Chapter 10: Chapter 10 'Void'

I was once again standing on the flat ice-like floor at the edge of Distortion World. The wall behind me, once high and broad, smooth like a mirror, was now in ruins. Giant holes made it look like a slice of giant grey cheese, every hole was in different size, some of them were tight just like this one which I used in the past. Others were wide and broad but not big enough to allow Giratina to pass through.

My spiked fur stood up when I felt the blowing of the wind, which was unusual in Distortion World. The air here was hard to describe, it was stinking but hard to pinpoint, it was cold but I wasn't freezing, heavy but not in a way that made me tired. But the wind only appeared when the giant ghost dragon was in a move.

Her roar was possible to hear from every corner of this cursed world as if the wind was working for her, carrying her words further than every normal sound could reach. In this world rules from the normal world didn't exist, gravitation was random, environment even more so: houses clinging onto rocky cliffs, snow lying on ardent lava, plants with dancing flames instead of flowers. But as much as I didn't want to agree to it, I liked this environment. In the normal world, everything seemed to be different, it had something irritating, something with which I couldn't get along. It was the energy of Distortion World, here I could feel it all around, that was powering my jolteon form, making me feel comfortable and strong.

But it was all a lie. It just wanted to seemed like that. It wanted to keep me here, make me think bad about the things that normal world had to offer.

Another wave of wind went through my fur, now much stronger, able to move my hard spikes of fur. The moving spikes immediately made few smaller discharges as fur rubbed against each other.

Following these discharges I started charging my static attack, this one which Giratina gave me, which causes massive death. More small sparks started jumping through my fur, I could feel them in my teeth and soon I was consumed by a dark and slightly blue static storm of electric energy which tried to be released but I kept control on it, keeping it, waiting.

Then I saw a shadow, for now without shape, just a moving cloud of darkness which was flying to my in great speed. As the shadow was closer and closer I started to see its details, six plumes of smoke like wings, a grey body covered in golden rings, red shining eyes perched in dark Giratina's head. I wasn't surprised that she knew that I had entered Distortion World, it was her domain, she knew about everything here. It was as if this was a part of her body, a great organism of matter and legendary, she was like a god here, almighty.

The only thing what was limiting her was the wall, the creation of outsiders, of someone greater than she. But were they really greater than Giratina if she found a way to destroy something that should be non-destroyable? And if she succeeds, would it make her greater than this mysterious creature who jailed her? Greater than the whole group of them?

I waited as she was closing in until the last moment, when she was silently flying just in front of me. I released my cumulated energy, but it wasn't a typical wall of annihilation, it shot like a beam of multiple spinning claps of thunders. Giratina couldn't stop in time and flew into the storm of lightning, my sight becoming blurry either because of the effort which I put into this one powerful attack or just because the light blinded me. I made a wider stance, so as to not fall to the side and after few seconds, which seemed like minutes of heavy breathing I looked up, I didn't like what I saw. Giratina was still floating looking at me from above as if waiting for me to faint.

"I see that fear which I put into your heart has disappeared," she spoke deeply not even opening her jaws, the voice was coming from every direction, as if was deflecting by the air and returning to me. "Pathetic. I can't be killed by some mutated jolteon, even Arceus can't kill me, I am a pillar of the world; but, there is something missing in you. You are not like when you left this world, you are...incomplete."

She probably meant the voices in my head that I had lost.

"I will! I will kill you or die jailing you here!" I screamed at her releasing another fast charged much weaker lightning but again it did no harm to her. I suddenly felt complete helplessness, a direct hit of this attack was killing everyone instantly but Giratina seemed to not even notice that I was attacking. I hadn't anything stronger.

"You can't kill me with my own power. I am part of this world, no one can kill me. But you don't need to worry, as I didn't plan to kill you, even if I should for your betrayal. You decided to stop me but I still have something what force you to change your decision." she laughed. "You are my key to my revenge and I will use it. If fear doesn't work any longer then this promise I have made will."

Before I could say how wrong she was thinking that I would accept anything from her, the ground under my paws disappeared, replaced by soft, tall, green grass.

I looked around, I was in a very familiar clearing, too familiar. At front of me was big old willow a little different than this what I bear in my mind but I had no doubts that were the same tree. I was at the bank of the pond of the clearest water what I ever saw. As I looked further I saw tall walls behind thick undergrowth and trees. I was in the valley, my 'home' in the normal world.

"But how do you know about it?" I asked surprised and scared.

Stupid, you are my creation, you are my another pair of eyes, their stunning effect is just a part of my changes. But now watch.

At the opposite bank of the pond, I saw two pokemon lying side by side, touching each other by the flank. First one was a familiar yellow fox-like pokemon with nine tails and red eyes, she was resting her head on the back of the second one, a yellow leafeon with green leaves and almost grey eyes. Naert was a little different than she was when I left her to come here, to Distortion World, but it wasn't any very noticeable change, just a little different arranging of fur or maybe it was just because of the light.

"I know where I am. Did you really think that you can trick me with some illusion?" I asked angrily but I didn't see any sign of Giratina, there was only her voice.

Shhh, look, that is the life which you sacrificed by coming here.

"That is not a true, I still have a chance to achieve that," I answered to Giratina's voice in my head.

Your chance? I heard her short chuckle. Let us see what would happen if you would succeed in killing me.

The scene didn't change but the environment becomes darker, trees and grass growing longer, the sun changing with the moon, making days flow like seconds. And then it stopped.

Naert stayed unchanged but the leafeon wasn't the same, he became weak as if he shrunk, his leaves weren't green any longer, they were yellow and brown with many cracks and holes. His fur was looking poorly and eyes lose its brightness. The blowing winds brought strong odour of old fallen leaves. I heard a tired sob, a composition of sharp breathing in, released into a snivel.

"You can't, please stay with me longer," cried Naert's voice between breaths, as she was poking leafeon's body with her muzzle. But he didn't respond, still lying flat on the grass.

That is your victory, my creation.

"I...I am dying," I mumbled seeing the scene, I never thought that I could die, I always was regenerating myself staying unchanged in the same age. But how it could be possible that now it could be different?

It is me and my power which keeps you alive. I connected you to myself, you become stronger. Haa, you even had a chance to survive. But now without my support, you will be dead, time will start to affect you, you will age much faster than you think.

But that doesn't need to happen. You made your heart beat not only for you, I give you a chance to make it beat longer. The dead don't feel a pain, but those who you leave, you leave hurt. You don't know that pain. Yes, you were left by one who you love but you knew that she was alive and healthy. She even returned and felt sorry! Sorry to you, to so pathetic and weak being!

"How long?" I cut her, I wasn't able to look away from my own dead body. What did it mean to be dead? Why was I so afraid of that now? Everyone was dying, I saw it happen more than once. It was a natural thing, like breathing. But at the same time, I couldn't get along with this. Would I become like the souls which were in me? Someone's voice in a head? Or would I disappear without a sight, turn into nothing? But maybe it was exactly what I needed to go through. Something that I needed to face and something that is waiting for me behind the corner. The future that Giratina showed me wasn't true. She won't cry after me, she won't even know that I ever existed. Maybe she will be confused why she woke up in some clearing, feel some amnesia, but not a pain. The pain will be all mine, only mine. But I let Giratina continue to show her illusion with the hope that there may appear a chance to kill her.

Two years before you sentenced her to her own suffering. She has almost a thousand years of life still ahead. It would have been better if you had never met her. You wouldn't have a motivation to resist to me, you would become bored of the 'normal' world and would return to me. But no, she kept you busy for so long. What did you even see in her?

You met her as she was a weakling vulpix, I taught you to kill weaklings but you instead took care of her. But you weren't seeing her in this way as you see her now. At first, you just wanted to make something different than I thought you, to give her the freedom of choice. How ironic that the creature created to be manipulated wanted to give someone the freedom to choose.

And you did well, now she can choose: pain or even more pain. There is no victory for you. You can return to the normal world, let the barrier fall down, or continue your life with the awareness that no matter what would you do, you will leave her. After your death, there won't be a chance for you to meet each other again.

But it doesn't need to end like this, you can be alive as long as I am: an eternity. You will be always my insurance if I am trapped again here. Without me it won't be long until you will be dead and gone. But I didn't finish, look what is ahead.

As I looked up, I saw that time once again started going faster in my vision. The Leafeon's body, like sand, disintegrated, leaving ninetales alone on the clearing. The valley started to change, the pond, once clear, became dirty and smaller until it disappeared, leaving naked stones which were once at its bottom. The willow withered and fell to the ground, disintegrating into hundreds of pieces. Other plants quickly followed the willow's fate and soon I saw as my great home become a dry desert.

Years passed by as seconds and the ground was covered in concrete streets, where there were thick tall trees, and tall skyscrapers being built. But just as they achieved its full height it fell into ruins. Naert was still standing in the middle of it: she changed, her fur became a little darker, now closer to being gold than yellow, her eyes were tired, and she looked poorly, not standing with her head high but stoop-shouldered. Her look was so much more mature, she grew taller, had harder features and was...so strange to me.

This is just five hundreds years, half of her life. Want to see what is further?

I didn't want to. I didn't want to as I knew that suffering was what made Giratina happy, and I knew what would happen at the end of her show.

"What will happen to the world if you are free?" I asked as I finally looked away from older Naert and started walking through the valley. or at least what was once my valley. I didn't know her answer yet but I thought that I already decided, I didn't leave anything to which I could return. Naert forgot about me, I made her forget. For two, five or seven hundred years, even a thousand, she will live happily without me.

Why do you care about the world? Just go to your valley and nothing bad will happen, I have revenge on the legendaries of time and matter, nothing that you should care about.

That was right. I didn't need to save them, I didn't know them, I should choose those who I met, who I knew and who I loved.

No, how I could think like that. Giratina would burn the whole world and won't spare me or Naert.

"No, you don't know everything. I decline, there is no future for me there," I said and for the moment all sank into silence.

What?! It is what you want, I can see it! She telepathy-ed losing all illusion around.

"I made her forget me, so no one is waiting for me, no one will remember me. You have nothing to convince me," I said to the floating dragon. She stood in place for the moment, thinking.

Even if I couldn't see it, I had a feeling that Giratina was smiling, which made me shiver. Whatever idea she had, it wouldn't be good for me.

"She forgot you? Hmm, what a waste," She snorted poisonously after a moment of silence. "Because it seems that you didn't cover your tracks coming here and someone just followed it to join us."

I looked up, at firstly at Giratina before I looked around to see what she was talking about. Then I start to feel fearful, a sweltering and horrible helplessness. Because what I tried to avoid by my sacrifice came back, fate once again turning against me.

Just a few steps before a hole stood similar to... no, not similar, the original one. A ninetales from Giratina was an only poor substitute, a lifeless illusion made to deceive my senses but not able show real spirit. Spirit about which I never before was so scared as now.

"Naert, why...?" I asked and my voice trembled. Her eyes moved from Giratina to me but I didn't see in them any sympathy, it was only a mix of confusion and anxiety. Part of me still wanted to see this twinkle in her eyes, a slight smile on her face and her warmth close to my body.

"How do you know... my name?" she asked, visibly surprised, and maybe scared. "Who are you?" she added, now much more assertively, but there was also a tone of anger which let me know that I couldn't walk up to her. But that wasn't me who answered.

"That my dear ninetales is Taranis," Giratina replied, "a plague of the world, a concentration of the evil power and the one who messed with your head," Giratina spoke fastly and flew to the Naert side levitating above her. The way she spoke was in a tone which I never heard her using earlier, it was a voice of hurt and haunted creature who just saw it savour.

"Mess with my head?" Naert said confused looking at the legendary.

"Don't listen to her, she is the bad one here! You didn't even believe in Giratina's existence!" I screamed but as I saw how Giratina try to turn my Naert against me.

"I-I, yes, I really didn't believe in legendaries," Naert said unsurely.

"See?! Look! He just knows what you thought, he is manipulating with your mind, he is who led you here. Imagine how many moments of your past you lost, how many friends you won't remember, did you remember you mated?" Giratina kept trying to manipulate the firefox, but with the last word, she was looking at me. I felt that I want to cry. Cry because Naert didn't deny it didn't push it away or step back from Giratina.

"She is lying!" I screamed again but I felt absolutely hopeless, Giratina was making pressure on her mind and I couldn't defeat or stop her. And I started it, clearing her mind was supposed to save her and already was causing me pain but now, now the pain gained a new meaning and I couldn't do anything with it. She didn't remember, she wouldn't trust me, she wouldn't listen to me, she wasn't with me any longer.

"Am I lying?! You know what I am, I am a legendary, the pillar of the world, who will you trust? Me? Or this emancipation of evil before you?" Giratina said almost pushing Naert before her. I wanted to scream and shout, to not let her listen to these lies yet I couldn't say anything, exhale any sound. I coughed but this didn't help, just as if I would have a voice.

"I want my memory back," Naert said determined, hardly glaring at me.

"There is no way to bring your memory back, all I can give you is a creature who did it," Giratina spoke faking her sorrow so perfectly that even I could be fooled by her if I didn't know better.

The angry glare of the red Naert's eyes intensified she made a step to me. I could see in her eyes a deep red, the same colour which Giratina had all the time in hers.

"Don't do it, it is not like that, Naert stop, I love you, I can't fight with you," I begged but this only made her even more upset. She ignited a small fire storm between her tails, changing them to one giant torch.

"Stop calling me Naert! It is my hidden name! That one which I would only say to pokemon who I trust!" she growled and before I could say anything more, she spewed out a large torrent of bright red, almost orange, fire. I ducked under it but the heat of it slightly burned my skin on the back. Naert's attacks were hot and powerful, burning its way to me, causing a fire similar to the one in her eyes: a fire of fury and death.

I didn't even have a second of pause; just after the fire above me went off I needed in a blink of an eye, to jump backwards to avoid her tails covered in dancing flames. I didn't even land on my paws after my jump when a wave of psychic energy hit my belly, sending me crashing on my back. I quickly stood up and looked at the situation. Naert was now three meters from the hole in the wall from which she came. I thought about a plan but I found a question, for what I was going to fight? My future? I hadn't any. My safety? It wasn't important.

It should be absolutely different, she supposed to never feel this pain but here she was, fighting, manipulated, with awareness of her missing memory. This awareness which will cause her pain for the rest of her life. But I needed to hurt her once again but now not to save her only from more pain, but from Giratina and death.

Giratina was flying above both of us simply enjoying the scene. She didn't see anything more than the funny spectacle and for her, we were just actors in this spectacle. It was my job to end this.

"I am sorry," I apologised to Naert as I suddenly sped up straight at her, I tried not to achieve a speed which makes my fur spark with electricity, but still, some small sparks appeared. She gasped but didn't manage to move when I hit straight in her chest sending her flying through the hole in the wall from which she came from. Not wasting the electricity gained by running, with tears in my eyes I sent a lightning bolt not aimed at the fire-fox but a little above of the entrance. This made the rock collapse, falling to the ground and closing the pass.

It wasn't the way in which I wanted to see her last time. I was not sure if she was far enough to avoid the falling rock, with the anger and hate, kicked out by me. I sobbed and felt how tears finally left my eye and fell to the ground with a quiet plop.

"Eh, I really hoped she would do more to you," Giratina spoke calmly making all my spikes to stand up from the burning anger which filled me.

"You turned her against me!" I turned to Giratina. "I HATE YOU!"

In the same moment, Giratina suddenly appeared just above me and shot ahead like an arrow, wildly and primal. Before I could react she caught me in her jaws, squeezing me hard but not enough to crush me. All her illusion disappeared and Distortion World returned in sight.

She started to fly, carrying me through Distortion World, I had never gone that fast before, my eyes were filled with tears and I had problems to breathe because of the wall of wind against in my face.

It wasn't long before we arrived the edge of the giant field covered in thousands of identical violet stones, one next to each other, every in the same distance to each other creating long lines, but they were in different size. There was also some stones similar to these which Rea's and this random espeon were jailed. Tran or Teran? I couldn't remember what his name was now.

But beside the flareon and espeon were also jailed every different eeveelution, all of them seemed to be familiar, horribly familiar but I hadn't enough time to check my theory.

At first, I didn't notice how the prisons were sorted but as I looked around I noticed that humanoids were on left and quadrupeds were on the right, further down were pokemon able to fly and even further, to swim.

Giratina immediately stopped and threw me on the ground, in the quadruped section, then without saying a word turned and flew away.

I needed to run, the field was very large, so large that I couldn't see its end. I didn't want to stay here for a long time.

I was surrounded by once living 'decorations' from every direction. But as I wanted to make a step I found out that I couldn't lift my paw from the ground. As I looked down I saw that my paws weren't there, or at last weren't visible. I was sunk to my elbows into another violet stone which was consuming me going slowly up. I desperately tried to move but the stone stayed intact, mighty and unmerciful.

I looked around hopelessly trying to find anything able to help me somehow but there was nothing then even more violet stones. In the first row to my left, I saw something...unusual. In another stone, much bigger than the prison for the eeveelutions, was a tall but slim mostly light-blue creature, with a thick purple mane and a large crest on top of its head, it looked solid and heavy. But seeing a neck of this creature I started to doubt into a weight of the crest: it wasn't possible that this pokemon could lift his head with that weigh on top.

"Weird things Giratina is keeping here," I mumbled but then I realised that I would become another weird thing here.

I prefer to not be a 'thing'.

I immediately froze, even if I already couldn't move and run my vision across the sky looking for Giratina but she wasn't here. The voice sounded different then Giratina, also overwhelming and bossy, containing pride and just by the way how it sounded was saying 'I am better than you', however, this one wasn't as dark and cold as Giratina's voice. But the mental voice can make a sound or I was just imagining it?

What are you freak? Did you come to join me? What you even are? Some Giratina's litter or the world already ended and now only things like you are walking there?

"What the fuck are you?" I asked irritated. Now I was sure that wasn't Giratina but who else was here if not she?

I was once called Suicune if you need to know, you should bow to me but wait, you already can't. It laughed and then I noticed that my whole feet already sank into the stone.

I looked around trying to find out what Suicune was but all I could see were stones with pokemon inside, nothing that could 'speak' to me.

So, you know what I am. Should I repeat my question about what you are, or answering is too much effort to you?

"I am..." I reminded myself that I was in my dark electric appearance. "Ehm, whatever. I still don't know what you are and it seems that you see my quite clearly!"

You were admiring me almost two minutes and you already forgot? I am here really long but I didn't know that it is possible to degenerate that much to forget things that fast.

Then I turned around my head and found that creature which whose existence I doubted had its eyes open, but didn't change its position in its prison, Suicune was looking at me as much as the violet wall of prison was allowing her.

"Everyone can 'speak' here?" I asked.

No, just me.

"And why only you?" I questioned irritated.

Legendaries can't silence other legendaries, or at least not completely.

"So, you are saying that you are a legendary? I doubt it...but it would explain your irritating arrogance," I said.

I think that you need to get used to it, we are about to spend an eternity here.

You don't need to continue, I know the rest.

I couldn't see anymore. All I knew was that I was sunk in violet stone, just like a bug in amber. I lost the feeling of time and the only thing what I still can hear was Suicune's voice in my head. I told her everything, I hadn't anything different to do anyway. I was lost here: dead but still alive.

And how you were caught by Giratina? I asked. Our talk is possible only thanks to the link created by Suicune. I just need to think about some words.

It was very long ago, she began, when the world was a much more peaceful place. I was caught when I tried to defend this peace. Something bad happened to Giratina: she always was aggressive and liked to look at others suffering. But we tolerated this as it wasn't something that could have any far-reaching effect.

But then she became even more aggressive and evil, she started killing much more than was needed. At first, just a few smaller packs of different species disappeared. It wasn't something which couldn't start a war.

But when whole populations were being annihilated and Giratina didn't want to stop, then we decided to do something. It was six of us, three birds and three canines, me involved. The rest of legendaries didn't help us, they avoided the problem or thought that they wouldn't be affected by anything that was happening. As you can guess, we lost.

It had to be very long ago.

Yes, it was. But you said that there was some barrier between the world that stopped her. I didn't know about this, so it needed to be after I ended up here.

But Giratina will force her way out anyway. It is just a matter of time when Rea will get used to it; maybe it is already happening? How much time has passed while we are talking?

Time goes here much faster, in the normal world it was like five, maybe six months. You said that also you still need to break the wall.

Because I know how to do form change, and it is not something which Giratina knows. It came to me naturally, so it is not very possible that Rea will have the same ability and also learn it naturally. Even Giratina took it as luck that I learned form change. That is why I am still alive. But I wish I would be dead.

Every world is going to its doom, Giratina is the doom of our world and all we can do is to postpone it. But actually, I can make you dead, I even should do so if it can postpone the end.

Can you kill me? But how? We are both jailed.

Giratina doesn't even know that I can talk to pokemon jailed here, I just need to touch your mind, much harder than I am doing speaking to you.

So, are you really legendary? What is wrong with you, why have so many legendaries decided to meet me? Don't you have anything better to do?

Sorry, I actually didn't plan to meet you, it rather seems that you came to me, than I to you. But with all your powers I think that you could become one of us, maybe one of the weakest.

Me, a legendary? It is not a time for joking. Suicune. How were you even born? How is every legendary born? Or it was just because someone ordered you to become a legendary, like you are doing to me now?

It was childish playing of creator of every life, at first it wanted to make every his creation different powerful and unique, legendary. He was a daydreamer, when he becomes bored of one of his creature he was making another and another. It is funny seeing how those alive now imagine their creator: as a mighty, powerful creature who knows everything, while in reality he is just naive and childishly pushing the world into different ways to have something to look at, like it's some kind of show.

But if he created all of this, shouldn't he be more intelligent than you claim?

If he is more intelligent he hasn't shown it yet. It created a lot of things which didn't fit with each other and others needed to repair his mistakes. The world that you saw wasn't built by him, but by the creatures living there, I mean these which we are calling the lowest being, for you: every normal mortal pokemon or human.

Most of the legendaries don't know what 'life' is, so they couldn't build the world for living creatures. But how can they know, living an eternity you get used to it that everything around you is dying. So you don't care about it.

And how you think? Does life have any value for you?

I don't know, maybe? I spend such a long time here being jailed that I start to regret that I can't just die.

Your eternal life doesn't have anything to do with dying here. Everyone in this stone cannot die, and will wait until Giratina decides that there won't be any profits from keeping you here.

How do you know about it?

I have lived here quite long, you may say that it was my home where I was growing up, so I learned how Giratina functions. About death, you said that you can kill me now, what about my regeneration?

Yes, I can kill you. But it will be more like turning you off. You will be still 'alive', but like a plant. Dead inside, no mind, no self-awareness. Giratina probably will feel it, you have so much of her energy inside that I would be surprised if she would miss something like that. But don't worry about your life-saving form change ability, it won't be enough to help you now.

And what then? When I will be dead?

I don't know, maybe Giratina will stop cursing Rea and try to think about a different plan. Maybe even return her to normal so no one would learn that she is trying anything.

Uh, I was rather asking what will happen to me when I die.

You will be dead. Honestly, I don't know, I have never died, you will need to find out by yourself, but whatever it may be like, being as you are you shouldn't be afraid of the dark, but of light. Before you die, tell me your name, you used many of them. Under which of them you want to die?

I am not sure, every of them was fake and I don't want to end as Taranis, Giratina's litter. I was faking so many personalities, I think that I am no one. Who even cares about a name? I can have any, all I needed was to think about some.

Even nobody can also have a name.

Why would it be different now? Just another name like any other one, why I can't die namelessly?

You told me the story of your life, you shared your moments, I want to know who is at the end of it.

I didn't respond to her immediately, she was irritating me, making this moment unnecessarily longer. But then I had an idea, a name for someone who never existed, no one, mistake, and it even didn't sound that bad.

Nullus, let it be Nullus.

You are so stubborn. But okay. I heard her sigh, she probably also knew what this name means. Farewell now. We will meet again when the world will end and another one will rise.

But what should I be doing now?

I will count to three, try to relax, maybe think about something nice.

Okay.

One.

Thinking about something nice, how could I think about something nice when it is just my last two seconds? Then I find out that I don't have anything to think about, I haven't anything left, anything happy, all that I can do is to die. Maybe this will be a nice thing? Maybe this will truly free me, no more worries, no more pain, no more efforts, just nothing, endless void, my future.

Two

The End

Thanks to Micah Debrink for beta-reading and making it readable.

Hello, glad You read it to the end. I guess that if you are here then you need to like this story, more or less. I would like to know what You think about it (positive and negative thoughts) so I encourage You to share your opinion, in review or PM.