Sorry this chapter is up so late. My Internet went down for a while and I had to go on vacation among other things.

One final note: If you were hoping this story had a happy ending… Well sorry to disappoint you.

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.

Without further ado, I present to you the conclusion of this tale.

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Formulating the Revenge

Hikari's eyelids shot open and she jumped up in bed, her body drenched in a cold sweat. Her blue eyes darted around the room, trying to make sense of the situation. It was then she realized she was still in bed at the Harbor Inn. But the room was no longer shrouded in an ominous ambiance that made the girl quake with fear. On the contrary, Hikari was flooded with relief.

"I did it!" she suddenly exclaimed, "I defeated Darkrai!" She hopped out of the bed joyously and couldn't resist partaking in a victory dance. Hikari usually didn't act this childish (or cheerful for that matter) even in private, but had no choice but to succumb to the feelings of joy.

She checked the door to Room 491, and miraculously, it was unlocked. She exited the once-cursed room, but not before taking one last look at its contents. Thoughts of Darkrai and its current whereabouts crossed her mind, but were soon replaced with more positive ones.

Hikari pranced through the hallway into the currently empty lobby, the creepy man mysteriously missing. But the girl wasn't complaining. The entire atmosphere of the Inn seemed to change for the better. Eager to return to the outside world of Canalave City, she placed a hand on the doorknob and pushed.

Hikari had to quickly shield her eyes and allow them to adjust to the abundance of sunlight filtering through the clouds. To her surprise, Sailor Eldritch was waiting on a bench right outside Harbor Inn, and his expression could not have been any more relieved or jubilant as he set eyes on Hikari.

"You're okay!" The sailor bounded up to her, a huge smile plastered on his face. "Me and Isabelle and Eli… We were all worried sick about you!"

"I'm really sorry I made you worry so much," Hikari replied, bowing her head apologetically. "But I did it! I managed to beat Darkrai!" Eldritch's eyes widened, a mixture of pride and happiness reflected in his eyes. His family… finally avenged.

"That's fantastic!" he finally managed to say. "I'm sorry I ever doubted you Hikari. Please tell me all about it! And I'm sure Isabelle and Eli will be curious as well. She probably has some hot tea waiting, if you want to head back there."

Hikari nodded and walked next to the elder sailor, as she recounted her meeting with Darkrai. By the time she was finished her tale, they had reached Eldritch's home. He was about to go inside when Hikari stopped him.

"I have just one question," she said, "Where do you think Darkrai went?" Though she tried to hide it, the girl had an underlying fear of the Pitch-Black Pokemon, which was perfectly understandable judging her recent experiences. She was concerned over the possibility that it was still lurking somewhere out there. Plus, Hikari's curiosity got the best of her once again. "I mean, I don't think I vanquished Darkrai from Newmoon Island forever… Just the Harbor Inn."

"I agree," Eldritch replied, "Maybe after disappearing like that, it found somewhere else to rest and recover."

"Like Fullmoon Island perhaps?"

"Maybe… But who knows how well Cresselia would respond if she found Darkrai hanging out on her island… Why do you ask anyway? I hope you aren't getting any other ideas."

"I hate to break this to you Eldritch," Hikari began, "but I kinda am." Hikari herself was caught off-guard by the bluntness of her statement, but it was the truth. In response, Eldritch groaned and buried his face into his hands.

"Why do you insist on running into life-threatening situations?"

"I told myself I would do anything for the sake of research. When I first departed from Sandgem best to complete my Pokedex. I also set a personal goal for myself of encountering Town, I promised Professor Rowan I would do my all the Legendaries in Sinnoh, and maybe even one day, other regions. For some reason, Darkrai and Cresselia piqued my interests more so than others. I guess I'm just a naturally inquisitive person."

"Well at least come inside before running off again," Eldritch insisted. "I'm sure you're exhausted. I don't think any normal person would be able to survive what you just did to run into more dangers less than 10 minutes later." Hikari nodded, deciding, this time, to put her personal well being before her thirst for knowledge.

X

"I'm only doing this because I'm almost perfectly sure Darkrai is not on Fullmoon Island."

Eldritch and Hikari were about to depart from his home when he decided to reassure everyone – but mostly himself – that the girl would be safe on Fullmoon Island. As he aged, Eldritch found himself becoming quite a pushover and discovered a soft spot when it came to Hikari. He couldn't refuse to take the girl back and get in the way of her goal.

"I sure hope you're right," Isabelle commented, seeing the two out the door. Eli clung to her skirt, waving and his father and savior.

"Thanks again Eldritch," Hikari said, looking up at the sailor with a warm smile. She was forming quite a bond with the man, feeling moved by his concern for her safety. She felt herself opening up more, as was usually the case when she got closer to someone.

"Just please, don't do anything to get yourself hurt," Eldritch pleaded.

"Don't worry. I just want to look around for a bit. No big deal."

"Whatever you say… But I'm holding you to your word Hikari."

They both boarded Eldritch's ship and sped off through the waves, after slowly sailing out of the canal. It was only a brief trip to Cresselia's home, and it wasn't long before Hikari was stepping foot onto Fullmoon Island once more. Immediately, she headed straight towards the clearing in the trees, where she first encountered Cresselia.

As Hikari got closer, noises could be heard filtering through the branches of the trees and into her ears. There was a shrill tone, which occasionally sounded melodic, like a bird's song. A slightly menacing, yet smooth voice followed, which was then met with a harsh response from the first.

Hikari slowed her pace and crept forward, peering around the foliage and into the clearing. She stifled a gasp when she spotted Darkrai and Cresselia, hovering about the crescent-shaped puddle, seemingly in deep conversation. She watched them argue back and forth, frustrated that she couldn't understand them. Occasionally, one of them would make a gesture to emphasis a point, but even through that, Hikari could still not make heads or tails of their conversation.

Why could I understand Darkrai before, but not now?

Hikari attempted to get closer by crawling on the dirt on her hands and knees. Body pressed flat to the ground, she tried to get a better view of the conversation. A stray blade of grass sprouting from the ground brushed against her nose, and she tried to hold back an oncoming sneeze. But it was futile, as the tiniest 'achoo' escaped her lips.

Both Darkrai and Cresselia snapped their heads in the direction of the disturbance, trying to scope out the intruder. Darkrai's ice-blue eyes stopped on Hikari's frozen form and he roughly growled something to his counterpart. The blunette felt her body rise into the air, surrounded by some form of psychic energy, and come to rest in a standing position before the two Legendaries.

Cresselia glared at her with narrow, lavender eyes. Hikari was pervaded by terror; she was at the mercy of the two Pokemon now. The Lunar Pokemon's piercing eyes flashed and Hikari felt an odd sensation roll through her body.

Through her fading vision, Hikari could see the flickering forms of Cresselia and Darkrai as they disappeared into the air. Collapsing to her knees, Hikari blacked out.

X

"Hikari! Hikari! Wake up!"

The girl shifted positions slowly, before her eyes fluttered open. She appeared puzzled as she rubbed the back of her head. A blurred figure stood above her, who Hikari was soon able to make out as Eldritch.

"Wha… What happened?"

"I don't even know that," the sailor replied, "You were taking an unusually long time so I left the boat and went to look for you. I found you passed out, on the ground."

"I don't seem to remember much of anything… Just…voices…and piercing glares like daggers…" Hikari trailed off, wracking her brain to recall what happened to her, but was only met with vague and foggy memories. Suddenly, she shot up out of bed, startling Eldritch. It was only then Hikari realized that she was back on Eldritch's boat, lying in a rather uncomfortable cot.

"Do you think Cresselia can manipulate memories? Or what about Darkrai?" she blurted. "There's so much out there about these Pokemon we don't know! So much to be discovered and explored –" Hikari's ranting were cut off as Eldritch forced her back down on the bed.

"Whoa, Hikari. Take it easy. Just calm down a minute, 'kay?" The girl nodded slowly in response.

"Sorry Eldritch. I guess I just got caught up in the thought of it all…"

"Well even if there is so much to learn, I honestly don't think you should be the one to go looking for it. The knowledge and information, I mean. You've already been through a lot in a short amount of time for someone so young, and I can't help but feel partially at fault."

"It's not your fault, really. I just get so absorbed into mysteries like this easily, and often lose track of my own safety. Though I did promise my mom I would be the most cautious of my three friends… But anyway, you're right. I guess I'll spend a few days in Canalave, taking it easy and reading in the library. No more dangerous adventures for this girl!"

"That's good to hear," Eldritch replied. "Now anchors away!"

Hikari nodded and lay back down on the lumpy mattress, feeling slightly guilty about lying to the sailor. While it was true she was going to rest for a few days researching, nothing could truly stop her from eventually returning to either one of the Lunar Islands. Above all else, she wanted to have another encounter in Darkrai. Deep down, she knew this was risky, but still, she wanted to somehow communicate with and possibly find out why it seemed so intent on contacting with her. And why it tried to harm her. Maybe its hostile behavior was simply the result of loneliness. She found it hard to believe that the Pitch-Black Pokemon was purely evil. …Was it?

Rolling over on her side, Hikari's thoughts were lost as the gentle rocking of the waves lulled her in to a light sleep.

X

Hikari's face creased into a frown as she massaged her temples in aggravation. Nearly three days spent in Canalave Library and she had accumulated next to nothing in her research. Books with accounts of run-ins with Darkrai were strewn on the desk before her, but they were filled with nothing she hadn't personally experienced.

Most of the material located on the 3rd floor was full of myths about Sinnoh – tales of the Original One, the five beings it eventually produced, the Red Chain that was carefully intertwined between the lives of said beings…

As of now, those myths meant nothing to Hikari. Those were things she could tackle at another time, or had already tackled, with the fiasco involving Team Galactic on the snowy peak of Mt. Coronet.

Sighing, Hikari shut the book she was once engrossed in, releasing a cloud of dust. She glanced at the digital watch on her Poketch. It was growing late, and the library was nearing its closing time.

As she headed down the carpeted stairs to the lobby of the library, Hikari realized she had a decision to make. Eldritch told her to rest for a while before going on any more adventures. Three days was a while, right?

She was hit with a blast of cold air as she exited the Canalave Library. It was already dark, and the first twinkling stars of the evening were detectable overhead. Silver, wispy clouds passed over the crescent sliver of the moon, briefly obscuring it. Although only a small portion of the moon was visible, it still seemed to cast a ring of ethereal light in the obsidian sky. Soft moonlight bathed her pale features, bringing Hikari the slightest hint of comfort.

This moon is better than no moon after all, she thought, hoping it would be enough to keep Darkrai at bay for now.

This was the night Hikari decided she would return to the Lunar Islands. The girl simply couldn't wait any longer. She felt a pang of guilt about bothering Eldritch so late, and prayed he wouldn't mind. Mostly though, she prayed the sailor would even agree to take her back.

This trip could be potentially hazardous, as the others had proven to be. Hikari knew it was stupid to go back, and she should use the common sense she actually possessed. But there were so many things she just had to know.

Out of all who passed by Harbor Inn, why did Darkrai seem to target Hikari? Why would Arceus create a being such as Darkrai, capable of cursing people with such horrid nightmares? Was the supposed "God of Pokemon" really that cruel and sadistic? Hikari did not personally believe this to be the case. Why else would Cresselia hold the remedy to said nightmares? But most importantly, Hikari wondered,

Was Darkrai truly evil?

She was actually beginning to think this was true, so she braced herself for anything to happen, especially the worst. Hikari did not like to think so pessimistically, but you never know what's lurking around the next corner…

As the girl neared Sailor Eldritch's home, the night air abruptly turned frigid, and the wavering streetlight above her flickered out. Hikari shivered as cool wind blew, rustling the hem of her skirt. She was suddenly filled with a sense of dread and foreboding, like someone was watching her, and glanced around frantically.

Seeing no one, Hikari slowly continued forward, trusting the sparse moonlight to guide her way. The comfort that it brought her previously dissipated rapidly, as shadows eclipsed the moon. Everything around the girl went black as suffocating darkness engulfed her. The only things that registered in her brain were those haunting ice-blue eyes, appearing before her, and a chilling cackle, resounding in the shadows.

"Darkrai…"

That single word escaped Hikari's lips hoarsely. She attempted to resist the pull of the encroaching darkness, trying her best to break free of its hold and return to the streets of Canalave. For a scant instant, she felt the ebony bind around her pulse, its power suddenly abating. But Hikari could not overcome it, feeling her body weaken, her limbs paralyzed and her mind numb.

Part of her knew this was coming. Part of her was ready to face it again, and accept any of the consequences. That part of her took over her conscious as her eyes slowly shut, the life draining from the once vibrant azure orbs. She just didn't have the strength to fight anymore. Allowing her body to relax completely, Hikari let the darkness invade her being, prepared to live an eternity of nightmares.

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And so it ends. Darkly and vaguely and probably leaving you confused.

Questions? Comments? Leave 'em in a review and I'll respond. Even though they might be answered in an upcoming One-shot that goes along with this chapter, which reveals what Darkrai and Cresselia were actually talking about.

Other than that, I don't have much to say except thanks to everyone who bothered to drop a review or added the story to his or her favorites. See ya around the site.