Sup Nerds. I'm back. New chapter here: the plot is starting to unravel. I promise that this Arc is going to reveal a lot more stuff, but it will be longer than the last one (5-7 chapters)I'm also going to start writing 10k word chapters permanently! Hooray!As always, please leave reviews: I really appreciate when you guys leave constructive criticism. I want to know how you guys feel about this story.Have a good Sunday.

The fatigue constantly struck him like a sickness. Ulquiorra couldn't shake the feeling of exhaustion that the many chemicals being pumped into his body induced. Yet he remained awake, unable to sleep beyond fitful naps that felt like blinks of an eye. The thick gelatinous substance surrounding him imposed a horrific numbing sensation all across his monstrous body, causing his nerves to betray him: beyond a few twitches, his body ceased to move, trapping him with his thoughts and the rare visits from a select few guests, usually the older man in the grey suit.

Oh, how Ulquiorra loathed that man. He didn't understand what he felt at first, but after a while he realized his heart was filled with hate and contempt. Why did that man trap him here? What was his purpose for tormenting him? Ulquiorra was of no value, and he hadn't been touched beyond a few prods with a robotic arm within his prison shell. The individual In charge seemed to take great pride in simply owning Ulquiorra, or at least keeping him captive, and Ulquiorra hated that. He hated the smirk that man wore whenever he entered the lab, the nonchalant demeanor apparent throughout his body language, and his lack of concern over Ulquiorra's multiple escape attempts. Most of all, though, Ulquiorra hated that he was at this man's mercy. Ulquiorra, the strongest of the Espada, Aizen's most trusted servant, was rendered helpless.

Ulquiorra didn't understand how he was able to feel this way, and he didn't even truly understand how he felt until recently. Ulquiorra had no heart, or at least he wasn't supposed to. That was the point of being reborn hollow. Yet to his chagrin, ever since he had found himself thrown into his new world, his once simple consciousness had been bombarded with a myriad of sensations he'd never experienced before. Hatred, frustration, anger, impatience, sympathy, guilt, boredom: all things he couldn't comprehend as a hollow were now a part of him, and worst of all it felt natural.

It was like a light switch had been flipped inside his head, and the lights were turned on, but instead of things becoming clearer, they only became more twisted and distorted.

Ulquiorra was enduring another bout of sleeplessness, watching the mechanical whirring of the devices around his prison through the few small reinforced windows strategically placed across its surface. It was quiet, probably sometime in the evening, and thus the lights were shut off, leaving only the glowing LED bulbs within the various buttons and switches to keep him company. They flickered on and off seemingly at random like a cavalcade of dying stars, allowing Ulquiorra to drift into a sense of calm. It was all the same, everyday, him awaiting the eventual fate that this cruel facility and it's leader had in store for him.

As he began to drift off into sleep again, the metal door at the end of the hall began to jiggle, then was forced open. A shadowy figure stepped through before quietly shutting the door, which locked again with a sharp hiss. Ulquiorra eyed the intruder curiously, but as the lights of the electronics illuminated the individual, he knew this would not be a standard visit from the chairman.

In front of the massive capsule stood a younger man, one he recognized by the brief flashes of his face he'd seen recently, his locks of purple hair draped down his back and shoulders. He wore a simple black T-shirt an white jeans along with a pair of sneakers. He was obviously wealthy, with a golden watch on his right wrist as well as a couple of other misc accessories. If he hadn't known any better, Ulquiorra would have suspected him to be the Chairman's son.

But he did know better. There were several giveaways to this young man's identity. First off was his lighter skin tone, but more importantly was his spiritual pressure: it was heavier than a normal humans, although nowhere near even an unseated member of the Gotei 13. It was even heavier than the Chairman's, whose spiritual pressure was also abnormally heavy, but not as much as this young man. Yet the composition was clearly different: Ulquiorra's pesquisa easily identified the dynamic, raging energy within this boy, which was different from that of the Chairman, whose reiatsu resembled waves of soft, cascading sand.

His face seemed wrought with guilt, very different from his contemporary, and he approached the pod slowly and cautiously, as if it would burst at any moment, releasing Ulquiorra. As soon as he reached him, however, the young man placed his hand on the glass window separating Ulquiorra from the outside world. Ulquiorra eyed the hand with trepidation, but allowed him to continue undisturbed. He then placed his face close to the glass, hisbeyes meeting Ulquiorra's.

"I'm sorry."

Ulquiorra was stunned. Why was this young man apologizing?

"I don't- I just- I can't express my pain enough. I can't stand seeing you trapped in there."

Ulquiorra's tense demeanor began to melt as he felt the words of this young man pour freely, expressing true sorrow. He honestly hated that Ulquiorra was imprisoned.

"I want you to be free out there. I want you to be able to live your life away from his machinations, but he needs you for something, something terrible. I cannot condone those plans, and I cannot condone his treatment of you: none of it is right." The young man sighed with apprehension, the bags under his eyes visible to Ulquiorra, representing his grief and sleepless contemplation.

"I don't know what he plans on doing with you, but I will get you out of here if it's the last thing I do."

Footsteps echoed behind him just as another voice entered the conversation. "It may very well be the last thing you do."

The light's snapped on in segments, illuminating the room with a series of hisses. At the end of the room stood the chairman himself, decked out in his regular three piece suit. His face, which was usually plastered with a condescending yet almost fatherly smile, was replaced with a frown that conveyed deep disappointment. He slowly walked towards the young man, hands splayed in an apologetic fashion. His smile died ever so slightly as he reached them, eyeing Ulquiorra warily as if he could break out at any moment.

"What are you doing here, chairman? It's very late." The young man grit his teeth. It was clear he and the chairman had been clashing as of late, although the older man took it with far more grace and stride than his younger counterpart.

"It's my power plant, I would think that I'd be able to come and go as I please." Said the chairman nonchalantly. "Although I could ask you the same question: that are you doing here? after all, it is very late."

"I- I came to see the… project."

The chairman raised an eyebrow in mock skepticism. "To see the project, or to Sabotage it? Forgive me for my skepticism, but you've never been interested in the intricacies of my work, Leon. Why has that suddenly changed?"

Leon turned away from the Chairman, obviously caught in a lie. "I need to go."

Leon began to make his way past the chairman, but Rose simply placed a hand on Leon's shoulder, causing him to pause instantly. Leon wouldn't look him in the eye, but Rose's expression had become hardened and stern. He cleared his throat before speaking. "Leon, for a long time I have put up with our differences, made it so you could operate within the lines that you chose. I will not violate your moral beliefs: you are your own man, and you are entitled to those." He looked up at Ulquiorra, who's massive left eye was angrily peering out at him like that of a squid. "But I cannot and will not allow you to intrude on mine. I know you hate the means of which I achieve my goals-" but before the Chairman could finish, Leon interrupted him.

"It's not that I hate them, chairman, it's that they're downright evil. This poor creature is being kept like a test tube experiment for your own twisted fantasy."

Chairman Rose grew frustrated. "Your moral grandstanding will get you nowhere, not in here. This plant, and the labs connected to it, do not care whether you are morally upright or not, only if there is coal left to burn in it's blazing belly: Much like this creature," Chairman Rose gestured to Ulquiorra's capsule. "It would gladly devour you the moment you freed it: there is no empathy in those eyes, only hatred and hunger."

"And how would you know that? You've never been face to face with it."

Chairman Rose laughed bitterly. "Oh, I have. You'd be surprised by the amount of resources I had to extend to capture and contain it, the amount of lives lost while weakening it. This creature has a penchant for murder and bloodshed. As a matter of fact, it's kind is unnaturally violent."

Leon grimaced for a moment, before cogd began turning inside his head. "You said it's kind. Pokemon aren't naturally bloodthirsty, so you must be referencing to something else." Leon was quiet for a moment. "you said that those myths weren't real, and that this couldn't be one of the creatures from the legends! You knew and believed those stories all along, didn't you?"

Now it was the chairman's turn to grimace. "I don't believe in children's stories, only reputable facts."

"Says the man hunting for Eternatus."

"This is different. The creatures of myth may have been real, and this monster may just be one of them, but it is not the same. In those stories the hollow spirits were deific in nature, with abilities far surpassing those of even legendaries. This creature, while strong, is nowhere near enough to be the same as those who were said to have ruled the world so long ago. The power is as different as fire and water." Rose coughed in his hand before continuing. "Eternatus is real, and it's here. There is real proof it it's existence. This creature is either the victim of exaggeration and legend, or an imposter. Either way, it's useful to me."

Leon scoffed. "It isn't a tool to be used, Chairman, it's a living, breathing creature, and it deserves it's freedom!"

The chairman simply snorted. "Oh, it deserves it's freedom, is that right? Just like Charizard? Or how about Hexarus? Or the other pokemon you have accrued in your journey? What do you say to them?" The chairman kept pressing, knowing he had Leon trapped in a moral corner. "You claim this creature deserves it's freedom, yet your team of pokemon is chained to you with pokeballs. The day I release this creature is the day you release all your pokemon and renounce your title as the Champion of the Galar region."

Leon grit his teeth even harder, fists balled so tensly that his knuckles were the corner plaster. "You have no right to judge what I do with my pokemon: you are the one with the moral blot, not me!"

"Oh? Is that so?" Replied the chairman, his condescending tone wounding Leon's ego. "I've never advocated for the release of any creature, like you: my view of pokemon is simple: they can be used, and thus they should be. Within reason, of course. Now this creature," said Chairman Rose, the edge in his voice increasing, "this creature's black heart is nothing like that of your pokemon. Charizard is capable of appreciating your contributions, your caretaking. This monster will only ever see you and I as food. So why grant it the same courtesy as we grant our beloved companions? You are making a vain attempt to appeal to my humanity, Leon, when in reality my humanity was never compromised. The only emotion that has been compromised is that creature's sense of empathy."

Leon was silent, unable to truly disprove any of the Chairman's words. But the chairman himself wasn't done. His voice calmed as he composed himself. "What I do, Leon, everything I do, is for the greater good of mankind and it's companions. This creature is neither. Remember that."

Chairman Rose sighed and fixed his tie. "You should go home, It's late and you need sleep: We'll discuss this tomorrow."

"This conversation isn't over! You can't just walk away over some perceived victory!"

The chairman stared Leon in the eye, clearly tired of him. "Leon, I'm done tolerating your hot-headedness. From now on, what you do will have consequences, and not just out there, but in here." The chairman swept his arms around the labs and the facility. "You want to be a paragon of virtue? Fine, go ahead you little hypocrite. But remember this, if your actions embroiled my plans, then I will retaliate, and as powerful and capable as you think you are, I am the one with the true power in this partnership. You are nothing without me."

"I'm more than what you chalk me up to be, Chairman."

The chairman laughed bitterly. "Really? I own your pokemon, Leon. Literally, I own the rights to them, I purchased them from breeders to be the best of the best, all in your quest to become Galar's champion. I made you into what you are, and with a snap of my fingers I can take that all away."

Leon finally caught up to what the chairman was implying. "You wouldn't dare!"

The Chairman approached Leon until they were face to face, Leons superior height not intimidating the Chairman at all. "I can, and If necessary, I will."

Leon stared at the chairman, horrified at his threat of extreme action. The chairman simply eyed him with a tired expression. "Where are your morals now? Where is your grandstanding? Aren't you willing to save this creature, no matter the consequences?"

Leon sputtered, but it was clear he was at a loss. The chairman stepped in to fill that gap. "When you wake up tomorrow, you are going to reevaluate your morals, because what you possess currently isn't a set of morals but rather a false belief: a man should never compromise his character for his own self benefit, like you have today." The chairman turned to walk out the door, before turning back and looking Leon dead in the eyes. " and remember, Leon, you aren't the one in control here. The only thing you control is your own actions."

Then he left, leaving Leon in an Empty room alone with his own shame and anger.

The chairman was not one to make idle threats, Leon knew that. He was complete serious, and that scared him. Leon knew how volatile the chairman could be when he was pushed to the edge: he'd dealt with some incredibly stubborn and dangerous adversaries, but he always came on top.

The chairman's anger wasn't explosive or conspicuous: it was like a poison that acted rapidly but quietly, and that remained hidden until it was too late. Warnings were something he rarely dealt with, as those who defied Rose knew the consequences of their actions.

So his mercy for Leon showed how much he cared for him; despite their differences.

Rose never married: he couldn't put a woman through the trials and tribulations that came with co-running one of the world's most powerful underground organizations. Thus Leon was like a surrogate son to him, and while their partnership had started out as a business exchange, it had eventually blossomed into a personal one.

And now Rose was watching it burn right before his eyes.

He hated it with a passion, he hated the fact that he had to burn countless bridges with Leon just to keep him in line, but he had too. He had to make sure that Leon was still on his side, and if he wouldn't voluntarily support Rose's ambitions for Galar and the world, then he would make it obligatory. He would be more subtle about it for now, a nudge here, a push there, but eventually he would consent to Rose's final goal: the capture and exploitation of Eternatus.

For now, though, he had other things to worry about.

Rose exited the facility and made his way to the black Sedan at the Roadside, who's light's were glowing in the humid summer night. The tinted windows failed to give any indication of who was driving. He opened the door and sat down in the back seat, the driver and passenger separated by a wall and a black tinted glass separator. Easing back in the back letter seat, he pulled out his phone and dialed a number he knew very well. "Take me home." He said to the driver, who simply started the car and drove down the road, lights blaring in the dark, lonely night.

Two rings, and the phone was answered. "What illuminates both the dark of the night and the soul?" Asked the individual on the other side, using their code phrase.

"The Beacon of Progress." Replied Rose flatly. "I was informed that earlier today you received an update from one of our associates. Please elaborate on that."

"Of course chairman. I received an update from a contact in Kalos that there is another subject roaming the area."

Rose sighed. "I want proof, not hearsay. The last four were false alarms, mostly noiverns: what makes this one different?"

His contact was silent for a moment before responding. "It isn't bat shaped, or anything similar to subject alpha. It is more akin to a Zigzagoon than anything else, short with stocky legs and a bad attitude. It isn't registered in any known pokedex, and as of today, I was notified that it's aura, which was sensed by an experienced Lucario capable of mega evolution, held many similarities with those of Subject Alpha."

Rose scratched his Goatee with interest. "So a much better candidate for investigation, then. Where is it's location? I'll have wilderness extraction teams prepared by tomorrow morning."

"That's the biggest setback, Chairman. You see, the creature in question is accompanying a young boy. He has been caught."

Rose sat up. "That's not possible, all of our observations of subject Alpha show that it's incapable of higher levels of positive emotion. It cannot love or care for other creatures. Moreover, how could a boy capture one of these creatures?"

The contact sighed. "It is unknown as to exactly how the creature was caught, but it was involved in the conflict in Verdanturf town some time ago." Rose's contact was growing more frustrated. "As for its ability to express empathy, my colleagues believe that your methods of containment prevent creatures like this from developing meaningful relationships, not that they are incapable of connecting to humans on an emotional level. This warrants further study, although knowing you, your prejudices have already been set in stone."

Rose growled. "Fine, I'll attempt… alternative methods of containment for subject Alpha, but we must find a way to acquire our next subject. Is there any possibility that the boy in question is willing to trade for it?"

"Doubtful. The boy seems to have grown quite attached to the creature, despite its allegedly difficult personality. What's more is that the boy has an obligation to not trade it, as it has drawn the eyes and the financial resources of a competitor of ours: Cerise Laboratories."

" Fuck," Rose cursed, realizing the implications. "So we cannot acquire it legally, at least not at the moment. And taking it illegally will arouse suspicion; has team Rocket learned about this yet?"

"Luckily, the subject in question has not come in contact with Team Rocket yet, although I'm unsure of whether they know about it's existence or not. Either way, we must approach this carefully."

The chairman sighed and cradled his head in his hand. "I agree. What do you propose?"

"Nothing direct, but they are currently in Shalour and participating in the battle festival being held there. This would be the perfect time to observe it's capabilities and reduce the chances of casualties. This will also play into our hands: the individual who owns the creature, a boy named Goh, is currently traveling with someone who wants to battle Leon, and Goh himself seems to have a growing interest in battling."

Rose raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "You mean to have Goh come to us."

"Precisely. Goh's skills have grown exponentially in recent weeks, and the subject in question has made quite the impression on the people of Shalour already. If we can somehow push him in the right direction, we just might be able to come face to face with this new specimen."

Rose was silent for a moment, pondering the implications. "How are we going to capture the subject in question?"

"I am unsure, but for now our best option is to watch it develop. Goh is the key here: it trusts him deeply. If we can somehow… encourage Goh to do what we please, we would, in turn, have some basic control of the subject in question."

"I will keep that in mind. Observe Goh and Subject Beta."

"Your wish is my command, Chairman."

Goh didn't know where he was.

It was night time, that was the only thing he was certain about. A massive crescent mood dominated the sky, shedding a pale moonlight onto the desert below. But it wasn't like the normal moon: it emitted a cold aura that he couldn't quite describe, almost like the feeling of the cold, flushed air when you stuck your hand in a refrigerator. While it felt good at first, it quickly became imposing and uncomfortable, like it was casting a spotlight on him with malicious intent.

The sand between his toes also made him cringe: it resembled something akin to chalk dust, thin and soft, but also grainy. It clogged his sinuses like dust, causing him to choke occasionally as he walked through the expanse.

He was shirtless and his pants were ripped: he didn't know exactly why, but his body was sore, but not from bruising or physical harm, but rather overexertion. His throat was dry and scratchy, and he was sweating bullets despite the air being cold, cold like the air during a late autumn night. Everything about this world felt unassuming yet hostile, as if it had subconsciously chosen to seep away at Goh's strength little by little. His scrawny body couldn't handle the effects of the desert for much longer, hebwas going to collapse soon.

He didn't remember how long he had been walking: time was impossible to tell here. Every time he tried to make a guess, he became confused and bewildered, and it was driving him insane. He felt lost and helpless, like a blind newborn kitten left in the wilderness to die.

After some time, the effects became worse. He couldn't breathe right, each breath becoming labored. The air was becoming colder by the minute, and the oppressive glare of the moonlight only pressed down on him harder. His arms and legs were cold, and he couldn't feel his toes: almost as if the bones inside them were frozen. Every time he touched them, the joints were stiff and painful, and the blisters on his soles only grew in number. He just wanted to lay down and sleep for a while, to recuperate, but something in the back of his mind was screaming for him to keep moving. He didn't understand why, but an ethereal sense of dread had begun to overtake him, despite there being nothing here to harm him. He was alone in this god-forsaken desert.

Right?

For some reason, he wasn't so sure about that.

His only saving grace was a massive set of spires in the distance, some kind of castle or fortress, it's bleach-white shell gleaming like a mirror of bones. The crumbling pillars were plain and cylindrical in nature, like pieces of used chalk, and the roof was similarly in poor condition, with cracks and holes betraying the dim light shining within.

He reached out, as if to grab it, but felt his eyes roll back into his head before he collapsed into the sand, curling up into a ball as he began to hyperventilate, unable to properly breath. His muscles twitched and spammed and he felt like vomiting, only to dry heave as he hadn't eaten his what felt like days. Some sort of malnourishment had taken over his body, his bones sticking out against his skin like the frame of a tent.

He wanted to close his eyes, but he couldn't, because he knew if he fell asleep now, he wouldn't wake up. Yet he was having trouble staying awake, feeling the strength being sapped from him, and he realized that the world itself seemed to be consuming him alive like a parasite.

Right before he lost consciousness, a set of arms wrapped around his body and lifted him up with ease, holding him bridal style and cradling him towards it's chest. He opened his eyes to realize that the feeling of death was gone, although he was still horrifically weak. He looked up to see a pair of taupe eyes and a large scar running across her forehead all the way down to her upper lip in a diagonal fashion. Her turquoise hair was incredibly long, reaching down to the small of her back, and her body was adorned in a long, torn dress bleached white like the desert sands. On her hip was a long, curved sword that he didn't recognize.

"Are you alright?" She asked softly, making sure not to scare him. He merely grunted in response, his throat far too raspy to emit anything other than painful sounds. She closed her eyes and sighed before looking around to see if anyone else had spotted them, before taking off with a leap like an antelope, closing an impossible distance with each bound. She couldn't have been real: she wasn't human, she couldn't be human to do such a thing.

Surprisingly, her forceful leaps didn't shake him too much, allowing him to relax in her arms, but every time his eyelids began to droop, she would lightly shake him to bring him back to reality. "Don't do that, don't fall asleep. If you fall asleep here, you won't wake up."

He tried his best to obey her command, but he couldn't bring himself to stay awake without her gentle prodding every now and then. She didn't seem to mind, however, focusing on taking him somewhere across the desert, to what seemed to be a large mountain in the distance. The mountain seemed to be a polar opposite of the massive castle, colored in shades of onyx and obsidian, and jagged like broken glass. It seemed to reach up to the moon itself, poking at it like a needle. They were approaching it rapidly, the mountain growing exponentially with each leap before they finally arrived in front of what looked like a dark, lightless cavern.

"It is going to be dark, but do not be afraid: I'll keep you safe."

He barely acknowledged her until she leapt into the darkness, dodging stalagmites and outcroppings so quickly that he could barely see the blur of objects passing them in his weakened state. Sharp rocks jutted from the floor like inconspicuous fangs, waiting to take a bite out of their next victim. Somehow, the woman was able to traverse the perilous terrain with ease, not once tripping or getting caught in the dangerous outcroppings.

After some time, she slowed down as the caves became more smooth and transverse, water dripping from the ceiling in an almost rhythmic pattern that made it even harder for him to stay awake. But this time she didn't force him to wake when he closed hisbeyes, allowing him a brief respite before she entered a room carved out of the cavern the size of a small house. A large bonfire sat in the middle, with a young man stoking the flames with a stick. Black, sickly firewood was piled in stacks at the edge of the room, and a few odds and ends littered the floor, but the room was otherwise empty. The man's turquoise eyes, stern expression and hunched back reminded him of someone, although Goh couldn't quite put his finger on exactly who. His wild and curly hair was the color of cornsilk, while his skin was a light tan under the blaze of the flame, whereas the woman's skin was the color of evaporated milk. A pair of ragged pants were wrapped around his waist, reaching down to his ankles, and his upper body was uncovered, revealing a toned but slim body. But the biggest and most eye-catching feature was the massive hole in his chest, perfectly round and seemingly inconsequential to his bodily functions.

"Who did you bring here?" He asked, his voice higher pitched than Goh expected. The woman rolled her shoulders and set Goh down gently, careful to not harm him. When she stood back up, the man was eyeing Goh irritatedly, as if he was a nuisance.

"This spirit was caught underneath the moonlight: if he had stayed any longer he would have died from exposure."

"That didn't answer my question: why did you bring him here?"

The woman rolled her eyes. "Because I felt like it. This isn't just your mountain, you know."

The man went back to prodding the embers of the fire. "Whatever you say." He prodded the embers some more before snapping the stick in half and tossing it into the flames. Then he stood up, towering over Goh. "You're lucky to be alive, so to speak. What brings you to this place?"

Goh took a few shallow breaths before putting pressure on his legs to sit up, the remnants of his torn up shoes still attached to his grimy, sand-coated feet. "I… I don't know how I got here. All I know is that I almost died out there, so thank you."

The man nodded his head towards the woman. "She's the one you really should be thanking. That's Nelliel, and I'm Tier Arron. Welcome to Hueco Mundo, the closest place to hell you'll ever step foot in."

Goh shuddered at the description. " What? I know the moon hurts you guys and all, and it seems to just be one big desert, but how is that like hell?"

Tier Arron rolled his eyes. "You wouldn't understand, you haven't experienced the full set of effects that this place can have on you. And, for your information, you are the only soul here, in theory at least, who's affected by the moon. Only uncorrupted spirits are subject to the Reishi redistribution here."

Goh stared at Tier Arron like he had spoken in an alien language, and Tier Arron simply sighed. "It means that the energy within your soul is different, and thus the ordered structure of Hueco Mundo seemed to redistribute it as a passive energy. All the creatures in this world are sustained on the passive energy provided and maintained by the moon itself. Ironically, it is the lifeline of hollows, but yet it is also the bane of living creatures."

"So the moon was… pulling out my soul?"

Tier Arron shrugged. "More like ripping it apart like a paper shredder. You're lucky to still be walking." Tier Arron scrunched his eyebrows in a perplexed manner. "Although, I am surprised that someone with such little Reiryoku survived at all, or how you even got here in the first place."

He turned back to Nelliel, who simply gave him a shrug. "Don't look at me, I just found him nearly passed out in the sand. Think a shinigami might have seriously screwed up?"

Tier Arron snorted. "I doubt that it's even possible that a soul reaper could fuck up that badly. But that does raise a good question: are you dead, boy?"

It was such an odd question, of course Goh was alive, at least he thought he was still alive. He could feel his heart beating and he could still breathe. Would that stop if he was dead?

"No… I can't be dead! I… I don't remember dying."

Nelliel raised an eyebrow and Tier Arron placed his hands on Goh's shoulders to calm him down. "Take a deep breath, kid. You said you don't remember dying? That's…" Tier Arron went quiet for a moment before speaking up again, albeit quieter than before. "That's not possible. Unless you're alive."

Tier Arron stood up and groaned, beginning to pace along the cave while pinching the bridge of his nose. Nelliel sat down with a plop and massaged her neck while Tier Arron thought of something.

After some time of warming himself up by the fire, Nelliel made herself comfortable next to Goh, who found that she had wrapped her arm around him to help warm him up. To surprise, she was ice cold, and he tried to pull away. Nelliel subconsciously pulled him closer before realizing he was uncomfortable and rescinded her arm, embarrassed. "I'm sorry, it's just that you're so… warm. I haven't been next to a living person in a long time."

Goh didn't know how to respond, simply looking at her with a bewildered expression. "But… What about Tier Arron?"

Nelliel gave him an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, I thought you had caught on by now. Me and Tier Arron, we aren't alive. We haven't been for a long time."

Goh tried to speak, but he was too stunned. "But… how?"

"Didn't you see the hole in his chest? The hole in mine?" She began to take off her dress, and Goh turned away, but she beckoned him. "It's okay, you can look."

He looked back at her and saw that her back was facing towards him, and that she had a small black hole about the size of a baseball between her shoulder blades. He gaped at it, seeing the fire from the other side of the hole, her chest completely devoid of anything. She quickly redressed herself before looking back at him, noticing his shock. "That hole, well, everyone here has one, all in different places and in different sizes. They're like symbols, or maybe branding is a better term. It is a reminder of a lot of things, but most importantly it's a reminder of what we left behind, and that we were left behind as a result."

Goh stared into the flames silently, listening to Nelliel's every word with unfocused attention. How could they be dead? Where was he?

"What was left behind?" He asked, quietly.

"Our hope. It's always taken from you, whether you know it or not. Some don't mind: they lived in cruel and hateful worlds already. Plenty of the scum that dwell in this place come to mind," Nelliel noticeably shivered when she thought of those said individuals. "But even more are left broken, left behind. Many of us are in this bottomless pit for no fault of our own, but rather we were damaged beyond repair, and abandoned by those that were supposed to protect us, and now we're hunted by those same individuals."

Goh looked back at her. "Hunted?"

"Like animals."

"Why."

Nelliel was quiet for a moment. "Because they can, I suppose."

They continued to watch Arron pace in silence, Goh processing what he'd learned. He wasn't in his world anymore, he had to be in some sick dream where everything was dark and twisted. But he could feel the sand between hisbtoes and smell the acrid smoke ascending from the fire with a daunting clarity. If this was a dream, then it was a surreal one: Goh almost never dreamed, and when he did he couldn't sense the world around himself beyond sight and sound.

He was starting to become scared.

"So," Tier Arron finally responded. "We are going to take a trip."

"Who?" Asked Nelliel.

"Me and the boy. I'm going to take him somewhere I can get answers. He obviously has no idea how he got stranded in Hueco Mundo, and you and I are just as clueless as he is. We need to get him home."

"Why arenyou so interested in saving him now? Half an hour ago you couldn't care less about him."

Tier Arron groaned. "Because I don't want his blood on my hands. If he was some weak hollow then that'd be different, but he's obviously lost and confused, and he certainly doesn't belong here."

Nelliel nodded and stood up, dusting off her dress with her hands. "So, where are we going?"

"First off, you aren't going anywhere. I need you to stay here and guard the mountain in case if Barragan's cronies decide to start poking around. Secondly, I think you know where we're heading: I'm going to have a few words with Szayelaporro."

Nelliel's once serene face morphed into a grimace. "Seriously, that freak? You have to know someone whose less… like him. Besides, we can't trust him."

"We can't trust anyone here, at least Szayelaporro is predictable. Now, me and the boy are leaving," he gestured to Goh, "Get your shit together and let's go."

"Wait, Tier, he needs to rest! He can barely stand!"

Teir Arron shrugged. "I'll carry him if I have too."

"C'mon, just let him sleep, or he'll be lagging behind for the whole journey!"

Tier Arron sighed. "Fine, I'll go myself and come back. But he better be ready to move by the time I return."

Nelliel nodded and relaxed, easing down on her back and watching Arron as he prepared to leave, picking up his sheathed sword and shouldering it before picking up a scrap of cloth and wrapping it around his face like a scarf. Then he made his way down the pitch black cave, seemingly undisturbed by the lack of visibility.

Goh noticed that they both carried sword's with unique and distinct designs: Nelliel's was long and curved with a green lacquer sheath and a guard that curved outwards symmetrically, while Arron's was shorter and straight, with a white sheath and the guard was in the shape of an oval, hollowed out and only held onto the sword by four thin bars, resembling the link of a chain. They both seemed incredibly possessive of them, as if they were priceless artifacts, yet despite their beautiful designs, Goh couldn't see any use for them. The desert was empty and devoid of life: why would anyone need a weapon, especially one as archaic as a sword.

"I hate to bother you, Miss Nelliel, but why do you two have swords? Are they… important to you?"

Nelliel gave him a warm smile. "My, you are just so polite. To answer your question, yes: my sword is very important to me, and Arron's sword is very important to him. We use them to fight, but they're also personal possessions of great value."

"How are they valuable, though? Did someone you cared about make them?"

Nelliel giggled. "You really don't know anything about this place, do you?"

Goh shook his head. "I just woke up here, and I don't know how anything works. Everything is just so alien."

Nelliel nodded solemnly. "I understand that feeling. Our swords are… how do I put this? They're unique to us. They are like fingerprints or our DNA. And we receive them when we're reborn."

"When you're… reborn?"

Nelliel nodded. "Yes, reborn. That's the best way I can put it. Explaining it to you any further would be like trying to describe color to a blind man. But just imagine it like an extra limb, and you'll get a pretty clear picture of what I'm talking about."

Goh nodded, starting to understand what she was saying. "So it's a part of you, like an eye or an arm?"

"Yes, but it's more important than that, more like a second heart. It contains all of our power in one convenient spot."

"Your power?"

Nelliel scratched her chin, trying yet again to explain the foreign concept to Goh. "Remember when Tier Arron was talking about Reiryoku? Reiryoku is essentially our spirit energy. It allows us to do incredible things, but we have a lot of it. Too much of it for many other hollows to handle. Me and Arron, we're at the top of the food chain here: we have the most power, but that isolates us because it tends to scare away other hollows. Heck, there are even rumors of a hollow with so much Reiryoku that other hollows simply die in its presence, although I wonder how true that claim is."

"That sounds awful."

Nelliel sighed. "That's just how this world works. But as I was saying, since we have so much power, most of it is stored in our swords. When we release it, we transform into our original forms. These special swords have a name, the Zanpakuto, and each Zanpakuto and Transformation is unique to their users."

Goh hugged his legs to his chest. "That sounds like something I heard about where I'm from, something called Mega Evolution. It's when a creature, we call them pokemon, reaches their full potential, and some of them are able to go further, to unlock their hidden potential. But instead of a sword, it's hidden within a set of stones."

Nelliel seemed to be pondering that concept. "It does sound like what Arrancars go through. But what do you mean by full potential? Do they get bigger, or do they change?"

Goh nodded. "They evolve. They transform from one state to another permanently. Then, when they reach their final stage, some can go even further beyond, and Mega-Evolve. A lot of people are still looking into it, we don't know all that much about it as it is."

"It sounds like your world is… alive." Nelliel said solemnly. "Our world, well, it isn't. This place is empty and will probably stay that way forever."

"That's a depressing thought." Said Goh.

"Yeah, it is. But there's no point in lying to you about it. Luckily, there are a few out there who make it worth living in this pit."

"Like who?"

"Tier Arron. He may come off as moody, but he's a good man who's been through hell. He'll grow onto you, I promise."

Goh nodded, his eyelids growing heavier by the second. He yawned and stretched out, Nelliel taking notice and ruffling his hair.

"Now just get some sleep, you're going to need to recover before you make your trip to Szayelaporro, even with Tier Arron protecting you."

Goh nodded and Nelliel handed him some scraps of cloth and directed him to a pile of sand, which he covered with the scraps and laid down. Nelliel stamped out the fire before curling up in her own spot across the room. "I'll be over here, and don't worry: nothing will hurt you while I'm here."

Goh didn't respond, but he trusted her enough to close his eyes and attempt to sleep. Surprisingly, the sand was warm from the fire? And the largest scrap of cloth served as a decent blanket for him to curl up under. In the pitch black of the cave, he was able to close his eyes and relax, Nelliel's soft breathing serving as an assurance to dispel his paranoia as he drifted off into sleep.

Goh woke up early in the morning, the chill of the September night seeping through the cracked window from the other side of the hotel room. The sun was just beginning to rise, splattering the horizon with a dull crimson shade. His breathing was labored and he was still far too tired to be waking up naturally.

He tried going back to sleep, under the covers again, but he couldn't keep his eyes closed for long. It's as if his body was refusing to sleep, despite clearly needing it. He groaned in frustration after about a half hour of fruitless efforts to go back to sleep, and instead chose to grab his belt with his pokeballs strapped in them and his Pokenav before quietly leaving the hotel room to go find some solace somewhere else.

The early morning was actually quite beautiful, light reflecting off the dew left over from last night's rain storm, creating an almost sparkle effect on the plants as he passed them. The sunflowers were especially mesmerizing, since they turned to face the sun all day, so light was always bouncing off of them. Goh admired the scenery of Shalour as he walked down the paved streets, the Cafes and Shops just beginning to open up for the morning commuters and workers. Small black chalkboard signs hung from windows and on tripods, advertising specials and signature dishes as well as greetings to workers and tourists, and flower beds were hung on windows as well as buried in front of the walls bordering the doorways, filling the air with the scents of Lavender, Lilac and Poinsettia.

It was peaceful, especially since he was more or less alone. Arron had become exhausting to be around recently, especially since Ash had begun his silent treatment on Goh, ignoring him just to anger him. Goh cared about Arron, but he realized that he needed some time for himself, no pokemon and no Ash. He was his own person, after all.

Arron had changed a lot about him, his attitudes, his priorities, his outlook on his parents. Everything he looked in the mirror he saw someone who looked less and less like the kid who joined Ash on an adventure to find Mew and more and more like a young man coming to grips with reality. After Arron, who took up so much of his time and focus, Goh began to wonder about how mature, appropriate and even downright feasible his goal to catch one of every pokemon was. Could he follow through with it? Should he follow through with it? Every time he returned to Cerise Park, he found himself greeting a larger and larger horde of pokemon that he barely recognized, and taking only four or five of them with him every time he went out with Ash. And every time, he was guilt ridden as he looked back to see the disappointed faces of many pokemon he had accrued pressed against the transparent barrier keeping them in. Yet he resigned himself to catching more and more of them because that was his goal.

Goh sighed. He really needed a change of pace.

When he returned to Cerise, he would have to find a solution. There was no compromise: he was neglecting those pokemon by keeping them under his care. He couldn't feasibly support them all, so he would have to find people who could, people who wanted them.

People who needed them. More than he did, anyway.

He made his way back to the paved road and started walking north again, to the beach. The air became more crisp and salty as he walked, the wind picking up the myriad scents of the ocean and leaving him with a soothing scent trail. The beach was the one place that Goh felt at peace in Shalour, mainly since he could be alone during the mornings and the nights, and it was one of the few places where Arron also seemed to be at peace. He was far less irritable when he was sunbathing on the beach than he was when he was trapped with Goh in the hotel room.

He walked down the wooden platform and opened to the sand, taking off his shoes and feeling the warm sand on his feet. It was coarse and dry, completely different than how the soft white sand of Hueco Mundo felt. It bothered him to no end, despite Hueco Mundo being such a hostile place. It wasn't about the world itself, but rather the two people he met there, Nelliel and Tier Arron. Tier Arron was obviously the most stand-out of everything he had witnessed. His name held an obvious connection to Arron, but his bad attitude and confrontational personality also reminded him of the ice pokemon. Goh normally would've guessed that he was just dreaming about people he had seen and known, or in this case Arron, and just was projecting his thoughts and feelings onto a canvas.

Yet Goh knew better. That world felt so real: he felt the moon siphoning him dry, the grains of sand between his toes, and the cold yet tender touch of Nelliel's skin. It felt so incredibly real, yet it couldn't have been.

He had also once heard that the brain can only perceive faces in dreams that they've met in real life. He was sure he'd never met anyone who looked like Tier Arron or Nelliel, yet he could see their faces clearly and in surprising detail. In fact, everything about them felt real, from their voices to their personalities: two normal people trapped in a barren hellscape. Except of course for the fact that they had holes in their chests.

Goh sighed and sat on the sand right in front of the ocean, letting the waves wash away the sand that clung to his feet. Raboot's pokeball shook quietly, as if Raboot was responding to his negative emotions. He pulled out her pokeball and released her, watching her immediately cling onto him in a very un-raboot fashion.

"What's up with you? You're never this emotional."

Raboot didn't respond, simply choosing to sit on his lap and recline onto him* clearly attempting to be affectionate. Goh wasn't used to this kind of attention from Raboot, with her consistently acting in a sort of 'rebellious teenager' fashion, but he wasn't going to object to it. Goh briefly wondered if she knew what he had experienced, but she doubted it: their bond wasn't that strong, was it?

Goh wouldn't dwell on it. He was content with snuggling Raboot and watching the waves roll into the sand.

After some time, light footsteps could be heard from behind him, padding on the sand. Goh turned around to see Ash approaching him, holding a brown paper bag in one hand and his shoes in the other. He looked at Goh apologetically before quietly sitting down next to him and opening the brown bag, handing Goh a smoked seaking croquette. Goh nodded in thanks and took a bite out of it, tasting the creamy filling melt in his mouth.

"Odd choice for breakfast food." Goh said casually, waiting for Ash to reveal his angle. Ash nodded. "Yeah, but they just smelled so good and I never had them before. I figured you hadn't either, since we're both from Kanto."

Goh nodded. "Yeah, I've never had them. Thanks for breakfast."

Ash nodded, obviously uncomfortable. Then he broke the ice with his real intentions. "Goh, I wanted to… I'm sorry, okay, I've been a jerk for the past few days. I was just so… mad at the idea of you- I just didn't think that you could-" Ash growled in frustration. "I just wanted to apologize for how I acted. I realized that after my battle with Chance that I am lucky to win as much as I do, and that I do need to improve. And I'm sorry for doubting you."

Goh hummed in acknowledgement for responding. "No matter how you feel about it, I shouldn't have said what I said, Ash. I'm sorry for that as well. And for the record, you would have won against Chance if you had just chosen Dragonite from the start."

Ash nodded. "Yeah, yeah, I know."

"Just making sure you do." Replied Goh with a sly smile. "Now, we're going to visit Riolu later, and then I believe you have a meeting with May."

Ash scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, about that… I had a conversation with Gurkinn yesterday, and he wants to meet you for lunch."

Goh raised an Eyebrow, already suspicious. "And what for?"

"He wants to ask you some questions about Arron. I'm not sure about what, just that he's curious."

"But my match is at Noon, we won't have time!"

Ash nodded. "That would be true if he hadn't moved you up the rankings. You're at my old rank now, since Gurkinn thinks you having both Raboot and Arron makes you as tough as I am. I don't know about that, but he's got a point: Arron practically mangled Dewott. You guys deserve a higher rank."

"Yeah, I guess so. So we're battling at… ten, I think?"

"Yeah, around that time. It's only six-thirty, so we have time. Just be prepared to lie."

Arron had a splitting headache.

This alone wouldn't have been a huge deal: he was used to having severe headaches by now. His living body made everything more painful, as if it was just exuberant at the thought of making his life hard. He wouldn't be surprised, that would practically be par for the course at this point.

He was at the pokemon center, the place he loathed the most in this world, but at least he wasn't there for any injury, as if that pathetic otter pokemon could damage him. No, he was here for Riolu.

Well, to be fair, Goh was here for Riolu. Arron was along for the ride whether he liked it or not. He might as well come anyway, he wouldn't be able to see Riolu for a bit longer anyway, and it wasn't like he had anything better to do besides sleep. No harm no foul, he supposed.

The pokemon center was nearly empty due to how early in the morning it was, with only a few visitors waiting in the lobby to see injured pokemon. The wait was short, with Nurse Joy appearing and greeting Goh and Ash quietly, sensing the tension between them.

"He's awake, but be quiet, he's very irritable."

Ash and Goh nodded and followed Nurse Joy down a hall of rooms, the majority of the closed and locked for security purposes. After a dozen or so doors, she turned to her right and pulled out a master key, unlocking Riolu's door and revealing the blue dog pokemon underneath the white sheets of his hospital bed.

He appeared to be drugged in some way, most likely some opiate to dull the pain of the burns, but he was obviously still able to perceive what was going on. He glared at Ash angrily, but just as quickly turned away and looked out the window, knowing that Ash was his trainer and making him angry wouldn't end well. Ash attempted to comfort Riolu, but Riolu growled, and Ash backed up.

"I'm just gonna… go and… get ready." Ash said. He looked at Riolu one last time before leaving the room mournfully.

Riolu rustled uncomfortably in his bed, obviously restless from being stuck in one place for so long. Goh scratched behind his ears and he sighed, leaning into Goh's hand so he could scratch harder.

"You know he's sorry, right?", Hoh asked, continuing to scratch Riolu's ears. Riolu grunted but didn't give a real response.

"You don't need to forgive him, but you can try. I know he… hurt you, but you're still his pokemon and he's still your trainer."

Riolu wasn't very happy with Goh's response, but didn't exactly argue with him. Goh gave him a small smile. "Just think about it for me, ok?"

Riolu sighed and nodded. "Good, thank you Riolu. I'm going to go check on Ash. C'mon, Arron, let's go."

Arron grunted and gestured to Riolu, trying to communicate with Goh. Goh realized what Arron wanted and Goh gave him a dirty look. "If you cause a fight I'm going to be very unhappy with you."

Arron rolled his eyes and Goh scowled at him before walking out the room.

"I don't understand why you insist on only talking to us when we're alone, it's not like they can understand us." Said Riolu.

"Sorry," Arron replied, "force of habit. So, how do you feel?"

Riolu snorted. "Like I was deep fried."

Arron chuckled. "Good. I'm glad you're feeling alright."

Riolu became more irritable very quickly. "Why are you still here, to gloat? Go ahead, it's not like I can do anything about it."

Arron shook his head. "No, I'm here to check on you, to make sure you're okay."

"I'm fine."

"No, you're not fine. Listen, I get that you think I'm an asshole, and that's okay, because I am. But right now I'm here to make sure you're okay. What Ash did was… incorrect, to say the least."

"Ash didn't do anything. I failed." Riolu said, irritated.

"No, you didn't fail. You were forced to fight a battle you couldn't win. I watched it, all of it. I know what I'm talking about." Said Arron, "And if you don't think this is Ash's fault, why did you growl at him?"

Riolu was silent for several moments, and Arron hummed knowingly. "That's what I thought. Listen, I told you this before I left: you… we're seen as tools. Many people only feel bad when their tools break. Ash isn't one of those people." Arron paused for a moment. "And you didn't fail. You did well, but you still had no chance. That isn't your fault. There's a difference between picking a fight you can't win and being forced to fight an unwinnable battle. Always remember that."

Riolu nodded weakly, his head facing the open window away from Arron. He could hear quiet sniffling coming from the little dog pokemon, but Arron would let that slide for now, Riolu had been through a lot in the past day.

"I'm going to go, we have a match soon."

Before he could hop off the stool next to the hospital bed, Riolu nudged his arm and he turned around. "Please… will you win for me?"

Arron looked back at Riolu. "Yeah, I will. I'll win for you."