I suspected this was what death must feel like: dark, quiet, and spooky. That is until I saw streams of purple glow behind my eyelids and something nudged my arm. I lifted my head and met my eyes with Minccino. I looked around, but all I could see was pulsing purple shimmering in veins on the walls. I touched the smooth, rocky ground.

"Where am I?" I said. I looked at Minccino. "How is it that I can communicate with every Pokémon I've met except you?"

Minccino's mouth twitched up into a mischievous little smile.

"You always could." she said. "I'm just good at keeping my mouth shut."

I raised my eyebrow and sat up.

"Since you been walking around this place with such confidence, can you tell me where we are?" I said.

Minccino turned her head and her ears perked up.

"He's here." she said.

"He? He who?" I said.

Minccino glared at me.

"Don George." she retorted. "Who do you think?! Come on, follow me!"

I stoop up and we walked together through the purple and black abyss. We walked until we came across a miniature hill. The top curved in, allowing the perfect resting place for a white round egg-like stone the size of a basketball. Minccino's eyes brightened and she scurried over to the stone. She circled it three times before turning back to me. I walked over and examined the stone, fear and hope have a nasty battle inside of me.

"Dad?" I said as I lightly caressed the stone.

It began to shimmer and I pulled my hand back in surprise. It radiated a white light and floated up in the air. It began to change, growing bigger as it shifted into something: A human silhouette. The silvery color faded as clothes and skin colors replaced it. A pair of unmistakable green eyes smiled at me, along with a full grin.

"Dad..." I said. I ran forward into his arms. "I'm so sorry."

"It's okay. I understand." Dad pulled away and gripped my shoulders. He studied my face and smiled. "You've grown up so much."

I wiped my eyes.

"I have... a lot of things to ask you." I said.

"And there is a lot to tell you." Dad said.

There was a pause. I opened my mouth, hesitating with the words.

"Dad... what are we?"

Dad reeled back in surprise.

"What do you mean?" he said.

"I had a vision when I was in the Pinwheel Forest. Ash's Sewaddle was the same one you spoke to years ago. You told it there were many of your kind and there would be more in the future." I said. "We have such strange abilities that no human being has. Only Pokémon... so does that mean I'm not human?"

Dad let go of my shoulders.

"You are human, Rylee... just not 100% human." he said.

"What's that supposed to mean? If I'm not completely human, what else am I?"

"When I first met your mother, she didn't know of who or what I was. When she finally did, she learned to accept that and not let that get in the way of us." he said. "We assumed that none of our children would inherit my side... and then you were born. Born in the form... of a Pokémon. But after a few hours, you were crying and breathing as a human baby."

"I was born... as a Pokémon?" I said. "So that means...?"

"You are half-human, inherited from your mother, and half-Pokémon, from me."

This sudden discovery came so quickly, I thought I would collapse. My visions, the Pokémon Center incident, and the sudden ability to talk to Pokémon made sense, but there were too many things that I still didn't understand.

"What Pokémon?" I said. "What's my true form?"

Dad's face relaxed, relieved that I was taking this well. I guess he feared this would go a different direction. He extended his hand and an image floated before us. I saw Mom resting in a hospital bed. She cradled a bundle wrapped up in a pink blanket. Looking closer, I could see a pair of small, green-tipped antennae peeking out into the air. I moved closer and cried out. Purple eyes blinked back at Mom, taking in the surroundings with confused astonishment. A small, delicate, and green Pokémon. I remembered seeing this Pokémon in Ash's Pokédex.

"Celebi." I said. "I'm... a Celebi?"

Dad nodded and waved his hand, washing away the images and replacing them with a mirror.

"You have inherited my eyes." he said. "Able to detect the truth in things normal people or Pokémon cannot see."

I stepped closer to the mirror and stared at my eyes: The ring of purple circling around my pupil and small flecks dotting around the irises.

Irises... Iris. Ash. Cilan.

"My friends!" I cried. "Where are they?"

Dad put a hand on my shoulder.

"Iris and Cilan returned to the castle, but it seems someone followed you down here." he said.

"Ash." I said. "Is he okay?"

"Yes, he is. And you are too, thanks to a certain friend."

Minccino stood next to Dad, but refused to meet my eyes. Her ears drooped slightly against her face, as if she were hiding from me.

"Is that so, Minccino?" I said. I smiled. "Or should I say... Zorua?"

Minccino perked up at me.

"Thank goodness you finally figured it out!" she said. "I thought I would be stuck like this forever!"

She jumped into the air and became engulfed by a magenta light. She landed on the ground as Zorua, bearing a wicked grin.

"Rylee?" a voice called. "Rylee, where are you?"

Ash.

"I think that's your cue." Dad said.

"Wait. Is there anything else I need to know?" I said.

Dad smiled. "Yes, since you are a Pokémon, you have the ability to use Pokémon moves."

I grinned. "Great."

"One more thing." Dad said, and his face grew serious. "There are many bad people in this world who know of people like me and you, and they want to capture you and use you for their wicked schemes. You must be careful on your journey, especially since you are now aware of who you are."

"I will." I said. "Will I see you again?"

"In due time, Rylee." Dad said. "Say hello to your mother for me?"

I nodded and embraced him.

"Goodbye, Dad. I love you."

"I love you too, sweetheart." Dad kissed the top of my head.

Zorua climbed onto my shoulder. I turned around and walked away as a bright light glitter behind me. We walked in darkness until I saw something yellow igniting among the purple.

"Ash!" I called.

Ash turned around and sighed in relief.

"Rylee, there you are." he said. He looked at Zorua in confusion. "Where's Minccino?"

Zorua and I looked at each other.

"I'll explain everything later, but for now we need to get out of here and find Cilan and Iris." I said.

A set of stairs grew out from the ground. As we climbed, I felt as if I had just woken up from a long sleep. I felt energized. Refreshed. Empowered. I smiled and the back of my eyes warmed up. I stopped and looked at myself in the reflection of the glowing wall. My eyes glowed a sparkling purple.

Iris and Cilan were relieved to see Ash and I come out from the tunnels. I told them everything about the meet with my father and who, or what, I really was. When I finished, my friends stared at me. I fidgeted uncomfortably.

"So, let me get this straight..." Iris said. "Your father is Reshiram, your Minccino is really a Zorua, and you are half Pokémon, your true form being Celebi. Not to mention that there are bad people in the world that want to capture you and your dad and use your powers for evil?"

I shrugged. "To sum it up."

"That is the coolest thing ever!" Ash cried, jumping to his feet. "So, can you use Pokémon moves? Can you turn into Celebi for us? Can you take me to meet the legendary trio?!"

I stepped back, self-consciously reaching up to touch my necklace.

"Ash, calm down. I just learned this today, and I haven't exactly mastered everything in a heartbeat..." I said. "I need time to absorb things... These powers I have are going to take a while to develop."

My mind flashed back to when I saw myself as a baby. I spent my first hours of life as a legendary Pokémon. The thought of me suddenly growing antennae made me shudder.

But still... I had the feeling what Dad told me wasn't the whole story. There's still so much for me to learn about who I am... and what I am.

We walked out of the castle into the fresh air. The sky was tinted pink and orange. The cold prickled my arms.

"It's getting late. Let's go find a Pokémon Center." Cilan said.

Everything hit me at once and I realized how exhausted I was. I leaned against the stone ledge and closed my eyes. My fingers tingled and the tips buzzed. I lifted my hand.

I am able to use Pokémon moves. But I wonder which ones...

I stood up straight and shot my hand out, stretching my fingers away from one another. A shield of teal enveloped in front of me. Keeping my arm extended, I picked up a rock and threw it at it. It bounced off the material. I settled my arm back to my side and the shield disappeared.

Protect. What else?

"Rylee!" Iris called from the bottom of the trail. "Come on, we gotta go!"

"Coming!" I called.

I ran down the path to my friends. At the base of the trail, I looked back up at the castle and smiled to myself.

"See you soon, Dad."