A/N: NOW is time for the first exploration! I decided to delete my Old Chateau story since I have too many things going on and want to focus only on one fic at a time. I have more unfinished stories up than I'd like.

Chapter 5 – Diving into Adventure

/ The Past, Treasure Town /

"Are you all set to go, Darkrai?" Typhoon asked as he collected their equipment from Kangashkan Storage. "Anything specific you want?"

Darkrai shook his head. "I think I will be adequate for now, all things concerned," he said. "Though I did see a Focus Blast TM earlier that perked up my interest. I might consider switching out Ice Beam for it later."

"I've got Fighting-type moves covered," Lyceus assured him. "Can't go wrong with a boosted Aura Sphere, eh?"

"It certainly comes in handy at times," Cresselia commented with a smile. "Make sure you bring plenty of Heal Seeds, Reviver Seeds, Oran Berries, Apples, and Max Elixirs."

Typhoon smirked. "I've been doing this a lot longer than you have, Cressy. I've got it all covered, don't you worry!"

"Cressy?" Darkrai repeated in his mind, surprised and a bit jealous. He knew full well that the Lunar Swan only allowed Pokémon she truly considered close friends to call her by that name. A privilege he would never be able to enjoy after everything that had happened.

"Something wrong, Darkrai?" Lyceus asked.

"Er…no…" he replied quickly. "Sorry, just got lost in thought."

"Used to happen all the time with Lyceus back in the past," Typhoon said laughing. "It's a good thing he keeps his head in the game when we're exploring!"

"Speaking of which," Cresselia interrupted, "where exactly are we exploring today? You never actually told us yet."

"Oh, that's true! Darkrai, Cresselia, we're going to Sky Stairway!" Lyceus announced.

"Sky Stairway?" the lunar swan asked incredulously. "That's one of the longest dungeons out there and one of the more difficult ones. Bear in mind that Darkrai has never actually gone on an exploration yet."

"You've told us, yourself, Cressy," Typhoon explained. "Memories or no, Darkrai is supposedly one of the most powerful Legendary Pokémon Arceus ever created. It'd be downright insulting to coddle him through a beginner dungeon. Sky Stairway's tough, it's true, but it's certainly not unconquerable. Heck, we've done it before when we recruited Rayquaza into our team."

At the mention of Rayquaza's name, the nightmare Pokémon thought back to his past memories with the mighty sky dragon. The two of them had never been true friends, though Rayquaza had mostly refrained from actively insulting or slandering him in the past. Rayquaza had been more wary of him than outright malicious, which was something that Darkrai was now secretly thankful for.

"Uh, Darkrai? You're blanking out on us again!" Typhoon nudged his shoulder.

"Sorry…" Darkrai spluttered out another apology. "I'm just looking forward to the exploration. Trying to imagine what it will be like and all."

The Empoleon grinned. "You won't have long to wait, Darkrai," he got up from the table. "And that's a fact, because we're heading out right now!"

/ Present Day /

"So how did they prepare you for the exploration?" Giratina asked. "I mean, I know they Wigglytuff went over the basics, but…"

Darkrai shrugged. "Eh, you know. Oran Berries, Apples, Reviver Seeds, Heal Seeds, Max Elixirs, all the stuff that you can't go exploring without. You've been exploring with them far longer than everyone else, I thought it'd be obvious to you of all people."

"Nah, nah, that's not what I meant," Giratina clarified. "I'm talking about how they prepared you specifically. Team Basilikos had a huge stash of power-boosting items they had gathered over their many adventures. They gave me a ton of vitamins to permanently bolster up my strength. Irons, Calciums, Zincs, Life Seeds, and a WHOLE lot of Proteins. I think they envisioned me as a physical front-line fighter or something," he added with a chuckle, "that plus Ominous Wind, anyway."

"It's funny how moves like Ominous Wind operate so drastically differently in those dungeons than in the world we live in now, isn't it?" Darkrai commented with a flash of nostalgia. "But to go back to your question, they did give me some of everything you just mentioned apart from the Proteins over time. No doubt they wanted to make sure I was well-prepared for the adventure to come."

/ Past, Sky Stairway /

"There's a Steelix to your left, Lyceus!" Typhoon called out in warning.

"I see him," the Lucario grunted back. He held his palms together and fired an Aura Sphere in the direction Typhoon had called out. A agonized roar and a thud told them that Lyceus had taken him out.

"Good work!" Cresselia nodded approvingly as she blasted a Haunter with a Psychic attack. "How are you faring, Darkrai?" she asked her Dark counterpart.

Darkrai shrugged. "This isn't anything too difficult," he replied. "None of these enemies have posed a significant challenge."

The four of them walked into a wider chamber. "Hey, I can see the stairway to the next floor!" Typhoon called out excitedly as they dashed forward.

"And that's as far as you're going, intruders!" a harsh voice interrupted them from above.

Lyceus and Typhoon both groaned in dismay. "Argh, you've gotta be kidding me…" Lyceus growled. "Please tell me this isn't…"

From the cloudy "ceiling" of the Stairway several figures suddenly leapt down onto the ground, filling the formerly empty room. It was every explorer's worst nightmare, the dreaded Monster House. "You're about to learn what happens to explorers who think they can just walk through our territory!" one of them snarled.

"We aren't looking for a fight," Lyceus replied as he conjured up an Aura Sphere. "But if you want to start one that's fine by us!"

"Wait a moment, Lyceus!" Darkrai interrupted him. "Allow me to take care of this."

The leader of Team Basilikos looked at him incredulously. "Are you sure? This is still just your first exploration, we can easily…"

Darkrai shook his head. "Your concern is appreciated but unnecessary. I can handle this just fine." He raised his hands and his eye glowed brightly. "OMINOUS WIND!" he shouted.

The entire chamber darkened instantly as an unearthly wind blasted throughout the room. The Monster House attackers all shouted and howled in pain as they were assaulted with the ghostly force of Darkrai's power. Several of the Ghost-types were knocked out almost immediately, but the rest of the attackers lunged forward at the team. Lyceus and Typhoon wasted no time blasting away many of them with Aura Spheres and Hydro Pumps, while Cresselia finished more of them off with Psychic attacks and Ice Beams. As the remaining enemies crowded around Cresselia and started clawing and striking at her, Darkrai dived in front of her and unleashed a furious Dark Pulse that brought them onto their knees before knocking them out cold.

"Are you all right?" he asked Cresselia as Typhoon finished the last remaining Skarmory with a Surf wave. "I saw them trying to swarm you."

"I'm fine, Darkrai," she answered back as she invoked a Moonlight spell to heal the wounds the enemy Pokémon had inflicted. "Thank you for helping me out, though."

"Hey, you two!" Typhoon's voice interrupted. "Let's move onto the stairway before more of them show up!"

"That would probably be wise," Darkrai agreed as all of them climbed the stairway to the next floor, but inside his mind was roiling with shock at what he had just done.

"What…what is happening to me?" he wondered, stunned. "A few months ago my ultimate goal was to destroy Cresselia once and for all. She was nothing more than the greatest obstacle to my plan to plunge the world in darkness. How is it even possible that I've just saved her life instead? Am I changing so quickly that something I once thought utterly ridiculous could happen so easily?"

/ Present Day /

"Darkrai…" Giratina asked, both curiously and hesitantly, "I have to ask…did you, you know, have feelings for Cresselia back then? When you rescued her from being swarmed by those Pokémon in Sky Stairway?"

Darkrai had to think for a moment. "In all honesty," he finally said, "no. Not then, not yet. You're forgetting that up until a few days before that point, we were sworn enemies. I hadn't gotten completely over that yet, and I know full well I wasn't ever going to be the knight in shining armor, ESPECIALLY not so soon. Back then it was simply me doing what I thought a good teammate would and…" he caught the look on Giratina's face, "you don't believe me, do you?"

"Actually, I do," Giratina said to his surprise. "If you'd been anybody else, I probably would have teased them about hiding a crush. But you already told me a while back you started developing feelings for Cresselia shortly after you rejoined the Hall of Origin. The fact that you admitted it at all is what matters, so why should I care about whether it happened in the Hall or in Sky Stairway?"

Darkrai smiled. "Helping Cresselia was certainly a good way to start my new life, though believe it or not that wasn't the only good deed I did that day, Giratina."

/ The Past, Sky Stairway /

"Are there any missions we have to take care of on this floor of Sky Stairway, Lyceus?" Cresselia asked.

"Hmm…" Lyceus looked over the mission log. "There's apparently a young Trapinch who got lost on the Stairway. According to his mother Flygon, the Trapinch was last seen somewhere on this floor."

"Should we split up or try to find him as a group?" Typhoon said, looking from one member of the group to another.

"I think it would be best if we stick together for now," Darkrai answered. "We're less likely to run into trouble than if we go by ourselves."

Typhoon was about to make a reply, but suddenly the terrified scream of a young Pokémon rent through the air.

"HELP ME! PLEASE!"

"Let's go!" Lyceus shouted. The four of them raised towards the source of the noise. They found themselves running into a clearing where they saw a Trapinch sobbing miserably in a corner. An enraged Gliscor was advancing menacingly towards it.

"Walk into my territory, will you?" the Gliscor was shouting ferociously. "This is my domain, whelp!"

"I'm s-sorry!" the Trapinch cried out desperately. "I d-didn't know!"

"Then it's about time I teach you a lesson in manners then, kid!" the Gliscor yelled as it prepared to smash its claws down upon the young Pokémon. Before it could attack, however, a beam of ice blasted right in front of it, narrowly missing it by inches.

The Gliscor whirled around to see Darkrai standing ahead of the rest of Team Basilikos, palm outstretched. "Step away from him, wretch," he hissed, his voice dangerously low and laden with anger.

"Who the hell are you?" the Gliscor growled angrily.

"That is none of your business," Darkrai snarled with a tranquil fury that somehow made him even more menacing. "This is your last warning. Back away from the kid or I will make you suffer."

"Grrrr…." Gliscor snarled. "I'll take care of him after I deal with the four of you!" It rushed towards Darkrai, claws outstretched to tear him apart. Darkrai laughed and his eye began to pulse with dark power.

"Nightmare…" he hissed, pointing a hand at the attacker. The Gliscor abruptly began to slow his charge, his eyes beginning to droop with exhaustion.

"Wh…what…" he gasped in astonishment and fear. "What do you think you're…" was all he was able to say before he collapsed asleep onto the ground. Gliscor began to clutch its head with its claws, whimpering and moaning in agony.

"No…" he pleaded, "…no, this can't be happening! No! NO! LET IT STOP, PLEASE LET IT STOP!"

"What's happening to him?" Typhoon exclaimed in horror.

"This is the power of Darkrai," Cresselia explained grimly. "You saw this for yourself in the past, Typhoon. Pleasant dreams become the terrifying nightmares. This is something that happens naturally in his presence, though if he chooses he can control the nightmares that he casts upon others."

Lyceus shuddered visibly. Darkrai could see the faint traces of terrible memories flickering across his face…no doubt recalling the terrified face of the innocent Azurill that he had trapped in darkness. "Darkrai…" he muttered, "…there's no need to prolong this guy's suffering. Just knock him out already."

"He attacked an innocent," the Nightmare legendary thought angrily. "He deserves the pain."

"And you didn't?" his conscience shot back. "You ensnared that Azurill in a corrupted dream and tried to do far worse than that before you abandoned your plans. Don't add hypocrite to the list of evils you're guilty of, you know that Lyceus is right!"

Reluctantly, Darkrai ended the Gliscor's pain with an Ice Beam that knocked it out almost immediately. He turned and floated towards the Trapinch, who had been watching him with a mixture of fear and amazement.

"Are you all right, kid?" Darkrai asked the young Ground-type. "Any injuries?" He was completely unprepared when the Trapinch all but leapt into his arms, crying tears of relief.

"I…I was so scared…" he sobbed almost hysterically. "I…I thought I was going to…to get hurt bad. Thank…thank you so much for saving me!"

The Dark-type legendary was completely stunned. His entire existence was dedicated to causing fear. He'd never imagined that one day he'd be getting rid of them!

"Darkrai?" Cresselia's voice interrupted his thoughts. "We need to get this Trapinch to safety as soon as possible. Would you mind turning him over to Lyceus so that he can teleport him to safety with the Explorer's Badge?"

"Of…of course," Darkrai said faintly before handing him over to the Lucario. The leader of Team Basilikos shined his badge on the Trapinch, and instantly a beam of light blasted around him and teleported him out of the Sky Stairway.

"Congratulations on your first rescue, Darkrai!" Typhoon smacked his fin lightly on his back. "You've just taken the first real step in being an explorer!"

"The Guild will sure be in for a surprise when they learn about your deeds today!" Lyceus agreed as he checked the missions list. "Well, it looks like we've done everything we need to do here. What do you guys say we go home and pack it in early for the day?"

/ Wigglytuff's Guild, Two Hours Later /

"I can't thank you enough!" Flygon exclaimed as she held her son closely in her arms. "To think that the noble Team Basilikos would go all the way up to Sky Stairway to save my child! I can't imagine would have happened to him if you hadn't rescued him!"

"Thanks, miss, but the credit to your son's rescue belongs mostly to Darkrai here!" Typhoon gestured towards the Dark-type. "He stopped a Gliscor from attacking Trapinch and knocked him out cold!"

The Flygon's eyes widened as she saw the former enemy of the entire world. A strange mixture of emotions crossed through her face; Darkrai could see fear, nervousness, and confusion among to them. Flygon didn't say anything for several moments, then shook her head furiously.

"If you saved my son, good sir, then that's all I care about!" she decided. She took out a box and handed it to Darkrai. He opened it to see, to his complete astonishment, a fine black dust in a pile. The powerful Dark Dust.

"Ma'am, this is…this is…"

"I know what you're thinking," Flygon interrupted with a gentle smile, "but the truth is I don't have any use for this. I'm sure that you'll have more use for it than I will. It's a token of appreciation for your first successful mission and for saving my son."

"I will be sure to use it to the best of my ability, Miss Flygon," Darkrai nodded and put the box away. "Thank you again for this valuable treasure."

/ Present, Turnback Cave /

"Flygon must have been really grateful to give you that treasure, Darkrai," Giratina commented. "Items like that are very rare and valuable, even if she had no use for an item that only benefits Dark-type moves."

"Rescuing Trapinch was the first unambiguously good act I committed in a long time," Darkrai admitted. "I didn't even think about whether there would be a reward or not, the moment I saw that Gliscor trying to attack that child I knew I had to do something."

"Isn't that what doing good is all about?" Giratina raised an eyebrow at his friend. "Helping others simply because it's the right thing to do, without any expectation of getting something back in return? You clearly understand this by now even if you don't know you have, Darkrai, if your actions at Alamos Town were of any indication."

"Of course I know that now, Giratina," Darkrai replied as he rolled his eyes, "but if you couldn't already tell I was a very different Pokémon back in the past even after I had given up my evil plans."

"You gave an enemy a quick defeat instead of torturing him with nightmares," Giratina pointed out. "That's already a pretty big change from what your M.O. used to be."

Darkrai shook his head. "That may be true, but I still had a sadistic streak a mile wide that I was just BARELY able to keep in check because of Lyceus and that poor Trapinch kid, my really bad side was something he didn't need to see." His eyes narrowed. "Trust me, Giratina, there were times when I wasn't nearly as merciful…"

/

Sorry for the long wait, college life is hard.

Read and review please!