Initiating startup sequence…

Time since last startup: UNKNOWN

Running system diagnostic.

Heart Core: OK

Central processing unit: OK

Memory bank 1: OK

Memory bank 2: OK

Volatile memory: OK

Motor capabilities: OK

Audiovisual input: OK

Tactile input: OK

Auditory output: OK

Primary power generator: DAMAGED; RETURN TO ORIGIN FOR REPAIRS

Backup power: OK; 75% CHARGE REMAINING

Startup sequence complete.

Golett awakes. As their audiovisual systems come fully online, they find before them an empty plain of cracked stone and dirt beneath an indigo sky. They stand up slowly, shakily, and begin scanning the area for signs of life.

Primary directive: Assist the residents of Stonehold.

But Stonehold is nowhere to be seen. As Golett continues their scan, they see naught but craggy rocks, withered brown grass, and snowy mountain ranges off in the distance, shrouded in black fog. It's dark, far darker than it should be. Up in the sky the sun glows faintly; judging by its current position the time is around noon, and yet the sky is dark and dotted with stars. Had they not seen the sun, they would've assumed that it was nightfall. Golett notes this fact for further analysis while activating the lights contained in their visual input units. The light serves no purpose for their scan, but it will make moving around easier. They stand atop a plateau dotted with yellowing spruces and pines; a frigid wind howls, and shakes and bends the trees to the point of breaking, sending hundreds of needles flying through the frigid air. No houses. No shops. No voices. No residents. No signs of civilization.

WARNING: ENVIRONMENTAL TEMPERATURE 12 DEGREES BELOW ACCEPTABLE PARAMETERS (MINIMUM ACCEPTABLE TEMPERATURE: 0 DEGREES). SEEK WARMER CONDITIONS.

The last thing Golett saved to their memory banks was a recording of little Baltoy playing, seeing how fast he could spin in place. He spun faster and faster, laughing all the while, and eventually collapsed onto his back when he became too dizzy to stand. Then his mother called him home and he said, "Bye, Golett! I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

Neither Baltoy nor his mother are anywhere nearby. As a matter of fact, Golett is completely alone on this cold plateau. But even in the absence of anyone to assist, the primary directive must still be fulfilled. Golett runs a diagnostic of their legs and find that they're perfectly functional, if a bit stiff from lack of use. And if Golett can move, then they can search for their home and the Pokemon they were constructed to serve. One clunky step at a time, they make their way across the rocky plain and towards a cluster of jagged, disorganized shadows scattered throughout the edge of the plateau; up close, they realize the shadows are actually shapeless constructions made from moss-covered stone with rotten planks and shattered glass strewn about the ground. The ruins vaguely resemble buildings and homes, only mutilated beyond recognition. A house with half its first floor scooped out. A single kitchen, disconnected from any hallways or other rooms. Two stone pillars standing tall and proud, unaware that the rest of the building is nowhere to be seen. And two Golett units sitting slumped against the pillars, their visual input units dark and lightless. If the other Goletts are deactivated, then it is possible that Stonehold was…

No. It cannot be. Golett refuses to accept it. If Stonehold is destroyed, then Golett has failed to fulfill their primary directive.

They turn around, intending to continue their search for life, only to find that the plateau that they had just crossed is no longer there. In its place stands a brown, dying forest of spruces and pines, bent and crooked. Yellow needles and soft twigs cover the ground; nothing grows in the remnants of this forest—neither grass nor ferns, neither flowers nor saplings. But where did the plateau go? Nothing seems to be wrong with Golett's mapping software, which can only mean that the environment itself changed when they weren't looking. And if that's the case, then they are in a Mystery Dungeon.

Regardless of the surroundings, the primary directive still stands. Golett strides forth into the rotting forest, crushing the mushy fallen branches beneath their feet, continuing their scan for life. Minutes turn into hours, and the search only grows harder: Golett cannot keep track of where they have been, because any landmarks they find or trails they leave are erased in a manner of minutes, replaced by unfamiliar terrain. Their joints creak in protest at every movement, their lights flicker and dim, and every so often their legs give out beneath them. Each time Golett collapses they need to reboot their whole system to get their legs working again, wasting precious seconds and losing the data stored in their volatile memory. But finally, they detect a source of heat mere meters away! Possible causes of this heat: fire, or a Heart Core, or a power generator.

Or a Pokemon.

The heat emanates from behind a wrinkled, bare, grey pillar that was once a spruce. There's no time to lose: every second that passes risks the dungeon reshaping itself and separating them from the heat source. As Golett stomps closer, crunching the dead twigs and bushes beneath their heavy feet, a frightened whimper breaks the silence. Behind the tree cowers a small, legless Pokemon. Their species is unfamiliar—their body is made of what looks like purple and blue dust with yellow sparks spread around its body, and its torso and arms are shapeless and undefined, like clouds or nebulae. It's as though someone took the night sky and condensed it into a Pokemon. Golett begins searching their memory banks for the Pokemon's species, but the whir of their processor makes hte Pokemon shrink away and press themself against the tree. They're scared of Golett.

Golett's voice box is allegedly functional, but their voice comes out as a low drone instead of the comforting croon they wanted. "Are you lost?"

The Pokemon flinches at their voice, then they stare silently, their eyes wide and their breathing shaky. "A talking Pokemon," they whisper incredulously. With each breath their body swells up and then shrinks down as they exhale.

Golett tries again: "Are you lost?"

They nod.

The search completes itself before Golett can continue: the Pokemon's species is unknown. "Can you tell me your species?"

"My...species?" the Pokemon says. Her voice is high-pitched and shaky; she seems to be a mere child, barely more than a hatchling. "Um… M-my name is Saule. And my species is a human."

"Human?" The term isn't anywhere in Golett's memory banks. It is possible that "Human" is a species that hadn't been discovered when their knowledge base was first initialized. Regardless, the child is still in need of assistance. "Can you tell me where your home is?"

"U-um… I live in Striaton City. It's in the Unova region. My parents' phone number is…is… Oh… I forgot it. Their address is…" She covers her face—or at least tries to. Her cloud-like appendages cannot move very far, only enough to cover her eyes. Her voice breaks. "I forgot that too… Oh no…"

None of the words and locations she just used are familiar to Golett, which is actually impressive: they contain encyclopedic knowledge on all four continents and the majority of the islands on the Great Ocean, and they cannot recall the last time they encountered something they did not know of. Whatever "Striaton City" and "Unova" are, it is possible that they were founded while Golett was still deactivated. But telling this to Saule risks her becoming overly distressed and uncooperative with the investigation.

Golett takes a different approach: "Do not worry, child. I was created to help those who need it, so I shall help you. How did you end up here?"

Saule sniffles and rubs her eyes (though there are no tears to wipe away, only glittering dust particles that float into the air). "I was a-asleep in my room, and I was dreaming, and someone started talking to me in the dream. They said I was needed somewhere, and they would take me away, and then I started hurting e-everywhere, and…" She sobs, scattering more dust around her.

"There is no need to cry. I can investigate the location of your home."

The words, taken directly from their repository of comforting phrases, are intended to make her feel better, but she only weeps harder and curls in on herself. Golett doesn't understand. They have offered a clear solution to her problem, and it has somehow made her mood worse. Maybe her issue lies elsewhere—her environment, perhaps. Many Pokemon don't do well when they're alone in dark spaces. This requires further clarification.

"Why are you upset?"

She doesn't reply.

"If I get you home, will that improve your emotional state?"

Slowly, she uncovers her face and looks at them. Her eyes betray signs of hope. "You can do that?"

"I can try."

Primary directive updated.

New subtask: Get Saule home.

Over the course of the next several hours, Golett takes Saule with them as they continue their search for signs of life. Even if they don't know where exactly Striaton City and Unova are, it is possible that there is another Pokemon out there who knows their locations. The going is slow, however, as Golett's navigational software was not intended to guide them through Mystery Dungeons, where the land shifts and alters itself whenever they're not looking. More than once they find that they somehow managed to circle around to a location or landmark that they have already been to before. The shadowed ruins. The forest remnants. The rocky plateau. They find them over and over again. It doesn't help that Saule has apparently forgotten how to pilot her own body—she keeps talking about legs and how she doesn't have them anymore. Golett carries her at first, but eventually she figures out a way to float a few inches above the ground, and then she discovers that she can use the dust she's comprised of to propel herself forwards. That simplifies things; and the more she flies, the more her mood improves.

As they walk (or float), Saule starts talking. "What do you think happened to this place?"

Golett is unable to parse the question because it is too vague. "Please elaborate."

"Well, everything's dying. The trees, the grass, the bushes. And nothing's growing! Around this time of year we should see all kinds of flowers popping out from the ground. But then again, maybe it's a different season here…"

"What season is it at your home?"

"Spring!" She smiles brightly. "My mama's growing flowers on the balcony, and they're for my papa. She doesn't want me to tell him because she wants it to be a surprise! I don't think flowers can grow here, though."

"Why not?"

"The sun's really dim for some reason. Look, see?" She clumsily points up at the sky with her arm-like appendage. Golett follows her pointing and recalls the fact they had saved: the sun truly is dimmer than they remember it being. "Every plant needs sun, water, and nutrients! So without the sun, nothing can grow. Mr. Cilan told me that once when he came to visit my school. He knows a lot about plants!"

Cilan. The name may be useful in finding Saule's home, so Golett stores it in their memory banks. They are still unable to answer Saule's initial question about what had happened to this area, but it seems she's forgotten all about the question, judging by the way she floats along merrily.

"What kind of Pokemon are you?" she asks.

"I am Golett unit 21-B, constructed in Stonehold."

"Wooooow!" Her eyes widen as she gapes at them. "I've never seen a Golett before! They're supposed to be super-duper rare! I'll have to introduce you to my mama and papa when we find my home. They'll really like you! Though…" Her face falls and she sinks to the ground. "Do you think they'll recognize me?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, when the voice spoke to me in my dream, it changed my body. I used to look really different. I was taller, and I had legs and fingers, and I couldn't fly."

Golett takes a moment to process her question, then updates their primary directive to include reversing the changes made to her body. "I am confident that we will be able to undo what happened to you. And even if we cannot, then your parents will still recognize you. I have seen children evolve and change their bodies, and their parents still knew it was them. So do not worry."

She beams at them. "Okay!" And that's that.

It's odd how Saule's mood has improved so drastically in such a short time. Perhaps she's simply happy not to be alone anymore, or the possibility of returning home has made things seem better to her. Whatever the reason is, they're glad for it. Her happiness means they are fulfilling their function. The two trek on and on; while they're hiking on a bare, grey mountainside the sun begins to set, but this sunset is far darker than any of the ones Golett has seen before. There is no golden glow or rays of light; instead, the sun is nothing more than a dark orange disc in a pitch black sky.

Saule stares with a mixture of awe and horror. "Who do you think did this to the sun?"

Golett doesn't know. "You should not stare, child," they say instead of answering. "Looking directly at the sun for long periods of time risks damaging your eyes." They grab ahold of Saule's arm and pull her along as they continue onward. Eventually they come across an opening in the side of a steep, brown hill. Golett trains their scanner on the opening—and at long last, it detects a presence deep inside!

"Do you think whoever's inside will know how to get me home?" Saule asks.

"It is possible."

Golett leads Saule into the cave; it's far warmer inside, warm enough that their joints don't creak so much. The interior is completely dark, though that doesn't matter when Golett can light the way. Along the sides of the cave they see barrels and sacks overflowing with hundreds of seeds—seeds for fruit trees, berry bushes, flowers, grasses, ferns, and some that Golett doesn't even recognize. Altogether the seeds are enough to regrow an entire continent. Why on earth would anyone need this many seeds? Golett notes that fact for further analysis as they go deeper into the cave, following the twists and turns that lead them closer to the life form. They round one final bend, and discover what looks to be a gnarled tree with a face carved into it. Its single eye is shut, and its roots are planted firmly into the soil. A quick scan reveals the Pokemon to be a Trevenant, protector of all forests, though this one's leaves are yellowed and dying instead of the usual green.

"Stand behind me," Golett whispers to Saule. Then, loud enough for the Trevenant to hear, they say, "Excuse me. Can you help us? I wish to return this child to her home."

The Trevenant's eye opens, though their gaze is bleary and unfocused. It takes them a few seconds to find Golett and Saule, but when they do, their red and black eye suddenly becomes sharp and piercing as they stand up, their roots rising from the soil and acting as legs.

"If it's food you're looking for, you won't find any here," Trevenant tells Golett. Her branches expand upwards and outwards as dark purple orbs form on the ends, crackling with ghostly strength.

"It is not food we seek," Golett says, but Saule steps up to Trevenant and starts talking before they can continue.

"E-excuse me, ma'am! Do you know where I can find my home? I'm a human and I live i-in Striaton City, in the Unova region, and my parents live in an apartment on the third floor but I don't remember the address or their phone number," she says all at once. After a deep inhale, she continues, "Can you tell me where that is?"

Trevenant looks down at Saule like she only just noticed her presence. "You're a…" The purple orbs fade as she stares intently with her narrowed eye. Saule trembles like a leaf in the wind, but doesn't back down. After what feels like hours but is only a few seconds, Trevenant shakes her head, leaves rustling. "I'm afraid I do not know where your home is, child. But if you're willing to stay, I can provide shelter for the night."

Saule looks back at Golett as though she's asking them for permission. They hadn't noticed it before, but she looks absolutely exhausted; seems a full day of travel was hard on the little one. They nod, and she lets out a triumphant cry that echoes throughout the cave. 'Thank you, thank you!" she says to both Golett and Trevenant.

Trevenant only lets out a deep sigh as she sinks back into the ground.

It takes Saule a grand total of three minutes to fall fast asleep. She slowly sinks to the ground, her eyes shut tight and her arms floating above her head like a pair of balloons. Golett doesn't exactly sleep; rather, they enter a low-power state designed to conserve energy. Their frontal lights turn off and they save all the data in their volatile memory to their memory banks for long-term storage. They don't stay long in this state, though, because soon after Saule falls asleep, Trevenant approaches them and asks, "A moment of your time?"

It takes Golett a few seconds to fully reactivate. When they do, they follow Trevenant to the cave's entrance where the barrels and sacks of seeds line the walls. Trevenant stares out at the night sky, where the moon no longer shines. The two stand in silence; aside from the wind howling and the dead trees rattling, there is no noise. Before Golett's last deactivation, back when Stonehold was still intact, the nights were quiet as well—but they had a comforting quiet, like a warm fireplace. This silence is lonely.

Trevenant is the first to break the silence. "Do you know what that girl is?"

"Her name is Saule, and she is a human. Her home is in Striaton City in the—"

"No, that's not what I mean," she interrupts. "Do you know what she is?"

"Do you mean her species? I recall her saying she was transformed by somebody into her current form, but I do not know what species she is now."

She inhales slowly, her expression unreadable. "The girl is a Cosmog."

"I will save that information."

"Do you know what's happening to this world?"

"No."

"The sun is…dying. And with it, the entire planet," she says. "Solgaleo, the emissary of the sun, has grown severely ill. He doesn't have much longer to live, though when it comes to gods that could mean anywhere from a few months to several decades. When Solgaleo finally dies, however long it takes, the world will die as well."

Trevenant slumps over, her branches lowering to the ground. Golett searches their repository of comforting and encouraging phrases, only to come up empty. In absence of anything to say, they reach out and pat Trevenant's trunk in an attempt at a comforting gesture.

"Ordinarily, Solgaleo and Lunala would create a new Cosmog to take their place. But for some reason, they either cannot or will not create their replacement. But that girl…" She turns back to the cave, staring longingly. "I have something I must ask of you, Golett. If your ward evolves, she can take the place of Solgaleo. The sun will be restored to its former glory, and the world will be safe. Plants will grow again, Golett. I'll get to regrow the world. But in exchange, she will be unable to go home. She will be needed here to fuel the sun's light and keep it going."

Golett's response comes without hesitation. "No. Find a different Cosmog."

"But a Cosmog hasn't been sighted in—"

"Find someone else."

Trevenant stares at them like she's looking for something in their eyes. She likely means for it to be intimidating, but Golett was constructed to fulfill their primary directive regardless of any obstacles. It will take more than a talking tree to stop them. They promised to get Saule home, and that is exactly what they are going to do.

"Very well," she finally says. "If that is how you feel, then I will help you get your ward to her home. I actually know of a Pokemon who has experience with humans sent to this world. I can take you to them, and they can help you."

"What do you require in exchange?" Golett says.

"In exchange?" She thinks for a moment, her eye narrowed. A gust of wind bellows past them, bending her branches backwards and sending a cloud of dead, brown leaves into the cave. "In exchange, I will need your help finding a new Cosmog. The world still needs to be saved, after all."

"Then we have an agreement."

Trevenant nods solemnly, though her expression betrays signs of what looks like…regret? With a deep sigh, she picks herself up and heads back into the cave. The skittering of her roots against the soil and rocks echoes out into the night. It almost seems too good to be true: someone willing to help them get Saule home. And she agreed with them on not evolving Saule surprisingly quickly; normally, getting someone to change their mind took several minutes of either logical debate or emotional appeals, but they only needed to disagree twice and Trevenant instantly conceded the point. Golett logs that fact for future analysis before heading back into the cave. Saule is still sleeping peacefully, dreaming about whatever humans do, and Trevenant sits next to her, a branch curled protectively (or possessively?) around her.

Golett wonders how difficult it will be to bring Saule home. There is the matter of locating her home, but they also need to somehow transform her back to her original body. They set that question to process as they enter the low-power state and their vision goes dark.

WARNING: HEART CORE DAMAGED. ESTIMATED TIME BEFORE SHUTDOWN: 30 MINUTES.

Something is wrong with Golett's body. Both of their power sources are severely damaged, and the light within their left visual input unit isn't functioning properly. The right light is functional but unreliable, providing only brief flashes of light between seconds of darkness. No, never mind the lights—the visual input units themselves are damaged! Golett's vision is warped and distorted, possibly due to their lenses being cracked. And their processing is oddly slow and choppy; a system diagnostic takes a full minute to start, and it fails shortly after spitting up a message about their Heart Core. Golett looks down at their outer casing to assess the damage the best they can. Through the blur and deformity, they find that their torso has a wide, diagonal tear in it as though someone has taken a blade and cut clean through the exterior armor, leaving their inner components exposed to the elements. A clear fluid leaks through the wound.

Saule.

Where is Saule?

Golett trains their one functioning light on the place she was sleeping last night. She isn't there. Neither is Trevenant. In their place is a message carved in the stone wall: DO NOT FOLLOW US.

Trevenant. She took Saule. She took her away and she's going to evolve her, and if she does then Saule will never get to go home and Golett will have failed their primary directive. Saule put her faith in them. She thought they could help her. And they can. No, they must.

Golett tries to stand up, only for their legs to screech in protest and give way beneath them. Another warning message registers in their volatile memory, something about motor functions being disabled to conserve what energy they have left. They override it, and stand up successfully. Whatever damage Trevenant inflicted on them, it will not be enough to stop them. They stumble towards the cave entrance, tripping and falling countless times, but each time they fall they pick themself back up again and keep going. Because they have to. Because this is what they were built for. Because they cannot fail their primary directive a second time.

Golett finally reaches the opening and steps out into the dark day. They hear a blustering wind blow by, but they cannot feel it. Their tactile input module is nonfunctional. Fortunately they don't need it to save Saule; all they need is their scanner—which is completely operational. Trevenant has a head start, but she will need to stop somewhere to begin the evolution. If Golett hurries…if they can only get their scanner up and running…

ESTIMATED TIME UNTIL SHUTDOWN: 10 MINUTES

Finally the scanner activates and begins its search for any signs of life. Seconds tick by. Then minutes. Golett begins to run through all the hundreds of scenarios in which they fail: Trevenant gets far enough away that the scanner cannot detect her; the scanner throws an exception and exits prematurely; their secondary power generator runs out of energy and they shut down permanently; or their legs break down entirely. The possibilities are endless, and Golett begins to feel something akin to panic.

Then comes a miracle. The scanner picks up a heat source traveling up a nearby mountain covered in what was once lush woods. It has to be them; there aren't any other Pokemon in this entire Mystery Dungeon. Golett hurtles towards the mountain, more throwing themself forward than actually running, desperate to reach it before the Mystery Dungeon shifts the land around them and takes Saule somewhere they'll never reach. They reach the base and start scrambling up the side, using their still-functional arms to grab onto any nearby tree trunks and pull themself upwards. Dozens of warnings flash through their volatile memory, one system failing after another. Golett tries to grab onto another tree and pull, only for their arm to come clean off with a shower of sparks and gears. But their legs still work. And if Golett can move, then they can still fulfill their primary directive.

ESTIMATED TIME UNTIL SHUTDOWN: 1 MINUTE.

A golden light brighter than anything they've ever seen begins to emanate from the top of the mountain. The evolution is beginning. Golett moves as fast as they are able, pushing aside dead bushes and ferns with their remaining arm, each step an arduous struggle. And the light grows larger, and Golett grows closer. They trip over a fallen branch and their feet snap in two, rendered useless, but still they keep moving. If they cannot run, then they crawl. At long last they struggle their way up to the mountaintop. Just as they thought, Trevenant is there facing away from them with a pair of unfamiliar instruments floating before her: one bright and yellow like the sun, the other blue and pale as the moon. She's sending a ghostly wind through each of them, playing a harmonious, baleful, wondrous, terrible song.

And Saule is there too, only changed. No longer does her stardust float free; now her body is made of a golden cocoon surrounded by that damned light. Inside the cocoon is the night sky full of stars and a tiny black orb—her face. Her eyes are closed and she isn't moving.

"Trevenant!" Golett roars, trying and failing to stand up. Their voice comes out no longer as a low drone, but a distorted, choppy, staticky cry. The ghostly wind stops, and the song stops with it. Trevenant turns to face them. She looks tired. Golett shouts, "You said you would help us!"

"I lied," she says, like it's obvious. "Don't you get it? I told you what you wanted to hear, then waited until you were asleep to take Cosmog."

"Her name is—" Their auditory output module fails. They reboot it and try again. "Her name—"

Her name is Saule, not Cosmog. She is a human child. Her home is Striaton City in the Unova region, and I promised to—

Trevenant turns back to the flutes. "I'm sorry, but I won't sacrifice my one chance to save the world for the sake of a child, human or not. And I won't let you stop me, Golett." She resumes the song. The light surrounding Saule grows brighter and brighter. The mountaintop gains a golden glow, bringing back memories of summer afternoons spent with the Pokemon Golett had pledged themself to. Golett tries to reach for Saule with their arm. If they can just get to her, maybe they can still pull her away and stop the evolution...

Their visual input unit fails completely, and the world falls into darkness.

I promised to bring her home.