Me: It appears my old author's note was about some useless facts that don't exist.

Elijah: Well that's just freaking wonderful.

Me: I know right. Hey, why are you here all of a sudden? I thought no one liked you.

Llana: … -cheeks noticeably redden-

Bay: SHOULD I TAKE THIS AS AN INSULT?
Elijah: YOU SHOULD!

Zoey: I DUNNO I LIKE HIM A HECKA TON MORE THAN TIMMY TIM.

Tim: Stop calling me that or I'll cut off your neck.

Zoey: -snickers- You can't do tha-

Tim: -raises a sharpened claw to her throat, drawing the slightest globule of blood-

Zoey: owoll

Chapter 21: Stellar Recollections

Through the awkwardly shifting gaze in my auburn orbs, tossing and turning about the atmosphere, leaving the darkness of the room hard to interpret, I feel a cool, calming sense of refreshment. Perhaps joining Elijah in his own humble abode proved the wisest choice I had. I'm just thankful enough that whatever ache shooting back into me -perchance a stray insane friend accidentally stuffed a claw up my spine, or Elijah's own sickness he collected from his scars jumped to me when I so clung to his furry body prior?- has resolved its conflict. Coiling into my head, an off little thought suggests that whatever happened to me originated from the dark, formidable body of Tim, in fact: he didn't have any time to attack me, although. I feel quite strongly the tall, black-furred timburr had no exemptions from any hobbies he'd been working on before to abruptly attack me in such manner. He's... innocent, for all I know. Most surely.

I stretch, moving upwards, until m feet are on the floor once more. "You feeling better now, Llana?" A sudden voice bursts into the cool chamber as my groggy mind begins to recollect old, spiraling thoughts and come to the conclusion that my head, resting on a fluffy pillow-like substance is not abiotic but must be a living... breathing... oh, it's my emolga friend's... chest... My face lights up at seeing the purple eyes from the edge of the corridor pierce me, a giggle tracing her tone. "You look comfortable, in the least."

"I... think I am," I offer slowly.

"Heh, most indubitably," mumbles a sleepy Elijah that most likely doesn't know what he's agreeing with.

Virizion giggles: a chiming cry. "Well, you both happen to look like you're enjoying this. I mean, if Llana's face is burning from fever and not blush." This alerts to my senses and shoots a hotter, brighter red into my cheeks for a scorching show. "Or not, it seems. But, er, Llana, if you're feeling a mite cooler in the temple, I suggest you visit with Espa and Umbre. They've already heard from Zoey and Burr what's amok as of now, what we have to unite to do... so they're working on some pretty elaborate entercards. I think you'd like to check them out." She ends with a pale-lipped smile that seems to brighten Elijah's and Bay's shadier chamber.

Before I answer, the aforementioned emolga mumbles a few, sparse words that bleed into incomprehensible dialogue even Virizion tosses a blank face toward.

"Yes, that sounds like my best choice," I amend for him, pulling my feet onto wooden boards and stretching a cramped, crumpled tail. Surprise filters through me when not a single empowering sense of dizziness trips me up. How different, now, to sense this clarity in my head- so new; so refreshing, as it be. Bobbling an awkward nod toward Elijah and turning for one to the grassy legendary in front of me, I tumble past them, out of the heavenly-darkened chamber and into my own room before tearing out of that as well and pulling open my wood door out into the world again.

When was the last time I've been able to stretch my legs like so? I think the occurrence showed as I was trapped in Bitter Springs... with Cheeka. But now she's gone. At least, we'll know where she is once arriving at the floating glacier in the sky. I'm sure she'll hold out; alongside Ember, I have no suspect over their strong psychic duo and what surely will lead to their own surmounting victory of at least living. I'm sure they won't lose their lives in what cold, barren chamber they've been flung into.

I still can picture its great, pointed tip shooting straight at me, as if the beastly-sized monster wants to squash me. The light teal surface was rippled with smooth and rough edges like a pattern. I knew that the glacier was once a part of the Great Glacier: probably in the Glacial Palace. I also remember Stella's warning calls... before she was captured. May she live as well- though she doesn't need the influence; being immortal allows a few rules to be bent, if not utterly smashed to nothingness.

A thought rams into me, sending my feet digging into the ground underneath and pushing me over. I get it now: the Bittercold must have somehow weakened Stella, then Lady Munaah took her... prisoner..? This must have happened thanks to that ominous, light teal wind blowing only at the Glacial Palace. Wait.. that same wind must have been the cause of when our group held breathing problems, like the palace was filled to the brim with... Hate, of course. Bittercold. Whatever I should call it. I must have been... fine... with my... Hope. Sweethot. Like a bubble permeated the air around me, held myself suspended in safety.

No- I have to pull myself together now. Get up, Llana, come on...

It takes what feels like an oddly short time to wipe the dirt smears from my pale-and-green body, removing myself from the earthen floor as through land, I search for a purple pelt or glowing, red eyes. Soon enough, though, as fate would have it, I stumble into a tree-ridden land, still not used to the greenery I should've grown up in. But of course, a certain duo of felines lies contentedly in a great pile of metal scraps and shimmering materials I couldn't name if I'd tried. Gurdurr and his friends... and Mina, their group must give any leftovers they have from their own materials to the entercard-crafting duo: recycling.

"Uh, Llana?" Umbre, focused on a bit of metal, continues to stare as his mate's eyes water over me with that overprotective nature. Espa's voice continues, soft and almost childish: "What are you doing here? You're recovering, remember?"

I recall a time in my life when I despised questions strung straight at me, proving I had to talk. But I've begun to notice now how much I truly enjoy this single aspect, to be able to converse between my friends so easily, to hear their voices direct at me and know they want my royal tone to mix into their melting pot of sweet sound as well. "I'm... better. I've been getting better for the last scatter of sunrises; Elijah can tell you..."

Espa's composure lightens. Her mood swing's diversion was caused by my releasing of woes I didn't realize she held- over my scrawny hide nonetheless. "Aw, that's great. Umbre and I have been working pretty hard on that project Zoey was whining about with Burr earlier, but I think you requested it as well. We also had the spare time while you disappeared to make even more entercards. I feel as if we could make these into a ton of armor or something if we needed it- not that we do; don't touch our cards, dear."

"Espa, weren't you going to show her the cards? Try to explain them some or another?" Umbre's deep, scarlet orbs don't move from the pile of shimmering, symmetrically-crafted medals as he mumbles into his work. Espa's violet, forked tail flicks at his midnight face teasingly in response as she turns back into her piles, seeming to sift through for an item I couldn't tell of.

Suddenly, a gasp fills the air. Espa's lavender fur pushes into the pile of cards and emerges with her teeth securely -and not violently- over a pure white entercard. The edges hold tinged by light blue. Gesturing furiously to the metal in her maw, Espa glares at her mate to explain for her.

Giggling, he does. "So... we have to make entercards by using memories. Like... we don't really know much about Mount Killeona but it's... got a volcano, and Munaah, and... uh... deserts, and the Bitter Springs are all around it, so we kind of combined those memories around to make something... accessible," goes his shimmery, mystifying tone that wraps about me warmly, snugly.

"So, uh..." With the card securely forced into her flickering tail, dancing back and forth like a fire, Espa continues on her own speech as Umbre's eyes skirt back for his inadequate pile of misshapen cards, seeming to mumble about an accident. "So we were trying to find words that could combine and make a pretty, er, stellar portal for us to the Great Glacier. But not really that- more like some distant entrance into the Glacier, well, Palace, where we heard all that crazy junk was going on... ugh, I can't believe I just used the term 'crazy junk.' Excuse my flustered diction. Well, besides that... yes, we're searching for an entrance to the Glacier Palace we can use- all of us. I'm pretty sure most everyone will be needed this time around. I don't care what Quagsire thought could happen without the proper observance, and I'm sure he agrees: this is... important." Without further ado, Espa's lilac paws filter through her otherworldly stack of entercards and places the quartet needed for transportation into my outstretched little fingers.

The first one catching my eye is a large, light blue palace floating in the sky. There are specks of yellow at the top. The card has a dark blue background, as if the sky is angry. The background also contains light blue and yellow sparkles colliding and tearing of into smaller pieces. Kind of like... the Hope and the Hate, I guess. None of us know what Hope actually looks like up there, just that it's left us as well. I flip past the first one to search out the next's contents.

This card is also square. What takes up most of the space shows a large, shimmering eye mixed into a deep auburn that morphs into a brighter, lighter purple. The eye's surrounded by white, fluffy fur and a ring of yellow. How... unique...

Flipping that one back, I search out the one after, immediately recognizing it as the card Espa had pointed out to me. The background is that light teal, which melts into the foreground of Stella's pure white, silky, long fur. The top of her head has those semi-bangs that cover her ears and usually the end of her iris, and the small card displays this well. Her muzzle points out into the background, her snow white nose almost cutting through the card itself. I also note that her light purple eyes aren't closed, but open to slits. Stella looks concentrated upon something outside of the her concentration could be used on honestly could be anything. One simply doesn't know with Stella.

Finally, I flip over the final card entrusted with the strength to take us all to the Great Glacier. Surprisingly, this entercard isn't the standard cube but an oval instead. I notice links on the edged that allow it to connect, though. This image is one of a kind: Stella and myself, if I'm not mistaken... The white being is facing out towards the world with a snarl on her gaze as a small, grassy, scaled creature hides behind her back leg: quivering in fear. I struggle to not slip into that flashback upon my meeting of Stella while staring at the work of art. Then on the edges: gentle outlines in an odd gold.

I clench the card with my scaly fingers, attempting to not show my longing to see her again. How badly I yearn to find a large hill and cry from the top for her to return. Stella. My closest friend. Sometimes my nanny. Now my companion. My support. My pal. My Ally.

My Stella.

My fluffy, white... my fluffy one.

And again: my Stella.

Finally I look up from the oval containing such precious memories. The first things I utter are, "You didn't make this one..."

Espa's scruffy fur shivers as the espeon quickly nods. "She gave it to us," she responds. "Back when Umbre and I were working on the original Great Glacier cards, Stella gave us this. She didn't say why. I've narrowed it down to 'I'm sorry I led Purrple and Toxic to you while running from insanity' or 'Hey, I have one of those card thingies. But I don't use it'. But then again, Umbre's the one who suggested tho-"

"I dunno, they're pretty great."

"Keep on dreaming, dear." But she tosses him an affectionate glance; different beams rise onto their faces.

After this, I reluctantly hand the card back, along with the others Espa allowed me to see. "These feel right," I murmur. "I was trusting to see some of the others before we have to leave... um, good luck." I give a bobbling nod and move on, finally able to escape the wretched forestry I doubt my conscience will ever feel safe within. Those branches reach out with cold, knobby fingertips that seem to beg for me to waltz in, allow them to choke me out of breath... out of any sort of life... I feel myself shaking in such notion.

Whatever happens, I have to find Mary. As of prior, when my head still ached something thunderous, the swanna swam into view. And I haven't seen her for quite a time... the kind, cool, collected, calm, white-feathered practical angel of our group that started the entire "indubitably" joke Paradise tosses around playfully.

I sigh, leaning my head over to stare at my reflection through the water. My auburn eyes shine dull from exhaustion. There's still a thin scar from where some insane friend accidentally hit me. The scales on my body aren't much the luster they used to be before Lady Munaah ripped into my life. But... my lips upturn into a little smile with the shimmering memory locked in my brain, that I have friends, great pokemon all about me who mean something to me, who I mean something to. They attach to me and I stick to them, and I don't want it to be any other way.

And Elijah...

and-

"Llana!"

There she is, gently seawater accent turning in my ears. "Do you feel any better? Please please please please feel better, Llana! Please please please!"

"I think I'm better. But don't count on much until..." Her bright blue eyes match with mine, and she offers a lustrous little grin that infectiously scours upon me.

"The Glacier." The frosty word comes from her softly quaking tone. Zoey shakes off the fear and continues. "But that's okay. You and Elijah seem content~ I've been busy meeting up with everyone again. Told them about you. They've shared some happy thoughts... so that's good."

I decide to take a chance and glance down at Zoey's white face with small, black dimples on the sides, a rock-like muddy brown nose, those striking, oval-shaped, river blue eyes, and the long, dark blue ears falling to her chest. "I was just checking on everything... bags are full, entercards in check, Elijah's, um, doing well..." She giggles at the notion.

"Yeah, you better be! I'm totally not letting it go because I really really think you guys are the cutest. Ah, so cuuuuutee~" She giggles once more, eyes only shimmering ever the brighter, like little stars calling out to me, showing me home. "I don't know: I don't like you and Tim, and I really don't agree with Tim, but Burr's great, and seeing you all snugged with Elijah's real cute. Real..." A quick gleam shines by. "...stellar!"

"Your giggling has to be one of the most precious sounds I've ever heard."

Again, Zoey doubles over in her soft, childish, naïve laughter. "Why thank ya, Llana. Okay, but if we add some more seriousness and stuff to the mix... I've contacted everyone. Espa and Umbre decided we'll leave next sunrise. So... uh... really soon. What do you wanna do? I mean, the day's flying by, but that's okay. I wanna do something with you, Llana."

My head turns up and about to face the blue atmosphere above, humming with the energy of the Sweethot. An apology bubbles in me for Cheeka every time I think of Sweethot instead of Hope, but Stella's the one that came up with that name... Stella. And she's... she's Stella, my Stella. So I feel obliged to follow the fluffy one's example.

And up there, a great eye of bright yellow sunlight sparkles as it sinks into a patch of clouds, only aiming further for the ground. Quite true, as Zoey told me, the day has been passing on swiftly, like it can't wait for what tomorrow will bring.

"Oh, uh." I realize Zoey's gaze continues to dance teasingly upon me. "I wanted to visit Mary. It's been a while since I've seen her -and Quagsire- with everything that's happened... and I'm quite sure she and him will choose to stay here when we go off... and I... I..."

"Aw, you miss her." The young oshawott gifts another little grin. "C'mon, little Llana, let's go find her then." She's mellowed considerably, after hearing that... I think Zoey misses the kind, elegant swanna as well, alongside Quagsire himself, the floppy, blue-colored friend who coordinated our wasteland before it bloomed.

So we move on with strong, determination-running feet that carry us together through the link between our small, stubby fingers as we go on. We go on, through the long, browned, heavily-trod pathway leading us into the heart of broken, blackened Post Town, that we can only hope and sweethot and cross our locked fingers that their hearts will heal- their hearts will heal as the Glacier Palace shall once we crack it open, purge it of Bittercold, of darkness and Hate. Upon entering the wide open doors, flapping like her wings and beckoning us in, our eyes fall on the just-as-bright, just-as-cheery, just-as-shining and happy swanna as we'd known before.

Though her winged appearance stands briskly in front of what must be a hungry customer, any thought of business whisks out of her beautiful, clear orbs in the sight of our filthy little bodies. "Dearies! Llana; Zoey; oh, it's been far too long, my dearies!" She calls to us like children, watching and smiling through her petal-like blue beak and drawing us toward her with wide and open white wings, just like the doors, taking us in like the children she acts us as.

Soon, a floppy, blue body joins her as well, a wide smile spanning over the copse of his expression as well: happy in unison that we've returned, and that we know what has to be ahead and we're ready.

We're all ready.

…...

A cool breeze flows through the steady entrance to the large, brown shop, the feeling of winter upon. Dark green strips of grass crack under pokemon toes. The still-dark sky betrays how early in the morning it is. In the center of the high-up clearing, a certain duo of felines stand, like the leaders of the gang.

"You ready?" Espa mutters under her breath, a pair of the metal entercards stuffed within her maw. Her purple eyes glint of excitement nonetheless.

"'Course," her partner murmurs in his whimsical, enticing tone. Umbre shakes himself, black strips of fur sticking up in places. The mates carefully lay the yearning quartet of entercards begging to be placed together again on the stiff grass. In a flurry of purple and black paws, the cards are shuffled into place. Click, click, click- leaving the small, egg-shaped one untouched. Cautiously, the short-furred, light lavender paw pushes the piece to the ones already joined, and a satisfying final click emits from the cards. A humming noise fills the pokemon-stuffed clearing when a blinding white light strikes out. A large circle of swirling light blue and white forms at the bottom. All of a sudden, a spark of light lavender fills the circle. Only one.

I stare as Umbre looks straight at me, worry flecked in his gaze. Yet looking at the random strike of very tinted purple gives me looks like Stella's eye color.

So once Espa and Umbre vanish, I slowly nod to the side at a water mammal. "We can go now," I murmur, but she's already yanked my arm and pulled me in the flash of light. Behind, I feel and hear the rustles of uneasiness through the others behind me, but I only look back to offer a clear smile. My eyes lock with the dark orbs of a yellow-furred, oddly-acquainted creature before we vanish into the light.

A sharp burst of adrenaline courses within me. We're going to save Stella. We'll find her; we'll find Cheeka; we'll find Ember; we'll even find the K character. I squeeze the wet hand next to me as our bodies start t teleport. That's when it happens: I hear her.

Llana, be ready. The final battle is not what you think... this won't be your last one. I know it because I've heard a someone talking. Lady Munaah's special helper has a few tricks up her sleeve. She has he power of the darkness by her side, along with the Bittercold... We can do this. But listen up, for I have a plan...

Me: So stellar.

Stella: These puns make me want to choke myself.

Me: That's not necessarily good.

Stella: Eh. I'm immortal. Even if I could choke myself to death... I wouldn't, uh, like die.

Me: Mmmmm-hmmmm.

Stella: -eyeroll-