Hello readers! Recently I got a review (ask? I don't remember) from a new reader that asked how Lilly was able to understand her Pokémon. As all of you who have read this far know, she has a peculiar bond with Arceus, who has essentially been with her since birth. I don't think I explicitly said this in the fic, but props to you all for just going with it. I guess that's just how fics work!

I have an explanation for this, but it's very meta (I think that's the right word) and as it hasn't really been explained to Lilly yet, I figured it was ok that you guys also don't understand. But in the future, I can type out a "prologue" if you do want an explanation! This becomes ESPECIALLY relevant in this chapter so I thought I'd just say it before you read.

Enjoy!


Chapter 32

There was a sudden burst of light, so bright that I could not see anything for a moment.

As my eyes adjusted and I looked around, I was bewildered by the drastic change in scene from the metal room. Wherever I was at the moment, there did not appear to be any walls, nor were there any shadows. Even when I looked at the ground under my feet, no darkness existed. Though it was perfectly quiet here, the air seemed to hum with energy, just like it had in the cave in Cerulean.

What is this place?

As I took a few steps forward, flecks of other colors came into view against the white. A few steps in one direction and I could see shades of blue and green. I started walking in circles and reds and oranges appeared as well. Watching the colors interact together was breathtaking, and for a moment I was mystified rather than afraid.

"Oh, you finally—!"

"Ack!"

I jumped, startled by the voice.

"Who's there?" I asked, looking around for the speaker.

A giggle, then it called out, "Behind you!"

I turned around again, but nobody was there.

"Is this a dream?" I muttered to myself, pinching my cheeks in an effort to wake up.

"No really, I'm here!" the voice sighed in disappointment, "You just can't see me."

After hearing her for the third time, I realized that the voice most likely belonged to a young girl.

"Why can't I see you?" I asked, not understanding what was going on.

"I dunno. I think it's because we've never met," she guessed, "but . . . I've been here for a while. And I'm gonna help you escape!"

"You?" I asked, bewildered, "How'd you even know I was trapped?"

"I told you, I've been here for a while," she repeated calmly.

"What do you mean? Isn't this just a dream?"

"No, not at all," the voice said in reply.

"Then, what is—"

"It was nice to finally meet you!" she called out suddenly, "You can do this!"

"Hey, wait—"

I was startled awake by somebody shaking me roughly.

"Jeez, you sleep like a rock," a boy's voice said irritably.

I blinked the sleep out of my eyes and saw the thin face of Kyle glowering back at me. I gasped, shocked that I had actually fallen asleep.

"Chow," he grunted, tossing something onto the bed with a clatter.

I sat up and saw that it was a lunch tray with eggs, bacon, potatoes, and even a couple of oran berries. He even remembered to include utensils.

"What time . . . how long has it been?" I asked, looking around in mild panic.

"Do I look like a clock? I wasn't keeping track," Kyle answered, rolling his eyes.

"You don't even have a watch?" I asked desperately.

"Don't ask me questions, just eat!"

Although I probably needed food, I was too unsettled by the strange dream I had to eat. I ignored the tray sitting on the bed and said to him, "I'm not hungry right now."

"What? Be grateful that the Boss is feeding you, prisoner!" he leered.

"I'm tired of you telling me to be grateful for things I didn't ask for!" I shot back, "I'll be grateful when Giovanni finally disbands Team Rocket, like he said he was going to!"

This was not what the boy wanted to hear. He grabbed the fork, stuck a piece of potato on it, and held it in my face.

"Eat the damn food!" he exploded finally, "I didn't bring it all the way here for nothing!"

"Stop swearing at me, we're practically the same age!"

I shoved the tray of food toward him and turned away.

"You eat it. Maybe it'll put some meat on those bones of yours."

I felt his glare on the back of my head, but he took the tray with him as he left the room. After I heard the door close again, I folded my arms across my chest and got out of the bed.

"Was that a dream? Or a vision?" I asked myself, scratching my head in confusion.

Visions came much less frequently than dreams. In fact, aside from my most recent one, the last vision I had was back when I lived in Hoenn. I considered the two for a moment before deciding that it could not have been a vision after all, as I was not touching anything at the time. My visions happen when I make contact with something, or someone, that is in the vision itself. The one from the day that the Rockets came was an anomaly; at that time, I was not touching anything except the kitchen phone.

And that invisible girl said she would help me escape, who was she? Did I know her? I tried to think about whether I knew that voice from anywhere, but it was the first time I had ever heard it.

"I don't have time for this," I sighed in frustration, sitting down on the bed again, "it was just a dream, after all. I have to get myself out of this mess."

I knew the first thing I had to do was escape from that room, but I ignored that step for the time being and tried to think of what I would do once I was out. Would I have to figure out how leave the hideout myself? Did anybody even know I was missing yet? What have my Pokémon been doing all this time?

They must know something is up by now . . . right?

I thought of Ash, too. Did he know I was missing yet?

The more I considered what could go wrong if he or my team showed up at the hideout, the more certain I was that I had to leave before anybody back home knew I was gone. If Ash or my Pokémon came, they would probably just be captured, too.

Guilt rose inside me at the thought of leaving them in my bag with no explanation. But it did not compare to the guilt I felt for hurting Mewtwo with the lie I told. I felt myself become nauseous just remembering the look on his face when I came down the stairs, how he pinned me against the wall and screamed at me in fury with his eyes flashing blue. I had never seen him that angry before. Even during our first battle when he tried to eliminate me and my Pokémon, he was more composed.

The skin on my throat prickled where he held the glass to it.

"It was for his own good!" I yelled for the sake of hearing myself, "And besides, they'll never find him now."

I flung myself down into a corner of the room and curled into a ball, trying to calm myself down.

"But . . . why?"

I sniffed and wiped the tears that were starting to slide down my face again.

"Why did things have to end up like this?" I whispered to my knees.

My word, when will you cease wallowing in self-pity? You look pathetic.

I gasped when I heard Arceus' voice.

"Arceus?" I whispered, looking around the room as if he would be standing there, "Is that you?"

Why are we still here? You have made your way through these places before, yes?

"Yeah, but I had Pokémon then."

You are without your Pokémon?

It sounded less than pleased.

"But it's okay, because now you're here," I said, excitement brimming in my voice, "we'll be out in no time if you give me the power to bust down the door! Or even teleport home!"

Communicating with you alone takes a lot of energy that I cannot be wasting. Secondly, do you want to reveal our true nature to those who have the power to destroy us? Don't be ridiculous.

That response completely snuffed out whatever hope I had of leaving on my own.

"I hope people don't actually pray to you, you're just as useless as I am right now!" I muttered under my breath.

You don't mean that. I am doing what is in our best interest.

"But what am I supposed to do?!" I cried out in frustration, "I'm locked in this room all by myself!"

You are not alone.

"Well, you're certainly not going to help me," I huffed, "Am I supposed to make friends with one of the Rockets?"

He did not answer me after I asked that question. I groaned and put my back against the wall, asking again, "You're really not going to help me out here at all?"

Suddenly, there was a strange weight in the air, and a much higher voice repeated:

You're not alone.

". . . Arceus?" I asked nervously, getting to my feet.

There was no response. Before I could call for Arceus again, my chest started glowing faintly. I looked down and realized it was my Opal. Mystified, I held it up to my face. The light radiating from it was dim, but it was quite beautiful.

Not a moment passed before my vision grew blurry.

"No, not again," I groaned, stumbling toward the bed.

Everything went black, and the flash of white started the vision.

I was flying at a speed I had never flown before, my eyes carefully scanning the vast mountain ridge in front of me. I was searching for . . .

Ah, now I hear it.

I flew ahead at an even quicker pace. I found what I was looking for just around the other side of the ridge, a mighty waterfall. It came over the cliff's edge swiftly and pummeled the rocks below, along with anyone foolish enough to get close enough to it. After surveying the area one last time, everything around me turned purple. The pounding water was deafening as I passed through, but I was somehow unscathed. Once I was inside the purple vanished, and I quickly moved deeper and deeper into the cavern. Several hundred yards later, there was a single Rocket grunt with a large weapon standing at the end of the cave.

I need to get past him without alerting anybody, but . . . how?

Suddenly, a rock hurled itself from the face of the wall to the other wall. The guard jumped in surprise and shot at it. A second one was moved in front of another part of the wall. The guard shot at that one as well, but the rock moved again, and his bullets hit the wall instead. The wall where the bullets landed sparked and explode, sending up a plume of smoke. The guard began shouting some very bad words, glancing around fearfully and re-loading his gun.

Before I could think of what to do next, the man was tossed to the side like a ragdoll. He hit his head on the wall and fell silent. I alighted on the ground. Still looking about furtively for anybody who might have seen what had just happened, I used my power to open the hidden door that no longer worked correctly.

As soon as the door opened, the scream went dark.

I was still standing on my feet when I could see the room again, but I quickly became lightheaded and had to grab the bed for support. I touched my hair with my free hand, half expecting it to be windblown from how fast I seemed to be moving. Until that moment, I had never experienced a vision from anyone else's eyes but my own.

What was that about?

There was no doubt in my mind that it was a Pokémon's perspective, no human trainer could move that smoothly while riding on top of a Pokémon. Though I did not catch a glimpse of the Pokémon itself, I knew I had seen everything turn purple like that somewhere before. And it flew through that waterfall like it was nothing, which meant that it was either a powerful Flying/Water Type combination, or it was able to . . .

I pounded my fist into my palm.

"Of course, it protected itself with a shield!"

But when I tried to think of all the Pokémon who could protect themselves like that, the only one that came to mind was . . .

No, it couldn't have been him.

I shook my head at the thought. He was no coward, but Mewtwo would never do something as reckless as entering a Team Rocket hideout for any reason.

As I was deep in thought, I noticed that there was a strange light pouring into the room. I looked toward the entrance and gasped in surprise: the door to my cell was open.

"Hello?" I asked nervously, taking a step back.

There was no response. Whoever opened the door was no longer standing there.

I finally noticed the light of my Opal, which was still glowing faintly on my chest. I wrapped one of my hands around the gem, reassured by its warmth as I looked out into the hallway once more.

"Did you . . . or . . . did I—"

It's now or never, Arceus' voice sounded inside my head again, impatient as ever.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, trying to put those questions out of my head for now.

"Okay, here we go," I said in reply, moving toward the doorway.