#dadrai

CHAPTER 25

The nightmare staggered as he flew back up to the ledge and fell to his knees. He took a couple of deep breaths to process what he had to do next. His train of thought was broken when he heard the boy's soft voice. He was looking down in horror at the corpse of the so-called “Scourge of the Beach.”

“What did you do…? Why isn't he moving?”

Darkrai quickly pulled the boy away and held him close so he didn't see the dead body below.

“Theo- Theo Listen! Don't look, ok?? Don't look, he won't hurt you anymore-”

The boy felt scared and started to cry, everything crashing down as he began to understand what Darkrai had done to protect him. But it still made his heart fill with guilt. His cries echoed in Darkrai's head, for a moment, he too felt guilt for what he'd done. Did he really have to kill Tama? This thought was quickly extinguished, he had his reasons to kill Tama. Tama wouldn't have spared them, he would've eaten them both if he had the chance. However dark his reasoning was, Darkrai couldn't help but feel guilty for letting Theo see him commit such an evil act. He promised himself not to do that ever again, he couldn't risk letting the boy see such depravity… not after all he's been through. 

“Theo… I need you to listen to me”

He held the boy's face gently so he could look him in the eye.

“I know you're scared, but you have to listen to what I'm going to tell you next.  We have to give the orb to Captain Lucario in order to escape. He won't let us free when we do so… I know he won't… But I will get us out. That orb is a beacon of bad news. That giant crawdaunt wasn't lying when he said he was the son of Kyogre… the theft of that orb and his untimely end won't go unnoticed… so I will need you to trust me”

The boy sheepishly nodded but was very skeptical on what the nightmare had planned. But he had faith that he wouldn't steer them wrong, he never did up to this point, why would he doubt his dad? Theo held Darkrai in a hug as he picked the water type up. Darkrai flew down and grabbed the orb and the cage Theo was in before Tama popped it open. 

“Alright, I will need you to go back, but don't worry, the top of the cage is broken. I will close it to make it look like it's not. You can open the top easily so be careful”

Theo hesitated going inside the cage but he knew this was part of the plan. Closing the top of the cage, Darkrai grabbed the orb and some tattered cloth. He tied the orb to the cage and twisted the band on his wrist to hide the crack before grabbing the cage.  

“Alright Theo, I'll need you to play pretend with me and whatever you do, don't say a word of what just happened…”

Darkrai made his way to the entrance of the cave before stopping right before its mouth. He put on a pathetic display of weakness. Practically crawling on his hands and knees and groaning in pain. He groveled  his way to the beach before stopping. Captain Lucario was on the ship when he saw the shadow crawling out of the cave. Seeing the faint blue glow, he quickly got on a lifeboat and rowed to them. Wasting no time in taking the orb for himself.

“You actually did it?! You got the orb!”

“Yes… I did… please… take us back… you promised…”

Theo had to stop himself from snickering and blowing their cover from Darkrai's acting. 

“Oh, right… I did promise to let you go if you got the orb… Right…”

He snapped his fingers, the same two crewmen grabbed Theo and Darkrai. They were thrown right back onto the boat and back to their cell. Only this time, Theo's cage was sat next to Darkrai. Just arms length away from outside the nightmare’s reach. Once they were alone, Darkrai turned to check on Theo. The boy was still a bit unsure of what Darkrai was planning but it was comforting to have him close again. Theo tried to climb out but Darkrai stopped him in fear of someone catching him. It hurt to stop the boy from getting comfort, but he couldn't risk the plan being discovered. 

“Just sit and wait, and don't say anything… we will escape… I promise…”

. . .

The ship was lively with celebration as a storm loomed in the distance. The captain and his crewmates cheered with booze, food, and other party luxuries that they didn't care to share with their prisoners. No one had come down to check on them in awhile, but it oddly didn't make Darkrai angry. He was actually elated, the more they drink, the less they can focus. He had a sinister smile on his face, like the delcatty who got the cream. 

“Dad, why are you smiling like that…? It's scaring me…”

Darkrai quickly stopped smiling and turned to the boy. 

“I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you… I just- I…”

Darkrai couldn't think of a reason as to why he was smiling, atleast not a good one. It was an old habit of his that passed down from his previous life. The feeling of knowing something that his enemy didn't. Seeing them make a clear mistake and letting it happen without correcting them. It was a good feeling for him to feel that superiority back then, but now Theo had called him out on it. That warm fuzzy feeling disappeared immediately. 

“I'm sorry…”

Darkrai meekly said and looked away from Theo. Feeling so ashamed that he couldn't look Theo in the eye. The old nightmare sat in silence before hearing footsteps coming from above and entering the brig. From the sounds, they were stumbling a bit and obviously had a bit of fun at the party above them. Coming from the stairs, Darkrai was face to face with a buzzed Sableye and a strikingly sober Captain Lucario. The gremlin cackled drunkenly as they tried to grab the orb from the captain's pocket, only to get a swift hit to the back of the head. Causing them to fall back in a drunken stupor. He finally noticed Darkrai's scowl and laughed. 

“Why the long face??? This celebration is all for you! And the boy too… What? Did no one give you any party favors?”

Darkrai stayed quiet.

“Ya know, I gotta say, you did something I wouldn't have expected… I have to ask, how DID you do it? Especially in one piece! You have to tell me how you did it! I must know!”

Darkrai felt the evil smile creep across his face. His dark thoughts that he suppressed had clawed their way to the surface. It gave him tunnel vision, focusing on the dog's face. He wanted to see every inch of it contort. He wanted to see the exact  moment his smug grin turn into horror. 

“You really want to know how?”

Darkrai asked, as if he was a mankey's paw warning its holder of what they were wishing for. 

“Yes, I do…” the captain said as he leaned against the bars of the cell. 

“Well, he was none the wiser…”

“What do you mean? Did you put him to sleep??”

Darkrai shook his head, and gestured to the band on his wrist. 

“How could I? I was powerless to do anything… you made sure of that…”

The captain hummed a bit, Darkrai was right, he did place that band on him.

“So you were sneaky enough to grab the orb without him noticing! But… he had your boy… how did you manage to get him back?”

The captain asked, starting to get an eerie feeling in the pit of his gut.

“He was none the wiser… I did exactly what you wanted… isn't that enough, or do you want more?” Darkrai said in a cryptic way. 

From Darkrai's point of view, the captain looked like HE was the one who was caged. Caged in his own greed and haste. 

“What are you talking about…? What did you do…?” 

Darkrai felt pure joy and delight when he saw the captain's smirk drop on the floor.  He didn't need to say anything else. He was now the one smirking at the captain as the ship began to shake. 

CHAPTER 26

“WHAT DID YOU DO?! YOU SAID HE DIDN'T SEE YOU!!” Captain Lucario growled.

“I said he was none the wiser… can't spot a thief if you're dead…” 

The captain's eyes widened as the ship shook more vigorously. Cheers of joy turned to screams of terror. Captain Lucario rushed to the deck, leaving the door for Darkrai and Theo to escape. The shadow quickly stood, throwing the band off his wrist. He slithered through the shadows and pulled Theo from his cage. The sableye sobered up and saw the shadow trying to escape. They began sounding the alarm. Screeching and scrambling for the deck above, the Sableye caught a glimpse of the chaos unfolding. Right before Darkrai grabbed their leg and dragged them back to the darkness, kicking and screaming. But no one heard their cries for help, for they were too busy saving their own skins. 

A bright red and angry Gyarados began snatching up the crew, one by one. Flailing her head and neck around to crush them or pull them into the water. Being inebriated, the crew were caught off guard as it began to pour. Heavy rain had made the deck slippery, making it easy for the large Gyarados to snack on her poor victims. Captain Lucario stood at the bow and held out the orb to command the ocean.

“OBEY ME, OCEAN! FOR I AM YOUR NEW MASTER!!! RID THIS BEAST AND CALM YOUR WATERS!!!”

He held the orb tightly as it shined brightly, but nothing happened. The captain tried to command the orb by yelling even louder, even shaking it to at least get a reaction.

“OBEY ME! I HAVE YOUR ORB! YOU WILL SUBMIT TO ME! OBEY ME, OCEAN!!!!!” 

The captain's yelling caught the ear of the red Gyarados. It slowly made its way to Captain Lucario. Up close, the captain could see the face of this red beast and the fresh scar that ran across its face. 

“OBey… me… please!!!” 

The captain's hopes began to wane as the Gyarados laughed at him. He fell to his hands and knees.

“what- why doesn't it work?? I read the legends and did everything right!”

“AH HA HA HA HA HA… FOOLISH BASTARD… DID YOU THINK… OUR FATHER'S POWER WOULD WORK FOR YOU…? LET ALONE GET RID OF ME…?!”

“wh-what??” The captain looked at the Gyarados, finally recognizing it to be none other than Scylla, the Scourge of the Sea. 

“YOU KILLED TAMA… AND TAKE OUR FATHER'S ORB… AND YOU THINK THAT WOULD WIN HIS FAVOR…??”

“I- I didn't kill him! Darkrai did! He is responsible! HE KILLED TAMA! I merely gave him a sacrifice-” 

“LIAR!!!!”

Scylla opened her jaws and chomped down on the bow of the ship, in aim for the captain. He jumped just in time but the orb had rolled onto the deck. He and his crewmates scrambled to grab the orb before Scylla got ahold of them. But with every new hand that touches the orb, they were quickly dispatched by Scylla or the flying debris she spat at them. The wood of the ship splintered and cracked as Scylla tore through it like paper. Support beams collapsed onto themselves as the deck fell into the brig and lower quarters of the ship. 

Darkrai navigated through the ship to find a way out that would be discrete, he rather not fight whatever was up there. In haste, he dodged falling wood, metal, and even something biting through the shop itself. Theo fearfully buried his face into Darkrai as he jumped out of the way from more debris. Seeing no way out from the bottom, the shadow climbed up from the debris and onto the broken deck. He held Theo close as he maneuvered within the debris and bodies. He even made sure to keep Theo's eyes covered as he did so to prevent him from seeing the dead. Getting to the railing, he saw that one of the lifeboats was still intact. He placed Theo onto the boat and slowly began untying the rope when a loud snapping noise drew their attention. Darkrai quickly pulled Theo and leapt out of the way as the mast broke in half and fell, destroying the lifeboat in the process.

“DAMN IT!” Darkrai yelled as he went on to look for another lifeboat. 

Suddenly, they both felt a familiar hot breath blowing on their necks. 

“YOU!!!”

Was all Scylla shouted before Darkrai quickly made a pop of electricity towards her. It missed but it was enough to make her flinch and give him time to escape to the bottom of the boat. It was a quick descent, the large hole made by Scylla made it easy for him to get there. However, they couldn't stay long, for Scylla was tearing up the ship just to get to them.

“Dad??? What are we going to do???” Theo cried out.

“I'm working on it!” Darkrai snapped back in frustration. 

He looked around to see if they had another boat somewhere. In his search he found the captain, still breathing and weakly pleading for help. He had a bunch of debris on him, crushing his chest. Darkrai wanted to leave him there but Theo stopped him.

“We have to help him!”

“What?? No, he is the last person we should be helping!”

“but he could tell us where the other boats are!”

Darkrai wanted to protest but Theo had a point. Who knew this ship better than the captain himself. The old nightmare begrudgingly lifted the debris off of Captain Lucario before dragging him out. 

“Thank… you…”

Darkrai growled at him,

“Listen, I didn't save you out of the kindness of my own heart! You know this ship and you WILL show us where the other lifeboats are at, understand?”

The captain smirked, 

“You're shit outta luck… she ate them already…”

Darkrai narrowed his eyes before grabbing Theo as the whole ship began to tilt. Large teeth wrapped around the wood above them as Scylla broke through to look for them. 

“Fine! Die here then, I don't care!” Darkrai shouted as he went back up. 

The captain laid there for a moment before standing up to follow them. But he had no intentions to help them.

The nightmare searched again, he hugged the railing as Scylla was lurking in the waters. Hanging by a rope, there was a smaller lifeboat. It was big enough for only 1 but Theo was small enough to fit. Placing Theo onto the boat, he noticed the orb rolling to him. A thought came to him, Scylla wouldn't let them pass, she had to be dealt with. 

“Theo, stay here! I'll be right back!”

He grabbed the orb and ran for the farthest end of the boat. The disturbance of the orb caused Scylla to rise from the water and attempt to snap at him with her teeth. Weaving through the debris helped him narrowly miss being bitten in half or crushed by her flailing head. Hiding under some debris, he found some rope and a large metal loop, used to hold onto the sail. Darkrai grabbed the rope and fashioned a quick hook from the loop. He tied the rope onto it and wrapped it around his body. 

He ran to the now broken side of the ship and held out the orb, not to command it, but to return it. Its bright blue glow was like a beacon to his location. Scylla rose from the depths and opened her wide maw to roar. She lunged at him, only for Darkrai to throw the orb right into her mouth and down her throat. This shocked Scylla to the point of choking. Quickly, Darkrai grabbed the rope around him and hooked the large Gyarados on the side of her fresh scar. 

In her weakened state she dove into the depths to recover, leaving Darkrai alone. He wasn't going to stick around. He flew to the other side of the boat when he heard a loud BANG! followed by something hiding his back. He fell from the sky and landed on the deck, at the feet of the captain. Captain Lucario pointed a smoking gun at the temple of Theo's head. 

“You ruined everything!!! I had the orb and you threw it away! For that… I'll take everything from YOU!”

Darkrai listened to the sea dog ramble his grievances to him, but he didn't care. He only growled at him until he saw a looming shadow behind him. This caused the pirate to turn around and come face-to-face with Scylla once more. Darkrai turned his body into shadow and stole Theo away before the large sea monster snapped her jaws onto the captain. 

The large sea monster was still clearly choking, but she was so enraged that she didn't care if she was getting weaker and could die. She wanted them to die with her for this. Scylla wanted to take the whole ship with her regardless of who was on it at this point. She wasn't going to die at the hands of lowly mortals. 

Darkrai snuck under Scylla and grabbed the rope with his only free hand. Despite the pain of the bullet in his back, Darkrai rushed forward and pulled the rope as hard as he could with his one arm. Scylla still was fighting back, seeing the sharp end of the broken mast gave Scylla a second wind. She pulled her head back to drag Darkrai down into the watery depths, but he used his leverage to stop it. Theo cheered for him as he held onto the nightmare, he wanted Darkrai to win, he had to win. Darkrai felt the pain start to go away as the boy encouraged him to pull harder. He smirked and finally gave a good yank before slamming Scyla's head onto the broken mast. This split the ship in half and it began to finally sink.