The first thing Kyle processed was that he was not on Stark Mountain.

"Stell, are you… What time is it?" he murmured, his voice slurred from sleep.

"Around midnight, I think. Are you okay? Did you have one of those dreams?" Stella pawed at his sweater's drawstrings.

The second thing he processed was that Vera was nowhere to be seen.

"Um… have I been, like, just curled up right here the whole time?" He leaned over the back of the couch to check if any of his dream companions had landed there.

"Yes, and may I add that you looked really cute?" Stella smiled.

The third thing he processed was that he actually felt groggy.

"I slept," he said, blinking.

"Mmhmm," Stella chirped.

"But I was only there for a couple of hours, and I didn't fall asleep at ten," Kyle said.

Stella tilted her head. "Oh, so… did the Dream Eater work after all?"

Kyle shook his head. "No, I… I need to go to Stark Mountain."

"You do?" Stella drew back a bit.

"Yeah. Right now." Kyle leapt up. His leg jittered impatiently.

"Well, okay. I'll go get Ero, then." Stella jumped down from the couch and shook out her limbs.

"What? Uh—" Kyle stammered.

She raised an eyebrow. "Whatever you need to go there for, you should probably bring the guy who knows his way around, right? Especially since you're totally out of it right now."

"I… guess?" he said, but she had already pranced down the hall to Ero's room. Kyle blinked as he watched his editor emerge a moment later, rolling his eyes.

"Really, Kyle?" Ero said in a sarcastic whisper. "You need to go to Black Mountain right now? What, trying to hide from your brother or something?"

Kyle groaned. "No! I just need to check on something, all right? You don't have to come with me!"

"O-kay." Ero lightly rapped his knuckles on Kyle's arm as he brushed past. "But if it's that important to you, and it sounds like it is, I will."

Kyle breathed. He'd pay Ero back for the attitude later (and also pay him back for putting up with him, because even Kyle could admit that he was acting a little jumpy and weird).

"Okay, all settled, then!" Stella said. "Whenever you're ready, Boss."

Nodding, Kyle turned his head to the entrance. "Right. It's dark, Stell, so you might want to stick close to my tail." Not that she'd complain. He beckoned, and the other two followed.

Kyle's mind was muddled and he wasn't sure exactly what he was doing, just that he needed to do it right now. He was still… he needed more sleep. After sorely missing it for so long, a few hours without dreams were definitely not enough to replenish his energy and make up all that lost time. That said, he didn't have the luxury of taking a good night's rest right now. He needed to remember what happened.

He had gone through the portal and ended up back in the comfort of his own home. And nobody else had come with him. So either that meant that the whole ordeal he'd just gone through really was a dream, or…

He shook his head. It was crazy, for sure. Just yesterday he'd have probably rolled his eyes at the thought of anything in his dreams being real. But yesterday he hadn't escaped a dungeon with the mother of his son and his nonexistent niece and nephew. And he hadn't actually felt rested – to any degree, even the negligible one he felt now – for a good three months. So that was something.

So… So maybe Blue and Emmy had turned up at Stark Mountain, and he only woke up at Headquarters because there couldn't be two of him running around, and by that merit, Vera woke up in Hoenn, and the kids were just walking around Stark without a clue right now. Or maybe walking through the portal had caused whatever alternate reality he'd been stuck in to collapse and that was the end of it all. He had to check, though, just to make sure. Because he was a good person, damn it, and he owed his freedom to those two. Especially Blue.

He just… He had to know. Because he loved those kids and he owed them everything.

"Something's not right up there," Ero muttered. "Why are so many people awake?"

Kyle looked up at the mountain. (Had that much time already passed?) Ero was right. There were way too many people moving around up there for this time of night. So, something had definitely happened there, then? He hoped that Blue and Emmy hadn't caused too big of a commotion, if they were even there.

"Do you know anything about this, Boss?" Stella frowned at him in confusion.

Kyle swallowed. "I might."

"This feels bad," Ero said. "Should we be going up there?"

"I have to," Kyle said.

"Can you tell us a little more about why?" Stella made an uneasy face at the people on the mountain. They were huddled together, whispering, and swaying around nervously.

Kyle shook his head. "I'm not really sure what happened, but…" He started making his way up the mountain path. Stella and Ero walked a couple feet behind him. Were they really that concerned about him?

He heard whispers again, like he had at Mount Chimney, but this time he didn't try to block them out.

"See? It's not the Shade."

"They have to be from Red Mountain, though. There's no way they're native."

"But who are they?"

Kyle bit his tongue. Yep, that didn't sound good.

"Ero!" someone called.

Kyle looked up to see Ero's sister running towards them, looking fearful. Ero greeted her, his voice uncertain.

"Emin, what's happening, do you know?" he asked.

She nodded, cringing and making a face similar to Stella's from a while ago. "It's awful – these kids showed up out of nowhere and there are two dead bodies—"

"What?!" Kyle blurted out. "So, then—"

"Some people are saying it's murder, but they don't look like they were killed, at least not violently, anyway, and nobody even knows who they are, the bodies and the kids, I mean, which is the weirdest part of it…" Emin said, hugging her arms. "Well, other than the fact that one of the bodies looks like you, Mr. Shade," she squeaked, blinking at him.

Kyle felt his stomach sink, but he tried to ignore it. "Okay, first off, I know who those kids are, and second, they didn't murder anyone, all right? I need you to take me to them."

Emin stared. "Huh? But, wait, are you… Did you know about this? Is that why you're here?"

Stella and Ero had also turned to look at him like he was nuts. He shook his head. "Not exactly, but… I think they really need to see me, right now."

Emin eyed him apprehensively. "Oh, but you…" She made a face. "The elders are going to have a fit if they find out you're involved."

"They always have a fit." Ero crossed his arms. "And honestly, if I don't find out more about this, then so will I."

"I promise I'll clear things up," Kyle said, already desperately trying to weave a conceivable story in his head. Things weren't looking so hot. And with his two best friends looking at him like he was a criminal, he didn't have much support at the moment. "And I swear that nobody did anything wrong, okay?"

"All right." Emin fidgeted with her fingers. "I think they were taken over this way…"

"The Shade knows about the dead bodies?" an old Infernape said, raising an eyebrow at Emin.

"That's what he says," Emin mumbled.

"Just let me see the kids," Kyle said, growing more annoyed by the minute.

The Infernape sighed and massaged his temple. "Emin, I understand that you probably identify with this tragedy more than most, but that doesn't mean that I'm going to bend the rules for you and let any old outsider in on the details. Especially an uncultured kid like him." He jabbed a finger in Kyle's direction. Kyle growled.

"This situation has nothing to do with you! None of the people involved are even from Black Mountain!" Kyle narrowed his eyes. "And what happened to Ero and Emin has nothing to do with it, either. I swear."

"Please, sir?" Emin said.

He grumbled. "If it's really all because of him…"

"It is! I mean, not the murders, not that there were murders – it's complicated. But I've got to make sure they're okay, okay?" Kyle said.

"Fine," the Infernape said. "I'll be watching, though."

The Infernape nodded behind him, and the guards in charge of the prison cell began to heave the boulder that was in the way to allow them all entry. Stella glanced up at Ero, her movements small.

"Hey, Ero, what happened to you and your sister?" Stella asked.

Ero frowned. "It's nothing."

Kyle glanced back. "You don't have to act like it's not a big deal, you know."

Ero shrugged.

Once the boulder was shoved to the side, they all walked into the small, red cavern. The space inside was cozy, probably smaller than Vera's house, but still not as small as his prison cell in the castle. He saw Blue and Emmy sitting together and smirked.

"Hey, you guys," he said, barely believing it.

Blue stared. "You're dead!"

"I told you already, I'm not!" Kyle said, but before he even finished, his niece and nephew had run into him at full speed and wrapped him in a warm hug. It was foreign and weird to be hugged like he was a safety net, but he liked it. A lot. He hugged back.

"Where's Mom?" Blue's bright eyes peeked out from the fabric of Kyle's sweater.

Kyle grimaced. "My guess is probably at Mount Chimney. At least you actually turned up here."

He grinned, and a blast of frigid wind blew past his face. "Hey!" He whipped his head around to glare at Stella.

"Hey?! When the hell did you go and have these two, huh? How many women were you with that night?!" Stella shouted, her face red. The air began to crystalize around her headpiece.

"Wha— I'm not their father!" Kyle's jaw dropped.

"He's our uncle," Blue said quickly, staring at Stella like he'd never seen anyone like her before. Then again, maybe he hadn't. Most ice types would have an awful time in a desert climate.

Stella's face contorted in confusion as the ice crystals dropped and shattered. "Your uncle?"

Ero narrowed his eyes. "Wait a minute, are those two your dream niece and nephew?"

"Yeah, um, about that…" Kyle said. "I don't know what was happening when I was sleeping, but I don't think they were dreams anymore."

He smiled, tentatively, at Stella. She gaped back. Ero raised his eyebrows.

"So these are Overlord's kids," he said.

Kyle nodded. "Yeah."

Ero's eyes glanced over Blue and Emmy, giving them a searching look. "Well, I guess they match your description…"

"Ero!" Emin's eyes bulged. "I don't know what's going on, but don't tell me you believe that those kids came out of a dream or something!"

Kyle sighed. "Look, it's—"

"Not the weirdest thing I've heard Kyle say." Ero shrugged. "Besides, did you see their eyes?"

Ero casually jabbed a thumb at Emmy.

"Green… and blue?" Emin frowned. "I didn't know that was possible…"

"I didn't either, for a while. But these kids are definitely related to him somehow." Ero turned around.

"Are our eyes are weird?" Emmy looked at her brother.

"I don't know," Blue said quietly.

Kyle crossed his arms. "Can I please have some time alone with them? There are some family matters I need to go over." He addressed the prison chief, who had stayed silent with a blank look on his face.

"W-we still don't know how they're connected to the bodies—" the Infernape stuttered.

"They're like, six and ten! Do you really think they're capable of doing anything like that?" Kyle said, knowing full well that Blue probably was. Not that Blue would, of course. "I'll do my best to explain what happened later, but right now, I need to speak with them without anyone freaking out about their eyes or anything else that's going to come up, all right?"

"Anything else…?" Emin cringed.

"It's better that you leave, Em," Ero said.

Stella nodded. "Yes, I agree."

Kyle stood, his expression firm. Reluctantly, Emin sighed and turned, pulling the Infernape along with her.

"I really hope I didn't tangle my little brother up in something bad," she muttered.

"Relax, Em," Ero groaned.

They left, and the boulder was put back into place. Well. Kyle figured he couldn't blame the people on Stark Mountain for not trusting him all that much.

"So, Boss, can you clear things up now?" Stella puffed out her cheek.

"Right," Kyle said. "Stell, Ero, these are Blue and Emmy. They're Overlord's kids… That's Dream-Kevin."

"How are they real?" Stella's eyebrows rose.

Blue scoffed bitterly. "Not this again."

"Maybe they think we shouldn't be here because we haven't died yet?" Emmy said.

"For the last time, guys, this isn't heaven." Kyle ran a hand though his hair. "I… I don't know what to tell you, but I guess this is just another world or something. The one that I grew up in."

"But you grew up with Dad," Emmy said.

"Well… that was a different me," Kyle said, vaguely remembering something Lord Chronos had said. "I think."

"Like how Mom wasn't really Mom?" Emmy asked. Blue glared at her.

"Just because she lost her memory doesn't make her a different person," he said.

"Actually, Blue, I think Emmy has the right idea," Kyle said.

"You're kidding!" Blue said indignantly.

"No, I mean, after what happened, it sounds like you two are from some alternate universe or something… One that has some of the same people, but those peoples' lives just worked out differently," Kyle said. He glanced at Stella and Ero. "Should we go with that?"

"I think I was in a movie with a plot like that, once," Stella muttered.

"If anyone's from an alternate universe, it's you," Blue said, uncharacteristically haughty.

"Why would you say that?" Kyle asked.

"Just look around," Blue said, blinking. "There's a cold lady with blue fur next to you. Your cloak's really weird, too. And nobody's calling you 'my lord', even though you're in charge."

Kyle stared.

"You're the king, right? Why else would you be wearing a cloak?" Blue said.

"Um… no," Kyle said. "Wow. I think we might need to backpedal a bit, here."

"You think?" Ero scoffed.

"How about we ask you two the questions?" A stiff smile cut through Stella's face.

Blue sighed. "Okay."

Kyle scratched Stella behind the ear, because he knew if he didn't, she would assault Blue with rude questions as revenge for the 'cold lady' thing. Besides, he had a better idea of what questions needed asking, he was sure of it.

"Blue, did you two ever leave the castle?" Kyle asked.

Blue grimaced. "Only a few times."

"I thought so. I guess that means you have a different idea of what's normal," Kyle said. He smiled. He could work with this. He talked to humans with different understandings all the time. "First of all, Stella has blue fur and is cold because she's an ice type."

"Ice type?" Blue's eyebrows creased. "But I thought… they only lived in cold places, where it snows and stuff."

Kyle glanced at Stella. She sighed. "Well, most do, but they don't all have to. I mean, it can get kind of unbearable here in the summer, but I can just make it hail in my room, so…"

She trailed off and raised an eyebrow at Blue, whose expression had turned from something annoyed to utter fascination. "Yeah," she finished, her voice flat.

"Second, this isn't a cloak," Kyle said before Blue forgot about the rest of his question. "It's called a sweater, and it doesn't mean I'm in charge or a king or anything, I just wear it because it makes me more comfortable. But cloaks don't mean you're a king, either, at least not here."

"Okay…" Blue frowned.

"What about our eyes?" Emmy tilted her head to the side.

Oh, right. "Yeah, that's… Normal Monferno – and Chimchar and Infernape – they have gray or brown eyes. You two get your eyes from the human genes in you, that's all."

"What's that?" Blue asked.

"A gene? Oh, I dunno, it's like DNA or something." Kyle shrugged. "I'm sure Dad can explain it—"

"No, human. What's that?" Blue asked.

Nobody spoke. They couldn't.

Blue rolled his eyes, frustration settling in. "If you're not even going to answer—"

"I will! It's just— you're speaking it right now," Kyle said.

"What? No I'm not," Blue said.

"Yes you are! But it's not just a language, it's— Like, another species…"

"What type?" Blue asked.

"Not a Pokémon!" Kyle ran his fingers through his hair again in disbelief. "I… How am I even supposed to describe one?"

"A trainer?" Ero tried.

Blue frowned. "Never heard of it. Emmy?"

She shook her head. "Nope!"

"How can something be alive without being a Pokémon?" Blue asked.

"Boss, I think we need to sit them down for a long talk," Stella said.

"Got it," Kyle said. He marched towards the boulder. "I'll go see if we can get them out of here. I'd feel better if we talked more back at HQ. Watch them for a sec?"

Ero saluted while Stella huffed, raising an eyebrow at Blue. Kyle took that as a yes.

He shouted at the wall, hoping the guards would hear him and move the boulder to let him out. After a few moments of nothing, the giant stone was heaved off of the ground again, and Kyle caught a mutter about excessive heavy lifting. As he slipped out, he saw Emin and the prison chief in a heated discussion with someone else from the mountain. He walked closer, frowning.

"How could they just disintegrate?" The old Infernape shook his head.

"I'm telling you, they went all shadowy, and then they were gone," the other Monferno said. She blinked, wide eyed. "We don't know how it happened…"

"What happened?" Kyle asked.

Emin glanced at him, a new, critical look in her eye. "The bodies are gone."

He blinked.

"If this has anything to do with you…" the Infernape said.

"It doesn't, I promise," Kyle said, quickly switching to Pokémon. The last thing he wanted was to sound rude to people who already had a poor opinion of him.

"You said you'd explain, though," Emin said. "Want to do that?"

"Um…" Kyle said. He hadn't had much time to think about a story, so maybe he could get away with parts of the truth. "There's this scary Pokémon, and he's really powerful. I think he might even be a legendary."

"You're blaming Heatran, now?" Emin said.

"Not Heatran," Kyle said, although he wasn't quite sure what Heatran was supposed to look like. "This one is like… pitch black. Kind of humanoid? He's got long white hair and a really creepy, bright blue eye."

None of the Stark Mountain residents looked impressed.

"Anyway… It's because of him that the kids were brought here. And that's probably why the bodies turned all shadowy or whatever you said. Those bodies probably weren't real, either…" Kyle said.

The Infernape growled. "I've had enough of this."

"I know it sounds weird, but that's what happened. Look, I'll take full responsibility for the kids and take them home with me, and that's the last you'll have to deal with it, does that sound good?" Bargaining was not the easiest when it came to situations like these, but this wasn't like dealing with the human police. They wouldn't interrogate him. Hopefully.

"Once you leave, I don't want to see you back," the Infernape said.

Great, that was one less speech to prepare for in the future. "All right, I'll go!"

Emin sighed. "This is so weird…"

"Sorry," Kyle apologized quickly, turning back to the small cave. He poked his head in the opening, waving at everyone inside. "All clear, we're leaving!"

Stella bounded out of the room at once. "Good, it's getting too hot."

"Oh, cancel my next speech here, by the way," Kyle said.

"Sure thing." She glanced up at him in amusement. "Are you kicked out for life?"

"Looks like," he said. "Whatever, though. I have more important things to worry about right now."

After a long walk that involved a lot of stopping to examine an abundance of foliage, mountain formations, and a general lack of sand, they all finally made it back to Headquarters. Ero and Stella went to bed, exhausted from the hike, but Kyle stayed up. He knew someone wouldn't be sleeping, and he wanted to be there for him. Because he knew if he were in the same situation, he'd want answers, too.

So, they sat in the main room, and they had a long, long talk.

Blue sat with his fingers intertwined and placed firmly on his lap, the warm light from his tail casting a soft glow across his body. His pupils stared, fixed on his fingernails, darker and more serious than they'd ever been in the dream world. Emmy slumped beside him, asleep.

"So I'm a part human, and that's why I have blue eyes, and other Monferno think that's scary," Blue said, his voice methodical. "But there are so many other Pokémon in the world who don't realize it's weird, so I can probably get by without too much trouble. And almost every Pokémon speaks human now, but they couldn't before, and it only changed because of you, and that's why everyone knows you as the Shade. But you're not a king or a lord. You're just a guy telling humans why Pokémon deserve just as much as they have."

Kyle nodded. It had been another sleepless night, but this one was for Blue, and that was what mattered. "Right. There's a lot of other stuff, and I mean a lot, but it'll come up when it comes up. You have to understand that it's hard for me to explain the things that I kind of take for granted."

"I understand." Blue breathed, bringing his hands closer to his face, never once looking up to face Kyle.

"Why would my dad keep all this from me?" Blue asked after a long pause. "The humans, I mean. They must exist in my world, too. Knowing about them doesn't make me any weaker, does it?"

"I'm not sure," Kyle said. "Your dad did a lot of things that don't make sense. I'm just sorry that you have to basically relearn everything you thought you knew."

Blue took another breath. "I knew it would be different here, when I made the choice to go through that portal. I just didn't know it would be like this. But if this is what the rest of the world is really like, even if the world is different…"

He closed his eyes. "I'm glad I got away."

Kyle smirked softly. "So am I."

Blue opened his eyes, solemn, then turned his attention to his sister. "You might need to explain some stuff again when she wakes up."

Kyle nodded. "Of course."

"And… Uncle Kyle? Thank you for telling me everything," Blue said.

Kyle grinned. "No problem. Listen, you need anything, I'm here, okay? You did so much for me, I'm just returning the favour."

Blue grinned back. "Thanks."

Kyle stood up, stretching. "All right, I think I'll see if I can get some sleep. You two can stay right there, for now, unless you want to share half of my bed or something."

Blue shook his head. "We'll stay here. Goodnight."

"Night." He began walking to his room.

"Oh, Uncle Kyle?" Blue said. Kyle turned.

"Hm?"

"I just wanted to say that I think you make a great dad." Blue smiled, peeking from over the couch.

Kyle stared. "I… Thank you."

"No problem!"

Kyle didn't sleep for the rest of the morning.