With a jolt, I woke up - and immediately wished I hadn't. I couldn't see clearly for a moment; everything was blurry and red, but I thought that was just from being sleepy. Then I realized I was standing up, even though I hadn't even had a chance to move. The last thing that hit me made me step back and try to cover my nose - wherever I was, it smelled, bad. A weird, metallic smell that made me want to be sick.

When my vision cleared, I promptly shut my eyes again. 'This is a dream, just a bad dream! I'll wake up soon... I'll wake up...' I knew it wasn't a dream, that I wasn't waking up from this. After a few seconds, I cracked open one eye. I wasn't in the same box - the floor was different. Still cold and hard, but it wasn't the same. There were clusters of shattered glass on the floor, and weird cords connected to needles were sprawled everywhere.

Then there were the bodies. All in white clothes - well... they were white, probably - and all not moving. They were cut up, in pools of drying red. I took another step back, looking away from it - I didn't want to see this, just wanted to wake up. I felt my paw splash in something, and stopped. 'Not looking... I'm not going to look. Just have to find the way out...'

"Close your eyes. We'll get you out." "Don't worry... it'll be over soon."

I didn't want to rely on them for everything - they keep trying so hard to help me, even after... that. But this... I couldn't deal with this. I was just an Eevee - I wasn't ready to see this! And what if whatever did it... came back? No, I would let them get me out of here, then I could handle myself. Yeah... that's what I'll do.

No sooner did I decide that, my eyes drifted closed; but I didn't sleep. I couldn't sleep after seeing that. I waited... and waited... and I kept waiting, keeping my eyes tightly closed. For a while, I didn't feel anything change; I almost opened my eyes to look, but something told me not to. Something pulled at me for a second, something slick and slimy, then I wasn't standing on cold hard floor anymore.

Slowly, I cracked open my eyes; I was outside, in the sun and grass and trees! Everything else didn't matter right now - I was happy to be away from whatever did that. I fell to the ground; not out of exhaustion, but just to feel the grass. I don't know how long I spent just lying there, enjoying it all, but something still soured it - that tall one, the one who knew what I was... was he one of the... bodies?

Then I saw something - a weird wavy image. It was the tall one - it was a Human! Mom had told me about them once. It was the tall human, looking panicked, talking franticly into a small rectangle... thing. He wasn't with the bodies - he was alive. Knowing that, I smiled and started happily rolling around in the grass.

I didn't want to think about the red specks appearing on the green.


Watching the news report for the day, something occurred to me. Pokémon in the real world... was never meant to happen. That sounds like a 'no duh' moment, but you don't quite know just how unnatural it is until the situation comes up. Maybe you've wondered how we would get along with the creatures - I know I have. The answer... big surprise, not well.

It had only been what, a week at most since all of this started. In that time, not a lot happened in my little middle-of-nowhere town - unless you count the Houndoom taking over city hall, which still hasn't been dealt with. Everyone's decided to just let them have it at this point; it's not like they can do anything about it. Of course, when something like this happens, that never lasts long.

"… there have been numerous reports of these 'monsters' that seem to have two characteristics in common - they all mention a resemblance to creatures from the popular video game series
Pokémon, and they all report aggressive behavior from said creatures." I let out a sigh, shaking my head at the screen. 'I would bet money that eight out of ten of those reports are either bullshit, or the result of a startled Pokémon.'

"In other news- wait, what? Say that again." The news reporter started talking to somebody off-screen - and it sounded important. "This just in, a report that the nearby PharmaCure health research center has just been attacked by what seems to be another of these creatures. Going to Steve, on his way to the scene..." I stopped watching at that point - I was going to see more than enough of these 'stories' soon enough, if I was right.

In any case, I had things to do today. Carefully, I got up off of the couch - Aurora quickly moving to keep me from falling, even though my arm and side... okay, maybe I did need the help. I slung what I guessed was her trainer's backpack... or was it technically mine? Either way, I slung it over my shoulder and pulled out one of the Pokéballs. A Post-It note was stuck to it, reading 'Scyther'. Apparently, after I'd passed out from my completely unfair fight against the thing, it decided to stick around - that or my dad randomly threw the ball at it out of anger, and it actually worked.

However it happened, one thing stuck in my mind: I caught a Pokémon! But another thought, acting to really dampen the mood from that, also hit me. This wasn't a game; Pokémon could die, and they could kill - the latter, very easily. Here, if the player (me) had no more Pokémon to defend them, they weren't going to white out and run back home. Here, if I couldn't defend myself from them, I'd die.

Aurora seemed to catch on to my mood whiplash - not surprising, considering what she was. She led me through the living room all the way to the front yard, stopping in front of the garage. With a peculiar, almost amused and pitying look, she leaned against the garage door. "That was very stupid, you know." I stood there for a second, blinking rapidly. Then it dawned on me.

"Wait just a second... did you just talk!?"


Pokémon World - Hall of Origin


"Dialga!"

I let out a heavy sigh. Of course she needed me again. That sister of mine could do nothing on her own. Sometimes, I regretted agreeing to work alongside her - but what choice did we have? Before she could have an excuse to complain, I opened the temporal distortion around my 'room' long enough for her to enter. "What is it, Palk- dear Arceus, what happened!?"

My counterpart was... degrading, was the only way to describe it. Her 'armor' was tarnished and cracked, and I would guess that her flesh underneath was similarly affected. More worrying - objectively, of course - was the state of the two gems on her shoulders: dull red and all but shattered. And seeing as our physical state was tied, in some ways, to that of our aspect or domain... 'Oh, this is most certainly not good.'

She didn't answer for several moments, taking what sounded like uncomfortable breaths. Then she straightened up as best she could, and gave me quite possibly the most serious look I had ever seen from her. "I can't hold it together, Dialga. I'm running myself ragged trying, but... its falling apart." Her tone held something I cannot recall ever hearing from her - something on the edge of panic, or surrender. I couldn't decide which.

Again, I let out a sigh - even I had to admit, this was getting to be just too much. Arceus had us all running ourselves to the ground trying to keep this situation stable however we could. But my sister... she had it the worst. She was charged with literally keeping the fabric of reality intact through all of this; in comparison, keeping time flowing slowly while appearing to flow normally... was easy.

"Palkia... whatever conflicts we may have had aside, I can do little to help you. Space, reality, is your domain, not mine." I saw her expression harden, and quickly continued. "However, we are depending on you for this. As powerful as the rest of us may be, you are the only one with the power to quite literally mend reality. Therefore... I will do what little I can." It was a good thing we were in my area of the Halls - what I was preparing to do would have been significantly more difficult anywhere else.

Time manipulation... is a very temperamental art, and exceedingly taxing even for myself. Brute force manipulation - rapidly throwing a subject through time one way or another - is easy. Precise manipulation, such as restoring the physical state of an equally powerful subject, such as I was attempting now, is another story entirely. I kept that in mind as I drew in my focus, framing Palkia in a multicolored aura.

At the same time, I brought up a memory of Palkia as she should be: unharmed, fully rested, primarily optimistic. With a surge of what could be called 'sheer force of will', I replaced what existed now with what existed then - it was not so simple, but any further details would complicate the explanation.

The aura surrounding my sister faded, as did her weakened appearance. Her 'armor' was restored to a white gleam, the cracks gone without a trace. Her posture had changed, with no evidence of pain or discomfort. The only sign of her from moments ago remained in the gems - still cracked, still dull, but less so. When I saw her looking at her own arms, as if she didn't know what I had done, I said "I have given you... a relative week back. After that time, you will revert back to your... weakened state."

I was caught by surprise when she rushed forward and wrapped her arms as best she could around me - difficult, considering the difference in form between us. "Thanks, brother..."As quickly as it had happened, she retreated to precisely where she had been standing. "I can't spend more time here than I have - after all, I'm on a deadline!" Her voice had her usual upbeat tone to it again. Turning to leave, she glanced back at me for a moment. "Don't kill yourself, alright?" Without waiting for a response, she literally tore her way out of my realm.

With her gone, I let myself slump ever so slightly. The effort of what I just did... that would cost me. But her job was both far more difficult than mine, and far more important. She would need the added strength. I could 'revert' myself as much as was necessary - it would simply cost me in the long run. However, when I looked back at the timestream, and saw the tangle of black with the single shining 'thread' that was a surviving timeline, something occurred to me.

Even the ruler of Time itself couldn't endure thisforever. And we were all running out of time.


Real World


David's reaction to my comment was... honestly, very amusing. I swear I might have heard something snap as he tried to process the fact that I had finally 'said' something. I debated saying nothing more, and letting him think he was just hearing things - but no, he was smarter than that... probably. If not, he at least deserved respect for what he's done.

"Yes, I just 'spoke', David." I didn't move, leaning against the wall... door? Either way, it functioned as a wall for now. "Before you ask, no. I could not have done so all this time. I was still adjusting to... this." I explained, gesturing around with one paw. Not entirely true... that was not the reason I didn't speak before. But he accepted the answer with a shrug.

"Fine, I can understand that. But in response to what you said... yeah, it was dumb of me. But I didn't see you being able to do a whole lot, did I?" I turned my head, not dignifying that with a response. It was pointless. "Then again, can't say that you couldn't take him on... not after the beat-down you gave him before! That display scared me." I did look back to him at that - I scared him? My intention was never to intimidate him, make him afraid of me...

"Note to self, watch what you say..." he muttered to himself, scratching his head. "I meant that it was impressive, not that I thought you'd hurt me. I trust ya more than that, Aurora."

"Oh - well then, thank you." He still managed to surprise me with how easily he trusted me.

"… Aurora, I've got a question for you." His tone indicated that it was something important, to him at least. I nodded, waiting for him to go on. He didn't, not right away; instead, he seemed to be deciding how to phrase it. "Do you have a problem with... well, being here?" That wasn't what he wanted to ask - not with the way his aura shifted. I didn't have to look to notice that. But I answered anyway, with a shake of my head.

"No. As different as it may be, I am lucky to have wound up here, rather than somewhere... less understanding." It was true - I expected worse. "Few would accept me into their home after being attacked. I owe you for that, in fact." At that, he laughed - then realized that perhaps that might be rude, and just shook his head.

"Owe me? Aurora, you already saved my ass once. That makes us at least even, as far as I'm concerned." For a second he was silent, then he snapped his fingers. "Which reminds me - what did the Scyther say before? Right before I passed out?"

"That you impressed him: your willingness to fight somebody clearly outclassing yourself, and ability to survive as long as you did. And I agreed - it was impressive, for a human." It was true. I could not recall seeing a human outright challenge a Pokémon to a physical fight, not even... 'My trainer.' The thought reminded me of my situation, and how I had gotten here. Was he alright? Did he fall into one of those rifts, as I had? Could he be here right now?

I didn't notice David move until his hand was on my head. "Hey, it's alright. Don't get down on yourself, a'ight?" I had to look further up to see his face, and was surprised to see a sympathetic smile. "I'm just a normal guy, but if I can help ya get back to your trainer, I will."

It was then that I realized he was more like the David I knew than I thought. Thinking about it, they were almost the same - similar build, though this one was slightly thinner, the same optimism (even if it was displayed differently), and apparently the same ability to sense emotional states. "If you manage that, I will be in your debt more than you could imagine."

"Nah, none of that 'debt' stuff. If anything, I owe you and I'd be making it even - my life was boring before you came along." His perpetual smile seemed contagious, because at this point I was grinning myself. He started to say something else, but he was interrupted by a loud shriek of terror. "Ah, hell - what now!? C'mon, let's go."

We quickly found the source of the scream - and I nearly felt like imitating it for a moment. Standing where it looked like there was once a building, a towering six-legged creature stood. Shadowy, red-tipped wings protruded from its grey body, and three gold bands framed its neck like an external ribcage. The gold 'helmet' on its head had two fang-like prongs on each end, and its feet had similar claws.

With an ear-shattering roar, Giratina turned his head to glare down at us. The ruler of the Distortion World had arrived to bring this world to ruin.