Shattered Selves

by ShadowVulpi

"Find the others. Become one." Those were her instructions. She had to find her other selves in the other dimensions if she wanted to prevent the entire multiverse from collapsing. It seemed simple. All her other selves would surely understand what's at stake and come with her. Why wouldn't they? Rated T in the beginning, becomes M later. Cover by JA-Punkster.

8. We Don't Belong Here

Glace continued to stare down at the strange concoction sitting in her lap. It was a stone bowl filled with a mix of various fruits, some yellow and round, others red and triangular, and even stranger ones being green and circular with a white and black core. Ludo had given it to her after she and Lapis tracked him down, and then after he prepared the both of them a bowl, she returned back to the pool where all the children played. And yet, even as she sat against a cave wall and gazed into the colorful array prepared just for her, she couldn't bring herself to even touch the berries within. She had never seen any of these fruits in her dimension. In fact, she was fairly certain none of these fruits existed in her world.

If she dared to eat them, would her body react well to it? Would she grow sick from ingesting the downright alien food?

"Don't be shy! Papa Ludo's greenberry salads are amazing!"

Glace looked over to her side to find Lapis sitting beside her, greedily stuffing the fruit into his mouth. Barely any fruit remained within the bowl. Glace knew he hadn't been sitting next to her for very long. She honestly wondered how he managed to grasp the berries with his stubby paws that lacked any semblance of claws.

"It has an alarming amount of black and white dots in it," Glace stated flatly.

"Those are just seeds. They're in all strawberries and bananas and greenberries," Lapis assured. "You're supposed to eat them. What, have you never had any of those before?"

"No."

"What?! I don't know anyone who hasn't had them before. How did you live with yourself?"

"I ate meat and eggs. There were some fruits I used to have, but they weren't whatever these are."

"Well then that gives you even more of a reason to eat greenberry salad. Go on, try it! You'll love it. I don't know anyone who doesn't."

Glace frowned, but realized there was no avoiding the dish before her. Besides, she hadn't eaten anything since she had that Magikarp on the boat with the Vigoroth and Slowking. She needed food whether she liked it or not.

She picked up one of the sliced greenberry pieces between two of her claws and held it near her face. It felt sticky in her grasp and had a soft, almost mushy texture that that gave in when she pressed her claws into its skin.

Glace stared at the fruit slice for a moment longer, and then finally took a bite. Her fangs cut through the soft flesh instantly as a strong, sweet flavor filled her mouth. She couldn't stop herself from shoving the rest of the greenberry into her mouth, savoring the warm, tingling sensation that the fruit brought. None of Pokémon she had ever eaten tasted like this before. Their blood had its own form of sweetness to it, but it was more salty than actually sugary.

"See? I told you that you'd like it," Lapis laughed. "And it tastes even better when you have all of the fruits together!"

Glace wasted no time in taking all three of the colorful berries and cramming them into her mouth. Just as Lapis promised, an explosion of sweet, tarty flavors filled her maw. They all blended so seamlessly together, complementing one another to make something borderline heavenly. She couldn't understand how she could have lived her entire life without these fruits. She didn't know it was possible for her dimension to not hold anything resembling these succulent berries.

Maybe her dimension did have them, she then considered. Maybe she had never seen them because she simply hadn't looked for them. Maybe she had been so content to live the rest of her life off meat that she had never bothered to venture beyond that. Of course, even if her dimension did have these fruits, it didn't really matter anymore. She wouldn't be going back to her dimension again.

It didn't take long for all of Glace's fruit to vanish. She didn't even realize it until her claws scrapped against the bottom of the bowl and only touched the hard rock. The moment she realized this, Glace looked over into Lapis's bowl. Much to her dismay, his bowl was also just as empty. She frowned glumly as she stared back down into her bowl, brooding in the thought of how she had devoured her salad so quickly.

"You really liked the greenberry salad, didn't you?" Lapis asked with a laugh in his voice.

"Yes," Glace answered quietly. "It was delicious."

"You wanna go ask Papa Ludo for more? I bet he'd be willing to give us seconds since everyone else is swimming."

"Yes, I think I would like that very much."

Glace grabbed her bowl and swiftly got to her feet. She could feel her ears perking up as her heart beat enthusiastically in her chest. She could even feel her mouth watering at the thought of having even more of the delightful greenberries. From the way Lapis seemed to practically jump to his feet as well, she imagined he was just as eager as her.

The two were just about to head back to see Ludo when Glace noticed someone nearing them from the corner of her eye. She turned toward the pool to find Jera emerging from the water and crawling her way straight toward the two of them. Any thoughts of food disappeared from Glace's mind as she and Lapis watched the Octillery come near them.

When Jera came closer, Glace immediately noticed something different about the Octillery. Something glimmered in her eyes that made Glace uneasy. Something not necessarily sinister, but something not entirely benevolent either. Whatever it was, Lapis didn't seem to notice it one bit, for he only bounced in place with a gleeful smile.

"Hi Mama Jera!" he cried.

The Octillery stopped before the two of them. The strange glint in her eyes disappeared as she gave Lapis a beaming stare.

"Hello there, Lapis," she greeted. "Are you doing well?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Glace and I got greenberry salads from Papa Ludo," Lapis said as he gave a meaningful glance to Glace. "She's never had greenberries or strawberries or bananas before. She almost wouldn't eat the salad. Can you believe that?"

"Never had greenberries, strawberries, or bananas before? I've never heard of a Pokémon who hasn't. I thought they were all fairly common fruits on every island in the world. I have yet to come across an island that doesn't have at least one of those fruits."

"Well she didn't. But she loves them now. She ate the whole bowl in like two minutes!"

Jera glanced over at the Weavile. It was when they locked gazes did Glace see that strange look in Jera's eyes again. Now that she stood much closer to Jera, she could actually identify what that strange glimmer was. She had seen it enough times in her younger, less confident clan mates to recognize it anywhere.

It was apprehension.

But why? Why does she look like that? She always looks so happy, and now… not so much. Kind of gives me the chills, really.

Perhaps something has happened in the time she was gone. Do you think that perhaps she knows who we are?

But how would she know? Glace hasn't said anything to her. She shouldn't be able to figure anything out. I mean, how could anyone possibly figure out they're a fragment of someone else if someone else didn't tell them?

You knew, Sonata. You knew what we really are and you didn't need anyone to tell you anything.

Well yeah, but… that's because I saw the tear. And I'm the only one who figured it all out just by seeing that tear. You looked at the tear before I showed up Glace and you saw the tear before Glace ever showed up, Yore. You both were totally oblivious before someone had to spell everything out for you.

If you figured who you were just by seeing a tear, then it could happen to any of the other fragments. We can't think they need us to tell them what they are. Maybe some of them can figure it out on their own.

I hope not. Because if some of the other fragments actually do figure out who they are before we get to them...

"Lapis, Glace and I needed to talk in private for a little while," Jera then said as she looked back at the Marill. "Do you think you could find Aqua and keep her company until I come back? I need someone to make sure she's alright."

"Okay Mama Jera! No problem!" Lapis said dutifully.

The little Marill then took off, presumably in search of the Wooper. With Lapis now gone, Jera brought her stare back over to Glace. Glace felt a sinking feeling in her chest as the Octillery's gaze seemed to bore into her.

"We should go somewhere the children can't bother us," Jera said, all the liveliness in her voice gone. "Let's go to the sleeping chamber. No one should be there for some time."

Though Glace would have rather stayed in that chamber, surrounded by all of Jera's children, she knew she couldn't. She knew what would happen next couldn't possibly end well, but she couldn't avoid it. So with only a nod, she followed the Octillery out of the room and into the resting quarters. Neither one of them said a single word as they entered the large room. Jera settled herself near one of the many green piles of plant-like substance that decorated the room. Glace stayed close to her, but didn't sit down. Her muscles felt too jittery to even consider any sort of relaxation.

"Why are you here, Glace?" Jera asked in a quiet, almost monotone voice that didn't suit her.

Sweet Arceus, she knows. Auuugh, great, just great. How does she even know? We didn't say anything to her! We-

We don't know that.

Well why else would she ask why we're here? She's obviously not asking you why you're in this cave; she already knows that. She wouldn't ask you something stupid. So obviously the only reason she would ask that is because she knows who you really are. Raugh, this wasn't supposed to happen! None of the fragments are supposed to-

"Because you brought me here," Glace answered, forcing herself to appear impassive even with Sonata's screaming echoing in her mind. "Why are you asking me that?"

"I'm not an idiot, and I know you're not one either. You know what I really meant when I asked that question."

"No, I don't. I'm not a mind-reader and I'm not going to pretend I'm one. Why don't you tell me what you really mean?"

Jera narrowed her eyes at the Weavile. Glace didn't let her persona break even as the sinking feeling grew deeper into her chest.

"I never rescued you when you were a child," Jera stated in a dark tone. "I don't know how you did it, but you made me think I did. Why did you do that? Who are you really and where are you really from?"

See, she does know! She found out! So much for making this different from meeting Yore. Where did we go wrong though? We did everything right! We kept our identities a secret, we didn't stand out, we made a good lie about who we were, Jera actually seemed to believe it, we-

Sonata, I can't think with all of your thoughts buzzing around in my head.

I can't help it! I always get like this when things go wrong. My brain becomes a mess and it starts going a million miles an hour and my head starts spinning and my heart feels like it's going to jump out of my chest.

I thought that you could think of anything to get you out of a situation. Just earlier, you came up with a lie that helped me with Lapis.

Well yeah, if I know there's a way out of this and if it's not a big deal. But this is a big deal and there isn't a way out of this. She knows, Glace. You can't look at her and deny that. And she shouldn't know, because if she knows, the others might know, and if the others know, then we'll never be able to find everyone.

Well figure something out, because I can't figure a way out of this when all I hear are your jumbled thoughts. What do you do when you get like this on missions where there didn't seem to be any options? You're still alive, so clearly you always worked something out.

I just try to get away. I fly away as fast as I can because that's all I can do. I fly away and try to get away from those people that want to kill me. Like this one mission that proved I was fit for Downfall. There were these enemies I had to go visit in their base and one of them caught me. He tried to kill me and I got so scared, so I blew the whole place up and then all these rocks started falling and everyone started dying and-

"Then just shut up!"

A deafening silence came over Glace's mind. She felt the Noivern shirk back into the dark, unreachable corners of her head. All of the erratic thoughts that once bombarded her head ceased to exist, leaving it quiet and empty, but also vastly lonely. She couldn't even find Yore anywhere within her; he had disappeared without a trace.

"What did you just say to me?" Jera asked, instantly closing the distance between her Glace.

"I… Oh, I said that out loud," Glace realized frailly. "I didn't realize. I thought I only said that in my head. My thoughts were bothering me."

"Regardless of the reason, don't you ever do that to me again. Now let me ask again; who are you and where are you really from, Glace? If that's even your real name."

Glace sighed. She had wanted to keep the charade up for a couple more days, but it seemed that was no longer a reality. She didn't know how much Jera knew, but it didn't matter. The time to tell Jera the truth had finally come.

The Weavile straightened her posture and gazed down at the fuming Octillery. Jera's tense glare still sent shivers down her spine despite the Octillery being quite a bit shorter than Glace, but she ignored the feeling.

"My name is Glace, I never lied about that," the Weavile said, refusing to let her voice waver. "But I lied about everything else. You're right; I was never one of the children you took care of. I only told you that because I knew you'd recognize me. I hoped that it would let you grow comfortable around me before I told you who I really am and who you really are."

"And what exactly are we?" Jera asked.

"We're fragments of a being known as the Keeper of Realms. You're not actually an Octillery and I'm not actually a Weavile; we just took on these forms when we got sent to our dimensions. But in reality, we're really just pieces of a very powerful creature."

Jera's stern gaze didn't break. She kept it fixed to the Weavile as she shifted her tentacles around on the flooring.

"And why are you here?" Jera then asked, her voice still as flat as before.

"Because all of the dimensions are going to fall apart," Glace answered solemnly. "Something is tearing apart the binding that holds them all together. I don't know how long it's going to take, maybe a few days or maybe a few years, but it's going to eventually destroy all of the dimensions. Our old self can fix that though. If we turn back into it, it'll go ahead and stop all of that destruction from happening. So that's why I'm here; I came here so you could help me get the other fragments so we can all stop this disaster from happening."

"And how do you know any of this?"

"One of the fragments told me. And I saw our old self as well. I talked to it for a moment. I've also seen the dimensional tear; I've seen it in my dimension and another dimension. I imagine that it's going to show up in this dimension sometime soon."

"It already has."

A bewildered frown broke through Glace's stoic expression. Jera's own stern expression remained steadfast as she increased the distance between the two of them.

"It's a large hole in the sky with many colors in it, isn't it?" Jera asked.

"Yeah. It is," Glace answered. "And something happened to you after you saw that tear, I imagine."

"…Someone talked to me after I saw that anomaly. There was a voice who told me you and I don't belong here and that you and I weren't who we think we are. If we truly are fragments, then maybe that was our complete self."

"So then you know that I mean it when I say I need you to help me find the others."

Jera glanced down at her mangled tentacle as she twisted it in the air.

"Have you met any of the others?"

"I've met two of them. One's a Noivern named Sonata and the other is a Tranquill named Yore."

"And where are they now?"

Glace didn't know how she wanted to answer that question. She knew she could simply tell Jera the truth and that would be it. That would be the easiest answer to all of this. But if she did that, then it might scare Jera off. What sort of Pokémon would willingly get assimilated and become nothing more than thoughts in someone else's head? Yore had been a special case, if only because of his life circumstances. The same couldn't be said about Jera. Jera probably realized they had to all merge back together in the end to become their old self, but she didn't know that they could right now.

"Where are the other fragments?" Jera asked again.

Maybe you should just tell her the truth.

No. She'll never come with us if I do.

She will. She has to. I mean, Yore did even after everything that happened.

Not if I tell her where you and Yore are. She's not like both of you. I didn't claw out her eye and she's not unhappy with her life. She actually wants to be here and help all of those hatchlings.

Fine. Guess we'll just lie to her some more. You know she's going to find out though; she already found out about why you're really here.

I can keep this lie longer.

Fine, fine. I've got something you can tell her then. Should work for a while. Tell her…

"They're looking for the others," Glace recited. "There's eleven of us in total and we figured it would be easier to look for them separately. Saves us all time instead of just staying together in one group."

Why didn't we do that? That seems like a more effective plan instead of letting Glace assimilate us.

Because you guys don't know where to go. I do.

You could have told me. I would have followed your instructions. I know how important it is to find everyone.

I guess I could have… well, maybe-

"I understand," Jera said with a nod. "And I presume that you're all meeting back together at a certain time?"

"Yeah. We meet back at a certain dimension after each of us gets two fragments. Then after we're all together, we're going to decide how we're going to find the last two fragments. So you're the first one on my list. After you, I have one more to find."

"You seem very organized. That's quite good for something as important as the goal you have in mind. Unfortunately, you'll have to exclude me from your list, because I'm not coming with you."

Glace had anticipated this. She knew that no sane Pokémon would ever leave their home without good reason, even if they weren't entirely happy with their life. But she still couldn't help but shoot Jera a glare as volatile energy spiked inside her.

"Jera, the dimensions are going to collapse on each other," the Weavile said, resisting the urge to growl. "This isn't something you can just back out of. We need everyone to become our old self, not mostly everyone."

"My opinion on the matter remains the same," Jera replied firmly. "I have too much to do here. There are so many children in the world that are in need of saving. I have to find all of them."

"You mean steal them from their homes."

"Wrong, I'm saving them. If those children remain with their parents, they will grow into adults just as broken as their parents and repeat the cycle with their own children. You cannot deny that the children here in this cavern are much happier here and will undoubtedly live much better lives than they ever could with their parents."

"You're right, I can't. I can't deny that the stories I heard from some of those children were horrifying… but I still can't agree with how you deal with their situations. There has to be a better option than abducting them."

"Well, there isn't, I'm afraid. I refuse to let any children be hurt by the actions of poisonous parents who have no intentions of ever changing, even for the sake of others."

"Did you ever give any of the parents a chance to change?"

"Yes, one time decades ago when I wanted to see if I actually needed to keep taking children away from their harmful families. There were two parents that were verbally abusive to their son. They always told him how worthless he was and that he couldn't do anything right, no matter how much he tried. I found them when their son was only a year old and told them to change their ways or else I'd take their son away. Do you think they did? No, they moved to a faraway island shortly after that and by the time I found them again years later, I saw they hadn't changed one bit. Their poor son ended up having endless, self-deprecating thoughts tormenting him all throughout his childhood. He still hasn't outgrown it even as an adult. I could have prevented that just by taking that child with me when I first found him, but I didn't. Now he lives the rest of his life with those voices in his head constantly telling him he has no purpose in this world and is better off dead."

"That was one pair of parents."

"One was enough for me to never make that mistake again. I'm not sure why you insist on arguing with me. I refuse to come with you no matter what you might tell me. Someone has to save all those children."

Glace clenched her claws into fists. She knew she had to convince Jera to come with her. She knew there was no other option in the grand scheme of everything. Jera's entire reason for living wouldn't mean a thing if every single being in existence died.

And yet, she couldn't find it in herself to make a compelling argument. She only had to look into Jera's eyes to see the unwavering dedication and devotion to the hurting children of this dimension. It almost surprised Glace; she hadn't seen such a powerful commitment in any other Pokémon she had ever seen. It reminded her of the raging bonfires she saw in Granite Town during the festivals.

"Speaking of that, I need to find more of those hurting children right now," Jera said as she turned away from the Weavile. "When I come back, I expect you to be gone. I don't ever want to see you again."

The Octillery then unceremoniously crawled away and headed out of the chamber. Glace watched her go from the corner of her eye. She could feel the jittering in her legs and the forceful beating in her chest, but she ignored it.

No Glace, you can't just stay quiet. You have to get Jera to help us! We need her!

She's not going to leave. She's not going to come with us no matter what I tell her. She's too stubborn for her own good.

We can't just let her stay here. You know we can't do that.

What else am I supposed to do then?

Well… maybe we can force her to come with us.

You want me to drag her out of this dimension by force? I already know how that's going to end; she'll drown me in the ocean the second I touch her. She has to be strong if she can abduct all of those Pokémon.

She's right, Sonata; Jera will drown Glace. Especially since Glace has never dealt with Octillery before in combat.

No, not like that. You two don't get it. I mean… Glace could assimilate Jera.

Glace saw herself tackling Jera down to the cavern floor in her mind's eye. She saw herself digging her claw into the Octillery's slimy skin as Jera's thrashing, fleshy body morphed into an iridescent light. She could see what was once Jera seeping into her claw, becoming one with her just as Sonata and Yore had.

Sonata… you can't be serious. You honestly want Glace to forcefully absorb Jera?

Look, I get it's a messed up thing to do. But we do need her. So I figure, if we can willingly get absorbed into Glace, maybe Glace can also force someone to get assimilated as well.

I'm not entirely comfortable with that thought. It's true that we do need everyone, I'm just as dedicated as the both of you to our former self's wishes, but to force someone to merge with Glace…

We have to have her. We need everyone. It's not a fun thought, I know, but if she won't come with us… well, what else are we supposed to do? So maybe we can just-

No.

Glace's unwavering thought boomed through her mind, silencing the other two fragments. The Weavile's frown grew as she visualized Yore and Sonata within her mind, the both of them shooting her anxious gazes.

I'm not assimilating anyone against their will. Maybe Jera's fine with abducting someone for their own good, and maybe you are, Sonata, but I'm not. Forcing someone to do something against their will is where I draw the line.

But she has to come with us! We can't just leave her here! I don't want to do this either, but if Jera won't come with us…

Then we'll think of something else. We're not forcing assimilation.

Like what? What are we going to do? You said it yourself; she's not going to listen to you no matter what you say.

We can come back for her another time. Maybe we can give Jera some time to think over everything I told her and we can find another fragment in the meantime.

No, we can't do that. Sorry Glace, but we can't just skip someone and then come back later. Because if we do it for one fragment, we'll do it for all the others. You really think Jera is going to be the only one who'll refuse to come with us no matter what we say? We have to get her before we get anyone else. We have to stay here in this dimension until Jera comes with us.

Glace could practically feel Sonata weighing down on her mind, as if forcefully trying to make Glace submit to her. It made her head hurt and her thoughts tangled into tight knots. But though Sonata's power proved to be great, it didn't stop one thought from springing out of the Noivern's hold and granting Glace the power she needed to fight back.

You're not the one in charge here, Sonata. You never were. Just because finding the others was your idea doesn't automatically make you the leader.

I'm not, I'll admit that. But I'm the one who knows where everyone one else is. And apparently I'm the only one who really seems to care about stopping everyone from dying and doing whatever it takes to get that done.

No, you're just the only one who's obsessed with finding the others. That's all you think about; find the other fragments and become our old self. It makes you willing to do things nobody would ever even think about doing.

No, that's just being dedicated to something and putting all your heart and soul into it. Whenever Downfall needed me to do something, I would do the same thing. I'd get my job done no matter what. I served him faithfully as his best spy ever. That's what being loyal means.

And yet you abandoned him.

Silence fell over the fragments. Glace winced when she realized what she had just thought. She hadn't intended to say that. She didn't have the faintest clue where that thought had even come from. She had only wanted to end the argument altogether in a peaceful manner.

"Congratulations, Sonata. You have passed your test. Because of that, I'm happy to tell you that I will gladly give you one of the most esteemed positions in the entire Division: to be my most treasured reconnaissance expert. The title is now yours."

The underwater cavern disappeared right before Glace's very eyes. Now she found herself standing before a large, four-legged creature with pearly ribbons billowing at his sides and a flowing lavender mane that seemed to embody the very wind. He towered over her in size as the ethereal light of mysterious orbs surrounding them glimmered against his fine pelt, giving him a very silver, majestic appearance that would be fit for a god. And yet, despite his intimidating stature, Glace only saw warmth in his crimson eyes that beamed down upon her. She could feel her heart soaring in her chest as the mighty Pokémon smiled.

That smile meant everything to her. The entire world could be burning to the ground, but if she could see that smile amongst the flames and sooty haze, then everything would be fine.

She lived to see that smile that said to her, "you are my most treasured Pokémon and I couldn't be more proud of you."

"Thank you, Downfall! You have no idea how happy this makes me!"

"Hmmhmm, all I have to do is see your expression to understand completely. You have a right to feel as ecstatic as you are, however. Not many ever receive the title you now hold."

Glace covered her mouth with her claws as she suppressed a little giggle. She knew she shouldn't have been acting this way, it was most certainly undignified, but she couldn't help it. She had wanted this for far too long. She had wanted to serve him ever since she first caught a secret glimpse of him all those years ago during a conversation she was never supposed to hear. To serve a Suicune, the embodiment of the very wind that carried her through the skies, what a joy! And not only that, but to have him be the leader of a powerful organization who wanted to bring back prosperity to their corrupt world. How could she not want to be there for him? How could she not want to dedicate her entire life to helping him restore their region to its former glory?

She had no true purpose as a delivery Pokémon. Oh yes, she flew every day and delivered letters and parcels for all those overjoyed people, but that paled in comparison to being Downfall's follower. As his loyal follower, she would bring lasting change to the world. As his loyal follower, she would actually belong somewhere. She would no longer be that strange Noibat that spent all her childhood as a delivery Pokémon because she didn't know what to do with herself or have a place to call home. She would evolve and become a strong Noivern, and she would be at Downfall's side. Whatever it took, she'd be there for him. But she couldn't just be any ordinary member of his division. No, she needed to be his greatest member. She needed to be his most treasured servant, to be the one who aided him most in restoring the region.

Little by little, she'd make herself his most esteemed follower. One day, she'd rise above all the others.

Now, ten long, exhausting years later, she had done it. Now as a twenty-six year old Noivern, she was his personal spy. Now she could always serve right under him, to always see his beaming smile and to aid him in his most dire hours.

"Thank you, Downfall. Really… thank you so much. I swear, no matter what happens, I'm never going to abandon you or betray you or anything stupid like that. The only thing that's going to stop me from ever helping you is if I die, and even if that happens, I'm pretty sure I can figure out a way to help you as a ghost or something."

"Ah, what marvelous and enthusiastic words to hear. I do hope you mean them, Sonata. I value loyalty and honesty above all else in my members."

"I do! Even if your entire division turns against you or if the whole world starts falling apart, I'll always be the one you can count on. I promise."

Downfall's smile brightened at the sound of that. Glace lowered her claws and wrapped her wings around her body as a warm shudder went over her skin. She hoped she wasn't blushing as she averted her gaze from the Suicune.

But she did mean every word she said. She would be there for Downfall. She always would. He was her purpose. She could never abandon the one that gave her life meaning.

Downfall suddenly disappeared, as did the ethereal lights and the awkward but pleasant feeling radiating throughout her being. Now she found herself inside of her room, gazing out at the window. Tears leaked from her eyes as a painful, throbbing feeling twisted inside of her chest. She could just barely see the dimensional tear through her blurry vision, but it stood out like a full moon in the night sky. She could see the swirling colors and the white lightning streaking out of its core.

But most of all, she could still hear the voice in her head from a week ago. She could still hear the voice from her vision as clear as day.

"You have to find your other selves, Sonata. All of you have to become one if you want to stop that rift from tearing destroying every dimension that ever has and ever will exist. You can't stay here anymore."

Glace covered her eyes with her claws as she collapsed onto the ground. She bit down on her tongue as sobs escaped from the back of her throat and filled the room with her misery.

None of this had to be true. That vision could have been the result of a bad migraine; she had heard of that happening before. But after knowing the anomaly that had happened in Sycamore Forest just the other day, she knew there was no denying the reality of the situation.

Glace weakly crawled over to a table in the room and pulled herself up to its surface. With shaking claws, she grabbed a piece of paper and an ink pad. She could barely hold her claw tip just still enough for her to dip it into the pad before pressing it into the paper's surface.

"Downfall… I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Downfall…"

Glace found herself back in the underwater cavern. She quickly looked down at her claws to find that she was once again a Weavile. However, the twisting and the breaking in her chest hadn't disappeared. She could still feel it, seemingly trying to rend her heart into two. She could already feel the water forming in the corners of her eyes as the feeling slowly overwhelmed her. Just standing up required too much effort.

Sonata, stop it. Stop making me feel this way.

The Noivern didn't answer. Glace grimaced as she dug her claws into her scalp.

Sonata, make it stop. I shouldn't have said what I did about Downfall, okay? I was wrong to say that.

And yet, she still didn't respond. Glace growled, but it came out more as a whimper than anything else. This twisting in her chest stung with far more ferocity than any hunting incident ever had. No cut in her arm, no fire that ate away at her skin, not even the one Umbreon bite that had made entire puddles of her blood all over the snow could ever rival the pain of her fracturing heart.

Yore, make Sonata stop.

Yore didn't respond either. Glace felt the tears escape from her eyes and stream down her face.

Sonata… Yore… please…

Yet still, no one heeded Glace's call. Glace finally lost the strength to stand and collapsed onto her side. She curled into a ball as the stinging pain worked its way into her mind and left her with a throbbing headache. The tears continued to flow down her face as she feebly held herself with her claws and whimpered with every shaky breath she took.

In that moment, Glace was no longer the Weavile fragment of a grand being. She was no longer a dojo master of Granite Town. She was no longer one of the most competent and dependable huntresses of the Weavile clan who roamed the lands. She wasn't even the odd, parent-less Sneasel that the clan had found only days earlier amongst their members, always demanding for a hunt, even when the clan had plenty of food for many days to come.

She was a helpless hatchling calling out to a mother that would never come, utterly alone in a cold and unforgiving world.

It hurts… it hurts…

---

Jera left the cavern with haste, taking the most unoccupied path back to the ocean. She hoped that Aqua would forgive her for not returning as quickly as she had promised. She didn't even want to imagine the poor child weeping out her little heart, crying out for Jera as Lapis held her tenderly.

However, she knew she couldn't stay in this cavern as long as Glace remained. She needed to put as much distance between her and that despicable Weavile as possible. One rescue trip ought to be enough time for Glace to leave and for the malicious thoughts in Jera's head to settle.

But oh, how dare Glace trick her like that! She didn't know how she had done it, but that conniving Weavile had made her eat up every single word she spoke. Somehow she had planted those fake memories in her head and leeched off of Jera's good-hearted nature thanks to her trick. And for what? So that she could take her away to find these supposed other selves in other dimensions? So that they could supposedly mend the massive tear in the sky before it destroyed everything?

Jera soon found herself before the very ocean she sought. She could see the sun beginning its descent into the horizon. It would only be a matter of hours before it set completely. However, it didn't matter what time it was; nothing mattered after everything that had happened in the sleeping chamber.

Jera's body temperature didn't cool in the slightest as she slipped into the water. The water actually rippled as she sank beneath its surface, much to Jera's relief. Whatever that rift had done to the water had seemed to have worn off. After she took note of this, she swam toward Stardust Island. It was the closest island to the cave, only a two hour's trip worth of a swim. She hadn't been there in a few months, but she decided now would be the best time to go back. It would be the best island to travel to now anyway; her tentacles still felt sore from the last rescue trip. In truth, she knew she should have rested for at least another five days before attempting another trip. She needed all of her energy and strength to creep through the sandy, unfriendly islands without being detected.

But she needed to keep her mind away from that Weavile. She had to remain distracted, to be as far removed from her as possible.

And yet, as Jera shifted through the currents, her mind wouldn't stop going back to Glace and everything that she had said. She could still hear the Weavile's words so clearly as if she were right there, swimming right beside her.

"I came here so you could help me get the other fragments so we can all stop this disaster from happening."

"This isn't something you can just back out of."

What Glace had said weren't lies; Jera knew that. Something in her mind adamantly believed every single word that Glace spoke. Of course, she had also believed Glace when she had said that she was one of her former children, but this felt different. This felt instinctual, like knowing how to swim.

But she couldn't go with Glace. She had to save and nurture all of the hurting children in the world. She couldn't abandon her duty. She couldn't leave behind everything she ever cared for to go on this vague journey with that Weavile. She would supposedly stop all of the universes from collapsing on each other, but who would save the children while she was gone? She had Serenity, but she couldn't serve as an adequate replacement. Serenity was ill-equipped for the land, but that wasn't her fault. It was nothing more than a flaw of her species. Primarina were never meant to be land-dwellers; most water-types weren't. Jera had only been fortunate to have the potential to evolve into a creature that could traverse land, even if she couldn't remain on the surface world for long-term periods.

It didn't matter what Glace told her; she simply couldn't leave. It didn't matter if she didn't belong to this dimension. She had too many obligations tying her to it. If her former self had actually wanted her to leave, it shouldn't have dropped her off in a world full of suffering, helpless children. How could she possibly ignore that?

Sometime later, Jera could finally see the seafloor. As opposed to being far beneath her, buried in the darkness, it now only sat a few feet below her reach. She could see the green coral and the greying rocks looming near. They weren't nearly as appealing as the colorful rainbow of a coral reef at the cavern, as it only brought out the utter bareness of the area, but the sight was an indicator that she was near her destination all the same.

The Octillery floated back to the surface before poking her head out of the water. The sun still remained in the sky as she had anticipated, but she could see it slowly beginning to disappear behind her. She imagined by the time she reached the island, it would set completely, or at least disappear enough so that only shades of lavender and pink painted over the blue of the sky. However, it wasn't the sun that caught Jera's attention the most. It was the dimensional tear, hovering right above Stardust Island. It still loomed with its ominous lights flashing and swirling about within its bowels.

The moment Jera saw it, her three hearts sank deep inside of her. So this was where the rift actually was. She hadn't been completely sure when she saw it manifest hours prior; it was always difficult to tell precisely where something is or how far away it is when it's airborne. Jera could only imagine how everyone on the island was reacting to the sight of this otherworldly omen watching them from high above, tarnishing their precious sky and all of the stars it held. She could practically see everyone gathered outside of their homes, pointing and gasping at the rift. Some might hold each other close, especially the little children as their imaginations ran wild with possibilities.

How long did everyone have before the rift tore apart the barriers between every dimension, as Glace had described it? What would happen when it did? Would the contents of another dimension spill onto the island and sink it, which would then cause a massive tsunami that would wipe out the rest of the islands in the world? Or would there only be a flash of light and then everything and everyone would be extinguished from existence instantly, just like that?

If she did help Glace, could she actually stop all of that from happening? Could she honestly close up that monstrous rift that tore through the untouchable sky? Could a mere Octillery be capable of such a downright impossible feat that bent the mind to even consider?

But then what of the children? What would happen to the children while she was gone? Who would care for the children? And what if disaster struck while she was away? What if the rift…

A ghastly groaning sound penetrated the air. Jera immediately recognized that sound to be the same one she had heard before the rift appeared. Suddenly she felt very frail and helpless in that ocean water and wanted to do nothing more than hide in between the rocks below. Nothing could hurt her there. Nothing could ever reach her and devour her if she hid in those rocks and changed her skin color to match their muted grey.

The colors in rift shifted more rapidly. The edges of the tear shuddered and stretched, as if something were pulling at them. Squelching, skittering sounds joined with the ghoulish groaning.

Only bugs made that sound. This sounded too much like the bugs of the night as they scurried away from her. But what kind of bug made a sound so loud that it resounded across the whole ocean?

Jera immediately regretted asking that question.

The rift widened, and then something fell from it. Something massive that filled the entire rift. Something fleshy and grotesque. Something that felt wrong and shouldn't be there.

That something then collapsed right on top of the entire island with a harrowing crash.

A piercing, otherworldly wail tore through the air. Everything around her grew hazy and as a pounding went off in her head. Was that each of her hearts beating?

No, never mind that. Where was a rock? She needed a rock. She needed to be safe. She needed to be out of the water. She needed to get away from the monsters that dwelled in the water that would swallow her whole. She needed to get away.

Get away. She needed to get away. Away. Away.

Rock. Where was a rock? There had to be a rock! Where was the rock?

WHY WERE THERE NO ROCKS ANYWHERE? WHY COULDN'T SHE FIND ANYTHING? WHY WAS THERE ONLY WATER? WHY COULDN'T SHE FIND ANY LAND? DID LAND NO LONGER EXIST? WAS EVERYTHING OCEAN NOW? WAS EVERYTHING OCEAN AND THE THING FROM THE RIFT?

WAS THIS HER WORLD NOW?

Then Jera saw it. She saw the object from the rift move. She saw six insect leg-like protrusions convulsing and twisting, but unable to do anything. She saw the barbed texture on its appendages and the pincers at the end of each of them. She heard its soul-shattering screeching across the ocean as it thrashed about.

This thing was alive.

She didn't even know what to make of it. It had an elongated, slimy body like a Sliggoo, except without a gooey shell on its back. Protruding out of its back were two frayed, tattered wings that seemed quite incapable of flying. On its torso were the insect legs she had seen earlier, grasping and clawing at nothing in particular. But what caught her attention the most was the head. The head, by all accounts, was nothing more than a wriggling pile of tentacles. There were no eyes or ears, nor any semblance of a mouth. It was nothing but tentacle after tentacle with a massive crater in between each tangle.

It was a frightening sight, something she couldn't wrap her mind around. It was not a Pokémon she knew of. She wasn't even sure it was a creature that was ever supposed to exist. It defied all logical understanding. It was only an impossible thing of abominable creation, incapable of being understood by anyone.

And yet, here this thing was, collapsed on top of Stardust Island, burying it completely under its eldritch mass.

It had happened so quickly. One moment, the island had been there, standing right before Jera, waiting for her to crawl onto its sandy beach. Now, not a single speck of the entire island could be seen. The entire island was now nothing more than the thing that had fallen from the rift. Worse yet, she wasn't even seeing the entire creature. The tail end of its body, if one could even call it that, was still stuck inside of the rift no matter how much the thing wriggled. She only had a fraction of the horrifying abomination of nature in her dimension, right on top of Stardust Island.

That was when it finally hit Jera; there had been Pokémon on that island. There had been an entire community thriving on that island. Merchants had been selling goods there. Adults had been settling down there to pursue a fulfilling life. Children had been there, growing and taking in the world as they slowly matured.

Now every single one of them was dead, crushed beneath the eldritch monster, and it was all Jera's fault.

She could have prevented this from happening. If she had aided Glace in finding their other selves, they would have closed up the rift. Then, that abomination never would have fallen onto that island and killed every last Pokémon. But she hadn't. She had turned Glace away, and now this was the consequence of her actions.

She had killed all of those children on that island.

Jera's tentacles went numb as a despair as deep and as black as the bottom of the ocean consumed her. It dragged her down into its abysmal depths, tearing into each of her three hearts and rendering her unable to breathe. Everything around her became warped and distorted, except for that monster. No, she could perfectly see that monster. Even as everything around her blurred and became so very far away, that wriggling abomination remained as clear as day.

That thing was here because of her. She had let that thing into her dimension. She was the reason everyone on Stardust Island was nothing more than a blood splatter beneath that monster's pulsing mass.

This would happen again. That monster would wriggle free from the rift eventually and terrorize the other islands. Or another rift would tear through the sky and drop yet another one of those things into her world. Maybe this one would land in the ocean and create an impact so large, it would create a world-devouring tsunami that would suck everyone into the ocean.

It would all be her fault.

Jera finally lost the will to remain afloat. She gave into the blackness consuming her soul and let it drag her down into the ocean. She didn't even struggle as the empty sea became her world. She only listened to the muffled screams of the abomination growing fainter and fainter the deeper she sank.

---

Glace didn't know how much time had passed by the time she had stopped crying. Her chest still felt raw, but not as much as before. Now it felt like a numbing, throbbing ache that drained her more than anything else. She wanted to cry more, but it seemed she had no tears left to shed. So all she could do was lay there in the sleeping chamber and listen to the sound of her own breathing. It wasn't difficult to do, seeing as how she was still alone.

The Weavile stared at the wall across from her. She gazed into a single crack along the wall, wondering how deep it went. It was such a fascinating little crack, a flaw in an immovable rock. A weakness so exploitable.

If that wall were a Piloswine, she'd kill it right now. She'd jump on top of it and sink her claws into its back. Or she'd claw out its eyes first. You could kill a Piloswine in a number of ways. They were the best prey you could possibly find. So warm, so meaty, so susceptible to your tricks so long as you kept quiet…

When was the last time she killed a Piloswine? How long had it been now? It had been nine years since she became that dojo master, but how long had it been between that and leaving the clan? In the time she wandered the region, had she killed a Piloswine? Had she been able to do it by herself?

Of course she could. She was the best huntress of her clan. Of course she could kill those dim-witted Piloswine all by herself. She had killed those pudgy, black-furred Raticate all by herself when they had been raiding the clan's supplies, even when the leaders told her not to. Too dangerous, they said. Too aggressive and their bite would infect you. But she had killed them anyway. Sliced them right open before they even heard her.

But the clan still didn't want her. Oh yes, she was a good huntress. Extraordinarily good, a downright prodigy. She knew how to hear the little Dedenne scurrying under the snow and how to grab them. Took Sneasel months to learn that. Took careful listening and the right amount of force in your pounce to break the snow. But not her. She knew the second they found her amongst their clan how to catch those snow-dwellers.

"You are one of the strongest and craftiest Weavile here; I never want you to forget that. You can catch on to every lesson faster than everyone else, your ability to adapt to sudden changes in any circumstances is unparalleled, and you have an actual desire to learn and be a better Weavile. I can honestly see you succeeding me in another life. But you have one problem that'll never let that be a reality in this life, and it's something I now realize I can't fix, no matter how much I try to teach you. I don't even think you can fix it."

What had been wrong with her? What had been so problematic that the leaders had to keep her away from everyone else? Why had they refused to let her on those hunts with the other Weavile or take those Sneasel on those egg hunts?

No, no Glace knew exactly why. She had always known why. She didn't even know why she was asking. It had been the egg hunt incident with those Sneasel. Noir, Éclair, and Verglas were their names. This had been their first hunt. They had all been injured on their hunt with her. They had all been hurt because of Glace's orders. The birds had jabbed their beaks into their bodies, tearing apart their skin and their fur. All because Glace had told them to stop being afraid and to do as she said.

After that, she became a danger. Because after that, they finally realized why she could hunt so effectively. They finally realized why she never seemed to smile, even after achieving victory against a particularly fearsome foe.

"You're a Whiteout."

What's a Whiteout?

Glace had a spasm. She nearly jolted to a sitting position, but then saw that no one was in the room with her. A second later, she realized who the voice really belonged to. The moment she did, Glace felt a seething bitterness come over her.

Why did you do that, Sonata?

You mean ask what a Whiteout is? Because I wanna know what it is…

Don't play stupid with me. Why did you make me go through your memories with that Suicune? Do you have any idea how painful that was?

Oh… you saw all of that?

I lived through it. I was you and I felt everything. I felt how happy you were to serve him and how he gave you a purpose in life. And I felt unbearable, excruciating pain when you had to leave him. It was like someone was trying to tear out my heart.

Glace, I swear, I didn't do that to you. I mean, I was thinking about all of that after what you said, but I never tried to make you live through it. To make you live through all of that… that's just evil.

You expect me to believe that when you've proven you can make me live through your memories before?

Glace, really, I didn't do that. I'll admit it, I was getting mad at you earlier, but it never crossed my mind to make you live through my memories. That's just wrong on too many levels.

She's telling the truth, Glace. I'm not entirely sure how it happened, but she never tried to hurt you. There was no malicious intent to be felt from here.

Glace breathed in slowly as she sat up and held her head in her claws. She carefully massaged her scalp as she closed her eyes. Her heart no longer felt broken, but her head now throbbed with a small headache.

Fine, I'll believe both of you. But that still doesn't explain why neither of you helped me when I was begging you to make the pain stop.

Well you see, I didn't hear you begging for anything. After you made that remark about Downfall, I started thinking about those memories. Soon as I did that, you sort of disappeared for a second. I couldn't hear you or see you or anything. By the time I found you again, you were on the ground and staring at some wall, feeling dead.

You didn't hear me calling out to you?

No. You were just gone. Like erased from existence.

Did this happen to you too, Yore?

Yes. I could sense Sonata with me, but not you. You were nowhere to be found, no matter how much I searched. I couldn't feel your presence or hear your thoughts. I'm sorry I couldn't help you though, Glace. I would have helped you if I had heard you. I'm not entirely sure how I could have, but I would have aided you the best I can.

Glace opened her eyes and settled her claws in her lap. She could no longer feel the throbbing in her head, but didn't bother to stand up or do much else besides sit. She didn't have an overwhelming need to do anything. All she wanted to do was think.

Why had she lived through Sonata's memories, and how come her other selves couldn't hear her crying out in pain? Sonata did seem to be telling the truth. Even though she was willing to assimilate Jera against her will, she didn't seem like the kind to torture others. That seemed too cruel for someone as upbeat as that Noivern.

Was this a consequence of assimilating her other selves? It was true that they managed to keep their minds and memories separate from one another, but was this a sign that wouldn't be for long? Was Sonata slowly becoming Glace? Or perhaps it was the other way around?

Would Glace wake up one day and not be able to discern her own memories from Sonata's? Would she think that she used to serve Downfall and his mysterious division and that her time as a huntress was nothing more than a fever dream?

Well, either way, I'm sorry about how I was acting, Glace. I really don't want to assimilate Jera; I just don't know what else to do. I really don't want to disappoint our old self.

I know you don't. Unfortunately, it seems that we're stuck at the moment. Jera doesn't want to leave.

There has to be something we can do though! Something!

Is there really?

Sonata didn't respond, perhaps unable to answer the question. Glace sighed as she looked around at all of the beds. She could see how despite how disgusting they looked with how they were made of dry kelp, they were probably quite comfortable. It was most certainly more comfortable than sleeping on the rocky ground. She wondered how long it would be until the children returned here and retire for the night.

Hey Glace, what's a Whiteout? You were thinking about that earlier.

Glace knew she didn't have to answer the question. She had specifically told Sonata not to ask about thoughts not directed toward her. But just as Glace considered reminding Sonata of this, something came over her. Something that actually wanted to share her thoughts with the Noivern even though there was no practical reason in doing so. Glace didn't know where the feeling had come from, but she didn't bother fighting it. Changing the conversation might benefit her anyway; it could give her mind time to think of another way to convince Jera to come with her.

Whiteouts are Weavile or Sneasel whose firns are too active. Like some of the other Pokémon types, we ice-types have a special organ in our bodies called firns. It's what makes it possible for us to make ice and to keep us from getting cold. I can't remember exactly how it works, but I believe it has something to do with lowering our body temperature as well as taking the heat out of the atmosphere. But as a consequence of this, we tend to lose the ability to feel emotions when our firn is active. The chemicals that our firn puts into our body make it so we don't actually have emotions. Normally this isn't a concern since we can always make our firn stop flooding these chemicals into our bodies, but not to Whiteouts. Whiteouts have something wrong with their firns so that it's active even when it doesn't need to be. They can never shut it off. Because of that, they might not feel their emotions as strongly as everyone else, or might not even feel them at all.

Huh, so ice-types in your dimension have an organ that lets you make ice. You even gave it a name. In my dimension, I think they just have some weird affinity with the cold, like the dark-types do with darkness and the night and all. And what happens to Whiteouts in your clan?

Depends. If their firn is extremely active and it makes them a threat to everyone else, we'll execute them. If they're not too dangerous but still have the potential to be later on, then the clan will keep that Whiteout somewhere secluded and secure and keep an eye on them. They don't let that Whiteout participate in any activities such as hunting or training. They only let the Whiteout out during meals and for any meetings. Or for tests to see if the Whiteout isn't as dangerous as they thought.

That sounds awful, just getting locked away or even killed all because you can't feel emotions.

Whiteouts are dangerous. The very first Whiteout in my clan attacked one of his pack mates when they were on a hunt together. Slashed him right across the face and made him go blind in one eye. And his reason for doing that? It was because his pack mate wouldn't share a portion of a Glaceon that they had just killed.

Wow. All just because they wanted more food?

Yeah. So after the leaders figured out exactly what was wrong with him, they took measures to make sure any future Whiteouts wouldn't hurt anyone. Of course, sometimes they weren't fast enough.

Is what happened with those Sneasel on that egg hunt gone wrong what made your clan realize you were a Whiteout too?

... Yeah. It was. Said what I did sounded too much like something a Whiteout would do. But they didn't know for sure. They considered maybe I was just being a bad leader.

But they kept you from everyone else and kept monitoring you anyway, like you actually were a Whiteout.

Yeah. They did.

And then… they banished you.

No, they didn't.

Wait what? But you were at that dojo when I came to get you. You weren't with any Weavile al all.

Glace was now in a cave so similar to the cavern's sleeping chamber. She could see the sun beginning its descent from the mouth of the cavern, watching as the shadows of night crept toward her. She had been locked up and monitored like this for a good month now. She didn't know how much longer it would last. Maybe she'd always be secluded from the others, always deemed a Whiteout. If she truly wasn't a danger anymore, her leaders would have released her already. She doubted a month was enough time to determine how active her firn was and how much it influenced her behaviors.

She admitted that she felt a strange hollowness inside of her most of the time. She did feel something sometimes, like a rush of energy or a flicker of euphoria the second she spotted her prey, but she never seemed nearly as expressive as the others. The others would always be smiling the moment they spotted their prey and laughing giddily the moment they killed the Pokémon. Even as a hatchling, Glace could never remember being as rambunctious as the others. But did that really mean she was a Whiteout? Could she just be someone more collected and rational-minded than everyone else?

Glace saw a flicker of movement at the cave entrance. She locked her sights onto the movement and realized it was another Weavile, her main mentor. The one who originally told her she was a Whiteout. Veneur, everyone called him. One of the strongest Weavile there were, if you didn't count the clan leaders. Could kill a Mamoswine in five seconds.

He seemed to be smiling, but it wasn't the smile Glace was used to. It was a forced smile, a flimsy mask to give Glace false comfort. She dug her claws into the rock beneath her as Veneur drew closer.

"Hello Glace. Are you doing well?"

"About as well as I can be when I'm locked up in here."

"I suppose that's true."

Veneur paused a moment. Something flickered in his eyes.

"Glace, you know that you were one of my best students, correct? You know that I honestly hoped you would take my place after I died, don't you?"

"You told me something similar before you said I was a Whiteout, yes."

"Good. I hoped that you remembered that. I wanted you to remember that despite everything, you always have been and always will be one of the best Weavile I've had the opportunity to train. I know it can be difficult to remember that in these circumstances you're in."

"Nobody's ever letting me out of here, are they? You're all going to keep me in any enclosure you come across."

"Actually, that's what I came here to talk to you about. The clan leaders had a meeting and they finally decided that you no longer need to stay locked away."

Glace couldn't believe she was hearing. She honestly felt that she had misheard everything that Veneur had just said.

"You mean I don't have to stay here anymore? I can be free?"

"Yes. You're finally free."

So she hadn't misheard Veneur. She actually was free. She was no longer deemed a danger to her clan. She could be with them again and be the huntress she was supposed to be.

Glace felt the honest need to smile as soon as she heard that. She felt the relief and the warmth in her chest that could only be expressed as a sigh. She was free! She could be a true Weavile again!

But just before she could express her gratitude, Glace saw Veneur's face again. She saw the fake smile again. Except this time, there were cracks in that smile. Now Glace could see something else in Veneur's face. Something dark and somber. Something that instantly smothered any semblance of Glace's happiness and made all of her muscles tense.

Glace somersaulted out of the way just as Veneur stabbed the spot where she once stood with his claws. She quickly righted herself up and looked over at the Weavile. She could already see him turning toward her, his claws poised to strike. Claws that would slice her open without hesitation.

Glace understood now. Veneur wanted to free her alright. He wanted to free her from this monotonous life of seclusion. However, not in the way Glace wanted. No, he wanted to give her the ultimate freedom, freedom from life itself.

Death.

Veneur struck at her again as a black blur. He tackled Glace down and jammed his claws down at her head. Glace grabbed his wrist just as the claws were to pierce her eyes and swiftly kicked her foot into his stomach. She sent him flying over her shoulder and crashing into the cave wall right behind them.

You can't die here. You have to survive.

Fight. Fight Glace.

She didn't know whose voice that was in her head. She didn't know where it had come from. She thought maybe it was her firn talking to her. Maybe Whiteout's firns were so strong that it actually influenced their thoughts. It didn't matter though. The voice was right.

Suddenly she didn't care that she could never be a huntress for her clan. Suddenly she didn't care that she had been secluded for who knew how long. She didn't even care that Veneur was attacking her. Everything disappeared, bit by bit until only one thought remained.

She had to live, no matter what.

She had to survive.

Glace scurried to her feet and faced her foe. He lay collapsed against the wall, having just hit the ground with a loud thud. But he would be up again soon. He would strike her again. He would kill her. There was only one way out of this.

Survive.

Glace drew her claws as a hiss escaped from the back of her throat. Then, without a second thought, she lunged at her killer.

Glace was suddenly back in the real world, back in Jera's cavern. The Weavile held her head as an intense feeling of vertigo overcame her. She sighed deeply as she rubbed at her temples with the blunt ends of her claws. She couldn't remember the last time she had ever thought about what happened between her and Veneur. She had suppressed it so long ago, constantly pushing it away into the darkness of her mind whenever it dared to surface.

So that's what it was… you killed that Weavile before he could kill you. And then you escaped.

It took Glace a moment to realize that was Sonata talking to her. She had almost forgotten that the two of them had been having a conversation prior to the sudden flashback.

He was the only one I killed, thankfully, even if he was my mentor. After he was dead, I ran out of the cave before anyone even knew what happened and fled far away. But I really wish I didn't have to kill anybody. It was just when Veneur attacked me… it was like I became a feral. I couldn't stop myself from killing him. It was as though someone took over me. It didn't actually occur me that I had killed him until I woke up the next day.

Wow. No wonder why you hate talking about your past. I'm sorry that I kept asking you about it… I should have just left it alone. Especially considering my own time in my own dimension.

It seems we're even then. I know all about your past and now you know all about my past. Neither one of us wanted to talk about what happened to us.

Yeah but mine wasn't nearly as bad as yours. I didn't kill anyone that I used to know…

It doesn't matter. I did what I did and nothing can ever change it. It doesn't make much of a difference now anyway. I never belonged in my dimension in the first place. If anything, me leaving my clan made it easier for me to be willing to go with you. If I had been that huntress or mentor I wanted to be in my dimension, I probably never would have left. I would have been like Jera, latched onto responsibilities that I was never supposed to have.

It was with this thought that Glace heard a strange squelching sound echoing throughout the cavern. She only had to glance at the room's entrance to see what it was. The moment she did, Glace felt her skin crawl.

It was Jera, crawling toward her.

Jera had specifically said that she never wanted to see Glace again. Glace could remember how livid that Octillery had been the last time she spoke. She honestly wouldn't put it past Jera to strangle her right then and there for not listening to her.

But just as Glace was to consider fleeing, she saw that something wasn't right about Jera. She no longer had that hostile aura to her. There seemed to be something else, something that reminded her of how Yore appeared when he had returned to the watchtower after he disappeared for most of the day.

Glace watched Jera draw closer until only a few feet of space rested between them. The Octillery didn't even keep eye contact with Glace, instead averting her gaze and looking at anything except Glace, whether it be her tentacles, something behind the Weavile, or the beds surrounding them.

"I want to help you find the others," Jera finally said after a time.

Glace could only barely keep her impassive frown on her face. She imagined Jera could still see the cracks in her façade however. She could feel it breaking a bit already.

"I know I said I didn't want to help you before," Jera then said. "I honestly do want to stay here and protect all of the children. It's my calling. However, I realize now that I can't actually save all of the children if I stay here. That rift… it won't allow me to. If I stay here, it's only going to allow more of those things to come here and they'll…"

"Jera, what things are you talking about?"

"Something fell out of that rift when I was out in the ocean. It fell out of the rift and it… it landed on an island and killed everyone on it. I don't know what it was. It was so massive in size… it was the size of the island itself. And it… it had no eyes or mouth. But it could scream, Glace. It could scream and when you heard it scream, you suddenly found yourself in the deepest of your worst nightmares. Reality comes undone and you find yourself nowhere and everywhere at once with that thing to keep you company as its screams told you…"

Jera tightened her tentacles in toward her body as she trembled. Glace even thought she saw the faintest traces of tears in her eyes. Or at least, Glace thought they were tears. Maybe Octillery couldn't actually cry. Maybe it was something else.

Sonata, what is Jera talking about?

I don't know. I mean, I don't anything is supposed to fall through the dimensional tears. But then again, a bunch of fire came out of the rift in my dimension and set that whole forest on fire.

Fires and this thing Jera is talking about aren't the same.

Yeah I know. But I mean, it's pretty obvious she's telling the truth. And she's not insane either.

If I may interrupt. Don't both of you believe that the dimensional tear is something that destroys the barriers between all of the dimensions?

Yeah, that's how our old self explained it to me. Said it was a hole that would make all of the dimensions collapse on each other because there'd be nothing keeping them apart anymore. Or well, that's what it looked like in my vision.

I see. Well then, have you considered that perhaps these rifts are allowing access to other realms?

What…?

If the barriers between all of the dimensions are being destroyed, then it would make sense that the dimensions could have access to one another in the process. So, perhaps what Jera saw was a creature from another realm. A realm, I think, that could be a nightmarish, incomprehensible place with inhabitants just as grotesque.

Huh. You know, that would actually make a lot of sense, Yore. Maybe the fire that got put into my dimension was from another fire in some other dimension? Or just from a dimension that's always on fire…

Glace sighed deeply. She could still see Jera trembling at the thought of that frightening creature. And though part of Glace was quite curious to know what she could have possibly seen that could break such a strong, resilient Pokémon, Glace knew she couldn't. She knew she would probably have her own mind broken as well. She would probably have her entire notion of reality torn apart, more so than it had been already. And also… she just couldn't will herself to go. She didn't want to see the supposed destruction that the monster brought. She didn't want to meet something that she could do nothing to stop.

"Jera, look," Glace said as gently as she could manage. "If we close up the rift, that thing will disappear. You won't ever have to see it again. No one ever has to die because of that thing ever again."

"I know. I know," Jera said quietly as the shaking slowly went away. "That's why I came here to find you. I understand why I can't stay here anymore."

"Alright. I'm glad you're able to understand, Jera. I'm… I'm sorry that you had to see that creature though and what it did. I never expected that would happen."

Jera didn't say anything. She only crawled away from Glace and wandered over to one of the beds. She tangled the kelp in her arms, all the while eying it with a somber gaze.

"You only have one fragment left to find before you reunite with your other selves, correct?" Jera asked.

"Yeah," Glace said with a nod. "Then we'll all decide what to do with the last two fragments left."

"Let me find the last two fragments for you then. I'll take that burden away from all of you."

Oh. Well, this is new. I thought she'd just want to be assimilated.

We can let her two of the fragments, can't we? There are at least two left, aren't there?

Well yeah, but I mean… what if she's just saying all of that so she can run away where we can never find her?

I don't think she'll do that. She knows how important this is now. Whatever she saw out in the ocean, it changed her. She'll be just as diligent as us.

Alright, I guess it can't hurt. Would save us some time anyway.

"Will you let me find those two fragments for you?" Jera asked again.

"Yeah, of course," Glace replied quickly. "Of course. I'll give you all of the information you need about them and teach you how to travel between the dimensions."

Jera nodded once, and then resumed playing with the seaweed bed.

"Should I tell you about the others now?"

"I want to say goodbye to the children here first. If I really am going to leave forever, I want to at least see their faces one last time and provide them closure. I'd rather not disappear from their lives so abruptly."

"You're free to do that. I'll be in the dining area. Whenever you're done with the children, just come on by and I'll teach you everything you need to know. Then, you and I can go our separate ways until all of the fragments have been found."

"Thank you, Glace. I won't be long."

Glace nodded, and then made her way out of the chamber. Once again, she had convinced another fragment to aid her and Sonata on their quest to reunite all of the fragments. Once again she was one step closer to being her old self. But it didn't feel the same as when she had after her success with Yore. She felt accomplished back then. Happy that everything was moving along.

But now… now, she didn't feel that. She only had questions. Questions that made a dark feeling crawl over her. Questions that no one should ever have. Namely…

Were there really only Pokémon in all of the dimensions Glace had to travel to, or were there other things out there that she could never hope to understand?

---

Glace finally left, and Jera found herself all alone in the sleeping chamber. She knew that in a few minutes Serenity or one of the caregivers would bring the children here. It was almost their bedtime, and they would most certainly want a story. Despite it not being an easy task to see the sun, they all knew when it was time to sleep and hear their story. If you spent enough time in the cavern, you eventually grew a new perception of time, one where you didn't need the sun to understand the time. At least, that's how Jera saw it.

Jera crawled around each and every one of the beds. She knew who belonged to each and every one of these beds. This bed right here, this was Henry's. She could tell because it had some of his feathers mixed up in the kelp. And this one, this one was Lya's. She could tell because it was far messier than all of the other beds. Lya always tossed and turned in her sleep as thought she were in a perpetual nightmare. Then this one, this one was Daisy's. Daisy's bed was always the flattest because she liked the feel of the ground, but still wanted something between her and the ground so she couldn't get cold.

Jera knew each and every one of these beds. She knew all of the children sleeping in these beds, whether it be for a few days or years. She knew each of their names, their favorite fruits, their favorite stories, their dreams, which ones needed a lullaby to soothe them to sleep, and so on. She knew all of her children. They were her entire life, the aspect of her life that she cherished above all else.

And now she had to let every single one of them go.

Jera felt the familiar ache at that thought.

She knew she didn't have to leave. She knew deep down, she could always stay here and never go anywhere. She could remain with the children forever and save even more until the day she died. But she couldn't. Not after what she saw. Not after seeing that thing and all its incompressible, unknowable…

Jera shook her head. No, she couldn't think about the thing anymore. She would go insane if she continued to dwell in the thought. She was in the cavern for one purpose and one purpose only. And no matter how much it hurt, she had to fulfill that purpose.

"Mama Jera!"

Jera felt something tackle her from behind. However, because it was so light-weight, it didn't even move Jera an inch. The Octillery looked behind her to find Aqua once again entangled in her tentacles and nuzzling her. Jera gently caressed the top of the Wooper's head with an arm.

"Hello Aqua," Jera said with a beaming gaze.

"I missed you, Mama Jera."

"I know you did, Aqua. I know."

"Mama Jera!"

Now multiple little voices screamed her name. Jera looked up to find all of the children rushing toward her, Serenity dragging herself along right behind them. Her hearts both radiated with joy and broke at the same time.

She watched all of the children close in on her until the completely encircled her like a school of Remoraid. The little Scraggy she had saved before Aqua came rushing over to Jera's side and held one of her tentacles close to him in a sort of awkward hug.

Jera knew the children would start bombarding with her questions like they always did. She knew with their excitable nature, they couldn't help but cuddle with her and ask her all of the questions they had in their curious little minds. Normally, she would let them. She liked to hear each of their questions. She liked to know what questions they had about the world and what they had learned for the day. She liked their warmth against her.

But today...

"Children, there's something I need to tell you," Jera said.

All of the children looked up at her, all of their giddy smiles now replaced with earnest. They hung on her every word. Even Serenity, the adult that she was now, watched Jera with a similar sort of awe.

"It pains me to say this… but I'm afraid that I can't stay here anymore," Jera said as her hearts grew heavier and heavier. "I have to go."

"Go? You mean like on another trip to find another brother or sister?" Daisy asked.

"No, as in… I'm not coming back for a long time, quite possibly never. I'm not sure at the moment."

The reaction Jera dreaded most suddenly became a reality. All of the children before her instantly leapt at her and clung to her with all their might. Jera latched onto the ground as firmly as she could as the children sank their faces into her.

"Mama Jera, why do you have to leave? Why do you have to go?"

"Mama Jera, you said that you'd always be here for us! You promised that you'd be here until we wanted to leave!"

"Mama Jera, I don't want you to go! I don't want you to leave!"

"Mama Jera, please don't leave me!"

"I don't wanna say goodbye, Mama Jera!"

"Mama Jera, I love you! Please don't go!"

"Stay here forever like you said you would, Mama Jera!"

Each and every single one of their words pierced her hearts like tiny arrows. She could practically feel her insides bleeding away as all of the children begged her and pleaded with her and pawed at her. This was far greater than any pain she had ever felt. Far greater than the Sharpedo bite. Far greater than having to watch her grown children take their leave from the cavern after raising them for so many years. Far greater than even watching the abomination from the rift crush the entirety of Stardust Island.

Jera looked over at Serenity to find she was the only one who had kept her distance from the Octillery. However, her bewildered stare pained Jera just as equally as all of these now crying, wailing little ones.

"Jera, what do you mean?" Serenity asked, hardly masking her frailty.

"I'm leaving," Jera verified, trying not to let the sorrow into her voice. "Something happened and… I have to go take care of something elsewhere. There's no other way; I have to go away."

"What happened, Jera? I'm sure I could help you with whatever's happened. You don't have to leave me and all of the children to take care of your problem. It… it can't be that drastic."

"Unfortunately, it can be, and worse yet, I'm the only one who can solve the problem."

Jera looked down at each of the children. She could smell their tears leaking from their eyes and she could feel the deep, heaving breaths all of them made. Even Topaz, quite incapable of any of that, emitted such a pained, distraught aura that made Jera's head ache.

"I'm sorry, Serenity. I honestly am. If there had been any other way, I would have taken it. Please… take care of these children in my absence, will you?"

"Jera…"

"Serenity, please. Please promise me that you'll provide the children the love and support that I always gave you. If you can do that for me, then it would make all of this a little bit easier for everyone."

"… I promise, Jera. I'll do everything I can for the little ones."

The Primarina smiled, but Jera knew it was a forced one. She could see how the corners of her mouth twitched. And though Jera wanted to take back everything she said, to say that all of this was nothing more than a practical joke, she knew she couldn't.

For the sake of all the helpless and suffering children who had yet to be found… there was only way to save them.

"Children, there's something I want to tell you before I go," Jera said.

All of the children glanced up at the Octillery with teary eyes. That was all she could see of them; they still kept the rest of their faces buried in her tentacles. Jera almost couldn't look at any of them in such a pitiful state.

But she knew everything would be okay now. Though she couldn't be with these children anymore, Serenity would care for them. The other caregivers would as well. They would all grow into happy, functional adults. They would be safe.

"Every time I brought one of you home, I promised to keep you happy and cherish the time we spent together. Watching as my children come of age and leave me forever hurts more as I grow older. I always told myself that giving you futures was worth the pain, but now I need to ensure that you all live to see those futures."

Jera beamed at each and every one of her children. All of the children she had loved with all her hearts. All of the children who she was eternally gratefully she had saved.

Jera gently pried each of the children from her. Not a single one resisted her, not even Aqua. They only remained still and frail as she set them down, bodies still trembling and tears still running down their cheeks. Some of them held each other, but none rushed back to Jera. All of them only watched her, silent, but understanding everything.

Jera couldn't have been more proud of them.

"Until we meet again."

Jera glanced over all of her beloved children one more time, and then crawled away to an uncertain future.