Let me just start off by saying how happy I am to get this chapter published… Getting Act II together has been a pretty tough haul, but I believe I've gotten it to a satisfactory degree. Regular updates will now resume, more than likely every other week. Hope you all enjoy the next arc!


BEGIN ACT II

Chapter XI - Here We Are Again


"Ray, look at me… Ray? Ray! Snap out of it!"

I blinked groggily. Nothing was making sense; not this voice, not the fact I wasn't touching the ground, nothing.

"What the hell's wrong with you!? I should be the one who has no clue what's going on… RAY!"

I inhaled sharply jerking my head up. Finally, the woman trying to talk to me had caught my attention.

"Oh thank goodness… I thought the fever made you brain dead for good."

I shook my head rapidly, struggling to clear it of the heavy haze blurring my thoughts. Gritting my teeth through the headache that was soon to form, I took a look around.

A black void completely surrounded me. I felt vague familiarity with this setting. It took me a few seconds to remember this was the place in which Mew had spoken with me after I died… Was I dead again?

"Oh, damnit, goddamn thing… You think you can talk, Ray? This stupid thing they have me stuck in is blocking most of my abilities."

"M-Mew? Where are you?"

"You can't see me? Great… Just great… I swear I'm gonna get Celebi to go kill the guy that invented these things."

I spun around, catching a glimpse of myself in the process. It was true Mew was nowhere to be found, but my attention was now fully on my own body. My mouth dropped as my eyes widened.

I held up my hand… My human hand, eyeing each finger with incredible scrutiny. As if to make sure I wasn't simply hallucinating, I took my other hand, watching it as it went, and clasped both of them together. My fingers interlaced, making my heart flutter.

"Don't get too excited," Mew interrupted my revelry, "Since we're in your mind right now, you're obviously gonna appear as you see yourself. Guess that's not a Zorua, not yet, at least."

"Th-this…" I stuttered, turning my hand over to stare at my knuckles. How could this not be real? Even tiny intricacies, such as the wide scar on the back of my right hand, was evident. "You said this is my mind?"

"Yeah," I heard her voice respond. "Did I not tell you last ti-... Oh screw it, that's not important! You gotta help me Ray, you gotta get me outta this thing!"

"Mew, what are you talking about? C-calm down," I hypocritically responded, still marveling over the fact I was in my old body.

"Calm down? CALM DOWN? Ray! You have no idea what I'm going through! I'm in a Master Ball! Do you have a clue what that means?"

From then, I faintly heard her voice as if she was whispering to herself. She kept repeating the same, crazed phrases to herself, something along the lines of 'how did you let yourself get captured?'.

"You were captured?! What happened? You said I have a fever?"

She stopped for a moment to yell at me panickedly. "Yeah! Yeah! Infected and everything! Just great, isn't it? You're gonna be dead sometime in the next few hours. That sound good?"

In the midst of my shocked silenced, she continued rambling to herself. "And I just find it brilliant Drayden won't let me out to try healing you again! Not that it even matters! JUST GREAT! Can't keep your soul here if you die, either! No, I'm stuck in this goddamned BALL! And then there's that monster inside you that won't let my energy in, so even if I was out, I wouldn't be able to make you a new body! Especially with this stupid ass ball sucking my energy away, I'm surprised I've been talking with your for this lon-"

"MEW! Shut up! You're only making everything worse!"

I was physically shaking, the load of information she was laying on me was becoming too much.

"L-lets start f-from the beginning… Why can't you influence me? And how does that stop you from healing me?"

"I don't know! None of my extensive powers work, like teleporting and controlling and healing, that need me to send a bit of my power inside you. Yet, for whatever stupid reason, I can't. Your body is just rejecting me. Really fun."

Ignoring that last bit of sarcasm, I continued inquiring her. "And that's why you couldn't teleport me away from the Gym Leaders? Why, though, is it because I'm dark type?"

"No! I can teleport Somin, can't I? The big reason would have been if Drayden had one of his Dragons use Mean Look or something, but this was different. You rejected me. Even if you wanted to get rid of me as you were before, I could take control over you anytime. The only other explanation would be some sort of human device, but something like that would be enormous! This is the first time this has ever happened!"

I could hardly hear her words at the incredible rate in which she was speaking them. Not wanting to touch the subject anymore, and in the hopes she would calm down, I continued in a different tangent.

"So… You came back to protect me."

"So what? I already told you I care about you, Ray! Tell me what else I'm supposed to do!"

"Somin said you were going to go away, though."

"You honestly believed that? You may have been mad at me Ray, and I wouldn't want to talk to you for fear of agitation, but you really think I wouldn't come straight to you for something so important?"

My face flushed red. "Like I'm supposed to know what you're thinking! I'm not a mind reader like you, Mew… So… Somin lied?"

"Look, I hate to be vague here, but I can pretty much assure you you'll figure out why as soon as you next see him, or Vita, or anyone else. It's not really my place to tell you."

I huffed, rolling my eyes.

"What? Still mad at me? There's not much else I can do to earn your trust, Ray… Getting captured. Asking a legendary to do that is just about the worst thing one can do, and I trusted you to do it. Getting captured by someone you don't know? It's basically saying 'kill me now'."

"What's so bad about it? I'm apparently dying, Mew, I think I have the worse situation here."

"Getting captured means I'm defenseless. Any human could come and pick up this ball, and I wouldn't be able to stop them. Without legendaries to govern the world, what do you think happens, Ray?"

"There's a reason you're called a legendary, Mew… A lot of people don't think you exist. Nothing happens, ever, where a legendary is necessary to fix it. So I don't think anything changes."

"You're right! Absolutely nothing happens, at least in the beginning. Take a moment, though, to imagine what we do behind the scenes. For example, what if two dimensions are soon to collide, but Palkia's just hanging out in someone's basement? What happens if people's dreams start to eat their brains alive, but Darkrai is in a PC? Or, what would happen if there was a DNA crisis that was killing Pokémon by the millions, and the literal god of Pokémon is stuck, here, in a Master Ball being carried around by a stupid human!? What happens when the creator of existence itself just disappears out of nowhere, and it becomes the responsibility of his second in command to govern the legendaries? But no! It doesn't matter if, say, Kyogre and Groudon start fighting and destroy the planet, because I'm here!"

Her voice retreated from the decibel it was at to reveal the words of a frightened little girl. She sounded on the verge of tears. "I don't want to be stuck here, Ray… I need you to get me out, please. I promise I've been trying my best to be the best caretaker of you I can, and you might as well be family to me, Ray… I'm sorry for what I did. I'm a klutz. I've made so many mistakes, and so many people have gotten hurt from it… I just want you to know I… I tried my hardest. Please just know I tried."

I took a moment to gather my bearings after the shocking speech she just gave me. I thought the legendary incapable of showing that much humility.

I honestly didn't have much of an internal debate about my answer. Her statement, however short, was heartfelt. That much I could tell. The answer to her question, despite how agitated I was with her behavior, was obvious.

"Mew?"

"Hmm?" her voice responded, almost nasally from how upset she undoubtedly was.

"You still want to be on the team?"

Silence. Nothing moved in the black void surrounding me, as nothing had previous. Either she was in shock, doubt, or…

A soft, happy mix between laughing and crying was heard from around me, confirming my final guess:

Extreme relief and joy.

"You know…" she spoke shakily between sobs, "Remember when you first met me, back on Chimney? I was so happy just to talk to you. You have no idea how I feel now… After all I've done. Thank you, Ray, just… Thank you so much."

"Mew, just please do me a favor?"

Her voice perked up. "Yeah! Yeah, of course!"

"Please don't lie to me anymore, or change my memories, or anything like that… If you're gonna become part of the team, I want to get to know you with a clear conscience."

"Y-yeah! I'm so sorry for erasing bits and pieces here and there, but they're all back, I promise."

"It's fine… I'm happy you didn't leave," I cut her off, but proceeded to try and cheer her up. "Don't call yourself a klutz… If anything, and you of all Pokémon should know this after watching me for years, I'm even worse."

I chuckled for a moment, having suddenly remembered the fact there was a high probability I'd be dead within the next few hours.

"If I survive," I corrected lightheartedly, despite the situation. Never did I figure out why I was so lackadaisical with the prospect of death… There was still so much more I wanted done in the world.

My words did not seem to have the same effect on Mew, however.

"Oh no, I can't believe I forgot, even for just a bit… Ray, I promise I'll keep you alive for as long as I can, but if we don't talk again, I'm so so so so sorry."

I sighed, the prospect seemingly catching up to me emotionally.

"It means a lot…" was all I said.

Twenty-four hours before, I couldn't care less about the legendary. She'd screwed with me one too many times, and frankly, I was sick of it. Now, though, if I was to die, I didn't want the last conversation I would ever have to be an argument.

Oddly, no emotion came with the imminent threat. I could assure myself my reaction would be widely different if I was awake, but something about this realm… It seemed to effectively suck emotion, at least from me. Mew, on the other hand, was a different story.

She was starting to choke up again. "I… I tried… Oh no, I failed again, didn't I?"

"Mew, it's… Again?"

I was met with silence, instantly unnerving me. I thought she was simply not willing to answer the question.

"Mew?"

I heard her shaky voice trying to formulate words. It was evident through her tone alone that she was absolutely terrified.

"R-Ray? Ray? Oh, please, no!"

"Mew?!" I called back, spinning my head around frantically. "What's going on?"

"Ray! Answer me, please! Just… If you can hear me, please, hold on a little while longer."

"Mew, what are you talking about? I'm talking to you now!"

"Oh, please be okay," I heard her cry. Slightly frustrated with the fact she couldn't hear me, I turned downwards to stare at my own body. What I saw made me choke on my words.

I was becoming less and less opaque, as in, one could see through me with relative ease. I screamed, frantically looking over the rest of my body to check.

Sure enough, the transparency of my figure was steadily increasing at a rate I was not all comfortable with. I tentatively tried to touch my stomach with my hand, feeling nauseous, only for it to phase through entirely.

I was sure, if I weren't stuck in my own mind, that I would have retched then and there.

"No!" I heard Mew, noticing the extreme spite and sorrow seep into her words. "Why him?! I… I just wanted…"

From then on, all I could hear from her were sobs, dotted every so often with self-degrading phrases, the content of which I did not catch.

"MEW!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, a cloudy haze starting to form over my mind. I figured out fairly quickly, judging by Mew's reaction, that this was the process of my own demise. I could feel, in a sudden instant of clarity, all the fear that'd been slowly building over the last few minutes.

My team! Oh Arceus, my team would never see them again! I had to do something! I couldn't die!

I could physically feel myself become gradually separated from my consciousness. With time, it became harder and harder to focus on any given subject, or to what was happening.

"MEW!" I tried once more, screaming even harder. Despite my best efforts, I was slipping. However, her sobs hitched for a moment, followed by silence.

"Rayrayray," she sputtered. "O-okay… Please, I know you can hear me now. Please just hang on for a little longer. We've been in the air for four or five hours. Look, just… We'll get help soon, so plea-"

Her voice disappeared altogether. I was panicked for a few seconds, frightened with the lack of a familiar voice. With how hazy I found my mind, half of what she said went completely over my head, and I forgot that she was present altogether a few seconds after.

Yet, for some odd reason, two words kept spinning through my head.

Hang on…

In the next few moments, my thoughts were solely focused on the question 'hang on to what?'. I couldn't think long enough to get the non-literal meaning.

Maybe ten seconds passed, or maybe it was an hour. Either way, at some specific point, I was falling. It was finally something I could focus on.

I'd been weightless previously, but now I was stuck in freefall. I was aware, however little, of increased lethargy that came with the drop in altitude.

At one point, I just wanted to close my eyes and sleep, but the two words kept replaying in the forefront of my mind.

Hang on…

Still I had absolutely no idea what the phrase referred to. I repeated it out loud to myself multiple times, hoping to spark some memory.

My mind was in constant battle with itself, and the side favoring my falling asleep was gaining trust from an innate part of my being. Yet, a single, spontaneous memory fueled the instantaneous journey to the other side of the spectrum.

My team… Vita, Somin, Axle, Jet, Victor, and… Mew…

Right then, my vision exploded in a pink color, contrasting greatly from the darkness I was accustomed to. When I felt ready to open my eyes after the lighting change, I found a long, slender, pink rope, dangling directly in front of me.

Hang on…

I reached out a hand, my human hand, to touch the rope. It was warm, and overloaded my senses with a feeling of wellbeing. I retracted my hand, surprised.

Hang on…

I indulged myself, and following the command from who-knew-where, took a hold with both hands, grasping the rope tightly.

I felt a jerk as my downward momentum instantly stopped. I hardly felt the euphoria the rope brought before my senses went dull.

From then on, it was impossible to understand what was happening. No time passed, no thoughts crossed my mind, except for the same two words circulating over and over.

As long as I held my hand shut, encompassing the smooth surface of the rope, I didn't feel anything.

Voices started popping up around me after a time, whispering random phrases, the contents of which I hardly grasped.

Some told me to let go, capitalizing on the fact I was growing steadily more exhausted. They were right, too. I would have long since shut my eyes and let go had it not been for my mysterious conviction to 'hang on'.

Their commands and suggestions were starting to become more appealing, after a little while. Would it have been so bad to just let go?

My lack of awareness hardly allowed me to register the fact the rope was slowly disappearing, it's pink tint losing its vigor. Before I knew it, and prior to my inevitable giving up, the entire world went black.


"Ugh… This is so boring! Why do I gotta sit in here? Why can't someone else?"

My first action, now semi-conscious, was to weakly cough, my lungs feeling as if they were on fire. The instinctual function only made it worse.

The voice that was complaining went quiet. I didn't bother opening my eyes to check.

I moaned tiredly, shifting under the heavy blankets encircling me. It hurt to move much.

"Oh finally! Jeez! How long did it take you? A week? You have no idea how boring it was waiting for you to finally wake up."

I grunted indignantly, already annoyed with the voice… As I was, I simply wanted to go back to sleep. I shifted on my right side, facing away from the sound, clenching my eyes shut in the hopes of escaping the harsh reality of how I felt.

"Wait! You're not going back to sleep, are you?! Really?! You've been asleep for that long, and you want more? I am not waiting again."

I clenched my eyes shut tighter, hoping to be rid of the nagging voice.

A few seconds went by without and deviation in the silence that hung over us. Contradicting my mind's protests, I decided to open my eyes to investigate.

I nearly screamed when I saw an Axew's face staring angrily at me from what must have been an inch away.

"If you think you're gonna make me sit here even more than I already have, you got another thing coming. I'm not afraid to beat you up again."

I scowled in frustration, obscenities crossing my mind.

Arceus, why? Out of all the Pokémon in the world, why her?

"Hey! You braindead?! Answer me!"

"Why are you here?" I rasped, unhappy to mind most of my voice had vanished.

"Hey, it's not my fault! I saved your life! Dragged you out of the water and kept you living. While I was distracted with you, they knocked me out and brought me here. The cowards, can't fight me 'mon to 'mon. They just stuck me here with you and said to stay until you woke up."

"Where are we, then?" I wheezed, trying to clear my throat to rid it of any mucus present.

"Like I know! You've made me see hardly anything but this room for the last few days! Thanks for that, by the way."

Mustering the energy, and ignoring the rambling Axew, I turned my head to take a look around.

I laid on a small, white bed, just large enough to fit a creature maybe twice my size. It was most definitely much too small to fit a human, or any member of my team for that matter, except for Victor.

Or Mew…

It was blanketed with heavy, sky-blue sheets, restricting my movement. The air outside was cool, not calling for much resistance to the warmth they provided.

Looking behind the Axew, a window, shades down, dimly lit the room with a dull, white light. On either side were two chairs and a desk. Scattered papers and folders cluttered the surface.

The first thing I thought when I saw the IV stand next to my bed was simply 'hospital room'. My heart raced for a moment with the thought, but I calmed down when I saw it was disconnected. I was never much of a fan of needles.

Sighing aggravatedly, noticing how Misa'd never stopped speaking, I took a look at the wood door on the other side of me, centered with a single, small window for decoration. It complemented the darker shade of wood making up the walls and floor. I could see a bit of the same shade of brown in the hallway outside. The view was limited.

For some reason, Misa was still talking. Frustrated, but feeling too exhausted to get extremely angry, I turned to her.

"Are you done?" I spoke, my voice gradually getting better. "Why don't you tell me something useful, instead of blabbing forever?"

She stopped speaking, finally, instead staring at me with a slightly offended glare. She huffed through her nose like a bull, hoping to make herself look intimidating.

"You're really scary," I rolled my eyes. "You going to tell me where we are?"

"Like I know! If you were listening to what I said, you would know I've been waiting for days in this room! They don't wanna tell me nuthin', because they know I'll break past all of them and escape."

I rolled my eyes, simply turning away from her, towards the door. I didn't believe I had the strength to maintain an argument against a brick wall.

"Hey, here's an idea! I can break you out, if you want me to. All you gotta do is say 'thank you' for how I saved your sorry butt."

Where she expected a response, she didn't get one. Her ramblings were becoming near-unbearable to deal with.

"Hello? You still there?" she asked, promoting me to grit my teeth.

Despite all notions of common sense, and driven only for a hatred of the situation I found myself in, I tried ignoring her from there.

"Gonna answer me, baby Ray?"

I froze. Normally, the nickname would have invoked anger, but shock at hearing my real name paralyzed me. I turned towards Misa with a fearful expression.

"Where'd you hear that name?" I hissed, getting as close to the Axew as possible. I made sure there were no cameras in the room with a quick swivel of my head.

"Uhh. I dunno," she replied, peeved with my change of topic. "Jet, maybe? Probably."

"Jet?! When'd you talk to Jet? How do you know his name?!"

"If you're gonna be bossy about it, then I won't tell you!"

"Aaaargh!" I screamed, turning towards the door to make sure no one was intruding on the conversation. I turned back towards her, reminiscing on the last time I'd seen Vita, and more specifically, what she'd called me.

"Look, I know this may be hard to comprehend for someone as stupid as you," I spat, "but if you're even physically able do one thing right, never say that name here."

"Oh yeah?! You're a hatchling! Why should I be scared of anything you say?"

Thinking on my feet, I responded menacingly. "Because, if anyone here figures out you know that name, I can assure Somin'll tear you to little, blabbing shreds. Got it?"

She looked at me perplexedly, cocking an eyebrow. "What's a Somin?"

Huffing, I turned back towards the door. Despite my body's protests, I summoned the willpower to get up.

"Hey! I'm talking to you! What's a Somin?!"

As soon as I moved my legs to get under me, however, I groaned with the sudden sensation of my leg catching fire. Covered by blankets, I'd completely forgotten about the wound. I grit my teeth as I rode out the wave of pain.

"Oh great, now you've gone and done it. Can you go for two minutes without getting hurt or passing out?" Misa taunted from behind.

"Fuck… You," I wheezed, feeling the pain start to disappear gradually.

My ears instinctively perked up as the door leading out to the hallway was opened.

"Hey, Misa… D-Do you wanna go d-"

I raised my head to meet the stare of a flustered Flygon flitting its gaze back and forth between us.

"Uhh...Hello…" he spoke quietly and quickly, his voice fairly high-pitched for a dragon of his stature, "I'll, uhh…" He raised his arms and waved them towards us in a gesture saying 'stay still'. "I'll be right back. Don't, uhh… Don't move, at all… Please…"

He disappeared before either of us could respond.

"Yes! Finally! Finally getting out of here! Last chance to get on board with my escape. You in?"

I simply shot a brief scowl in her direction as a response.

"Eh, suit yourself, pipsqueak."

Before I could get too angry and start yelling at her persistent use of demeaning nicknames, she jumped off the bed and rushed towards the door.

I rolled my eyes, simply resigning myself to close them until the Flygon returned.

What made them think it was a good idea to lock me in a room with her? Wouldn't the team be a much better opt-

My eyes flew open as I thought about the team, and more specifically, the Durant I'd left behind.

"Victor," I whispered. Was everyone okay?

I was tempted to ask Misa for a few moments, but decided against it. Knowing her, she would give me some sort of sarcastic or stupid response. I could ask the Flygon when he returned. I doubted he would come alone, maybe accompanied by Vita, or maybe even Victor himself.

I watched through half-lidded, bored eyes as Misa arduously dragged a chair across the room with an annoying creak. She propped it up beside the door, grunting as she climbed on.

"Don't bother," I told her. "It's probably loc-"

The door opened with a click as the Axew jumped up to grab the handle. She fell to the ground as it swung inward.

"If it was open, why didn't you escape before?!" I yelled, gawking at the dragon's stupidity.

"The time wasn't right yet. You gotta be smart about these things."

"Really now. It wasn't because you didn't know how to open it? Either way, what's your plan, oh wise one?"

"It's easy! I knock out the guards, make it outside, and make a break for it! It's foolproof!"

"Yeah, you have fun with that…"

Misa simply smirked at me, slipping out of the room shortly after. I sighed, thankful to finally be rid of the annoyance, and was now able to occupy my thoughts with the team.

One big question popped in my head. Why did Somin lie about Mew's disappearance? I faintly remembered Mew telling me, in the dark void, that I was soon to find out.

With nothing to do, and no leads on the Zoroark's deception, Mew's capturing came to mind. The first priority for me, after assuring my team's wellbeing, was to free Mew. We'd surely be able to escape with her by our sides.

Yet, how was I able to do it? I could hardly move without setting my leg ablaze. There was no way I could handle myself.

I needed more time to think…

The door to the room reopening caught my attention. Perception of sound came back to me as I snapped out of the trance.

Misa's indignant squeaks filled the air, taking the form of puny curses. I raised my head to see she was being carried in a single arm by Drayden himself. He held her in such a position as to restrict any movement, including any measures of retaliation. Her body size (or lack thereof), contributed to her instant suppression.

I stayed silent, resigning myself to glare at the Gym Leader without words. The man I'd had mixed feelings about in Opelucid due to Somin's injury was silently staring back, scrutinizing my every detail with the highest degree of caution.

Three of his dragons, including the Flygon, Altaria, and Haxorus, stood behind him.

The Altaria tried stepping forward towards me in greeting, but Drayden held out his free arm to stop her.

"Nox, was it? I'm finally glad to meet you personally. My name is Drayden."

Nox? What's Nox? Wait… They really don't know I'm Ray?

I remained quiet, heart racing. Was it right to say anything? If I were to act my age, as was what would be most obvious for someone in my position, what would I be naturally capable of?

My team just have given me to help hide.

"Speechless… Smart, but pointless. I already know you're able to communicate, and rather well, at that. You're not in trouble, and there's nothing for you to worry about, I can assure it."

I sighed, looking off to the side in frustration. I subconsciously adjusted myself into a more comfortable stature, facing towards the party with my paws under my chest.

"You're currently in what's called a Pokemon Center. You were severely injured from what was described to me as a Beartic attack, is that right?"

I said nothing in return, eyeing the group with a forced, calm stare.

"A simple yes or no would suffice just fine. You could even just nod or shake your head if you wish. It will make this entire process a lot easier."

Narrowing my eyes, I nodded slowly.

"Good, good," Drayden alighted, letting a slightly amused smile show on his face. "I would like you to meet a few of my colleagues," he then said, tightening his grip on Misa to stop her whining. He proceeded to, without any reaction, motion for his team to move forward. He finally finished with a simple, "I'll be down the hall," before taking both himself and the protesting Axew out the door, closing it behind him.

I was now left with three fully-matured dragons, each multiple times my size. My mind told me, for a kit my age, it would be best to act intimidated. However, I hardly had to put any effort into playing the part accordingly. They were just so… Huge, as compared to how I was now.

An awkward silence reigned for the first few moments. I subconsciously shrunk back, under the covers.

"Uh-umm… Hi?" The Flygon was first to speak, stepping forward. He raised a clawed hand in a meek greeting, tail swishing back and forth anxiously. "But, uhh… You kinda already know me, sooo… Umm… We uhh…You saw me a few seconds ago…"

He turned back towards his group nervously, no doubt giving them a pleading stare. The Haxorus looked back with a sort of amused indifference, while the Altaria padded forward to take his place.

"That was Flygon," she said, smiling in my direction. "He's not exactly the best with words."

The named dragon narrowed his eyes behind their red shields.

"As for myself, you can just call me Altaria."

"You don't have names?" was the first phrase that came to mind, and without the pressure of Drayden present, for some reason, the words just flowed out of my mouth. They'd heard me speak to Mew on Twist. Something about the Gym Leader, however, compelled me not to speak.

The Altaria, shocked with the question, opened her mouth to give a flustered reply, but the Haxorus spoke first.

"So," it said in a deep, scratchy male voice, one reminiscent of Drayden himself. "You actually are intelligent. I have to say, it's quite a shock to hear. Our other… Companion… He didn't believe what we were being told about you."

My cover was now absolutely blown. Seeing no reason to remain quiet, I started stuttering.

"Oh, well… I-I, uh…"

"As for your question," the Haxorus continued. "If you're as interested as you seem, yes, we do have names. It is customary for dragons, at least where we come from, to respect the significance of a name, and keep it in high regard. Thus, we tend to only reveal our true names to those we trust and know well."

His size, despite his calm exterior, radiated superiority. "Oh, um… I understand… I'm sorry for asking."

"Aww, why so humble?" the Altaria laughingly chastised. "Where'd you learn to be like that?"

"I-I don't know?" I embarrassedly replied, not quite getting the rhetorical intention in her words.

"Oh, oh don't worry. Please, I didn't mean it like that," she continued lightheartedly. "We do have nicknames we use amongst ourselves, even if Drayden doesn't like to reveal them to the public."

"Altar-" the Haxorus tried speaking up in opposition, but was cut off as the Altaria continued.

"He's a kit, Haxorus. You can keep your nickname from him if you want, it's your decision."

She turned back towards me, her eyes calming.

"I hope you understand why we can't give you our real names, little one, but please, feel free to call me Seraph if you wish."

"S-Seraph?" I echoed, trying to sound polite. I tried desperately to lift my ears from the sides of my head, placed there by pure intimidation.

The Altaria simply nodded. "Don't be so tense," she told me. "You're still healing, and you're starting to sound like Skipp."

"H-hey!" the Flygon spoke up. "I d-don't sound like that!"

"Oh dear," she cooed, stepping behind the flustered dragon gracefully. She proceeded to whisper something in the Flygon's ear.

"If you haven't already figured it out, this embarrassed little Flygon right here is Skipp," she readdressed me as she finished her confidential message to the dragon.

The Pokémon in question looked away, eyes narrowed as his face lit up red.

"He may be a timid little dragon," she continued, nuzzling the larger creature gently on the shoulder, "but don't let that confuse you. He isn't always like this."

I shifted my attention towards the Haxorus as I felt his glare bore under my skin. Yet, when I turned my head to face him, he was simply staring at me with a calm gaze. I shivered in trepidation.

"You may refer to me as Vulcan, if you wish," he told me reluctantly, "Your name was Nox, as I gathered, correct?"

"Y-yes."

"Good, good," the Haxorus, Vulcan, responded. "I hate to rush you in your recovery, but as I'm sure you're well aware, quite a lot has happened in the last few days. Seraph would like to ask you a few questions."

The Altaria addressed spoke up before I could respond, taking a few strides back to the bedside while ignoring my apparent discomfort.

"Nonsense, Vulcan. The poor kit's just woken up! We can wait a little while."

The Haxorus huffed, ready to give a retort.

"I, uhh…" I interjected, grimacing at the pain the words brought to my throat. "Are my umm… friends alright?"

"Friends? Oh!" Seraph responded, advancing on me. After making sure I was comfortable with her approach, she lowered herself to stare into my eyes.

"Yes, yes, they're perfectly fine," she continued. "They're just a few doors down, in fact! You were far worse off than any of them, as terrible as it is to say. They were worried sick."

"Oh… Really?"

"Not many hatchlings come out of a seven-degree fever, let alone ones previously malnourished such as yourself," Vulcan took over, giving a gruff explanation.

Seven degrees! It was that bad?!

"Normal body temperature of a Zorua rests around 101 Fahrenheit. You were admitted with a fever o-"

"Knock it off, Vulcan, you'll scare him!" Seraph interrupted, turning her head to reprimand the Haxorus. She rotated back to face me after a few seconds, eyes losing some of their light.

"You should try to take it easy, though, dear. You're most likely still sick, as you can probably tell, and I don't doubt the idea you're temperature's still high."

It was more shock than fear that flooded my system. I was glad the Altaria stopped the Haxorus in his explanation nonetheless, considering it allowed my heart to stop racing. Mew wasn't kidding when she said I was close to death.

Speaking of which…

I shook my head of any lingering thoughts, and tried to focus them around the legendary herself. I'd just about completely gotten over and malicious feelings towards her. Even if some resentment hung in the air, I tried telling myself to not be so short-sighted in my opinion of the legendary. Either way, she was the only hope of escaping while keeping the team intact.

"I-I," I started, nervous when faced with the potential consequences, should I create any discrepancies in my acting. "Can I see them, please? My friends?"

Seraph turned back to me, gaze softening instantly. I tried my best to put on a pitiful look, even if it ate me up on the inside to act in such a manner.

"Aww, hun…" she started, eyes lowering. "I know you want to see them all badly, and you will, I promise… But…"

"But?" I responded, eyes flitting between each of the dragons.

"W-we have to a-ask you a few things f-first," Skipp explained, fiddling with his claws in front of his stomach absentmindedly. "Drayden, uhh… He…"

"Your friends are in trouble at the moment," Vulcan interrupted. "It's important we get a few things straight before we proceed."

He stepped forward, pushing Seraph away from her post next to the bed. His rapid advance prompted me to scoot away.

"One of your friends will be in to see you in a little bit, but you have to try and help us out here," Seraph explained.

I gulped, body forcing me into nodding my head.

"Good. As long as you behave, unlike your Axew friend, I'm sure you'll all be reunited soon," Vulcan continued.

"S-she's not my friend," I choked out. "Why'd you guys bring her here with us, and leave her here with me?"

Seraph finally retook her post as Vulcan walked towards the door and exited the room. He was most likely off to see Drayden.

"We weren't going to leave her to freeze to death on top of a mountain," the Altaria laughed. "Though, she has been quite the handful."

I simply huffed in spite of the small dragon.

"And I believe we've been spending quite a bit of time with her outside this room. Most of the time, it's she herself who chooses to stay in here."

The Altaria smiled, leaning in closer for a moment.

"Well, in any case, you'll probably be seeing a lot of her over the next few days. Don't tell her I told you this, but…"

She closed in on me further, as if to tell me a big secret.

"She was really scared when she woke up after we brought you all here. You were really the only one she knew, and it helped her calm down a little bit."

I sighed unhappily. It seemed to go by unnoticed by the Altaria, however.

Skipp stepped forward from behind her. "Umm… We should probably start asking the questions Drayden wanted us to," he said quietly, gaining the attention of Seraph.

"There's no problem in chatting a little," she smiled, "try it for a little, Arceus knows you need to be more sociable."

The Flygon muttered something under his breath, indiscernible. Seraph turned back towards me, her face home to a soft smile.

"Look, hun… You should get your rest, help heal that cut of yours… You can go to sleep after I ask you a few things. Is that alright?"

Blinking, I pondered the proposal for a few moments. I wasn't tired, that much I knew. Would I be able to deny her request to questioning, though, without arousing suspicion?

Sighing, and seeing no other way to go forward, I nodded my head before resting it on my paws.

"Okay dear, thank you," Seraph spoke quietly, nodding her head in thanks before beginning.

"So, I know you have all your… Friends… In the other room. Do they treat you well?"

I simply nodded. I figured a minimalistic approach would work best when taking into account my fear of being found out. If I were to speak, I would likely make a discrepancy in my story.

"Good, I'm glad. I'm sure they're all very nice Pokémon. Do you have any other friends?"

Acting purely on instinct, I shook my head no.

My answer perplexed the Altaria, prompting a tilt of her head.

"Really now?" she said, blinking before slightly narrowing her eyes. "Sweetie, have you ever spoken with a Pokémon called Mew? The small, pink creature that was there the night we found you?"

My eyes widened in recognition of my mistake. They'd seen me talking to Mew, and even if they didn't hear me, they sure got the notion I knew her.

"O-oh," I stuttered, eyes shifting towards Skipp, who was simply watching the conversation with apprehension.

I tried making up some excuse for what I said, blurting the first thing that came to mind.

"I-I thought she was included… W-with the rest of my friends."

"And why would that be?" she asked, her voice progressively becoming even more confused.

"It's, um, I dunno…"

Seraph chuckled in response. "We have time, dear."

I'd already slipped up, now combing through thoughts to come up with a believable answer. I couldn't tell the truth, that was out of the question…

Or was it? Maybe if I were to tell a half-truth, I could get off the hook.

"Ray," I said, trying to sound as confident in my response as possible, "I only knew him for a little, but I remember him talking about how Mew was gonna be part of the team…"

Seraph's eyes narrowed even more in a scrutinizing stare. I simply looked towards the floor, praying she would believe me.

"There's no reason to be nervous, sweetie. You've been such a big help," Seraph encouraged, "Now, I want to get to know you a little better. We might be seeing each other a lot in the future."

I gave no visible response.

"There's a… Concern that my companions and I have about you."

I perked up, ready to craft a flimsy defense for myself. The Altaria instantly took notice.

"Oh, no no no, it's not your fault," she soothed. "No, we're just confused about you, is all… You're an incredibly unique Pokémon, do you know that?"

Pretending to act clueless, I promptly asked her about why she thought of me that way.

"Well, we've never seen quite a smart little kit as you. When looking at other Zorua your age, many barely know how to walk, let alone talk, and you can do both with mastery."

"You want to know why?" I finished for her.

The Altaria sighed in response. "Yes, dear… If you know why, I'd love to know."

I searched my thoughts for a few seconds. Despite her demeanor, I doubted she would take 'I don't know' as a legitimate answer.

"Mew," was the first thing that came to mind. "Mew, I think…"

Seeing Seraph wanted more information, I started improvising.

"We used to talk a lot when I was in my, uhh… Egg. Even though I hadn't hatched, I still remember her voice… Maybe she taught me?"

Seraph nodded in understanding. "Do you remember what about?"

"Oh, no, not really, sorry."

"Don't be! Your information's been invaluable, and you've done extremely well. I should probably let you rest… I'll see to it that you can see when you wake up, is that okay?"

I perked my head up. "I'm, uhh… N-not really tired. I just really want to see them."

"Oh, I know you must miss them terribly," she cooed in her babying tone. "But you haven't healed fully yet, and we want to make sure you'll be safe. I promise, you'll see them soon. In the meantime, I can stay with you so you won't be lonely, okay?"

I wasn't exactly on a position to argue with the dragon…

"I'm proud of you, Nox. Just wait a little while longer for me, please."

Great… Just great…

I turned myself away from the smiling Altaria, unsure of what to do. I mindlessly sunk towards the foot of the bed, hiding myself beneath the covers to maintain the warmth I had.

Perhaps I should have heeded the Altaria's advice, but for all the effort I gave, I couldn't feel exhausted.

I figured sleeping would be the best course of action. I thought the Altaria would leave within a few minutes of her saying she would stay, but it seemed she was stuck to her commitment. I could hear the larger dragon's breaths every so often through the sheets.

Would she expect a kit to be energetic? Not be able to sleep? Maybe if I was a month or two older, but… I don't know.

Maybe ten minutes into my charade, I figured sleep was a necessity. A thought started forming in my head about how I could achieve it.

The first would be requesting the Altaria sing me to sleep. This troubled me for a few reasons. Firstly, I would be revealing even more about my extensive knowledge of what the dragon was capable of. Furthermore, requesting the move be performed on me would require me to tell her I was awake. Surely, a kit my age wouldn't stay awake as long as I had, given the opportunity to fall back asleep. Even the idea of the process stuck a chord of anxiety. Paranoia regarding everything I was to do and had already doe was inching down my spine.

Despite the reasons against my asking her being flimsy, I opted to exhaust myself through the same means as I had many nights before; when I'd opened a connection to drain my energy.

I took a moment to let power pool into my head before shooting it out towards where I imagined the Altaria stood.

I smiled at my thriftiness, starting to feel the dearth in energy pull me down. My slow fall into unconsciousness was interrupted, however, when Seraph spoke out of nowhere.

"Nox? Are you doing that?"

Panicking, I instantly severed the connection, praying to Arceus she would believe my being asleep.

I heard her start to shuffle towards the bed in apprehension. I was terrified, ready to act asleep to save my hide altogether.

Yet, the sound of an opening of the door from the opposite side of the room saved me.

I recognized Skipp's voice permeate the building tension. "Y-you guys aren't busy… Are you?"

"What?" Seraph responded. "No, no… Nothing's happened."

"You okay? You look like a Gastly just scared the daylights out of you."

"Yes, yes," Seraph brushed the Flygon off. "I'm fine… I'll tell you about it in a little while."

Drayden's voice was next to speak up from an area close to Skipp's, cutting the Flygon off before he could give a reply.

"Flygon has told me you've gotten some valuable information. Is that true, Altaria?"

Silence was given in response. I supposed Seraph was giving a nod of her head.

"Oh, you gave him your nicknames, did you? That will make things a bit easier. Do me a favor and watch the Axew for me. Vicus has requested my presence, and I'd rather not take what can be considered as collateral."

"Hey!" I heard Misa's voice pipe in. "Don't talk about me all smartly so I don't know what you're saying!"

I heard Seraph chuckle. "Come over here Misa, and be quiet please. Nox is trying to sleep."

"Yeah, like I care! What has he ever done fo- OW!"

I nearly laughed at the sound of her being hit by someone present in the room.

"Tone it down," I heard Vulcan, the Haxorus, reprimand.

"Make sure that Zorua doesn't do anything stupid," Drayden commanded his dragons almost immediately thereafter, "We can't leave until he's better, so I don't want any further injuries. All the media crowding this place is starting to grate on my nerves. Understood?"

Both Seraph and Skipp gave some sort of audible confirmation.

"Vulcan, you're coming with me to Vicus. Seraph, I'll be back after my summons to get a report on what the kit told you. Until then, keep a close eye on the Axew. She's a spunky little thing."

"Spunky? I'll show you spun- OW! COME ON! You're gonna regret doing that!"

"S-sorry," I heard Skipp stutter, most likely the one to strike her this time. "Just, please keep it down a little. We don't want Nox to wake back up."

I heard an indignant snort emanate from the small Axew.

"I'm five months old," she protested. "I'm old enough to do what I want."

I nearly choked on my own breath.

Five months?! She looks like she just barely hatched! No four-month Axew should look that frail!

I heard the faint sound of the door closing behind Drayden as he left. Seraph sighed.

"Skipp, honey, do you think you and Misa could play outside? You two have fun together, don't you?"

"I guess," she harrumphed in response.

"Good, good. I know you'll have fun. You may even meet some new friends!"

No one spoke thereafter, the only sound being the little patter of feet as Misa marched angrily towards the door. Skipp, after sharing a barely-audible whisper with Seraph, opened the door and left, Axew in tow.

After they were long gone, silence took over the room once again. All I heard were the short breaths I took every few seconds.

"Nox? I know you're awake. Come on out."

I froze. How had she known? It was obvious she'd recognized something when I sent out my illusionary connection, but how was she able to tell? Perhaps through the same means Somin knew? He'd had his entire life to detect and practice illusions, though.

"There's no point in faking, dear. I'll come to you if you don't come out."

I sighed softly. There was no way out of it. Reluctantly, I crept forward, angling the covers so I could spy on the Altaria without revealing myself fully.

"You're not in trouble," she confirmed, crouching down to stare me straight in the eyes. "You just scared me, is all."

I shied away, looking down.

"You shouldn't use illusions around here," she warned, leaning down to whisper to me. "Drayden wanted to put an insulator on you, and we had an argument on whether or not it was fair for you."

"I-Insulator?"

"It's a human machine," she explained. "It suppresses our core so we can't use abilities. It feels absolutely horrible to wear."

I stared at her dumbfoundedly. "H-how did you know I was able to do them?"

She chuckled despite the situation. "I had a hunch. Mew doesn't seem like the most patient of Pokémon, and one of your friends is a master. I was affirmed when I felt you try to trick me."

"T-trick you?"

"Your illusions," Seraph pointed out. "Don't worry, sweetie, I know you only wanted to practice."

S-she doesn't know what I was trying to do… Thank Arceus.

"I would like to know something, though," she continued. "Did Mew really teach you about conjuring illusions, straight out of the egg? You have to understand, Nox, that a hatchling with your natural ability only continues to dumbfound me."

I highly doubted the excuse of 'Mew taught me' would work here, considering my lack of knowing whether or not the legendary was capable of conjuring illusions herself.

"I-I asked Somin to teach me," I explained, hoping to sound convincing. "I thought, you know, since there was nothing better to do…"

Seraph openly laughed, advancing on the bed with a jovial attitude. "As if surviving, barely out of the egg, in that winter wasteland didn't occupy your time." I observed her silently as she raised the sheets with a wing to uncover me. I refused to meet her gaze, but perceived the tilting of her head.

"I know this is all very new for you, and it was incredibly brash of me to bombard you with questions as soon as you woke. I'm here, though, if you need me. I understand if you're scared and confused, it's okay to show it."

I briefly looked up into her dark-colored, welcoming eyes. I turned away again, hoping not to grab too much attention.

"It's alright if you want to remain wary; it's an admirable quality. I hope you choose to open up eventually, though. Even if you don't want to right now, know you're allowed to finally let your guard down, maybe for the first time in your life. Remember that."

I shut my eyes in hopes of ignoring her soothing words. I knew I wouldn't be able to let my guard down.

"There'll be a time when you can use your illusions safely soon, I promise. Everyone's a little on-edge here, though, so I'd appreciate it if you didn't try playing any jokes on anyone for a little while, okay? An Insulator is the last thing you'd enjoy."

She placed the blankets back over my head, as they were previously. She proceeded to, with a soft smile, place a cloudy wing on top of the bundle.

At first thought, I believed she was simply trying to show her good intention, but the rapid spread of heat to encompass the entire blanket told me otherwise. Now I felt no traces of the room's chilly temperature, instead trapped between a bed and a soothing warmth. I squirmed involuntarily, my body happily accepting the gift.

"I'll be right here if you need me."

I nodded from my makeshift fortress, hoping I would now be able to fall asleep.

Of course, troubling thoughts still riddled my mindscape. Yet, when anything of the sort arose, I simply procrastinated, proclaiming I would take care of whatever issue came to mind after healing.

After a few moments of shifting uncomfortably, the Altaria, still close to me, began vocalizing a slow, soft tune. I found my eyes rolling back into my head as I was left unprepared for her sleep-inducing song.


I slowly felt myself leaving unconsciousness with a soft prod to the shoulder.

I found it extremely hard to open my eyes, only succeeding somewhat. My vision refused to focus, however, bringing only a myriad of color to my vision.

"Nox, sweetie… Please wake up."

I blinked rapidly. Memory of my situation was soon to return.

I couldn't see much after opening my eyes fully. I tried looking around until I saw a face. Soft, red eyes stared back into my own.

"Vita! Oh my god! What happened, is everyone okay?!"

The Serperior narrowed her eyes at me, silently telling me to shut my mouth. She flicked her snout back towards the door in indication there were creatures just on be opposite side.

"I'm glad to see you're okay," she said sincerely, softening up reaching in for a light hug with a few of her vines. Feeling an uncontrollable smile come to my face, I scooted in and tried using my legs to give the Serperior a human hug. I hung onto her for what seemed like quite a while, my face kept close against her neck.

"So, we got caught…" I said without much emotion, waiting for her to end the embrace.

Vita chuckled. "Yes, but we're all being treated rather well… Victor ended up defeating the Beartic by the time we found him. He was hurt, but he's doing rather well now… We were all much more worried about you, though."

"I think I'm fine… My leg hurts a lot, but… They don't know."

"That's more than likely a good thing. There's no telling if we'd even be seeing each other if that were the case. I want to trust Drayden, but I can't be sure."

"I… I'm so glad to see you. Mew told me I was dying and I… I really thought I wouldn't ever see you guys again. I was so scared, Vita."

I felt myself on the verge of tears, but held back. Instead, I cozied up against the Serperior further, refusing to leave her side as she slithered up and over the lip of the bed and curled around me lovingly. She slowly stroked my head with a vine as I lay there, quietly, and despite my previous rejection of her care while on Twist, I was glad she was there for me now.

No words were exchanged for about a full ten minutes. By then, I'd slowly allowed for my silent revelry in the pure fact of being alive to stand aside for a moment.

"Mew was captured then, huh?"

The Serperior backed away slowly and gave me a curious look. "How did you know?"

"She came and talked to me… She also said…"

I blinked for a moment, lowering my gaze.

"What's wrong?"

"She said Somin lied to me about Mew leaving… Why did you two leave the cave? I was worried and went out after you, and then… Well, you know."

The Serperior smiled gently, sighing as she brought her body up on my bed. She curled herself around me in a loving manner. She began to hush her voice to a whisper.

"We didn't want to distract you from living and adjusting as you are now with our, by comparison, small problems… It was stupid in hindsight, but we had only the best of intentions. We were all paranoid, Ray, and we thought it best if we try and let you adjust and focus on yourself without worrying about us."

"I thought we were a team, though… We agreed to share everything together. Doesn't that mean something?"

"Of course it does. I'm sorry we were acting so oddly, but… I was scared you would have too much on your mind, and Somin, well… He thought the same, but he was nearly too embarrassed and shocked to process the information himself."

I closed my eyes, processing what she'd said before opening them again. "What were you trying to hide, Vita?"

She took a moment before sighing and reaching out with vines over the lip of the bed. A few seconds passed before she slowly dragged them back, wrapped around an irregularly spherical object with much the same hue. I recognized it instantly.

"Holy… Vita… Y-you!"

"We… We were scared. I didn't enjoy being secretive about it, but we wanted you to focus on getting used to your new life without having to worry about me."

I opened my mouth.

"Don't you even dare try to lie to me here. Arceus knows you would've been just as protective and paranoid as Somin, if not more."

"W-when did you two…"

"Lavaridge… Not quite a story I think is appropriate for sharing."

"Vita, I… I don't know what to say. I knew you and Somin were close, but…"

"We've had a lot of time to foster our relationship with one another… I'm sorry we didn't ask your permission before even considering it. I know this is a bur-"

"Vita! This is amazing! An egg?! Don't act like you needed me to let you guys do something like this! I'm so happy for you!"

"You're not angry with us for hiding it?"

"Vita, I'm pissed, but between the near-death scare and the fact that you're gonna be a mom… You'll do great."

She let the egg sit back on the floor before coiling around me tighter.

"Somin hardly seems like the 'dad' type to me…"

"He was very embarrassed about all this. I believe it's part of the reason he never wanted to tell anyone, but we agreed on focusing on helping you transition, for now…"

I let myself remember the lie the Zoroark crafted regarding Mew. My smile slowly faded into a face of contemplation.

"Somin told me a really nasty lie to cover it up, though… He made me think Mew was leaving, and I… I was so angry at her, for no reason. She's been doing all she can to help me and I was an ass. She's the only reason I'm still here right now."

"I know he doesn't like her much, but I had no idea he said anything about it… I'm sorry, Nox."

"I guess Mew and I worked it out in the end, but still… I'm not in the best mood with Somin right now."

I sighed before continuing.

"But, there's no point in talking about it now… We have a lot more important stuff to take care of, now that we were captured."

"Do they treat you well here? The Dragons who led me here seemed relatively kind."

"Seraph the Altaria and Skipp the Flygon are pretty nice so far, yeah. But they've asked a ton of questions, and I don't think they're gonna stop. What should I do?"

"We obviously can't give you all the answers, so I can only advise you to say what seems like it makes the most sense… Somin's made a point about not answering any more questions, but…"

She leant in to continue in a whisper.

"As long as they don't know you're you, you have to try and play the part. I know it's hard for you, being like you are, but the only way I see us getting out of this with a happy ending is if you trick them into thinking you're a Zorua hatchling."

"That's a lot to ask…"

"We can try and wait for the whole situation to blow over, but we're at least hoping they'll let you see us often, so we can try and coordinate either an escape or a real plan of action. For now, I have to ask you to improvise. Can you do that?"

"I… I can try."

"That's all I can ask. Thank you."