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Chapter VIII - Unraveled
I can certainly say I didn't expect to wake up, in the talons of a Braviary, hundreds of feet above the ground.
The air whipped my fur to and fro as if I were nothing more than a flag. I froze, as to not accidentally wiggle out of Jet's grasp.
"Hey," I heard his voice, raised considerably, over the gale surrounding us. "You're up… I didn't think you'd be awake that fast."
"Wh-what happened?" I yelled back, attempting with all my being not to look down.
"I dunno," he replied indifferently. "I was just flying on by, on my way back to the cave, when I thought I recognized you. We haven't been in the air any more than a minute."
"Was there an Axew next to me?" I responded quickly, ignoring everything else. "We need to go back, she's the asshole that knocked me out…"
"Really? Her?" Jet chortled. "I thought you were stupid enough to fight that feral Beartic Mew killed."
"Wait, what? What Beartic?"
"It's nothing," he finished, starting to descend. "Not a really big deal."
"Sorta sounds like a big deal! Mew was there? You saw her?"
By the time I'd finished, Jet had nearly reached the ground. He remained silent until he was able to deposit me in the snow.
"Uhh… No…" he finally said. "But the Axew saw her, or something like that."
"Right…" I said sarcastically before taking a look around. I didn't recognize the snow-covered landscape around us.
"I'll tell you more about it later," he concluded.
"What are we doing here?"
"I figured out what you were trying to do. I went back to the cave a little bit ago and saw Vita freaking out. When I ask her what she was having a heart attack over, she says you went off, like an idiot, and were looking for Berries. I told her I'd bring you back…"
"Great… She's gonna strangle me when I get back."
"Doubt it… Look over there."
I followed his gesture until I discovered an uplifting sight. A lush, green bust lay us, dotted with rare, yellow Berries. What were the odds we'd find a perfectly-salvaged Sitrus bush?
"Found these last night," the Braviary continued. "Stupid Karrablast I was hunting led me straight to them. Made sure to have 'em covered until the snow stopped."
He stepped past me, plucked a single fruit off with a foot, and hobbled back towards me, trying not to ruin his treasure.
"Just take a few of these," he said, dropping the single berry in the longer, black fur around my neck. Thankfully, it stayed in place. "back to the cave. I'll act like I never saw you, and go back a few minutes after. Sound fair?"
"Uhh… Jet?"
"Yeah?"
"Why are you being so… Relaxed about this?"
"Whaddaya mean?"
"You're making it look like I actually did something right… Why?"
"Maybe it's a change of heart," he replied sarcastically, giving me a wry smile, before further explaining. "Two reasons. One, I don't wanna have to deal with Vita and her constant nagging you. It's like listening to a Chatot, over and over again."
His simile prompted me to snicker. At least I wasn't the only one.
"Second is the fact I know Somin needs these, and I really don't want to be the one to give them to him."
"Why? Wouldn't you want to take the credit for this?"
"Eh, maybe when he stops being an asshole all the time. I'll probably forgive him if he apologizes. Wasn't my fault he was being a prick. I just called him out on it."
By then, he had filled my fur-scarf to the point it was nearly overflowing. I put on a stupid, judgemental look, and stared at the Braviary.
"Now, get the hell outta here. Cave's that way," he said, gesturing to our right. "I'm going to circle around the forest and head back. You'd better be there by then."
With that, and before I could respond, he took off, disappearing behind a cover of trees within a few seconds.
Clicking my tongue in slight exasperation, and with no other business where I was, I set off in the direction Jet had pointed out.
My shoulder stung as a result of the Axew's attack, of course, but not as badly as I'd first felt it. I found I possessed a slight limp, but it eventually wore off. I hoped no one would end up noticing.
It seemed I'd developed an affinity for figuring out where certain, deeper sections of snow lay. I was proud to say I didn't get stuck, not even once.
To take my mind off of the cold, I took a glance at the scenery surrounding me.
I found it funny. I knew just about every inch of the small forest, boasting a total area of maybe a mile or two. Yet, with the cover of white, leaving no spot untouched, I found myself in new territory.
Of course, I recognized a landmark every so often. One was a tree, remarkably taller than any other around it. As a result, it was often the target for lightning strikes, stripping it of leaves. While stark and bare in the summer, it seemed surprisingly beautiful in the wintertime.
I had the strangest feeling it would start to snow again soon. If the thick, grey cloud cover was any indication, we weren't truly safe yet.
I laughed openly as I passed an extremely tall pile of snow. Judging by its location, I guessed it was the boulder. We'd tried for days to move this behemoth, hoping to use it as a stepping stone for the river. Despite its proximity to the river, promising a simple move, we never were able to make it budge.
Somin and Vita had just evolved, and even then, it still proved impossible. I thought about the possibility of moving it now, confident in our projected success.
I tried shaking off the one, looming thought manifesting itself in my head. All these happy memories… They'd been spent as a human. Could I hope to try and relive, or even remember them, without being reminded of the depressing fact I was now useless, in all aspects of life? Even in Berry Gathering, I'd needed Jet to bail me out.
Before I could give myself an answer, I'd made it to the riverbank. I simply walked across the surface of the ice, and continued upstream, along the hillside.
I let the promise of warmth, whether that be from a fire, Somin's mane, or Arceus forbid, Vita drive me the final distance.
Eventually, I'd made it to the correct portion of the hill, and, very arduously, struggled up the steep incline.
I breathed heavily, unsure of what to expect in terms of reaction. I was unsure myself, whether or not lying about how I came across the Berries was the right course of action.
I thought about it no more as Victor, apparently hearing my entrance, rounded the corner.
His eyes widened for a moment in surprise at seeming me. He shoved his emotion back down, however when he turned his head towards a second, approaching figure.
"Oh… Heeeeey Vita," I said, suddenly extremely uncomfortable. Was it too late to run? I shifted my paws restlessly.
She remained silent, and much to my own, increasing trepidation, plastered on one of her famous glares.
Her eyes pierced my skin without effort and held me in place. At this point, I doubted I would be able to escape, even if I wanted to.
"Enlighten me," she said ominously, approaching slowly. "What made you think that was a good idea?"
When I remained silent, she continued. "No, please… Tell me. If you wanted to commit suicide, there's a lot quicker ways of going about it."
I wanted to show her what I had in my possession, but could only shrink away as she continued forward.
"I-I… I wanted to help," I choked out.
"And what did that get you, Ray? You could've frozen to death! That is, if something hadn't gotten to you first… Then we would have to deal with both you and Somin being debilitated."
"Vita, I'm fine."
"Ray, you're being selfish! Do you think about how what you do affects all of us?!"
"Vita!" I yelled, finding the confidence to do so as her glare started to diminish. "Drop it now! I can do whatever I damn well please because I'm the trainer here. Not you, not Somin, but me!"
Aggravated, I shook my neck out, allowing the five Sitrus Berries I'd been holding fall to the ground.
"I can handle myself," I continued in the wake of her silence. Huffing, I left the berries where they were and proceeded to walk towards and past Vita and Victor.
"Hey," Axle greeted sheepishly, obviously having heard the argument. He was sitting a few feet away from Somin, the latter of which had his back propped up against the wall.
I sighed to calm my nerves, and went to lay down beside them. Victor followed my lead, having followed me back into the cave.
"I thought she would be a lot more mad," the Durant spoke, hoping to lighten the mood. "She was worried, you know?"
"I can take care of myself," I responded simply, opting to leave it at that.
Vita slithered in a few seconds later, crossing the cave to access my bag without word. She held all five Sitrus Berries in a few of her vines. She made a concerted effort to not give any of us even a sideways glance.
"Don't we need to give those to Somin?" I asked spitefully as she placed every Berry in her possession inside the bag.
She allowed a small, deadly glare to be sent my way. "For being the almighty 'trainer', I'm surprised you forgot we have Potions."
She waved an empty Potion bottle at me, prompting me to mentally slap myself.
She chuckled sarcastically. "To think you were ready to commit suicide and gain nothing from it. Smart, Ray… Smart…"
I glanced up towards Somin, seemingly regaining his energy. The weak look of concern touching his face revealed that much… Why wasn't he fully healed by now, though? Whenever I'd exhausted myself, I was up and moving fairly soon afterwards.
Maybe it was because he was larger? His stores were probably exponentially more voluminous than mine, so more time would theoretically have to pass before they were fully filled. Yet, with energy as abundant as Somin's, it was hard to imagine how he'd fallen so quickly.
Somin seemed to notice the thoughtful expression on my face, considering the small smirk he adopted. His voice appeared in my head a second or two later.
"There's more than one type of illusion," he stated, sounding quiet through our connection. "Three, actually."
"Wait, why are you—"
"Shhhh… If you wanna say something, use illusions. Secrecy, remember?"
I'd attracted the attention of Axle and Victor with my outburst, but, after a few moments of deliberation, shook my head in dismissal.
"Of course, you're only gonna ever use one type… Connected Illusions. I can hardly manage the second as-is, and the third…"
"Are you sure you're okay to talk to me? Shouldn't you… Rest?" I shot back, hoping to use as little energy as possible. Thankfully, formation and conjuring didn't take long; I only now had to rest my head on my paws from the exertion.
"Eh, the amount of power I'm putting behind talking to you is tiny. I'm surprised you can hear me, to be honest. Why not teach you something while I can't do anything?"
I stared at him out of the corner of my eye suspiciously.
"Like I said," he continued without respite. "You're only ever gonna use Connected Illusions. You'll kill yourself before successfully conjuring anything else. Thankfully, connections are what you'll use for ninety-nine percent of all usage."
He paused before continuing. "Of course, it has its downsides. Only targets you've made a connection with will perceive your illusions. I'll teach you about multiple targets later, but for things like technology and physically interacting with your surroundings, it's not gonna cut it."
He shifted uncomfortably. "What I did today was the second category of illusion: Physical. It's made when you actually use your energy to give shape to whatever you want it to be. No connection needed. Physical Illusions… They hardly count as illusions. They're real, tangible things for as long as you can keep it up. Which wasn't very long, in my case."
He suddenly cringed, as if in pain. A few seconds passed before he relaxed, exhaling tiredly.
"This is taking more out of me than I thought… I… Jeez… I'll tell you about the third later. For now… We're gonna practice something."
Expectant, I raised my head.
"Endurance is the most important part of keeping up illusions. Without it, you leave yourself vulnerable. So here's just a simple little exercise… Open a connection and keep it open for, let's say… Five seconds. Rest for about a minute, then do it again. I'll tell you when you can up the time."
Right then, my attention was shifted towards a sound of movement from the front of the cave. A long look revealed Jet had returned, and was conversing with Vita in hushed tones.
"Ignore them," Somin warned. "Give Vita some time to cool down. I think I'm with you on this one, but there's no arguing with her… Especially not now."
I snorted at his statement, glad I had the assurance of at least one team member. Who was she to say I was being selfish? If anything, what I did was the exact opposite.
Axle appeared much on-edge, as if he was afraid Vita's sour attitude was soon to lash out and devour him.
Victor stared at me condescendingly. Once he was sure he'd grabbed my attention, he started whispering in a soft tone.
"You know, Ray… Vita may have been just a liiiiiitle right… I don't wanna take sides or tell you what to do or anything, but please, for her, try to be a little more considerate?"
Even with the forced neutrality in his explanation, I found myself shooting a glare in his direction, allowing the dark clouds covering the room to swallow up the last beam of sunshine. He made sure to stay quiet afterwards, adopting a demeanor much akin to Axle's.
"I'm waiting…" Somin reappeared in my head, slouching his position.
Five seconds… That was the time he'd specified. What was my maximum endurance as it was now, then? Fifteen? Twenty?
Suppressing further questions, I shut my eyes, got into a more comfortable position, and started.
The first three rounds were uneventful. A minute-long break was more than enough to catch my breath and rid myself of lightheadedness, forming during each, five-second interval.
By the fourth attempt, however, I was starting to feel woozy, as if the respite I was granted was becoming more and more useless. I was lucky I was laying down. Surely by then, if I'd been standing, I would be no longer.
With every attempt afterward, I struggled progressively more in ushering an appropriate amount of energy to the forefront of my mind. With every use, it became more and more viscous, taking effort to summon it, let alone conjure a connection.
Eight… Nine… Ten intervals. I felt every, grueling second during exertion, yet every minute of respite passed by as though it were nothing.
I eventually got to the point I couldn't move a muscle in my body. Eyes half-lidded, I promised myself the next attempt would be the one I would admit to Somin I could go no further.
Yet, being the stubborn little beast I'd always been, I refused to yield. If this was going to make me stronger, then I was sure as hell going to keep on going.
Thirteen… Fourteen… Fifteen…
The sixteenth rotation was the worst yet. Speaking truthfully, however, every single one had been worse than the last. This one, though, broke new ground.
I actually found the strength to yelp as I felt like my brain was tearing itself apart.
Okay… I'm done… I can't do anymore…
"Ray? What's wrong?" a distorted voice, one I imagined to be Victor's, asked.
"N-nuthin," I slurred.
"I can't leave you alone for fifteen minutes without something happening, can I?"
Over the ringing in my ears, I was able to deduce that sentence's owner as Vita. Somin promptly followed with his own statement.
"Lay off for now. He's learning, and it's gonna take some time for him to get stronger. Save him the over-protective attitude."
"Hmmph," Vita huffed, receding from the conversation.
All I could maintain was my eyes opened at half-mast as Somin's voice reprimanded me in my head.
"What did I say about overexertion? Don't even try risking it. Quit when you need to, it's not like there's never gonna be room for improvement. Doubt I'll be able to hold her back from treating you like a kit for long, so don't tempt her."
"Why do you think she's being like this?" I mumbled, only to the point only those surrounding me could hear. Sadly, that meant Victor, as well.
The Durant seemed to get the notion I was having a conversation with Somin, though, and stayed out.
"I think I have an idea… I'll talk to her in a little bit, see what's up."
I remained silent, and proceeded to struggle to get up before Somin stopped me by laying a claw on my back. He gently pushed me back down.
"Don't… Take a breather, hell, sleep if you can. Whether you like it or not, your body needs a lot more than normal."
At my annoyance, he continued. "You've been working yourself. Just take a break, man… I'll wake you up if anything important happens."
Sighing, and knowing I was going nowhere as long as Somin was beside me, I let my head come to rest in between my paws.
"Can you do me a favor?" I asked quietly. "When you feel up to it, get a fire going, or see if someone else can. It's freezing."
"I can put you in my fur if you wa—"
"No. I'm fine…"
"Suit yourself."
I was freezing, of course, and wanted nothing more than to accept his offer. Yet, I wanted to make absolutely sure I put on a show of independence.
If anything, my status as the trainer over the team was slipping. If I didn't want my entire impression to seep through the cracks caused by this catastrophe, I had to make sure I was still strong. That meant pushing myself beyond physical boundaries, and above all, not becoming completely dependent on the team.
I had to… I never knew why, nor cared to figure it out. It's possibly what I believed made me a successful person. We'd only gotten this far as a team because of the maturity and independence as strong individuals we'd all displayed over the years. We were stronger together, of course, but capable on our own. That was what made us one of the best. I wasn't about to let six and a half years of strenuous work, dotted at random with heartbreak, depression, and conflict, be ruined by a legendary and her flimsy plan to make me her trainer… I wouldn't…
But, for now… I would let myself rest.
"I won't let you die."
The words kept ringing in my head long after I woke. I was growing extremely concerned by then for my mental well-being. Were the recurring dreams a product on the mental strain my transformation had brought?
I would probably talk to Somin or Jet about it if I had another. Vita would probably worry herself over it, and as much as I enjoyed talking to Axle and Victor, neither of them could keep a secret long.
A look around the cave revealed I was alone. A fire burned brightly a few feet away, but no creature accompanied me in its warmth.
I got up, feeling much better than before. I noticed a dull pain emanate from my shoulder, where the Axew had attacked me.
I looked down apprehensively in that region, only to reel in shock when I found it was almost fully healed. All that remained was, rather than a thick, stinging cut, was a small, pink slice in the skin, hardly noticeable.
Hell, maybe there were some upsides to this transformation.
I shook my head to rid it of some stray ash that had found refuge in my fur. How long had I been asleep for?
Hearing voices of different pitches from outside the cave, I resigned myself to check.
Life was going on as if it were a normal day. Axle was breaking up the ice and swimming for fish. Somin and Jet sparred in the trees, training a distance aways. It seemed some of the attacks either one shot off were meant to harm, if only a little.
Vita and Victor were nowhere to be found. Picking Berries, maybe? I doubted it, considering Victor wasn't one for holding them very well.
"He lives!" Axle called sarcastically, bringing my attention back to the river. He was submerged in the frigid water, head peeking out to greet me.
"Isn't that cold?" I asked, nothing else to say coming to mind.
"Eh, it's a little uncomfortable, but bearable."
"Right," I responded skeptically. Somin and Jet still hadn't taken notice of our conversation.
"How long was I asleep for?" I asked, turning my attention back to the Swampert. He was in the process of bringing a freshly-caught Magikarp back to a pile he'd made on the surface.
"Six hours," he laughed, succeeded by my blank stare. "I thought you died, was gonna dig a hole for your grave when I was done getting food."
"Why the hell'd you let me sleep that long?" I yelled fervently, pacing back and forth uncomfortably.
"Calm down. It's fine… We had everything covered."
"It's not fine! Six hours?! It was hardly midday! I've slept for more than twenty of the last 24 hours! That's okay to you?"
"Ah jeez," Axle sighed. "Hey Somin! You were right! He's pissed!"
"Why?" Somin's faint voice was heard. He seemed to be talking in between dodges or attacks, opting to continue sparring. "I like naps."
"I don't!" I frustratedly shot back. With no response given, I reluctantly changed pace. "Where are the other two?" I interrogated Axle.
"Dunno… Vita was feeling sick and went off on her own. When she didn't come back, Victor went to check up on her.
"Sick again?" I asked myself before readdressing Axle. "Which way did they go?"
"Yeah," he chuckled. "I don't want to tick her off any more than I have to. She's been getting more and more… Erratic with her behavior. I think that's the word. Either way, you're staying here for now."
I shot a glare in his direction, but by then, he'd already gone back under the surface of the water.
With no other stimulus to interrupt, I let my thoughts wander as they pleased. The first topic they set their sights on was the call with Skyla earlier the same day.
My mother's sister, and yet, polar opposites. I would trade her for my own any day. She was kind enough to let me stay in her second house while I was in town, which wasn't often.
I then thought about the sincerity of her message, the desire to know I was alright. This was a woman who I could trust, wasn't she? Why had I been so reluctant to tell her the truth of my experience with the people pursuing and, ultimately, the people who killed me?
Yet, I had no way of knowing with whom she was working. If any other Gym leaders got wind of my location, it would be game over.
Would we survive up here? There was limited food, at least for myself. As I saw it, the only option was to head to Icirrus. Maybe we could somehow get to Mistralton from there, and work on isolating Skyla from everyone. If everything went according to plan, however, there was a big question nagging at the back of my head.
Would I find the courage to reveal myself? It went without saying we needed to keep my transformation a secret from as many people and Pokémon as possible. The form I took was so demeaning; was I brave enough to show her what had happened? I knew Skyla wasn't a judgemental person, but…
Maybe the team would have an opinion. I would ask them later.
Skyla was family, that much I knew. But one of the main lessons I'd learned throughout my entire journey was to build my trust in those who deserved it, and as cheesy as it sounded, my team was the only family I had.
Before I could dwell on those dark thoughts for long, Jet's voice pierced my mental barrier.
"Don't know why you'd wanna sit out here… Feel like my wings're about to fall off."
I started, staring up at the Braviary. He sported a few cuts from his training, but acted as if they weren't there. How did he approach without my noticing?
Without word, he shrugged, and walked behind me, disappearing inside the cave. Somin followed close behind, and stopped to address me.
"We can practice if you want. Dinner won't be on for another hour or two."
My stomach growled at the mention of the meal. I solemnly realized I hadn't eaten anything the entire day.
"Right…" Somin said, rubbing his face. "We can work on illusions later… You gotta be starving.
With that, he turned to walk away. He then paused, turning back towards me.
"Which way was that bush you found earlier? The Sitrus one?"
"Oh… It's uh… Go downriver a bit, go into the woods, and keep going straight when you find the lightning tree… Fifty yards from there, maybe? It's on the edge of a clearing."
"Right. I'll be back in a bit."
With that, he slid down the slope, leaped over Axle and the creek altogether, and disappeared around the bend. I sighed, stood, and went back inside.
"We alone?" Jet asked as I sat down next to the fire. He stood on the other side, perpendicular so he could warm his left wing.
"Yeah…"
"Right… So about the Beartic and Mew…"
"Oh, I almost forgot about them," I replied sarcastically.
"She's still around, then? Mew, I mean."
"Yeah… Just… Please don't tell anyone. Somin'll get mad when he figures out she's still around, and Vita… She's already upset."
"Already know. Don't worry about it. I actually wanted to talk more about the Axew. Said her name was Misa, or something like that."
"Why? All we need to know is that she's a total bitch."
"And why's that?"
"Talks big, like she's able to do anything, besides being the most annoying little beast I've ever met."
"What, cause you lost?"
"Not you too! I didn't lose!"
"That cut on your shoulder says otherwise."
I huffed, a scowl soon to form on my face. "What's so interesting about her? Why do you care?" I continued, hoping to change the subject.
"You don't think it's weird she's on Twist Mountain? A tiny dragon type like her? She's a runt, Ray. She might've been abandoned."
"Doubt it," I replied. "She probably ran off from her parents, too egocentric for her own good."
"Sounds familiar," he heckled openly. "We should start a club, maybe she should be a member."
"Oh, and what club's that?" I responded snobbishly.
"How about the 'My Parents Suck and I Don't Want to Be Around Them Anymore Club'?"
That succeeded in making me laugh openly. I decided, in the spur of the moment, to join in.
"Whatever… So, Misa, huh?"
"Yeah, she seemed pretty flustered, but that's what she told me."
"Think you can teach me how to beat the ever-loving shit out of her?"
The Braviary proceeded to break out in uncontrollable laughter.
"She must've beat you pretty bad if you're this angry about it," he hazed.
"I'm serious!" I pleaded. "Somin's not gonna teach me how to fight for weeks, and I don't think anyone else here knows more about it than you do…"
"I dunno, Ray," he responded, the revelry slowly disappearing from his voice. "You're being serious?"
"Absolutely."
He sighed in mental deliberation.
"Somin's gonna kill me if he finds out."
"I'll make sure he doesn't."
"Ugh… You suck, Ray, you know that?"
He paced around his side of the fire for about thirty seconds. Sighing, he gave his answer.
"You're lucky our species' fighting style is so similar… Fine. We do it at night, when everyone else is asleep. When Somin's done teaching you illusions, or whatever the hell you're doing tonight, I'll make up an excuse to pull you away."
"Yes! You're awesome, Jet!"
He remained silent, stalking slowly back to the fire. We remained in silence from then on.
Axle walked in a few minutes later, asked the whereabouts of Somin, and took post next to me, leaving a pile of dead fish in the corner.
Somin entered next, giving me a much-needed meal. I'd downed almost everything he brought. He assured me my teeth would hopefully grow in soon, sometime within the next two or three weeks. That period of time seemed like an eternity to me.
A full hour passed before Victor and Vita returned, as a pair. The latter, after giving an unsure glance at the former, approached Somin and whispered something in his ear.
I could tell Axle was biting back a greeting. Whatever Vita seemed to be so worried about, and was relaying to Somin, was obviously important.
"WHAT?!" the Zoroark yelled when she finished, staring long and hard at her, then Victor. He seemed overall uncomfortable with the attention.
"Why the reaction?" Axle asked skeptically.
"No! Nonono…" Somin denied, realizing the rest of us were present. He chuckled nervously. "Everything's fine… It's just… Vita, can we talk? Alone, please?"
She nodded her head weakly, following the Zoroark outside.
"Uhh…" Axle gaped as they left, before addressing Victor. "Mind telling us what that was about?"
"What, that? Somin's just worried. Vita got really sick again."
"So why the secrecy?" I followed, prompting the Durant's glance in my direction.
"I dunno… She probably didn't want to have to talk to everyone. She's really tir—"
"A WEEK?"
Everyone's head turned towards the entrance of the cave at Somin's outburst. We gave each other skeptical looks soon after.
"A week since she's started being sick?" Victor asked to no one in particular, and quite nervously at that. What was he hiding, if anything?
It was rare to see Somin this flustered. Maybe there was something really wrong with Vita, if it was cause for this much worry.
"What do you think's wrong?" Axle asked to no one in particular.
"Altitude sickness," Jet suggested simply.
"Oh, that may be it," I responded. "I got sick whenever we would hike up to the summit… There still might be something wrong, though."
"If it's important, I'm sure they'll tell us…" Victor piped in. I sent him a look. He knew something. He was a horrible liar.
The next minute or so passed in an extremely awkward silence. Somin and Vita, wherever they were conversing, seemed to have forgotten about us altogether.
Finally, they returned, stepping in together. The entire cave remained silent as Somin sat, his legs almost completing an 'O' shape. He stared thoughtfully at the ground until I addressed him.
"Mind enlightening us all what that was about?"
Vita had since curled around him and laid her head on his shoulder in a gesture of comfort. She answered in his stead.
"Victor and I met a wild out in the forest, a Vanillish… Said it's been watching the weather for years. It predicted, judging on the amount of snow we have now, it's going to snow three times a week for most of the winter."
No response was immediately given. The claim, out of nowhere, was outlandish, of course, but it would explain Somin's outburst.
"Right!" Victor said nervously. "I didn't know you were talking about that guy… He was kinda mean. I didn't like him much."
"Uhh… Sure," Vita continued, staring oddly at Victor's going off-topic.
"Whatever," I responded, not wishing to dwell on the topic any longer. If they were, in fact, fabricating their story, it must not have been an important piece of information they were hiding. "Can we talk about what we want to do from here?"
"We probably should," Axle agreed. "As I see it, there's two ways to go from here, each with their own risks. First, we go to Icirrus. The journey's gonna suck, and if we don't die on the way there, we have no telling how we'll be received."
"We could call Sklya and ask her to… Help?"
"I don't know… It might be worth a shot. If someone else is with her, though, we can't do jack."
"She could lie," Jet piped in. "Draw us in and catch us from there.
"Would she, though?" Victor responded. "Even in a situation like this, she knows she's the only family Ray has. If she's met with other Gym leaders, I'm sure it was suggested. I doubt she would go through with it, though."
"Okay, we'll let that sit…" Vita said. "And the second option?"
"We stay here," I said simply. "Wait for the heat do die down a little bit before going anywhere. Downside is the fact winter's starting, and we're nowhere near prepared. I hate to bring myself into this, but I can't eat anything. It's all gonna freeze over soon."
I sighed before starting. "Which is why I'm voting to call Skyla. If all else fails, we just go to Icirrus and try to lay low."
"I've never met Skyla outside the video chats she's had with you, Ray," Victor added. "I think she's nice… I'm willing to try her out."
"That's two-nothing," I said when he finished. "Anyone else wanna go next?"
"I personally think we have enough to last you until you can eat actual food," Jet spoke. "The cold sucks; Vita and I know that more than anyone, but I want to tough it out. We can make it."
"Two-one," Vita said in response. "Make that three. I want to head back. At least there, we can almost guarantee survival. The same can't be said about up here."
"Yeah," Axle chimed. "But if we go into town, there's a giant chance all of us will get separated. I'd much rather take a risk and stick together. Three-two."
Everyone's stare slowly moved in Somin's direction. He hadn't moved or spoken once since the conversation started.
"Somin?" Vita asked gently, nuzzling the despondent Zoroark on the head.
"Wh-wha? Oh, vote… Right…"
He lapsed into another period of thought, broken only by a single word.
"Stay…"
Vita seemed slightly surprised at the Zoroark's decision, but accepted it nonetheless. She, suddenly apathetic, left her head to rest once more on his shoulder.
"Tie," Axle said, "How should we break it?"
"No," I responded, "This is too big a decision to break with a flip of a coin, or something stupid like that…"
"What if we made a compromise?" Victor asked in return. "You know, meet halfway?"
"What do you think, then?" I responded subsequently.
"Well…" he started pacing. "What if we wait until just about before the food for you runs out, then we can go back to town. Maybe we could get by undetected then. Let you adjust for a little bit first, in case we do get separated. Maybe learn some stuff in case you need to defend yourself."
"Hmm… Vita?"
The idea had its merit, but I was sure someone would be able to find some sort of downfall to the plan. At least, in my opinion, the thought of waiting to run out of food sounded flimsy, at best.
"I…" she said, not bothering to raise her head. "I believe, at present, it would be the best course of action. Circumstances may change, of course, but I agree that this plan could, theoretically work."
To say I was shocked with her answer was an understatement. Vita was the one Pokémon present I thought would refute the proposal.
Everyone else was quick to give their approval, leaving myself.
"Well, I guess I lose, then," I said, surrendering. "Let's aim for… A week and a half?"
"Yeah, we got more than enough Berries for that long…" Axle replied, "I'm glad we finally made a decision about this."
"Doesn't matter," Jet piped in, "doesn't change the fact Ray's still a Zorua, and it doesn't change the fact Mew's disappeared altogether."
He was lying, of course. We'd both been witnesses to her actions just that day, even if I'd been unconscious. Yet, the legendary might as well have been gone completely. Without any communication from her whatsoever, we were left in the dark.
"It's still good to be ready," Victor said. "We made a decision, so let's move on… anyone else hungry?"
"I'll get dinner on," Axle replied.
I thought I caught Vita's stare resting on me. I intentionally looked away to avoid her gaze. I proposed a question to Axle in an attempt to divert her attention from me.
"You guys have enough?"
"Two fish each, should be enough," he responded, grabbing the stick he'd used the previous night from its spot in the corner. In the process, he also grabbed an extra log as fuel for the fire with his free, right paw.
"Who wants it uncooked?"
"Here," Jet spoke, catching a single Basculin in his beak as it came flying his way.
A small utterance from Somin was taken as confirmation. After catching his meal, he nibbled on it tentatively.
It wasn't depression I saw in the air about him. Instead, he seemed apprehensive and extremely jittery, as if whatever Vita had said made him extremely nervous. Was it fear, in the face of the snowy journey we were to take?
Somin had fed me more than enough, so I resigned myself to scooting a bit closer to the fire and laying my head down. I then waited for the rest of the team to cook and eat as the flickering flame lulled me into a light trance.
About an hour passed before anyone finished, leaving the scraps leftover from their meals in a small pile.
The few team members who weren't feeling trepidation with the promise of more snow made a game out of seeing from how far they could land a bone in the pile. Surprisingly, Victor ended up winning after making a lucky shot, using his mandibles to sling a rib across the cave.
Before long, Somin, dropping out of his stupor for a moment, instructed me to repeat the exercise I'd performed earlier. He made sure to encourage me, very gruffly, to stop when I needed.
My mind, however, was set on Jet's promise of teaching me how to fight. Throughout the intervals I performed, I found it helpful to focus on my excitement, rather than the exertion I was putting myself through.
I managed ten before telling Somin I was ready to stop. From there, the Zoroark nodded, grabbed an Oran from the pile of Berries beside him, stood, and proceeded to allow me to have a drink.
I knew I would probably never get over the humiliation I felt with this method of feeding. I'd thought about the prospect of eating when we got back to civilization, and placed the pieces together of what I would have to do.
I sure as hell wasn't looking forward to drinking baby Pokémon formula.
Before long, I felt rejuvenated enough to stand, albeit wobbly. Everyone seemed to be settling down for the night, conversing quietly in pairs. The odd Pokémon out, unsurprisingly, was Jet.
I gave him a glance, as if to ask whether or not it was time to begin. After taking a look around for himself, he nodded.
Heart pounding, I stood and took a few steps towards where Vita and Somin sat with one another, in hushed tones. All that was visible of the Zoroark behind a wall of green was his face. He spectated me carefully as I approached.
"I think I'm gonna head out for a walk," I stated sheepishly. "Just to think for a while."
Previously expecting some sort of resistance, I wasn't surprised to hear Vita's objection.
"Like hell you are! What? Did you think I was going to say 'Okay Ray, have fun!'? Why would you want to go out there anyways, it's below freezing, and—"
"I'll watch him."
I sighed in relief when I no longer had to sit through Vita's outburst, having been cut off by the voice of Jet. He walked forwards to stand beside me.
"Jet, I appreciate the offer," Vita responded. "But it's useless to go out at this time of night."
"Well, I wanted to head out anyways, do a little night hunting… I don't mind watching him."
"Let 'em go," Somin's voice cut in before Vita could make a retort. "He can freeze to death if he wants to." He paused before continuing in a less outward tone. "Probably wants to feel his amplitude again, and I don't blame him, feels like a damn drug."
"Amplitude?" I asked.
"The night, Ray. The moon. The thing that makes your energy spike."
"Oh, uh… I guess you're right, a little," I lied, hoping to break Vita's determination.
Either way, what could she do to keep me here if she still denied my request, short of tying me up until morning?
Actually, I didn't doubt her resolve to do so, should the situation arise…
Yet, with a sigh, she caved, spitefully ushering us outside with a flick of her head.
I huffed as I walked past, rueful to the fact I actually had to ask permission to leave.
Malicious thoughts against Vita's conduct all but disappeared, however, when I stepped outside and sighed relaxedly under the light of the moon.
Somin was right about how this felt… I could easily get used to the sensation of feeling my energy output increase. I stretched, content when a satisfying pop sounded in my spine.
A set of talons wrapped around me, their owner taking flight. I watched reluctantly as we crossed the river and flew above the forest.
"What the hell, Jet? I can walk!"
"It's cold enough out here," he responded. "We don't need to stay any longer than we need."
I groaned in repulsion.
"I'm gonna find a good spot, might take a second."
A sigh followed. Knowing, in the end, however, that this would be the easier path to take, I resigned myself to take a look upon the surrounding scenery.
Flying above the treeline provided for some spectacular views, I admitted. Despite my nose instantly feeling as if it were about to fall off, I actually enjoyed the sights I witnessed.
The moon was almost fully risen above an adjacent mountaintop, casting an eerie silver glow on the black trees below. Where there wasn't black was pure, unadulterated white, simply snow serenely reflecting the moon's gentle light. It all seemed so much more beautiful now, more than ever. Maybe it was because I'd hardly ever gotten rides on Jet, or maybe it was the fact I was experiencing my 'amplitude', as Somin called it. Either way, for those few, fleeting moments, I forgot about the fact I was suspended, only a single mistake away from plummeting to my death.
Before I knew it, the wind around me started to die down as we decelerated, slowly descending into a small clearing. I recognized instantly the bare branches of the lightning tree as we circled around it. It stood ominously, casting a long shadow on the snow behind it.
"Okay, hmm… Zorua… Zorua…" Jet rambled to himself, making a plan as to how the following series of events should play out.
While he thought, I noticed something I hadn't the previous night, and that was the fact that everything, and I mean everything, was brighter. Blinking my eyes a few times, wondering how they'd adjusted so quickly, I stole a look at the moon. From its angle in the sky, there was no way it illuminated the surrounding area so effectively. Prior experience as a human had taught me that much.
After pondering it for a few more moments, I chuckled to myself. Dark-type, night-vision… It made sense. For less than a second, I thought myself as a superhero, with all these new, incredible powers, previously inaccessible to me.
Then I stopped, snapping back to reality. What kind of superhero couldn't even eat without assistance? I'd let my thoughts drift over the last few days, and when they caught on something interesting and positive, I somehow found a way to shoot it down within a few moments. I enjoyed those few, uplifting seconds. Hopefully, when everything passed and I was back to normal, I would find solace and happiness in normalcy alone.
Hell, that was Victor's entire thinking process. He seemed to enjoy just about every, little thing about life, somehow finding a way to put a positive spin on even the worst situations. Maybe that method of thought stemmed from the near-death encounter he'd experienced when I first met him? I didn't doubt it…
Maybe, if I wanted to be happy, I would need to feign happiness first. What did I have, at the time, to be appreciative about? I was stuck in the most stressful and most humiliating situation I'd ever been in.
A sudden thought crossed my mind, causing me to shudder. What if Mew failed in trying to get help? Would I be able to cope with the prospect of being stuck in this body forever?
Jet seemed to finish thinking by the time trepidation started to set in. I blocked off the malicious thoughts so I could hear him speak.
"Alright… I should've thought of this before… If you want to perform moves, you gotta have a pretty firm hold over your physical nature. Axle's been pretty lax in teaching you to run, so I'll do that, instead."
"What?! I thought you were gonna teach me how to fight!"
"Don't be naive, Ray… In any battle, it's never about the damage you deal, but the damage you take. There are prerequisites to this sort of thing…"
He paused, turning towards the lightning tree. He started speaking again before I could retort. "I can't pretend to know how a quadruped runs… Try and figure out what fits best for you, and we'll work on dodging maneuvers from that. I know you're going out of your way to train with me, just to get some petty revenge on some random Axew you hardly know, and if you ask me, your motives are flimsy… What I do agree with, though, is the fact you need to learn to fight, and fast… We have plenty of time before we leave for Icirrus, so I'm not taking any chances."
He turned back towards me with a no-nonsense stare. "Understand?"
I gulped, swallowing down the sarcastic response forming at the tip of my tongue. I opted to ignore his statement about my grudge against Misa, hoping not to agitate him.
"So," he started, "what the hell are you waiting for? My approval? Figure it out. I'll be back in a few to see how you're doing."
"And where are you going?"
"Hunting," he replied. "I wasn't lying when I said I wanted to catch something… Basculin may be tasty, but not very filling."
With that, and without waiting for any response or approval on my part, he pressed off the ground and took flight, disappearing into the forest's shadow a second or two later.
I stared where he had disappeared, an argument finding residence in my mouth, ready to be expelled. With no target now, however, I shifted the words into some obscenity I muttered under my breath.
"How we do— Ah…"
I grunted ruefully at the small bout of laughter I heard from behind. It seemed Jet had caught wind of my failed attempts.
I had gotten a trot down fairly easily, considering it was simply walking, but at a faster clip. Running, however, would require I change my gait altogether. From what I imagined, the easiest way to do it would be pushing off with both hind legs, catching myself with my front, and repeating the process. Every time I pushed off, though, my front legs had either hindered my momentum, stopped me, or missed the ground altogether, causing for a wide range of failures, consisting of faceplants, slipping, and collisions with foreign objects. All my mistakes were recorded in the no-longer pristine snow. I was sure I was covered in the stuff, as well.
Jet had been gone for about ten minutes. The most I'd accomplished during that time was three strides before making a mistake.
Yet, it seemed Jet had the solution almost instantaneously.
"You're being waaaaay too analytical about it. You can keep the stride you have, but try to let instinct take over, instead of constantly checking your actions for errors. You'll find that your body will automatically correct them for you. When you give it too much mind, your thoughts are drawn to that mistake, specifically, leading to either another one, or an over-correction."
I stared at the Braviary oddly. I certainly didn't expect him to have a solution outside the lines of 'keep trying'.
"It's freezing out here, Ray, and staying still doesn't help… We don't have all night. Get it done, and you can go back to the cave. I'm gonna stay out for a little bit, see if I can find anything special."
Sighing, I stood back up, shook myself off, and tried again, attempting to follow his advice. Instead of running through the motions in my head, as I'd had when learning to walk, I simply initiated the motion and let my instinct take over.
I perceived the motions running through my head, but gave them as little mind as possible. Instead, I simply let them run past the forefront of my mind, until they eventually blended into nothingness.
I was running… I actually succeeded. I restricted myself from getting too excited, however, and was instantly more worried about the rapidly-approaching treeline. Desperate, I tried pushing to the left when my hind paws next hit the ground, hoping to divert my momentum.
I was only half-successful. My front legs slid out to my right, a result of my having not fully turned my entire body to fit the change in direction. I tumbled for a short distance before being abruptly stopped by a large, thick object.
"Ah, shit… You okay?" I heard Jet's voice, approaching steadily, call. I responded to him with a simple chuckle.
"Yes!" I yelled, ignoring the pain flaring up from my back, the result of the impact with what I determined to be a tree.
"It's weird seeing a kit your size run… Others your age wouldn't know how to walk yet, maybe not even talk…"
I sent him a resentful glare.
"Don't over-analyze it," he continued. "It's a good thing."
With that, he took flight, swooping towards me and simultaneously yanking me from the ground in the process.
"I might officially ban the word 'kit' from now on," I half-joked, a slight scowl adorning my face.
"Aww, did I hit a sore spot? Would 'cub' be a better word?"
"Oh, shut up…"
I trotted into the cave a few minutes later, wanting nothing more than the fire, providing the only warmth one could get for miles.
I would be content with letting it consume me altogether, to be honest. Rolling around in the snow for ten minutes straight sure didn't help my desperation.
"What'd you do, make snow angels?" Axle asked as I laid down beside him, as close to the fire as possible without burning myself.
"Snow's pretty deep… I tripped a few times."
"Where'd Jet go?" Vita asked from my left side. Instead of being wrapped around a certain Zoroark, as I'd previously seen her, they now sat back-to-flank. Somin's head was staring solely towards the ceiling, his eyes wide. He was shaking, as well; I simply attributed it to the cold. The fire wasn't a panacea, that much was certain.
"He said something about staying out… Probably to hunt or something," I responded, sighing happily when heat penetrated my fur and graced my skin with its influence. I tried to expose as much of myself as possible to the open flame, laying with my belly towards it. If anything, my freezing, numb paws needed the most attention.
"I doubt he'll be back for a while, then… I don't understand how that bird runs on no sleep whatsoever…" Vita sighed.
"Yeah… Speaking of which, I'm gonna go ahead and get to sleep," Victor announced. "Let's make some beds tomorrow… The floor sucks."
"Yeah," sounds fine by me," Axle replied.
Somin gave a small grunt of affirmation.
Everyone started settling down, wordlessly conglomerating and laying down as a group. This had been a repeated drill we'd performed as we took residence up here initially during the winter. The fire wasn't always enough to feel warm.
I shook my head and gestured towards the fire when invited to join. I wasn't tired in the least, already having slept for most of the day.
"Night guys," Victor's voice was heard across the cave. Axle's repetition of the phrase followed soon after.
"Night," Vita said softly, closing her eyes. Her breathing evened after a minute or two.
I simply stared into the fire for the longest time, only raising my head when I realized Vita had fallen asleep.
Somin's eyes were still wide-open, staring at the ceiling in deep thought.
Sighing, I tried initiating a conversation.
"Somin?" I whispered, noticing his ears twitch in response. "Are you… Okay?"
"Yeah… Just thinking," he replied.
"About?" I asked tentatively. "Somin, it's okay to tell me if Vita was lying."
I was careful to make sure no other creature was awake, grateful for the fact no one else exhibited a reaction to the words.
"Yeah… That Vanillish story hardly had any sense of believability… She was lying, but only because she thought it would scare you."
"Can you tell me the truth, then? I need to know, Somin, if it's gonna end up being a problem."
"Yeah, I know…"
Somin sighed, adjusting his stare to have it rest on me.
"Mew came and talked to her," he revealed. "Said that basically, she'd caught a lead on finding Arceus, and was soon to pursue it. She said she's been protecting us over the last week, but in a week's time, she'll be gone altogether."
I sat there, gawking at Somin. They'd thought it was a good idea to keep this from me?
"And why didn't Mew come to me about this?" I hissed.
"She didn't want you to lose hope… She was afraid, if you figured it out, you'd give up on trying to be human again…"
"So she'll tell Vita, but not me…"
"It was just a warning to be on our guards… I'm just worried, is all…"
I sighed frustratedly, turbulent thoughts coursing through my head. My trust in her only continued to decline.
"Look, I should, uhh… Probably get some sleep… Tomorrow's gonna be busy if we want to make this place resemble any sort of comfort."
"You do that," I shot back, turning my gaze back to the fire. I had a lot to think about.
I let my subconscious wander about as my gaze became transfixed. I soon lost all sense of time passing. No longer was I a Zorua in a perilous situation, but a human once more, simply residing on a mountain for a full year.
The fourteen year old boy sat, alone. Adjusting himself of the tree branch, he stared solemnly at the moon as it rose in the sky. A thin, white blanket of snow covered the base of the tree, alongside the sections of the branch he did not bother dusting off.
He wondered, as he'd wondered every day for the last ten or so months… Was there an afterlife? If so, was she watching them all now? How was she feeling, alone in the sky? Maybe she saw everyone through the moon's eyes.
He sighed. Why in the world had he dragged his team up to this desolate piece of land? All four remaining members were absolutely miserable, even if they did feign the gratitude for a year-long training session.
Maybe it was time to give up. He'd faced difficult losses before, and had only beaten Clay and Skyla's respective gyms through multiple, failed attempts. Sometimes, he thought they let him win, if only to be rid of him.
Brycen, however, was a different story. The fact the possibly strongest member of the team, his Servine, had a type disadvantage surely didn't help.
He thought about quitting altogether. What good was he doing, only putting his team through pain and suffering for his personal gain. It was only going to get colder outside, December only a few days away.
He hugged himself, hoping to heat the skin beneath his heavy jacket.
He'd told himself that his team appreciated the ability to train, and cherished fighting with one another. Every pretense was shattered, however, in January of that same year…
He started to cry, again…
"Goddamnit," he thought. "I thought I was past this… I… This is what he wants… I won't let him get to me."
"Get real," his other side told him. "Sure, it was fun while it lasted, but she died because of me… There's no going back from that. I got six badges… Maybe it's time to call it quits, before it happens again… Vita, Somin, Axle, Jet… If they were to die, how could I live with myself?
He held it back as hard as he could. His team… They were waiting inside the cave, only a few hundred yards away. He had to be strong, and make grown-up decisions.
Ten months… It still hadn't been enough time for him to move on. Some days, he thought he'd wake up, with Sierra still sleeping in his chest, as she always did.
He saw her face in his mind's eye, finally enough to push him over the edge. He screamed into the night, fully sobbing.
"I'm sorry!" he shrieked. "I had to try! I didn't want to, I swear!"
If she was watching him, how disappointed would she be in him? No amount of guilt would absolve him of what he'd done.
He hardly noticed how he'd lost his grip on the branch in the process of his self-pity, and hardly cared as he fell backwards.
He hurtled towards the ground, and grunted as his back came into contact with the cold snow. The breath was knocked out of him.
He wheezed in between sobs, trying to get a hold of himself.
He perked up as he felt something rub up against his skin. He turned abruptly to find nothing there.
"It's okay, Ray," a feminine voice sounded out of nowhere. "It'll all be okay."
He then felt it… The warmth pushing past his skin and making his breathing easy… She was back to torment him again. He thought he was finally rid of her!
He protested internally as he felt a warm embrace, non-physical, take a hold of him completely.
"No!" he screamed! "I don't want you! Why do you keep following me?! I made you go away!"
He shot off in a random direction, hoping to distance himself and the entity as much as possible.
"Why is she back?" he questioned himself under his breath.
He had no idea where he was running, as long as it was away. Maybe if he hid, she wouldn't be able to find him.
"Ray, I just want to talk to you. Please, stop running."
He just pushed even harder, running faster than he ever had.
"Ray," the voice, unrelenting, said, full of pity.
"Please!" the boy screamed. "Leave me—"
For a single moment, pink flooded his vision entirely, and in the next, he was on the ground.
He thought he saw spontaneous flashes of pink disappearing behind trees, just out of the corner of his eye. He scooted away, now fearing the worst.
"I thought you were done with this, Ray… You made me come back."
"N-no!" he yelled into the forest. "I-I'm fine, please, leave me alone!"
"You have nothing to be afraid of, Ray. I'm here to help you get past what you're feeling, so you can be there for the rest of your team."
"I don't need you! You want me to forget about her! I won't let you get into my head again!"
"Ray, I can tell you that's not what I'm trying to do here. I really just wish you weren't so hard on yourself for something you couldn't control. Sierra hates to see you like this."
"She hates me!" he yelled back, into the darkness. "What would you know about what she wants?! Why do you care?! Why do you keep following me?!"
"I'm a friend. I'm on your side."
"Like hell you are! I have no idea what you're doing here! What are you?"
"I'm a frie—"
"That's bullshit! Sierra was my friend! You're just a miserable person that likes to see me like this! I bet you wanted her to die!"
"You're being irrational, Ray."
"Prove it to me!" he screeched, frustrated. "Prove it, then! If you mean good, prove it!"
"Ray, I—"
"Prove it! Prove it now! You've done nothing but torture me for the last few months! How can I—"
"Quiet."
The single, solitary word, was spoken in such a way, a way so unfamiliar to the boy, as to destroy any sense of resistance. He was suddenly afraid, very afraid.
"I'll show myself to you, just this once… In the morning, you'll have forgotten all about what happened, here and now, until I introduce myself formally. I'm just here for you while you grieve."
Before the boy could protest, a flicker of movement behind him caught his eye. He whipped his head around to find nothing there.
"Happy?" the voice asked simply.
In front of him… He turned his head back around to finally meet the mysterious woman that had haunted him nonstop for nearly a year.
His eyes widened as he met the creature's appearance… His muscles instantly locked up in complete fear.
"Now look," the creature said. "Whether you like it or not, I've waited more than enough. Sierra hates seeing you like this. I hate seeing you like this."
The creature approached the boy. He couldn't shy away, even if he wanted to. He could protest none as both of the creature's paws pressed against his cheeks. She leaned in and pressed her own forehead against his.
Her voice appeared in his mind once more.
"There are so many more important things in life than mourning for so long. I'm not saying you should forget her entirely, of course not. It's good to remember your mistakes, so that one day, you might come to learn from them."
Her bright, blue eyes, contrasting the darkness like a flashlight, opened to gaze into his own.
"I care about you, Ray… One day, you'll come to learn that… Your team… They're all amazing Pokémon that need a strong leader, especially now. There is nothing in this world that can stop you…"
She paused, pulling away. He no longer noticed her power's hold on him, causing a weightless effect on his limbs.
"As we speak, there is a soul, not far from here, in jeopardy. Given more time without intervention, Giratina will come for him. If you truly feel a need to reconcile yourself for the soul you blame yourself for taking, go, and save this one. Focus on the future, and not on the past…"
The creature disappeared entirely, promptly before her voice appeared in his head one, final time. He would not see a single trace of her for two years, her next reappearance would be on a dark, quiet street, in the distant city of Opelucid.
"Be strong, Ray."
He felt the warmth as it traveled to his brain. It occupies the space, making his head feel as if it were engulfed in a gentle flame.
"I believe in you."
He tried moving now that the creature was gone, only to find his muscles were still locked.
"I'll see you in a few years."
Before he could protest, a pinch of pain hit his skull, promptly before his entire world went black.
