Chapter 1

"The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step."

—Lao Tzu

Mt. Silver is cold and unrelenting, lashing and numbing my skin below the three jackets I have donned in preparation. My hands are freezing even under the shelter of my pockets and gloves and I feel my jaw ache terribly from my chattering teeth. Even so, I press on, slowly trudging up a stone staircase on the side of the mountain, unable to see any ground below due to the heavy swirls of white and grey snow. I've heard more than a few stories of Trainers and Hikers that have misjudged a step or moved too quickly on a sheet of ice and ended up pierced by rocks hundreds of feet below, but I can't bother my mind enough to be concerned, never mind scared. Now, every ounce of my concentration is on Pokémon Master Red.

I am not a Pokémon Trainer—at least, I don't work to challenge the Pokémon League. Be that as it may, I want to talk to Red, and if he refuses to speak without a battle, then I am prepared for the situation. Although Red has been on Mt. Silver for twenty years, in every news story, including the live ones, he has not appeared any older. Moreover, no one has ever seen him leave Mt. Silver, not even once. My friends and even my father say I'm overthinking things as always, but I know that something is going on, and I will do what I must do to find it out.

I reach a cavern at the mountain's peak, and through the hole at the end, I can see a silhouette in the snow. I run across the clear stony ground, quickly clearing the difference between us until I am back in the piercing cold. He turns to me, his eyes bright beneath the brim of his cap, and gives a breath—relief or trepidation?—that instantly freezes into a small white cloud of wonder.

"You want to battle?" he asks.

"I want to ask you some questions."

"You know how it works: can't talk without a battle."

"I expected as much." I remove the glove from my right hand to draw a Pokéball from my Trainer's belt, releasing Charizard onto the field; similarly, Red releases his own Charizard. "Charizard, Flamethrower!" we order in unison. Our Pokémon release dual waves of red and gold fire that meet in the middle, the heat so great it melts away all the snow in a thirty-foot circumference and forces me to remove two of my jackets. The twin flames soon burst into a shower of embers, forcing our pokémon apart. "Charizard, Aerial Ace."

"Charizard, use Dragon Pulse!" Again, the attacks meet in the middle, but this time there's a visible struggle between our Charizard. They are neck-and-neck, evenly matched but losing hold with each second, but finally, Red's Charizard falters, allowing mine to slash him down onto his back.

"Do you want to know something, Pokémon Master Red?"

"Huh? Charizard, recover with Solar Beam!" His Charizard pushes mine away to soar into the air and spreads his wings with a furious roar to summon the power of the sun.

"My name is Sean Isaac DiCaprio. I am not a Trainer—rather, I am an intellectual that seeks the answers to questions that many refuse to ask. Many times, my quest for knowledge takes me places that I need protection, hence my team." I gesture to my pokéballs on my utility belt. "And you are the latest question, one that I have been training this entire year for."

"That so?" Red asks with raised eyebrows. My Charizard falls to his attack and I return him.

"Umbreon." I release her and she immediately leaps onto Red's Charizard, digging her fangs into his left wing. The pain of it causes him to plummet to the earth with a jaw-loosing thud!

"You did great, Charizard," Red says honestly as he returns his Pokémon. "Now, Pikachu!" I did not expect him to bring out his strongest companion so early in the battle, but that is not to say that I am unprepared for it.

"Pika!" his Pikachu cries, landing in a small and pudgy bundle of golden fur.

"Thunderbolt!" The snow around us instantly ceases as thunder instead rolls around in the clouds above. Pikachu clenches his little fists and seemingly draws the electricity towards him, summoning it in the form of a grand lightning bolt, and then redirects it at Umbreon. Umbreon cries out as it summons a cloud of darkness that absorbs the lightning, then it dissipates in a field of static, although the thunderclouds remain. "Cloak," Red orders his Pikachu. He clenches his fists again as lightning strikes him, but this time it remains around its body like a second coat of fur. "Now, Volt Tackle." Pikachu gives a cry before rushing forward, electricity streaming behind him with such an intensity that it tears trenches into the hard stone of the mountain. It hits Umbreon and hits her hard.

"You should've made her dodge," Red tells me.

"There wouldn't have been a point, what with your Pikachu's speed. Also, even if I had made it dodge, the electricity, if not Pikachu's body, would still have hit it."

"Smart guy, huh," Red says, and I can't decipher his tone.

"The smartest." Umbreon quivers slightly on the ground, and then she drags herself to her feet and shakes the ash from her fur. Pikachu's attack visibly affected her but she still manages to stand. "Umbreon, use Psychic and force Red's Pikachu into the air." Umbreon's eyes glow as Red's Pikachu is thrown high into the sky.

"You've just put him closer to the clouds," Red tells me, then he shouts at Pikachu, "Thunder!" More lightning appears in Pikachu's vicinity, turning the clouds translucent with their intense brilliance. Pikachu absorbs all of it, then he releases it in a gigantic shockwave that makes all of my hairs stand on end. Umbreon digs beneath the earth, shielding herself from the brunt of it, but with the overflow of electricity, it finds its way into the hole and she cries out in pain. Umbreon does manage to dig to the surface, but as soon as she hits the ground she falls unconscious.

"I w—" Red's Pikachu hits the ground and faints as well. "W-What?" he stutters, flabbergasted. "What happened? You didn't even touch him. . . ?"

"I didn't have to. The reason why I propelled your Pikachu in the air was to separate it from the ground, forcing it to contain and surge the electricity through its body. Even though Pikachu are made to hold high voltages and maintain them with the tail, the better half of a thunderstorm is pushing it." He returns his pikachu with an odd look in my direction.

"Blastoise."

"Eelektross." It coils around Blastoise's neck and chokes it off before it can even expel a single drop of water. He's now visibly disconcerted as he returns his Blastoise. "It would be a lot faster if you would answer my questions and let me be on my way."

"Finish the battle," he says in a different tone. "Then I won't need to answer your questions." It's not bargaining with me—he says it in a very matter-of-fact tone. I try to decipher what he means, but just as a lot of things, it's just beyond my grasp, and the chilling anticipation of that knowledge excites me to some degree. Never have I been so compelled to discover something that I have gone so low as to battle with Pokémon, which I have always thought to be just as gruesome as pitting together above-average humans, and yet here I am.

"May we cut this short?"

"No, it has to be a full team, all six pokémon," he says almost vehemently, spiking my adrenaline further. What is it that has him so invigorated? For all I know, it could also be what has him on Mt. Silver agelessly and tirelessly battling Trainer after Trainer. "Lapras, Ice Beam," he calls, releasing his fourth pokémon. I am caught off-guard, and so his attack strikes my Eelektross and freezes it in a tsunami-sized wave of solid ice. I return it a second later. "He could've broken through," Red tells me.

"It wouldn't have mattered anyway. Eelektross are cold-blooded; it would have been too fatigued to continue."

"You really do know a lot about pokémon. Are you an intern for Oak or something?"

"My first and second years of college, yes, I was. I am not especially proud of that time, however, and I would prefer that you not pry about it. Now, I have used Charizard, Umbreon, and Eelektross . . ." I was trying to avoid that particular choice, but the rest of my team cannot stand up to Red's Lapras, and I am therefore hard-pressed to release the bundle of golden brown fur.

"Shiny," he comments.

"It's not a trophy."

"You're right," he agrees. "Lapras, Ice Beam, c'mon!" His Lapras fires an expansive beam of pure cold, the temperature so low that it creates a thin veneer of frost on my clothes even from a distance. The ground freezes around it for three and a half feet before it even comes close to us. Pikachu clenches its fists before propelling its small body forward with a whirlpool of electricity surging around it. It nullifies the stream of ice but doesn't protect me from it as my sneakers are frozen in place. "—Headbutt!" he cries as Pikachu grows near. Lapras lowers her head and causes Pikachu to slam his skull into hers, which I know is built denser and is most likely cracking Pikachu's as I am thinking.

"Volt Tackle!" I try not to shout because of how irrelevant is it considering Pikachu's hearing, however it's going limp and I cannot have it losing conscious. It does not seem to hear at first and Red's eyes widen, then its tail raises like a flag and the electricity returns on a greater scale, shocking the Lapras but also overheating its tiny body as too much voltage courses through it. Lapras hits the ground in a heavy heap but Pikachu just manages to stay conscious, grounding itself as to immediately release the excess power. Red returns his Lapras with a more vacant expression than before.

"Venusaur, hit him with Poison Powder!" Before the red light has even faded away Venusaur's flower pumps out a confetti cloud of violet dust. Pikachu looks up in time to skitter out of range, although the movement drains him for the time being.

"Thunderbolt." Pikachu gives a cry and summons a spark so weak I doubt it can even create an ember. "You can do better than that! Thunderbolt!" Its cry becomes strained as more sparks fly from its coat, which is frizzing slightly from all of the electrons in the air. Red puts his hands out, stepping forward.

"Stop! You're hurting him! Can't you see he can't do it?"

"Then he's useless, simple as that." I lay my eyes on Red's Venusaur, who is reclining without a real care until it smells something that causes it to perk up. It wiggles its large body a bit before releasing another cloud of Poison Powder, however this time a downwind draft carries it with speed like Hermes towards Pikachu. It takes a big gulp of air before it can stop, and in that state the poison's effects hit it incredibly fast. "Return, Pikachu." I draw him back before it can even hit the ground. That leaves me with one Pokémon, which I must use to defeat Red's last two. "Medicham, go." There's a reason why I've put Medicham as last within my roster, and I show Red that reason as I pull my necklace out, previously hidden under my scarf, and let the crudely-cut stone catch the dull light of the mountain. Medicham looks at me expectantly before turning back to Red as the stone begins to glow. "Medicham, Mega Evolve."

An iridescent light consumes Medicham, forcing my eyes away as it shines almost as bright as the sun. Red watches as Medicham's appearance evolves into something more spiritual and the last of the light dissipates into the now-ubiquitous symbol of Mega Evolution. "Amazing," he says, fingering his own stone in a bracelet. "You know, there was only one guy that I fought who I needed Mega Evolution for." I can't help but be curious.

"Who was that?"

". . . My best friend," he murmurs after a moment of hesitation, a sad smile on his face. "—But let's get back to the battle," he says quickly. "Venusaur, use Sludge Bomb!" His Venusaur's plant makes a sick squelching noise before "spitting" out a ball of plasmatic poison. Medicham dances out of the way with speed no less than what I expect before returning to its usual stationary pose.

"Medicham, use Force Palm." Medicham breaks its prayer stance and extends one hand before rushing at Venusaur faster than the behemoth can react.

"Sleep Powder!" Red orders as Medicham's palm connects with Venusaur's face. He gives a grunt of pain as he releases spores on impact, which rain down on both of them. Medicham jumps back immediately, hopping constantly from foot to foot even as its eyes droop, but Venusaur lacks that agility and falls on his side, unconscious. "Venusaur! Venusaur!"

"Fire Punch!" I command over Red's voice. Medicham shakes his head quickly to regain his bearings and clenches his fist, which ignites as if it was doused in gasoline, and rushes at the prone Venusaur. It doesn't awaken despite Red's pleas and Medicham hits it square in the face, its fist leaving a burning imprint that sears the thing's skin and turns it black around the area. "Now, Ice Punch." It comes even harder and stronger, encasing Venusaur's entire front half and most of its plant in ice.

"Sludge Bomb again!" Red calls, turning his hat to the side. The center of Venusaur's plant remains intact as the sludge begins boiling again. I mentally run through the composition of a Venusaur's poison, and one of the first thoughts I get is nitric acid. I know that it works as a strong corrosive, able to burn through the skin of humans and Pokémon very quickly, but also that it can ignite in the face of a hypergolic propellant. Damage can be done to Medicham, but I believe that Pikachu and Eelektross can still be pushed to fight in the event that it falls.

"Aniline," I tell it just as the Sludge Bomb is formed. Medicham understands quickly while Red doesn't, making me question just how much of an education the man has had when he should be my father's age at this point. Medicham covers its mouth with two phantom arms as the air waves around its head and it tries to focus on the molecular level. I believe that it's failed as the Sludge Bomb arcs above its head, but just as the nearest drop caresses its head, both Medicham and Venusaur are consumed in a wild explosion that forces Red and I away from the smoke and heat.

"Venusaur!" he cries as the smoke clears. His Venusaur survived, however he's just a lump of charred skin and wilting feathers, and with a weary grunt his full weight hits the hard-packed dirt of the mountain. A gentle snow begins to fall as Medicham raises its head, all ethereal arms gone with only small wisps of greyish energy to mark their old presence on its back, one eye stuck shut with crusting blood and one hand completely out of commission. He returns Venusaur, jaw clenched.

"I don't mean to put words in your mouth, however. . . 'Snorlax, use Body Slam?'" Red looks irate for the first time, and although it's no accomplishment to piss off a supposedly twenty-year-old trainer, I feel somewhat pleased with myself. He draws out that final Pokéball and holds it in both hands, deliberately pressing the button.

"Snorlax. . . use Rest."

I watch as Red's Snorlax comes out in a sprawled position and I honestly believe in his command's redundancy. "Medicham?" It's not as gung-ho as before but it still has one good arm and two good legs. "Hi Jump Kick." I usually hate to get complacent, however I know from both reading and physical experience that Snorlax are lumbering sacks and especially so when just waking up from a deep nap. Medicham gets a bit of a running start before leaping high into the air, knee bent and outstretched as it comes down on Snorlax.

"W . . ." Red bites his lip for a moment, watching Medicham gain velocity as it comes down until— "Sleep Talk!"

"Ssssnnn . . ." Snorlax murmurs as a faint white aura surrounds it. Suddenly it lurches upwards and I believe that he's waking, however my fears are momentarily assuaged when he falls back on the ground with a loud snore—then his vast stomach tenses before hardening into the vague shape of abdominal muscles. Medicham's eyes widen and it grabs Snorlax psychically, attempting to roll him over but getting as far as his side before it hits the dirt. I hear the loud crack coming from Medicham's feet even from yards away, then its pained cry follows seconds before its Psychic gives out and Snorlax, with another heavy grunt, rolls back on top of it. A solid minute of staring ensues as Snorlax lays on top of my Pokémon for fifteen seconds, spends ten more wiggling to make himself more comfortable, Medicham's body cracking the whole while, then he's content with a sigh for the remainder.

". . . Medicham, return." Even the Pokéball is perplexed as the red light dances around Snorlax's flesh for a few seconds before finally, magically finding a crack in its bulbous body to slip beneath and return Medicham to its confines. Even Red seems a little abashed.

"S . . . Sorry, that happens sometimes."

"Pikachu, come back to finish this." Pikachu returns onto the field as shaky as before, although it's still ready to fight, tail raised and cheeks sparking. "Nuzzle him." Pikachu draws closer and, cheeks still zapping every few seconds, rubs its nose against Snorlax's foot, little strings of lightning dancing across his skin.

"Snorlax, Snore." Snorlax opens his great mouth and I remember to cover my ears just in time. A terrifyingly loud gargling noise resonates from his throat and propagates across the battlefield, and although Red seems used to it, Pikachu immediately cries out and skitters away, although the noise doesn't lessen because of the distance.

"Electro Ball." Pikachu doesn't respond right away, ears pressed flat against its head to block out the noise. "Grr—cancel out the noise with Echoed Voice." Pikachu opens its mouth and releases its own cry, drowning out Snorlax's low reverberating noise. It then forms a ball of crackling lightning that it sends flying with its tail. The good part is that the attack hits him directly in his gut, however the impact does little more than give him an itch to scratch. I know that Snorlax have ridiculous levels of health, yet Pikachu in that state has a low chance of draining that in any way.

"You seem stuck," Red says more than a little smugly. I smirk back at him.

"A momentary setback. Pikachu, charge." Pikachu grounds itself before raising its tail and increasing its voltage. Red's mouth skews into a line before he snaps his fingers.

"Snorlax, wake up and use Earthquake." His Snorlax grunts lazily but rolls onto his side and, with another grunt, shifting to one foot, the other dragging along due to Pikachu's earlier attack. Still, he only uses one foot as he gives a short hop maybe eight inches into the air before crashing down on his stomach, shaking the very ground beneath our feet terribly enough to knock me onto my behind and send Pikachu rolling across the rough terrain until it crashes into a snowdrift. Pikachu leaps back onto the dirt and briefly shakes stray ice from its fur before sparking, tail still perked into the air.

"Discharge!" Pikachu rushes across the ground to quickly close the distance between itself and the Snorlax before its cheeks begin sparking wildly.

"Heavy Slam!" Red orders with a thrust of his fist. Snorlax's abdominals tighten once more and I react quickly.

"Pikachu, Agility." Pikachu vanishes from sight as Snorlax's mammoth body kisses the ground once more, then it comes back into sight between its ears. It feels along Snorlax's head for a moment just as I've taught it before finally finding its prize. "Disable its cerebellum."

"What—" Red exclaims as Pikachu uses Discharge, this time at full power. Goldish-white bolts of solid power ripple across Snorlax's body, forcing his fine covering of fur to waver as the magnetic field between them increases, showing more as the fur under Pikachu's paws turns away from it. Snorlax gives a bone-rattling moan as he starts rolling around furiously—while he still can. "Snorlax, Incinerate!" Snorlax howls in pain as the ground beneath them begins quivering and erupts in a virtual shower of blazing orange fire. Pikachu is knocked away but not before it's burned out of commission.

"Return." I stare at my last pokéball before rereleasing Eelektross onto the field, watching it immediately coil up in pain. "Get up and use Flash."

"Eel!" Eelektross cries in indignation before releasing pent-up electricity in the form of a blinding surge of light. I hear Snorlax's heavy footsteps pound against the rock for a moment as he tries to find a center of balance.

"Now use Charge Beam." Electricity pops off of Eelektross' body before it unwinds and fires a crooked bolt of lightning at Snorlax, zapping his center as the light fades. Snorlax shudders from the impact but stands his ground, and the excess electricity settles in a wide oblong around the battlefield, sizzling as it comes in contact with the snow.

"Snorlax, Giga Impact!" Red commands. Snorlax's feet pound against the ground for a moment before it rushes forward with speed it has not previously displayed.

"Eelektross, slow it down using Acid." Eelektross coughs and gags before spewing a strip of green liquid onto the rock that causes Snorlax to slip and slide as well as burning the soles of his feet, but for all that its done to his momentum it's pointless. Eelektross slithers out of the way as Snorlax barrels past. "It has to take a break. Use Thunder!" It gathers electricity for just a moment before firing several bolts of electricity at Snorlax, burning the snow as if with a strong wave of heat. The attack finally shows as dark marks are left in his beige coat and he grimaces in pain.

"Ice Beam!" A trail of ice makes its way towards Eelektross.

"Counter with Flamethrower!" The heat melts the ice away but bounces off Snorlax's Thick Fat.

"Ground it with Rock Tomb!" he orders, seeing Eelektross' wild slithering movements. Snorlax grabs large chunks of rock from the ground before tossing them at Eelektross with a grunt of exertion.

"Dodge using Acrobatics!" Eelektross works its body around the varying rock sizes to get into the air. "Now that you're up there, use Brick Break!" Eelektross spins top over bottom as it comes down before aiming its tail at Snorlax's head.

"Catch her and use Fling!" Snorlax grabs Eelektross' tail as it smacks down between his ears, causing him to flinch but still giving him the strength to spin it around and throw it down into the hard ground. Eelektross grimaces in pain as Snorlax pants, both weary and down to their last leg. Red and I acknowledge this with a meaningful look, and we both are very aware that it's all come down to one last move.

". . . Giga Impact," Red whispers, the entire world having gone silent at our climax. Snorlax huffs through his nose before stomping, a whitish-gold aura surrounding it as it heaves itself towards Eelektross. It's paralyzed as it watches Snorlax come closer, overheating slightly from the electricity it has been forced to produce. It looks at me fearfully but I keep my eyes on Snorlax, watching the aura "wear away" slightly as he drags his feet across the ground—

Before he reaches Eelektross he bursts into a shower of electricity.

"W-What!?" Red splutters as Snorlax hits the ground bodily, eyes spinning out of focus. "You didn't call a command. . . and she didn't move . . ." Eelektross heaves a sigh as I return it, pocketing the Pokéball and facing the underdog.

"It didn't matter. All the electrons Eelektross excited remained in that state around the battlefield, and although you and I couldn't see it they were slowly galvanizing all Snorlax's Normal-type attacks. . . I think you would know the move as Ion Deluge." Red only seems to be half-listening, returning Snorlax listlessly as a light snow begins to fall. It settles lightly on the brim of his iconic red cap as he hits the ground, seemingly shocked at the resolution.

"I . . . lost . . ." He says it like it's the end of his world, which I find a dramatic exaggeration that only young children are prone to. I ignore it as I slowly walk towards him, boots crunching over the freshly fallen snow across our battle-marked ground, his eyes roaming listlessly over the field before setting on mine, an odder shade of hazel than I remember them to be.

"Now, as I have just won, I want my answer—"

A bright and sudden light stops me in my tracks, doubly so when I realize that it's emanating from Red's body, from every pore and opening as if there is a flashlight inside of him. The light slowly intensifies as he cries out, then I become aware of jumbled and rushed words coming from his brilliant mouth as he grabs his hair, his knees, the dirt—anything he can get his hands on. His Pokéball belt snaps off and his Pokéballs roll free, one bumping against the toe of my shoe. I pick it up and drop it almost immediately as it superheats between my hands. What is going on?

The current Red has lost, a booming voice calls from all around me. I don't understand, not at all. To ignore the completely random voice's randomness, what does it mean by "the current Red"?

The light intensifies even further until I have to retreat behind my jacket to avoid being blinded. I count to five, then I warily drop my jacket to find the light has died down. I look at the ground and see Red's signature cap fall into a small pile of snow near me. I take it up, flipping it over and over, and it strangely looks brand new despite being the exact same hat worn through rain, sleet, and snow for over twenty years. The voice continues, startling me from my thoughts.

That makes you, Sean DiCaprio, the new Pokémon Master Red.

"What?" I feel my own skin turning red-hot, eliminating any notions that I'm just imagining all of this, and I stare at my hands on Red's hat. They're changing, becoming smaller and less calloused, like . . . like a Red's hands. I drop the hat but the change continues all the same. "What? No! No, I don't want to be Red!"

You have no choice, the voice says. The strongest Trainer becomes Pokémon Master Red and it has been that way for two decades.

"But why? Why do we need a Red?" There's a pause.

Only the strongest Trainer can keep the darkness of Mt. Silver in check.

I am deeply confused, then I become aware of another presence, my awareness growing by the second. It feels like Arceus itself is descending on Mt. Silver, and when I look skyward I see dark clouds building whereas they had just vanished seconds ago. Lightning begins cracking and a strong wind picks up, stealing Red's cap and throwing it towards—him? He's face-down on the ground but it can't be him. He is younger now and his hair is bleached blond instead of its original brown color. I look at my hands again and a sense of dread and panic builds in my throat as I shakily take out my cellphone and stare into the screen. My hair was auburn before but there are obvious brown streaks growing through it, and my eyes are darkening as well. Even the little scar above my eyebrow is fading away, dissolving into skin tanner than it was mere seconds ago.

"No, stop it! I can't stay here!"

This is what you wanted, isn't it? To find out the secrets of Red? The voice has an empty tone yet it words denote sarcasm.

"Be quiet! Stop this already!" There's a deathly slamming sound in my head as if somebody's set off a bomb within my skull. I fall to my knees, dazed, and almost miss the light surging from the center of the whirling clouds.

You dare speak to Arceus like that? A great white pokémon descends from the cloud cover, a hundred feet tall if not more as it hovers just above Mt. Silver's peak. The wind whips harder at its presence and its power is almost better at suffocation than the altitude. I can barely look at it as the light it emits sears my corneas; the most I can make out are its eyes, which reflect all the colors of the rainbow and all the indifference of an observer as it looks down on me.

"Arceus . . .?" I shake my head, trying to stay awake. "I just want to know why!"

Arceus looks down at Red—or who used to be Red anyway. Mt. Silver is the gateway between the world of the Legendary Pokémon and Earth, it finally admits. It was originally self-sufficient, then the constant travels caused by Trainers capturing Legendaries weakened it. Red, the original Red, volunteered to maintain the barrier, however the stress of the power caused him to age quickly, and before he passed I gave his "will" to the next strongest Trainer in Kanto, yet the same quickly ensued. So has the chain continued throughout the years.

"I don't understand. Shouldn't the gateway have fixed itself by now?" I can feel my bones grinding against each other as my body shrinks, my clothes becoming looser. "Or why can't you fix it?"

I am only one Pokémon, and there are several that wish for escape. One Legendary could not defeat another, as that would throw off the balance in the world; as such, they press endlessly against the barrier, constantly weakening it, and if not for "Red," it would have broken long ago.

"That makes no goddamn sense—no offense."

It is simply the way things are.

"I won't take that."

You're not the first to say that—

"If I can solve that issue, then I won't be stuck here, will I?" I trip over my shoes, which have become three sizes too big, and ungracefully flop on my stomach.

—and you won't be the last.

"Believe me. When I set a goal, I'll fulfill it or it's my life."

And it will be, Arceus says.Although I do know of your prowess. . . It thinks for a moment, long enough for me to lose twenty I.Q. points. Yet we have no time to spare. Darkness is always ready to surge forth.

"I will be back within the week." My voice is going higher.

. . .

"Please, Arceus." I have resolved never to prostrate myself before anybody, yet in the face of the rest of my free life, I am doing exactly that and more.

One week, it decides, its voice louder than before. The heat fades from my skin yet the pain persists, but this time it is a different type of pain, and as I stare at my hands, they slowly return to normal, my skin paling again. Nevertheless, to ensure you do not forget . . . I feel another burning pain, this time on my right palm. I turn my hand over and see Arceus' symbol branded into my skin, red-hot and pulsing like a second heart.

"I wouldn't have forgotten anyway, but thanks for the parting tattoo."

Watch your tone for the one who is doing you a favor. It would be less time-consuming simply to leave you here as I have done for the last twenty years, but I am in a particularly benevolent mood. It would usually take less time for Darkrai—among others—to pass into this world, but I will work my hardest to keep them at bay. As such, I expect you to work tirelessly as well, Arceus says.

"Of course." My hand and head ache in tandem. "Of course, Arceus."

And if you fail, it continues, voice raging even louder, I will leave nothing left of you to even serve as "Red."

"I expect no less." It whisks off without another word, returning to the clouds with a blinding flash of pure golden light. I wait for the wind to die down before looking up again, and a tiny snowflake perches on the tip of my nose. I hear a groan and remember 'Red'—or maybe not-Red is more accurate. He's younger than even Red appeared to be, twelve or thirteen if I have to guess, and his eyes are wide yet unseeing. He's so still that if not for his rapid breaths, I'd take him for a corpse.

"I-I'm me." He breathes, his breath instantly freezing into a cloud. "I'm me. I'm free."

"You may be free, but you won't be alive long enough to enjoy it." I point out his lack of protective clothing—in fact, he's only in a t-shirt and sweatpants. I don't know if he was dressed like that before . . . the fact . . . or if becoming Red somehow eradicated his original clothing.

"H-Help me, p-please," he stammered, his muscles already succumbing to spasms in the cold. He attempts to stand but falls on his face in a snowdrift, his pale skin slowly shifting from blue to white as the second stage of frostbite settles.

"What do you know of this curse? The darkness that binds one to here?"

"N-No . . . I've got n-no . . . idea. . . you're t-talking about . . ."

"Then I won't help you. I know very little and I have even less time to waste."

"P-Please!" he calls after me as I kick through the snow towards the cave. "I d-d-don't w-want to-to die! I-I know s-s-something! I really d-d-do!" I have no reason to believe him—fear of death will make a person say anything—but my train of thought comes to a screeching crash as it trips over the implications of a little boy being found dead after encountering a young man, because "no idiot can or would climb Mt. Silver in a t-shirt and sweats" and the police are not my biggest fans considering how many times I have used their own laws against them to escape the numerous situations I have landed in.

"Stay still." I take off one of my coats and throw it over his shoulders. It is a few sizes too big but he slouches gratefully into the heat, although he keeps bouncing from foot to foot as they sink ankle-deep into the snow.

"S-Shoes?"

"I am not losing my toes for you. You should be grateful I even gave you the parka." I walk and he follows like a wary puppy, looking all around but remaining at my heels.

"Y-You're kind of a j-j-jerk."

"I am not a jerk. My philosophy is doing all for the pursuit of knowledge. Saving your life doesn't fit."

"Y-You—" He does not finish and instead bites down on his blue lip. He starts shaking again as we enter the cave, although the appropriate response would be to relax as he's out of the swirling, biting wind. Instead, he continues trembling, gripping his arms tightly and curling in on himself. I grab his arm, trying to rush him, but as soon as I do his weight shifts onto me and he loses consciousness. I have to grab his other arm as well so he doesn't hit the ground and I bite down the urge to swear at Arceus. I instead focus on the knowledge that the nearest hospital is at the base of the twenty-thousand-foot tall mountain and I get to walking.