Location: Tree of Life: Roots (hastily writing this as we make our way through the Dungeon since we don't have time to waste)

The moment Arceus (eeeeee!) teleported us to the tree's base, Lyra and I were struggling to breathe. Arceus said the Tree of Life was nearing the stratosphere, so the air is gonna be cold and thin. However, our scarves resonated with the tree again (I'd certainly hope so, we are quite literally at the tree's base) and we evolved! More importantly, the pain was gone and we could breathe again! Tree of Life itself was giving us strength, indicated by the small lines of colorful light pulsating within the rotting roots.

That's all the proof we needed to know that the Tree of Life is still alive! However, despite everyone's best effort, the tree was still somehow slowly moving away from the planet and towards the sun. We didn't have any time, and Arceus said that from here on, we would be completely on our own.

I won't lie, I was feeling the pressure and getting nervous. Lyra, on the other hand, simply said we'd "squash that Dark Matter in no time!"

...Heh. I don't think I'll ever understand how she could be so positive. Her unflagging spirit burned brighter than ever. She wanted to get a move on, but I allowed myself a moment of softheartedness and hugged her.

Lyra and Irau, together forever against...no...for the world!

Location: Tree of Life: Roots 6F

When Eris and I were fighting Nuzleaf, I made a mental note of how small he looked from my Meganium perspective, but totally forgot to mention it in the entry afterwards. Before then, the last time I was a Meganium was during the battle with Entei. In both battles, I was so focused on fighting that mentioning how difficult it was to adjust to a Meganium body didn't really matter at the time.

Hoo boy, does it matter now!

Meganiums are twice the height of Chikoritas, so you can imagine I was a little off-kilter as we were navigating the Mystery Dungeon. You wouldn't think it'd be that big a deal, but...I'm further from the ground. Is this how people with glasses feel when they get new ones and need time to adjust? My body is larger than I'm used to! Not to mention my neck...

My neck is so much longer! Seriously, if I stuck my head out as I walked, my head would arrive in a room five seconds before my body. Having my head floating on such a long neck is really strange...but not, at the same time. It's hard to describe. Um...okay. Run a finger from your chin down to your chest. Normal neck length, right? Now, hold your hand up with your palm facing your face and run a finger on the opposite hand from the back of your raised hand to your elbow. Long arm, right? Now, imagine running your finger from your chin down to your chest, and instead of feeling a normal neck length, you feel long arm instead. That's the best way I know how to describe it. It's weird for my neck to be this long, but it still very much feels like my neck the entire way down.

I don't...hm...I'm sorry if that didn't make any sense. I'm trying to give you the best description about the sensations as I can because I don't know if I'll be in this body, Meganium or Chikorita, after this adventure is over. I mean, I was brought to this world to fight Dark Matter, right? So, what'll happen once my work is done? Will I not be a Pokémon anymore? Will I not stay in this world?

...

I guess...we'll cross that bridge when we get to it.

Anyway, I'm not the only one stumbling. Lyra may have gracefully pulled off her attacks during battle, but the increased leg length made her stumble and trip a few times. Before, her little talons needed to scuttle to cover the same distance she covers in one footstep now. Since my legs aren't that much bigger than when I was a Chikorita, I've needed to call out to her to slow down a few times.

Since we're both taller, we've bumped our heads against slightly lower ceilings a few times, and just...ugh. We agreed that hopefully when the time came for us to actually evolve, we're better adjusted to our new physical forms than we are now.

I remembered Bunnelby saying something during the sleepover about Meganiums having the power to revive dead plants with their breaths. Unfortunately, the roots I breathed on only showed slight signs of vitality before immediately rotting again.

Dang it. Guess I can't cop-out of this.

Also, you wouldn't think wild Pokémon would be encounterable up here...and you'd be correct. The Pokémon we were fighting weren't actual Pokémon, but fake spirit ones made up by Dark Matter to slow us down, similar to the Void Shadows from the Voidlands. However, our evolved forms gave us power boosts that made dealing with them a cinch. Dark Matter tried throwing other traps and projectiles at us via hidden Trap Switches embedded in the floor, but we had more than enough health and items to deal with whatever we encountered.

You can't stop us, Dark Matter! Ready or not, here we come!

Location: Tree of Life: Upper Roots? I guess?

Lyra and I heard a Pokémon roar as we were exploring. We couldn't discern what type of Pokémon it was, but it gave us both a really bad feeling and we quickened our pace. We eventually reached a different section of the tree. Whereas the previous area had blackened rotting roots, this area boasted healthy brown wood.

It...I won't lie, I felt a huge wave of relief. It meant the tree really wasn't dead yet. Maybe it's my grass-typing, but seeing that made me feel really happy and proud. Like a mother watching her wheelchair-bound child still be included in sports with the other kids. We weren't seeing just little lines of light. We were seeing healthy wood. Actual living plant matter!

Heh...I pressed my forehead against one of the walls and whispered, "I am so proud of you. Hang tight child, okay? You won't have to suffer for much longer."

I told Lyra how I felt. She smiled and looked at me as if I'd lost my mind, but I just shrugged it off. Didn't make a difference if she understood or not. If I'm a plant mama, I intended to fuck up the thing that's hurting my baby.

The next room we entered had Nuzleaf, Yveltal, and the other two Beheeyem! They were in serious pain and had a thin ribbon of dark cloudy magic swirling around them!

Lyra and I were surprised to see them caught like that. I was wary - this could've been a trap. But at the same time...we couldn't leave them like that. We exchanged glances and sighed as we heard the pained cries. Without saying a word, we knew what the other felt and wanted to do. Of course we were hesitant, but...leaving them wouldn't have been right. We used our harmony scarves to dissipate the magic around them.

Once we freed them, they immediately had difficulty breathing. Ah, right, we're in the stratosphere. Thank Arceus (hehe) for our harmony scarves protecting us.

Nuzleaf said he reckoned he's been unfair to the two of us all this time. "Lyin' to you and even lookin' down on you, if I'm to be perfectly honest. I did all that...I did all that, and still...still y'all-!"

He looked back at the Beheeyem, and they exchanged guilt-ridden looks before they up and ran past us and out of the room. Maybe...maybe they were looking to get off this flying death trap before they asphyxiated.

...

Unfair...? That's the word he wanted to use? That's...that's not even scratching the surface! Unfair is when a parent buys a gift for one child and not the other. Unfair is when you miss out on a sale at your favorite shop because traffic delayed you. Unfair is not the proper word for what he's done!

I...ugh. You know what? Now isn't the time to get into that. It wasn't a trap, and that's what mattered.

We freed Yveltal together. He asked us why we bothered helping them. We could've passed by and never lifted a finger in their aid. Even if they were being controlled by another, they still bore responsibility for their actions.

"We have done things which can never be undone, nor forgiven. Yet, you would move to save us? You would allow us to live...?"

...

Bruh.

What is it with you legends and letting others die? Is it so strange a concept to find that unacceptable? You can't atone for jack diddly if you're dead, y'know. Condemning your names and making you an example of what not to be is nice and all, but if your life can have an impact on someone and change for the better, wouldn't it be more beneficial to let you live?

Yveltal said I had no way of knowing if this would have negative repercussions. Was I prepared to accept responsibility for the possible lives lost as a result of our decision?

I accept responsibility for the choice I made, but I am not responsible for the choices he makes as a result of mine. Whether he chooses to end lives or save them remains to be seen, but his actions are his own. His choices are his own. If my saving his life results in him choosing to end lives, we'll stop him once again. I hope he doesn't choose that, though. I'd hate to give Dark Matter more fuel to return someday with.

Lyra agreed with me, but she admitted she wants something in return for saving his life. Nuzleaf and the Beheeyem ran off somewhere, and they didn't look like they were okay. Even if they are, we're in the stratosphere with no way for them to get back down. She asked him to take them back down to the planet with him, and even added a please to the end of her request like a good person.

Yveltal didn't respond. He merely sank away with his dramatic warp-in red and black magic stuff. Lyra asked if I thought he'll do it. She didn't give me time to answer before deciding that we needed to keep moving. I don't know if he'll save them. If not, then...I hope he at least gives my words some thought.

These legendary Pokémon have been alive for years, if not centuries. They've seen many Pokémon come and go, both in the companion aspect and the living. After being alive for so long and acquiring so much strength and experience, it's understandable that they'd come to view common Pokémon as...well...nothing. They think nothing of their deaths and have no qualms with killing them, but they forget how precious each life is.

I know it sounds tired and cliché, but it literally does only take one life to make a difference. I can't speak for my own actions, but I know Lyra's made a strong impact on those around her. I know they've made a strong impact on me. Multiple times.

If slaughter-happy legendary Pokémon go around killing whoever they please, they'll be snuffing out potential lights that could change how they view things. Even if they look down on us for being "spineless" or lesser, we aren't nothing. We're living, breathing, sentient creatures trying to make sense of the world we live in, just like them.

Heh...thinking back on it, maybe Lyra's the first commoner to make them stop and ask themselves, "Am I an asshole?" for the first time in centuries. Wouldn't that be something?

Ladies and gentlemen, Lyra the Torchic. Wait, no. Lyra the Blaziken.

Location: Tree of Life: Trunk 7F

As Lyra and I climbed higher, something felt off. The air felt heavy and strange in a familiar way. Not in the same way that Entei's pressure was exuded from Fire Island, but an entirely different way. One that I know I've felt before, yet I don't think I've felt it at all in my time here.

Well, Celebi theorized that I was the human who fought Dark Matter with Mew in the ancient days, and Dark Matter's reaction to seeing me again kinda confirmed his theory. If that really did happen, it's possible I had a similar feeling before our first clash back in the day.

I still don't understand how that works. Unless Celebi helped me time travel, how could I have fought in both battles? It'd be one thing if my ancestor or previous incarnation had fought with Mew, but from the sounds of it they're talking about the same person. Not an ancestor. Not a previous incarnation. Me.

Last I knew, humans are lucky if they reach the age of 100. For a human to fight in both ancient times and today, and be as young as I am...it's simply not possible.

"You have taken on many forms and accepted many names, but you are the same unrelenting force you were centuries ago."

Dark Matter's words kept echoing in my head. What did it mean? Like, I've lived many lives between now and then? Or perhaps...I don't know. Maybe there's multiple versions of Lyra and me that are radically different and called different names, but the same fundamental principles remain intact - we stand against Dark Matter. We're the same unrelenting force regardless of the shape we take.

Who can say for sure?

At some point while I was lost in my thoughts, the scene transitioned from healthy brown wood to white wood. I...hm...I know some trees are naturally white, but the Tree of Life looked more like an oak tree. Should it have white wood? If not, should we be worried?

Well, Lyra doesn't seem concerned, so...wait, maybe she's not concerned because she thinks I should be. I am the plant-based one of the two of us. I...er...y'know what? It's fine. I'm sure it's fine. It uh...we can still see the rainbow lights, so it doesn't matter. The tree's fine. Everything's fine.

...

I hope.

Now we're on the 7th floor right next to the stairs, and Lyra said we should stop and make sure everything is squared away before we go up there. She couldn't say for certain, but she had a feeling there'd be no turning back once we ascended the stairs.

I think she's right.

Lyra's sorting out our Plain Seeds from our regular Reviver Seeds while I'm scribbling down these last notes. We both know Dark Matter's up there, but we have no clue what to expect. We don't know how this is gonna go down or what we'll face, but we've come too far to turn back now.

I...I feel...

...

This is...what I was summoned here for, right? Assuming this all wasn't some big mistake and some other human-turned-Pokémon isn't supposed to be here, this...wait, no, what am I saying? Nuzleaf confirmed that I was the intended target since we fought before I lost my memories and everything. Sorry, I just...I have a hard time believing...I'm just so used to doubting that I have some grand purpose for being here since I remember so little, and the things I do remember don't paint anything significant about me.

I...hoo...everything has been happening at once, and I guess I haven't really been allowed time to process everything. So many thoughts and emotions, so many bits of information...

We really haven't been given a lot of time to let it all simmer, have we? And, unfortunately, I need to get to the point and dwell on that stuff later. If there is a later...

My point is, this is where I'm supposed to be. With Lyra. Wearing a harmony scarf that's preventing me from asphyxiating or turning to stone. We all agree that's the deal, right?

...

I'm...I'm supposed to be here. Lyra, Ampharos, Eris, Celebi, Jirachi, Espurr, even Arceus...they've all worked so hard to get us here. They're counting on us. Getting to this point and preparing to face off against Dark Matter is something I've been preparing for, talking about and looking forward to since before I can remember. This is it. This is what everything everywhere has been leading up to.

...

Arceus, why am I so fucking scared!?

Like, okay. I get it. This is my fate or destiny or whatever the fuck. I know I'm supposed to be here, but there's a tiny childish part of me that wants to run in the other direction, find a corner, and just hide until it all goes away. I'm not...I'm not the heroic type! Sure, I care about the world and wanna defend it, but I'm still scared! Like...everything rests on our ability to fight this fucker. We have to succeed or...that's it! Everything else will be gone! Destroyed!

Do you have any idea how much pressure that is!? I'll give you a hint – far more than Entei exuded on Fire Island!

I literally can't fuck this up, and that's...that's so otherworldly scary because I know just how easy fucking up is for me. Nothing we've done this far has been this important. Exploring the Drilbur Coal Mine, Poliwrath River, Nectar Meadow, Sheer Mountain Range, Fire Island Volcano, Showdown Mountain...all those combined don't hold a candle to this. They were just fun adventures that had some level of excitement and danger, but this...there's no lighthearted side to this scenario. Either we fight or we die.

Let me level with you readers. Depending on how all this ends, best case scenario is this entry seems silly and overdramatic when it's read later. Worst case scenario is this is my last entry and last thoughts possibly written down in general before everything gets destroyed. Maybe I'm repeating myself, but I really cannot emphasize enough the gravity of the situation.

It's that paralyzing fear that has me frozen and staring at the stairs. I'm so, so fucking terrified. Everything is riding on this, and...and I'm not Lyra, okay? I'm not. I can't simply trust that everything will work out. I'm so completely terrified of what's about to happen and the catastrophe that'll take place if we fail.

I mean, I know I said on Revelation Mountain that there would be no more doubts – Hey, Lyra here! wE aren't gonna fail bec- Lyra shove off- stop it let me wr- LYra's trying to write over m- would you just let- get OFF, I'm trying- c'mon green bean, I just wanna- I'm being serious, stop- Ha ha! Got your journal!

Hee hee hee! Irau's chasing me trying to get her book back, but I wanted to write a quick thing! Thank goodness I've gotten used to my long legs!

I know things might look grim, but I think we've got this in the bag! Know why? Because Irau's here with me, and together we can accomplish anything. Look at everything we've done so far! We joined the Expedition Society! We fought Entei! We made it back from the Voidlands! We escaped Nuzleaf's trap! We fought and defeated both Nuzleaf and Yveltal! And against all odds, we're here! In the Tree of Life! Now we're about to face-off against that big bad Dark Matter sphere of hatred and badness!

Really, failure is the worst-case scenario, and Irau's foolish to be worried that we'd fail. Laughable, really! Maybe she's forgotten, but we never fail! Never! And we won't! Because we are the Evergreens! There's nothing we can't do!

Lyra and Irau, together forever saving the world!

Now, I'm gonna stop writing and give Irau her journal back, then we're gonna march on up these stairs and show Dark Matter what for. And I'm not gonna give her time to write more fearful and doubtful things because that'll only serve to weaken her resolve!

Wish us luck! :D