"Now the Inners will be fused to your souls for good," said Cresselia. Uxie floated next to me, Mesprit next to Maddie, and Azelf next to Adrienne. Dragonite watched from a few feet away.

The three of us had made a final trip to the mental world for this. We would no longer be able to come here or transform; it was best to ensure that nothing like the Inner Evils could ever happen again. We would miss this world terribly, but we knew it was for the best.

"The first step, now," intoned Cresselia. "Draw out the Inner Evils from each girl."

Our Spirits took our hands and pulled the Inner Evil from each of us.

Inner-Tiger stepped away from me and folded her arms. "Well, let's get this over with," she said.

"Now remove the Inner Light," Cresselia instructed.

Uxie pulled another Inner from me, and I jumped in surprise. "How many Inners do we have?" Maddie asked. She'd mellowed out ever since her last meeting with Darkrai.

"Just two," Cresselia replied. "One is mainly evil, and the other is mainly good. But both are necessary for balance within the soul."

"Like yin and yang," Adrienne murmured.

The good Inner-Tiger—or, I suppose, Yang Tiger—smiled politely at the bad one, Yin Tiger. Yin Tiger rolled her eyes. "I said let's get this over with, okay?"

Yin Adrienne grunted in agreement. "No kidding. I may have no pride, but this is ridiculous."

Yang Maddie giggled at them. "You guys! Stop being whiners and just do it."

With a burst of starlight, Yin and Yang reunited. Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf guided the glowing forms back inside us, and the glow faded.

"It is done!" said Cresselia with a smile. "And now you must return to your own world, but first you may say your final goodbyes."

Dragonite squeezed Adrienne in a bear hug, blubbering like there was no tomorrow. "I'm so sad! I'm never going to see you aga-ha-hain!"

Adrienne pushed him away, trying not to let him see her crying. "Don't be dumb, Dragonite. I see you all the time. I just have to turn on my Diamond version and you're there!"

Dragonite sniffled. "That's true."

"Goodbye," Uxie said to me. "My powers were useful to you, I hope."

"More than you know," I assured it. "Believe me."

"Goodbye," said Mesprit, waving. "And don't feel sad! Your world is finally at peace."

"And you have the willpower to defend it if anything happens," added Azelf, its eyes flashing.

"And the hearts of true heroes," Cresselia said. "But now you must go."

I took in all these creatures who I had come to love, trying to store the image away in my memory as the world faded to black.


When I woke up the next morning, the bedside alarm clock said 7:47.

"Oh, freaking crud! We're late for school!" I shouted, jumping out of bed.

Adrienne groaned from under the sheets. "We have this Friday off, numb nuts. Go back to sleep."

"Moron," Maddie muttered.

"Seriously?" Sweet! I'd totally forgotten about the three-day weekend. That, plus the fact that the world was saved and I was finally truly myself again, made me feel more contented than I'd ever felt. The early morning light streamed softly through the window as I drifted, smiling, back into sleep.

Life was definitely good.