Even though it was still hot here in Tapu Bulu's shrine, it was a lot more manageable now with a nice bath of water to lounge in. Snowflake and I relaxed together, leaning against the edge of the water and watching as the others relaxed and ate together. The heat was much more manageable here now. It felt more like.. a vacation, now.

"This is great!" Victini announced, zipping around in the air and plucking berries from bushes. She popped them in her mouth and chewed as she spoke. "I've never felt so energized!" She twirled and laughed happily, kicking her feet as she fluttered in the air.

"I for one, am quite exhausted..." Snowflake remarked wryly to me, "I hope we don't see anymore of those beasts for a while..." She sighed and sunk a bit deeper into the water, minding her bandages.

"I agree with Victini," Kubo said as he hopped up to us and stuck his feet in the water. He grinned, turning an oran berry over in his hands. "Looking back, it was really epic, you can't lie!" He munched at his berry and smirked at us. I sighed and shook my head, but a smirk of my own answered his. "And Mesprit too!" He announced suddenly, turning to her, "your new moves were so cool!"

Mesprit smiled, though a bit tiredly, as she sat by the trunk of one of the palm trees. "I'm just happy to be able to rest and enjoy the view for a while. As cool as it was, I'm still taxed from everything..." She didn't have injuries like the rest of us, but she was still clearly rather sore. She had just recovered from her past injuries after all. So much excitement had to be exhausting.

Sakura frowned from her place in the bushes. She trotted over to Mesprit and handed her a bunch of berries. Mesprit smiled thankfully and took them, slowly munching at them. Sakura sat down across from her and smiled.

I looked around, curiously wondering where the last of out team was hiding. To my surprise, I found Hunter resting against the wing of Lunala, who was also laying down, relaxed. In fact, they both even seemed to be sleeping. I rested my chin in my hands and smiled. Those two... Hunter was never a fan of flying but perhaps her large size gave him a sense of security. It made me happy to think Lunala was fitting in a bit more with the rest of us... she seemed a bit unsure of herself, and a bit quiet too... perhaps she still needed time to come out of her shell, like Hunter did.

My eyes drifted tiredly. I was so drowsy, even though all we had done so far today was walk. It just felt so nice to relax here a little while... Something about the aura Tapu Bulu had exuded around the entire shrine, it made me feel so refreshed, yet drowsy. I rested my head in my folded arms...

But it seemed that rest was not on the agenda for today, as Victini suddenly bounded into me. "Waaah!" She cried in shock of her clumsiness.

I gasped at the splash of water that ensued, the cool water a start contrast with the warm air. She splashed Snowflake too, and we both glowered at her as she squealed and danced her way back out of the water. It seemed that heat really did make fire-types more energetic.

I yawned and stretched, looking around again.

Victini seemed determined to wake everybody up from their relaxed and leisurely mood. She fluttered around throwing the cool water around. She dripped on Sakura and Hunter's heads, awakening the latter and making them both look up with a pout. Kubo tried to shoot a water gun at her playfully and she screeched rather loudly.

Mesprit grinned at me in amusement. I huffed in annoyance at being woken up so rudely, making her chuckle softly. She sobered rather quickly though, as she began to think about something. She looked away for a moment before looking back at me with a serious look in her eyes. I frowned. It seems we were back to business.

I clambered out of the water and made my way up to her. "Mesprit, what is it?" I asked.

"I have been thinking about something for the past few days," she said thoughtfully, "I would like to share it with everyone, if I may."

Following her words, the rest of the team perked up and made their ways over. Snowflake shook the water from her fur and sat down next to me, with Kubo taking a seat to my other side. Sakura, Hunter and Victini joined him, and While Lunala did not move from her spot, I did see her shift her body towards us. She watched curiously.

She smiled softly at us, hesitating before she spoke. "Well... ever since we collected the Lunar Stone from its place at Misty Valley, I've been thinking... The enemy is strong, and I could not take them on on my own..." she paused and looked around at us. We nodded encouragingly, but I couldn't help but wonder why she seemed so nervous to share her thoughts with us. She had never seemed nervous before. "So, keeping the stone with us on our journey keeps it safer, with all of us to protect it. for that reason, I... I have a feeling my brother, Azelf, may not be so safe alone either. Especially since you've met him, the Ultra Beasts might know of his location. So..."

She paused and looked down awkwardly. The silence that followed her lack of words was.. much more tense to say the least. Mentioning Azelf... she certainly didn't mean to say-

"I would like for him to join us, with his Solar Stone." She finished firmly.

A tense silence fell over us. I could tell Kubo, Snowflake and Hunter were all stunned, while Sakura was feeling simply uneasy. We were all unsure of what to say.

Azelf? ...Coming with us?

I could still see those bright, amber eyes in the darkness, staring at me with a fierce intensity. Deep within them, I had seen the desire and ability to wipe me out like I was nothing. I shuddered.

Yes, I had spoken to him afterwards, and he seemed apologetic enough, but... could someone like that really come with us? Someone who could possess our bodies?

"Woah! You have a brother?" Victini exclaimed excitedly.

Mesprit grinned awkwardly, "yes, I do..."

"That's crazy," Victini gasped, kicking her feet where she sat on the ground, "he has to come, I wanna met him!"

"No you don't." Kubo growled angrily, shutting down her excitement. Victini frowned and tilted her head at him. Kubo huffed and crossed his arms and turned to the rest of us. "Don't think I forgot about when he took over our bodies and tried to kill us without hesitation!"

Victini gasped and her eyes went wide in surprise, while Hunter ducked his head and whimpered. His ears remained pressed against his head as he tried to steel himself, and glared bravely. "Yeah! He was terrifying, how could we trust to have him around? We'd be helpless if he tried to hurt us!"

"He wouldn't hurt you because you're my friends!" Mesprit protested.

"I don't know..." Snowflake murmured in concern, "he hurt us a lot, I don't know if we could really get over that..." Sakura nodded, even though she had only heard stories about the awful things that had happened on our trip.

I hummed, but otherwise stayed silent. I knew, as he told me, that he had been extremely worried about his sister. He couldn't leave his stone to check on her, so I could only imagine the stress he was under, not knowing she was safe. I could understand why he lashed out so suddenly upon hearing her name. But...

Mesprit could tell we weren't convinced, so she looked at us seriously. "Look, I know my brother can be rash sometimes, but... he isn't mean. If you get to know him better... you'll understand that. And we'd be doing this to protect the stone, too!"

"Then why not just take the stone?" Kubo asked, crossing his arms. "Why do we need him to come with us too?"

"Yeah..." Hunter added, "even just thinking about him makes a chill go up my spine."

"I didn't get to go through what you guys did... but the thought of any of you getting hurt like that really scares me," Sakura said softly, her head dipped down, "we would've even lost Lunala..."

At that, Lunala perked up in surprise. That's right... she had been a Cosmoem, asleep in my bag at the time...

Snowflake sighed and stood, moving her way over to Mesprit. She sat down next to her and smiled sympathetically. "It's understandable that you'd want to keep his stone safe too. I know you got badly hurt when you were on your own... But- I just- I don't think we're ready to meet him again..." She said softly. Following her words, Kubo, Sakura and Hunter nodded. Mesprit sighed sadly at that, disappointment shining in her eyes. Then, to my surprise, her gaze fell onto me. A small spark of hope grew within them as she did so.

"Moss... you've been awfully quiet..." She said softly.

I looked down thoughtfully. He WAS Mesprit's brother... and I knew how much she missed them. It wasn't just about the stone. She wanted to protect him too... why someone like him would need our protection, I couldn't fathom it, but...

I looked back up and nodded, standing to my feet. "I... I think we should bring him with us. I don't feel all that comfortable about it, but... I can imagine that he wouldn't leave the Solar Stone with us without him. He'll need to come with us if we're to protect it properly."

Kubo and Hunter both gasped and stared at me, betrayal in their eyes. I winced and shrugged at them apologetically. To my relief, though, Snowflake looked at me softly, before nodding. "Moss is right... He wouldn't hurt us when we have the same goal in mind. And- this isn't about our comfort, this is about the world." I smiled at her, and she smiled back. "After all... Mesprit knows him best. She'll keep him under control, I trust." Snowflake stood and walked over to my side, grinning at Mesprit as she put her paw on my shoulder. I followed her gaze and saw joy shining in Mesprit's eyes.

"Ohhh you!" She quickly raced to us and gave us a big hug. "Thank you, thank you!" She pulled away with a wide smile. "Trust me, my friends... he isn't really a monster."

"Uhm..." A voice broke us from the moment and we turned to see Victini frowning in confusion. "Now that that's all figured out- mind telling me what happened? I feel like I missed something..." She scratched at the back of her head, looking around at all of us. As her gaze fell upon Lunala, she too nodded.

"I would also like a bit of an explanation... I don't recall anything happening with Azelf...?" She asked softly.

"You were asleep at the time, Lunala, so you wouldn't know..." Kubo said with a rather sour expression still on his face, "see- after we closed the first portal with Tapu Koko, he directed us to someone who would know the way back home."

Victini frowned, "how would you not know the way?"

"We had been kidnapped by an Ultra Beast." Hunter supplied, his voice stilted and annoyed. "It took us a long way and we had no idea what direction home was."

"Right, so-" Kubo cut back in, "-it turns out the person Tapu Koko directed us towards was Azelf. He was absolutely crazy, and attacked us the moment he saw us. And when I mentioned Mesprit to try and let him know we were friends, he tried to kill us!" He said angrily, crossing his arms and narrowing his eyes.

"Didn't he try to get you to kill each other?" Sakura asked with a worried frown.

Hunter nodded. "Yeah... He took control of our bodies to attack us. Moss was able to get Mesprit to talk to him with telepathy to calm him down..."

"And if she hadn't we wouldn't be here right now!" Kubo said, and while he still seemed frustrated, he was clearly very thankful of Mesprit's help, it the proud look he sent her was anything to go by.

Hunter shuddered at his words, though. "He's so scary... I don't think I could handle something like that again..." He bit his lip and shut his eyes, trying to keep himself from getting upset. "His eyes... they seemed so evil and malicious in the darkness.." I frowned sadly seeing how worked up Hunter seemed about this. I had forgotten how much bravery it took for him to even go into the cave to meet Azelf. It must've been like a nightmare to him...

Showflake shifted at my side a bit uncomfortably. "Yes... nobody could forget those eyes..." Snowflake admitted.

We were silent at that, and I could tell everyone who had been there with me that day was reminiscing on how terrifying that encounter had been. Besides me, everyone had been knocked out... I supposed I was the only one who had gotten to see Azelf as he came to his senses. For the rest of them, he must have appeared like two different people.

Victini hummed softly, before nodding to herself. She raised her gaze and looked back at us. "It sounds like it was a pretty hard time. But that's no reason to hate someone! Especially when you don't know them!" There was a bossy, self-important air to how she held herself. Despite how I didn't like her tone, I supposed it was good that she had my back.

Still, I could only guess what kind of response that'd prompt from Kubo. I found him glaring in irritation at Victini. "Maybe you shouldn't talk about things you don't know anything about, Vivi..." He grumbled. He looked away from her and caught my eye instead. I smiled at him weakly. He stared at me, his expression calming... and then he huffed. "Uhgggg fine! He can come. But only because of the stone!"

"Yes!" Mesprit flew up in he air to do an excited little twirl. Kubo blushed deeply upon seeing it.

"I agree that it would be a good idea," Lunala said softly, gaining Mesprit's attention, "but... it is risky too. Are you sure the stones will be safe?" She asked worriedly.

Mesprit smiled at her good naturedly and nodded. "I think so! But- we will have to be sneaky about it. We don't want anybody knowing we have it with us. So we should wait until the evening before we go..."

After thanking Vulpix for his help on our way out of Tapu Bulu's shrine, we were off again to our next destination. The next shrine on our journey was to the north, according to the old Corviknight's map. Luckily, Azelf's cave was not too far off the path we'd need to take to get there. We flew through the cool night air, and I found myself relieved at being out and away from all the heat at last. I wondered if I should be able to recognize any of the landscapes from above, from back when the Ultra Beast had kidnapped us. But it was night this time, and I could barely distinguish anything. Lunala and Mesprit didn't appear to have such troubles, however.

It wasn't long before Mesprit called for us to stop, saying that we had arrived above the forest that surrounded Azelf's cave. She told us that since the trees were so dense, it would be difficult for Lunala to make her way beneath them.

"That's alright, Mesprit..." Lunala said softly, slowly making her descent, "I'll manage, you all just go on ahead, okay?"

"'All?' You think I'm going back in there?" Hunter yelped. Lunala perched on the top of the trees and reached one large wing down through the branches to reach the grassy floor. But we all hesitated at Hunter's words. We hadn't considered that. Were we all really going to go back in there?

"You're such a baby." Mesprit smirked in amusement at Hunter's fearful protest. He flushed angrily and she giggled, before shaking her head and growing serious again. "It would be best if you all stay out here," she said, answering our unasked questions, "he'd probably get freaked out seeing a group come into his territory. If it's just me he'll feel a lot more... uhm, how should I said it..." She brought a hand to her mouth thoughtfully. "Agreeable?"

I hummed softly. "Mesprit..." I called, gaining her attention. "He talked to me the most, out of everyone on the group. Maybe I could come too?" After all, somebody had to play mediator here between him and our team. Perhaps I could play that role for us.

Mesprit frowned thoughtfully and looked away, considering this.

Kubo suddenly slung an arm around my shoulders, grinning wryly. "I say go with her, if you're brave enough. You can make sure he doesn't do anything fishy."

"Kubo!" Mesprit exclaimed, offended on Azelf's behalf. "He's not a bad pokemon!"

"Sorry, sorry," he unwound his arm from me and held his hands up placatingly, "but still, I think if Moss wants to go, we shouldn't stop him."

"Hmm..." Mesprit grimaced nervously. "I.. suppose Moss and I wouldn't be too many visitors for him to deal with..." she trailed off, turning to look at me seriously, "are you sure you want to come?" I nodded seriously. "Okay," she sighed, "then come on. Let's go."

I looked to my friends briefly, before climbing down Lunala's wing. Kubo and Hunter seemed anxious and frustrated, while Snowflake and Lunala were smiling at me encouragingly. Sakura appeared to be worried about me, though. Meanwhile, Victini appeared to be the only one annoyed about not getting to go inside. She huffed and pouted, crossing her arms, and as I descended below the tree branches and could no longer see my friends, I could hear a distant cry of "this is gonna be so boooringgg!" from her.

I gently jumped down into the grass and looked up. It was even darker down here in the forest than up above, as the moonlight and twinkling of the stars could barely break through the leaves. The only light came from the bioluminescent mushrooms that dotted the area. Mesprit hovered over me anxiously, illuminated by the blue glow of the mushrooms. She turned to me with her glowing amber eyes. Soon i'd be seeing two pairs of eyes like that.

"Alright, Moss... are you ready?"

I nodded. She nodded back. "Let's go, then... it won't take too long, I know where to go." She reached one of her tails out to me, and I blinked at her in confusion. She rolled her eyes. "So you don't get lost, dummy."

I frowned in embarrassment, but took the tail without complaint. I didn't like being tethered around like a child, but I wasn't in the mood to get lost in there with Azelf either. Although that did make me wonder what he would think when he saw me... Last I saw him, he seemed rather embarrassed by my presence. Would he feel the same way this time?

It was dark inside the cave. I had forgotten how dark it was. And it was quiet too. Last time, I had been honed in on the steps of my friends, on their breathing, I had been focusing on making sure none of them got lost or left behind. This time, however, I was just blindly following behind Mesprit. The cave was quiet and ominous, filling me with a strange kind of anxiety.

It felt like I was being watched, that I was unsafe, that we were in danger...

How could Azelf live in this place?

"How do you know where Azelf is?" I asked Mesprit suddenly, trying to fill the empty silence between us.

She jumped minutely, surprised at my voice, as if she had been lost in thought. "Oh... it's not so hard. I can sense him."

I blinked. She could? For some reason I found myself skeptical. They had talked about sensing each other in some situations before, but i had never really thought about it. I frowned. "If you can sense each other so well, then how come he can't tell we're here?" I asked.

Mesprit turned her face back to me so I could see her roll her eyes. "He's not searching for me, of course," she replied snarkily, and looked back ahead of us. I huffed, and fell silent again.

It didn't take long before we found him, just as Mesprit promised. I could hear his presence before I could see him. We turned a corner and there he was, this shifting of air, a slight breeze. Mesprit came to a sudden stop before me and I immediately knew what that meant.

"Azelf!" She cried, waving her tails out of my grasp. I gasped softly, afraid of being lost in the darkness for a moment- before suddenly Azelf turned, and I could see his glowing amber eyes in the dark. I felt a shiver down my spine as they widened in shock.

"Mesprit!" He exclaimed, his voice joyous and excited as he zipped towards Mesprit, and she flew towards him, the two of them meeting in the middle. They embraced excitedly, Azelf lifting Mesprit up a bit to spin her around.

"Weeee!" She squealed excitedly. He brought her back down and the two hugged again, snuggling into each other warmly. For a moment I was almost surprised at how excited they were to see each other- they'd already reunited recently before, but not in person. I could tell that, to them, seeing each other in person was a whole different thing. They were absolutely ecstatic, and it almost shocked me to see Azelf of all people express so much happiness.

"Oh, I'm so glad to see you!" he announced, pulling away a bit so they could look at each other, but their arms were still laced together. "Mesprit, I'm so glad you're okay!" Then his expression fell slightly, concern radiating from his eyes as he began to look over her for injuries. "Are you okay?" he asked nervously, "last I saw you, you could barely move from your bed..."

Mesprit laughed. "Well I'm here now, aren't I?"

"Yes, but..."

"You're such an overly concerned brother," she giggled, reaching up to condescendingly pat his head, "I don't need your protection... but you might need mine!"

"Hm?" He frowned in confusion, his eyes narrowing. "Wait- Mesprit!" He gasped, worry flooding his eyes again. "What are you even doing here if you're all better now?! You shouldn't be here! Why haven' you returned to your lake- to the stone-!"

"Now, now!" Mesprit silenced him, placing a hand over his mouth. He blinked incredulously. "I'm here for an important reason! You see, if those beasts had managed to defeat me so easily when they hadn't even been looking for me, then obviously I'm not going to be powerful enough to protect the stone on my own..." she paused for a moment and then gave Azelf a very pointed look, "and neither will you."

He let go of her and floated back a bit to get away from her hand. "What's your point?" He asked, frowning slightly. Mesprit sighed heavily with mock annoyance. Azelf huffed and crossed his arms, I could tell he already knew what he was in for.

"I have not left my stone all alone- I'm not that stupid! No, I brought it with me!" To emphasize her words, she reached into her bag and pulled it out, revealing the soft glow of the round, white, Lunar Stone. It illuminated the room slightly, as if she had just pulled out a small torch. "With the help of my friends, the stone is much better protected now-"

"Gah!" Azelf gasped, appalled at the sight of it. "Mesprit, what are you doing! Put it away, put it away, hide it!"

"Ohhhh, calm down you baby," she grumbled, moving to return it to her bag. But in the shifting of the light, the soft glow finally fell upon me. I could tell because that was the first time Azelf finally looked in my direction. His cold amber eyes gazed into my soul once again, and as the light was quickly snuffed out inside Mesprits bag, I felt a fearful jolt in my heart. Azelf appeared shocked to see me for a moment. But just as quickly all the emotion I had seen in his eyes were suddenly gone.

His mask was back on. The mask I was familiar with... In that moment I fully understood that this really was that same Azelf who attacked me in this very cave all those weeks ago.

I was stock-still as Mesprit followed his gaze to me and then smiled. "Yes, Moss came with me! He came to help convince you-"

"We should move this conversation someplace... safer." Azelf cut her off seriously, his voice empty of emotion. "We don't want to be overheard." Mesprit sighed in exacerbation again, but nodded.

"Alright, alright..." She flew back to me and wrapped a tail around my paw, dragging me along after them through the darkness. I stumbled, a bit too startled to keep up, but caught my footing again.

in the distance I could see a growing light. Soft moonlight painted the cave walls as we turned the corners, growing brighter and warmer as we grew closer to the source of the light. Finally we came out into a huge cavern, illuminated by the Solar Stone and the hole in the ceiling just enough so that Mesprit didn't need to drag me around anymore. She let go of me and I looked around.

Standing at the entrance to the room, I watched as Mesprit and Azelf flew around the open space happily for a moment, as if to stretch after being in such stuffy tunnels. I looked over the lake, where the moonlight of the real moon shone through, down to the glittering waters of the lake. It looked just like it did the last time I was here...

I gripped my bag, stepping down towards the shore of the water. Azelf flew down to me, his expression blank, but his arms were crossed uncomfortably. Mesprit followed suit and tilted her head at him, a curious look on her face.

Azelf sighed and moved his hands to his hips. "So... what's this all really about?"

"We want you to come with us and bring the Solar Stone too!" Mesprit answered him confidently.

"You really expect me to do that? That would be totally insane!" He protested.

Mesprit contested him. "Ah-ah! Don't make your decision too quickly now, Azelf!" She sang, wagging her finger at him. "The whole point of staying apart was to protect the stones- but now it's clear that we cannot keep them safe on our own. We're just not strong enough."

"You're not, maybe..." Azelf growled, clearly offended, but his expression was still very controlled. I couldn't tell exactly how upset he really was.

"Oh? Can you possess every single Ultra Beast that comes at you? Can you really make sure none of them get to the stone before you can stop them?" Mesprit crossed her arms and glared at him openly. She stuck out her tongue childishly at him. "We just aren't strong enough to hold them all back on our own!"

Azelf's eye twitched. he clearly wanted to make some kind of retort, but he held himself back. "So. Why would it be better to do what you say?"

"Because!" Mesprit did a small flip and twirl in the air, her expression bright and happy again all of a sudden. "Not only can the stones be used to empower us to fight off the beasts, but we can also be stronger in a group! With many strong, capable pokemon on our side, there's no way we'll get ambushed and defeated the way I was at my lake."

"Strong?" Azelf scoffed, and turned his cold, controlled expression to me again. I stiffened as he pointed at me. "Forgive me," he started, an uncomfortable look crossig over his face, "but him and his friends would have been easily discarded by me, had you not told me to stop. Surely they're not THAT strong, to be able to actually make a difference against these creatures."

Mesprit's expression soured. "You-!"

"-Point is!" Azelf cut her off and crossed his arms again, a bit uneasy and defensive this time. "I believe it would still be safer to do as our duty says. We should stay hidden and not bring the stones right to the front of the battle- to our enemies."

"Actually..." him pointing to me made me feel the need to finally pipe up, drawing his serious and stubborn gaze over to me. I hesitated a bit nervously but pressed on. "We most certainly are strong enough to keep them away. we've been able to save three of the four Tapu so far- and it's not like they were poorly guarded.." Remembering those fights were not fond memories.

Mesprit nodded, "it's true. Plus..." she twirled demonstrably for him, "you know the two of us are more than twice as strong when we're together. Our powers work so well off each other," she grinned as Azelf reluctantly nodded in agreement to her words, "and it won't even be just us! Our group has grown even more powerful- our teamwork is impeccable now. And if we all work together, then this will all be over! Everyone will be safe to go back to how things were!" she grinned slyly. "For example, you'll be able to get back to being a lonely hermit~"

Azelf silently considered her words, only giving her a small warning glance at her teasing. She giggled and was rather confident with his silence. I wondered what he was thinking. He didn't look quite convinced yet...

His thoughtful expression suddenly hardened. "Are you only doing this because you miss me?" He asked bluntly.

Mesprit's eyes widened. The two stared at each other for a moment. Hurt, she glared at him. "...I do miss you. But I would never let that get in the way of my duty. You know that..." to my alarm, I saw angry tears pearling in the corners of her eyes, "how dare you! Do you really think I'd be so selfish!? You're the stubborn one who refuses to bend the rules even when the world is in danger!" Her whole body shook, her hands raised in angry fists.

His hard expression loosened into a blank frown at that. His gaze fell to the ground. "...If we mess this up, the world will be in much greater danger." he murmured softly.

"You say that like I didn't know that already," Mesprit huffed, wiping her eyes angrily, "I thought it all through while making this plan. It will work."

"Not to mention," I cautiously felt the need to add in again, "even though it might seem crazy... we are much safer in a group..." Azelf turned to me, a bit confused at my intrusion. I hesitated. It felt almost like I was seeing an exchange I wasn't supposed to, but no matter how personal or private their argument might be, I was here to help. So I pressed on, "at least this way, with the two of you together, you would be able to protect Mesprit... if anything were to happen to her again..."

He blinked at me. Something about my words must've reached something within him. He looked up at Mesprit and then over across the lake. He flew up and over the lake without a word, diving into the water without hesitation. Mesprit frowned as she watched him.

"Moss..." She turned back to me with a puzzled look in her eyes. "How did you know that would work?"

I shrugged. It was the one reason he had followed me and my friends back to the guild. It was the reason he had been so worked up that he tried to kill us at the mere mention of her name.

Despite all his blustering about his duty... he wasn't going to sit back and watch as his sister got hurt. Not again.

With a distant splash, Azelf emerged from the lake. He flew back to us and lowered himself down to the ground. Held in his hands, was the Solar Stone. I hadn't gotten the chance to get such a good look at it before. It was warm and bright, its colour was a vibrant orange. It shimmering with glittering yellow speckles. It truly did appear like a tiny star was held in his hands.

Azelf sighed softly. "I.. will come with you," he said. Mesprit's eyes watered and she moved as if to hug him again. He held out a hand to stop her, "but! We'll keep the stones secret... nobody can know we have them with us."

"Of course!" Mesprit cried, her voice even more watery than her face.

Azelf cracked a small grin, "Alright then," and reached one arm out for her. She gratefully accepted, jumping in to wrap her arms around him. He looked at me and his small grin fell from his face, an embarrassed, pouty look replacing it.

I grinned instead, which only made him more displeased.

When we finally emerged from the cave again, it was with Azelf quietly following behind me and Mesprit. I blinked blearily, as we emerged. Even though it was still dark out here in the forest, hidden away from most of the moonlight, I was still shocked to find I could actually see out here. the glowing mushrooms provided enough light for me to see the faces of my friends.

They were all sitting together, mulling about in the grass with Kubo sitting on a fallen tree log. Victini was playing with the glowing mushrooms in an attempt to amuse herself. Hunter, Sakura and Snowflake were all sitting in a circle together talking softly, while Lunala perched in the trees, watching over them and looking around for danger. Even after how long we had been away, she was still on high alert.

"We're back!" I called, drawing their attention. As they all turned to us, immediate shock flew onto their faces. The two pairs of glowing amber eyes was all they needed to know- Azelf was coming with us. The response was rather varied. Hunter cried out in alarm and leapt over the log Kubo was sitting on, hiding behind it and poking his head back out to cautiously watch us. Snowflake tried to smile, but the effort was clearly forced and awkward. Sakura seemed mainly surprised, and perhaps even conflicted, as her expression twisted into a look of unease. Lunala smiled a bit more genuinely as she peered down at us, relieved that we were all okay and things were going as planned.

Kubo frowned and looked away, attempting to appear nonchalant. As if he didn't care at all. I wasn't surprised at all.

I could only imagine the discomfort Azelf was feeling. We hadn't had the time to discuss the awkward situation this allegiance would put him into. I pitied him.

But then Victini was suddenly in our faces, barreling past me to fly up and into Azelfs face. She grabbed ahold of Azelf's hands and shook them vigorously.

"HIYA!" Victini announced excitedly, "You're Mesprit's brother, right?" She beamed at him.

Azelf blinked, his eyes owlishly wide. He seemed almost confused. "Yes... I am."

"I'm Victini! The victory pokemon! With me here, there's no way we can lose!" She landed on the ground to put a hand on her hip confidently, the other raised with her fingers held up in a peace sign. Azelf stared down at her with wide eyes. Victini hesitated, wondering why he wasn't saying anything. "Uhm... Oh! It's nice to meet you! I've heard a lot about you, Azelf."

He nodded at that, and if her sweet smile was anything to go by, she was satisfied with that.

"Well," Mesprit said uncomfortably, "I've put the Solar Stone next to mine in my bag. We should hurry. After all... Tapu Fini's shrine is quite far away."

"Right, right," Snowflake said seriously, standing up and walking up to us. "It's... It's good having you on the team." She inclined her head a bit hesitantly at Azelf. He blankly stared back at her, and she nervously turned away from him. "Anyway! Do you know the way to go, Lunala?" She hastily asked.

Lunala nodded, oddly looking more relaxed now. "I do! It should take us a little while to get there, but no longer than a day or two."

Hunter emerged from his hiding place, and I could see him trembling nervously. "A day or two...?"

Kubo looked over to him and shrugged. He seemed to be almost pouting. Despite agreeing to let Azelf come along (and also begrudgingly agreeing not to constantly antagonize him), it was clear Kubo wanted to make it as obvious as possible about how unhappy he was. He was lethargic, remaining stubbornly sat on the log as we collected our things in preparation of leaving.

We were all very quiet, until Lunala spoke up again. "Alright... we'd best be off before we're seen here."

"Great!" Mesprit cheered, obviously feeling a bit uncomfortable from the tension within the entire team. "Then let's go!"

To my displeasure, the journey was indeed a long one. Yet it didn't take long for the temperature to start dropping, even as the sun had risen and hung above us- it stubbornly hid behind overcast clouds. From my perch on Lunala's back, I freed one of my arms to hug myself. It wasn't much help.

Why did Tapu Fini need to live in such a cold area? First Tapu Bulu, now this? It was just one extreme to the other.

"Oof-" I let out, as a warm body suddenly collided with me from behind. I looked down to find fuzzy cream arms wrapped around me. I turned my head to see Victini smiling at me.

"You're shivering," she informed me pleasantly. "A nice hug should warm you up!" She continued with a chirp. I nodded.

"Uhm... thanks," I stuttered awkwardly, looking around at the others. Kubo was grinning at me in amusement. I caught a strange look on Snowflake's face as she watched me. I wasn't sure what it was... Sadness? But as she noticed my gaze, she quickly looked away again.

How strange...

During the entire flight, Azelf had been silent. Besides his small response to Victini upon emerging from the cave, he hadn't said a word. I wasn't surprised. Most of the team was clearly feeling a bit awkward. The usual relaxed chatter that we would share was now silenced. Even still, I could clearly feel their presence- Azelf didn't seem to even share the tense unease that everyone else did. In fact, if I didn't look back to make sure, I could even forget that he was here at all.

I wondered what he was thinking...

It was a good few hours later that the sun began to set in the west. The sky slowly began to darken. "We've been flying for a long time," Mesprit's voice called out to Lunala, "we should be looking for a place to stay for rest, soon." She flew up to fly alongside Lunala's head, peering at her with a slightly uneasy expression. Mesprit had looked like that ever since we left the cave.

"That's okay, Mesprit." Lunala replied, not taking her eyes away from the air in front of her. "This is how I can help... I can get us there a lot faster if we don't take a break." My eyes widened at that. She sounded determined and insistent, but... Something about Lunala's words seemed almost insecure.

"Absolutely not!" Mesprit cried indignantly. For some reason I felt relief at her protests. "We won't go any faster if you're tired! Not to mention how cold it gets in the north at night. We all need rest if we're going to make it through to the shrine."

"We'll be fine..." Lunala's voice was softer now, there was less fight in it.

"Moss is freezing!" Mesprit barked.

Lunala paused at that. I tensed. I did not ask to be brought into this. It took a long moment before Lunala finally responded. "Ah... Alright Mesprit. We'll take a break for the night... Can you find any place...?"

"There aren't any towns coming up anytime soon," Mesprit sighed thoughtfully. I wondered where we would stay... we had been able to camp out before, but that was in the more tropical areas. What would we do with it so cold..?

"There!" Snowflake called over the whistle of the winds. Mesprit turned in surprise to see where she was pointing with her paw. "That mountain!" Snowflake continued, "It's bound to have a cave somewhere... we should take shelter there, it'll get even colder as the night goes on."

"Ah!" Mesprit gasped in realization, "that would work... Lunala?"

"Don't worry." She turned her head back, finally prying her eyes away from her path to smile encouragingly back at us. "I'll find us a place we all can fit, no sweat!"

She took us down to the mountain, keeping a far enough distance from it to remain unseen in the darkening sky. The clouds were beginning to gather even thicker though, and I found myself afraid it would snow. What if there was a blizzard? It had been a very long time since I had to deal with snow... I tensed under Victini's warm arms at the thought. I didn't think I'd be able to sleep tonight if it would be that cold...

"There!" Sakura called, peering over Lunala's shoulder down at the mountainside. "That looks like a big tunnel entrance, doesn't it?"

"Let's go down and see," Snowflake said, hope ignited in her voice.

Lunala descended, and to our luck it was a huge towering ice cavern, the entrance packed a bit tighter from the snow that had built along it's edges, but it would definitely be big enough for Lunala. We had found it- the place we would stay for the night. We landed just outside, and Lunala let us all off her back so we could make our ways inside on our own. Kubo and Hunter remained silent and tense, although I could tell it was for different reasons. Hunter was anxious... Kubo was just being stubborn.

As much as Victini had frustrated us at first, she proved herself useful now. She was able to make a campfire in the center of the room simply using the few dried tree branches that had fallen along the outside of the cave, and we all circled around it to stay warm. Small groups of us murmured together into the evening.

Snowflake, Hunter and I sat together, with Victini kindly continuing to hold onto me to keep me warm. She watched everyone with an optimistic energy the rest of us did not share, but at least she didn't intrude on me and my friends' conversation. Kubo sat a little ways away from us, his arms crossed and his eyes stubbornly focused on the flames of the fire. Sakura sat with Mesprit, who spoke quietly with her about something I didn't bother listening in on. Azelf sat next to Mesprit, but didn't say a word. Lunala blanketed herself along the back wall, watching us quietly, her eyes heavy lidded. I didn't blame her for being exhausted. The flight had been so long.

Then, we started to eat our dinners, as Snowflake picked the food out of our bags and handed them around to each of us, one by one. Darkness had quickly fallen.

Just as I had predicted, a huge blizzard rolled in that night. We didn't say it, but I could sense the tension within everyone. We were all worrying about how long we might end up stuck here. Hopefully it would be over by the end of the night.

We had only just begun to eat when Victini pulled away from me. She smiled at me with her large blue eyes. "Hey, Moss, do you mind if I go talk to the new guy for a while?" Her voice was softer than it usually was. I was almost surprised she had asked me at all.

"Y-yeah, it's alright, I'm not gonna freeze," I replied awkwardly, "it just depends on if HE minds."

"Cool!" She beamed, and lifted up into the air to flutter over the fire and plop down on the ground directly in front of Azelf. He jolted a bit in shock and stared at her with wide eyes. "Hi Azelf," she tilted her head, "so, tell me about yourself! What do you think about our adventure? We're going to save the world together!"

Azelf stared at her wordlessly. I wasn't sure if he was bothered by her presence or simply hadn't gotten over the shock yet. There was something about his controlled expression that almost reminded me of the Guildmaster.

"It sucks that our first stop together was so booooring!" Victini continued in hopes of inspiring a laugh from him. "To just sit and wait inside a cave is horrible!"

"I don't know why you bother talking to him, Vivi," Kubo suddenly abandoned his silent treatment to glare over at the two of them. Victini turned and blinked at him cluelessly. "You want to know more about him? Well there's lots to tell," he hmphed and curled in on himself, "first, there's his cruel behavior. I still can't understand how someone as sweet as Mesprit could be related to... well, you know." He gestured vaguely. "I mean, if she hadn't stopped him in time... we would all be dead... and in such a horrible way..."

From his spot next to me, Hunter watched Kubo and nodded hesitantly, but he clearly didn't like his antagonistic behaviour. "Kubo..." he protested weakly, his ears pressing against his head.

"Well it's true," Kubo grumbled, "I'm not going to pretend that things are all buddy-buddy with someone who tried to kill me."

"Stop it!" Mesprit put her food down and lifted from the ground. Now everyone in the cave was watching this exchange. From behind her, I could see Azelf turn to her in what looked like shock, but I wasn't sure. He opened his mouth as if in protest, but said nothing as she stormed over to where Kubo was sitting. Kubo uncurled slightly, intimidated and fearful of her disapproval. "You have no clue what you're talking about!"

"But-"

"He was worried sick about me for what must've been weeks! He didn't sleep for days because he was so upset, thinking he could've done something to save me, wondering if I was slowly dying alone or not!" There was such a sudden and fierce rage on her face, her four antenna raising up threateningly. Kubo paled and leaned back away from her. "Yes he lashed out at you, yes that was wrong- but that's not who he is! He's NOT a MONSTER!"

Kubo opened his mouth to speak again but she glared sharply at him, cutting him off without words.

"That's what your problem is. You're too young. You're a brash, young little boy who doesn't bother to think about responsibility. How much this duty we have can weigh on us." She growled dangerously. I could see a flash of hurt across Kubo's face at her words. "You don't know me any more than you know him, you know. You don't know ANYTHING about me! Suuuure, I'm not as serious as he is, sure you all saved my life, but that doesn't mean I'm weak or harmless!" She said snidely.

"I never said you were-!"

"DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM!?" Mesprit roared, her rage exploding again. Everyone in the cave flinched. Kubo stared in horror. Something about his expression told me he wasn't afraid of her... not quite...

"I am the embodiment of emotions. I can sense every emotion, every feeling, always, no matter who, and no matter how much they try to hide it." I didn't think Kubo's eyes could get any wider. "I can do what no other empath pokemon can do. No... I don't just feel them." Mesprit tilted her head up in a way that was very reminiscent of Serperior, looking down her nose at him. She snarled and her tails lashed, her hands were held tight behind her back.

"I can take them away. All of them. I could make you a shell, empty. I can mess with them, twist them around, make them whatever I want. I could add new ones in if I wanted. You have NO idea how many intruders with bad intentions that I wiped. How many that died... because of me." Her rage broke for a moment, a sudden weight on her shoulders. She lifted a hand and wiped at her temple. "I hate needing to hurt anyone, even pokemon that intend to cause trouble... but it is my duty." She straightened herself out again and frowned seriously. A determined look flared in her eye. "My job is to protect my stone. No matter what. Whatever it takes, I have to do it. Azelf is the same."

She peered down at Kubo, waiting for a response. He was much slower in supplying one this time. "I..." he struggled, his mouth opening and closing helplessly. He blinked hard, and grimaced. Despite his inability to respond, it seems that he was feeling what Mesprit wanted, as she sighed heavily, tension leaving her body. She turned and began to fly back over to where Azelf was sitting. Azelf watched her with a much less surprised expression than before. Was this... typical of her?

"Azelf made a mistake with you. But he is a good guardian... he's not a monster. I won't hear any more of this." She turned back to Kubo before gently landing back on the ground. "Got it?"

Shakily, Kubo nodded. Satisfied, Mesprit turned away, pouting almost childishly. Silence fell over the cave, harsh and awkward and fearful. All eyes were still on the two of them. Sakura looked at Mesprit oddly, her ears drooped sadly as she watched her.

Slowly, Kubo stumbled to his feet... and moved away from us. He sat himself down by the entrance, resting his chin on his hands, looking out into the blizzard. He had a lot to think about... or perhaps he was simply moping some more.

"Haahhh..." Hunter sighed anxiously. I turned to him curiously, only to find him trembling nervously.

"Hunter..?" I asked, my own voice surprisingly weak. I wasn't so sure how to feel about this myself. I supposed what she said had made sense... but I had never seen Mesprit act like that before...

Hunter shook his head and buried himself in my side. I leaned back a bit in surprise, but quickly looped an arm around him wordlessly. I could tell he was confused and scared. No matter whether Azelf was a monster or not... he still hurt us, Mesprit knew that. He had shaken each of us to our core. She knew it would be hard for us to handle this...

I looked at Azelf. While his eyes were still wide and unreadable, a small smile fluttered onto his expression as Mesprit looked at him. She smiled brightly at that. She shifted closer to him to hold him affectionately.

Victini awkwardly looked back and forth between Kubo and the two lake guardians. She was frowning in concern, clearly a bit off-put by everything that had happened. "Ah..." She raised a hand as if to speak to Azelf again, but Sakura started at the sound of her voice and shook her head. Victini clamped her mouth shut, to my surprise. She must've been quite confused by all this.

Hesitantly, she lifted up and flew back over to me. Finding me occupied with Hunter, she sat down between me and Snowflake. "Are you cold..?" She asked me, her voice distant like she was thinking about something else.

I shrugged. "I'm okay," I smiled weakly, "but, uhm..." I struggled to come up with something to talk about anything but what had just transpired. It was all too raw, everyone was still digesting it. Something, something, anything... just to ease the tension.

But I didn't know anything about Victini... what could I even ask?

At that thought, my eyes widened at the realization. "Hey Vivi... hehe, uhm- tell me- can you tell me about yourself?" I scratched at the back of my head with my free hand and laughed awkwardly. Victini stared at me. "I mean- how did you end up... here?"

"Huh..? Oh," she blinked in realization, "well... I'm not exactly from here, you know that." I nodded. At my side, Hunter lifted his head out from my side to peer over at Victini curiously. So he had been listening. "I was born on an island very far away. We didn't stay there long though! I don't consider anywhere to be my home, not really." She was already becoming more animated again, clearly she enjoyed talking about herself.

"That's kind of sad, isn't it?" Snowflake asked softly.

"Sad?" Victini turned to her curiously. "It's not sad at all! Us Victini always stick together! Our home is each other! Other pokemon could try to use us, so we always stick together, we can only really trust each other." She said matter-of-factly, as if the pokemon sitting around this fire with her were also a bunch of Victini.

Where there was no easy understanding and agreement of her words, Victini finally seemed to realize what she had said. "Oh! But- that's just what my mother always told me. I was never really interested in being timid or careful or any of that- in fact I'm the opposite!"

"So you're a troublemaker, then," Snowflake said dryly.

"No surprise there," Hunter added with a cautious, yet amused, smile. I chuckled at his jibe, with only made him brighten up further.

Victini huffed, though. "You say that like it's a bad thing! If I was careful and scared of the world like everyone else, I wouldn't be here saving the world with you!"

"But..." I said slowly, "you're still alone, aren't you? How did you get separated from your family?"

Victini's indignance faded, and a softer, more quiet frown shifted onto her face. I wasn't sure I had ever seen her quite so thoughtful before. "I always tried to do my own thing... and that's not a bad thing!" She insisted suddenly as if we would scold her. "But... its not so good when you get caught and nobody comes to help..." She frowned down in frustration at her hands in her lap. Then she looked up suddenly, puffing herself up again. "But that's why it's great to be a team! You guys are brave and not afraid of anything, and we can work together!" It sounded almost like she was telling it to herself rather than us.

"Was it... the beasts?" Snowflake asked softly.

Victini was cut short in her ranting. She turned to Snowflake in confusion for a moment, before understanding lit up in her eyes and she shook her head. "No... It was a gang of thieves. They wanted to use me to help them find treasures, and get out of scrapes. I always thought the world couldn't possibly be so bad as the others made it out to be." She seemed almost angry at that statement.

"Hm... I'm surprised that didn't scare you away from the world." Hunter said, all fear gone from his voice as he frowned over at her.

Victini shook her head. "They were bad! Bad pokemon... not normal pokemon. We were always being chased, they were always making me empower them to get away from the rescue teams that were trying to stop them. Well I'm nobody's puppet- I do things my own way!" She grinned proudly and crossed her arms. "So I sabotaged them, and a nice rescue team was able to catch them and free me!"

Hunter grinned along with her, and I too couldn't help but be relieved to hear that. "So... with that you were free to get back to your family." I concluded.

"But- did you know where they were anymore?" Snowflake cut in with concern.

Victini frowned, but nodded slowly. "Yes... but that was a few years ago now. I had just traced them again, when I got captured by those beasts. I think they had been following me- wanted to wait so they could catch all of us together." She pouted at that thought. "Now they'll be long gone again! It's really stupid!"

"So..." Hunter bit his lip, "you've been alone? All that time?"

To my surprise, Victini nodded. "Yeah. Not like I needed any help! Anyone else would probably just get in the way of what I wanted! But... it WAS sort of lonely." Despite the sad nature of her words, her voice was tight, sounding more irritated by her loneliness than anything else.

Snowflake frowned, shifting closer to lean against her side. Victini blinked up at her.

Following her lead, Hunter stood, slinking behind me. He sat himself down between Victini and me. He smiled softly at her, before cautiously offering her a hug. She frowned confusedly at him for a moment, perplexed by his compassion, before shrugging. She wrapped both arms around him happily, a smile stretching across her face as she did so.

My heart was warm watching them comfort her... I almost didn't notice the chill in the room. I smiled softly, turning my gaze back to Mesprit only to find that she too was watching the embrace. She sat next to Azelf with a soft, pleased look on her face. She seemed rather content now, which unnerved me slightly, considering her previous outburst. But I was glad I had been able to shift the mood somewhat.

Azelf, on the other hand, had a sort of thoughtful look on his face as he watched us. I knew he could tell Victini was new to our group too. She was new to him, and perhaps he hadn't expected her to be new to us too. I wasn't exactly sure what he was thinking... but his eyes remained trained on Victini.

Snowflake and Hunter pulled away to give her some space. "Thanks," she said with a bright shameless smile. It as only a moment later that she bounded back over to me in order to keep me warm again. Was my shivering that obvious? But no matter what she was doing, Azelf's eyes remained on her.

To my shock- he started to lift off the ground. The atmosphere of the room became somewhat tense again, everybody noticing his movement. We watched as he flew over the campfire, approaching me and Victini with a blank, contemplative look on his face. Hunter squeaked and shied away. As Azelf came closer and closer, Hunter back up more and more, before finally losing face and running away, fleeing towards Lunala. He hid himself underneath her wings, and she confusedly looked down at him, unsure of what kind of protection he was expecting.

Azelf ignored him, his eyes solely locked on Victini. She noticed, her smile slipping off to match his blank, thoughtful look. "Victini..." He said softly, carefully considering his words. She lit up a bit at the acknowledgement. "Being separated from your family... it's not easy. But even though you were once again snatched away- do not give up."

"Huh?" She tilted her head confusedly. To my disbelief, at that reply, he actually smiled. It was small, almost imperceptible, but it was there.

"Every experience we have is one we can learn from. Even our failings can bring us closer to our goal. Do not give up, and you will find them." He finished his words with a slight nod of his head.

Victini frowned... before smiling widely again. "Woah... you know, you're nice! Thank you!" She jumped to her feet and then into the air- there was no time for Azelf to do much more than gasp. Victini tackled him to the ground, her arms wrapped around his middle in a sudden hug. "You're so sweet! I promise I'll never give up!"

Azelf choked, his eyes bulging as he tensely lied in Victini's arms. I turned and saw Hunter watching with a fearful look in his eye, as if any sudden movement would send Azelf into a violent rage. Instead of fighting her off, however, Victini let him go easily and smiled at him. He sat himself up and rubbed the side of his head, watching her warily. "...Good." He said awkwardly, his face distinctly more red now. Victini beamed.

Mesprit grinned in amusement as Azelf made his way back to her side. The tension loosened, as he sat down next to her and crossed his arms, in a way that almost reminded me of Kubo. At that, Sakura giggled, inciting Mesprit, Lunala and Snowflake to do the same. Hearing the laughter, Hunter smiled nervously and began to crawl out from behind Lunala's wing. Lunala carefully moved her wing to let him out. I grinned and sighed, leaning back and putting my paws on the ground. Finally, I had a hint that this would sort itself out eventually.

Who knew Victini would actually be useful here?

It must've been a few hours later that we had all decided to turn in and get some sleep. Kubo slept a little ways away from the group, but even he had settled down and drifted off, without sharing a word with anybody. I laid awake, though. For some reason... I wasn't sleepy at all. I stretched my arms out to my sides, looking up at the ceiling of the cave. It wasn't the cold that kept me up... no, my mind was racing.

I wondered how to feel about Mesprit and Azelf... I felt like I knew them, that I had a deeper understanding of them than most pokemon would... and yet somehow, to know that Mesprit had done to other pokemon what Azelf could've done to us... for some reason, it made me realize that there really was a barrier between them and regular pokemon. They were... different. Held to different standards...

I couldn't deny that I was a bit shocked. The Mesprit I knew was kind, a bit mischievous and teasing, but also determined too... She had been Lunala's friend, and thus I had felt a protectiveness of Mesprit early on, a need to protect her like I would Lunala. ...I don't think any of us imagined that she could ever do the things Azelf did. I shivered at the thought of his bright amber eyes in the dark.

..The same eyes that had painfully looked at me that first night Mesprit woke up...

I groaned and pressed the heel of my hand over my eye. My train of thought was exhausting, and yet I still couldn't get any sleep. What could Kubo be thinking of this...?

"Moss?"

I started and slowly turned to my side. Snowflake moved, raising her head up to look at me. I blinked at her, lowering my arm. Slowly, a crooked grin stretched across my face. "Sorry. I can't sleep... I have a lot on my mind."

She smiled back, and I could see understanding in her eyes. Snowflake sat up, raising her gaze to peer out the cave entrance at the darkness and cold that raged outside. I rolled up to sit next to her, following her gaze.

"...It's been so long since we've been alone together like this." She said, and I was surprised to hear that. So startled that it took me a moment to realize the truth of her statement.

"Yes..." I nodded, "I... even though we've been together this whole time... I've been sort of... missing you." I hoped that didn't sound awkward.

Snowflake seemed surprised at that. Oh no. It was awkward wasn't it?

She smiled. "I've missed you too..." Oh! She did? My anxiety faded, a warm feeling blooming in my chest.

Snowflake softly smiled, keeping her gaze away from me as she spoke again. "Not that I mind having so many others here to help us... but I do.. sometimes miss the time when it was just us, us and..." she turned and I followed her eyes to Kubo, curled up and sleeping miserably on his own, "and Kubo... I didn't expect there to be so many of us."

I laughed softly, but there wasn't much enthusiasm in it. "Me neither."

We both continued to watch Kubo for a moment, before slowly Snowflake shifted, and I moved my eyes back to the snow. For some reason I struggled to look her directly in the eyes. "...I hope everything will be okay." Snowflake sighed, an anxiety and worry in her tone that made me want to shift closer to her. Comfort her. But instead I lowered my gaze to the ground.

"Me too," I murmured.

Silence fell over us again. I cursed myself for being so useless in this conversation. But there had been so much... what could I even say? There was so much to say, I didn't know where to start...

"I admit- I never expected any of this. I would have never imagined that I'd fall into this big adventure when I found you knocked out in the snow!" Snowflake laughed, and the nostalgic smile on her face made me feel warm again. It gave me the courage to look at her properly.

"I'm sorry if-"

"No! No..." She shook her head, laughing under her breath. She met my gaze and I couldn't help but smile at that. "It's been... nice. To see so many places, and meet so many pokemon. I never really knew much of the world besides my home..." She paused, a softness in her gaze that I hadn't realized I missed so much. I missed seeing it directed at me like that. "I'm glad I can see it now. Even despite everything else..."

"Hmmm.." I leaned back on my paws and tilted my head at her. "I'm glad you're here too."

She looked away, a soft blush on her cheeks. "Thanks... it seems our meeting wasn't an accident, then."

I nodded, looking away myself. I hadn't realized how much I missed this. This was... easy. I hadn't expected it to be so easy...

"So... What do you think of Azelf and... and Mesprit?" I asked, and for some reason all my anxiety on the topic had calmed. I leaned closer to Snowflake as he hummed, considering her reply. She didn't seem at all bothered either.

"Well... I don't think it was right for Mesprit to lash out as she did." Snowflake frowned angrily. I knew if Mesprit were awake, she'd be getting quite the speech. I grinned. "Not only did she frighten Hunter, but... Kubo..." her expression softened sadly.

"...He wasn't exactly being welcoming like he promised..." I said slowly.

Snowflake shook her head. "None of us have been... as kindly as we should be. They're just doing their jobs- both Azelf and Mesprit. They have to protect the stones to protect the world, and sometimes that can lead to difficult decisions... I can understand that. But... they're not like us, Moss."

She turned to look at me and I stared back. Her words brought back that cold, lost feeling I had had before. "What... do you mean..?"

"I..." she sighed, "They don't know what it's like to be on the other side. Even though Mesprit was hurt, and we helped her... she always had a pride in her, did you notice?"

I nodded. Snowflake hummed and looked away.

"She can't accept... that she could be the one that got hurt. Sure, she doesn't like using her ability to manipulate emotions... but that fear... that terror at being faced with a being that you cannot resist..."

"Kubo... she couldn't understand why he was so upset with Azelf." I supplied gently.

Snowflake nodded. "Yes! Exactly... To her, battle and fighting to the death, that's all... pretty normal." Such an idea made my chest feel cold. I frowned and watched as Snowflake raised he eyes back to the billowing winds outside. "But that's not normal to us. Not just Kubo... She knows how we feel- she can read us... but I think she got frustrated at us for feeling this way. She doesn't want us to be... to be..."

"Traumatized," I smiled weakly in an attempt to amuse her.

Snowflake giggled. "Well- maybe I wouldn't put it that far-"

"But it's not wrong either!" I laughed softly and she joined me, curling in towards me and I did the same. Even though the subject matter was harsher than I would have expected... it was easy to talk with her about.

As we calmed again, Snowflake smiled softly down at out feet. "Still... we can't help feeling how we feel. it was wrong for her to get so mad at him, even if he was being a jerk... He cares very much about her. If she can read his feelings she should've cared more about them."

I couldn't help but reach out and hold her shoulder at that. She looked up at me curiously. I felt my face get warm. "Well- that's why us regular pokemon need to stick together, right?"

Snowflake grinned, amusement in her eyes. "You're not very normal, though, Moss."

"Wha- hey-" I stuttered, "well- all the more reason to try and get along with the weirdos, right?"

She laughed, and I softly laughed with her. As we laughed, I wrapped my arm around her more, holding her against me in a hug. She was cool to the touch, just as she always was. Yet I felt no chill, in fact I was warm, sitting next to her and watching the snow. The storm was just out of reach... but in here we were safe.

When we finally dozed off to sleep, I felt safe.