The Darkness

**The Darkness** is a semi-permanent special Status Effect that Pokémon can become infected with. It is caused primarily by exposure to Dark Matter or anything with a Dark Aura, the latter allowing this Status to infect even innocent-seeming [[::Category:Held Items|Items]] which will forever infect whatever it touches. The most notable symptom of the Darkness is an apparent lack of sufficient thought processing, and uncharacteristic aggression or malevolence towards others, often without ever being provoked. Humans are universally immune to its effects, even in Pokémon form, for an unknown reason.

## Cause

All Pokémon, even Humans-Turned-Pokémon, have an Aura. It is invisible to most, but the Aura controls many of the most intimate connections in their bodies. For example, the strength of one's Aura has a direct relationship with how powerful their [[::Category:Pokémon Types|Type-based]] Moves are, and its purity has a huge hand in how clearly a Pokémon can think at any given time. Often without even realizing it, Pokémon influence each other using their Auras every single day, from simple communication to even battles. No Pokémon lacks an Aura, not even a Ghost type. However, Pokémon lose their Aura as soon as they die.

Even Dark Matter has an Aura, and surprisingly, it is compatible with Pokémon. Unfortunately, though, it has exclusively negative effects on them.

Dark Aura has the frightening effect of Aura Replacement when exposed to a Pokémon for an extended period of time, or in highly concentrated amounts. Basically, it will begin to "possess" whatever Pokémon it is infecting by gradually destroying and replacing its original Aura with its own. As it does so, the Pokémon being affected will suffer the symptoms outlined above, often in that order, until it is completely consumed by Dark Aura, like a wicked osmosis of the mind. Higher concentrations of Dark Matter or Dark Aura-carriers will cause a *much* faster progression of the Status.

## Effects & Progression

### On Regular Pokémon

Progression of the Darkness in most Pokémon can be divided into 4 distinct stages, detailed below. As mentioned before, the concentration of the Aura the Pokémon is exposed to will determine how quickly it progresses, but if it is developed through dungeon exploration (via exposure to the Dark Matter floating around in the chambers of most dungeons) it will usually take about 3 or 4 to fully take place. If the Pokémon sleeps through stages 2 and 3 it can be shortened to 2 days, but not always. If the Pokémon experiences an especially high concentration, such as through the Bittercold, it can take a mere 2 or 3 hours to fully envelop them, and just minutes to begin showing signs. Conversely, exposure to low concentrations such as infected Pokémon or Items detached from the source can take weeks to take effect, and that only occurs if they are exposed to it consistently and closely for the entire time.

The very first symptoms of the Darkness are usually not too alarming. Commonly, it starts with a headache, maybe a fever, and dizziness. As the headache turns into an intense migraine, the fever worsens and causes the sufferer to be especially light-headed and experience fatigue. This is stage 1; for some Pokémon, this is the only stage they consciously experience, as the fatigue is known to occasionally put them into a deep sleep and thus speed up the infection process.

For the unlucky majority, there are more stages ahead. Any Pokémon who resists the urge to sleep for long enough will experience stage 2. The fatigue is normally gone by this point, and in some Pokémon stages 2 onward actually award them *more* energy than they started with. The "release" of their incessant migraine comes at the price of their awareness; starting in stage 2, all awareness of themselves, anyone they knew prior, and even the world around them slips away, in a gradual descent into a zombie-like state incapable of intelligent decision-making... and stage 3.

During stage 3, the Dark Aura really begins to seep into the Pokémon's thoughts, filling them with a new Nature of Evil, and insatiable cravings for violence and mayhem. Some Pokémon will even harm themselves from the new overflow of implanted thoughts, especially if they're alone at the time of infection, just to satisfy some of their cravings for inflicting pain. These Pokémon faint or die much faster than most others, and if they don't, they often carry the scars of their wounds forever.

Finally, at stage 4, the transition is complete, and any traces of the Pokémon's former Aura is gone, and now replaced by the Dark Aura permanently. At this point, the Pokémon's exhausted and has an empty or near-empty Belly, so in a mindless quest to stave off a ceaseless hunger, fully-consumed Pokémon are prone to sink back into savage habits such as eating flora from their environment or, in a carnivore's case, cannibalizing other Pokémon indiscriminately when they can. Stage 4 Pokémon, if carnivorous, should be avoided at all costs.

Note that Pokémon fully consumed by Dark Aura are not completely brain-dead; in fact, some Pokémon with an especially high IQ value can resist the mind-numbing effect almost entirely, and retain the ability to think and speak intelligently, as if nothing's wrong with them. However, the other effects of the Status such as the Nature change and frequent migraines still persist.

Similarly, Pokémon with lots of heart and/or a stronger, purer Aura will not only take longer to be consumed, but when they do, they will be even more powerful after they reach stage 4, purely because of how much Dark Aura is required to completely overpower them.

If they're particularly rebellious at heart, they may be able to escape the notorious Evil Nature and keep most of their old one, but still be plagued with the mind fog and other physical problems.

In the end, all Pokémon are affected differently by this Status.

### On [[::Category:Legendaries|Legendary Pokémon]]

While the Darkness has awful effects on any Pokémon, it is *especially* dangerous when infecting a Legendary.

Legendaries go through the first two stages, just like many other Pokémon do, but stage 3 is even more critical for them, because this influence causes Legendaries to go Primal.

### On Humans

Humans are completely immune to the Darkness, which is the primary reason why so many are selected and transformed to save the worlds of Pokémon Mystery Dungeon. In fact, to the surprise of many, a Human Aura can actually work as a sort of antidote for the effects of the Darkness; any Pokémon adjacent to a Human will feel their Aura being repaired by it, in the form of their consciousness and good nature returning. It is unknown how or why they have this effect, especially because of the lack of research or study on the matter, for somewhat obvious reasons.