Piplup and I were not alone in the Distortion World. The seaweed-like trees parted over a crystal pool to reveal another girl on the other side of our red island. Her platinum-blonde hair was around the same length as mine, reaching her waist in a loose wave. She wore a black scoop neck sweater over a silver miniskirt and ripped leggings. A ferocious Gible scuttled around her platform combat boots, his sharp teeth chomping at the oblivion.

"Hi, Cynthia," I said. When I walked toward her, the pool shifted, clearing a path for me. "You look..."

"Young," Cynthia finished for me with a smile. "I look like I'm your age now. Thirteen?"

"Closer to fourteen, probably," I suggested. We were at eye level. Her silver eyes glowed, twin moons in the dark. Not for the first time, I was amazed at how beautiful someone can be.

Gible broke the moment by chomping on Piplup's flipper. Cynthia scooped up her little Pokémon. "Gible, be nice. Piplup is our friend."

I giggled. Cynthia's Gible reminded me of Ash's. "Did all your Pokémon become tiny again?"

Cynthia sent out one of her Pokémon: a round, fluffy bird. She ruffled its soft head. "Besides Gible, just this one. I caught it as a Braviary, so seeing it as a Rufflet is a treat!" She took out another Poké Ball. "And Ralts evolved!" Kirlia spun around and curtsied to me and then to Cynthia, who cupped his face in one hand. "A lot of Pokémon trainers believe that male Kirlia should become Gallade. Lucian of the Elite Four, for example, used a dawn stone on his Kirlia; having a fighting type added coverage for his team, too. But I don't want to pressure my Pokémon, one way or another. Kirlia and I will decide together, when he's ready, what he wants to evolve into. If he wants to evolve at all."

With that, Cynthia returned Rufflet and Kirlia to their Poké Balls. I smiled at her. "I think this makes you a fantastic Champion."

Gible gnawed on Piplup's head, and I giggled. "Also, that Gible will grow into something fierce!"

Cynthia tugged Gible away from Piplup. "Gible, be nice."

We strolled through the Distortion World together, sharing stories of the spacetime warping we'd encountered on our journeys. Cynthia got to see Veilstone City before it was carved out of stone. The loneliness, she said, was crushing. Meanwhile, the beach next to Sunyshore City seemed to connect directly to another region, with a fire burning in a tiered tower. She and Volkner had tried to investigate, but the magnetism emanating from Volkner's Eelektross triggered another warping, separating the two trainers. When Cynthia tried to fly toward the burning tower, she arrived at Mount Coronet instead.

I shivered, imagining what that must have been like. At least my friends and I had managed to stay together despite the warping—until I activated the red chain and sent us spiraling into the Distortion World. I hoped no one was mad at me for that.

Cynthia's silver skirt fluttered like wings as she hopped to a perpendicular island. Her heavy boots caused red dust to puff out. Platinum-blonde hair whipped around her until her new island's gravity took over. She looked like she was standing sideways. With a wink, she kept going.

I hung suspended in oblivion for a petrifying two seconds until I landed on the next island. How could anyone live in a place like this? Someone lives here, I reminded myself. The anguished cry of one of the Team Galactic commanders rattled my mind as we watched Cyrus disappear into the Distortion World.

"Cynthia," I began, my voice too loud in the heavy silence, "do you know what happened to Cyrus?"

Cynthia glanced back at me. She didn't reply. Around us, the islands spun, faster and faster, dizzying if we looked away from each other.

Red dust and oblivion faded into verdant grass and white flowers. Piplup and Gible let out happy cries and chased each other around a shimmering puddle. I rolled one finger over the two pearls on my string bracelet. "Are we... is this... Sendoff Spring?"

Cynthia bent to pluck a wilted flower that blossomed when it left the ground. She still looked my age, in her scoop neck sweater and ripped leggings. "No, we're still in the Distortion World. I can feel it."

Disappointment filled me as I realized I could sense it, too. The Distortion World vibrates with a different energy from our world. The air weighed on me, heavy.

The white flower dropped from Cynthia's hands. She gently stopped Gible and Piplup. Her whisper was almost inaudible. "Look there."

A blue-haired boy around our age played in the meadow with his Pokémon: Sneasel kicked shiny pool water at Houndour, who shook it off with a disgruntled expression. In the boy's arms, an Eevee laughed, his cry like fairy chimes.

"It can't be," I said with mixed fascination and horror, walking over to the boy. Though his smile reached his eyes, I recognized the diamond-hard determination in his dark gaze. "Who knew Cyrus had an Eevee?"

Cynthia joined us. "What do you think he'll evolve into?"

"Probably an Umbreon."

Above us, a Murkrow squawked. Cynthia and I leaped away to avoid it crashing into us. It flew right through Cyrus's face and shattered the illusion—replacing it with another illusion.

I recognized the beach near Sunyshore City. Like Cynthia said, a layered tower burned in the night. The beach had enough violence, though. 13-year-old Cyrus confronted a group of older boys. "Stop doing that! Can't you see you're hurting Magikarp?"

"But it's so weak!" one of the trainers laughed, using a stick to stab at the floundering fish.

"How awful," Cynthia murmured.

Rage spiked in me. I marched toward the bullies, but they ignored me, running around me to reach Cyrus. The wind from their movement brushed my arms.

"Go, Poké Ball!"

"Ha! He actually caught it!"

"Only to protect it from the likes of you," Cyrus retorted. "I want to be a dark type Gym Leader! I'll fight darkness with darkness!"

"That's a silly dream. How can anyone fight darkness?"

"This world is messed up." Cyrus glared at the bullies, defiance in his adamant eyes. "But I'll change it. Eevee, use Swift!"

Stars lit up the beach. The bullies ran away, hollering meaningless threats. Just then, Eevee glowed white and grew. Gorgeous ribbons flowed in the light breeze. Tears formed in my eyes for this moment. I knew that Eevee only evolved into Sylveon if they truly loved their trainer with a love that is stronger than most friendships. I waited for Cyrus's shock to fade into elation.

It didn't. It became horror. "You were supposed to be an Umbreon."

Sylveon's legs wobbled. The Pokémon bounded away. Cyrus stepped forward, his arm stretched out, but he didn't call out to his Pokémon.

The tide rose and pulled all three of us into the oblivion of the Distortion World.