel a sharp glance. "He means what he says." He shifted towards the still Riolu. "The fact that Art knows the voice intrigues me along with another question: in his vision, why would that voice call out for an Aura Sphere? Not only that, but how was Art able to conjure one of his own from the memory?" Placing his hand on Artomis' shoulder, Cyrus knelt down next to him. "You are looking quite feint. I think I'm going to hold off our discussion until tomorrow."

Gazing at the ground, Art could only hear Xatu's words in his mind. "...No. I want to talk now. I'm sick of the waiting. I just want to figure out what I am and why I'm here."

"You know as well as I do that I cannot bring back your past, but I can help you figure out your future. I can help you by sending you to different areas so you might be lucky enough to find out information. In fact, I plan on sending you to another location once you are well. Your help is needed to ensure what was released is contained once more."

"What's released is contained...? What are you talking about, Cyrus?" Zaphiel looked at the Kadabra confused.

"There's no easy way to put this, but while you three were exploring the Shimmering Forest, you released a beast from his deep sleep underneath the heart of the forest on the night of no moon. It was my fault for not realizing the rumors were actually true. By the time I got to the chamber that you had collapsed, Darkrai was waiting for me."

"Darkrai? Is that a Pokémon?" Zaphiel asked, scratching behind his ear.

"That's why you were out cold, Darkrai used its Dark Void attack on you." Art chimed in, letting out a little grunt as Faith stabbed at his flesh once more with the needle she held. "You know you didn't stand a chance against the dark type, why did you fight it?"

Looking at Art confused, Zaphiel crossing his arms over his chest. "How do you know that? I mean, you seem to know more about Pokémon than you do yourself."

Art thought for a second. "...You know, you might be right." He began to remember all the encounters he had with Pokémon. Everytime they faced a new challenge, Art at least seemed to know something about the Pokémon involved. He soon realized that they were getting off the main subject and decided to lead back to it. "That doesn't matter right now, though. Why was Darkrai even there in the first place?"

Cyrus pulled out his spoon and eyed it closely. "There was a reason for that Darkrai to be isolated. It, in fact, was responsible for countless deaths in this area alone. A group of explorers called Team Break, formed of a Nidoking, Scizor, and Houndoom, were successful in trapping the vile Pokémon, but have never been seen since that incident ten years ago." Cyrus closed his eyes and let out a sigh. "I must admit, I was not confident when I had to battle it, but that did not stop me from trying. I may have lost the fight, but Darkrai didn't get away unscathed. After he left, darkness filled the skies until you two found Xatu."

Magmar said something like that when I fought him, this must be what he meant. Cringing from the needle piercing him again, Art watched Cyrus' expression turn dark.

"We cannot allow history to repeat itself. We must find a way to defeat this foe with any means necessary. And this is where you two come in."

Ruby showed herself from behind Faith and walked up next to Cyrus. "Oh, you're gonna tell them about the item, aren't you?" She showed a small smile. Art guessed she took pride in knowing something others didn't.

Cyrus gave her a stern look. "Yes, but you are not going with them yet. You have other duties that you should be working on right now."

"Oh, alright. I'll take the kid back home for ya, happy?"

"Very. In fact, if you come back successful, I may just have a reward for you." Cyrus showed a clever smile as Ruby let out a happy squeal. "Now get going or it will be dark by the time you return."

Watching Ruby dash out of the room in excitement, Artomis let out a soft sigh. "So, what do we have to do?"

"First you need to find an item that has been lost since that battle. There is no information on what it was called, but it was a major key to Team Break for sealing the Darkrai. If we can find that, we might just stand a chance."

"So, where do we gotta go to get this item?" Zaphiel said, watching as Faith began to put the last stitch in Artomis' head. "You do know where it's located at least, right?"

"In fact, I don't know where it resides. That is part of your next mission, which is gathering information from the townsfolk on the item. This may take time to do, but several travelers are in and out of the Town of Lyrian at different times, so make sure you gather as much information as possible for the next few days."

"Good thing, too. If you would have made them go on a mission for anything else right now, I would have beaten you down myself," Faith chimed in, finally done with her mending. "You better take it easy. Just because you're a Riolu doesn't mean you're invincible." She began packing away her tools into her pouch, but once she saw Art start to move, she grabbed his shoulders and held him back.

"You're not going anywhere yet. I'll tell you once I'm done with you."

Letting out an annoyed grunt, Artomis closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. "So Cyrus, you said you saw my dream in Doom Grove. Were you able to make out any of the figures I saw?"

After a moment of silence, Cyrus sat down next to Zaphiel. "I can tell you one thing that I did notice. All but one were human. As for who they were or what was going on, your guess is as good as mine."

"...I see. Do you think-"

"Yes, I do believe it could be a memory from your past. Along with a few of the other visions you have had. Now you have said that you heard two female voices one time, one of them sounded like they were in trouble. Do you remember anything about the vision besides that?"

Opening his eyes in shock, Art felt something warm and wet wiping his fur. He relaxed once he noticed it was Faith cleaning the patches of blood from his wound with a rag. He began to think on what he had seen in that vision, but all he could remember was the voices. Wait, the voice is the same! It's the same voice from the first time this started happening to me.

"So, it seems as you have figured something out, please share with the rest of the class." Cyrus was now sitting, legs crossed, floating just a few inches above the ground.

"One of the voices from that vision was the same one I heard just before you two found me."

Zaphiel's ears twitched at what Art had mentioned. "Before? You never told me you had a vision before we found you. What happened in that?"

He thought hard on what was said exactly, but it wasn't long before his head began to feel fuzzy. He could actually hear the voices spoken just like it was fresh in his mind. "There were two voices, in fact. Both have been in multiple visions... They were saying that things would get better... 'set things right' was what the male voice said. A female was pleading for him not to go, but..." Artomis grabbed his head, pain building up suddenly as he continued to force himself to remember what was said.

_"...I'm sorry... but I have to do this... I will always..."

"NO! ARTOMIS!"_

Artomis felt himself fall back onto the chair, hearing a loud thud behind him. His eyes were wide with shock as he inhaled deep. His body had a burning sensation, almost like everytime a real vision occurred. "...I'm one of the voices in my head." Faith could be heard ranting and raving behind Art, having just received a headbutt from the back of his head. He looked behind him to see her slam the door as she was leaving the room. He felt guilty for unintentionally hurting her and was about to follow her, but Cyrus held up his hand. "Faith will be fine, she's taken worse abuse from Zaphiel here." The mouse Pokémon to his side shot him a glare, where he returned a half-smile, then turned serious and looked at Art. "You said something after you lost control again. Can you repeat what that was?"

"I said that... I said things would be alright. She told me not to go, but I guess I did anyway. That girl's voice is the same one from other visions, just like my voice." Art felt his body shaking, his body felt cold after that flashback and he couldn't figure out why.

"Calm down, Artomis. You say that it was your voice you were hearing? How do you know that for certain?"

"She called out my name after telling me not to go. I think that's the only reason why I remembered my name in the first place."

"I see. Well, I believe you have picked your brain enough today. I don't want you to linger on these thoughts, but I don't want you to forget anything you have seen or heard. Right now, we need to deal with the problem at hand." Cyrus stood up and gazed at the two. "I need you both to go into town and gather as much information on Darkrai, Team Break, or the item they used. I shall be doing my own research on the side to aid the two of you, but there are many things I must do."

Zaphiel tossed Cyrus a smile. "No worries, Art and I can take care of it! Right man?"

"...Yeah, we sure can," He replied, not really confident in his response.

With a smile, Cyrus gave a nod. "Good, I shall give you the rest of the day to recover, but come tomorrow, we all need to make forward progress."

"Sounds like a plan, boss-man." Zaphiel gave a thumbs-up to Cyrus just before he disappeared in a white light. Turning to his partner, Zaph let out a small sigh. "You just get more interesting the more I get to know you."

Looking up, Art gave Zaph a confused look. "I'm glad I interest someone. Right now I just feel like a lost puppy."

"Don't get discouraged, man. Things will turn out all right. You just gotta keep moving forward, you'll find all your answers. I know you will." Once finished, Zaphiel stood up and held his hand out to Art. "Let's get some food. I bet you're starving, I know my gut's about to eat me if I don't feed it soon."

The dark silence was almost enough to drive him mad. Lying on his stomach, Artomis was staring at his own right paw, trying to clear his mind to try and fall asleep. Zaphiel could be heard moving every now and again, but other than that, it had been the quietest night in the guild.

The thoughts of his memories lingered in his mind, and he tried to put some effort to figure out what they meant. Nothing makes sense. That girl was with a friend and was in trouble, but I wasn't there... At least I don't think I was. But how would I have that memory if I wasn't?

He turned over, on to his side and stared ahead out the window. It was as calm outside as it was in the guild, light clouds in the moonlit sky. That annoyed Art. He didn't really like silence. It made him feel a little empty inside, he couldn't figure out why it made him feel that way, but it did.

He sat up and held his head for a moment. A small bit of pressure built up on his new injury for a moment, but the pain was quick to dissipate. I want to see Xatu, but I don't think I meet his qualifications yet... What should I do?

"You should go to sleep before I cast Hypnosis on you. You've got a long day tomorrow." Looking up, Artomis saw Cyrus standing at the doorway. He tossed a wave and turned around, leaving Art alone once more.

He decided to lay back down, only this time, he began to feel the days fatigue. He closed his eyes and felt his body slowly drift off into sleep. He opened his eyes again as soon as he could and noticed he was standing on top of his real self. Man, I can't even get away from reality in my dreams. I wonder why this happens to me every night now.

He sat down next to his physical form and pondered for a moment. He just couldn't get the memories off his mind. I wish I could see them again, maybe then I could put all the pieces to this puzzle together. He began thinking of one of his past visions. Once he started to remember, he noticed the scenery around him go dark. He then saw two feint figures in the distance, one a blue the other a orange-red color.

The blue figure seemed to move forward and the other followed close.

The blue figure soon stopped and turned towards the orange one."We need to find him... The fight is getting harder without him on my side..." The orange figure stepped up next to the halted blue figure. "Don't worry, I'm sure he's around somewhere. We just have to keep looking." "Yeah, I'm sure you're right..." Several black figures formed almost instantly around the pair. "Hey! Look out!"

Everything went dark again as Artomis sat on the ground, surprised he actually saw what happened this time. He believed that it was the blue figure that had spoken to him in his first vision, but it was hard to tell who was talking when. One of those voices is the same, I just need to figure out who it belongs to. Once I find her, I might figure out who I am. But how the hell am I going to find someone just by their voice? Hearing Zaphiel tossing in his sleep, he looked up and out the window to see the sun starting to shine through the dark horizon. Well, just about time for another day in the world of Pokémon. They should really post a sign saying "No humans allowed" at the entrance or something.