First to step forward was the girl in patchwork.  Darkrai returned to its full height, arms crossed beneath its great red jaws like a djinn hearing a wish.  A wish did come—Ella volunteered to sacrifice herself, if only the others would be spared.  Had it a mouth, the wraith might have snickered, and had it a nose, it would have looked down it at the brave young lady.  How romantic!  How poetic!  How...misguided.  Silence reigned in the dreamscape for a transitive moment until Leisy broke it with her refusal.  The raven-haired girl took it upon herself to try and talk her friend out of it, citing the grief of pokemon, parents, friends, and so forth in order to reverse Ella's morbid offering.  However, the punk proved immune to reason, and in a pity of self-pity hardheadedly refused to reconsider.  During this time, Darkrai glanced at the remaining visitor.  For all her supposed eagerness to fight, Olivie had yet to speak, let alone to pick a fight.  Just as it had guessed, the girl wasn't hard at heart.  No matter how convincing the facade, a person's mask would always slip under troublesome circumstances.   A look of true concern lay on her face, directed at Ella.  At the same time, it asked [i]are you stupid?[/i] and declared [i]no way[/i], but Olivie herself said nothing.

No matter.  A gleeful edge infiltrated Darkrai's voice as it enunciated, [i][b]”Whoa, whoa whoa.  Who said anything about dying?  Who says I want a sacrifice?  Maybe I like you better alive.  Maybe I'd do anything in my power to keep you alive.  After all, the dead can't dream.  What kind of monster do you take me for?[/b][/i]  A cackle echoed through the empty space.  It carried with it some kind of invisible reverberation, one that spiraled into the dark that lay in every direction and made it move.  Suddenly, the landscape's serenity was no longer.  Like the static of a television, the abyss shook and vibrated.  Darkrai floated upward again, revolving as it did.  Its voice, louder now, reached the girls once again.  [i][b]”I've never killed a soul.  In fact, when someone is about to die, I give them a final good dream to send them to their rest.  But I am a monster, after all.  Want to know my little secret?  Why I do what I do?  Why...I'm a monster?”[/b][/i]  Returning its one-eyed gaze to the trainers, it loomed over them, crooked as a crone.  [i][b]”Course you do!  It's power.  Power is an end, not a means.  Having it is all you could ever ask for.  Most never get any.  Pokemon have more than humans, but they can't put it to as much use.  Power is freedom, and monsters are free.  Anyone can be a monster.  Everyone would if they could.  Who hasn't taken pleasure in dreams, delighting in and pining for something more?  Perhaps, before we get down to business, you'd like to see what I mean.”[/b][/i]

Out of the blue, Darkrai's eye flashed.  So blindingly bright was it that Olivie reeled back, hands plastered over her eyes, but the glow remained seared on her retina for several seconds.  When the darkness finally returned, she blinked several times to readjust to the light.  Once she could see clearly again, she could see that the dreamscape had changed.  Instead of standing near the rim of a sea stack, she stood on a great plateau, its surface covered in yellow grass.  Beyond the land, the darkness still squirmed and wriggled, but Olivie's attention lay on the scene before her.  Every person was gone, and across the top of the plateau, a battle raged.  Olivie spotted hundreds of different Pokemon, few of which she recognized.  The sky lit up, causing her eyes to follow, and she witnessed an orange dragon sending a gargantuan wave of flame into an airborne opponent she couldn't quite make out.

[b][i]”Magnificent, aren't they?"[/i][/b]  Darkrai's voice sounded out from behind the trio.  Olivie turned to see the specter hovering with its hands clasped as if in awe.  [b][i]”Every night it's something new.  Usually there's more of a theme going on, but tonight I left it as a grand melee, just for you all.  I know,”[/i][/b] it said with bowed head, its voice a sigh, [b][i]”That you three don't think much of me.  A crazy monster, spouting off gibberish to excuse its foul deeds.  Well, I am hoping this exercise will show you.”[/i][/b]  

Olivie felt something brush her shoulders then her elbows, then her thighs and calves.  She reached to grab it, and her hands closed around something light and soft.  She pulled it into vision and found it to be pure white hair—her own hair, for a tug bought some pain to her head.  Two such hairs drooped into her vision, globules of gold on their tips.  Memories came rushing back.  [color=954535]”Oh no.”[/color]

Opening its eye, Darkrai bared its teeth in a huge grin.  [i][b]”Oh, yes.  The three of you will understand soon enough the unstoppable allure of power!  First, you shall gain it.”[/b][/i]

Something strange happened to Olivie's vision.  Everything grew blurry, then clear again, and when the world returned it was a much wider and taller view than she was used to.  She looked down to find a body not her own; she raised her hands to see slender snow-white wrists with long, yellow claws instead of fingers.  Anger and confusion surged through her, and in their wake was a new feeling entirely.

[i][b]”Then, you will revel in it!  Think little of monsters, do you?  Well, welcome to the club!”[/b][/i]

[hider=The Boisterous Bruiser Turned Beauteous Bug]
Ẅ̿͂̏̉h̘̤͓͔̰̣͚̍aͭ̈́̐̈́̄ṭ̅ͦͥͭ̓?͚̫̳̙̩͛͐̉ͅͅ ̯̭̻͎̙̞̐̚ ͈̑̎͛ͥ̌̎W̯̮̤̮̤̼̦ͥ̎̚ḣ̞̅ͬ̔̏e͖̜̜͕ͯͤͧr̩̺̆ͭ̔͋e͊ ͎͔͎͖̣̩̱̏͂ͫͦͤͫa̗ͥ̔͒ͤm̺̠͈̦̂̈́̂́̽͆ ̩̏̀I͔̦̹̽̍̿?͙̦̘͕̞ͮ̍ͨͮ̓̿͌ ̥͇̻ͩ̈͐̾ ̙̻̦̓͒ͫW͚̯̦̝̓ͯ̑̏ͫ̃h͚̮̞̼̽ͬ̔ͅa̻̲̙͑̏ͧ̊̔t̥̳̓͋̀͆ͤ̿ ͓͔̩̮̗̘̉͒̀͌̽ͩ̆i͖̞͆ͧͦs͖̩̹̘̮ ̳͊ͪͦt̲̱̜͙h͎̱͔͐̀̇͆̐ì͉̞͇͎ͮ̏s̖ͣ̐̾ͥͅ ͖̦͇̤̩͌̌̓ͣͪ̔̚f͕̖͚̣͕͎͇͊̈̀͊̍ͭeͣͨ̇̆̓̇e͐ͦ̉̌ͩ͐̾l̩̪̥̜̗̩i̝̥̘̗̝̾ͨ̉͆n̝̖͐ͭ̓ͭ̐ǧͪ̀.͍͕͙̇̊̊̂̌ͬ.͕̖̳̬̂̎̓ͪͤͤ̎ͅͅ.̬̳̲̑̾̃.̳ͥ̾ͬ̒ͤ̉?̰̹̫̥͔ ̠̠̦̥͙̺͈͊̋̍̔ͫ͗͛ ̞̣͍̊ͯ̅̊̔̐I͕̭͚̲͍̹ͪ͊̇ ͣͨ̈̀̀̌ͨf͚̩͙̮͓͔̂̓̑̑͒̅e̜ͬ̀̋͑̂͐̚e̤̘̳͛̓͒̔l͎̙̬͐̃̾.̩̰͓͎͕͓͑̐ͅ.̖̼̗ͫ̔.̹̆.s͉͙̠̗̗̭̺ͥͫ̋ͤ̋ͫo̭̓̉̈͆̌͊ ̃ͧa̬̠̽͐͊l̠͖̗͊̀ͮ͌̎̎ì̬̗͊̉ͫ̊ͥ̚v̜̈́ẻ̩̞͉͈̬̉̌ͨ̈́̈́̓!̘̉͑͊̋͋ 


[b]Be Freed:[/b]
[@Dusksong]'s L͠e̢̧̕í̛ś̷҉y͘ T̢̛ak҉͝a̵͜g̵a̛w̴̕͠ą̀͝
[@LuckyBlackCat]'s El̵͟l͡à̀no͏r҉ ̀B̨e͏a͏̡̀u̸f̵͞ơ̵ŕ̶͢t
[/hider]