For many, death is the worst fate to encounter.

This is a valid thought. If you die, you are no more. Your influence on the world ends. Truthfully it's a horrible fate to meet, to be dead. Eventually you will be forgotten, and any trace you left will be gone forever. There's nothing that could be done about it.

But a far, far worse fate is to lose your memory. To forget your identity entirely. Because it's another kind of death. You lose yourself. And you never even know that you've died. And then, when your body fails and death claims you, you die a second time.

And an even worse fate is to continually lose your memory. To die every day of your life as you forget yourself day after day. The most tragic part of such a fate is that you will never know what you have forgotten. You could have the most wonderful day of your life, but the very next day it is gone. Forgotten forever.

Truly, it is a fate worse than death.

He was drifting in darkness.

That in itself would be strange, if the oddity hadn't worn off already. Now he assumed it was normal. It felt normal. Did everyone do this? He didn't know.

But now he could hear voices. They were vaguely familiar, but he didn't know names or faces. Why would he? He didn't know anyone.

"Is he dying?" This voice was worried, and blatantly so in its worry. Why was she worried?

"I'll ask the professor. One second." The tinkly voice paused. "She says… not right now. That… could change."

"What do we care? We could just leave then." This voice was gruff and dismissive. He decided that he didn't like this one.

"Bastion. Stop." And this one was metallic, but feminine. It was strict, but not harsh. He felt as though he knew this one. Who was she?

"Why should I? I'm just speaking the truth."

"Shut up before I shut you up, you little bottomfeeder," The tinkly voice threatened.

"Yeah, as if you would. You're just a gay little- URK!"

"Thank you, Crai." The metallic voice said, sighing.

"That's no issue. I just wish I could use my abilities to help Finn…"

And he faded back into darkness. Who was Finn? Why did they want to help him? He didn't know. Who were they, anyways? They sounded… familiar. But… he didn't know anyone. The metallic one especially caused him to feel pangs of recognition, but at the same time he couldn't remember anything.

Who was the tinkly voice? It sounded like chimes in the wind, but at the same time like someone talking. The sing-song tune to the voice was also something that he felt should have meant something, but it just… didn't.

The dismissive one, he was mean. He was… cruel.

The first one to speak had been so worried…

But as the darkness surrounded him, he let go of his thoughts. They weren't needed. Nothing was. It was just the darkness. Darkness everywhere.

Sometime later, he wasn't sure when because of the timelessness of the darkness, he began to hear another voice One completely different from the others. It, no, she was soft. Soothing. Loving.

And she was singing.

He didn't know any words, but he did hear her singing. It was beautiful. Ethereal. Haunting. She was so, so sad.

After a while, she cut herself off, and someone else spoke. The tinkly guy. "Belle, what're you doing in here?"

"…Watching him."

"He's stable. Come on, you need to eat."

"You can bring it to me."

"Belle-,"

"I do not ask for much, Crai, but I would like to stay with Finn."

"Alright then…"

And darkness resumed.

The singing had been beautiful, but it was replaced by silence now. Silence and darkness.

He found himself longing to hear the singing again.

Another indefinite period passed, and two more female voices were speaking.

"…What's his machamp doing in here?"

"She won't leave his side. Just let her be."

"Well, Torina. What happened this time?"

"According to his gardevoir, he's been taking his medicine consistently on time. Apparently it's progressing into stage two."

The first woman sighed. "I'm worried about him, Tori."

"I know."

"So tell me, what comes with the second stage?"

"Memory loss, more frequent blackouts, difficulty breathing, and the medicine loses most, if not all, effect. He'll also be in a comatose state for far, far longer, maybe permanently. And all the pigments in the hair lose color, but that one is more of an indicator than a symptom."

"And there's nothing we can do?"

"Nothing…"

And the darkness returned again, blotting out the sound.

Memory loss? Was that why he couldn't remember anything? It would explain that. But who was he? He didn't know. That was terrifying.

"…human forms. His mind might not be ready for something that looks as alien as, well, us."

"Wake up."

A voice echoed through his skull. This wasn't one of the voices he had heard earlier. Not any of them. It was more… ancient. More powerful. More… dark.

"I hope this works, Crai."

"For the love of Arceus, don't make me use the Voice."

It wasn't ringing any bells. What was it saying? Something about a voice? What kind of voice?

"I can sense his mind becoming more active. He should be susceptible soon."

"Zekrom's gonna kill me for this. He already hates me. [Wake up.]"

He felt his mind rising from the darkness, but he still couldn't see the light. Why was it so dark? Why? It hurt. Everything hurt. Why did it hurt now? It hadn't hurt before, when he was in absolute darkness, but the closer he got to the light, the more it hurt. The more his body told him it was in distress. The more agonizing it was.

It wasn't just physical pain, either. He felt like his heart was going to tear itself apart. His brain hurt.

But after an indefinite period of pain, suddenly he was standing.

It was a simple grassy field. Flowers were all over the place, just simple white daisies. The sky was blue, but there was no sign of the sun or any clouds. A slight breeze blew through, keeping him from growing warm. All things considered, it was preferable to the darkness by a major degree.

"Thank Arceus. I finally managed to make a connection."

He looked around, eventually spotting a young man in a white robe. The young man had green hair and red eyes, but he looked friendly enough. He raised a hand and waved. "Hi."

"Finn, are you okay?" The young man walked forwards, eyes wide.

"Finn?" he shook his head. "Who's Finn? Is that me?"

"Y-you don't remember?" The young man blinked. "You don't remember your name? How about my name. I'm Craitarot."

After a moment of thought, he shook his head. "No. I don't remember anything."

Another person appeared. No fanfare, just appearing out of nothing. She was tall and muscular, but still beautiful. She had blue-grey hair, which wasn't normally a hair color, but she made it look amazing. She stepped forwards, her red eyes concerned. "Finn?"

He found himself blinking. "You're pretty."

The young woman blushed, too flustered to say anything else.

Craitarot looked at her for a moment, then looked back at him. "Do you remember her name? You saved her from being chased and imprisoned."

He shook his head. "No. I don't remember." He paused for a moment. "You said my name was Finn?"

"Yes. Your name is Finnegan Ferris. You're the son of the steel type gym leader and a world famous Pokemon breeder. Your first ever Pokemon was a riolu named Sparks. Your right arm was paralyzed from birth, but it recovered when your honedge – who has since evolved into a doublade – wrapped her sash around your arm." Craitarot was talking faster and faster as he continued. "please, please tell me you remember."

He – he decided his name was actually Finn, if this person was so insistent – shook his head. "I don't remember any of it."

The woman came forwards again. "Finn, do you remember when you fought Cyril? When you raided that Plasma base?" Her voice became quieter. "When you named me?"

"I-I don't…" Finn – if that was actually his name – shook his head again. "I don't know."

"Please, Finn." The woman stepped closer, her eyes damp. "My name is Belle. Does that remind you of anything?"

"Um. I. I. I don't know." Finn scratched the back of his head. Something was wrong. Something was terribly, terribly wrong.

Then a third person appeared, an ethereal, ageless woman. Her eyes were purple, with vertical slits as pupils. Her hair was a different shade of purple, and was long and smooth. She was clad in a simple and modest outfit, but her arms were toned and fit. She walked forwards and placed her hands on the sides of Finn's head. "Finn. This is going to hurt."

"What's going to hurt?" Finn asked, confused. Why was she touching him? Who was this woman?

The woman blinked. In a second, her eyes were nothing but gaping holes, windows into a void. "I'm sorry, but we need you back. I need you back."

And then his mind was filled with pain. Agony filled his body. Letting out a scream, Finn threw his head back as memories shot across the inside of his skull.

Athena. Nyx. Jitters. Belle. Bastion. Crai. Adaptability. Wit. Patience. Intellect. Determination. Humility.

All of these words rushed through his brain, leaving streaks of memory as they seared into his consciousness. Memories of victories and defeats. Emotions, love, rage, and pain. Belle's torment as she fought against the ones who made her into who she was. Nyx's elation at flight, carrying him into the sky. Jitters happily nuzzling him after evolution, his twitch gone. Bastion's mad laughter as he jumped around the battlefield, taking more hits than he dealt. Crai, tears running down his face as he confessed his emotions and how they hurt him so.

And Athena. Who had been through everything with him. Who shared his mind. He knew this, because all at once she had given it back to him.

As the pain overwhelmed him, Finn could hear Belle screaming.

Waking up from a long period of sleep always left a really nasty taste in Finn's mouth.

The comas that he experienced from his condition were no different, really. The only notable thing he could tell was that, after a coma, he had a little bit more difficulty waking up.

Not this time, though. Something about what Athena had done to him led to him being fully awake.

What was it that she had even done?

Finn sat up, looking down at himself. He was on a bed. A vaguely familiar bed. His left leg was in a cast, and a wiggle confirmed that the cast was on extremely tight. His right leg was fine. Covered in scar tissue, but fine. A glance at his right arm, though, was mildly terrifying. The winding honedge sash scar on his forearm was glowing a faint purple. That was not normal.

But it didn't tingle, or anything. His right arm was perfectly fine. Heck, it was more muscular than his left. The rest of his body had atrophied a bit, but his right arm was still in peak physical condition.

Lifting his gaze, Finn looked around the room.

Now he remembered where this was. In fact, he had been here just after he started out. This room was the same room where he had been taken after a blackout. Which meant that he was at Professor Aspen's lab.

Finn's gaze settled on a form that sat slumped in a chair. Belle had pulled the chair across the room to sit as close to the sickbed as possible, and was now slumped over asleep. It was sweet, the way she was concerned for him.

He lay back, closing his eyes. Already the whispers and words from his dreams were fading. He had already forgotten most of it. It didn't seem to matter, anyways.

A rustle of movement caused Finn to open his eyes and glance to the side. Belle was stirring, stretching her arms and blinking her eyes. As she woke up, Finn smiled. "Hi Belle. What'd I miss?"

Immediately Belle was awake and alert. "Finn! You're awake!"

And she was reaching out, lifting him off of the bed and pulling him into an odd cradling hold/hug. Finn chuckled. "I'm fine, but you should probably put me back down."

"Oh, right." Belle gently set him back on the bed. She hesitated for a moment before speaking again. "We were worried about you, Finn. I was worried about you."

"Don't be. If you worry, you'll only suffer," Finn muttered, more to himself than to Belle. Shaking his head, he looked her in the eyes. "Belle, I want you to know that I'm not leaving you until the world is safe."

"And what then…?" Belle whispered.

Before Finn could answer, the door to the room opened and Crai walked in with Athena close behind. Athena's eyes no longer held fragments of purple crystal, but neither did they hold anything else. It was mildly unsettling, looking at the abyssal voids where her eyes used to be.

Athena quickly floated over to him, resting her sashes on his right arm. She didn't have to say anything, because he already knew what she would say. She was using his eyes. She was part of him, and he was part of her. He was gradually becoming more phantasmal, while she became more and more human over time.

Crai, though, did speak. His eyes were wide as he looked at Finn. "Finn, by Arceus. You're awake."

"That I am." Finn nodded.

"I need to get the others." Crai quickly turned and sped off, floating just above the ground.

Just seconds later, Jitters came scuttling into the room via the ceiling. With a bound, he hurtled from the ceiling to land on Finn's bed. Each of his legs was planted to Finn's sides, but he lowered himself so that his head was resting on Finn's chest and immediately started to chitter.

"Hey Jitters. I missed you too, buddy." Finn scratched the back of the spider's head, chuckling softly.

Soon after, Nyx came in the door, moving as fast as she could and carrying Bastion in her arms. The mareanie didn't seem to be happy to be held, which was probably why Nyx quickly set him down and hopped over to Finn. She simply rested a claw on his arm, smiling at him.

Crai returned to the room with Professor Aspen in tow. Aspen gasped when she spotted Finn, walking over to him. "Finn, you're awake!"

"I've heard that rather a lot in the past minute or so," Finn said with a laugh. "I've been asking what I missed, but I haven't gotten any answers."

"Finn, you were out for nearly a month. A whole lot has happened," Aspen replied gravely.

Finn felt his blood grow cold. A month? That was the absolute longest time he had ever been out. It would explain the IV drip in his arm, though, as well as the various other hospital paraphernalia that was set near his bed. "Start from the beginning. How'd I get here?"

"That young man, N, brought you in. He had the help of a massive black dragon, but the dragon flew off as soon as you arrived." Aspen paused. "Finn you were nearly dead."

"I figured as much, felt like I was dying." Finn shook his head. "Continue, please."

"N's dragon carried your machamp as well, and she was the one who carried you in." Aspen shot a thankful glance at Belle, and Finn got the feeling that this had happened more than once. "Craitarot arrived soon after, using his teleportation to bring your doublade with him. The other three didn't arrive until a couple of days later. N stayed with you for a week, acting as an interpreter for your Pokemon when Crai wasn't around, but afterwards he had to leave.

"Your machamp and gardevoir rarely left your side, and your doublade only left the room when I needed her help." Aspen paused again. "Your machamp never left the room. Not once through the whole month."

"I see." Finn glanced at Belle, but she was looking away. He returned his gaze to Aspen. "Did you take a look at my doublade? Her eyes are, well, you can clearly see that they're broken."

"Oh yes, I noticed that. Crai told me what happened to cause that. One of these days I'm going to smack Darrell so hard…" Aspen scowled. "But even though her eyes are broken, she doesn't seem to be blind. She can easily find her way around whenever one of your other Pokémon are around."

"She's blind, alright. She just has other ways of getting around," Finn replied, still mildly confused himself. "Is there anything you can do?"

"Honestly, I didn't know. But I do happen to have an expert on hand, who visited just for you," Aspen answered.

"You do?" Finn asked, having a sneaking suspicion he knew exactly who it was. "And what did they say?"

"Why don't you ask her yourself?" Aspen smiled. She stepped out of the room. "Athena! Finn's awake!"

At that, all of Finn's Pokémon were confused. Crai was the one to voice the question, using his telepathy to ask Aspen as well. "Um, Athena's in here."

"No, actually, I was meaning to eventually tell you about that…" Finn chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his head. "You see…"

"Finnegan, did you name one of your Pokemon after me?" A tall woman walked into the room, her arms crossed. Her hazel eyes locked on Finn.

"Heh, hi Mom…"

A/N:

Of course Finn's not dead. There's still a story left to tell.

Also, meet Finn's mother. You'll find out more about her next chapter.

As always, please leave a review to let me know what you think!

Now read on!