The trip out of the Pokécenter was a glorious one. Short-lived, but a great feeling nonetheless. Espir felt sore from his battle and he knew that his ribcage would take a little while to heal up properly, however, he still felt a lot better than he had going into the Pokécenter. He was also still riding the joy of victory.

He had been certain that the party was walking into certain doom. After his first encounter with this gym, once the being called Mew had begun to mess with things in irreparable ways, he wasn't surprised at how brutal it had been.

This gym battle was still violent and bloody, but it was by no means unwinnable. That distinction made all the difference in Espir's mind and he was feeling the absence of the anxiety he had held since his memories returned in full. He now felt like he had a chance at being a competent fighter in this world. The previous world had swung so drastically between too easy and too difficult, Espir was unsure if it was even a real world at all. What if the people that were breaking out of their commands were part of the storyline too? Was Mew really just a good being that was innocent and naïve, or was Mew an evil torturer, waiting for the right time to pierce through this current veil, too?

Only time would tell.

As if on cue, Espir scanned the streets outside the Pokécenter and spotted Team Cosmic grunts; two of them, walking down the street away from where he and Alexis stood.

Alexis didn't spot them, but as she looked down to check on her Marshadow, she realized he had already disappeared once again.

Espir trailed behind the two grunts until they turned into a small alleyway, naturally hidden from the sunlight, in order to talk privately. This was Espir's opening. He slipped into the very shadows they hid within, and he listened to every word they had to say.

"-not natural," one of them was saying.

"Does it matter what nature thinks about what we do?" The other argued, "I'm getting a little tired of you always questioning and complaining. Why can't you just trust that our mission is the right course of action for the land?"

"It just feels a little… I dunno, extreme?" The other grunt said weakly, "surely you see that too, right? To not only make use of such a thing as a puncture, but to create one?"

"Shut up, you idiot," the second grunt said, "you never know who's listening."

"For all anyone else would know," the first grunt argued, "we could be discussing bikes."

"But we aren't and we don't know what anyone else knows."

"Even so-"

"No. Not even so. I'm done discussing this with you until we've found somewhere less… open."

Espir was unsure what the grunts were discussing but he could hazard a guess as to what the punctures were referring to. He watched the grunts start to go, until one caught his eye. The blood drained from their face as they locked eyes with Espir. The large, floating eyes of a being of shadow, stared back at the man. There was a thud as the man dropped whatever he was holding and ran. The other grunt went to pick it up, but Espir rushed over to it first, causing the second grunt to also flee the alleyway. Neither knew how to fight against a living shadow and they didn't know exactly how large a Marshadow was, which worked toward Espir's advantage.

Espir slipped out of the shadows and moved over to the object that had been dropped by the grunt. It was heavy and a significant thing for Espir to need to carry, but it looked important, so he refused to leave it behind. It was a rock of some sort, with perhaps, carvings all over it. Protrusions, not carvings. Espir couldn't make sense of it, but it was certainly important to Team Cosmic, so it was important to him.

Espir carried the rock back to where Alexis was still standing. She was looking at the ground, likely for tracks to find him. As he approached and she spotted him, the relieved face she had made earlier that day was a little more exasperated. He didn't need to explain his momentary absence initially, however, as Alexis was running on the same feverish excitement following her victory as Espir was. They were too happy to truly bring back down to a normal level, yet.

Alexis began walking towards the city exit, with Espir in tow; he was carrying the object, not yet seen by Alexis. If she only looked down at her Pokémon for more than a moment, she would easily spot it and question it. Instead, she raised her head to the late afternoon warmth and took in the sunshine.

By this point, Espir was more than used to the bright sunshine, or the aging, golden sunshine of the late afternoon, so his Marshadow form wasn't too discomforted by the brightness. He knew what he would prefer, but he wasn't at a disadvantage for being out in the sun anymore.

"We're heading back up to Eterna," Alexis said gladly, "so you can visit your home and I can visit mine."

Home. Espir nodded, although now he didn't think of that place as home anymore. Instead, it was simply a pleasant rest stop. His true home was far away. He did care, but until he had a solid way of getting back there, how could he really think of it so concretely as the object he held in his grasp?

Puncture, Espir thought. If those Team Cosmic idiots were going to do something that attempted a rip through the fabric of reality itself- a long shot, he had to admit- then he had to be there. Mew would most certainly end up gracing the gathering with her presence. If he could either manipulate Team Cosmic into ripping the tear to the reality he needed, or if he could get Mew to take him back there, or if he could simply manipulate the tear himself. There were a lot of possibilities for how he could wrestle his own free will back to him, but none of them were realistic.

For now, torture as it may be, he had to focus on playing the part of the innocent Pokémon for his trainer. He could do his own research and act out accordingly when he needed. He would be amenable for now.

"It's funny, really," Alexis was saying, "in our trip back to Eterna Forest after that whole, y'know, ghost ordeal- no offence- I completely forgot that I'd left my bike at home. If I had it now, we could be zooming back to Eterna by now. It's a shame that we have to take the long way home again, but at least we can have a few days of rest after all of that action. It was far more brutal than I thought it would be. Everyone else talks about Pokémon battles as if they aren't so violent."

Espir took the time to listen to Alexis filling the void with her rambling. It really was a long trip back up north, but he was glad she was with him. She seemed to be a genuinely good person. He had gotten lucky with meeting her first when he'd entered this life.

Alexis wanted to make camp sooner rather than later that afternoon, in order to celebrate the win with the whole party. She released Piplup and Starly to join her and Espir around the campfire. Espir noticed Starly didn't look hurt at all, but Piplup still winced every time he moved. He sat quite still and stiffly upon the tree stump by the fire.

"Look at it, you guys," Alexis said, holding up the small badge by the firelight, "you did this. It wasn't me, it was you. We'll have time to rest up before the next one. Tonight, however, is the time to have some fun!"

Espir didn't feel like celebrating. Sure, he was happy to have gotten through that fight alive, but the Team Cosmic presence made him more than nervous about what was potentially to come for him and this world as a whole. He tried to take his mind off of it by approaching the other two Pokémon and seeing how they were after the battle.

"How are you both?" Espir asked, settling down beside Starly.

"Oh, I'm grand," the Starly said, "I completely missed it. From the state of you two, I think that might have been a good thing."

"I hear you took out both the Onix and a Cranidos," Piplup said, not taking his eyes off the flames, "impressive."

"Only thanks to you weakening the Onix first," Espir said. He wasn't sure what was irritating the Piplup, but Espir could tell that it had something to do with him. He needed to keep the Pokémon on his side, otherwise, they might turn against him later on if they found out he wasn't really a Pokémon.

"Right," Piplup said curtly, but he didn't return any more niceties. Espir didn't push it. It was likely that the bird was only grouchy due to his injuries. If it carried on for too much longer, he'd address it then.

As the evening wound down to a close and Alexis returned the other Pokémon to their respective Pokéballs, Espir settled down to go to sleep, too.

He felt a pang of something strange. The evening had been filled with happiness and pride and Espir could feel those emotions emanating from the others. But now he felt sadness. He looked over to Alexis, the only other person in the area- that he knew of- and he could see why. She was still staring into the dying flames and she was crying. They weren't heavy flowing tears, or the sort that makes a person convulse as they try to draw in a breath, but the occasional teardrop was unmistakable.

Espir picked himself back up and walked over to Alexis, sitting down by her side and resting a hand on her arm.

It took Alexis a moment to realize that Espir was there, but he didn't rush her. He simply sat and allowed her to adjust to her company in her own time. She didn't jump at his presence, but she didn't lean into it either.

"Am I a good trainer, Marshadow?" Alexis asked.

Espir knew he couldn't truly answer her in any meaningful way, so he tried to use his body language instead. He squeezed down a little with his small, ghostly hand and then patted where he squeezed.

"Thank you," Alexis said, not moving away from the contact, "but I saw how scared you were in that battle. I forced you to keep fighting. It wasn't fair of me, especially after seeing how Piplup got hurt. I didn't do anything. You did it all on your own. And then, I've lost you twice now. What am I doing wrong?"

Espir was unsure how to answer. It wasn't like he had any actual experience being a trainer. All that he had experienced was curated by some higher power. He had been scared, but Alexis had pushed him on. If she hadn't, he would never have come close to beating Onix, let alone Cranidos.

He hopped down and stood before the fire, looking up at the teary-eyed trainer. He took both of her hands and held them while looking up at her. He didn't say anything, he only hoped that she could touch into his feelings the way he could connect with hers. She was a new trainer, but she really did have potential. What mattered most was that she clearly cared for her team.

"Thank you, Marshadow," Alexis said, "I'm glad you're here with us."

Espir nodded and started to walk back to sit down beside Alexis, but she shifted her position to stay looking at him.

"One question, though," she asked, "where did you run off to earlier? You just disappeared out of the blue."

It was a question Espir knew was coming. He hadn't been able to decide whether to trust Alexis with the knowledge of what he had stolen, or not, but at this moment; he knew. If he wanted Alexis to trust him, he would have to trust her.

Espir held up a hand to signal for Alexis to wait and then he rushed over to where he had planned to sleep, bringing back the rock.

"What is that?" Alexis asked, "wait. Why do you have it and where did you get it from?"

Espir just looked up at her with a cocked head. He knew he couldn't answer any of those questions with his current speech issues, so he just handed her the rock. They were a team and he would need her help to defeat Team Cosmic anyway, so it was best that she was as clued in as he was- or as much as he was able to tell her- sooner rather than later.

Espir watched Alexis' face closely as she examined the rock, trying to pick up on any clues if she recognized it or not. She clearly knew that it was more than just some lump of stone, but the recognition seemed to end there.

"There is a history museum in Eterna City," Alexis said finally, "we can do some research there and figure out what this is. For now, I think I'll hold onto it, okay? It might be safer in my bag."

Espir nodded, thankful that she didn't just dismiss it entirely. Alexis seemed a little more cheered up after the distraction of the stone, so Espir settled down once again to get some rest. He felt the sadness once again, but knew that Alexis wouldn't want his input for a second time. This was a different, more personal, raw sadness. Espir wasn't certain what would cause something like that, but he hoped Alexis was able to get some sleep despite it. He was unsure if he would be able to if he also felt like that.

He did feel like that, but he wasn't allowing himself to think about that just yet. Instead, he allowed his mind to slip into darkness, just as his body had done so many times in this form.

What was the point of it all? Espir was unable to see, but he could feel. The bedsheets kept him pinned down. His mind was back, out of that hell hole, but he was still trapped within himself. It had only been one night, so nobody had come to check in on him for more than a few minutes. That damned 'Mew' had done something. Cut him off. She had thought this form would die. Hell, he wanted to, yet he carried on breathing. His body was living on autopilot. Nothing appeared wrong with him, but he couldn't wake up. He couldn't go back to sleep either. All he could do was pace the corridors of his own mind and pray that his circumstances would change soon. This was another kind of torture altogether.

The sun splashed light across the countryside, bathing Espir and Alexis in the day's embrace. Espir woke up only a fraction of a second earlier than Alexis and could see the moment she woke up, panicked and sweating. Espir felt the fear strike him, but flow away just as suddenly. It was certainly an effective way to help him wake up.

The following days went by in a similar pattern of walking and talking, bedding down for the night, waking to the fear of Alexis, and continuing north towards the forest.

Espir knew that he had memories of being near Eterna City, but those weren't memories he himself had experienced. He had also been unconscious or inside a Pokéball during the times that he spent within the city itself. He couldn't help but be at least a little excited at the prospect of exploring yet another settlement in Sinnoh. Beneath it all, after everything he had been through, he was still an avid Pokémon fan at heart.

He thought back to his bedroom. He wondered if it had been kept the same, or if his parents had attempted to tidy it or take his things down by now. He was unsure how long he had even been away from them. Was time the same, passing by at the same rate in this world as it did in his own?

Even though he was a fan of the Pokémon world and knew that this had been his dream ever since playing his first game, Espir also knew that he would do anything to return to his family. He wanted to be able to embrace them and tell them that everything was okay again, that he was okay. They must have been grieving him, even if they still believed he might wake up. Was that almost worse than him dying? To force them to carry on with that stabbing hope that he still might wake up; to force them to do the act themselves when that hope finally died? He couldn't put them through that, even if they were currently going through it. He had to do his best to hurry up this journey and get back to them somehow, anyway he could.

"What's your deal?"

Espir looked to his right. Piplup was looking at him. Espir could feel the contempt rolling off of the bird. They were sat down by the campfire, on the opposite side of it to Alexis as she rambled to the Starly.

"I'm sorry?" Espir asked. He had been zoned out for most of the dinner, so Piplup could have been complaining about anything.

"You. Why are you trying so hard to barge into the top spot?" Piplup said.

"I don't know what you mean," Espir replied.

"Yes, you do. I took down one of the gym Pokémon, you had to take down the other two. You spend as much time as you can outside your pokéball, likely trying to brush up favor with Alexis. I'm her first Pokémon, I'm her favorite. You need to back off, you weird ghost freak."

"I think you need to calm down," Espir said, "I appreciate your injuries might have hurt, but I've done nothing but be kind to you. What's your obsession with being in the Pokéball anyway? It's horrible in there."

"No, it isn't," Piplup snorted, "it's a paradise. It's all icy and cold, with snowfalls and frozen lakes. I don't know what you're spouting. Just another reason to call you a freak, I guess."

"All I get is a void," Espir explained, "I can't feel or see anything. Just… nothingness."

"You're made of shadows, why would that be a bad thing?" Piplup asked, "Pokéballs adapt to your most comfortable surroundings. If you find yours bad, then that's on you, not the Pokéball."

"That's fine by me. I don't want to use it anyway. It's demeaning."

"How could being in a Pokéball possibly be demeaning?" Piplup asked.

"Don't you find it dehumanizing to have to submit to a trainer that way?"

Espir realized he had screwed up as soon as he finished speaking. Piplup stared at him for a long while, trying to read his face. Espir could feel the contempt shift to confusion and finally curiosity.

"Now what could you mean by that?" Piplup asked in a very different tone. It was an intriguing intensity, but Espir only found it intimidating.

"Nothing," Espir said hurriedly, "forget I said anything."

"I most certainly won't," Piplup said, smiling, "but I'll get the truth from you sooner or later."

Espir ignored him as he went to go lay down for the night, long before anyone else did. He had messed up. Big time.

"Asshole."