Zera had grown used to her life. She'd lived in the facility for a few years now. Her favorite activity was painting on the walls of the cafeteria. She loved to paint. She'd paint trees and other natural things. Her biggest project was the sun she and a few others painted on the ceiling. She set her tray down and gazed up at it. A few others joined her at the table.

"Zera," An older woman sat down across from Zera. She was holding her baby. Zera stared at the baby for a moment. The little hair it had was green, much lighter than Zera's. The mother had black hair. She wondered if the father had green hair. She tried to remember the woman's name. "How are you doing today?" The unnamed woman asked. Zera nodded. "My baby is doing wonderfully today." Zera nodded again. The woman gave the baby a strange figurine. Zera's mind drifted as the woman started talking again. She snapped back when the baby started crying. The woman shushed it. Concordia was at the cafeteria entrance, fiddling with a tablet. Zera noticed a new person speaking with her. She seemed to be about the same age as Concordia; she had light brown hair. Concordia and the woman noticed Zera staring. They stared back at her. Zera held her gaze for a moment before looking down at her plate.

Concordia sighed. Aurea elbowed her.

"A lot of them are staring at me," she said, not bothering to lower her voice.

"They've never seen you before," Concordia said. "They have to get used to you." Aurea looked over the cafeteria. Her eyes narrowed.

"That one has a baby?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"He was with her when she encountered Kyurem." Concordia tapped her tablet impatiently. "Can we move on?" Concordia didn't like the idea of getting Cedric's daughter involved. He claimed she knew just as much as he did about pokemon. Concordia had doubts. Aurea nodded. She led Aurea out of the cafeteria and down a long hallway. They passed an open door. N was inside speaking with Colress. N waved at Concordia as she passed.

"Is that the one that can speak with pokemon?" Aurea asked. Concordia ignored her question. She led her to the main research room. Cedric, Ghetsis, Anthea, and a few of the sages were inside.

"Aurea!" Cedric hugged his daughter. Concordia crossed the room, joining Anthea at a table. There was a countdown on a big screen. Ten hours. Concordia frowned at it.

"What's going on?" She asked.

"Kyurem is going to wake up," Cedric said. Aurea walked past him, setting a laptop on a counter. Ghetsis stepped forward.

"We have sixty hours to take action."

"What are we going to do?" Concordia asked. There was a grim silence. Cedric wiped his brow.

"When Kyurem wakes up, it will create mass havoc. It will destroy Lacunosa. Who knows where it will go next."

"What are we going to do?" Concordia repeated.

"If Kyurem is… satisfied. It will likely return to its slumber for a few more years." Concordia glanced between the different faces in the room. No one seemed willing to meet her eyes.

"We have a hundred and thirty-five victims. All of them marked by Kyurem." Anthea spoke slowly. Concordia turned to her.

"It should be enough to satiate Kyurem," Aurea said. Ghetsis nodded. The sages murmured in agreement behind him.

"What?" Concordia slammed her fist against the table. Anthea flinched. "You can't be serious!"

"It's what has to be done," Anthea said. Concordia spun, backhanding Anthea. Anthea cried out, clutching her face.

"You'd let all of them be killed? Think about what you're saying!"

"It's not like they're real people or anything," Aurea spoke up again. Her eyes met Concordia's "they're practically vegetables."

"What? they're very clearly aware of what's going on!" Aurea scoffed. Concordia started for her, Cedric stepped between them.

"No one likes this," he assured her. "But no matter what we do, lives are going to be lost. But we can control this!"

"We don't have a choice!" Anthea insisted. Concordia was crying. The others watched her for a moment.

"We have to get them ready for transport," Cedric said. Anthea walked past Concordia, following the others out of the room.

Zera didn't understand what was happening when the entrances of the cafeteria suddenly locked. No one else seemed to panic, so she didn't either. She sat with the unnamed woman and watched her feed her baby. She didn't notice the gas filling the room until The woman collapsed. The baby started crying. Zera thoughtlessly shoved the woman aside and picked up the baby. The baby was holding onto that weird figurine. Zera climbed onto a table, trying to stay above the rising gas. The baby suddenly stopped crying. Zera set it down on the table. She fell unconscious. The gas was sucked out of the room. People swarmed inside. The victims were carried out into two different trucks. Cedric drove one, Anthea drove the other. It took a few hours to reach Lacunosa. They traveled up the hill, locating Kyurem's cave. The victims were carried inside. A perimeter was set up outside of the cave entrance as night fell. The group of leaders stood at the edge of the clearing; Cedric, Aurea, Concordia, Anthea, and Ghetsis. Concordia shared a look with Anthea.

"I'm sorry," Anthea said.

"I know." Concordia took Anthea's hand. Aurea stood with Cedric and Ghetsis.

"This is only a temporary solution," Ghetsis said. "What happens when Zekrom and Reshiram wake up in a few years." Cedric shook his head. "Do we keep giving them sacrifices until there's no one left?" Ghetsis turned to the cave. "I refuse to accept this." A light came from inside the cave.

Zera woke. She couldn't see. The first thing she felt was the baby. The baby crawled by her head. It dropped the figurine by her hand. She picked it up, feeling it. The world hummed around her. The baby whined. Someone groaned. She felt a familiar presence. A familiar chill. She gasped. The baby started to cry. There was a rumble and a flash of light. She was in a cave, surrounded by people. She struggled to get up. Her limbs were weak, and her skin seemed to harden. The baby cried louder, poking at her hand. She opened her hand, dropping the figurine. The chill grew stronger. Someone cried out. There was another flash of light. She saw it. The figure appeared deep in the cave. Yellow eyes glowing. Her breath hastened. She squirmed on the floor. She was stuck, attached to the ground. Ice was spreading across her body. Another scream. Another flash. It was closer. Something was dangling from its mouth—a white shirt.

"No!" Someone shouted. Then, everyone was shouting, everyone but Zera. The flashes came faster. The thing grew closer. Zera's body grew colder. She couldn't move a muscle. The ice was all over her. She was breathing raggedly. Every breath seemed to tear at the inside of her throat. Another flash and the thing is above her. She stared at it, her eyes wide with horror. She tries to scream, but there's no sound. The beast roars at her, lunging.

When the screaming stopped, Concordia was still crying. She collapsed to her knees, hands on her ears. Anthea was crying as well. Cedric wiped his eyes with a sleeve. Ghetsis had turned away from the cave. Trembling. Aurea stared at the cave, unmoved.

"Do you think there's anything left?" Aurea asked.

"I- I don't know," Cedric admitted.

"We should probably check. Wouldn't want someone drawn in by the stench." Concordia cried louder.

"We'll check when the sun rises," Cedric said.

"Considering Kyurem hasn't come out, I'm assuming it worked." Ghetsis choked out. Aurea crossed her arms. They remained there for half an hour before returning to Lacunosa. The next morning, Aurea and Concordia returned to the cavern. They entered, following the path deep inside with flashlights.

"Where did you put them?" Concordia asked as they went deeper.

"Near Kyurem's resting place," Aurea said. The path opened up to a large area. Kyurem was there, asleep on the ground. There were shredded clothes scattered about. Concordia covered her mouth. A small whine echoed throughout the chamber. Concordia tensed up.

"What was that? A pokemon?"

"No," Aurea scanned the floor with her flashlight. Another whine.

"The baby!" Concordia gasped. Aurea froze, standing by Kyurem.

"It's right here." Concordia walked over, training her flashlight on Kyurem. The baby was under Kyurem's neck, playing with a figurine.

"Kyurem spared him?" Concordia knelt, lifting the baby. "Just like N."

"N?" Aurea frowned.

"N encountered Reshiram when he was younger. He was spared."

"Why?" Aurea turned her gaze to Kyurem. "I don't understand." The two of them left the cave. Aurea stared at the baby. "Let me see it." Concordia hesitantly handed the baby over. "We have to find it a home."

"It's a boy," Concordia said. "And he has a home at our facility." Aurea scoffed.

"Don't you get it?" She held out the baby. "What kind of life do you think it'll live being raised like a lab rat?"

"You don't think—"

"Make a choice." Aurea had a stern look in her eyes. Concordia was put off by her seemingly genuine concern for the baby. "I think I know someone." Aurea and Concordia took the baby to Nuvema town. Aurea led Concordia to a house by the water. A woman was with her son. The boy hid behind her as Aurea and Concordia approached. Concordia watched from a distance as Aurea, and the woman spoke. The woman took the baby. Aurea returned. She slipped the figurine into her pocket.

"Thank you," Concordia said. Aurea ignored her.

"He'll be important, probably." Aurea crossed her arms. "If he's like that N kid. Maybe they're the solution. Suppose they're somehow linked to those monsters." Concordia nodded. Aurea started walking back to the truck they'd arrived in. Concordia looked back at the woman. She was kneeling, showing the baby to her son. Concordia smiled and followed Aurea.