"Something feels different than the last time I came here…" Azalea says to herself as we march on through the cave passageway Ampharos pointed out to us to speed up our journey.

"What's different?" I ask with a worried glance. This whole trip has had its ups and downs, but I still have my worries. There's absolutely no one else there as we reach the ninth station, and from this point onward we're on our own.

"It's nothing. Probably just my imagination," she muses aloud. Well, that could be equally true. It has been years since anyone could climb up here after all: I'm sure it was difficult for even the Shaymin to travel far from their village after the earthquake. "Well, at any rate, it's only a little farther to the summit! Keep at it!"

"We should speed it up," Ri adds, "The sun will set before long." I give him a single nod of agreement before I start walking again. If there's something dangerous out there, I'd rather not face it at night.

At one point, I make the mistake of looking down as we cross through one open area and quickly regretting it. To think it had only been that very early morning when we first arrived at Sky Peak, and now we're already nearing our destination thousands of feet above the world. We've made great progress, but it's also a little saddening that it couldn't last longer.

I look back at Grovyle, Celebi, and Dusknoir and find myself grinning at the irony of my thoughts. If anything, those three probably can't wait for this to end despite the excitement. They probably would've been fine with spending the night in the cave, or at any of the other stations, rather than rush all the way up here. Ri and I will have to do something to thank them for keeping up with us.

After everything we've been through on the way up here, Azalea's cry breaking our currently uneventful hike jolts us back into the present. "I can see it! The summit!" She jumps out of my arms and runs off ahead of us, but I'm still trying to wrap my head around her words. She can see it? I can see the exit, but it's pretty dark out there and I can't help but wonder if night has already fallen. I can't see anything. When I reach out through my aura though, I do sense something up there that rattles me and Ri and I hurry after her with the rest of the team following close behind. It's hard to describe, but it's… sickly. It's like the entire area above bore some disease.

When we finally make out way out of the caves, we find Azalea frozen in place in the middle of a clearing—her expression one of horror. It's not without due cause: The entire area is enshrouded by a blackish-purple, fog-like miasma. It's impossible to tell whether it's still day or night and everything looks as dead as it did in the Dark Future. The striking resemblance shakes me at my very core, and I have to grip on Ri to steady me and assure me that this isn't just another nightmare. Near us, Celebi clings to Grovyle as she hides behind him and Dusknoir stares off into the foreboding mist. We all feel it. The terror and the crippling depression of that life we used to live.

We can't go back there! We don't want to have to relive it!

Maybe it's the miasma affecting me, but I see the horrors I've witnessed play through my mind like a grim kaleidoscope. Shadows encompassing me from every side. The unbearable pain and wrenching fear as I and my loved ones are attacked without understanding why. So many deaths. So much loss. My parents. A multitude of Pokemon that dared to defy Primal Dialga by helping me. Ri. Ri…

"Lira!" I hear him call to me, and finally I'm able to return to myself as he grips me steadily by my arms in his embrace. That's right: I'm not that same child I was back then, who had to stand aside and watch as her loved ones were taken from her. I can protect the people I care about, and Ri's still here…

My face hardens with determination. As a Guardian of Light, I have a job to do. We all do. Right now, that job is to see to whatever it is that's causing this miasma.

"T-this is terrible…" Azalea whispers, still horror-stricken. Perhaps none of the other Shaymin have even made it up this high for no one to have known about this already. "All this happened while I was away for so long…"

"Looks like someone else got here first," we hear from behind us, and we're surprised to find Team Frontier making their way up from the cave passage behind us. They must have decided to have come back up rather than quit and go back down to their base after all. I wish they had something better to arrive to though, because they're met with the same despair as us upon exiting.

"What is this…?" Breloom exclaims in his shock.

"This is the summit?" Mawile questions in disbelief.

With teary eyes, Azalea turns around to face us, "No, this is…" For a moment, it seems like she's going to say that this is all wrong, but she never finishes her thought. She just takes a shaky breath and looks back out into the blurry darkness. This place is an important part of her home: Of course she'd be upset to find it like this.

It's hard for any of us to know what to say in order to console her, but we don't even get the chance. The miasma surrounding us seems to move and contort in a manner all too solid to simply be the wind disturbing the fog. As the distorted shapes begin to move toward us from all sides, we close in around ourselves defensively.

"Looks like we weren't the first one's here besides the Shaymin after all," I muse as the shapes begin the chuckle darkly. Shifting my gaze to Azalea, I then ask, "I take it that these guys aren't friends of yours like the Carnivine were?"

She shakes her head weakly, shuffling between my feet and into a guarded position.

"Icky, sticky… grimy, slimy…" A haggard voice that reminds me of a warlock's cackle reverberates throughout the area, "We love dirt and slime…" The way he speaks is unnatural, and it stirs a kind of dread within me that I can't easily explain at first.

We're finally able to identify the figures as they surround us: A group of Grimer and Muk—I think I count eight of them in all. On the bright side, not counting Azalea, that means that each of us would only have to face against one each: On the down side though—counting duel types—we've got four Grass-types with us and mine and Ri's Fighting-type moves won't prove very effective against them. What few advantages we have against them are outweighed by our weaknesses.

"T-this isn't your home," Azalea tries to speak up from where she's hidden, "you know that. Please, go back to where you belong." But the wicked gleam in their eyes tells me that they won't hear her. That look… It sends my fur on end. Why does it seem so familiar?

More importantly, Ri and I have been around other Poison-types before. And sure, their homes typically may not seem the most livable for other species of Pokemon, but this miasma is nauseating to an extreme. I don't think anything or anyone besides Poison or Steel-types could last in this for very long. Even the surrounding rock seems to possess a sickly color.

"No. Nooo," a few of them shout in negation at Azalea's plea. "Lies. Liiiies. We drive away cleanlinessss!"

It is then that I begin to notice the strange glow in their eyes and I feel myself grow pale. I've seen it before: In Dialga, in Masa. It's a strange look that has always meant the corruption of the mind. "It's no use trying to reason with them…" I say, my voice nearly going hoarse from the terror seeping along the path of my spine.

"Looks like we have to get them to come to their senses…"she says in remorseful agreement. Gazing up at all of us with pleading eyes, she adds, "Everyone, I'm counting on you!"

We don't need to be told twice and instantly we sprint into action. "Celebi, keep to the center! Grovyle, underground!" Since Celebi is at a disadvantage in this fight, it's better for her to stay safety between the rest of us and use Heal Bell to prevent anyone from falling under poison or paralysis. Grovyle faces the same problem, but he should be safe beneath the surface and he can attack them from below. Ri uses Bone Rush and I Copycat in order to mimic him: For the time being it's the best move in our set to fight against the Poison-types. I trust Team Frontier to look out for themselves and Dusknoir has the defensive advantage as a Ghost-type, so I don't have to worry for him as much. As it is, I step forward to better protect Azalea.

The gap in our group is closed soon after everyone shifts into their new positions, and it isn't long before the first attack is made—a combination of Sludge Bombs from the Muk and Grimer. With a rapid flourish of our staffs, Ri and I are able to defends ourselves partially from the blows, but some of it still manages to get on us. I clench my teeth at the bullet-like impacts and the sharp, burning sensation that envelops me. The sound of Celebi's Heal Bell helps take away some of the pain though, and we both bear through it.

As a Muk draws near, I swing my Bone Staff at it only to feel his form give way and lose my footing. I'm unprepared for it as my staff sinks into his body and refuses to give when I attempt to tug it free. It's completely stuck! "That's just disturbing…" I can't help but murmur with widened eyes as I continue to pull at my staff in vain—when, if anything, it just sinks in further before shattering. This time, the Muk uses Mud Bomb to knock me back and at such close range with nothing to defend myself with, it hits true to its mark. I'm able to close my eyes in time in order to avoid any of the rancid grime from getting in my eyes as I skid along the earth on my back, gritting my teeth.

A torrent of fire appearing before Dusknoir as he summons it in his hands, he uses Will-O-Wisp and sends the maelstrom of flames dashing over the whole of the Sludge Pokemon. It's just an attack to cause burns, so I don't really understand why he's using one of the weakest moves he's got until I begin to see how the surface of the Muks' and Grimers' skins begin to dry up and crack. The fire is hardening their flesh, making them easier to spar against.

I can only respond to this by getting back on my feet and drawing forth a Bone Staff one more time, dashing forward to drive the weapon against my opponent once more. Unlike before, he's much more fragile, and I'm able to make the strike perfectly without losing my staff—pushing the Muk back.

The earth begins to rupture beneath a few of our assailants, and I watch as their oozing forms are sucked into the ground and buried beneath the rubble. I can only hope that Grovyle is still safe under there, if he's going to trap the others down there with him to deal with them. It would level the playing field a bit, but only a little. He's had plenty of time to develop his own fighting technique beneath the surface just as well as above, but that doesn't mean he possess the same prowess as an actual Rock or Ground-type.

In the very least, the Muk and Grimer seem weaker than Masa was when I faced him in this sort of state. Could they be under a weaker trance or could I really just be imagining things? It couldn't actually be, right? There's no way Pitch Black could've been able to trace me back to the past… Oh, what am I doing?! I can worry about that later, but right now we have an actual problem to deal with!

I use Quick Attack to power up my strikes with a rushing impact, and succeeded in taking out the Muk I've been facing before my legs are pulled out from beneath me. I yelp as I'm pulled to the ground and held down by one of the Grimer. The smell… Little spots begin to dance around my vision before I summon enough power within me to knife him with a swift aura attack.

I feel the wave of pink energy pass over me before I see it, and for a moment I think it's Celebi that's come to my aid. But instead I look over my shoulder to see Azalea with the remains of a Sitrus berry from our Treasure Bag before her. Natural Gift: The move itself can create decently strong Normal-type attack, but if the user eats a berry as they perform it, then the type and even strength of the move will change. And luckily for us, Poison-types are weak to Psychic-type moves.

I take the opportunity to escape by tumbling over and back onto my feet, then lunge over the Grimer to strike at his head before rearing to face the next opponent. As I take a moment to watch the former practically melt as he oozes along the ground, I know he's out of the fight. The next Muk I face—one that Breloom's having a bit of trouble with—is a towering menace of gunk, and I inwardly groan at the thought of having to battle him. That is, until he falls to the same fate as some of the others of his species and collapses within the earth thanks to Grovyle's Dig. Said Tree Gecko then bursts from the ground by my side and gives me a thorough glance-over to make sure I'm alright before giving me a relieved smile.

I only relax after I find the last of the Poison-types dealt with by Dusknoir's Ice Punch. We're all pretty worn from the fight combined with the climb, but it doesn't look like they can handle much more either. Grovyle raises a hand to me to try to pluck away some of the grime clinging to my hair, but it's all too clear that I'm going to need a bath.

Another glance around tells me that we all will…

"Have you come to your senses yet, Grimer and Muk?" Azalea asks them, pursing her mouth into a firm line.

I once more take my place near her, fearing for what little energy they may still have. However, the sight of the corrupted glow in their eyes puts me at ease and I allow the Bone Staff to fade from my grip. Their aura isn't as dark as it was just moments ago… That alone is enough to bring me some security.

"Shaymin!" one of them finally cries in surprise, as if just now noticing her for the first time.

If Azalea notices the peculiarity, she ignores it. "What happened while I was away for so long?" she presses as they begin to free one another from the ruptured cracks and holes in the ground. "You know this isn't your home, right?"

They blink in shock and a hushed murmur falls over them, "But… This is sooo our home! Seeee? It's all dirty and griiiimy…" Still, as they look it over once more I think they begin to spot the differences in this place and wherever they truly come from. Their crest-fallen expressions only further prove to me that this is fall worse than what any Poison-type would want to live in.

"Dirty and grimy…" whispers Azalea with a frown, "I see… Nobody's come here for so long…" Looking up at them once more, she continues, "I'm sorry, Grimer and Muk, but this is the mountain summit."

"But… it can't be…"

"I think it fell into disrepair because nobody visited it for so long, but we can't leave the summit in this condition. Will you please return to your rightful home? Please? I'm asking you." Her explanation makes sense, to a certain degree. However, after all I've seen I can't bring myself to be convinced by so simple an answer. Not to mention that nature has a funny way of taking care of itself: I can't imagine it falling to ruin that easily.

"We… didn't even notice…" one of them says mournfully. How they could've been so led astray is also strange. "We're sorry, Shaymin: We'll go home."

"Alright: Thank you!" she finally beams, "I'll come and visit you with a token of thanks later!" As they say their goodbyes, I look to Dusknoir and Grovyle searchingly. I don't know about Ri and Celebi, but I don't think they're convinced either. We've just… been through too much.

Even after the Muk and Grimer are long gone, the miasma remains. And now that we've had a battle, the land itself isn't in so great a condition either. I don't know how we could've made it any worse, but we did. "We have to clean this place up and restore it," Azalea says with a certain determination that's hard to believe as we look upon the destruction.

"Restore it?" Mawile questions for everyone else, her brows furrowed, "It's so dirty, how could we possibly…"

"We Shaymin have a special power to clean up the land by absorbing dirt and things," she informs.

"But with the size of this catastrophe, it could prove detrimental to your own health," Dusknoir adds pointedly. "You would have to absorb it into your body first in order to purge it, and taking in such a vast amount of poison alone—not including whatever else might linger—could very well kill you."

"Yes, it will be no easy task…" she sighs, but there's a look in her eyes I've recognized within so many people already that I know she's willing to take the risk. "But here goes nothing. Get down, please!"

Before we can stop her, a gale force similar to a tornado envelopes Azalea and we feel the air tear away at us as it is drawn toward her. Being the nearest to me, Grovyle ensnares me by the waist in order to protect me and pulls us both into the safety of one of his pits from using Dig. That brief second before I'm taking underground is all I have before watching the others dive behind the protection of the rocks. But I can't help myself: Even with Grovyle hanging onto me, I squint over the edge of the pit through the hail of dust and watch as Azalea takes in the poison—the beautiful fur along her back and the flowers adjacent to her skull withering and turning into an unhealthy purple color. Her whole body trembles and a collection of sweat has already begun to gather upon her forehead.

The miasma is beginning to clear, but it's just as Dusknoir predicted. She collapses onto ground even though she continues to absorb even more of the toxins. "She can't handle it…" I gasp, and my body moves into action before I can even think of stopping it.

"Lira—!"

"It's too much for her! She can't handle it!" I scream, and I somehow manage to scramble away from his arms and jump back into the open. As soon as I'm out there, I'm nearly wrenched by the winds until I throw myself at the ground and resort to crawling on the stomach to try and get to her. Some meters away, Ri avoids Dusknoir's grabbling to follow suit after catching sight of me and we help each other across the ruined land.

"K-keep away!" Azalea tries to warn us through her anguish, but of course we don't listen. The power of the winds and the miasma tear against us three, and on our knees we take hold of Azalea when we reach her. What do we even do? Can Ri use his healing abilities to help her? No, no that's for restoring aura. Oh Archeas, what can we do?

"We'll protect you!" I shout, but Dusknoir's words from earlier in our journey come back to be with a vengeance. You shouldn't make such promises so readily. They'll come a time when you won't be able to fulfill them. How could any of us have the power to protect her from a thing like this? Azalea…

"I won't let any more people die!"

As the cry leaves me, I'm startled by the sudden white light that seems to manifest at my core. It's not quite aura: It's not quite like anything I've ever known before. But it's very warm, like I'm standing in the sun, and for a moment it's as if all of my fears cease to exist. I raise my eyes to Ri only for them to widen at his teary, bewildered expression and the light that appears from him in the very same place.

And it's as though we both know what to do then. We clear our minds. Ri takes one of my hands and I press my own to Azalea's forehead, and with a deep breath we begin to channel our energy to her. Soon enough the light envelopes us all, and everything else seems to fade away.

I want to protect everyone. I want to keep the world safe and let everyone experience the same warmth that I'm feeling. The warm glow of life…