Heavy rain lashed against the muddy turf, a surge of muddy brown storm water cascading into a large sinkhole. Akari carefully picked her way down the rocky side of the hole, pulling her cowl tighter around her face as a fierce wind kicked up and tore at her wiry frame. She wound her way to the fourth level of the sinkhole and squeezed into a hidden cleft between two slats of rock, letting out a sigh of relief as the space opened up. The trip here was always dangerous.

"Come on out, Moon. I need some light."

With a thrilled warble, Kirlia broke free of its ball and twirled gracefully around Akari's legs, the reddish objects lodged in its body beginning to glow. It carefully settled its thin hands into the hem of her tunic.

Akari slowly approached a large hidden cleft in the wall, bringing her cowl to cover her nose as Moon rolled back a large boulder using its telepathy. A horrific scent wafted out from the darkness, almost bowling her off of her feet as she screwed up her eyes and continued, Moon looking equally horrified.

On the other side of the hidden cavern tucked neatly upon a rock shelf was the limp body of Rei. She could hear his quiet breaths as she approached, her fingers trailing along the covering of a burlap bag. Volo had managed to give her a hefty supply of Roselia's Poison Powder some time ago. He had some business to take care of in the Cobalt Coastlands, so Akari was in charge of keeping Rei unconscious or at the very least, too weak to leave. Rei was also too weak to relieve himself in a separate part of the cave which was the cause of the god-awful stench permeating the air.

She reached for a different satchel tucked next to hers and brought out a tin box and a battered waterskin. Slowly, she approached Rei. He didn't try to fight back; he was too weak to even do so from the continuous poisonings that she had been conducting on him for almost a month.

His skin was sallow and red, eyes crusted with dirt and past tears as he cracked open his eyes to stare at her. There was no recognition in his eyes; only confusion and apathy along with his blown pupils. His hair was caked with dirt and pebbles and his uniform was- well, it was best that Akari paid no mind to the other side of the rock shelf.

Akari gently lifted Rei's head with her gloved hands and leaned him up against the cave wall, ignoring the way his body shook with every breath that he took. That couldn't be healthy. She brought the waterskin to his lips and pressed on the sides of the bag, closely monitoring him as he gulped down the water. She then forced a grain cake into his shaking fingers.

Rei choked on the small cake and shuddered, forcing down the last bits as he weakly collapsed onto the rock shelf and screwed up his eyes. That was her cue to leave. She would return the day after tomorrow; any longer and she risked the gamut of Rei dying.

But then, if she were to let Rei rot here so deep underground, would anybody notice? Rei wasn't all that important so not really. Sure, he was the professor's assistant, and sure, he would likely be missed by Professor Laventon and the Galaxy Team, but could it be traced back to her? Akari retraced her steps out of the hidden cavern and had Moon roll the boulder back into place. Maybe, but it wasn't likely.

Professor Laventon had sent Captain Cyllene's Abra to the Diamond Encampment with questions after both she and Rei had failed to return back to Jubilife Village a month prior. He'd mentioned receiving word that Lady Lilligant was no longer frenzied and that he expected Akari to quell Lord Ursaluna any day now, but also, the professor had kept sending letters asking about Rei. Where he was and why he hadn't sent any information back with Mr. Mime.

Akari had lied and written him warped tales of how Rei had gone into the field to study the pokémon of the Crimson Mirelands and that Mr. Mime was constantly getting poisoned or too weakened to deliver messages normally. She had even gone as far as faking a few letters from Rei himself, never penning his name. Just keeping things short and sweet so that the professor would hopefully stop asking.

Volo hadn't told Akari what he'd done with Rei's pokémon. Just that they were safe with somebody else that he knew. Akari had no other choice but to believe him. After all, Volo had never done anything to make her distrust him. It was him that had come up with this ingenious plan of keeping Rei out of their plans without completely killing him. They certainly didn't need a meddler or a snitch.

It's not like they were doing anything bad, anyway. Akari reached towards the pokéballs at her side and carefully released each of her pokémon. Rose frowned at the downpour of rain and tucked herself neatly against the cave wall, graciously accepting a handful of grain cakes that Akari held out for her. Velvet wound its way into her lap and purred, kneading at the fabric covering her thighs as it mewled loudly for some oran berries. Moon and her newly caught Murkrow, Noir, also got their share, settling near her to pick apart their food.

This was nice. Just spending time with her pokémon and hidden from view to think for herself and only herself. After a little while, Rose settled its head into her lap and huffed while the other pokémon began running about the cave. Akari settled her hand along Rose's neck, relishing the lovely heat that seeped into her body as she ran her hands over its smooth coat. This was perfect.

"Don't get too comfortable now."

The temperature within the cavern dipped a few degrees and Akari shivered, lifting her head to stare as a familiar face entered the cave. Warm silver eyes met her gaze, but they held something else in them too.

"Volo," Akari nodded. "Here to check on Rei? Or maybe, more news as to where the other plates are?"

"Yes and… yes," Volo acknowledged, stepping inside. His shadow slithered along the wall, becoming massive and horribly twisted into a visage Akari knew and didn't know. Volo caught her eyes again and grinned, wearing a devious smile that had none of the false niceties from his merchant disguise. "You can see them too now?"

"See who? Your shadow… it's-"

"Familiar, isn't it?" Volo took a few steps closer, his shadow moving to completely engulf the cavern in darkness. What looked to be wings unfurled from the shadowy silhouette and a pair of beady red eyes stared at her. "You know, Giratina has mentioned quite a bit about you in the past. Now, I can see that it was telling the truth."

Akari didn't reply. This horrible chill was familiar in a way that made her want to immediately leave the cave and get as far as possible from both it and Volo. The name… Giratina. That was familiar. "It- Giratina… it knows me?"

"Apparently so. Wouldn't you know, Giratina also seems to be following the story that you were sent by Arceus, Giratina's creator."

Volo's shadow gave a deep rumble, the eyes moving about the cavern until they were just a few paces away from her. It moved closer, dark wings completely emerging as the legendary pokémon shed its shadowy cover to engulf her too. She saw the two large golden horns first, the pokémon coming closer on six massive legs. Its black and red scales glowed eerily amongst the darkness as it lowered its head to stare at her, a low chittering sound echoing throughout the cave.

"BE NOT AFRAID, LOST ONE. FOR YOU, I HARBOR NO AGGRESSION."

Akari was surprised. Giratina's telepathic voice was cold and quiet like a gentle growl rather than the booming voice she'd been expecting. She carefully regarded Giratina as it lifted its head to stare down at her. "You're… you recognize me?"

"YOU HAVE APPEARED WITHIN MY DIMENSION BEFORE WHERE TIME HAS NO PRECEDENCE. YOU WILL NOT REMEMBER IT. ARCEUS FORBADE YOU FROM REMEMBERING YOUR JOURNEY HERE."

"So it is a reunion then," Volo murmured. "Akari, do you remember anything about Giratina from your past?"

Akari shook her head. "No, but I remember its presence more than anything. It's so very cold in here all of a sudden." Akari shuddered as a headache began to form behind her eyes. She gripped the sides of her head as it worsened.

She saw herself standing on a floating outcrop of rock surrounded by a swirling void of blacks, purples, and reds. She wasn't wearing her Galaxy Team uniform here, though. She was wearing something else- a dress? A tree floated off the coast of the outcrop, a waterfall pouring past her and into the endless void.

"WE HAVE MET BEFORE, LOST ONE. IN MY DIMENSION. YOU HUMANS REFER TO IT AS 'THE DISTORTION WORLD'."

Akari shuddered. "You- you remind me of that voice I kept hearing in my dreams while I was poisoned. Was that you?"

"It was Giratina," Volo answered instead. "I asked it to check on you throughout your poisoning. Can't have you dying so soon- or such a pathetic death for that matter." Volo uncovered the four plates from his bag and carefully set them down before Giratina who swept them up with a shadowy wing. "I think it's about time you finally hear the real plan."

"The real plan…? What are you talking about?"

"What I'm talking about is the plan to recreate the world. Recreate a world," Volo emphasized. He gave her a cold look. "I'm sure you're aware of the large rift atop Mt. Coronet but I never mentioned how it came to be there."

Akari took a step back. "You didn't. Don't tell me this has something to do with my being here."

"It does, but not in the way you think. You are aware that you were brought here by Arceus but never told the intended purpose, right? And it must be something so important that the Almighty had no choice but to have your memories wiped to carry out that task. Otherwise, well-" Volo moved to stand in front of Giratina, a different, more menacing look about him than usual- "you might just fall back into the same pattern from before."

"From before? Enough of this cryptid talk, Volo. Out with it," Akari demanded, feeling much smaller than her voice suggested. "You know why Arceus brought me here?"

"Of course I do," Volo muttered. "We do." He gestured at Giratina and then fixed her with a cold stare that seemed to peer right through her. "Arceus sent you here to stop me; to stop me from recreating the world. A world without suffering or pain or fear. Arceus was too afraid to stop me itself-" he declared, his voice growing softer- "so it sent its errand girl after me in an attempt to slow me down. To take me out of the picture."

Akari felt like throwing up. "Please tell me you're lying and that this is just some fever dream I'm having."

Pokémon wielders were dangerous, that much Akari knew, but she couldn't imagine Volo becoming so strong that even Arceus wouldn't want to face him by itself. Akari paused. If she were a god, would she bother to entertain something so small and… and mortal, she thought. She frowned. No. No, she wouldn't.

"And why would I do that?" Volo continued. "Why would I lie to you?" Volo's voice was so soft that Akari felt guilty. "Wouldn't you want to recreate the world? Wouldn't you want to change it to one where you were never taken from your home in the first place? Wouldn't you want to change it to one where Oshawott is still alive and all of your memories were never wiped? Where you never stumbled upon that John Doe? Where you never stepped foot in Hisui?"

"It's- that's-" Akari blanched, looking at her hands- "are you…?"

"ARCEUS CANNOT STAND THE IDEA OF A PERFECT WORLD EXISTING," Giratina growled. "LONG AGO, BEFORE YOU ARRIVED, WE WERE ON THE CUSP OF CREATING LIFE ANEW."

"And victory was so close that I could almost taste it," Volo agreed. "I sought to make things right and so I collected the plates- all of them- and sought out Giratina's help. It ripped open a hole in the space-time continuum and we summoned Arceus-"

"You summoned Arceus?" Akari started. "You actually managed to do it?"

Volo scowled. "Oh, we managed it alright. But instead of answering me- us- it summoned forth the other two original ones, Dialga and Palkia. The rulers of Time and Space." Volo opened his mouth to say something more but faltered, a twinge of grief twisting the corners of his mouth as he turned away. "Both titans were furious. Giratina managed to send them into the Distortion World but not before the two titans reset time and space to put me back to square one. I am no longer with my old partners," Volo rasped, "-We will meet again. Of that, I am absolutely sure. And I do not plan on giving up the cause. For, if I cannot seek an audience with Arceus then I doubt you will either."

"So now-" Akari choked out- "I'm Arceus' new errand boy. Instead of facing you itself, it ripped me from my home and put me here?"

"That's right. It put you here to stand in my way. But there's nothing to stop me from doing," Volo alluded cheekily. "You and I are both in agreement that Arceus is the only being that can return you back to where you came from. Dialga and Palkia are both trapped in the Distortion World-"

"Which is your fault."

"Because Arceus is a coward-" Volo retorted. "Any way you choose to look at it, Arceus chose you to do its bidding. Answer my question, Akari. If you had the choice to remove the world of its suffering and grievances, would you?"

"That's a loaded question, Volo," Akari rasped. "A world where I never meet you, a world where I'm home- coincidentally, a home I can't remember…"

"How far would you go to get your memories back?"

"I've already gone a little too far," Akari admitted, remembering the gruesome death of Oshawott. "So you and Giratina ripped open the hole in space-time to speak with Arceus but instead of answering you, it tossed you aside and brought me here to keep you from doing it again?"

"Correct."

"And when it summoned Dialga and Palkia, Giratina trapped them in the Distortion World?"

"Also correct."

Akari felt something stir within her. Something insidious and something caustic and something that felt good. Forget just seeking an audience with Arceus. If what they were saying was entirely truthful than Arceus really was just using her as an errand boy to do its bidding. By this point, her hands had clenched into fists and she was grinning.

"Hey, Volo," she began, letting her hands relax. "Wouldn't it be funny if, instead of stopping you like Arceus intended, I helped you recreate this world? Wouldn't it be funny if the next time you summoned Arceus, it couldn't call upon Dialga or Palkia to turn you back? Wouldn't it be funny if Arceus couldn't run away?"

Volo stared at her with something similar to awe and smiled. An honest to god smile as he laughed, holding out his hand. "So we're in agreement?"

"Absolutely," Akari growled, taking Volo's hand and giving it a firm squeeze. "Let me guess something- the frenzied nobles- is the rift causing that?"

"You're spot on today. Yes. The frenzied nobles are a direct result of Dialga and Palkia being trapped in the Distortion World. But we don't need to defeat the nobles to get the plates. All we need to do is get the plates from their wardens and go to the Temple of Sinnoh in the Coronet Highlands." Volo set his hand down on her shoulder. "Leave the excuses and explanations to me," he murmured. "I'll figure out how to persuade the wardens into handing over the plates. All you need to do is focus on getting stronger. Take down the nobles. We need to be ready for the summoning."

Akari had camped alone that night within the Solaceon Ruins, sheltering in an abandoned stone cottage that she was absolutely sure was safe from stray pokémon. And when she woke the following morning, weary and sore, she gathered up all of her belongings quickly and made to exit the ruins. She had her next mission: quell Lord Ursaluna. That would require tracking down the beast and, from what the Diamond Clan rangers had mentioned, was pretty difficult.

"Ah! Miss Akari!" A tall figure stood atop the cliff overseeing the lowlands and made their way down, a Leafeon trotting at their heels. "I thought I might find you here. Volo mentioned that you were seeking out Lord Ursaluna."

"Morning, Adaman. And he's right. It's about high time Lord Ursaluna is quelled."

"The only issue is tracking it," Adaman nodded. "But I think we may finally have a solution for fishing our Lord out from the underground. Come with me. We've been making plans for a while but we need an experienced wielder to corner our Lord- that's you."

"Fine, fine," Akari waved him off. "Just tell me what needs to be done."

"You're straight to the point. I like it! Follow me."

Adaman led her up to a sheltered spot on Bolderoll Slope where a group of the Diamond Clan's rangers were. Behind them were a cluster of Psyducks. Then, he laid out the plan.

Lord Ursaluna had been avoiding all attempts at capture by tunneling underground or causing massive quakes. Thus, no wielder or scout had been able to get at it. It had apparently been a Diamond Clan Ranger that had come up with the plan; Akanti, Akari remembered. This was how it went: the Diamond Clan Rangers would escort Warden Calaba to the Scarlet Bog while a different group of Diamond Clan Rangers would begin flooding the underground tunnels that Lord Ursaluna hunkered down in with the Psyducks, forcing it up to the surface. That was where Akari would come in.

It was a smart plan, if a little reckless when it came to the safety of the other pokémon living underground. But Akari supposed Lord Ursaluna took precedence here. They would put the plan into motion at sunhigh for the best visibility as it just happened to be an exceptionally clear day.

Adaman bid her welcome into staying with the clan for the night for better preparation. As they walked, Akari asked, "Hey Adaman. Since Lady Lilligant is no longer frenzied, is the Diamond Clan moving back to the Hearth?"

Adaman furrowed his brows. "Not quite. Something's still wrong with the land around the Hearth, so we're staying by Cloudpool Ridge until everything goes back to normal." He fixed Akari with a wry look. "But then again, it's likely things won't be back to normal for a long, long time. Almighty Sinnoh, help us."

"Wait," Akari stopped. "Rei told me that the land was no longer poisoned. The landslide shouldn't be an issue, right?"

"That's not the issue," Adaman replied softly. He waited until the other rangers had gone ahead. And then Adaman adopted a puzzled, almost fearful look as he glanced in the direction of Lake Valor. "No, I think time has stopped completely around the lake."

"Excuse me?"

"Yes, I'm aware it sounds crazy but I ask that you save your doubts until after I've finished my explanation. Quite a few of my scouts have returned reporting… strange things. Things like pokémon frozen in time, suspended in midair or mid-burrowing. Drops of water frozen on the tips of leaves. The lake doesn't move anymore. The wind doesn't blow and the sky has gone dark."

"Do you want me to take a look?" Akari piped up.

Adaman quickly shook his head. "Absolutely not. I wouldn't even trust my rangers to go into it after the reports they've brought me. The last thing I want is to accidentally endanger you and have the Galaxy Team after my neck. Stay clear of Lake Valor and the Diamond Heath."

At sunrise, the plan began falling into action. There were three groups: Akanti's group, Shige's group, and Akari's group. Well, it was more like a duo. Akanti left at sunrise with the Psyducks to flood the southern tunnels and caves. Shige's group encircled Warden Calaba as she began to lead the way towards the Scarlet Bog, Akari and Adaman as the last group following along as the sun rose higher and higher into the sky.

Soon, they came to a stop in a clearing. The land shook and swayed under them as Shige's group retreated to the higher hills surrounding the bog. Adaman remained by Akari's side, the two waiting for the enraged Lord Ursaluna to emerge.

"Nervous?" Adaman muttered, clutching onto the fabric of his coat. He ran a sweaty hand through his hair, Leafeon nudging against his leg.

"Slightly," Akari admitted. This would be her first time fighting a noble alone.

"We're rooting for you, Chosen One," Adaman replied. "Even if you don't succeed, we're still here for you. I wouldn't want to face a frenzied Lord Ursaluna any day, not even with a group of strong pokémon at my side."

At his last words, the group heaved and a shower of rocks, mud, and pebbles exploded into the sky as the Lord scrambled out of the earth, its shaggy brown coat littered with sticks and dust. It slammed its paws down into the earth, white eyes darting this way and that as slowly it came to focus on her. Adaman quickly scrambled away with an apologetic look.

Ursaluna snarled. With a heave, it brought its front paws down hard into the turf, cracking the earth beneath her and forcing her back a few steps. Akari had always been scared of encountering Ursarings in the local environment, so being this close to Lord Ursaluna- frenzied, as well- made her freeze up all of a sudden. Her eyes were fixed on the long, dagger-like claws on its feet.

Kirlia emerged from its pokéball with an enraged cry, its white fringe frazzled as it enveloped Lord Ursaluna in a scarlet aura, forcing the large beast back into the mud. Lord Ursaluna shook its head, turning his hateful gaze on Moon instead.

"Moon, Magical Leaf!" Akari ordered.

Kirlia cried and teetered forward, a flurry of wet leaves and branches bursting forward to slam into the Lord. Another blast caught the Lord in the eyes, temporarily blinding it, but it still wasn't enough. The Lord just seemed to be soaking up the hits, each one just making it more and more angrier. Akari had to do something. She rolled another pokéball into her ready hand and tossed out her next partner.

"Velvet, use Captivate!"

The little Glameow rushed forward, darting to and fro beneath Lord Ursaluna's front paws and completely dragging away its attention to give chase. Akari threw out Rose's pokéball next, having given herself a perfect setup for a Megahorn. Rose reared up and plunged its horn deep into Lord Ursaluna's flank, sending the beast skittering across the clearing. Velvet turned on its heels and leaped atop the beast, sinking its claws into Lord Ursaluna's ears and neck.

With it being a three-on-one, Akari had to slowly but surely chip away at the Lord, watching as her three partners danced, jerked, and lunged at the Lord, all of them moving in sync as Akari did her best to weave around the broken earth and fallen trees the Lord knocked down in his frenzy.

With a howl, Lord Ursaluna dodged one of Rose's Stomps, sending up a spray of stones and mud. Rose huffed and skittered back to stand before Akari, Velvet being tossed clear like a ragdoll. Moon attempted to free itself from a newly forming sinkhole but fell, Ursaluna now focusing on it as the great beast lumbered forward, teeth bared.

A lance-like object plunged forward into Ursaluna's hide, throwing the beast away as a Leafeon charged forward, shielding Moon from view.

"Let me help!" Adaman gasped, taking up position at her side. "Let's get this done together! Leafeon, Leaf Blade! Again!"

Before Lord Ursaluna could react, Leafeon tore through the Lord's pelt again, Akari watching as chunks of neatly-cut flesh and fur fell away from the beast. Akari recalled Moon and sent Rose forward for a well-placed Low Kick. Finally, Lord Ursaluna cowered back, eyes swiveling wildly around in its skull as it reared up and gave a horrible howl, the aura of golden light from its body erupting into the air.

"Wait-"

Akari heard Adaman yell but… wasn't he supposed to be right beside her? Why did his shout ring out from behind her? She felt the earth jerk under her feet, catching Lord Ursaluna's look of horror as the earth fell out from beneath her. A terrible cracking sound filled her ears as she began plummeting into a sinkhole, missing Adaman's outstretched hand by a hair. She couldn't see the bottom.