A/N: My fanfic has an illustrated cover for each chapter, but since FFN doesn't allow inserting images nor does it accept links within the fanfic itself, please head over to my tumblr (carefreejules) if you'd like to see the covers!

Chapter 21 - Dip Into Your Memories

"You're...you're Juliet's brother?" Mary repeated shakily. Matthew nodded slowly, flinching upon feeling the glares from Vanquil and Tessu that were stabbing in his chest. He closed his eyes and breathed heavily through his nose.

So...she must have told them. And, could he blame her? He was an awful older brother and there was never a day that went by where he didn't beat himself up for not doing more, for not reaching out, when Juliet needed a support system the most. He couldn't forget how shocked and angry he was when he heard that their parents had given up on her and their relatives in Lavaridge Town ended up taking her in. Bless their hearts for doing so, but he should have done more too. If he didn't follow his parents orders to become a doctor let alone succeed at it, would he have been in a similar place as his sister?

No. This wasn't about him. He already had enough of that growing up. The praise and attention he received growing up wasn't worth it if it meant his sister had to suffer in the process. Matthew wasn't expecting any forgiveness or redemption from Juliet or her friends.

He just wanted to help. And he was going to fight for his sister's life and well-being – something he should have done a long time ago.

"With all due respect, especially as a fellow doctor, I can't allow you in because we don't know the cause of-" The doctor began, before a gut wrenching scream rang through the air, followed by nurses and doctors frantically trying to restrain Juliet's thrashing body.

"Did we apply a sedative?!"

"We did already and there's no point in applying another dose when she's already unconscious!"

"Hurry! Gather the restraints!"

"Munna! Musharna, wait!" Dr. Fennel called after the two dream eater Pokemon, who charged into the unit and began to suck in what looked to be dark mist from Juliet's body. Gradually, her body began to settle as more mist got absorbed from her, making the nurses and doctors breathe a sigh of relief. Munna and Musharna pulled away, looking rather fatigued and stressed from the rather...unappetizing meal.

"Wha...What was that?" Sonia blinked.

"I'm so sorry about that! Munna and Musharna can smell dreams and nightmares from far away and normally they don't go for the latter!" Dr. Fennel caressed both Pokemon soothingly. "But, in this case, they must have done it because they could tell that Juliet is in danger. May I take a look at her?"

"U-Um-"

"Now's not the time to get hung over protocol - we're here to save a young woman's life, right?"

The doctor finally stepped aside, letting her through to the ICU to inspect Juliet's body more closely. Her body was glistening with sweat, and though her body wasn't squirming out of control, her eyebrows were knitted together, like she was in constant pain. But there were no visible injuries or wounds on her body, except for the minor cuts she had on her face. Fennel looked to Munna and Musharna again, who nodded at her in confirmation.

"I strongly believe that Juliet is trapped in an inescapable nightmare, so please, let me handle this."

"Are you sure? I mean, I've never heard of a case of that happening before-"

"Well, I have. I'm not a dream researcher and scientist for nothing! Matthew, your assistance please-"

"Right away-"

"Hang on, I don't feel comfortable with this. A least not comfortable with him." Vanquil hissed.

"I know what you're thinking, and I don't blame you at all if you hate me. Our parents treated her so unfairly and I...I didn't do anything. I'm not looking for pity or forgiveness, but if I have the power to help her, then I'm going to use it." Matthew explained with conviction before dismissing the other doctors in the room to begin the dream diagnostics with Dr. Fennel. Dr. Fennel healed up both Munna and Musharna before turning to the group that were gathered outside of the ICU.

"I'm sorry, but we're going to be closing the doors now. Leave the rest to us."

The rest of Raid Prism and the Gym Leaders waited with bated breath for the results of the diagnostic and whether Juliet was going to be able to wake up or...not.

"Leon! What the hell are you doing out of your room?!" Raihan shouted, rushing over to his side to take over Gloria's side of helping him walk. Leon was looking worse for wear, but he couldn't stay put in bed after what Hop and Gloria had told him about Juliet, and how she protected them both from Darkrai's attack.

"How is she...?" Leon asked hoarsely, ignoring Raihan's initial question.

None of the Gym Leaders could look at him, which made Leon's mind jump to the worst case scenario. His heart dropped.

"No...She isn't-"

"Relax, mate. She's not dead. They're trying to figure out what's wrong. Something about a dream diagnostic." Raihan reassured him.

"Dream diagnostic?"

"A Pokemon scientist specializing in dreams that Juliet was trying to meet a while back is taking a look at her. Along with...her brother." Mary muttered.

"Her brother?! Wait, now that I think about it, one of the doctors who took care of me looked like her..." Leon gasped. He thought she didn't have any touch with him nor did it seem like he had any positive presence in her life. Why did he show up now of all times?! It felt wrong, letting someone from her old family who didn't show any care for her, suddenly show up without her even knowing-

"Easy there, big guy. I don't know what the deal is with Juliet's brother and by the looks on your faces, I'm guessin' it's not anythin' good. But, the guy seemed remorseful so let's just let him and Dr. Fennel do their jobs." Piers added, putting himself between Leon and the door to Juliet's room, since it looked like the Champion was going to bust through the hospital room.

Leon had no choice but to relax, not like he could afford to spend any more of his energy due to his injuries. But in that moment, he felt more powerless than he did before. On top of not being able to stand up against Eternatus, leaving the job to his brother and friend, he couldn't even protect the woman that meant so much to him. He didn't even get a chance to apologize for the bitterness he said that tore through their friendship.

And...if she couldn't wake up, he would never get that chance.

One-sided feelings of longing be damned – Leon wanted nothing more than for her to wake up and be OK.

"Ah, I had a feeling you'd all be here." Cynthia greeted with a polite bow of her head. In the presence of such an acclaimed Champion and Pokemon researcher, everyone in the room straightened their backs and even Leon felt a little embarrassed because of his condition.

"Champion Cynthia. I'm sorry we couldn't meet under better circumstances."

"Don't apologize, Champion Leon. You should be resting, no?"

"I know but..." Leon smiled sadly. "I can't rest knowing Juliet isn't well."

"How is she, by the way? Or rather, what exactly happened? When all the Dynamaxed Pokemon suddenly reverted back to normal, and the rest of us returned to the meet up spot to check everyone's status, I heard she left abruptly in the direction of Hammerlocke from Blue." Cynthia pondered. Hop and Gloria glanced at each other knowingly before nodding to each other and stepping forward to the Champion of Sinnoh.

"Juliet...She came to protect us." Gloria started quietly.

"After Gloria caught Eternatus, there was something else that...came out of it. Brendan tried to catch him but he swatted the Ultra Ball away. He looked like it was in real pain and when we tried to see if he was OK, he raised it's hand at us and readied an attack. It all happened so fast but the next thing we knew, Juliet was lying on the ground in front of us..." Hop clenched his fists and bit back the tears that were pooling in his eyes.

"It's our fault that Juliet can't wake up now...If we had been more careful, she didn't have to-" Gloria let out a sob before sinking to her knees and wept with her head down. Seeing his best friend cry, opened the floodgates of Hop's own tears. He kept muttering, 'I'm so sorry Juliet' or 'I'm so sorry, Lee' which made Cynthia's eyes soften in sympathy. She knelt down to Gloria's level and placed a hand on her shoulder while gingerly taking one of Hop's hands.

"Please don't blame yourselves for what happened. You two have incredibly big hearts to want to reach out to a Pokemon in need, and whoever this Pokemon is, I'm sure they didn't mean to hurt Juliet."

"H-How would you know?"

"Because, I know what Pokemon you're talking about. Darkrai, correct?" Cynthia smiled wryly at the reactions she elicited from her response, which ranged from dropped jaws or widened eyes. She wasn't a Pokemon researcher and expert in mythology for nothing.

"How much do you know about Darkai, Miss Cynthia?" Tessu asked.

"Please tell us!" Vanquil pleaded.

"I'm more than happy to share the knowledge that I know of him, but I think we'll learn a lot more if we talk to Darkrai ourselves. If he's conscious that is." Cynthia offered. The remaining members of Raid Prism didn't need to be told twice and agreed to go with her to talk to Darkrai. Hop and Gloria agreed to tag along as well, still feeling partially responsible for what happened. And of course, Sonia wanted to get to the bottom of why a Pokemon was 'merged' with Eternatus and what effects it might have left on Darkrai after being pulled apart from it.

"You going to go with them, mate?" Raihan asked Leon. The Champion shook his head and pressed his hand up against the glass that peered into Juliet's room. Seeing how she was basically strapped down to the bed to prevent her from thrashing about too much, stabbed at his heart.

She looked like she was in so much pain. And there was nothing he could do.

He did it again.

He did the very thing he swore to himself that he wouldn't do ever again.

And...it had to be her. It had to be Juliet.

Hadn't he been tortured enough, hadn't he suffered enough from his previous sin? He thought he could finally move on after accepting his fate as a Pokemon that the world would shun until the end of time.

But, a selfish human just had to use him for some sick twisted attempt to 'save' the future of the Galar region. It was clear that even if someone cared about him, they only wanted to use him as a weapon.

Darkrai was so tired. So tired of how the world treated him.

Was this his punishment for just wanting some sort of connection? Was it a crime for him to want...a friend?

What was the point of living if his power brought nothing but pain and suffering?

"Hello, Darkrai." Cynthia greeted politely. Darkrai refused to face her, opting to keep his head lowered towards the corner of the chamber he was locked up in. Even if he wanted to leave, he couldn't.

"...What do you want?"

"Nothing really. We just want to talk to you and to check if you're alright."

"Does it look like I'm alright?"

"...No. I suppose not. I can't imagine what it is you've been through, Darkrai, and I don't think you deserved any of it."

"How can you be so sure? What do you know about me and all the unforgivable things I've done?! You humans are all the same – friendly at first, but only because you have ulterior motives." Darkrai spat coldly.

Cynthia frowned at that. The mythical Pokemon wasn't exactly wrong. The information she did know about Darkrai were things heard in passing and what was documented, but each piece of info biased for their own reasons. It was hard to form another opinion when she had already grown to believe certain things from what she learned, but part of her passion as a researcher was her desire to understand and be objective as possible. Darkrai deserved to tell his side of the story just as much as anyone else.

Sometimes things weren't what they seemed at first.

"...You're right, Darkrai. I don't know anything about you besides what I've read. But, despite that, I want to hear what you have to say. I know it's hard to trust humans after everything that's happened but please, if you could tell us anything, we can save Juliet with your help-"

"Save?! You should already know by now that the only way for anyone to wake up from my nightmares unleashed on a night of a new moon is with a Lunar Wing. I can't save anyone."

"There has to be another way!" Mary suddenly cried out, startling Tessu and Vanquil especially. "You...You don't really think that humans are all bad, do you? After all, didn't you spend so many nights just talking to Juliet? You...wanted to be her frien-"

"SHUT UP!" Darkrai lashed out, unleashing a Shadow Ball towards Mary. Luckily, the chamber was built with absolute maximum security in mind, so the attack ended up dissipating against the glass, unscathed.

"Why...Aren't you cross with me?! Don't you want me to go away?! I hurt someone you care about!"

"We just want to understand Darkrai!" Mary sobbed, feebly banging her fist against the glass. "Juliet...she told us so much about your talks and...at first she seemed bothered and annoyed, but after awhile, she started to enjoy her time. Talking to you..."

"You don't realize how sad she was when you left...Like, it was her fault for not being able to help YOU. You two may not be the same, but you both know what loneliness feels like. And, it's OK to want someone's company, regardless of who you are. She just wanted to be there for you." Tessu sniffled.

"Please answer us honestly; you didn't mean to hurt Juliet, right?" Vanquil asked.

Darkrai felt his shoulders slack, as if he was finally too tired to put up a fight anymore. She...She enjoyed his company? And enjoyed their talks as much as he had? No, he wasn't going to be swayed! He was only going to hurt her in the end and that's-

"Darkrai...You were in pain, weren't you?" Hop uttered.

"When you were finally free from that Pokemon, you reached out to us and said 'help me'." Gloria added. "And then, we could tell you were struggling so much, like you were fighting yourself, and when you tried to attack us and then..." She shook her head furiously. "We saw with our own two eyes that you never wanted to hurt us. You never wanted to hurt anyone. But, the way the Chairman treated you...it's not your fault!"

Darkrai was at a loss for words, surrounded by teary-eyed humans who were desperately trying to reach out to him, trying to empathize with his pain.

A gesture that he didn't know he really needed.

They wanted to save their precious friend. And he wanted to save her too, even if he still didn't forgive himself for what he had done.

"I...I'll help you." He said finally.

"You will?!" They exclaimed with hopeful eyes.

"Yes, but I don't know how much help I'll be so, I'm so-...I'll do my best."

Cynthia smiled and turned to Sonia, who approached the control panel in front of the chamber to let him out. "It's nice to meet you, Darkrai! I'm Sonia. If it's not any trouble, may I ask you some questions?"

"Dr. Fennel, you should really rest your Pokemon. Her condition is finally stable, but we don't want to overwhelm them with nightmare mist." Matthew strongly suggested. Both Munna and Musharna looked utterly exhausted from draining as much of Juliet's nightmares as they could and it was getting to the point where it would be too dangerous for either of them to take any more.

"R-Right. Thank you for all your hard work you two and please get plenty of rest." Dr. Fennel thanked them before returning them to their Pokeballs. Looking over Juliet's vitals and current condition, even though her heart rate was stable, she could tell that the activity in her brain waves were fluctuating in ways that were alarming.

She was in a deep sleep, but her mind was getting out of control to the point where she was very well going down the road of potentially losing all of her cognitive control over her body. In other words, if they couldn't get her mind under control in time, she was going to be in a vegetative state for the rest of her life. Matthew probably came to the same conclusion based on the concern in his eyes.

"What should we do?" Fennel asked. Matthew's lips pursed into a tight line and he rubbed his fingers against his forehead in deep thought. Cognitive science wasn't his area of expertise, but he wasn't clueless on the various drugs that existed that helped with brain function and the like. The problem is, would they even work in this scenario? The patient was experiencing a never-ending nightmare, preventing her from regaining consciousness – it was a much more complex problem that he didn't want to risk by throwing a drug at it and her experiencing potential side effects that could worsen her condition.

"Oh, Champion Cynthia! What are you doing here?" Fennel gaped as she walked into the room with Sonia.

"Sonia and I believe we have a plan on how to save Juliet." Cynthia replied, looking over to Sonia to let her take over. Walking over to Juliet's bedside, Sonia held up the device she used to track Dynamax levels for her research, over Juliet and just as she theorized, the device went off.

"Just as I suspected. This is going to sound a bit outlandish but, I'm picking up Dynamax readings within Juliet."

"What?!" Matthew and Fennel gasped in unison. "How is that possible?!"

"After talking with Darkrai and hearing his account of everything he remembered, during his fusion with Eternatus, some of the power of Dynamax must have also merged within Darkrai himself. After being freed from Eternatus, that power of Dynamax he had, became unstable to the point where it was physically hurting him. The attack he unleashed must have been him trying to get rid of that power all together. I also have some working theories on how this ties in to what happened with Leon, but I need to talk to Gran first." Sonia explained.

"So, that power must have transferred to Juliet instead." Matthew concluded.

"Exactly. But, because humans can't Dynamax, the power has nowhere to go, and the fact that Darkrai was the one to unleash it on the night of a new moon, that power is basically trapped in the inescapable nightmare with her."

"And what happens if that power is with her for too long...?" Fennel asked with dread.

"I don't know...I've never encountered or read anything like this. I think it's safe to assume that it wouldn't be good." Sonia answered regrettably.

"But, this is where the solution comes in. If Juliet can't get out of the nightmare by herself, and it would take who knows how long to track down Cresselia to get a Lunar Wing, then the only option left is to go into the nightmare and break her out of it." Cynthia ushered Raid Prism and Leon into the hospital room and sent out a Hypno that she had transferred from her personal collection of Pokemon from Sinnoh.

"Wait, hang on. I don't know how safe this is. I've experimented with transferring Pokemon to Pokemon through dreams, but with humans?" This was completely outside of what was considered allowed in terms of experimenting. There were already so many ethical concerns that Fennel had to face when dealing with Pokemon that dealing with human subjects would be considered illegal.

"Please...Allow us to at least try..." Darkrai begged, merging from the ground. "I caused this, and I need to take responsibility for it."

"D-D-Darkrai?! I'd never thought I'd get to see one in person! What an incredible discovery!" Fennel beamed, before coughing to regain her composure. Now was hardly the time to get excited when someone's life was at stake.

"I mean, of course. I understand your feelings. But, please be careful. We're treading new territory and we have no idea what effect this may have on Juliet." Fennel warned before gathering all the necessary equipment before letting Hypno do his thing of sending everyone into Juliet's dreams. That's when all of her Pokemon burst from their Pokeballs and clamoured over to the scientist, all of them pleading to be hooked up as well.

"I-I'm sorry, I can't send all of you in. It'd be too dangerous if there were too many outside interferences. I can send in only three of you."

Juliet's Pokemon all looked at each other before talking amongst themselves on who was going to go in and who was going to stay behind to look after her in the real world. Hajime, Tiki, and Odin all came forward while her remaining Pokemon crowded around their unconscious trainer in support. Hilda whined sadly as she wrapped her ribbon feelers around her arm, hoping she could send some of her fairy energy to Juliet. Takumi and Hubert stared silently, but praying to themselves for her swift recovery. Soleil found a spot by her bedside and started to dance with her pom poms to cheer her on as she slept. Flora rested her chin on her bed, watching her with sorrowful eyes while Felix stood at the foot of her bed with his arms crossed, acting as some sort of bodyguard for her.

"Leon, are you sure about this? I mean, you're not in good shape either-" Raihan fussed.

"I am. I have to do this. If this...If this is my only chance to apologize to her, than I need to go-"

"Leon! Don't talk like we're going to fail! We're going to save her, no matter what!" Tessu retorted.

"...You're right. We'll bring her back. Dr. Fennel, we're ready when you are." Leon nodded with determination burning in his eyes. Fennel quickly double checked everyone before allowing Hypno to stand in front of them.

"I will go ahead and enter Juliet's dream and make sure everyone has arrived safely." Darkrai announced, hovering over her body and disappearing. Matthew quickly glanced at the various monitors to check for any spike in anomalies over her condition, but luckily there were none. He nodded to the Hypno, who began to swing his pendulum back and forth in front of their eyes. Slowly, their eyes grew heavy and their consciousness began to slip away with each swing...

Until...

"Open your eyes..."

Their eyes snapped open, looking around to see that they were no longer in Juliet's hospital room, but instead, lying in the field of silver grass. However, rather than the sky being lit up with stars, it was shrouded in dark, swirling red clouds that forebode an impending storm. It was a lot less peaceful and serene than what Darkrai remembered, which served as an ominous reminder of the turmoil that Juliet was facing at the moment.

"Darkrai, is this...?" Vanquil trailed off.

"Yes, we're in Juliet's dreams. Normally I'd be able to locate her but...this energy surrounding this place..." Darkrai shuddered. "It's the same feeling I experienced when I was held captive and fused with Eternatus. It's conflicting with my ability to pinpoint where she is..."

"What should we do?" Mary asked fearfully.

"Raichu!" Odin wandered over to Leon and pointed at his glowing pocket. Leon followed Odin's gaze and curiously pulled out the object that was flickering with a gentle blue glow.

"A Heart Scale?" Tessu noted.

"...Yeah. Back when my family and I returned from our vacation in Hoenn, Juliet gave it to me for good luck, and I promised to return it to her when we'd see each other again." Leon explained fondly. "It's long overdue but...I was planning on finally giving it back to her."

The Heart Scale suddenly lit up, sending out a shock wave that revealed a path of stars that trailed through the field of silver grass, like a guide of where to go. The only lead they had was to follow the path of stars, and off they went across the field until the trail of stars abruptly stopped at a random spot of dirt amidst the grass.

"Maybe...there's something buried?" Upon hearing that, Tiki flew over and began clawing through the dirt until her claws hit something metallic-like. Carefully, she brushed away the surrounding dirt before pulling out the familiar trophy that was burrowed in the ground. Odin and Hajime inspected the trophy too and nodded in agreement.

"...They say that's Juliet's Hoenn League Championships trophy."

"Her trophy?! What's it doing buried in the ground?" Tessu gawked. Mary brought her hand up to her chest, thinking deeply about the implications of why the trophy was buried away based on everything that Juliet had told them before about her experience with being a Champion.

Juliet was literally burying that part of her past away, along with her previous accomplishments.

Before Mary could vocalize those thoughts, the scene around them began to shift, warping out of shape before settling into an environment of inside of a house. There was nothing out of the ordinary about the house itself, but the scene that played in front of them, was anything but.

"...Dad? What are you doing with my trophy?" Juliet asked nervously. Her father stared at his own reflection on the surface of the golden trophy before tossing it carelessly at her feet, clearly not caring if it broke or got damage as a result.

"W-What? Be careful with my stuff-"

"Does it matter? You're not a Champion anymore. You have no more honour to bring to this family."

"...Are you serious? I get only one chance and that's it?!" Juliet argued in disbelief.

"No, of course not. But, now that you learned things the hard way, it's time you started seeing the reality of everything. If you had just listened to me in the first place, none of this would have happened. And yet, you continued to be foolish. Now look at what happened." Her father continued, not holding back the poison that was spewing out of his mouth and withering away her self-worth.

"...I see how it is now..." She muttered shakily, eyes burning with tears of frustration and despair over how she was being treated. "You were never proud of me. You and mom just wanted to brag about my accomplishments to family and even strangers so you could feel better about yourselves."

"Watch your tone, young lady!" Her father barked.

"Make me! Why should I listen to what YOU have to say?! I'm not a trophy that you can just show off to people! I'm just a kid!" Juliet cried out furiously. "If you or mom had been more caring about what I was going through-"

"What, you wanted to be coddled and pampered? You're not a baby!"

"What's wrong with being upset about the way people have been treating me?! Is it so wrong to want someone to comfort me?! Haven't you ever been sad before?!"

"Of course I have! But, I just suck it up and get over it – something that you don't seem to know how to do!"

That was the breaking point for her. It was so painfully obvious that her father wasn't going to show any support or care about her feelings. And she doubted her mom would as well. She wasn't going to get anywhere or be happy in this awful household that she no longer viewed as home. In that moment, she wanted nothing more than to disappear.

But, even then, she clung on her love for her Pokemon to keep her grounded, no matter how dark the situation got. This wasn't her home anymore, but she knew where she could go.

"...If that's how you really feel, then I have no place here anymore. Don't you dare come looking for me, and don't you dare..." Juliet glared at her father icily. "Don't you dare call me your child."

They all stood there, shocked and horrified at the vile scene that played out in front of their very eyes. Seeing the memory in her perspective only amplified the anger and sorrow that bubbled inside of them, ready to burst at any moment.

They could feel everything as if those emotions were their own.

"She...She always told us about how her dad had treated her..." Vanquil seethed through clenched teeth.

"But, that was just..." Mary dropped to her knees, feeling weighed down by the immense feeling of sadness for her best friend. She couldn't even finish her sentence because no words could describe just how horrible it was. Juliet's Pokemon hung their heads in shame; they knew the depths of their trainer's anguish but they hadn't seen the event that caused it. All they could do was stay by her side no matter what and comfort her as best as they could in hopes that she would eventually get better and move on.

But, even after all this time, that anguish didn't fade away completely.

Tessu noticed how down the Pokemon looked and caressed each of them reassuringly. "Cheer up you three. You did all that you could to be there for Juliet and if anything, she was probably able to keep on living because of you. I'm sure she appreciates and loves you guys from the bottom of her heart."

That made Odin wail into waterfalls of tears, much to the slight amusement of Hajime and Tiki, who crowded around the Alolan Raichu to comfort him.

Leon hadn't realized just how hard he was clenching his hands that he ended up digging through his palms and breaking the skin. It was...incomprehensible for anyone to be so cold and heartless towards their own child who was only trying her best. Where the hell did her dad get such messed up standards from? And to expect a kid to uphold them?

It was ludicrous and unbelievable.

He felt so stupid, so ignorant to the fact that he never truly understood the gravity of how abusive her childhood really was.

But, the desire to save her only grew stronger and stronger, and now more than ever, he wanted her to get the happy ending that she deserved.

The Heart Scale lit up again, revealing another path of stars from the Championships trophy.

"Let's go, everyone. We're going to save her." Leon recalled with conviction. The others nodded in understanding before picking themselves back up to follow the next trail of stars. What could they possibly see next that would be worse, or hopefully better, than what they just saw? The path of stars led them from the field of silver grass, to the field of forget-me-nots. Sitting in the centre of the field, and where the trail ended, was a piece of paper. Mary carefully picked up the neatly folded paper, unfolded it, and her eyes widened.

"This is...an adoption form."

And then the scene shifted again, and they stood inside of a different house this time. Specifically, someone's room that was filled with unopened moving boxes.

"Juliet, sweetie, I brought you dinner." Tiffany called over softly, holding a tray of spaghetti, soup, a tall glass of orange juice, and a cup of pudding – all of which Juliet loved. But, she said nothing, absently stroking Odin's back as he napped on her lap. Her aunt frowned but then smiled gently. She gently placed the tray of food on her desk before approaching her niece quietly and sat next to her.

"...Come here, sweetie."

Hesitantly, Juliet shakily reached out to her aunt and buried her face into her shirt. She sniffled, she choked back a sob, before wailing uncontrollably in her aunt's arms. She should be happy that she was in a better home, that she got away from that house. But, that didn't magically erase the feeling of failure of not just her reign as Champion, but for everyone she let down.

Starting over and not knowing what to do next, terrified her.

It still felt like she didn't belong anywhere.

"Shh...Shh...let it out, sweetie." Tiffany cooed. "I won't let anyone or anything hurt you like that ever again..."

"B-But...so many people are still calling me a loser, a wimp, a fake! What did I do wrong...Why did it turn out like this?!" Juliet sobbed.

Tiffany held her tighter. She...She unfortunately didn't have an answer to that. And she wished she did, because there was no excuse in the world that could allow people, and her own parents, to beat her to the ground. Absolutely no one deserved that.

"I...I don't know, sweetie. But, I do know that you didn't do anything wrong. I don't know where those awful people came from or why they thought it was OK to say the things they did, but we're going to help you, love you, care for you. It'll be hard, but your uncle, your cousin, myself, and your Pokemon – we all believe that you can move forward. And we'll be with you every step of the way." Tiffany pulled back a little to cup her niece's face and to wipe away her tears.

"I'm proud of you, Juliet. Despite everything you've been through, you're still here, fighting to be happy again. That's incredible, sweetie."

"I just..." Juliet hiccuped. "I-I don't want to give up. I want to be happy again."

"And you will, I have no doubt about that." Tiffany brought over her dinner and set it down in her lap. She scooped up a spoonful of soup, lightly blowing over it, before holding it up to Juliet's mouth. She pouted.

"I-I can feed myself."

"I know, but I want to make sure you eat every last bit. You haven't eaten your breakfast or lunch! Let your aunt spoil you just this once, OK?"

"...OK."

The scene slowly disappeared and they were back in the flowery field. They all let out a collective sigh of relief, from the must happier and uplifting memory.

Juliet's adoption paper sitting out in the open in a field of forget-me-nots. A precious promise that she would never forget her aunt's unconditional act of love and kindness of taking her in and taking care of her as if she was her own daughter.

"We only met her aunt once at her birthday party, but she treated us kindly on that day. She really is a wonderful person like Juliet had described her to be." Tessu remarked fondly.

"And didn't she say that her aunt took her around the world to cheer her up and lift up her spirits?" Vanquil added.

"She did and I'm so glad it helped. It must have felt so liberating for her to see the world and be free from being trapped in her own home." Mary smiled before turning to Leon. "At some point when she started working for her aunt to help her out as thanks, that's when you came in, right Leon?"

Leon chuckled sheepishly. "Yeah. The Chairman was overworking me to the point where my mom put her foot down and demanded that I get a vacation to relax and spend time with my family. Those were...probably the best two weeks of my life..."

"...You really love her, huh?" Tessu teased lightly. Leon flushed heavily, but nodded.

"I do. Which is why I want to make things right with her. Even if she can't remember the Leon from back then, she's still the same compassionate person that I fell in love with and...I'll always feel that way."

"Awwwwww..." Mary and Tessu cooed, making the Champion more flustered over baring his honest and passionate feelings out so openly.

"Hey, Darkrai, you've been kind of quiet. Are you OK?" Vanquil asked.

"I apologize for not contributing to the conversation. I don't...quite understand some of the ways that humans think and act so it feels more appropriate to observe." Darkrai floated around the area, as if he was looking for something. He couldn't put his finger on it, but he felt another presence. It wasn't Juliet's but...it was a presence he hadn't felt in a long time. It felt...nostalgic, playful even, but where was it coming from?

The Heart Scale shone brighter this time and slipped out of Leon's hands, and floated over to where Darkrai was standing. Somehow, the space in front of him began to crack, revealing a hidden area or room within the space they were already in. There was something deeper within Juliet's dreamworld and they were only scratching the surface.

"...Watch your step, everyone." Darkrai warned, floating through thin, crumbling, entryway, only to end up in a dark, barren room. Except that it wasn't barren. There was someone, a little girl, standing in the centre, with her back turned towards them. His eyes widened in realization. There was no mistaking it – he remembered that little girl from his past, and how frequently she haunted his nightmares.

And he recalled seeing her through Leon's eyes.

"M-Maya..."

Maya turned around and she smiled sadly at the Pokemon, while clutching a photo close to her chest.

"Darkrai..."

"Trapinch!" Pistachio burst through the door with Courtney chasing after him, but he refused to be taken away as he clawed and cried out for his beloved trainer.

"P-Pistachio, no! You can't!" Courtney sobbed, scooping him up in her arms. The shiny Trapinch squirmed uncontrollably in her arms, not wanting to leave Juliet's side. Fennel bent down to comfort the crying baby Pokemon with light caresses to hopefully calm him down.

"There, there. She's going to be just fine, little one."

"W-When is she going to wake up?" Courtney asked, tearfully.

"...I-I don't know, but...everyone is fighting for her, and she's fighting her hardest as well." Fennel gently took Pistachio from Courtney's arms and placed him on Juliet's lap. "You can stay, but be good, OK?"

Pistachio sniffled, glancing at the 'I love you' Pokeball enamel pin on her shirt he picked out for her, before eventually falling asleep.

"She...She's going to be OK, right?"

Dr. Fennel lifted up her head to see tearful Tiffany walk into the unit with Dave comforting her from behind. Tiffany broke out into a fit of sobs. This was her fault. It had to be - even thought Juliet was an adult and developed her own independence, she should have checked up on her more. Shower her with love that she vowed to give when she signed Juliet's adoption papers. Was her love just not enough?

"It should have been me…! Let me suffer in her place…!"

"Mom! Don't say that!" Courtney cried, throwing her arms around her mother's waist and burying her face in her shirt. "I should have stayed in Galar just a bit longer! I could have been there for big sis…!"

"You two...please…" Dave sniffled. "If it's anyone's fault, it's mine. I was too hard on her that one time…"

"Tiffany, Dave, and Courtney."

The three of them turned to see Matthew standing in the doorway. Of course, he could have just called them by 'auntie' and 'uncle' but...it didn't feel right for him to say that since he still had ties with the family that they've cut all contact with. The family that was the root of Juliet's suffering. "We're working hard to save her. Not just me and Dr. Fennel." He gestured to Raid Prism, Leon, and Juliet's Pokemon, who were fast asleep. "They're getting to the bottom of it as well."

"Matthew…" Tiffany whimpered and shakily grabbed both of his hands. "Is there anything we can do at all? Do you need money or-"

Matthew placed his hand on top of hers and shook his head. "No, that won't be necessary. I'm not like them, believe me - I would never ask that of you. All I ask is that you have faith in her. I think...I think that's the most important thing she needs right now."

She felt this coldness before.

This loneliness.

But no matter how much she wished for it, the scene around her didn't change.

Floating, or maybe sinking, into a darkness like no other.

She didn't struggle, but she could still breathe, even though she was certain that she was surrounded by water.

She looked up, gazing at the light breaking through the surface, offering little respite to what felt like a watery prison of her own heart.

She reached out, feebly wondering if a hand would breach through the water and pull her back to the light.

But nothing came.

She was alone.

"...I thought I sensed someone else with Juliet over the years, but I didn't think it was you..."

"Hee hee, well, I wasn't able to show myself when you were around…" Maya replied sheepishly. "...I didn't want to upset you."

"How...How are you even here…? You died...because of me…" Darkrai said faintly, struggling with his regret. Maya looked down at her shoes, hands behind her back as she tried to recall how exactly she found herself in Juliet's consciousness.

"I remember waking up in my house, but no one was living in it anymore.. I couldn't find mommy or daddy, and I couldn't even leave the house. I...I didn't know I was dead until befriending some of the Ghost Pokemon that were making themselves at home since no one else was around." Maya started. "And then one day, a girl rushed in. I think it was storming outside and she was looking for a place to stay. What do I do? I didn't want to scare her! But then, when she turned around in my direction, she looked at me. Like, she could see me! And that's when, I saw you, inside of her."

Maya clutched her head. "I...I can't remember what happened after that but the next thing I knew, I wasn't in my house anymore. It was dark and I couldn't see anything. But, I could hear a voice. Juliet's voice. I think from seeing you again, Darkrai, you pulled me in."

"...I apologize. I didn't mean to."

"It's OK! It hasn't been all that bad. Even if I'm not alive anymore, I got to see what Juliet does during the day, and play with her when she sleeps! So, it's not lonely!"

"But," Mary chimed in. "I-If you're a ghost then, that means you have...unfinished business here, right?"

"Hmmm, I think so! But...I don't really want to leave, not yet." Maya pleaded. Alive or not, she was still a child, who wanted nothing more than to keep playing for as long as she could. After all, this was the most fun she had ever had! Who knows if she'll be able to experience the joys of 'living' outside of being bedridden, again.

It was selfish, but she wanted to believe she still deserved more.

"Oh! Prince Charming!" Maya beamed, running up to Leon with sparkling eyes. Leon blinked at the title. Prince Charming? Him? Though he wouldn't argue that he was charming, but a real prince? Hardly.

"Me? I'm not-"

"But, you act like a prince! So kind, so courageous…" Maya fawned over. "I'm glad I got to finally meet Juliet's Prince Charming!"

Leon's face burned brightly at the blunt remark, but even he couldn't help but imagine the implications for a brief moment, which involved both of them dressed in regal clothing while holding hands and-

"Hey, Maya, what's that thing you're holding?" Tessu asked, graciously switching the subject for Leon's sake. Maya immediately jumped back defensively, keeping her distance as she clutched the photo tighter in her hands. Whatever the photo was, she clearly didn't want to give it up or even show what it depicted.

"It's nothing! It's mine! I won't let you take it!" Maya yelled.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! We're not going to take it away from you. We just want to see it, that's all!"

"No!"

"...Maya." Darkrai floated over to her and outstretched his hand. "What's wrong? You seem distressed by something."

"I...I just…" The little girl sniffled. "Juliet's so lucky. She can go out and do whatever she wants and she has so many people who care about her, but what about me? I love my mommy and daddy but...there was so much I wanted to do! The doctors already told me I didn't have much time left because I was sick but why me…?"

It was so unfair, She just wanted to live like everyone else, to be happy like everyone else. But, here she was, feebly hoping that by taking Juliet's most precious memory, she could have a piece of happiness that she could call her own.

"Maya," Mary knelt down to the little girl's level. "Back when you were alive, did you have fun?"

"...Huh?"

"You love your mom and dad, right? Which meant they loved you too. Did they play with you?"

"T-They were really busy but...They always tried to spend time with me and even if they couldn't, Darkrai was always there for me…" Maya recounted, looking up to Darkrai with a small smile. Darkrai couldn't help but run one of his ghostly, pitch black hands carefully on her head, something he used to do frequently all those years ago.

"That sounds lovely. Those memories, they're precious to you, right?" Mary nodded.

"Yes! Thinking about them makes me happy."

"And, you wouldn't want someone to take them away, would you?"

Maya froze. "...No. I wouldn't like that. They're my memories."

"Then, how do you think Juliet feels with you keeping some of her memories? Do you think she's happy?"

Slowly realizing and understanding what Mary was getting at, Maya's gaze dropped to the floor as guilt began to dawn on her. She...She never thought of it like that. Even if Juliet had more memories than she did, all of them meant something to her, even the bad ones.

Those memories belong to Juliet. This life belongs to Juliet.

As much as it hurt, as much as she wanted to stay, her parents, her family, were still waiting for her. Somewhere. And she didn't want to keep them waiting any longer.

"...I'm...I'm sorry…" Maya apologized, her tears falling on the photograph she held dearly in her small hands. Mary smiled sympathetically and coaxed her into a warm hug.

"We know...Even knowing how short your life was, I'm sure you had the most fun you could have had. And, I'm sure Darkrai and your parents had lots of fun too."

Maya sobbed into Mary's shirt, then pulled herself from her embrace to hug Darkrai next. Darkrai was taken aback from the affection, but allowed himself to relax and return the tender gesture. He still couldn't forgive himself for what he did, and who knows if he ever will, but if Maya still had it in her heart to regard him with kindness, maybe, just maybe, he could too.

"I'm...I'm so sorry for what I did Maya...I let my anger...get the better of me…"

"I know...but you didn't mean to, right? You always played with me even if it was past my bedtime. Mommy and daddy were scared of you...but I wasn't." Maya hugged him a little tighter. "So...please don't be sad and hate yourself…"

"...I'll try, Maya."

Maya grinned widely and handed over the photo to Mary. "...This is what I've been keeping from you. One of Juliet's most treasured memories."