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Pokemon 10: Rise of Darkrai
Even a God can't kill a dream |
And then he looked up, and found himself surrounded by Hovito natives, bows and arrows pointed directly at him, holding him in place as their leader emerged.....
"Tim," sighed Brandon.
"Brandon," I laughed,"Again we see there is nothing you can possess which I cannot take away....the movie."
Reluctantly he handed it over, and I held it high, crying out,"Kirei desu!"
They fell to their knees, praying in wonder, and Brandon took the opportunity to scramble to his feet and rush into the forest, towards where Jock and his plane were waiting.
"FFT! FFffftt!" I shouted, flapping my arm like a chickenwing, and the natives just stared at me
"Ffft?" asked one.
"Go and get him!" I shouted.
"When do we get the Ipods you pr-" started another.
"WHEN YOU GET HIM!" I screamed, and they shouted out in joy and rushed off after Brandon, while I lifted the movie high - Pokemon Movie 10: Rise of Darkrai - and burst into mad, lunatic laughter.
Rise of Darkrai.
The movie begins with Mew flying over cloudy mountaintops, then a series of Legendary Pokemon, including Zapdos, Entei, Celebi, Unown, Suicune, Groudon, Jirachi, Rayquaza, Raikou, the various Regi evolutions, Latios and Latias, Kyogre, Manaphy, Ho-Oh and more, while the narrator declares that the world of Pokemon truly is a wonder.
And then we see Ash against a backdrop of his many adventures - including the previous 9 (and one other!) movies - before we see Ash, Brock and Dawn along with their Pokemon on a rocky shore looking out over the ocean. The narrator tells us that more adventures wait ahead, including one soon coming, as he mentions a space-time rift and a new dimension, and we see Unown blasting through the air before seeing two dark, mysterious Pokemon facing off against a black background of nothingness.
Exactly what is going on? It's hard to say, because it happens without explanation, and the next thing we see is a young man sitting in a dusty study reading an old diary - about two Pokemon that should never have met facing off in a rift in space and time. The man looks sinister sitting in the shadows with light reflecting off of his glasses, until he sits forward and see he's just a young fellow, kind of nerdy, reading an old dusty diary by someone called "Gody."
The study suddenly shakes and modern technological equipment registers something wrong - and within the Space Time rift we see the two behemoth Pokemon revealed - Dialga and Palkia, masters of Time and Space respectively! And they are NOT happy to see each other!
They smash head to head, and then with screams they release untold powers on each other, blats of energy smashing against them, a crystal in Palkia's shoulder cracking under the pressure before the two chase each other through the Space-Time rift, causing massive shockwaves and disturbances that send waves of Unown flooding through the area. But their fight seems to take place in dilated time, as an hourglass in the study where the young man was reading the diary falls to the ground in the same amount of time as the two fight. As any rogue Time Lord in a police box who hates evil pepper pots can tell you - when messing with Space-Time, things get complicated!
The twerps walk on a beautiful day down a dirt road surrounded on both sides by forests. They come over the rise and right before them is Alamos Town, where Dawn's next contest is to take place. Ash and Dawn start running in excitement, Ash sure he'll find plenty of opportunities to battle and Dawn eager to try as many dresses on as she can before the contest..... but then they hit the downward slope and discover that they're not QUITE as close to Alamos Town as they thought.
Brock turns his guidebook around and realises they're on the wrong shore, and Dawn bends over in despair, much to the delight of any paedophiles that might be hiding in the bushes behind her. Ash bends over too (these paedophiles aren't picky) and Pikachu slumps down on his back (okay I guess they have SOME standards), but then a voice gets their attention. They look up and see a blond girl (much to Brock's delight) and a Chimchar lowering through the air in a hot air balloon. She offers to fly them over to Alamos Town, and once on board, Brock is in full perv mood, asking for her name, then checking through his "little blue book of babes" for information Alice from Alamos Town. He declares that since she isn't in his book he'll have to "make up for it" by taking her out for dinner... and Croagunk jams a Poison Jab into his back. He collapses into the bottom of the basket (no room for Croagunk to drag him away for who knows what) and the others introduce themselves, then compliment Alice on how pretty the lake is while Chimchar blasts Flamethrower into the balloon to lift it higher. Brock is back up on his feet surprisingly quickly to point out that the lake isn't as lovely as Alice, and she tells them that she is a balloon tour-guide, but also a musician. She takes out a Leaf-Whistle and blows on it, and Pidgey and Pelipper come flying in to listen, then head away, showing Alice the best way to ride the winds after them.
But as they fly, somehow a giant Carnavine balloon with flapping leaf arms has managed to appear in the sky unseen, and within it... Team Rocket!
A Drifloon floats through the air and bounces off of Jesse's face, joined by a two more Drifloom and a Drifblim. Jesse is delight at how "round" they are (others are also impressed with how round they are Jesse!) but then for some reason starts talking about the Drifloom, declaring that they obviously want to be captured and grabbing out a net just for that purpose. She takes several swipes but the Drifloom just bounces aside as Jesse shouts at it to stop playing hard to get... and the Drifblim swells up in fury and "busts them with gust", sending them blasting off again!
Oh no, not already!
Meanwhile Alice is flying the twerps past the Space Time Towers, built by an architect named Gody one hundred years ago - where the Pokemon Contest will be held.
Ash tries to figure out how long 100 years is, working on his ten times table until Dawn sighs and points out that 100 is 10 times 10. He's rightfully embarrassed, but gets his own back when Brock reads the explanation of why the towers are called the Space Time Towers..... one represents time and the other represents space.
"I could have told you that!" laughs Ash, and he's right. It's hardly an explanation, and when even a 10 year old dullard can figure it out, it ain't complicated!
Pikachu seems to sense something odd, and moments later Flying Pokemon sweep into the air in alarm before turbulence shakes the hot air balloon. Within Gody's study, the young man from earlier is checking his machines and muttering that "powerful forces are colliding", but what does that mean?
Alice apologises for the rough ride and offers to give the twerps a guided tour, which is a great excuse for the opening credits! As they run, we see trainers battling each other in paved squares while casual onlookers go watch on; children are bought candy canes and the twerps soon follow suit, Ash and Pikachu gobbling theirs all up (yes, they share, as do Alice and Chimchar!) before Ash sneaks all of Brock's and laughs with delight to have robbed the virgin of even that sugary delight. He rushes ahead and runs into a Torterra, and Pikachu runs up on its back as we see the trainer and his two friends - a young man in a white jacket, a slightly older man with black dreadlocks and a goatee and a young lady in short shorts with her red hair in a bun and pigtails. Ash immediately asks for a battle and Pikachu and Torterra fight in the square, Pikachu blasting Torterra in the face with Iron Tail. Meanwhile, the dreadlocked man brings out his Empoleon to show to Dawn, and poor little Piplup struggles valiantly and proudly to match the grandeur and majesty of the "Emperor" Pokemon while Brock's Croagunk fights the lady's Infernape.
Piplup's Whirlpool is frozen by Empoleon's Ice Beam and they match Pecks before Empoleon blasts out of Bubble Beam and leaps into Piplup's Whirlpool, while the camera pans up and trucks across the Space Time Towers, and the credits end.
The battles apparently over (and the winners not established), Alice leads the twerps to a small pond within sight of the Space Time Towers, which she tells them is her favourite part of the town. She explains that Gody designed the garden too, and Brock reads from a guide that it is designed to showcase the harmony between Pokemon and humans. Pokemon from within the garden rush up to see Alice who has played there since she was a little girl, and the twerps call out their Pokemon to play with them. They rush off to chase, play, swim and otherwise enjoy themselves, while the twerps keep pace, followed by Croagunk, whom seems less "excitable" than the other Pokemon.
They reach a platform that looks over the lake as the Pokemon play in a playground and Happiny carries around a MUCH larger Quagsire it befriended earlier... and even Croagunk joins in, slowly swinging on a swing next to Sudowoodo. Meanwhile, Piplup tries to grab a berry off of a tree only for Pachirisu to get it first, then Aipom to grab the next one, so Piplup ends up grabbing the last one at the same time as a Shinx, and they tug back and forth on it, tumbling into the other Pokemon and all of them ALMOST tumbling into the gleefully unaware Pachirisu until all the other Pokemon surround it to protect it... and then it feels crowded and zaps them all anyway!
Buneary freezes Shinx which crashes into Azumarill, and Shinx blasts everyone and they all end up squaring off to fight as Sudowoodo jumps about in alarm.
The twerps yell at them to stop fighting, but then Alice plays her Leaf Whistle and calms everyone down, and Pidgey flap down to bump along to the beat. All of the Pokemon stand smiling, listening to the music, Aipom bringing Piplup and Shinx a berry to share, and everyone is happy.... except Croagunk, that just stares with that same creepy curiosity it always has.
A Gallade comes jumping through the trees and lands beside Alice, sounding off that SOMETHING is wrong. She chases after it, and the twerps recall their Pokemon and do the same, running after her. They discover stone pillars that have been.... not broken, but their bases twisted, stretched.... it's bizarre. Alice asks who could have done this and a dramatic voice declares,"It was Darkraaaaaaii!"
A noble looking redheaded man with a bizarre tuft/forelock of hair swept back high over the rest of his hair steps out of the shadows of the hedge, and Alice identifies him as Alberto. Ash is confused, and asks who Darkrai is (but not who Alberto is), and the Princely looking man dramatically poses with one foot on the twisted pillar to tell them Darkrai is who "WREAKED THIS HAVOC!" before Brock gives the more accurate but less dramatic explanation that Darkrai is a Pokemon that makes you have nightmares.
But there's no nightmare for Jesse, who (along with James and Meowth) are dangling from a tree, the result of their earlier blast off, watch Alberto, Alice and twerps through binoculars - Jesse declaring he's a handsome hunk.
Meowth thinks he is a rock star and James thinks he's a Joe they should get to know, but as they watch the twerps hear rustling in the bushes and Alberto calls out a Lickilicky (which has the same "tuft" as Alberto, or the other way around), having it use Hyperbeam immediately thinking that in this garden FULL of Pokemon, the only thing that could be making a rustling noise is Darkrai. The blast causes a shout of alarm, and the nerdy young man from the start of the movie comes stumbling out clutching a fried laptop, the Drifblim from earlier floating down beside him in concern, holding an antenna.
Alice calls out to "Tonio" in alarm and rushes to his side, checking to see if he is okay and introducing him to the twerps. Tonio takes out his laptop (which apparently survived the Hyperbeam) and explains he has been tracking a space time anomaly, then hands it off to Alice and goes to check the twisted pillar.... a piece of it breaking off and falling onto his head. Alice checks on him and Alberto chuckles that she doesn't have to be so nice to him, the wraps his arm around her shoulders, reminding her that she is to be HIS wife! Much to Brock's shock. She pushes him off and tells him she told him no already, besides which she is too young to be married. Unseen, Tonio grins to hear this, and Alberto apologises that now wasn't the time, then gets a lecherous look on his face and takes her arm, asking her to come to his place for some "dinner".
Wow, get declined for a $1000 loan from the bank, come straight back asking for a million!
Dawn shoves between them, snapping at Alberto that Alice is SO not into him, while Chimchar darts underneath her legs and looks up her skirt, then shouts at Alberto. He snaps at Dawn to BUTT OUT and tries to grab Alice by the arm again as Tonio whispers to Ash and Brock that Alberto is a Baron, but Alice pulls clear and runs to Tonio's side, taking his arm and telling Alberto that Tonio is the one she likes, much to Brock's further horror.
"I am?" asks Tonio, and Alberto laughs, Tonio gasping at her, asking if this is just a joke. She looks off in the other direction and he has a sudden flashback of them as children, him "saving her" from something and her hugging him, and back in the present he sighs and moans,"Oh Alice."
Meanwhile in the Space Time Rift - Palkia and Dialga are BEATING THE SHIT OUT OF EACH OTHER!
Pikachu seems to sense something, and another wave of disturbance washes over them, Tonio grabbing the laptop from Alice and checking his readings. Gallade points in the direction of a stone pillar with flowers growing from the top, that seems to slice in two and fall apart, and Ash realises.... something is there.
Clouds cross over the sun and the garden becomes dark, a shadow forming next to the ruins of the pillar.... and from the shadow emerges a dark figure, one malignant blue eye visible beneath a head of white "hair" that seems to drift into a cloud, and it whispers,"Do. not. come. here."
It's Darkrai!
The sun remerges and Alberto sends in Lickilicky, while Team Rocket watch from the branches, James declaring that Darkrai is a "nice looking chap". Lickilicky blasts Hyperbeam at Darkrai but it disappears into its own shadow, zipping along the ground and reemerging to blast a ball of dark energy at Lickilicky, which shifts its bulk aside so the shot hits.... Ash! he is surrounded by a sphere of dark energy and then falls to the ground, jumping back up and.... he's alone, still in the garden but now completely by himself, the others all gone.... and the twisted pillars by the empty pool are now whole again, and the pool once again filled with water.
He calls out for the others and starts walking away, but as he does his shadow simply elongates, then twists into the shape of Darkrai and surrounds Ash, a red "eye" flashing over him before Darkrai emerges. He calls out Turtwig to battle it, but the Pokeball simply disappears into smoke, and then Darkrai fades and Ash sees Pikachu standing off in the distance. He calls out in excitement, only for the ground to suddenly start spilling into a sinkhole, dragging Pikachu along. Ash leaps and grabs Pikachu up into his arms, then plummets into the darkness screaming, Pikachu blasting the void with electricity and..... they wake up, Ash hugging Pikachu wearing his white shirt but no jacket in a bed. Pikachu is delighted to see him and he hugs it tight, too tight, and Dawn has to grab his shoulder and warn him to relax. He sits up, confused.... what the hell is going on?
They explain they brought him to the Pokemon Centre, Darkrai put him to sleep and gave him terrible nightmares. But instead of taking Ash to a hospital, they took him to a place designed to treat small mammals, fish and reptiles. They explain that Darkrai's mere presence causes people to have nightmares, but that Darkrai itself usually doesn't come out near people, and other Pokemon usually stay away from it too. Ash shouts that the next time they meet he'll give it a fight alright, but Alice points out that Alberto (who isn't there) attacked first. Meanwhile, Tonio is kneeling and examining a whorl in the wooden planks of the floor, and muttering that something is warping space. He leaps up and declares he must examine more data. He heads off muttering to himself, leaving behind Alice and her Buneary like hair.
That night, a giant fireworks display is going on.... for some reason, the contest maybe? But Tonio is paying no attention, sitting in the study looking through Gody's old files. Included is a picture of Gody and Alicia - Alice's Grandmother - and he comments that she met Darkrai. In the sepia tones of the past, we see Alicia finding an obviously sore and tired Darkrai putting various other Pokemon to sleep before collapsing against a tree. She sits on the swing and plays the leaf whistle, calming Darkrai as Gody approaches, seeing the other Pokemon sleeping comfortably near her while Darkrai's shadow falls over her. Apparently she was the reason Darkrai decided to stay in the garden, and reading through Gody's diary, Tonio discovers a sketch of the Space Time Towers and a note saying that the nightmare showed "me what to do" and that they had to leave "Erasion for the world".
Erasion?
Meanwhile, Baron Alberto stands in his palatial residence with Team Rocket, who have introduced themselves to him as "TV People". Reporter "Jesselina" says an interview with the man who chased away Darkrai is just what their viewers want, and Director "Jameson" agrees, as does Cameraman.... Meowth.
Yeah, he just straight up calls himself Meowth.
Standing over a model of the whole town, Alberto grins that the public does have a right to know, and Team Rocket thank him for the "public service".
The next day, Dawn buys a Lunar Wing, a pendant designed to chase away bad dreams. She rejoins the others as the twerps rush ahead of them, and Ash flashes back to his "nightmare" with Darkrai. The chimes of the Space Time Towers ring and Alice takes them inside to show them the site of the Pokemon Contest. Inside the towers is as impressive a sight as outside, including massive rooms, giant sculptures and ancient machinery in motion for unspecified reasons. They head down into Gody's Laboratory to see Tonio, and discover Tonio laying on his back on the floor. Horrified, Alice runs to his side, but it turns out he just crashed on the floor to get some sleep, and when she sees he is alright she drops him and steps away miffed, muttering he shouldn't sleep on the floor. He tells them that he discovered references to nightmares in Gody's diary, as well as a photo of Gody and Alicia, which he gives to Alice. She looks at the back of the photo and discovers music written on the back, while Piplup goes exploring and flips a strange disc through the air onto Pikachu's head. Pikachu staggers back and trips, Ash catching the disc and then looking up to see many more stored around the lab. They ask what they are and are told they're musical discs, which play music from the towers. An excited Dawn wants to try it out, but that means climbing to the top! But she isn't worried, and before you know it they're all trudging up the four billion steps to the top, Dawn muttering about her big mouth before Ash - tired of walking behind her and looking straight up her skirt - laughs and says he wants to race her to the top..
Him and his big mouth.
A balloon passes him on the way and he realises that the others decided to take the balloon up instead, reaching the top far before he can.
At the top of the towers, they laugh as Ash staggers to the top, the long climb having done wonders for his face.
Tonio explains the musical discs are normally played automatically on the hour, but you can set it to play something specially. Dawn approaches with a disc and Ash moans he wants to do it, but she snaps at him that it was her idea and places the disc into place. Alice hands over a disc to Brock and pulls a lever, and music plays from the top of the towers throughout the town.... must be pretty fucking loud up there at the top for them.
People dance on the streets to hear the music, while Chimchar fires up the balloon to return them to the bottom, this time with Ash along for the ride. Outside the tower, they discover the three trainers from earlier, and everyone is eager to battle again - Pikachu versus Empoleon, Buizel versus Infernape and Sudowoodo against Torterra. But as Ash kicks things off, in the Space Time Rift, Palkia and Dialga continue their furious battling, and set off another massive anomaly that sends waves of purple energy fanning across the city.
Tonio is amazed by the level of power, but then it fades back on itself, while within the rift, Dialga searches for Palkia and then screams in frustration.
"GOOOO AWAAAY!" roars a dark voice, and Ash turns to see Darkrai emerge from the shadows. Ash charges for it, but then Baron Alberto appears with Team Rocket filming him, calling out Lickilicky to fight it. Darkrai dodges a charge and blasts it with a blast of energy, then shifts out of the way of Hyperbeam and sends balls of black energy flying in all directions, hitting random people and Pokemon, knocking them out and sending them into nightmares. Buizel tries to fight but even Hulkamania can't stop it (JUST WAIT TILL THE PPV, BROTHER! THE BUIZELSTER SAVES ITS BEST FOR WHEN IT GETS PAID, DUDE!) and it too is sent into a nightmare (young talent going over old past their prime guys from the 80s) while Ash and Pikachu chase Darkrai, Pikachu blasting Thunderbolt at Darkrai as it slides into the ground.
In the alleyways of closely built houses, Ash spots a panicked, translucent Bibarel scrabbling through the air from out of the wall of one house and into another. Confused, Ash asks Pikachu if it saw the same thing, then they spot Darkrai's shadow. Pikachu hits it with Thunderbolt and gives Darkrai pause, and it slides out of the ground, using Double Team to avoid Volt Tackle, despite Pikachu's best efforts. Ash yells at Darkrai that the only one leaving here is it, and it replies,"NO! I. STAY!"
"What?" says Ash, not used to such a direct reply, and then Alberto and Lickilicky show up to "take control", which translates as Lickilicky being put to sleep immediately, giant tongue flopping out of its mouth as it crashes to the ground.
Darkrai falls back into the ground as Alberto yells at Lickilicky to wake up and its tongue flops over his face. Ash tries to get ahold of Darkrai again but it disappears, and then the Ghostly Bibarel returns, floating past an alarmed Team Rocket who think maybe it is some kind of ultra rare Pokemon. Alberto mutters that it can't be real, and then Lickilicky glows and Alberto.... becomes a Lickilicky!
Meowth moans that the camera does add a few extra pounds, while the Baron demands to know what the hell is Team Rocket's problem. Ash is convinced that he's sleeping and asks Pikachu to zap him and wake him up, but all that does is shorten his lifespan by a few more years, while Jesse shows the Baron a shot of himself in the mirror and his new massive tongue pops out of his mouth in surprise.
Meanwhile, Nurse Joy is checking on the sleeping Buizel and Sudowoodo, Brock moaning (not in a pathetic attempt at seduction) that he needs an examination too, as he is hallucinated a ghostly Buizel flying around him. But Nurse Joy sees it too, as do all the other trainers and their sleeping Pokemon. More "ghosts" emerge as Alice and Tonio rush in with two more Pokemon, and then Ash rushes in followed by Baron Alberto Lickilicky, who snaps at them that they don't know what a problem is!
They're shocked, since when could Lickilicky talk? But he snaps angrily that he's not Lickilicky, before his tongue flops out of his mouth and he has to pop it back in, still not used to it. He demands that Tonio "turn him back", and Ash explains he is telling the truth. Team Rocket run in carrying the REAL Lickilicky (surprising that they didn't steal it), while Tonio does scans and discovers that the real world is merging with the dream world. The Pokemon are having their worst nightmares, for many that means being chased by something scary, but apparently for Lickilicky, its worst nightmare is becoming the Baron.
BURN!
Baron Alberto Lickilicky snaps that it's obviously Darkrai's fault, but Tonio isn't entirely convinced. Alberto demands that Lickilicky wake up and destroy Darkrai, while Team Rocket moan that they're not exactly getting the "scoop" they thought they would. The three trainers that the twerps battled fought show up, telling them that they can't get out of town, and take them to a bridge where they find a mysterious fog has surrounded Alamos. The female trainer's Honchkrow tries Defog but it doesn't nothing, so Ash does what he does best and runs directly at it with Pikachu and comes out the other side.... where he ran into it in the first place!
Baron Lickilicky insists that it's all Darkrai's fault and they have to destroy it, and Jesse declares that it is nice to see Baron Lickilicky back to form. He turns on her to snap that his name is Baron Alberto, and again his tongue flops out, splaying over Jesse's face and licking her.
Oh well, bright side to everything, it seems.
Baron Lickilicky makes an impassioned speech to the other trainers to join him as an angry mob, and they head off together to find Darkrai and put an end to it. The other three trainers also join them, and the twerps decide to follow along, but Alice stops them, saying that she isn't sure Darkrai is the one behind this. Tonio says he isn't sure either, and tells them the story of him and Alice playing in the garden as children, and Alice going too high and slipping off a cliff, falling to her death.... or she would have, but a shadowy figure leapt from out of nowhere and caught her, lowering her to the ground and then disappearing into the shadows at Tonio rounded the corner. He woke Alice and she thought he saved her, and she hugged him and told him she loved him. But in the present, he admits that he didn't save her that day, and now he is sure it was Darkrai, and he doesn't think it is evil. Alice moans,"Oh Tonio," because she just found out she was getting ready to put out for some nerdy loser on the understanding he saved her life years ago, while Tonio tells the twerps that he doesn't have all the information he needs to figure out what it keeping them from leaving Alamos.
Meanwhile, Jesse walks alongside the Baron as he leads his posse, telling the cameras that Baron Lickilicky is leading them.... which of course leads to her taking a tongue bath again.
You don't normally see Jesse getting tongued against her will so much in OFFICIAL Pokemon material.
"That's Baron Alberto," he grunts.
They spot Darkrai "Batman'ing" it up on top of a roof, while above the city Tonio's Drifblim holds an antenna and gets Tonio a feed of the city down in Gody's laboratory. He's working on exactly when nightmares began materialising and remembers that it wasn't until after the bright light appeared in the sky. He freeze frames the shot of the formation of light and zooms in, spotting....
"What's this?" he says, shocked.
But as he makes his discovery, Darkrai is being attacked by multiple Pokemon and their Trainers, cornered and hit by multiple attacks all at once as Jesse gives play by play, asking if this is the end?
And then Darkrai gets angry.
"Do. Not. Interfere!" it shouts, and sends all of the Pokemon to sleep and suffering nightmares, and Jesse is delighted... until she spots the Baron glaring at her and remembers what her role is supposed to be. She rails angrily against Darkrai, then she and James tell the Baron that he's just the person to "lick" Darkrai, and he realises that there may be some advantages to his current situation. He tries Gyro ball, spinning around, but Darkrai dodges, so he uses Wrap, wrapping tongue around Darkrai and laughing,"MOT NAD!" before... Darkrai spins him about and crashes him into Team Rocket, sending them all blasting off again!
Inside the Pokemon Centre, Tonio is showing the twerps the shot he discovered, and enhances the image to reveal... Palkia. Ash recognises it from his dream and Tonio explains many believe it to be a Deity (that's God, folks!) that controls space, living in-between dimensions. Darkrai was warning them off when it told them "do. not. come. here", because of its own nature it was able to see Palkia - when it said,"Go. Away!" it was talking to Palkia, and when Ash saw the image of the glowing red eyed "thing" in his nightmare, it was Palkia. So Darkrai's admonishment to the trainers earlier not to interfere? It was telling them without telling them that it had something to do.... fight Palkia.
Oh HELL YES!
The twerps run out and see Darkrai fly through the air towards the top of the Space Time Towers, only to be smashed back into the ground by an invisible shield. As it crashes, Palkia becomes visible between the spires of the tower, and then Darkrai smashes out of the ground and roars,"GO. AWAY!", blasting energy at Palkia that.... wakes it up.
Oh shit.
Meanwhile in the Pokemon Centre, the "ghosts" of the Pokemon disappear and the Pokemon wake up. Lickilicky also wakes up, and deep in the streets of the city, the Baron returns to his previous self, much to his delight and out despair - Baron Lickilicky was SOOOO cool!
But then he looks up and sees the void Alamos is now locked in, and moans,"ENOUGH FOR ONE DAY!"
Tonio has also discovered their predicament, his scans showing that the town is now floating in another dimension. The wakened Pokemon rush to Dawn and Brock as Lickilicky spins by in search of the Baron, and Tonio guesses that it isn't so much that they woke up, but now they've moved into a different dimension, their nightmare forms have taken on corporeal form.
Well yeah... or maybe they just woke up.
Palkia lands on the ground before the towers, the cracked crystal in its shoulder glowing, spotted by Alice as Darkrai blasts at it and the GOD chases after the Master of Nightmares, looking to put an end to it so it can rest and regain it's strength once more. Darkrai seems to be no match for Palkia's power though (it is a God after all), but then......
Dialga - God of TIME - has just arrived on the scene.
OH SHIT!
It crashes into Palkia and they smash into the ground, thrashing about as Team Rocket flee in horror from TWO FIGHTING GODS WHO CONTROL TIME AND SPACE! Palkia pulls clear and flies over Team Rocket, knocking them off of their feet, and then Dialga chases, the Doppler effect sending Team Rocket flying again.
The injured Palkia is hit from behind and crashes into the ground as Dialga lands, and the two get back up to face off as the twerps try to figure out a way to survive getting caught between two GODS that should never have met, and now that they have - thanks to the rift in time and space - they both know it's WRONG for Time and Space to mix like this, and are looking to fucking DESTROY EACH OTHER.
Darkrai charges in front of the Space Time Towers to protect it from a stray blast, and Tonio realises what the comments in Gody's diary meant. This was a nightmare he suffered, coming true as two Gods battle with limitless rage to destroy each other, and doing damage only to the city of Alamos, which begins to disintegrate under the impact of powers strong enough to create a Universe.... concentrated in one small town.
Well. They're fucked.
But Alice has an idea - since they hold dominion over Time and Space respectively, they're sure to notice and listen to the protestations of one small girl who's time alive is less than a speck of dust to them. She rushes underneath the two fighting Behemoths and scream at them to stop, but their battling doesn't stop, in fact after crashing together they both fall directly towards her, sure to crush her... until Darkrai comes to her rescue.
It blasts them away and takes off after them, getting between them, but now that they are both here, even Darkrai is beneath their attention.
"GO. AWAY!" it screams, blasting at them both, finally getting their attention... which serves only for them to both turn and blast it flying across the length of the city before they turn back to each other.
Alice finds Darkrai lying against the same tree Alicia once found it by, and asks if it is okay. It thinks she is Alicia, but she explains who she is, and they all ask its forgiveness for not realising it was trying to protect them. It stares, then fades into the ground, reappearing directly between Dialga and Palkia again and attempting to block their attacks as the town's perimeter wall begins to disintegrate into nothingness.... or, as Tonio suggests, fade into another dimension entirely.
Tonio doesn't know what he can do, but then he remembers what Gody's diary said - to save the world he had to leave Erasion.... but what is Erasion? But to his surprise, Alice has heard of it, it's the song that Alice's Grandmother taught her to play on the Leaf Whistle. They rush into the towers, but Tonio can't find Erasion listed in the Research Library, meaning it might be on one of the many musical discs spread around the walls of the tower. But which one? Alice remembers back to when her Grandmother taught her, explaining that Erasion meant prayer, and to always remember that. She looks at the huge circle of discs before her, then the photo Tonio gave her with the music on the back, and sees a symbol on one that matches the one beneath the music - that's it, Erasion!
As they prepare to get to the top of the tower, Palkia and Dialga continue fighting, Dialga getting blasted into the ground. Brock and Nurse Joy are leading the evacuation of the town into the gardens, the three friendly trainers using their Pokemon to try and block any stray attacks that come near. But their combined efforts aren't enough to stop one blast, and Infernape has to leap aside as it blasts near and....... and.... Croagunk.
Brock is amazed, Sudowoodo and Happiny cheer, and Nurse Joy tells Brock she is going to wait with the others at the rear of the garden, while Brock says he'll handle things there.
Meanwhile Tonio, Alice, Dawn and Ash are flying towards the top of the Towers when a stray blast's shockwave sends Piplup plummeting towards doom. Ash sends in Staravia as Piplup frantically flaps its stubby little wings, saved by Staravia that lifts them back up to the balloon. Darkrai attempts to block more attacks coming their way but is overwhelmed, and the side of the basket is seared completely free, Ash grabbing Dawn's hand barely in time.
But then Palkia sweeps by and Ash loses his grip, Dawn falling.... to one of the observation decks only a couple of feet below, much to their relief. Ash falls clear and lands on one of the tower's curves, sliding down and leaping to the same deck, eyes wide as his feet ache with pain, but still clutching onto Erasion.
Another blast finds it way directly towards Tonio and Alice as they float through the air, and Darkrai leaps into the way to take it, only for the shockwave to send the basket falling into smoke, and when it clears, Tonio is... gone. The basket begins to fall towards the ground, Alberto rushing along the bridge below to save Alice... until he trips over and she just jumps off herself, landing on the stone railing and struggling to keep her balance... but fails, falling backwards.... only for a long sloppy tongue to save the day!
It tugs back on her, but Lickilicky's tongue slips and she falls, once AGAIN to her doom, but this time Tonio DOES save her, clutching onto his Drifblim as he grabs her hand and they return to the bridge. She hugs her (once again) hero, then turns to Lickilicky and kindly tells the Baron she owes him thanks too.... and the real Baron grunts from several feet behind Lickilicky that he's over there.
But they're STILL not out of danger, as the bridge around then begins to disintegrate.... Jesus, it's just not their day.
More of the outer edges of the town disintegrate, while Ash and Dawn rush up the stairs from the observation deck, Ash clutching Erasion. Aipom and Turtwig blast at any stray shots coming towards them as they run, while down in the garden, Brock hauls Darkrai out of the pond helped by a Quagsire and Alice, Tonio and the Baron arrive.
As Alice asks if Darkrai is all right, it returns to the sepia toned past, where Alicia first helped it recover.
Meanwhile, the disintegration is affecting the tower steps now, which is something that Ash and Dawn's Pokemon can't protect against. The stairs in front of them fade into nothingness, and Dawn calls out Buneary and Buizel to use a combination of Water Gun and Icebeam to create ice steps they can run up... which probably isn't all that good an idea, especially considering ol' dimbulb Ash looks unsure of whether or not it's a sensible idea.
Slowly they move up the stairs, Buneary hiding its face behind its "skirt" as Pikachu congratulates it, while down in the garden, the trainers have their Pokemon try to fight "nothing" by blasting at the approaching border of disintegration.
And oblivious to the fears of the insignificant specks beneath them, Dialga and Palkia fight on, Alice screaming at them to stop. They pay her no attention though, but that's not important - what is important is that Dialga does, and remembers Alicia long ago telling it that the garden was for EVERYBODY and it could stay as long as it wanted.
Tonio tells Brock that the collisions between Dialga and Palkia (collisions between physical manifestations of Time and Space itself) are speeding up the disintegration of Alamos, and one more will mean they're done for. They're pretty much fucked, the worst nightmare of the human condition made true - oblivion.
Darkrai charges between the two, but this time instead of trying to absorb their attacks, it uses them, fueling its own attack, creating a giant dark sphere of energy like those it used before to put people and Pokemon into nightmares.
Darkrai just gave two Gods nightmares!
"THIS. GARDEN. IS. EVERYONE'S!" it screams, seen from the disintegrating tunnel by Ash and Dawn who rush up ahead. Tonio tells Brock that Darkrai is holding in the power of TWO GODS to keep the garden from being destroyed, but it can't keep it up forever. In fact, while the power is contained it still creates shockwaves, and one tears loose a section of the stairwell and sends Ash falling. Dawn grabs his arm and tries to hold him in place, and Piplup grabs her boot to try and keep her in place, but gravity takes control and they fall out... and Buizel blasts them across to another curve in the tower with Water Gun, saving them.
THE BUIZELSTER PUT THOSE TWERPS OVER, DUDE! NOW THEY GOTTA DO THE JOB FOR BUIZEL AT WRESTLEMANIA, BROTHER!
ash yells at Pikachu to take care of the Pokemon still on the stairwell, while he, Dawn and Piplup rush up the last curse to another spiral stairwell inside of the tower.... but even now the bells and chimes are disintegrating. Even if they make it, will the machinery still work enough to play the music?
Outside, Darkrai's power is fading, it can't hold the Gods in the Nightmare all any longer, and once again they are free. They both blast Darkrai in fury, and Darkrai.... disintegrates.
They sent Darkrai into oblivion.
Ash and Dawn pause for a moment in shock, then continue on, Ash shouting he won't let Darkrai down as they finally reach the musical chamber, getting there at the same time as Pikachu, an exhausted Piplup sweating to keep up.
They replace the discs, but Erasion won't fit, and outside Palkia and Dialga are preparing to collide in an attack that will spell the end for Alamos. They can't figure out why the disc won't fit, but then Dawn notices a blank space in the centre where no disc usually goes, and they try and that... it fits! They pull the handle as the Pokemon close their eyes and hope it will work.... but no power feeds the machine, it has disintegrated too far, and down in the garden, Tonio looks at his computer and says it is too late.
But Ash and Dawn aren't giving up yet, and have Pachirisu and Pikachu unload Discharge and Thunderbolt in full force, blasting the machine, filling it with energy.... and the music begins to play, Alicia's Leaf Whistle tune playing through the largest musical instrument in the world - the Space Time Towers.
Dialga and Palkia prepare to cast the final blow for Alamos in a battle that neither can win, only continue for eternity, but then the music reaches their ears and finally, finally, they notice something other than themselves or Darkrai exists.
The tower plays the music as the disintegration halts, and long dormant machinery expands and spreads the Space Time Towers as if they were a flower rather than a construction of metal and steel.
Everyone stares in wonder at the glowing tower, which in turns spread wings of gold, creating what looks like a massive Phoenix (Ho-Oh?), surrounding Dialga and Palkia in light, repairing Palkia's cracked crystal shoulder, and reforming Alamos whole. Dialga and Palkia turn to look at each other, but the madness caused by their impossible meeting has faded, and Dialga turns and flies away, disappearing into Time itself.
Palkia though, is not done yet, and it flies up to the glowing tower, speaking impossible words that cannot be comprehended by humanity. But whether it is a threat, a statement, an apology, a prayer to it and Dialga's own incomprehensible father does not matter to Ash, who yells at it that it ripped the town from its place, hurt Pokemon and people, and it has to set things right.
And for a wonder.... a God actually listens.
The twerps, trainers, Baron, Alice and Tonio look about in wonder, everything is as it was, the town and garden restored. Brock gives Happiny a hug, the townspeople rush out of the garden towards their homes. But for all the happiness, as the sun sets, Tonio, Alice and the twerps stand in quiet contemplation of the one Pokemon that could not be returned, because it sacrificed itself to save them from the wrath of two Gods - Darkrai.
Tears run down Alice's cheeks as she thanks it, and Ash apologises for not realising it was trying to help. That starts Dawn crying too, and Tonio leads Alice away with his arm around her. The twerps follow, but as they walk, Pikachu senses something and they all turn, shocked by what they see, a shadow cast by the tower onto the wall of an opposite canyon. They turn and look at the source of the shadow, delighted by what they see, Alice pressing up against a blushing Tonio.
Because nightmares are just dreams, and Darkrai is the master of dreams.... so they should have known....
....not even a God can kill a dream.
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