#dusknoir: grovyle... my life... did it shine? | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

fujii-draws · 4 months

Text

Regrets

Summary: As golden orbs of light brought an end to Dusknoir’s existence; he’s confronted with a thought. One he’d long been avoiding since the day he arrived in the world of the past, and came in contact with two young, small Pokémon. The same two he’d eventually come to grow fond of, only to betray as part of his mission. As he’s forced to finally confront it in his isolation, Dusknoir finds himself coming to an epiphany. One he’d been denying for a very, very long time.

[Word count: 2130]

–––––––––––––––––––––

‘Aimilios... Ribbons...’ The ghost type melancholically lamented to himself. ‘They… did it….’

The black, paralyzed skies had begun to shift as the morning came. Rays of light hit the ghost type’s body; although numb, even he’d felt the warmth of the sun course through him. Time was finally moving again… and all Dusknoir could do was helplessly watch as his body faded; the light bringing an end to his existence.

Dusknoir cannot describe the emotions he’s feeling. Proud…? Accomplished…? Fearful….?

Damn it all. Arceus… if only he’d realized the mistake he was making. If only he’d defied Primal Dialga and had his change of heart sooner… perhaps those two would’ve still…. The three of them could’ve been-

No.

It’s over.

He ruined it.

…Dusknoir turns his head slowly, his gaze falling on to Grovyle; the reason he decided to go against Primal Dialga’s wishes in the first place. The reason he lived; for what would perhaps be the first time in ages… Had it not been for his speech back at the icicle pillars…Dusknoir doesn’t even want to think of the calamity that would’ve ensued. He continues to stare at the slowly disappearing grass-type, almost thoughtful.

“Grovyle…”

The grass-type’s eyes meet the black specter’s pained expression.

“My M-my life… Did it shine….?”

Dusknoir wanted to hear it from Grovyle. He wouldn’t feel satisfied, or even happy hearing it from himself. The ghost’s self-hatred was deep rooted enough as it was. Especially after all of what he had done. He needed a second opinion.

“…Yes.” The lizard Pokémon smiles, softly reassuring Dusknoir in what would be his final moments. “…Extraordinarily.”

…Dusknoir, despite not believing Grovyle, chooses to do so. Offering a small smile back at his old friend. “Grovyle… Thanks to you…..”

He pauses.

“…I have no regrets.”

…Dusknoir starts to feel himself slipping away completely; his physical form fading into illuminated lights in the sky as he draws his final breath… His death is almost comforting... At least- it would’ve been, had he made peace with his unspoken feelings… towards them. Even when he’s disappearing. Even when he’s dying…

He still couldn’t tell the truth.

One regret.

He had all but one.

…And now, he’ll never see them again. Never be able to tell them how sorry he was. Never be able to tell those two how much they meant to him… what they actually meant to him.

How foolish was he…? To get attached like this…? To care so much about their futures as well as his…? ..He couldn’t even admit how much they mattered to him in his final moments… Dusknoir grunts. really is just a liar, isn’t he? And that’s all the two will remember him for. Their scornful expressions when he’d laughed at their misery during their confrontation in the future. Their looks of betrayal. Tears rolled down the eevee and riolu’s faces as they unhinged their claws and teeth at Dusknoir. To think at the time, he found their reactions simply hysterical…

——————

“YOU LIAR..!”

“W-WE TRUSTED YOU..!”

“Pray tell… who’s fault is that?” Dusknoir sneered. “Not once had I asked for your background, or your names.”

Dusknoir began to float menacingly towards Aimilios. “Last I recall, you were responsible for your own partner’s downfall.”

“I-I….”

“LEAVE HIM ALONE…!!”

——————

…Now all he feels is a sharp pain stabbing through his chest recalling that horrible memory.

If there was a heaven or hell; the latter would be awaiting him right about now.

Speaking of…

Dusknoir opens his eye, attempting to browse his uncanny surroundings. What meets the ghost-type is… emptiness?

“…What on earth..?” His eye wanders down to his body.

…He appears in what looks like a pitch-black void. Dusknoir himself would’ve blended right in with the endless abyss had it not been for the yellow outlines distinguishing the features of his silhouette-like shadow… the same exact hue of yellow lights that’d been responsible for his disappearance moments ago… it’s almost as if he’d become a ghost all over again... He’d find the circumstances slightly amusing had it not been for his current dilemma. Dusknoir stares at his golden-laced hand, before contemplating something.

‘…Perhaps..’ Dusknoir thinks to himself. ‘Perhaps… it’s better this way…’ He knows it’s selfish. He knows he’s being a coward. But… now he doesn’t have to face Ribbons and Aimilios. He doesn’t have to look at those same faces that once revered him with such adoration; now fear, in the eyes… And yet… The thought of never seeing those two again… why does the thought bring him so much unnecessary pain? They were only means to an end to begin with- so why does he even CARE?!

“…GWOOH.. GWOOOOH..!!!” The ghost-type’s head begins to throb uncontrollably; Dusknoir clutches his head; nearly identical to how he did when breaking down in the midst of Grovyle’s speech. He clutches his temple harder in a feeble attempt to satiate the pain. Why couldn’t he just stop…? He’d tried so hard to detach himself from Ribbons and Aimilios once he realized who they were... Yet like a complete and utter fool; he stayed close. So close to an eevee and riolu he was ordered to execute. Why couldn’t he just forget about those two…? It would hurt so much less. They were means to an end to begin with- so WHY?!

“B-BLAST IT..!”

He slams both of his fists on the onyx colored ground beneath him in frustration. The yellow outlines of his body begin to glow violently as he draws heavy, shallow breaths.

…Dusknoir is suddenly plagued with a memory- of those two. He… remembers the eevee and riolu smiling widely; at him no less. It was… around the time when he’d referred to them as his ‘friends’. A mere front to gain their trust. Dusknoir recounts just how overjoyed they looked… and how that happiness made something in his chest hurt for a split second. He didn’t have to give them false hope. He didn’t have to play this ruse as far as he did… and yet. There was a small, foolish part of him that genuinely enjoyed it; and an even smaller part of him that knew he’d regret it.

————————

“You mean it?!” The riolu beamed. “You’ll really help us?!”

“But of course!” Dusknoir smiled, placing a hand on his chest. “I offer you two, my full cooperation!”

Dusknoir watched as the two Pokémon whip their heads towards eachother; almost trying to confirm the other’s disbelief. They look back at him; tails wagging rapidly in unison— before Ribbons excitedly jumps onto the ghost-type. Dusknoir nearly stumbles from just how sudden it was. Despite this, he catches her with his quick reflexes.

“Thank you thank you thank you!!!” Ribbons cheered. “You have no idea how much this means to us!”

Dusknoir recollected himself; before putting a hand on each of the overjoyous Pokémon’s heads.

“I’m… glad to hear. Truly.” A lie, obviously…but even he couldn’t help but smile a little at their shared enthusiasm.

“By golly..! Huff… huff…”

All three of the Pokémon had turned their heads to the out-of-breath Bidoof. Dusknoir immediately put Ribbons and Aimilios down; a slightly embarrassed blush crossing the ghost’s face as he brushed himself off coughing, returning to his more professional, stoic-like persona.

——————————��

…He didn’t have to play with their emotions. He could’ve just as easily stayed acquaintances- kept his distance- but no. He just had to enjoy spending time with them. He had to get closer to them. He had to remember their favorite foods. To enjoy laughing with them until his stomach became sore, protecting them, watching over them, loving them as if they were…

Were…

…Dusknoir can’t help but hold his hand under his eye. He… he really did care those two... As if they were his own… his own…

“….Hoh…”

His train of thought comes to a complete halt. The idea of those two? Seeing him that way? After what he had done? After the horrible things he’s said…?

“Ho..Hohohaha..! HOHOHOHA-HA-HA-HA!”

His laughter becomes more and more erratic; holding one hand under his eye as the other grips his head- his cackles echoing into the never ending void.

“HAH-HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAhahaa…!“

Dusknoir’s broken laughter echoes throughout the void; until there’s nothing left but silence. Both of Dusknoir’s hands now cover his face as he crumbles to the ground. A shell of what was once the ‘Great Dusknoir’… was nothing more but the husk of a broken ghost. Too selfish and weak to do the right thing; and stand by the only two Pokémon who were willing to trust him with their lives… He wishes the endless abyss he was in would just swallow him already.

“Aimilios…Ribbons…” Dusknoir’s voice cracks; calling out for the ones he’d hurt.

…They deserved so much better than him. He didn’t deserve them. And to think in the beginning, they’d been the ones who were trying to prove themselves to be worthy of him... When it’d been the other way around this entire time. How ironic.

How absolutely ironic.

…Which reminds him-

“Ribbons…!” His head shoots up in a panic; his eye filled with worry.

She had already disappeared at this point, didn’t she..? In front of Aimilios no less..? He can’t even begin to fathom how horrible it must’ve been for both of them… at such young ages… maybe if he’d assisted them on their perilous journey to Temporal Tower…. he could’ve been there to remedy the weight of their situation… but of course instead, he used it in a pathetic attempt to beg for his life. Dumping everything onto Ribbons in a last ditch effort to save his own ghostly skin… in the small desperate hope she’d finally understand why he…

…Selfish.

So selfish.

Of course his train of thought immediately went straight back to him. He can’t think about anyone’s wellbeing except for his own. His ‘self preservation’. His ‘life’. Nevermind all of the Pokémon he was going to deny the futures of. He was at risk. So they all had to pay for it. Because of his cowardice.

This was his atonement.

He deserved this.

Dusknoir closes his eye. Maybe in his next life he’ll be a decent Pokémon. One worthy of respect. Of adoration.

Of love.

“Gah...”

Dusknoir groans. Why does it feel so cold all of a sudden..?

Wait.. cold?

He sees… ice… and feels… wind?

‘…What..?’

He slowly gets up; using his hands to suspend himself in the air. He looks around- only to see himself back.

Back on the mountain.

He stares at his hands for an indeterminate amount of time before they begin to tremble. His expression contorted into one of self-loathing and confusion.

“W-we’re still here…” His fingers curl into fists.

“I didn’t disappear…! Wh-Why?!”

Dusknoir shouts; almost disgusted by the fact he was revived- rather than questioning how it was even possible in the first place. No. He doesn’t- He shouldn’t be here. It must’ve been some kind of mistake… That’s it. There’s no other logical explanation for why he should be still here. Perhaps the higher being that brought him back into this world will immediately realize their error, and make swift work of him.

“We… we truly are still here…” Grovyle lamented, breathing a sigh of what would be an overwhelming rush relief. Celebi begins to flutter her wings happily around the grass-type.

“Wonderful!! I don’t know why we were fading and didn’t disappear…” She twirls, overjoyous now having gained all her strength back. “…But everyone is safe!! Oh my beloved..! Isn’t this just an amazing wonderful thing?!”

Grovyle chuckles heartedly. “It is.”

Unfortunately among the three; the ghost type was not experiencing the same joy as the grass type pokemon. Dusknoir had been drowning out half of their words of cheer and relief with thoughts of contempt. Self-depricational thoughts clouded the ghost-type’s mind as he kept searching for logical answers for his revival… Everyone else made sense. But why him of all Pokémon..?!

“Why..? Wh-Why me..?” Dusknoir whispered to himself dejectedly; mirroring his words from when his Sableye ‘betrayed’ him.

The only difference being how genuine it was.

Pr- Dialga had appeared to explain the whole situation to the trio. Once that had been done, Grovyle, and Celebi walked and flew individually near the edge of the mountain to feel the sun on their skins; their accomplishments finally having been paid off, soaking in the sun…

……Dusknoir, however; had stayed in the exact spot he’d been revived. His thoughts plagued him. This was not his victory. This was not for him to enjoy. What was he to do now..? Live his life as if nothing happened..? As if he didn’t hurt countless Pokémon..? Guilt had almost immediately begun to eat away at the ghost-type. He looks down at his hands one last time... Perhaps death would’ve been too good for a despicable Pokémon such as himself. The torment of being alive, and living with what he had done seemed like a fitting and ironic enough punishment… but that wasn’t what truly scared him.

Far from it, in fact.

Without a doubt in Dusknoir’s mind; Grovyle and Celebi would want to return back to the past… perhaps not this very instant; but at a given point. And when that time finally arrives…

Dusknoir stares at the Passage of Time facing him. Almost mocking him.

…He’d have to face them.

“…” Dusknoir clenches his fists tightly; his brow furrowing.

…The mere thought of confronting those two again- No no no no no. He- he should have disappeared. Death would’ve been a mercy. He can’t face them- not again. Looking at the same two children he tried to slaughter with his bare hands mere hours ago face-to-face..? Dusknoir’s fists tremble as his terror consumes him. What would they say..? Let alone think..? They’d run at the mere sight of him. He…

He doesn’t want to scare them.

He doesn’t want to hurt them.

He..

…Now he has something else to be afraid of.

#pmd eos #pmd writing tag #Another Dusknoir-centric fic I worked on!!! :D I hope you like it!!#this took me like a week on and off #also second time writing!! YIPPEE!!!#I’m still not as good but I’m still having lots of fun and learning !!#anyways. I need to see that old man on the floor writhing in agony.#/j BUT YKNOW #dadnoir

62 notes · View notes

asimplearchivist · 4 months

Text

𝓢𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓢𝓹𝓲𝓻𝓲𝓽

𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐈𝐕 𝐨𝐟 𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓.

[𝓪𝓼𝓲𝓶𝓹𝓵𝓮𝓪𝓻𝓬𝓱𝓲𝓿𝓲𝓼𝓽'𝓼 𝓶𝓪𝓼𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓵𝓲𝓼𝓽] [ 𝐏𝐎𝐊𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐍 𝐌𝐘𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐘 𝐃𝐔𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐎𝐍 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 ] [ AO3 | SPOTIFY | PINTEREST ] summary ✨ ⤏ After the events that took place on Vast Ice Mountain, Dialga has released Dusknoir of his duties as his henchman. Dusknoir, in the midst of a self-crisis, is taken under wing by Celebi and Grovyle. Dusknoir finally breaks, and Grovyle reassures him. Dusknoir finds out a couple things about himself that he didn't know before. ⤏ Alternative summary: my take on what happened directly after the fifth special episode, mostly influenced by my own pent up Dusknoir feels! :D Yay for angst! (Also, please guys, don't hate Dusknoir, he doesn't deserve it. He's a tender marshmallow.) pairing(s) ✨ (mentions of) hero/grovyle [nostalgiashipping] word count ✨ 2.5k a/n ✨ [header credit] [divider credit] ⤏ This is an old piece from 2016, when I last replayed Explorers, so with my recent resurgence I figured I might post it here for my new PMD moots. Considering this is six years old, please forgive my older, less polished writing; but I'm still fairly pleased with it. :) (That's also why it's not getting a dedicated Sunday post, but since it's Christmas I thought I might share something that most of my followers here probably haven't seen before.) ⤏ My hero's old name was Celina, so I changed it to the newly updated Eliana instead. Other than that, it's pretty much a time capsule haha.

This new, brighter future was, in all honesty, taking quite a lot more to get used to than Dusknoir had anticipated previously.

It had been a mighty triumph, incapacitating Primal Dialga to prevent him from tampering with the Passage of Time, the possibility of him ruining time just before it managed to begin to function again diminished to none when his massive legs had buckled beneath him after Grovyle had dealt the final blow. That triumph had been short lived, however - it hadn't been but a few moments before they all had turned to light and had disappeared; but, upon their almost immediate return, the immense relief of being able to breathe in the newly shifting air, to see the sunrise glowing in more colors than Dusknoir had ever seen in his life - it had robbed him of breath and had humbled him in such a way he doubted he would ever look at the sky the same way again. Whomever it may have been to preserve his and the rest of the future Pokémon’s lives, they would have his immense gratitude for the rest of his days.

Everything in that moment had been exhilarating - he had felt the wind, cold and biting, race past him, the sun shining in his eye so brightly that he quickly learned that he mustn't look at it directly, lest he be temporarily blinded - but then, after Dialga had been generous enough to provide them with a portal to return to the Hidden Land (now in the budding stages of returning to its past lushness and fertility), he had found himself in an unexpected state of absolute dumbfound ever since.

Given that Dialga was no longer under the influences of darkness and had no reason to bind them to his will, he had released Dusknoir and the Sableye of their past duties, and thus had turned Dusknoir away from the one thing that he had ever truly known - servitude. He had always served for someone else, and he had always had a strong sense of loyalty to those he did. But for lack of better terms, Dusknoir was now out of his realm of confidence, and honestly had no idea of how to go about his life from here forth.

Celebi and Grovyle had been surprisingly kind and generous to him thus far - while Celebi had offered to house Grovyle in one of her many homes, she had also extended it to him as well. It was a shallow cave, high up on a cliff face where no one would usually be able to spot it. Both Grass types fit easily enough inside - but if Dusknoir were to be completely honest with himself...he was not a very small Pokémon. At all. At least, compared to the other two.

Luckily, he was not quite corporeal at times, so he managed to squeeze inside and settle on the cave floor - hunched over, but he had something over his head, at least.

Grovyle set to work at pulling a few things from his worn Treasure Bag, a couple of differently textured rocks and a bit of dried leaves and tiny sticks, before he struck one rock upon the other. A few sparks flared from it and onto the small collection of dead vegetation, but it took a couple of tries to actually get it to start smoldering. Thin wisps of smoke danced up from it and Grovyle set to work at blowing on it gently, coaxing it into a small, dancing flame that cast a warm orange glow across the cold cave floor.

He glanced up at Celebi and murmured that she go gather a few smaller sticks to help build up the flames. She bobbed her head and soared out of the cave, her little wings flapping with determination.

Grovyle sat back on his haunches and released a long sigh, scrubbing at his face with his clawed paws. Dusknoir tried not to shift around uncomfortably, afraid his antenna would scrape against the ceiling.

"I thought Grass types were supposed to be wary of fire," Dusknoir, for lack of other words, tried to prompt.

Grovyle glanced up at him, his bright yellow eyes seeming to gleam in the fading sunlight. The smaller Pokémon’s strong reserve was back, the emotion he'd shown in the past day probably having drawn too much from him to offer much more.

It had been quite an exhausting day, even for Dusknoir himself. He understood that Grovyle was most likely exponentially wearier than he, especially considering the energy the ice pillars had drained from the Grass type. Dusknoir was amazed that Grovyle was even still conscious. (He had been lucky to have knocked him from the energy beams’ grip in time.)

“I learned many things when I met Eliana,” Grovyle told him, settling against the stone wall and folding his arms over his thin chest. His eyes shifted to gaze out of the cave mouth, the circles beneath darkening with shadows that the meager flames were pushing away. “Choosing to qualm simple fears was one of the first.”

Dusknoir hummed for lack of a response, following the Grass type’s gaze.

The sun was setting. A grandiose amalgamation of color painted the sky, oranges and pinks and lilacs mingling in a joyful reunion as the great burning ball of gold retreated beneath the distant horizon. Stars were beginning to appear, tentatively sparkling against the darker parts of the great canvas stretched out before them.

Dusknoir found that he was holding his breath.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Grovyle mused absently.

The Ghost type hummed once more in agreement, trying to take in as much of the view as possible.

“I…haven’t seen so many colors in my life,” he admitted softly. He felt Grovyle’s eyes rest upon him.

“You were in the past before,” Grovyle reminded him, his voice somewhat dubious. “Didn’t you ever stop long enough to look around you?”

Dusknoir fell silent, shifting uncomfortably and flinching a bit when his antenna brushed the stone above him. Grovyle huffed quietly, shuffling around in his Treasure Bag before holding out something in his paw. The Ghost type stared in puzzlement at the two Purple Gummis before looking back up to the Wood Gecko Pokémon.

“I picked these up before we went to Temporal Tower,” Grovyle explained, eyes still searching the growing darkness outside. “I didn’t want to let them go to waste, and I figured you were hungry after the day we’ve had.”

Dusknoir hesitantly took the small food items, eyeing them a bit before looking up at the smaller Pokémon. Honestly, how had this Pokémon’s attitude towards him changed so drastically? And why? What had Dusknoir ever done to deserve any sort of good will - and from Grovyle, who had been his target for months and who he had attempted to murder multiple times, no less? Why did he deserve any mercy? Why had he come back after disappearing? What good had he ever done, truly, to deserve to even be breathing? He’d been a twisted soul for most of his life, doing nothing but the morally bleak bidding for any master that offered him power…

…Had he really redeemed himself, in helping Grovyle and Celebi save the future? Or had he merely been a side note?

“…Dusknoir?”

The Ghost type startled back into reality, confusedly taking in Grovyle’s troubled expression. “Pardon me, I was…thinking.”

“Dusknoir…you…you’re crying.”

Dusknoir blinked, gingerly running a fingertip beneath his eye and drawing it away. When had his vision gotten so blurry?

Grovyle straightened, creases forming between his eyes in what Dusknoir vaguely recognized as his concern. “Dusknoir, what’s wrong?”

The Ghost type flushed in shame, attempting to swipe away the outward evidence of his inner conflict. “Nothing, nothing. I believe I may have gotten dirt in my eye.”

The Grass type was silent for a long moment, so long of a moment that Dusknoir glanced up to make sure that he was even still there. There was an odd expression on the smaller Pokémon’s face, one that looked to be a conglomeration of several at once.

“You’re beginning to doubt yourself,” Grovyle observed gently.

Dusknoir wondered when he had become so transparent. Metaphorically. He was a Ghost type. Conditional transparency came with existing.

“I’m not aware of what you’re implicating,” he rebutted dismissively, looking towards the end of the cave. It was much darker than before. Did the sun always set so quickly?

“You can stop lying, you know. I’m not going to judge you for whatever you’re feeling.” Grovyle’s voice had taken on a foreign gentleness, one that Dusknoir had only ever heard once before. It had been at the temple in the Hidden Land of the past, when the Grass type had retold Eliana of their doomed fate to disappear upon rescuing Temporal Tower. He’d gazed upon the human-turned-Eevee with such a tenderness that Dusknoir had, at the time, found it to be a sign of extreme weakness and idiocy. But, seeing how Grovyle had spoken of her throughout their adventure the past day, Dusknoir had clearly seen the true strength of their relationship shining through his words. They were extremely close, there was no denying that. They had endured much together, and it showed. Dusknoir just wondered how much it had hurt him to discover that she had lost all her memories of him.

“It is nothing that concerns you,” Dusknoir persisted, trying to ignore how his voice shook, quite involuntarily.

“Something is telling me otherwise.” Grovyle leaned towards him, scrutinizing him carefully. “You’re feeling something, that’s for sure. Feeling something is better than feeling nothing at all.”

Dusknoir growled beneath his breath, but it was weak. “You certainly are persistent.”

Grovyle chuckled lightly. “How do you think I’ve managed to live this long?”

The Ghost type stared at him, clenching his fist around the Gummis and heaving a shaky sigh. “I am…confounded.”

The Wood Gecko Pokémon raised a brow.

Dusknoir looked back towards the mouth of the cave. The sun was completely concealed by the distant horizon, and the colors were beginning to drain into a deep indigo. “As you are well aware, I…have not had many good accomplishments in my life. I sought nothing but power, strove to gain it by any means, and…I have done nothing but serve for the betterment of darkness. I did hunt you and Eliana down, I attempted to attack you, then I pursued you into the past…” Dusknoir drew his shoulders in, folding his arms tightly over his chest and shrinking into himself. “I very nearly killed you multiple times, with clear malice exhibited constantly, but you still found it in yourself to grant me pity. Why?”

Grovyle fell silent for a very long moment.

“Dusknoir,” he began slowly, “have you ever felt true hate for someone, ever, in your life?”

The Ghost type was taken aback. “Pardon?”

The smaller Grass type raised a brow and Dusknoir averted his eye.

“No,” he said hesitantly, “I don’t believe I have.”

“Have you ever strongly disliked someone?”

“A few. Where are you going with this?”

“Do you dislike them because you think they wronged you?”

“I do, but I don’t know what you’re-”

“How difficult would it be to forgive them?”

Dusknoir squinted at him. “Excuse me?”

“How difficult would it be for you to forgive them?” Grovyle repeated.

Dusknoir studied him, recollecting his past resentments and grudges. It would, admittedly, be very difficult to forgive some of the things that other Pokémon had done to him before. He sighed deeply. “Very.”

“But could you find it in yourself to forgive them?” he asked.

Dusknoir thought a moment. “I…suppose so. Why are you asking me this?”

“Eliana once told me,” Grovyle said, “that part of the reason so many Pokémon have become twisted as they are is because they were cold-hearted to begin with. Refusing to forgive others can result in constructing a wall of bitterness that will block you off from anything good, and hatred can make that wall much harder to tear down. But if you’re willing to forgive, and to keep bitterness from building up, then you can in turn better yourself.” The Wood Gecko Pokémon eyed him neutrally. “Dusknoir, despite what you said during our journey about despising me, I didn’t believe you. You couldn’t truly hate anyone - it’s not in your nature, and I sensed that. The only reason you ever felt any kind of malice to begin with was due to where your loyalties lay, but when you began to realize that there was truly no reason to possess such mal intent…”

He smiled softly, glancing out towards the quiet dusk outside. “That’s when you began to question what you’d known. That’s when you began to feel guilt. But that’s also what’s proving to me that you are a good Pokémon, Dusknoir.” Grovyle continued, leaning forward, “The fact that you are feeling guilt and that you are questioning yourself tells me that you aren’t twisted, you aren’t a bad Pokémon - you were just a little misguided. You are a good Pokémon at heart, and I want you to realize it.”

Dusknoir looked away, pulling his shoulders inward and trying to fight the hot sting beginning to blur his vision.

“Your shining spirit,” Grovyle said softly. “It’s always been there. It was just hidden for a long time.”

“Grovyle…” Dusknoir swallowed thickly, folding his arms tightly over his chest. His dignity was in shambles, but picking up the pieces didn’t seem as mortifying as he might’ve thought. “…you’re deluding yourself.”

The Grass type chuckled. “Don’t worry. I won’t tell Celebi about this.”

The Gripper Pokémon grunted, swiping at his eye just as the beat of tiny wings made itself faintly known. He could hear Celebi’s grunts of effort, and Grovyle shifted to his feet, moving towards the cave mouth.

“Dusknoir…”

The Ghost type looked towards him, taken aback by the almost amused smile plastered across the Grass type’s face.

Grovyle tilted his head towards the outside world. The sun had completely receded below the horizon, the sky a deep navy, and stars were twinkling brightly against the dark expanse. “Welcome to the future.”

Dusknoir watched him exit the cave and disappear around the mouth’s edge, and after a moment he heard his and Celebi’s voices mingling, her tone obviously grateful as Grovyle must’ve been taking a part of her burden.

This new, brighter future would take a lot more to get used to than Dusknoir had anticipated previously, but he felt that maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. If this, finding himself, was just the beginning, then he looked forward to everything else that awaited him. There were many things that would need to be done as time transitioned into functioning properly again, many responsibilities to take up, but Dusknoir was ready for the challenge. He was much stronger than before. He was sure of that.

He and his shining spirit.

#fisara’s codices #fanfiction #pokemon #pmd #pokemon mystery dungeon #pokemon mystery dungeon explorers of sky #explorers of sky #pmd eos #pokemon mystery dungeon explorers #pmd2 #pmd 2 #grovyle #dusknoir #celebi #ao3: in the morning light

27 notes · View notes

zerger33 · 6 months

Note

Dusknoir

I love his ability to switch his demeanor on a dime. How he can go from emotionless to filled with emotion in a split second, and vice versa, making him work well as a villain.

I have unfortunately been very over saturated with Dusknoir content, as there is so much in the fandom.

Favorite line: "Grovyle... My... my life... Did it shine?

brOTP: Dusknoir & Partner

OTP: Dusknoir/Grovyle

nOTP: Dusknoir/Hero

random headcanon: While he was very capable of killing off Hero Partner and Grovyle himself, he could never bring himself to do it.

unpopular opinion: His villain plot twist was incredibly easy to see coming.

song i associate with them: Epoch (The living tombstone remix)

favorite picture of them: By @jsab-fujii

I love this peice and everything about it. I love How it completely (For lack of a better term) dehumanizes his shape. He looks alien, like something you recognize but is so very wrong. I love it to bits.

#pmd #pokemon mystery dungeon #ask game #pmd eos spoilers

8 notes · View notes

drainbangle · 2 years

Note

For the send "me a character"

How about dusknoir

send me a character!

putting this under the cut since it got super long oops.

first impression

first saw him in platinum circa. 8-9 years old so it was just "whoa. cool ghost pokemon"

impression now

i like him so much. i've gone on page long tangents about this guy to friends multiple times. he is such a good character and the idea of a grim reaper terrified of his own mortality is such a sick concept. he has so much guilt and emotional baggage and i like him so much

favorite moment

DEFINITELY HIS DYING WORDS. i just think they're beautifully translated in ENG ("my life... did it shine?" "yes. extraordinarily.") to the point where translating his japanese dying words was the first translation project i did.

idea for a story

my long-term pipe dream project is definitely the future trio hack i work on sometimes, which will attempt to tie them into the post-game darkrai arc and give resolution to both their baggage and the note grovyle and protag left on.

but besides that, i'd definitely want to write something where he and the other two of the future trio were previously friends, and even looking for the time gears before realizing they'd disappear— and his following betrayal.

i'm a sucker for stories about otherwise good relationships deteriorating due to terrible, outside circumstances.

unpopular opinion

i honestly stay pretty isolated so i don't... super know how he's commonly interpreted nowadays. he's my poor yorick

favorite relationship

i think about his parallels with partner a lot. besides his baggage with the rest of the trio i'd most love to explore that side of their dynamic: past cowardice as the main hurdle towards achieving their goals, their leaders' trust in them, and how their leaders changed their lives for the better.

favorite headcanon

prior to meeting grovyle and protag, dusknoir was an ordinary human and friends with celebi. he first died protecting celebi from primal dialga and became a duskull/dusclops.

his fear of death is only further exacerbated by not only the violent nature of his first death, but also the idea that if he dies (again) there's no coming back from that.

eventually after meeting grovyle and protag (with the protag being a little kid, and grovyle essentially being their guardian), the group sought out the time gears as a solution to the paralyzed future. but as mentioned above, after learning what would happen if they went through with it, dusknoir would betray them due to the fear of experiencing death again, for good this time.

#pmd #telegram

11 notes · View notes

eldragon-x · 3 years

Text

Comparing PMD dialouge in english to my native language is fun so here's some dialouge from Special Episode 5 that stood out to me. The perks of being bilingual.

No direct mention of the Planetary Investigation Team in the german translation. Instead Grovyle says "According to observations about the state of the planet [...]"

Instead of "As long as I live, I want to shine" Grovyle says: "As long as I accomplish something, I make a shining example for others".

The whole thing about shining spirits ect. is overall made less metaphorical and more direct as seen throughout Grovyle's and Dusknoir's German dialouge.

The shining spirit and shining life dialouge is mostly replaced with Grovyle and Dusknoir talking about how their actions are meaningful and have impact.

Grovyle's dialouge here goes from "That means that it's living, right?" to "That means, my actions have an impact, right?!?"

Instead of "My spirit... is alive!" Dusknoir thinks: "My actions... would speak for themselves!"

Behind Icicle Forest, Grovyle talks in English about how he could sense Dusknoir's "shining spirit of loyalty". In german, he instead says he sensed Dusknoir's "true, noble self" and describes it as "a character formed by team spirit and responsibility". Despite being more used to the English dialouge, I actually kinda prefer this part in German.

Now at last, Dusknoir's famous line "My life... did it shine?" is replaced with "My actions... do they speak for themselves?"

Overall, I personally like the English translation more because I'm more used to it, I am cheesy and the talk about one's actions speaking for themselves gets kinda repetitive but I just thought I'd share this with how much the two translations differ.

#Pokemon Mystery Dungeon #PMD #Explorers of Sky #PMD2 #Special Episode 5 #In the Future of Darkness #Pokemon #translation stuff

38 notes · View notes

smilepebble · 3 years

Note

ddddddusknoir

fav thing about them: ok well we all know that this guy is like one of the best written characters in the series, so instead im gonna say that i love the way he talks. like he uses a lot of big and fancy words which i think is cool. and then the moments where he completely drops that persona and you see the pure emotions underneath? insane

least fav thing about them: idk. the fact that he won't tell me how he was able to talk to primal dialga when they could only communicate through growls. this is important dusknoir c'mon

favorite line: if im being serious then of course the "my life... did it shine?" scene but also i absolutely love the moment after grovyle gets hit in the face with ice shard by the snorunt and dusknoir just thinks to himself "this guy..."

brOTP: i think it'd be funny if the future trio reunites with hero and partner after dusknoir's redemption arc and he and partner become best bros

OTP: dusknoir grovyle and celebi no contest

nOTP: idk, freaky shit

random headcanon: after special episode 5 i think he becomes a researcher of some sort but still keeps up exploring. maybe a dungeon researcher like espeon and umbreon because it'd be funny if they got in like a scientific argument over mystery dungeon theories

unpopular opinion: i don't really think this is unpopular but i think it would have been cool if we got some backstory for him

song i associate with them: pigs on the wing 2 by pink floyd (makes me think of the scene where he fades u_u)

fav pic of them: these sprites of him after being defeated by hero partner and grovyle rule

#op #ask game #pmd #explorers

8 notes · View notes

masterserris · 4 years

Video

youtube

BRB STILL CRYING OVER THIS GAME I LOVE ALL OF THESE CHARACTERS ESP THE LEGENDARY POKEMON(PALKIA AND DIALGA ESP), GROVYLE, AND DUSKNOIR THEY ARE THE BEST THANKS BYE

youtube

You a fuckin LIAR if you didn’t cry at this part. A damned LIAR. also such a great redemption arc for my boyeee

i mean, he wasn’t malicious. dusknoir was forced into working for a rampaging dialga and didnt want to. you know. FUCKING DIE. blame darkrai for causing this bs. that hoe got what he deserved lmfaooo at least everyone gets a happy ending hehe best game i swear AND THE MUSIC BRO. DIALGA’S THEME IS GAS

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA SEE?!?!

(also during the mission dusknoir being said to be incredibly strong and recovering his power is so neat aaa)

he’s /JUST/ chillin’ (after ((pretend)) saving grovyle’s life. this dude has 200IQ ngl)

YA BOY LEARNIN’ POWERFUL LIFE LESSONS ABOUT LIFE AND DEATH FOR THE KIDDOS OKAY IM CRYING OKAY

OUGHGAUIFN

AJBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBAKDVJSK

this lad bout to do it!

yeah everyone is valid in this house

youtube

THIS ENDING BRO IM CRYING FR (44:06 until the credits roll)

“Did my spirit shine in the end, Grovyle..?”

“Yes, it did Dusknoir. Extraordinarily.”

“Thanks to you... I have no regrets.”

BRUH

Then Arceus saves everyone in the world from dying and disappearing and Dialga comes back and returns life to the world im cdsbjsdkbfdjskbfjsks

#pmd #explorers of sky #dusknoir #grovyle #private

21 notes · View notes

defendglobe · 6 years

Text

Dusknoir is a bottom

In this essay I will explain why Dusknoir from PMD2 is actually a bottom and I refuse to accept otherwise.

Point #1: Dusknoir and Dialga

Let’s start off with this one. Dusknoir basically does whatever Dialga wants him to do. He goes above and beyond to follow Dialga’s orders and basically chases Grovyle all through the past and future to fulfill his duty. Even when it gets uncomfortable, like when he betrays Grovyle after genuinely bonding with him.

Also constantly saying “Master Dialga” is uh. Somewhat evocative of the whole dominant/submissive thing. I’m definitely not saying Dusknoir wanted to FUCC Dialga bc that’s kinda creepy but it’s not hard to imagine how that kinda attitude would transfer over to being down to take it up the ass if you get what I’m saying.

Despite being a bad guy, Dusknoir seems pretty content with not being the one “on top”, hehehe. He doesn’t seem to mind being second in command to Dialga. Idk man that just sounds to me like a dude who doesn’t mind not being 100% in control and is willing to sit back and let other people direct him.

Point #2: Dusknoir the Villain

Some more theoretical evidence. Frankly, I think Dusknoir gets labelled as a top a lot of the time just because of his role as the bad guy. Like I mean. It’s definitely common in shipping to have the bad guy as the dominant one. I think we’ve all seen that before, yeah? Physical appearance probably also feeds into that. Dusknoir’s more bara and Grovyle looks kinda like a fucking twink (or maybe a twunk but i’m not gonna get into that here).

Basically, our assumptions about how Dusknoir’s sexual habits are coming more from his appearance and role in the story than his personality, if that makes sense. We’re typecasting but with top/bottom roles. Topcasting, if you will. Some big beefy bad boy ghosts like to get fucking rawed and that is so valid.

Anyway, now let’s move on! Here are some other things that contribute to the “Dusknoir is a bottom” case. On their own, these things don’t necessarily mean that someone is a bottom but when they’re put together with the other shit here it definitely makes Dusknoir’s bottom-ness more apparent.

Point #3: Dusknoir and Loyalty

This bit is kinda a continuation of the Dusknoir and Dialga point from before.

I know most of us talk and joke about Dusknoir being a backstabbing piece of shit a lot and obviously that’s fair. But Dusknoir’s not a disloyal guy, you know? He’s super loyal, just to the wrong people and ideas. Even Grovyle points it out.

Once he flips sides, Dusknoir’s loyalty shifts from Dialga to Grovyle and Celebi. Hell, he even joins them in fighting his former master. Even before he flips sides, there’s the whole thing where he shields Grovyle from the falling ice chunk. Though he SAYS that was just part of his plan, his tsundere “I really despise you”/”I really don’t care about you at all” reaction and the heart to heart he and Grovyle have afterwards definitely makes that claim a bit suspicious.

ANYWAY, it’s the same intense, all-in kinda loyalty as before. Idk about y’all but I can definitely see Dusknoir’s loyalty and devotion to others leading to a preference for being slammed in his ghostly ass lmao.

Point #4: Dusknoir’s interactions with Grovyle

MAN lemme be real for a minute, actaeonshipping fic/art that has Dusknoir being this super seductive dominant dude has always felt off to me.

Like yeah, they banter and argue a lot but then you also have moments like Dusknoir asking Grovyle why he’s willing to sacrifice his own life to prevent time from stopping. That bit when Dusknoir asks Grovyle “did my life shine” when he’s fucking being wiped out of existence.

A lot of the more heartwarming moments between them go that way. Dusknoir looking to Grovyle for guidance in some way or another or expressing some kinda admiration for Grovyle. Dusknoir looks to Grovyle to show him what to do, not unlike a bottom might look to a top to show them what to do. Chew on that a little.

Point #5: Mia @loremaster Weighs In

Now, everyone who was in the PMD2 fandom on deviantart around 2009-2010 knows that Mia @loremaster was the supreme authority on actaeonshipping.

So naturally I asked for her opinion. Here it is, folks:

TLDR: Look man I know a bottom when I see one. AND I FUCKIN SEE ONE.

#pmd shitposting

56 notes · View notes

drainbangle · 2 years

Text

Dusknoir's dying words in Japanese

Disclaimer: I'm not reading the entirety of PMD2 in Japanese (watched some specific scenes from the main story, watched the entirety of Episode 5 in Japanese, but didn't translate it in full) nor am I fluent in Japanese, just learning. These are just observations I made while going through it.

I'll put together my translation in total at the end, this is broken up into sections for notes and observations.

Original

Yonoir: ジュプトル…... おしえてほしい…...。

Yonoir: わたしの… わたしのいのちは…

Yonoir: かがやいてたか…?

Juptile: ああ。とびっきりな。

Yonoir: …よかった…。

Localization

Dusknoir: Grovyle... Please tell me...

Dusknoir: My... my life...

Dusknoir: Did it shine...?

Grovyle: Yes. Extraordinarily.

Dusknoir: ...I am glad...

Direct translation

Dusknoir: Grovyle... I want to you to tell me...

Dusknoir: My... my life...

Dusknoir: Did it shine?

Grovyle: Yes. [It was] unequalled.

Dusknoir: ...Thank goodness...

Alt. translation

Dusknoir: Grovyle... Please, I want to know...

Dusknoir: My... my life...

Dusknoir: Did it shine?

Grovyle: Yes. Beyond compare.

Dusknoir: ...I’m glad...

Notes

When Dusknoir asks if his life shined, the wording he uses is "いのち", which refers specifically to:

n.: life, life force

n.: lifetime, lifespan

So, when Dusknoir asks Grovyle about his "life", he means it less as something referring to his soul/heart, but moreso his existence. Basically, asking Grovyle if he lived a fulfilling life in his final moments.

As for how he requests Grovyle’s answer, where in English it’s “please tell me”, in Japanese, it can be literally translated as “I want you to tell me.” using おしえてほしい, where using ほしい after the -te version of 教える indicates a request as an aux. adjective.

I can definitely see why localization just used “please tell me” since, yeah, “I want you to tell me” doesn’t read as heartfelt when you’re dying. I went with “Please, I want to know” on my end so it’d still fit the moment, but reads as a request like in the original.

Then, when asking the question itself, Dusknoir uses, "かがやいてたか…?"

Like in English, Dusknoir references Grovyle’s speech by using the verb かがや (kagayaku), meaning to shine, glitter, sparkle.

And when Grovyle says "とびきり", while "extraordinarily" is a good translation, fun alternative meanings under that word include:

n.: best, unequalled

adj.: exceptionally

It can taken as either a noun or adjective in this line, so I mostly tried to shorten down the amount of syllables used given that the two are exhausted + dying.

Next, in English, Dusknoir says “I am glad” in response to Grovyle’s reply, but in Japanese he uses “よかった” (yokkata).

While in dictionaries, it’s stated to just mean “[it’s] good” (mind that Japanese often omits the subject), “yokkata” is often used as an expression of relief or happiness in response to good news or results (1, 2, 3); so, not unlike how people will say “thank god” or “thank goodness” in English if they, say, get good results on an exam.

So, besides “I’m glad”, you could easily make an argument for having Dusknoir say “thank goodness” in response since... Yeah, besides being glad, Dusknoir is relieved that Grovyle said so.

As for the second part, we have this.

Original

Yonoir: わわたしは…

Yonoir: わたしはさいごのさいごて… まよわす… まっすぐに…

Yonoir: いきぬくことが… できた…。

Yonoir: それができたのも… ジュプトル… オマエのおかげだ…。

Yonoir: ありがとう…。もう…

Yonoir: もうくいはない…。

Localization

Dusknoir: I-I am...

Dusknoir: I am, up to the very end... not wavering... Honestly...

Dusknoir: I lived...

Dusknoir: Because of you, Grovyle... Thanks to you...

Dusknoir: Thanks to you... I...

Dusknoir: I have no regrets...

Direct translation

Dusknoir: I-I was...

Dusknoir: In the end of the end, I was able to endure... Straightforward...

Dusknoir: And the reason why I could... is because of you, Grovyle...

Dusknoir: You’re the reason why I was able to do that...

Dusknoir: Thank you... I have n...

Dusknoir: no regrets...

Alt. translation

Dusknoir: I-I was...

Dusknoir: I was able to persevere... until my last...

Dusknoir: It was because of you, Grovyle...

Dusknoir: Because of you...

Dusknoir: I have n-no regrets...

Dusknoir: Thank you...

Notes

Dusknoir uses “さいごのさいご” (saigo no saigo), “the end of the end”, which while referring to just, the end of things, also refers to one’s final moments/one’s death.

Where Dusknoir in localization said “I lived because of you”, in Japanese, it’s “いきぬくことが… できた… それができたのも… ジュプトル” which literally means: “I was able to survive to the very end because of you, Grovyle.”

“いきぬく” in the context of this conversation specifically means “to continue to live in hardship and adversity”, most easily comparable to “persevering” or “enduring” in English.

He reiterates this sentiment again using “オマエのおかげだ”, specifying that it’s because of or owed to Grovyle.

One notable difference from English localization, too, is that Dusknoir directly thanks Grovyle using ありがとう. Dusknoir saying that he has no regrets is the same as in localization.

I switched the order of his statements so that the conversation would flow better, but either way, Dusknoir’s last words are spent both showing gratitude to Grovyle and stating he has no regrets.

So! In the end, Dusknoir’s dying words in Japanese can be translated as this:

Dusknoir: Grovyle... Please, I want to know...

Dusknoir: My... my life...

Dusknoir: Did it shine...?

Grovyle: Yes. Beyond compare.

Dusknoir: ...I’m glad...

Dusknoir: I-I was...

Dusknoir: I was able to persevere... until my last...

Dusknoir: It was because of you, Grovyle... Thanks to you...

Dusknoir: I have n-no regrets...

Dusknoir: Thank you...

#pmd #dusknoir #grovyle #og #again disclaimer i'm no professional nor fluent speaker i just wanted to dissect it #i have an entire other set of notes dedicated to their general pronoun usage in jpn but that's something for another day

44 notes · View notes