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"Everyone gather round! It's time for a story."
Just under a dozen children ran toward the corner of the library, eagerly sitting in a circle around a young woman with blond pigtails, wearing a sky-blue jacket over a yellow dress. She smiled and took a seat in the designated reader's chair, opening the thick book she held in her arms and resting it on her lap.
"What are we going to be reading today?" one of the children asked.
The woman held up the book for all of the children to see. It was an old and dusty tome, bound with leather and heavy as a brick. "I'm going to pick something out of the book of Sinnohan folktales. We're going to learn an ancient story about our world." The children muttered their affirmation as she placed the book back onto her lap.
"Today we will be reading..." She flipped through the book for a suitable story, before settling on one with a smile. " The Tale of Darkrai and Cresselia ." The children leaned in eagerly as she began to read.
"Long ago in ancient Sinnoh, our ancestors would look up at the night sky in wonder, just as you and I do today. They looked up and saw the stars, the planets, and the ancient Pokémon high above. One Pokémon in particular stood out from the rest. A Pokémon so lovely that anyone who met her would be awed by her radiant beauty... Cresselia, the crescent moon.
"Every night, Cresselia would cross the night sky from one horizon to the other, providing light to the people of ancient Sinnoh. There was not a single night where the moon did not shine. Her light provided comfort and safety. People learned to not be afraid when the sun went down, for they knew Cresselia's light would protect them. But Cresselia... she was afraid. For she was not alone in the night sky.
"Cresselia was chased relentlessly by a dark star, known as Darkrai. He pursued her from dusk to dawn as she hurried across the sky. Each night, Cresselia would cry and plead for Darkrai to leave her alone, and each night, he would coldly refuse. Soon, the nights grew shorter and shorter, as the moon clung closer to the horizon to try and flee her pursuer. Her only escape was when the morning sun came to vanquish the night, sending Darkrai back to the darkness from whence he came.
"Eventually, Cresselia could stand no more, and she turned to three Pokémon for help: Dialga, Master of Time; Palkia, Master of Space; and Giratina, Master of Distortion.
"'Please help me,' she pleaded. 'Every night I live in fear of Darkrai. Can you-'"
A snorting laugh caused the woman to pause. She looked to her right and spotted a young, white-haired man dressed in black, sitting in a chair that was far too small for him. An amused smirk rested on his face, while irritation immediately settled onto hers.
"Is there something wrong?" she asked, forcing politeness into her voice.
"Sorry," he said. "Keep going." She shot him a glare before returning to her tale.
"'Can you help me escape him, so that I no longer have to run?' Cresselia asked. Dialga, Palkia and Giratina all agreed, for they too loved Cresselia and her beauty, and did not wish to see her come to harm. So they all hatched a plan together.
"The next night, Cresselia rose into the sky as the crescent moon once again, just as she did every night. And soon, Darkrai began to pursue her, just as he did every night. This time, however, Cresselia's three guardians were lying in wait. And as Cresselia reached the peak of her journey through the sky, they struck.
"Dialga was the first to act. He slowed down time for Darkrai, so he could not keep up with Cresselia, and she made her escape over the horizon. Next, Palkia trapped Darkrai within a prison of space, so he could not move and save himself. Finally, Giratina emerged and flooded Darkrai with Distortion, turning him as black as the night sky."
The children leaned in close, fascinated by the tale. The young man crossed his legs, rolling his eyes as loudly as he could. The woman pointedly ignored him.
"Soon, Darkrai was gorged on Distortion, and the trio of legendary Pokémon finally released him from his space-time prison. He tried to chase after Cresselia again, but he was unable to move, bound by Giratina's will.
"'No longer will you chase the beautiful Cresselia across the sky,' Giratina told him. 'You are no longer a star. You are now the new moon, never to share the sky with the crescent moon. When she rises into the sky, there will be no room for you, and if you deign to rise, she will remain on Earth. Now go, and never disturb her again.' And the three Pokémon vanished with the morning sun.
"Ever since that day, the crescent moon has journeyed peacefully through the sky at night. Even though she fears the darkness, she knows that she is now under the protection of her three guardians. Once every four weeks, the new moon rises as Darkrai takes to the sky in search of his prey, and Cresselia hides and restores her energy. But he will never find her, as there can only be one moon in the night sky."
She closed the book gently, smiling down at the children sitting in a circle around her. "Did you like that story, children?" The youngsters cheered and thanked her, babbling about Cresselia and Giratina and the new moon.
As the kids quieted down, she turned her head toward the young man, who was slumping in his chair with his arms folded. "And what did you think?" she asked, her voice much less polite.
"Eh." He shrugged his shoulders. "It was alright. It's a good story, and you told it well. Kind of missing a moral, though, don't you think?"
She held in an annoyed grunt. "I suppose, but not every story needs-"
"Plus, your story is wrong," he interrupted.
She blinked in surprise, before reverting to her previous irritation. "Oh, was it?" she replied, a hint of snark in her voice.
"Well, it's not the way I heard it, in any case."
She cocked one eyebrow curiously. "And how did you hear it?"
He stretched out in his tiny chair, putting his hands behind his head. "The way I heard it, Darkrai and Cresselia were lovers."
The woman's eyes shot open wide. "Wh- excuse me?!" she sputtered, incredulous. "No, they were not!"
"Sure they were." He grinned as some of the children turned to face him. "Cresselia didn't fear the night. She reveled in it, because that was when she could be together with her true love in the sky. She wasn't fleeing from Darkrai. She loved the chase."
"She certainly did not," the woman hissed.
"But Giratina coveted her beauty," the man continued, undeterred. "He was scared that Darkrai would run away with her, and take her away so that Giratina could never see her again. So he hatched a plan. He tricked Dialga and Palkia into trapping Darkrai, and turned him into the new moon like you said. And now Cresselia searches the skies for her lover every night, not knowing that they will never meet again."
The woman clasped her hands tightly atop the book on her lap. "That's preposterous."
"Is it so weird?" He gave her a cocky smile. "They say that opposites attract, you know."
"Darkrai and Cresselia had nothing in common!" she exclaimed, nearly shouting. "It would never work between them!"
Her last words echoed through the library, which had gone oddly quiet. She paused and looked around, realizing that almost every pair of eyes was now on her. Her face burned as she sank back into her chair and cleared her throat, trying to regain what little of her dignity remained.
"This is story time for children, not adults," she said firmly, with an air of authority. "I think it would be best if you leave."
The man sighed dramatically. "Alright, I'm going." He grabbed the red scarf lying on his lap and wrapped it around his neck as he stood up. He walked toward the exit, but paused just before leaving and turned back to her.
"Although... if your version of the story is true, why does the moon shine most brightly at night?"
He gave her a wink as he stepped out of the library. She watched him leave, flustered and red-faced, before turning back to her book and trying to find another folk tale to read.