Part 1: The Flux

Chapter 46: Flux Buddies

Hi, this is weird. I'm... some years late over here, but we'll not worry about that.

I don't own Pokémon.


Cruce

I couldn't take my eyes off of these feet. Every time I turned my ankle, all the muscles in that little red paw obeyed and made the motion I was thinking of. My feet were small, but they held me up. Every movement I made felt sticky and squeezed in, especially any slight roll of my neck or twitch of my spine. I had to stay completely still to feel as comfortable as possible, but when I did that, I noticed an itch across the surface of my body. This white and red fur was all over me. It was thin on my chest and paws, thinner on my face, and thick on my tails. Two tails. That was why my spine had no idea what was going on. I had more spine in my tails than my back.

There was also the matter of how screwed this whole situation was. I wanted to cover up and hide, but I was standing out in the open moment, more vulnerable than I'd ever been, frowning and awing all the same at this miserable little body. I felt like a baby. I must've looked like one, too. My cheeks felt huge, my teeth felt huge, my ears and eyes – they felt huge. I put my puny hands against my cheeks and pressed inward, like some measly, hopeless effort to meld my body back into the shape it used to be. My cheeks just... bothered me so much. I hated it. I hated it so much that I felt my ears droop backwards.

But then, something touched against my neck, then against my chin. It was hard, metallic. I sniffed, but that was a mistake, because I could smell things over other things and space them apart. I didn't know what to do. I felt constrained, so my tails started to twitch again. I panicked. I...!

"Relax..." Nirva – no... Vay told me. He put something around my neck. It was shiny and round. I didn't know how he managed to do it without thumbs. I felt the breath from his nose against the back of my head. He was biting down on one end of the strap and fastening it to the other.

When I put my paw up to the object – the bell – it all came together. He was just dressing me with it. Did he know I wanted to protect it? How'd he know that? Just an hour ago, maybe, he was freaking out about the bell.

Oh, of course. I... was like him now. I was a Pokémon. More than that. I must've been Flux. I could think clear enough, though. Maybe I was lucky. Regardless, I gripped the bell with my tiny sharp fingers and looked for Vay. He'd pulled away from me, but he was still standing close, all leaned in. I sank into his eyes, giving off that sparkle of naive concern, like he wanted to take care of me but didn't quite know how to do it.

God, he was so much bigger than me, and now with a large red vine poking out of the back of his neck, poised forward and jagged at its end.

"Can you hold onto that for me?" he asked. I squeezed the bell.

I didn't answer right away. His fiery orange eyes were so wicked and sleek. It was almost like staring into an elaborate painting, where I found myself searching for little details that may or may not have been there. And soon, I began to imagine those details. The way his face seated his eyes, too, was so impermeably perfect, like nothing could go through his confident gaze without mixing in, becoming part of its story. He was standing over me all magnificent and dignified. I couldn't believe that this was the same eevee I'd clung to before.

"Hah," he laughed, noting my stillness. "Your body's confused. I need to get you out of here."

"I..." I mumbled, peeling myself away from his presence. "Why'd I come here to begin with?"

"Shucks if I know, Cruce." he tilted his head, wielding a sinister smirk. "'Cause you're friggin' stupid? Maybe that's why."

"Oh. I... I can be. Yeah." I nodded. Maybe it was a joke, but I thought he was right. It cut me, and it shouldn't have, but it did, and I was very blatantly bleeding out with all the sad drama my face didn't even know how to hide anymore. I think he sensed that, because his ears raised and his face lit up with lament.

"Uh—no! N-no, you're not really – I was just—I just, uhm—no, man, I'm pullin' your chain, you know? Just tryin' to keep your head in the game," he grinned, showing his fangs. "You're not stupid. I'm sorry."

Okay...? Well, I forgave him quickly 'cause of his vague southerly accent.

"It's okay," I nodded again. "How about, I did a stupid thing by coming here?"

"Hey! Me too," he said. I smiled. "And I gotta go do more stupid things. Probably. You don't have to do 'em, too, but I want you to stay close behind me. Got it?"

"Aye aye." I told him.

Without giving much more regard for the elephants in the room, figuratively speaking, Vay took me outdoors. It wasn't outside, but it was sure outdoors. That entryway I'd found myself walking into looked bigger now that I was leaving it, putting one puny foot in front of the other and taking extra caution with each step, leaning myself forward for fear that I could've fallen back at any time. These tails weren't light, and it seemed like Vay knew that much. He walked behind me the whole way. Where were we going, anyway?

The rocky ground beneath my new soft feet felt colder. Of course it felt colder. I didn't have shoes and I didn't think I was ever going to wear shoes again. Armed with that thought, others came with it. I wasn't ever going to do a lot of things again. That much should have been clear to me the moment I saw the first Pokémon – Atti. It should've been glaringly obvious when I stepped outside of the hospital, but now I was... so vulnerable. I was different. Not just my home, but me. I wanted to move in ways that my body didn't appreciate. It was like being in a tight space with your arms tucked into your chest, no way of moving your shoulders, your legs, or your head the way you quite intended.

But it wasn't horrible, and that was – I think – why Vay was happy to see me this way. I sensed it – his happiness, outshining that mindless fear he'd once taken to every occasion with him.

Every footstep made me think all this over and over. I grasped my bell with these little fingers and pressed my chin into it, tucking it further against my neck.

Only some yards out, following the slightly discolored trail from the rest of the terrain, we saw them. Jirachi and her friend Willow were tracking somebody hiding away from the floodlights. I saw those shapes and silhouettes jerk and twitch in the darkness.

"Squiggles?" I said to myself without providing my voice. I didn't want to hear how I sounded.

I caught the attention of Jirachi for a brief second.

"Huh?" she clamored. Her eyes, little shiny dots they may have been, were filled with confusion and desperation. "Zeldster?! I saw you! I heard you! Are you here?! Please, say something!"

"Jirachi, you gotta calm down..." Willow pleaded, but to no avail.

"I can't... I can't! Someone's... something's happening. I don't understand! I don't get it! Why's my head... my... head!?"

Jirachi wasn't well. She threw her small hands over her eyes, her sleeve-like arms covering up the rest of her face.

It wasn't Flux, was it? Was it my bell? Or, was it really just Squiggles messing with her? It didn't seem like Squiggles to mess with someone – at least, not someone like Jirachi. But I didn't know her. I didn't know who she was or... or what she was.

Thankfully, Vay stepped up to try and settle the dust himself. He walked by me and I watched him.

"Get it together, Jira," he commanded. The bass of his voice was much harsher than anything I'd ever heard out of him. "I know who you are now. You're one of us. Listen to me, Jira: It's me, Rinavay. You know me! And... I know you. How we got here, I... I don't think I can explain it right now, but-"

"Rina... vay..." Jirachi chanted, dragging her hands away from her eyes. She spoke beneath her sleeves. "Brother...? A brother...?"

"That's right! That's just it, Jira," Vay commended. "I'm like a brother, remember? And you're like my sister. That's what we always said!"

"But why?" she asked.

"Why? Because that's how it always was!"

"No! Why don't I KNOW you?! I don't KNOW Rinavay! I don't KNOW anything but Squi... b-but Zeldster! I know her! S-say something, Zeldster! Your voice! I n-need to hear your..."

"Squiggles is... scared... :c" the ghostly girl finally spoke. Despite doing so from shadows, her voice was as it was before: omnipresent, entering not only my ears, but my body. "Why Zeldster? I don't have that name anymore. It's not mine. It died. It went away and no one knows it anymore. Why...? :C"

An emotion I've never heard escape her before. She was mournful.

"My arms..." Jirachi whimpered, looking at her frail hands. "I had... a tingle. They're tingling. Why...? I don't understand..."

"That's because you held me in them when I died... : o" said Squiggles.

"What...?" Vay tilted his head, his leafy red ears falling over.

"I did...? With these arms?" she murmured.

"Yeah, and you died, too... Zatchu." the little ghost continued, much to my surprise. Astonishment, even. Was that really...?

"We died...? I... died?"

"That's insane," Willow interrupted, defensive. She lurched around Jirachi, lighting up the vicinity and drawing the dark shapes away. "Jirachi never 'died' – how could she die? I don't want to make this hard on you two, but I think there's still too much we're missing."

"Jirachi is Jirachi," Vay spoke up. "She's a Champion like me, and I'm having her back, so we can finally do something about this Flux. Just like always. You gotta remember your old klutzy bro, right? C'maawwn, I know you're not that dull."

"Champion? Old... bro?" Jirachi turned to Vay.

"Whaaa? D:" Squiggles whined. "Squiggles gets close to finding someone she likes and you ruin it?! Not okay! Not a good thing! Zatchu's mine!"

"That's NOT Zatch! I KNOW where Zatch..." Vay hesitated.

"Yes it is! D: Zatchu right here!"

"My heart... hurts..." Jirachi said quietly.

I must've been the only one to notice Jirachi saying anything, because Vay and Squiggles kept trying to convince each other that she was someone other than Jirachi entirely. I wanted to ask either of them what any of what they were saying meant as far as Zatch's involvement went. After all...

Zatch Hummings? That's someone I know well enough to give high fives whenever I pass by him at school. We never hang out anywhere other than lunch and the occasional party at his place or at Lucia's café, but he's a good dude with a good head on his shoulders, so... how'd it end up here?

Just like me, how COULD he end up like that? L-like... this?

Maybe I could call out to him and wake him up. Would that work?

I looked at Vay, who was growing irritated. Squiggles wasn't on his side.

Squiggles wants Zatch back. I don't really know if Squiggles is important to Zatch – I missed a lot.

But... Vay wants Jirachi. Vay's fighting for Jirachi, whoever that is. If I butt in, I'd only be helping Squiggles. I... I really want both of them on my side, but I can't have that, can I?

"My heart huuurrrts!" Jirachi yelled out. Her arms were at full length in front of her, the little hands open like she was trying to block something from hitting her square in the face.

"What?!" Vay quipped.

"Cut it out! Leave Jirachi alone! It's too much for her..." Willow barked back at the two.

"Well it shouldn't be! I'm not buying that the mythical Jirachi just shows up here for no reason. She's a Champion. Brother brought her here – Jirachi, YOU know who I'm talking about." Vay argued, stepping on ahead and approaching the two girls. Willow flew before Jirachi, protective, but showing little threat to someone as large as Vay.

"If you get too close," Squiggles started, the indication of menacing black shapes hovering above Jirachi, stamped against the distance. "The Squiggles way is gonna get YOU instead! :C"

"This doesn't have to be hard. When it's hard, it's not usually me havin' the hard time. Get what I'm saying?" Vay warned.

His strides became slower and smaller, achieving a more mischievous poise than before. He didn't want to hurt anybody. I saw it in every gesture he made – somehow, I could read him clearly, like his senses were words, and every thought he had flowed out of him like sticky... water? I drank it up. It must've been something about my new body that let me do this.

Not to mention, the flow of feelings leaving Jirachi was out of control. She was so locked down with confusion that I could feel it affecting me. It almost hurt, right around my heart. The pain was familiar and exotic. I'd never felt it before, but I was certain that it'd been explained to me.

Had it?

It's like...

"Get back! Please...! I-I can't fight you. I don't know how to...!" Willow begged, her body visibly waning in light. She looked to her left and to her right, backing down from her self-sworn duty of protecting Jirachi. With someone like Vay coming at her, I could understand.

"Don't you make ANY more steps! D: STOP IT!" Squiggles shouted. It was deafening, a sound like a banshee shrieking through your ears.

Yet, Vay kept moving. He was fearless. A large red vine removed itself from the back of his neck via a slit somewhere beneath a fold of black, moist leaves. The end of the vine bore a terrible silver thorn dripping with the same fluid that collected beneath my eyes – this itchy stuff I could do nothing about.

"'Scuse me." Vay simply told the little fire fairy, throwing his vine at her as if to whip, though merely coiling around her and tossing her aside harmlessly. She squealed, all the light she provided following her into a darker area. Vay would have moved on...

...but he didn't make another step after what happened next.

"It won't stop! It hurts... EVERYWHERE!" Jirachi screamed.

The manic girl flailed, yellow bands straightening while she herself flew a few feet higher. She reached out, both arms pointed away from her. The small shape at the center of her chest opened up to reveal a big yellow eye, its pupil dilated and shaking.

"Why does it hurt?! Why can't I REMEMBER?!" she kept on screaming. The eyelid at her belly opened wider until there was very apparent stress, red veins shining through.

That eye...

It's speaking... Right. I can hear eyes now.

What's it saying? It's so hard to make out.

"I am burning."

Burning...?

Another twinge of pain – of ripping – happened within me. My heart took it.

A burst of bright lights and droplets of unspeakable liquid became Jirachi's eye, a shape violently presenting itself from the upheaval. From the organ on her chest came a cross, the object shooting from her. She blared out, a sound so horrible that it made the previous ghostly threat seem trivial.

The cross oriented itself high, Jirachi's arms instinctively raising above her head as the bright lights and liquid poured from her chest, streaks of the stuff warping around her, going from black to white and back again. That cross in both her hands had blades, jagged and toothy, black as the Down's depths, pulsing with vice and rancorous emotion. It was such a sudden expulsion that I hadn't the right mind to make sense of what it was this cross meant.

No. I had it now.

There was no mistaking it.

That's... a Crossblade.

That's a Crossblade!

"Vay! Get away from-" I tried. I tried, but I couldn't.

Jirachi's movements were so erratic that I could hear them, the wooshing and putrid squishing of the bizarre, suspended liquids compromised by these movements. The first move was a crazed vertical swipe of her Cross cutting clean through Vay's red vine. The swing was so quick that it took Vay a moment to react to the shift in weight, and then the pain settled in. He gasped loudly, watching a segment of his retractable appendage flop to the ground, half curled, bleeding its blackness from both ends.

Jirachi wasn't finished. After her swipe, she turned and swung again, lifting herself through the action. The end result was a diagonal sweep upwards, a luminous trail following her Cross' motions, making it appear much longer in reach than its physical length. She was attacking Squiggles' own ghoulish tendrils now, the light from the blade enough to deter her. Yet, Jirachi went for the most damage she could achieve, going as far as connecting the blade with the ghost's body, if that – but it had to be felt by Squiggles, because she shrieked, and it wasn't out of anger. This one was out of fear, her tendrils showing up momentarily, only to turn to dust a second later.

"Jira...!" Vay called for her, lost for words. He began backing away, as if finally scared. I watched him stare at his amputated vine, ears low. He looked back at me once.

I... What do I do?! How did...?! A Crossblade?! How?!

Well I had to do something!

"Jirachi?!" Willow rang out, cautious of her wild companion.

I came to Vay's side, draping an arm around his neck and another underneath his chest. I guided him back towards me. He tried to flinch my assistance off, but I insisted. I pulled the stubborn guy back in spite of how heavy he was.

"Cruce, get off! Don't get in my way!" he growled.

"What? Your way?! You're going BACKWARDS!" I argued, squeezing my arms around him. I was already standing on my toes just to reach him.

"I'm just buying time – get AWAY, idiot! You're NOT helping!" he yelled, throwing his head down so fast that he shook my grasp. He looked up to me with a very troubled scowl. It looked like he wanted to hit me, but then he stood with his back straight when he noticed my surprise.

"Vay...?" I backed away.

"Sorry... I'm sorry, Cruce. You're okay." he approached me wearily, his vine sagging over the side of his back, lifeless. I didn't know what I was more put off by: Jirachi's Crossblade, Vay's outrage at me, or... him giving me the gentlest lick on the top of the head. I blinked at the soft, dry lick.

What was I supposed to think? Now wasn't the time for that! Jeez, dude!

"Stay there. I'll protect you." he told me, sitting down and leaning forward, as if shielding me with his body.

"What?! You just got your arm-vine thing cut off! You're hurt!" I said. Should've been obvious.

"It'll grow back. I think. Let Jirachi tire herself out... just like always..." he grinned, closing his eyes. Clearly, Vay was in intense pain. Of course he was. He just got cut up by a Crossblade. That sort of pain left you in the moment of impact. It didn't go away until long after you'd cried your tears out.

But we were Flux, and between Vay and I and those marks under our eyes, we couldn't seem to stop crying.

"I can't fight her..." Vay spoke softly. "That thing she's got – it's a Crossblade... Somebody told me all about them. After what that somebody said, I... just... I can't believe Jira has it, too."

"Why, though?! Why's she got a Crossblade?! And who told you about them?!" I pressed, shrugging off the need to pound into Vay's chest with my hands.

He didn't answer me. He opened his eyes into small, regretful slits and turned his head back slightly. Behind him, Jirachi was grounded, both of her hands planted firmly on the small Crossblade's hilt, the blade end buried into the soil. She must've been crying. There was a gaping hole at her chest. That was all I saw and all I wanted to see out of something so mind-meltingly cute and innocent.

"She's all burnt out." said Vay, loud enough to break Jirachi's silent tears.

"Willow?" I asked. Felt appropriate.

"No, but... 'Ey, Willow, where are you?!" he called for her. I saw a little wisp of orange and red shoot up to Jirachi.

"I'm right here. With Jirachi. Please, just... leave us alone. You've done enough." she answered. Why so obsessed, I thought. Why put yourself next to someone so dangerous?!

I guess I shouldn't be quick to judge about that.

My eyes wandered back to Vay.

You were a crazy little thing before this, Vay, but now I... now that I can see eye-to-eye with you on more than one account, I... understand you less.

But I want to figure you out. 'Guess now's not the time.

"Willow, you might be upset at us, and that's totally okay," Vay spoke from over his shoulder. "But you gotta understand we're not to blame for that 'thing' that just came out of her." Vay paused and turned slightly to fully face the girls, all while keeping me out of harm's reach. "Jira, you got bigger problems than figuring out who you are. And, ugh, 'Squiggles', if you're still around and have ANY kind of desire to save whoever Jira is to you, we all gotta team up.

I don't want to make an enemy out of any of you. That's not why I'm here. I'm trying to help you get on board with your new selves, but all you humans like to fight so hard that you end up hurting yourselves and each other. It was always two sides. Humans and Pokémon. Now, it's three."

"It's... always three... my life always comes in threes." Jirachi whimpered.

"Jira, I don't know what kind of stuff you've been through since you got here." Vay shook his head.

Then, no one spoke. This was a kind of moment that pushed both sides apart and made them stare at each other from afar with only incomplete thoughts and less complete mutterings of the lips. Vay wanted to pull Jirachi to his side, but he found something for her that put him to a hard stop. Sympathy. He knew what the Crossblade stood for.

I wonder if he'd caught on with what Jirachi mumbled. She said that her life came in threes. I felt like I needed to clarify for her.

"It's said that," I started, looking around at my unlikely audience to whom I would explain a story Tophs told me to never speak of. I even checked behind me, putting my tails down (a pretty foreign sensation by the way). That guy, Chevron, was watching us from behind now, but there was something different to his eyes than before. The way he was poised, with his long ears tall and his back straight, standing on all fours, meant he wanted to be involved somehow. I continued, turning back. "It's said that people who are given the Crossblade split into three separate beings. A Daemon, an Icarus, and a Naphal.

The Daemon is the one with the first body – the most original self that the Crossblade can find. But, that's all it becomes. A body. Flesh and bone.

The Icarus is the one with the heart – the one who can think fully for him or herself. This one is the true self, but true self is without form, unless, by some miracle you were born with more than one body. Then, you might just get a body.

The Naphal... has form, but the form's given to him or her by command of a higher power. That power takes what the self used to be, twists it, then takes the mind of the old body and puts it in that new... glove. It's supposed to hurt. Actually, my... my transformation felt a lot like how I would imagine a Naphal's transformation.

I don't know what that means for me, but... Jirachi, or Zatch, if you have the Crossblade, then there are three... of 'you'. Three pieces of the person that makes up whoever you might be. So, yes, your life comes in threes. Absolutely!"

Once I finished explaining, I caught an apologetic glimpse from Willow, and, more importantly, one from Jirachi, who seemed to listen to me, rather than go berserk again. Great!

"Three? Of me?" she asked, lethargic. "But why don't I remember any of it? And, why... does it hurt this much? I don't like it."

"The Cross – it's... not a good thing, but it's something that I know someone would do a much better job of explaining than me. Maybe I oughta take you to him." I offered.

"I don't want to..." she groaned.

"...She doesn't want to," Willow reinforced, her gaze becoming stern once again. Stubborn girls, eh? "She needs time."

"Should'a thought of that before we ran out of it." came a crispy, sly voice, a soft glow leaving the curtain of black surrounding the area, showing itself off in two shapes: a little round floating robot with two segmented arms and a taller, green-bodied, white-haired creature with bouquets for hands, one red, one blue.

We must have all looked in surprise. Foster. He followed us. In the dark? Or, did he have LARS to guide him?

"Ghosty. You've been quiet," Allen called her out, provided she was still here. I couldn't tell if the haunting silence meant 'yes' or 'no' to that. "And when you're quiet, I do my errands."

"A roserade?" Vay asked. "You're that scrub that tried to yank me off'a Cruce. Bet'cha regret that, huh?"

"And I guess both of you must've had a costume change, too?" he remarked. "Y'look good."

"Damn right." Vay emphasized.

He knows me from before? How can he tell it's me?! Maybe it's not important now.

"Funny you should mention all of that about the Crossblade," he said, lifting his chin and looking down at us just 'cause he was the only one here who could, standing taller than even Vay. "'Cause I didn't get LARS to break my arm in half for no reason. Then you came and fixed it when I didn't even ask. Look, if I wanted a doctor, I would've just come to this place earlier, with all of its medical miracles. But no doctor, no matter how close to playing God he gets, can fix me."

Oh no.

You're kidding me.

I already knew where this was headed. Allen brought up an arm, his blue bouquet shooting its petals outward as a cross-shaped weapon emerged from it, though not leaving it. It was buried in his bouquet, the three-pronged blades facing out, reflecting the scarce light around the facility. They were pale blue, translucent, and quite disorderly, like the blade was crudely crafted out of three large icicles and a hilt.

Another Crossblade, I thought. I saw Allen's expression fold into one of regret, like he'd made a mistake so worth grimacing over that it passed itself over to me. I cringed. He was hurt by it.

"It was always this arm, and I think it always will be," he said, biting into his words. "I could only ever bring out the Cross with this one. So I had LARS break it, 'cause really, I just couldn't make myself do it on my own. With just... just a flick of the wrist, or the wrong thought at the wrong time, the Cross comes out. It hurts. It's like getting your heart pulled right out of your chest, if your heart was... everywhere. I thought I found a loophole. Thought I got rid of it by beating it to the 'hurt'. But, you came along, gave it back to me, and... well, thought I'd return the favor and give it back to you. But now that I'm here," he stopped, pointing his cold Crossblade to Jirachi. "I may have changed my mind, because it looks like I have a buddy. We have three. Three 'yous and I's', kid."

"No..." Jirachi simply whined.

"I know, I know. It hurts. Trust me," Allen paused again, eyes wandering down. "A broken arm doesn't compare to the first time you bring your Cross out. Ghosty says that you belong to her. 'N this guy calls you a Champion. One of his own. But you're a Crossblade kind of girl. Maybe both of you are. I think if you want to find out about who you really are, you'll take some advice from the guy who's after the same thing. Right?"

"Jirachi, don't...!" Willow started, but she cut her own response short, like she knew that it didn't need to be said.

"Stop it, Willow, please," Jirachi told her, struggling to keep her voice from breaking. "You always say to be careful or tell me not to listen to anybody. Chevron's never gonna tell us anything and we've already seen the stuff he does. Why do we have to follow him or Delta Meadow? Delta Meadow stinks. It's always, 'do this, do that, hurt this person, watch these people'."

"Trust me, I know! I hate them as much as you do," Willow claimed. "But, when we're with them, no one hurts us... If we turn our backs on them, you know what will happen. They'll hunt us down. I don't want them hurting you!"

"But I'm HURTING right now! You can't feel what I feel! You don't understand, Willow... i-if that's your real name. I don't even know you. Why'd I ever listen to you?!"

Tension was climbing, and it seemed like all eyes on the girls had some input that would've influenced their decision. There was a lot of pressure put on them. I felt terrible. I wanted to help them figure out the easiest way to get by, but then I'd only be part of the problem. They weren't my business, unless Jirachi was Zatch in some part.

The Crossblade is real. I wish Vay had time to tell me what happened to Autumnridge.

I know people turned into Pokémon. More than that, I know Pokémon are being mutated by Flux.

But why is the Crossblade part of this?

"MisTer FosTer, our chanCes of sucCessFul perSuaSion apPear to Be at a staleMate." LARS sputtered out.

"Y'don't say," the – what did Vay say? Roserade? – Allen said, gently swinging his Cross out to the side, its foremost blade touching the rocky ground. He looked straight at Vay. "I think I put it the way I did because I figured you two wouldn't want any part of me, but think about it: how many of us have this infectious Cross? You might have it. In fact, I can count twice now that Pokémon like you – like that Laza – have come through here. Both of them could bring out the Cross. Champions, right?"

"What?!" Vay stepped ahead, having forgotten about his wound. I almost pulled him back, but I didn't want him to snap at me again.

"That's right." Allen nodded, condescending.

"Why didn't you say any 'o this sooner?! You know what could've been avoided if you'd just said SOMETHING about Champions?!" Vay pressed on.

"You never wanted to talk about the Champions when you were an eevee, Vay." I reminded him cautiously.

He swung around and glared at me. I winced. He took note of his aggression and calmed down, returning to my side. I noticed his red, leafy tail crawl around my belly once.

"You're right. Being Flux back then... it's like I was a different person," he said, sitting down next to me, his tail curled around my feet. "All this talk of the Crossblade and how it works, when one person can being three different beings... Flux and the Cross have a lot in common, and my brothers and sisters may have it. I... I might have it."

"If you want my thoughts, and you might not, but too bad," Allen commented. "I think everything's connected. The Crossblade, you Champions, and, if Ghosty's still listening, Jirachi and their relationship. Why I stay with those kids back at the chapel is because I'm trying to figure out if that's connected, too. What is it called? Flux?"

"Flux isn't connected..." Vay shook his head, landing his gaze on my bell. "Not that I... know... Brother never tells me nothin' no more."

"Squiggles... just wants Zatchu back... :c" Squiggles finally spoke up, her voice woefully sad, like she'd just come out of crying.

"Zeldster I'm so sorry," Jirachi whined. "I... Okay, everyone. Willow and I still owe Delta Meadow one more favor. Right, Willow?"

"Yeah... We have to find somebody named Sera. After that, they said we could be free. Or that they would give us our memories back, but I think Jirachi's made her mind up already." Willow said.

"Yes, I have. They're dirty liars. We'll give them this favor, then we'll leave. If we bump into any of you, we'll join up." Jirachi decided. Good for her – she struck me as a little kid like Squiggles, but she had a more mature initiative.

"Careful, HX doesn't like me," Allen warned. "So we'll be moving house if you decide to find me in the Down. Ghosty – sorry, 'Squiggles' – I'd like it if you stopped messing with the Flux kids. The sooner we can get along... the sooner you'll get to see your family again."

"Do you prooooomise? : D" she asked.

"Well, kid, nothing comes out of us fighting each other, so, yes. I promise."

"Who the hell is 'Sera'?" Vay looked at me like I knew. I shrugged. I figured Sera was someone he or Jirachi knew. To me, it sounded like a Pokémon...

Wait...

Jirachi? Vay?

But then... Paige? Atti? I don't get it. Are... are there Pokémon that AREN'T from Earth? I saw Allen transform, but this whole Champion thing makes me think that this is more of an alien invasion. I need to ask Vay.

"You don't think Delta Meadow will harass Jirachi for having the Crossblade, do you?" Willow asked Allen, suddenly showing much more trust, be it out of sympathy or dependence.

"HX doesn't have the huevos to jack up their personal resources at this point, especially not someone with the Crossblade. Trust me. I... just, trust me, kids. You do your part, 'n get out of there as soon as you can." said Allen.

"Okay..." Jirachi calmly spoke, eying her Crossblade, going over each of its grim features. The details were too far from where I was to see well enough, even with slightly improved eyesight when compared to my human body. It must've been a different show up close. She held it up, then thrust it through her own chest again, the strange wound accepting the blade with a small display of lights. The lights cleared, leaving a perfectly undamaged, closed eyelid at her belly. "Mmgh... we'll do our best. Willow...? Let's go."

"I'm with you all the way." said the little flame wisp.

The girls passed right by us very slowly. They weren't cautious or anything – well, maybe Jirachi wasn't, seeing as how she nearly sliced Vay to pieces. Willow was probably more afraid for her, but Vay didn't seem bothered by his injury, though he was very protective of me when they passed. I felt his body heat intensify. He was a lot closer, his side touching up against mine – and my head. He was a big boy.

Jirachi had Willow, and I had Vay. Everyone had someone to protect. I let the thought pass me by...

...much like Willow, looking at me with a few blinks. She said something.

"Cruce," she whispered, but I heard it loud and clear and with confidence. "Cruce...~!"

With that little hum at the end there, she floated away and caught up to her friend. I smiled at it. It sounded friendly. Maybe she wanted to tell me something, but just... couldn't bring it out of herself. Eh, whatever. She was a weird one. Didn't really remind me of anyone I knew.

Wait.

I turned back to her, watching the two join up with Chevron again, who still appeared to be mulling over everything he'd heard. Laura was there, too. All the inactivity from them must've meant something. This organization – Delta Meadow – didn't seem like the kind to wait for people to finish their conversations. But, in spite of all of that, Willow...

I never told her my name.

Vay sighed.

"Sorry, Laura." he apologized.

Those orange, spinning lights started up again. I heard metal clashing and clanking about. A loud whirring started up. For a split second, alarms shrieked, but they were cut short, like someone had shut them off. The steel doors were closing apart, starting their journey to the center of the massive entryway. It felt so wrong leaving it off there. In fact, I had a feeling Vay was gonna dart in at the last second and get part of his tail chopped off, or at least stuck in there. He didn't though. He stayed with me and watched as our views of Jirachi, Willow, and Laura became more narrow by the second, until all that there was was just a big gray armored wall. The orange lights settled. All the noise brought about by the mechanisms controlling the door ceased, making me believe that most of them were just redundant and unnecessary. I mean, that was a lot of racket for two big doors. Come on now!

"Vay," I chirped. "What're you gonna do about Laura? You wanted to save her, yeah?"

"I still do."

"But..." I didn't go any further. He had his chance and he didn't take it. Why?

"There's nothing I can do for her."

"Eh? You... you can't help her? But, what about... you?! You fixed you! A-and me? I'm Fluxy, right? But I'm okay! I feel totally fine – 'cept the obvious... girly squirrely situation I have." I blushed. I looked down again. My loins tingled...

"There's a whole lot you don't understand. I'm not going after Laura when all I can do is get her to stop and look at the Bell. I need more than that, and I'm not getting it until I at least get her away from this... Delta Meadow." he explained.

"You need your... Champions?" I assumed.

"Yeah," he confirmed. "Jirachi's with them, too. Once she's free, I'll have a better chance."

"Everything's connected." I restated.

"That's right. And, hey. Cheeks," he said. He was looking at me. He said... 'cheeks' while looking at me. I returned the look, not just from my peripherals, but frontally. "Yeah you. Cheeks."

I pressed my hands or paws or whatever to my cheeks and rubbed. Lots of static electricity there. Felt sorta trippy. I rubbed around some more.

"Y-... yes? Me? I'm Cruce." I said, holding my paws steady.

"Cheeks. I like your cheeks. So, 'Cheeks'." he told me. I frowned.

Man, c'mon. Don't call me that.

"I don't want to put you in danger. I want to take you home, not get you killed." he told me. What did that have to do with my... cheeks?

Vay walked away from me quietly. He might've meant for me to come along, but I stood there looking at my feet.

"You like my cheeks?" I asked him. He stopped in place.

"...They're cute."

"What?"

"Your CHEEKS are CUTE, Cheeks. What part of that didn't you get?" he looked back, agitated, like he was ashamed to admit it.

"But I... don't... wanna be a squirrel." I said. Boy, that sure summed up my needs and wants right now.

"Good news: you're only half-squirrel."

"What's the other half?"

"I'll tell you all about it later. Get over here. I can't stand this place. I need sun." he said. He started walking and I followed after him, the bell jingling under my chin.

Were Squiggles and Allen already gone? Everyone just left us alone? I guess it was awkward for Squiggles or Allen to be involved with Vay by this point, since he caused trouble for both of them. Eh, it was good that I was here to tell him when he was going overboard. I didn't really want to, though – I sort of just wanted to go home, fall asleep, and wake up for school the next day.

Really, my head wasn't keeping up with all of this.

I could even say I checked out after the Crossblade showed itself up. I wanted to... like, sleep, wake up next to Tophs, and be all grumpy and bothered that mornings existed. But, nah, it was all real – this... mess. All of it. What was this? The thirtieth time I've told myself that? It was real and everyone in it was real and I... totally... left my phone... in that building. Goddammit.

Whatever. It was dead anyway, and I probably didn't have much to do on there if no one else was going to pick up. 'Cept Al.

That's right. Al. Who was that girl who picked up his phone? Should I try and find her? Or do I have bigger concerns?

Hell yeah I do. If I find a mirror, I'm either going to look at it for a second and turn away and never look at another mirror again, or it'll become my best friend and I'll never look away.

No... No, I know what I need to do.

"Hey, Vay?" I called for him quietly. I'd only just caught up to him. I didn't think he knew where he was going – we'd been heading away from the general area of the facility, following other trails of floodlights.

"Heyo?" he replied.

"You know about the Crossblade, so does that mean you know somebody named Topher?"

"Sounds familiar. Is that someone important?"

Yeah, only the guy who made the Crossblade, I thought. Maybe Tophs went anonymous after the Crossblade came to, uh, reality. I wouldn't go around shouting that I created something like that. I'd be lynched. Tophs must've been smart enough to avoid public attention.

"He is. He's here in Autumnridge. I hope."

"He'd be at the Grove, like everybody else. A lotta humies gather there. If you're looking for family and friends, that's the place to check. That's why I'll be takin' you there." he explained.

"The Grove? That's where Paige and Atti came from. If I told them I was Cruce, I wonder what they'd think of me now."

"Them? Don't sweat it, Cheeks, you got me for a pal 'n I got'chur back. Plus, you'd fit in like an 'ol twig in a dry bush over at the Grove." he told me.

"Never heard that saying before!"

"Must be a Pokémon thing, grass-type culture, etcetera. Reminds me, we've got a lot to talk about. There's things you need to know about us Champions. A lot of it has to do with that bell your wearing. Looks good on you, by the way. Just lookin' at it..." he paused, turning to face me at his side. He smiled. "Puts me back to a better time. Better or worse. Can't tell. But I can remember, or at least I'm starting to. If Brother had only reminded me about the Flux, maybe I wouldn't look like this, and neither would you. But, it's all fine. We'll be 'Flux buddies.'"

Flux buddies? I hope people don't get any ideas, but other than that... I like the sound of it!

"'Kay," I grinned. "Flux buddies it is. You're a nice guy, Vay. Thanks for all the help."

"Don't get used to it. I can be a real pain the grass when I want."

"Looking forward to it," I exclaimed, nudging into him with my elbow. He probably didn't even feel it – he had a lot of muscle. "My friends say that about me, too."

"'Pain in the grass'? Doubt it. They probably say, 'pain in the cheeks'."

"Eh, we're talking about the same thing, right?" I queired.

"Are we?" he asked.

"Talkin' about butts?"

"Ahah. When I say 'cheeks', man, I mean y'er face, unless you want me to start callin' you Buttface."

"N-no, I'm Cheeks," I shook my head – wait, no. "I'm Cruce, I mean."

Vay smiled wide.

"Glad you agree!" he laughed, a bit to my own dismay, but not out of bad humor. He was doing well for a guy who got a piece of him cut off and thrown to the floor.

That was Vay. He was... nice. He was super cool, actually. Even if he was quick-tempered, he recovered from it quickly. Too quickly, if you asked me. Maybe there was a reason he was so quick to swing from yelling at me to practically kissing me. The thought made me red at the cheeks, which I'd made a point to avoid showing off to Vay. I didn't need him calling me out for being puffier or rosier than I already was.

I didn't want this body. I wanted to be human again, but as long as I had the body while it was 'touched', I guess, with Flux, I had Vay, too, and he was 'Flux-touched' with me. Still, every step I took brought me forward jarringly less so than a step taken as a human, and it reminded me how badly I wanted to go back. Every blink I made felt softer, every sound I heard clearer, and, for frig's sake, these teeth were not helping. I couldn't even hide 'em under my lips at all so it looked – or felt like it looked – like I was dorky beyond reprieve.

And still, Vay preferred this over my human self. Said it had potential. Also said I smelled like a chick.

We were walking and talking for a good while, but after a certain point it seemed like we'd just stopped moving. Granted, our feet were still working, but they weren't moving us forward. I noticed this before Vay and interrupted him while he was going on about Pokémon powers. Seriously, it felt urgent enough. And, if I was honest, I'd had this feeling before. It was with Vay. Actually, no, it was with Nirva. The ground was pulsing and spinning, enough light from the excavation side available to show me all of this.

I stopped. Vay stopped in front of me. Things weren't right. All around my feet, the dirt was twisting, shapes lifting out of the ground, warping everything around us until it seemed like we were inside of a tube. What was once the dirty rock ground was now a concave wall. I looked high, holding onto my bell out of sheer fear that I was going to slip and lose it or something. The ceiling wasn't there – like, it wasn't that black openness that had loomed overhead. It was actually too bright to look at. At first, it was white, and then it was bright red. Vay'd called out a warning to me, but I couldn't hear him over a sensory assault – like the sound of wind rushing into my ears. Since I had more ear to work with, it was deafening, but it only carried on for three or four seconds. Once it stopped, my feet were being tickled. I looked down. Small blades of grass replaced the dirt I'd stood on moments prior.

No more walls, either. They'd laid back down, replaced with grass and trees off a bit further. The trees were thick and overgrown, some of them fallen over. The grass was incredibly moist – soaked, even. It was so cold.

The sky was as I'd remembered it before I came to the Down. A broken red sun, fiery crimson lace lining the clouds. The further out I looked to the sky, the blacker the horizon seemed to get. It was so much grander now that I was this size. Everything. The trees seemed like they were miles high, even shrouded in wet leaves sagging into the ground. The air itself appeared bigger. I had more 'sense' available to ingest everything around me. It was exhilarating, but I was still human, and a human shouldn't have felt this way. There were no 'human' words for it. So, all I did was make my nose twitch by sniffing. The air was so clean. Breathing wasn't a problem.

I was outside.

"Ah! Tripped," Vay said aloud – so loud that his voice bounced off the wall of green leaves around us. "Lucky us."

"What...? Why're we out here?" I asked, but honestly, even if he told me why ten times, I still wouldn't have known. I couldn't keep up with what my senses wanted me to process. Kinda made me want to curl up and plug my nose. Smelled so wet. Lawn clippings, algae, rainwater, moss, dew – all of it! It smelled like... a really... big puddle.

Then I turned around and saw why.

Up a little ways, the grass became soil, and the soil dipped into a shore of mud, and the mud became water, then the water became deep and reflected the light of the sun, shining red. It was an expanse, nothing like the river in the woodland. This was a lake, small islands of cornstalk seated comfortably off in the distance, lonely and dirty. The lake was lined with trees all leaning inward, bending down to take a drink. Some spots were clear. I could see a single white boat parked at one of these clearer areas, right next to a tiny wooden pier and a hollow, moldy shed with logs sticking out of the entrance.

"Uh...!" I gasped. Had I been here before, I wondered. It was difficult to tell with the way the sky looked now, among other things.

"Take a breath. You're outside," said Vay. "Remember when you ran off that one time in those woods, and then suddenly you were underground? It happened again. We Tripped. Side effect of Gamma shifting the world around. It happens, and it'll keep happening unless we get smart."

"Oh," I breathed out. "This doesn't feel right. We're way off course now."

"What do you mean?"

"I know this place, but it's not home. This lake is part of the next town over. The Pines, I think."

The Pines had some historical significance to Autumnridge. Without it, Autumnridge wouldn't have been around. Now, this town was dead. All that was left here was this lake. People still came around here for the fishing, but that was about it. I came here with my grandpops a few times and we reeled in some game, even though I never really liked fishing. Tophs came with us once. He was always really quiet around Gramps. In fact, that was the best way I remembered this lake. When Tophs came with us, it was the first time I had properly told myself that he was someone I wanted to protect more than anything.

That and... Gramps talked a lot about Molly.

Molly... Bet you'd love me to death if you saw me now. Toss me up and down and giggle and just... be that sunshiny girl you loved to be.

I really gotta get back home.

"The Pines? We don't need to be here. Better start gettin' those little baby legs movin', Cheeks." Vay insinuated, a coy smirk playing across his lips. I was bothered by his dismissal of the place, but I didn't show it. I just chuckled and looked at 'im.

"Yep. I'll stay close."

"'Atta boy – heh, or girl! Can't tell. Anyway, we don't want to Trip again. Gets us lost easy."

After a quick grumble at the comment, we went. Not sure where we were going, but we left the lakeside, anyway. Autumnridge was north of The Pines, but without much of a way of knowing direction, all we could do was walk around until we figured something out. Seemed counter-intuitive knowing that, at any time, we could have walked into an invisible portal to another part of, I'unno, California, or anywhere for that matter.

At least we were outside. I didn't care that the red glow of the sky made a large part of the land look like a fantasy nightmare-scape. I had oxygen in my lungs. I didn't even care that I was... 'this'. A Pokémon. Not right now, I mean. All the relief of getting out of the Down lifted my mood. Plus, I had Vay with me, and it was nice to walk with him. He was...

...He... was sorta... mmf, 'guess I was a little bit attracted to him. Mancrush or something. I mean, shit, he kind of rescued me. I ain't ever had that many standards – I'd owe any sweet enough guy favors for doing what Vay did. I couldn't totally brush Squiggles out of the picture, too. She came along and, even if she brought me closer to my, um, transformation, she did at least... not kill me. That was alright. Same with Paige, Atti, Caden, Foster... I figured they all had the power to knock me out.

But Vay was still here. We went into this little adventure together, and he promised me he would stay. Wouldn't you know it, I still had a hurt eevee with me – no, not an eevee anymore. I wish I was more familiar with Pokémon. Whatever he was, he was here, bleeding from his stump vine, but doing it with a nice, cocky smile. And, God, his accent was so greeeeat. It was like he was part country boy, part city boy, and couldn't find a compromise. I was so into it.

I got up to his side while we walked, maybe close enough to him that it might've been uncomfortable had the two of us been human. A few interesting thoughts came over me, making my heart flutter. It made me consider all the things this new body came with, like any new desires and such. I was destined to figure them out eventually, and likely sooner if I stuck with this big boy here. Flux buddies. Not the worst outcome, I thought.

Cruce.

I wish I could be there to see what you're doing. What kind of decisions are you making, I wonder? Are they good? Did I do the right thing by waking you up?

Whatever you're doing, I can't help you, and you can't help me.

I still think you're the kind of person that can make the most difference.

Even if I detest you more than I did before I woke you up. It's just not fair, Cruce. Topher. It's not fair at all.

I won't let you two beat me again, but I'll be damned if I ever play unfair and keep you out. Everyone deserves a chance to play the game of Wave. Even you two.

I won't stoop to your level. I won't cheat. I have... I AM a heart, and no matter how angry I get, I can't let it get the better of me. Not again.

That's what Vyrosia wants, and what he'll always want.

Well, Luna...

I still have you.

And with you being the personification of Death, that's handy.