On my way back to Lake Verity the next afternoon, I paused upon passing by the path that lead to Twinleaf Town. I could sense a presence there that hadn't been there since Dawn left... and it was true! As I snuck my way into town, I gasped in shock to see Giratina resting in his usual place again. That meant... Dawn was home!

At the very thought of it, I realized I was very excited to see Dawn again. She was finally home from her mission, and so much had changed since I last got to see her... I wanted to tell her everything that had happened. To tell her how I was starting to move on. To thank her for all her help...

I was also quite excited to be reunited with her team. The last we saw each other I was still hurting and broken, but now I could have fun with them like I always used to do! I flew up to the house and Giratina spotted me, lifting up his head. He smiled at me. "Mesprit... It's nice to see you.." He said as gently as his loud voice could allow. "Dawn has been waiting anxiously for you to arrive home."

"Really?" I tilted my head. He nodded. "She has something she's been wanting to show you... but for now, perhaps it would be best just to say hello," he grinned gently. I smiled back, glad to see he was feeling like his old, docile self again. I flew up to his face and gave him a hug as best I could- even though my arms couldn't go past his forehead. He chuckled softly, and when I pulled away he seemed a bit surprised.

"You seem in a good mood," he said with a smile, and I smiled back.

"I am," I said... and I was.

I flew down to the house and made my way to the window of Dawns room. It would be rude to teleport in without warning, so I knocked on the glass of the window instead. Inside the room, Dawn was sitting on her bed, playing with her poketch with Strawberry and Coal snuggled up against her, seemingly asleep. Upon my knock, however, Dawn's head shot up towards me, and upon seeing me waving through the glass, her eyes lit up happily.

She said something that I couldn't hear, but shock and joy jumped into both Strawberry and Coal as she spoke. Dawn leapt from the couch and raced to the window, pulling it open mid-sentence. "-happy to see you're here!" She said excitedly as she slid the window up and I slipped into the room. It was noticably more comfortable and warm inside.

"I'm happy to see you too," I replied with a smile flying up to cling onto Dawns hat, "it's been too long.. we have a lot to talk about."

"Boy do we!" Strawberry chattered and climbed up Dawns leg to smile at me from her shoulder. "We went on lotsa battles!"

"Yeah, but some of us didn't get to see as much of the action ourselves..." Coal grumbled, still standing on the bed. Strawberry scoffed at him.

"You're just grumpy that you're not so useful against pokemon you find in a VOLCANO," she sniffed. I grinned a little at how bratty she could be. I reached down and gently swatted at her. She chittered in surprise and almost lost her balance on Dawns shoulder.

"Ah! Now now, calm down you two!" Dawn scooped Strawberry into her arms and looked up at me. "You... feeling good today?"

I nodded. "Mhm! I'm excited to see you guys again..."

"Well! Then we'll have to get everyone back together again!" Dawn said, standing up tall and putting her hands on her hips. I grinned.

"Should I call Azurite and Sage?" I asked.

"Of course! We gotta get everybody!"

Azurite and Sage had not yet arrived at Dawns house. I had called them, but it seemed they were going to take a few minutes to get here. That was fine by me. I sat next to Dawn on the front porch of her house, as all her pokemon scuffled around together.

Strawberry sat on Dauphines's head, cheering as the Empoleon tried to get Midnight to stop egging Krim on to fight her. The Weavile and Lucario always seemed to butt-heads, and I honestly couldn't help but wonder when the rivals would finally admit their comradarie already. Coal seemed to be thinking the same thing, rolling his eyes at the scene and occasionally looking over at me to grin in amusement. I grinned back.

Dawn sighed anxiously, but I could sense she was happy. When I looked up at her, she was softly smiling back down at me.

"You seem to be feeling a lot better now, Mesprit," she said, her voice gentle and soothing. Thats the kind of voice I was used to hearing her use with her pokemon. It made me feel cared for.

I nodded. "I do feel better... I don't feel so alone anymore."

"With Sage and Azurite?" She asked, tilting her head with a small twinkle in her eye. I looked down at my hands sheepishly, but nodded again.

"I still... feel upset, thinking about what happened to Uxie and Azelf.." my hand clenched and I held it to my heart. My chest ached slightly. "But I don't feel bad just.. thinking about everything I had with them," I looked back up at Dawns team as they bickered, "and I feel happy.. knowing that I'll have a new family... they won't have to worry about me being alone, y'know?"

"I do," Dawn hummed. "I... found something that I think you'll like to see-"

But before she could finish her statement, Azurite and Sage finally arrived, flying down from the sky upon the scene between Krim and Midnight. The duo tilted their heads back and blinked in confusion as the two lowered down towards them. It was a small distance away, so I could still hear Azurites "Hey there!" from my spot on the porch.

"They're here!" Dawn sat up straighter, excited to see them again.

I could see Dauphine perk up in interest upon seeing Azurite. It was rare to gain her attention, so I knew right away was she was asking, when she reached up a flipper and waved him over. I couldn't hear their words, but I did see a competitive fire flare up in Azurites eyes- and then a bright grin stretched across his face. "You're on!" I heard him announce excitedly. Dawn chuckled at my side.

"Still as ready to fight as ever, I see.." She grinned. I smiled too. He wouldn't lose quite so badly this time, I was sure. He knew what he was doing now... and his ego wouldn't get in the way with this rematch. Hopefully.

"Hold up!" Midnight shouted suddenly, standing in front of Dauphine and waving a hand at Azurite. He blinked at her and voiced his confusion, but I already knew what the Weavile was up to. She leaned back and put a hand to Dauphines stomach as if leaning against a wall. She said something with a smug look on her face, and Azurites expression twisted up into a pout.

"Oh yeah! Well I can take you!" He huffed angrily and turned to Sage to try and encourage her to join in the fight too. Well, it seemed it was going to be a double battle now. I grinned. He was so easy to tease... and Sage wasn't ever going to leave him hanging.

As they began to fight, Dawn turned to me again. "They seem more... confident now. Than when I last saw them."

I nodded. I smiled to myself and explained how I had grown to care about the both of them very much, as a new family separate from my old one. It could still hurt, to think of Uxie and Azelf... but I didn't think of Azurite or Sage as replacements of them anymore. They were their own unique beings. Their own beautiful, loveable beings, who've matured so fast over such a sshort period of time. A soft, somber happiness seemed to come over Dawn as I spoke.

"i'm... really happy to see how much you've grown..' she sounded almost choked up, and I was surprised at how emotional she was getting. "You know, I blamed myself a lot for not being able to save them..."

I frowned, and looked up at her. She sniffed, and I placed a hand over hers. "I never blamed you, Dawn. Not for a second."

"Hah," she laughed softly and sniffed again, raising her free hand to wipe her face, "I... I went on my investigation not just for your peace of mind, but my own as well... and I think I found it."

My smile fell and I blinked at her, a bit puzzled. "You did?"

She nodded. "Mhm... I want to show you what I've found. But... for now I suppose it'd be best to enjoy the fun." We both turned back to the fight, and saw that Sage and Azurite were actually holding their own this time. I knew there was no way there were going to beat the pokemon I was sure would beat the champion one day soon, but they were doing much better now. I was so proud of them...

"They're not so little anymore, that's for sure." Dawn remarked happily. I nodded.

Finally, the match was over, and Azurite was complaining about needing a rematch. He really needed to learn not to fight dark-types. I got up. "I think I'm gonna go over there..."

"Go ahead! I'll still be here," Dawn replied, waving me off. I smiled, and did just that.

It made me so happy to know that Mesprit was going to be okay. It felt like a huge weight was off my shoulders, and I hadn't even shown her the tape yet. What we found on that tape... and the things I had been seeing during my journey... I wondered how Mesprit would take it.

"Hello there, Dawn," Sage's voice jumped me from my thoughts, and I looked up, not even realizing that Sage had left the commotion as now Mesprit was coaching Azurite on what pokemon he could effectively fight against.

"Oh, hey Sage, how have you been?" I asked, sitting up and tapping at the porch step next to me. She graciously sat down at my side, not at all bothered by how much smaller she was.

"So, are you up-to-date about all the things that have happened?" Sage tilted her head quesioningly. I shrugged.

"More or less, I think..."

"Did you know Mesprit and Azurite are a couple now?"

I was glad that Sage could not see my expression, because I think my eyes were bulging form how wide open they were. I turned to her slowly and gaped in shock. "They're WHAT?"

"Oh, she didn't tell you?" Sage tilted her head with a small smile. She seemed a little apologetic at least. "Well, it was a long time coming... I guess she must've just forgot it was news." Sage giggled softly.

I blinked and took a deep breath, not realizing I had been holding it. "This is very strange," I said and turned back to my team, watching as Mesprit and Azurite were now bickering playfully. Azurite seemed less interested in her fighting advice and more interested in chasing her around and tugging on her tails. She laughed. My shocked expression fell from my face, and a smile replaced it. "...But I suppose it's great that it makes her happy..."

"Yeah, she's a lot better now, I think.." Sage said softly, "there's a lot I don't know but I know what she's like when she's upset... she hasn't been upset in a while, I think." I smiled and nodded at that... I was glad to hear that she was alright.

"What about you?" Sage asked, turning to me curiously. "I know you've been out busy for a long time. What happened?"

I leant forwards and rested my elbows on my knees, thinking to myself for a moment. I wondered how much I could tell her- Sage was a Uxie and would be rather fascinated by all that happened.. but if she told Mesprit, things could be ruined! I turned to Sage with a thoughtful frown on my face. "Well- we were looking for this camera- one that Team Galactic didn't want us to see... but someone else did."

"What do you mean?" Sage asked, tilting her head. "Someone asked you to get it back?"

"Sort of," I hesitated, "if I tell you about this, you must swear not to mention it to Mesprit. I don't know how she'd take it..." Especially now that she seemed so happy- I didn't want to mess with that.

Sage hummed softly and turned away, I could tell she was considering my words seriously. She was a bit more cautious now, I found.

"I promise," Sage smiled and tuned back to face me again, "if this is sensitive information, then I wouldn't want to hurt her."

"Good.." I sighed softly. I explained how I had been seeing strange things during our journey. From the very beginning, when I revisited that dreaded laboratory, I felt there was a strange presence following me. And indeed I was right- on multiple occasions, I could see two spirits guiding me, and helping me get back that camera. That was how I knew it held crucial information about Uxie and Azelf's deaths.. because...

"It was them, wasn't it.." Sage breathed in awe. I nodded.

"Uxie and Azelf clearly wanted me to know what happened-"

"What did they look like!?" Sage burst excitedly, flying up to grab onto my shoulder and shake me excitedly. "Were they ghosts?!"

I stumbled confusedly, but found a wry smile drift onto my face. "Well, they were more like spirits... Do you know about the spirit forms you're capable of taking?"

Sage gaped for a moment, before she gasped softly in awe. "Yes, I... am aware..." she nodded seriously "I see... yes, it makes sense..." She seemed to turn in on herself, thinking deeply about the idea. "But... how could this be?" She turned back to be quizzically. I jumped.

"Ah! I don't know!" I laughed awkwardly, "I was kind of hoping you'd have some sort of explanation..!"

"No," she shook her head and looked away. I sat back down calmly and watched her. She had a curious expression on her face. "I don't know why or how that could happen..."

"I was thinking it was just because their souls escaped before they died, or... something..." I said softly, crossing my arms across my legs.

Sage shook her head again. "No, our spirit forms are not separate of us, they are an extension of us... If we die, those forms would die too..."

"Supposedly." I offered. Sage hummed.. she slowly nodded. She couldn't deny the reality of what I saw... truthfully I was simply glad she believed me.

Sage turned back to me and smiled. "This is all very interesting... but I think I'll save the further questions for when Mesprit can hear about this." She laughed softly. I hummed softly and told her that was perfectly fine. I could tell she cared very much about Mesprit. I was proud of her for how much progress she had made already.

"Come, it's about time I get over there with everyone," I said, standing up off the porch and starting towards my team, who were still playfully bickering amongst themselves as Mesprit and Azurite were now playfully messing with them. Krim and Midnight were flushed and grumpy, barking back at the two lake spirits as they teased and prodded at them. "I can't let my poor pokemon be harassed like that!" I laughed.

We made our ways over and Sage alighted upon my head, mimicking how Strawberry would usually sit.

"Now now, everyone, settle down," I said, putting my hands on my hips as I drew closer. "We have some important news!"

Coal and Dauphine looked up from their chat, and Strawberry's attention was drawn away from the weavile and lucario who only now took the time to stop bickering with Mesprit and Azurite. Krim was still grumpy, but Midnight was already excited to hear what I had to say. Mesprit and Azurite both blinked at me, their gazes drawn to Sage as she sat smugly on my hat. I grinned brightly.

"These two," Sage st up and gestured to Mesprit and Azurite, "are in a relationship!"

I didn' think Mesprit's face was capable of getting more pink, but I was wrong. Azurite flushed as well, now he was the one pouting and flusterede. The irony was not lost on Midnight, who immediately cackled and started pointing up at the two of them playfully. Coal and Krim seemed merely surprised, while Strawberry jumped up and down, sqeaking excitedly. Dauphine didn't seem to care, though, not that I was surprised. She was never interested in others' relationships. She just smiled softly and shook her head in dry amusement at everybody's reactions. I wondered if I should tell Giratina too...

"Sage! You brat!" Azurite suddenly appeared, flying into Sage and knocking her off my head. I ducked in shock and turned to look at they play-fought in the air, Azurite puffing out his cheeks grumpily while Sage giggled and laughed.

"Hahaha! You're the brat! What're you embarrassed about?" Sage teased.

"Shut up!" He cracked a small grin even though he was trying his hardest to stay upset. "I didn't think you'd just announce it!"

"Well why not?"

"Aaaarrrgh!"

I giggled softly watching them play. Mesprit came up by my side and alighted on my shoulder. I reached up and patted her on the head gently. "I'm surprised you can handle them," I laughed.

She laughed too. "I don't have a clue myself."

I hummed softly, "but... at the same time I think they took a lot from you. They're playful, and mischievous, like you are!"

"'Are?'" She parroted me, "don't you mean 'were?'"

"Nope," I said softly, looking back up at the two new additions to our strange little family. "You'll always be that same Mesprit."