He clutched the disk to his chest tightly. The edges were charred and thin, spiderweb-like cracks adorned the insides of the technology. It had been under extreme heat to look that way, such was certain. Tinted a purple-red hue in the light of the moon it looked like a sad memory; a forever-reminder of something gone horribly wrong. Or perhaps it was right? The answer was not so clear anymore.

"Do you remember what I said that time? About displacement?"

"That one thing takes the place of another? Sometimes violently in certain situations, if I recall. You seemed adamant that I remember it could be in a bad way."

"Yes. Good. Thanks for paying attention to me so much. I tend to space out and I know it must be annoying."

"Well, do you remember what I told you that night?"

"That night under the stars?"

"Yes, that night. If you already know what it is I'm going to say then...I'd have you know that nothing you do could ever annoy me. Well, other than when you put bows in his fur. He looks ridiculous."

"He loves it! I mean it's not like I'm making him sleep through the process! Perhaps he just does it to annoy you - the fact that he likes it at all..."

"What is it? It's not like you to be so quiet."

"I- I just...I just wanted to be under the same sky as you again. Looks like we were both thinking about that night after all. It's nice to see you. Your eyes. You always had the prettiest eyes - especially for a guy, haha. Sometimes I get lost and feel like I can't find my way out. That's really cheesy but I can't think of any other way to say it."

"I understand and...well, when I don't know where to look...I always look at you. You know that. All I could want from you is just for you to be yourself. You said that you weren't sure where your light was. Did you ever find it? The thing you look for when you don't know where to look at all? You're acting like you're searching for something right now when you look at me."

"Guess I'm easy to read, huh? My light is...I'm pretty sure it's in between. That's why I can't see it. But really...I don't want you to rely on me like that. You're so smart and full of confidence. Do you really need to look at me? I feel as though my light pales in comparison."

"You told me we all have a north star. Something we look to when we don't know where we are in the world. And all I know is that when I don't know where I am, all I need to do is take one look at you. And then it all comes back to me. I want you to feel the same thing for yourself. If I'm not your star...I want to help you find it. In my eyes you deserve it more than anyone. You give so much to the world. Why is it you don't ask for anything in return? We all want you to be happy just as much as you want us to be happy."

"Your happiness...all of you. It matters so much to me. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"Wait. What- What is it? Why are you crying!? I'm right here! I'm not going anywhere! Please just...please stop. Don't cry. Did I say something stupid? I never meant to hurt you. I could never hurt you...shhh. It's all right. Just tell me what's wrong. Please let me help you."

"That's the difference between us, you know...I could hurt you. I'm afraid I'm going to..."

"That night you lost your eyes..." The young man trailed off quietly. He held the disc to his chest still after the memory, fingers clutching it tightly yet loosely enough so that it did not break. Stars littered the sky and twinkled brightly. The air was crisp and cool, but nights in Alola were rarely so cold. He couldn't see his breath but he wished he could - seeing a part of him affecting the world that she had tried so desperately to save that it had cost her everything. It had cost him everything, too. His breath trailing the air would be one single shred of proof that he existed in this place. It symbolized that existence. After all, it could all fade away just as quickly as it manifested.

"Where do I look, now? It's so dark without you here. But even when you couldn't see you always knew where to look. Where it was you had to go." His eyes turned towards the bright disk of the moon. Its baleful white light shining down as if to mock him and prove that he didn't need her to see the light. It was right there, steady and constant and always providing. But it wasn't what he was searching for. This light was seen by everyone equally. It wasn't special to him. Not in the way that he wanted it to be.

He curled up on the ground, folding in on himself to try and be as small as possible. The moon and the stars were still shining, but in the fold of his arms there was darkness. The world outside should reflect how you feel inside, right? Why did it have to keep spinning when a part of him felt like it had stayed behind, frozen in time years ago? He couldn't make anyone see how he felt because no one had ever seen it and none could see it now. It was gone. Now it would be dark for him, too. The shadows cast by her light was all that hung around him now. Sleepless nights filled with the terror of seeing it all replay itself over and over again like some song on repeat filled him with an unending sense of dread.

But she could still see. Using this disc he held clutched tightly in his hand she was able to break through that darkness with the strength of her companion and the belief of those who wanted to see her change the world like she had promised. She wanted to fix some fatal flaw that could end everything, and she did so because she alone understood how to.

He couldn't go back so he had to move forward. Standing again, eyes clear, he looked to the moon and matched its stare. The field of gently flowing grass around him faded away until he felt as if he were in the sky. His eyes found the north star and all the rest melted away. This night was for himself, the moon, and that one star. He'd find a way to make it all right. Even if it took him until his last breath vanished from the atmosphere.

Bringing himself back to earth with a renewed sense of purpose, he tucked the burnt disc in the pocket of his dark jacket. It was a Memory, like the one they had shared that night but unlike it at the same time. It was what she had used to 'see.' A constant reminder that she had been real, it remained by his side. Soon he'd have to part with another piece of her. It would be hard but if he was going to fix himself, he had to let go. He clenched his fist at the thought, then let out the tension as it gently unwound and dropped to his side.

He trudged slowly down off the grassy hill and back to a nearby familiar dirt path. The night sang with memories and dark promises as the tall shadows of palm trees swallowed his figure from sight.

The grass made a soft rusting in the morning breeze as the sun began to rise high. It shone down beautifully on everything, making it all glow after the rain from the previous night. Drops of water adorned the leaves like jewelry made from the sky itself, and the light dirt began to bake and dry up quickly around it. The earth here was taken care of well by the people and the Pokemon who inhabited the land, but it also took care of itself in that special, magical way.

The flash of yellow among the green grass betrayed a young girl as she ran past. She wore a straw hat with a pastel pink ribbon that swayed in the breeze. A bright yellow sundress billowed behind her as her sandaled feet sped through the underbrush. Avoiding the path, the girl ran towards the mouth of a cave at the top of a hill. The path there was adorned with carved stone faces that seemed very war-like; as if they wanted to scare away anyone with ill intent. She paused at the entrance, brushing away a long curly brown strand of hair from her face and catching her breath before walking carefully into the darkness.

Usually she wasn't allowed up here. Her father was very protective of her and tried to keep her close to home. But she had a friend who only liked to play here in this lonely place and she wanted to visit them all the time. She would if she could get away more often. The thought of doing something that she wasn't supposed to gave her the thrill of adventure and danger that she wanted. She ran past the entrance and held out a hand as she adjusted to the darkness. There were holes in the cave roof, but a lot of them were covered by the thick canopy of leaves above. Some light came in here and there, and on the smooth dirt floor little plants grew where it touched. They reached for the light like she had reached into the dark earlier. As if they just wanted a little bit more to get used to what it was like.

In the back of the cave was a set of dual stairs that led to another carved stone statue. This one was fierce and much more detailed. The mouth was curled into a vicious snarl and it looked like it was reared to charge forward. She stood in front of it, unafraid as she had been here many times before. Turning around to face the room, she clapped her hands.

"Kokooooooo! I wanna play! Come out!"

At first there was the usual pause. It was a bit like when the power would go out during the island storms. All that noise and hum of electricity you could hear in the back of your mind just cut out and left you with a much more pure silence. Then suddenly a response came in the form of a loud crowing sound. The air became charged as it shimmered and ripped open. The world came back to life and before her was a Pokemon. It was mostly yellow on its shielded arms with a black torso and orange tufts on its head like the plume of a rooster. Intense turquoise eyes searched hers, and the hairs on her arms stood up from its close proximity to her. But there was something special about her, and this would be vital to what was to come. She just didn't yet know what was in store for her. The Pokemon lowered itself down to her from where it had floated just above, eyes searching her expression with a wild sense of impatience.

"Hello, Larisse."