Beta read by Namohysip. Enjoy!

~Celestial Island~

Tessa slumped so far over to the right she almost fell off the rock she'd been using as a makeshift seat. Squeaking, she thrust her arms apart and her aura feelers shot up. That earned concerned looks from the people sitting around her, her teammates included.

Totem Ninetales turned to Tessa with a raised brow. "Is there something you'd like to add?"

"N… no. Not at all. Carry on." Tessa waved Totem Ninetales off, a sheepish grin on her face. Then, sighing, she slouched back on the rock and stared up at the blue sky. Though she was willing time to move faster, the meeting dragged on.

That's all the last week had been, really. Showing up to Celestial Island and sitting around, listening, while the various Pokémon in attendance discussed what they were going to do with themselves going forward. But just the act of getting the whole crowd settled took up a sizeable part of the first day… and things only trudged on from there.

As far as Tessa was concerned, a lot of these ideas were no-brainers, like adopting Solstice Summit's naming scheme, ditching the unwritten soulmate rule so Pokémon were free to do what they wanted with relationships, and keeping the former Mystery Dungeons as habitats for Pokémon that didn't want to live in towns or villages.

But once the subject drifted toward how to approach the former gods, things devolved and Tessa found her attention wandering off. And these discussions were stretching into their sixth day. Tessa was going stir-crazy. She tapped a foot against the ground. Tessa repeatedly balled up and relaxed her paws, sometimes generating flickers of aura. The flares were weak, but given all the Pokémon on the island, she'd rather have a muted aura sense than get overwhelmed.

"Oi, Punchy! Stay with me! This concerns your team, you know."

"Wha—" Tessa sat up straight in her seat. "I'm awake! I'm awake!"

Seraph looked right at her, sighing and shaking her head. Totem Ninetales cleared her throat. "So, about this group you mentioned reaching out to? The Ultra Recon—"

"Network. The Ultra Recon Network. A series of small pocket words in Ultra Space that are linked together," Seraph said, arms crossed. "Though, after what Shane apparently did, who's to say they're connected anymore?" She scratched at her left ear with a digit. "Regardless, I think it's worth our time to find an Ultra Recon Squad to contact."

"And I say you're inviting trouble upon us," Rayquaza barked, pointing an accusatory claw. "Ultra Space is what got us into this mess with Necrozma… and now you're saying we should go charging into it to find more aliens?"

"It's not that simple. Even though we don't have the equipment, I'm quite confident that, thanks to Shane's actions, the whole planet has an ultra aura. And, of course, there's the fact that we're up to five fallers and counting," Luxeira said, frowning. "The way I see it… an Ultra Recon Squad is bound to pick up some sort of reading from our world and, when they do, they're going to come bearing a lot of questions."

"If past experiences have taught me anything, it'd be much smoother and less headache-inducing if we made first contact with them… and not the other way around," Seraph continued. "If we work with Lunala or Ephemeris, I bet we can track down a URS base and explain things to them. At the very least, it'll keep them off your backs. Maybe we can even convince 'em to let this world join the Ultra Recon Network."

"Are you nuts? We don't want a bunch of Ultra Beasts descending on this place. It'll freak everyone out," Haxorus said, thumping her tail against the ground. Sticky's tail drooped at the comment. "Err, uh, no offense?" Haxorus rubbed the side of her head.

Tessa stretched out her arms. She leaned over toward Silvally and whispered, "I need to go stretch my legs before they lock up. Cover for me, okay?" Tessa waited until he nodded at her, then silently slid off her rocky perch and weaved her way between a few trees. She stumbled through one of the island's small forests until she emerged in a clearing. Tessa approached the grassy edge of the island and kicked a few blades into the water.

"So, how you holding up?"

"Huh?" Tessa's aura feelers twitched too late for her to realize Swampert, Feraligatr, and Raichu were all walking toward her. "Oh. I'm, uh, doing okay, I suppose. Trying not to rip my fur out in frustration. Who knew meetings were so boring?"

"I hear ya. I'd rather listen to one of Chatot's lectures than have to sit around here any longer," Feraligatr said. "But that's not actually what I meant. I was talking about your partner."

"Oh…" Tessa rubbed her shoulder while she considered how to respond. "It's… been tough. Espeon and Silvally have been there for me, but Shane keeps popping up in my dreams. They're not nightmares or anything… but it does bum me out when I wake up and remember he's gone."

"I hear you. The first night after I lost Infernape, the whole guild could hear me bawling my eyes out in our old room. Sunflora and Chimecho wound up offering to let me spend the night in their room," Feraligatr said. "I, uh, wound up staying there for two weeks."

"Same here. Hydreigon stayed with me when Haxorus disappeared," Raichu said, poking her nubby paws together. "He's surprisingly cuddly, given his appearance."

"Yeah. I, um, don't envy what happened to you guys." Swampert rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Blaziken returned shortly after I thought he was gone forever. Still, for the short time I did think I'd lost him, I'm glad that folks like Absol, Ninetales, and Team ACT were around to help me out."

"That's why we wanted to check up on you. It helps to surround yourself with friends, right?" Raichu said, offering a friendly smile.

"I suppose you're right. I appreciate it," Tessa said, nodding at them. "You're not alone, there. Latias and Lugia visited the Observatory yesterday. It was… amusing watching Lugia try to navigate the place. The doorways were not made for someone with a neck as long as his." As soon as she said that, she wondered if an Exeggutor had ever been in the guild. She figured the answer was no, but made a mental note to ask Braviary for her own amusement.

"So, uh…" Tessa fidgeted with her scarf. "Have any of you given any thoughts to what you want your familiar names to be?"

"Exploud suggested I go with 'Bigmouth,' but my mouth is not that big," Feraligatr harrumphed.

"Really? Exploud suggested that?" Tessa raised an amused brow.

"Cut us some slack. Naming isn't exactly something that comes naturally to any of us," Swampert said, shrugging.

"Honestly, I'm surprise you're not considering changing your familiar name. It was your mother who gave it to you, right? Don't you want nothing to do with her?" Raichu said, tilting her head.

Tessa glanced out at the ocean. "That's true. But, honestly, after everything that's happened, I can't see myself as anything but Tessa." She bowed her head. The talk of names got her thinking about Shane's insistence on calling her Tessa instead of Riolu when they first met. Oh, how the tables had turned.

"H-Hey, why the long face?" Feraligatr leaned over and waved an arm in front of Tessa. "We didn't say something wrong, did we?"

"No. I was… thinking of Shane, that's all," Tessa said, pulling the crystal memento out of her new bag and turning it over in her paw.

"Ah. Sorry," Raichu said, ears drooping. She perked right back up, however. "Hey, how about a change of scenery? Maybe going someplace new will help you get out of this funk? Haxy and I would love to show you around Paradise."

Tessa tapped her chin in thought. The offer was tempting. "Hmm. Actually, I've always dreamed of going to visit Treasure Town since I was a pup." She looked at Feraligatr. "Would you mind?"

"Oh, not at all!" Feraligatr perked right up. "It's been a while since I got to do my tour guide schtick."

Tessa blinked. "Tour guide?"

"Yup! We at 'Feraligatr Town Tours' pride ourselves on one-hundred percent customer satisfaction… or your money back," Feraligatr said, puffing out his chest.

"But I wouldn't be paying you anything," Tessa said.

Feraligatr lost his grin and stumbled forward, coughing. "I, uh… that was supposed to be the joke."

"Ah. Whoops. Still, thanks for agreeing to do it," Tessa said, smiling.

"And it looks like you won't have to wait long to leave, either. Seems the meeting's getting out," Swampert said, pointing back toward the center of the island.

"Thank goodness! Let's just hope we don't have to subject ourselves to another yammer-fest tomorrow," Feraligatr said. He beckoned Tessa to follow. "We'd better find Infernape before Hoopa warps him off to Treasure Town."

"Right behind you," Tessa said, jogging after Feraligatr.

Special Episode 5: Bold New Horizon

Chapter 102: A Sense of Paradise

"You think Tessa will be all right off on her own?" Espy wondered, pacing along the outskirts of Celestial Island's forest while she, Silvally, and several other Pokémon waited for Hoopa to return from dropping off the Grass Continent residents in attendance at the meeting.

"She seemed to be in good spirits. I have faith," Silvally said.

Espy paused. "Was… was that supposed to be a play on words because of your core?"

Silvally blinked, then the realization practically smacked him on the cheek bolt. "Heh. It wasn't, but I like your thinking!"

"You and Shane have officially rubbed off on me too much," Espy said, shaking her head. She then caught sight of Haxorus and Raichu walking toward Hydreigon, Virizion, and Umbreon. Her brow furrowed. "Actually, Silv, since Tessa's going to be out… would you be willing to come with me to Paradise?"

"Oh? What for?"

"For, well, y'know…" Espy trailed off, rubbing her forelegs together.

"Ah. I thought you wanted to wait until all of the meetings were done," Silvally said.

"I did. But I reconsidered… in the moment." Espy's tail crinkled up.

The look on her face told Silvally if they didn't go today, it might take Espy awhile to work up the courage to suggest it again. "You're right. Shane really did rub off on you," he said. "Sure. Let's do it." He got to his feet and bent over to stretch out. "Not to put you on the spot or anything, but do you know what you want to say to them?"

"Sort of? At least, I kinda rehearsed a rough version in the shower last night," Espy said. That was more info than Silvally needed, but he nodded nonetheless. "In any case, I'm not looking for you to fill in any awkward pauses or anything. You're there for, y'know, moral support."

"Understood." He lifted up his foreleg and flexed his claws. "You've got this. You know that, right?"

"Y-Yeah." Espy raised her foreleg and tapped her forepaw to Silvally's talons. "I mean… what's a few folks I cussed out compared to Necrozma, right?"

Silvally frowned at the shaky tone in Espy's voice. He walked up beside her. "Well, I think you know as well as I do that this a different type of stress. Just, like, take some deep breaths. Keep a clear head about yourself. You'll be fine."

"Heyo! The Hoopa Express is leaving the station! Next stop… Pokémon Paradise and the Mist Continent!"

"Guess that's for us," Espy said. "Shall we?"

"We shall."

~Paradise Square~

Various members of the original Paradise crew had moved logs or crates onto the grassy knoll in the center of town. Silvally sat opposite them, his gaze focused on Espy. There were a couple of skeptical looks thrown his way. It was mainly Hydreigon, though Silvally figured that had something to do with his role as the Voice of Life. Or, well, his former role as the Voice of Life. His cheek bolts rotated once. To his surprise, his fairy memories shifted on.

"So, uh, thanks… y'know, for coming to hear me out and everything," Espy said. Her voice was still shaky and her slouched posture further betrayed her nervousness. "This is… well, I guess it's been a long time coming, hasn't it?"

Haxorus crossed one leg over the other. She said nothing, but the unflinching look in her eyes was enough to make Espy tense up. The back of Silvally's head tingled. Faint memories of times as a Sylveon carrying wood in his ribbons flickered to mind. Silvally sat up straight, trying to focus on Espy even as Emolga, Virizion, and Swanna stared at him curiously. This was about her. If he was going to support her, he had to stay under control.

"Right. Okay. Look, I'm going to be real with all of you. I could sit here and give you some big, long, drawn-out speech about how sorry I am for all of my bad behavior toward you all over the years. Heck, I tried to practice something like that the other night," Espy said. She glanced back at Silvally. He tilted his head, wondering where she was taking this. "But, well, a speech is just that… a speech. The way I see it, if I really want to make up for my misdeeds, then I have to take action."

Silvally leaned forward, raising a curious brow and taking in the surprised look on Haxorus' face. Espy stood up and levitated off her satchel. "This isn't much… but I thought it'd be a start." Espy flipped the satchel open and produced a porcelain Virizion figurine. It drifted over to Emolga. "Virizion, I worked with Magearna to try and recreate the figurine that Emolga had given you for your five-year anniversary. Y'know, the one I broke when I stomped around your place, drunk off my ass."

Emolga reached out and gingerly took the figurine in his hands. "How did you— but I had made the design with Victini!"

Espy pivoted to Victini. "Yes, you did. And speaking of Victini… here." A small scroll hovered toward him. "These are the V-Wheel 3.0 schematics I'd taken from you after that spat we had about the Jellicents' tabloid article. I found 'em in my personal storage box."

Victini snatched the scroll out of the air and unraveled it. "I don't believe this! I'd been looking everywhere for this." Victini kissed the scroll, drawing cringes from Haxorus and Virizion.

"And Keldeo. This probably isn't much in the way of gestures, but…" Espy sent him a special tube of horn polish. "I hope this can at least make up a tiny bit for all the inappropriate comments I made about your Resolute Forme."

"A new extra-strength formula?" Keldeo scrutinized the bottle. "Where did you find this?"

"The Kecleon Shop in Aeon Town. It hasn't been released publicly yet… but Kecleon was willing to part with one tube." Espy winked at Keldeo, then turned to Swanna. "Swanna, I know there were way too many nights I didn't pay you properly. And, um, I'm not exactly loaded with cash or anything, but I did talk with Kahuna Raichu — the owner of Circadian Coast — and he agreed to help me advertise your inn over in Horizon." She levitated up a piece of paper. "This is a prototype flier we were considering putting up."

"That's… very thoughtful of you," Swanna said, taking the page with a wing.

A smile crept onto Silvally's beak as he watched Espy present her brother with a fresh copy of The Traveler's Guide to the Horizon Continent, a book outlining the land's unique territories, species, and forms of certain Pokémon. Umbreon set the book beside him, rings glowing and tail wagging.

'When did you think all of this up, Espy?' he wondered. She had made it a point of saying how badly she wanted him to help her patch things up with the people of Paradise, but Silvally may as well have been a Joltik on the wall for the entire display. Sure, Espy stole the occasional glance at him, but with each gift she presented, her confidence seemed to grow.

"Hydreigon, I'll admit, it was a lot harder to come up with something for you. You've always been patient with me, even when I didn't necessarily deserve it. And, of course, you were one of the immortal gods." Espy rummaged through her bag and pulled out another slip of paper. "I know how much you used to prattle on about being unable to use Draco Meteor… so I thought this might help."

"This voucher entitles the user to one free move tutoring session," Hydreigon read aloud. "I'm impressed you actually remembered that."

"Heh. Well, hopefully this can give you the last push to get over that hump," Espy said. Her tail had finally stopped drooping. Silvally's tail inadvertently wagged. Espy approached Team Paradise, her head held high. Silvally held his breath, but relaxed when he saw that Haxorus had a smile of her own on her face.

"So, you two were probably the toughest nuts to crack, so to speak. You've both worked hard to build Paradise up… and I did my best to get in the way," Espy said. She shook her head. "I understand that I've made a lot of mistakes. And, regardless of what you choose to think of me, I've decided to stay in Horizon and start a new life for myself in Aeon Town."

Silvally raised an eyebrow when Espy looked right at him. His mind wandered back to the moment she had caught him in the shower. Was she thinking about what he'd said to her? How they'd need to talk about their feelings at some point? Silvally looked at his talons. It seemed that he was the one caught unprepared, not Espy.

"Anyway, this is what I came up with." Espy produced two rhomboid crystals and passed them to Team Paradise. "They're Frism replicas… modified from the Gear-Coms and Expedition Gadgets. I'm no Magearna or Jirachi, so I couldn't exactly make 'em communicate with each other, but that was never my intention." Her forehead gem glistened and the replicas sparkled in Team Paradise's hands.

"What are you doing with it?" Haxorus held the Frism up and stared at it liked she was using a magnifying glass.

"The replicas are enhanced so that they can store memories," Espy said. "Not just words… but sights, smells, and even tastes." She stepped back, tapping the forked ends of her tail together. "It wasn't easy to put together and it's been a while since I've tinkered with something that isn't Entercard-related, but I think I got them right. Basically, you can turn on the Frism and it can record things for a few minutes… or you can use it like a music crystal. Touch it to your forehead, think about the memory you want to copy to the Frism, and it'll transfer."

"Wow. That's cool," Raichu said, turning over the Frism with her paws.

"Yeah. What made you decide to do this, exactly?" Haxorus wondered.

"Well… you two are a couple. I thought it might be nice for you to have a way to preserve cherished memories," Espy said, tail wagging.

"I see…" Haxorus scrutinized the item.

"Oh, come on, you've gotta admit, it's a nice fit," Raichu said, elbowing Haxorus' side.

"It is."

"Then why the furrowed brow? I won't think any less of you if thank her," Raichu said, curling her tail around Haxorus'.

"It's okay, Raichu. I understand. It's going to take more than a few gifts to get back into your good graces," Espy said, stepping back to glance at the rest of the group. "I've still got things I need to work on. Hopefully next time we see each other, I'll be someone you're all more comfortable talking to again."

Espy turned to rejoin when Silvally when Haxorus mumbled, "You're already close."

She turned to Haxorus, ears twitching. "What was that?"

"I said you're already close. I heard the stuff you said while fighting Necrozma, same as everyone else," Haxorus said, crossing one leg over the other again. Her eyes settled on Silvally, who stiffened to make it look like he was paying close attention. "Whatever your big squeeze here has done has clearly changed you."

"Buh… big squeeze?" The words came out before Silvally even realized what he was saying. Warmth flooded his system. He was sure his fire memories had switched on again, but there were twinges of dragon energy and… ESP?

Silvally blinked. Instead of looking at Haxorus, a Zekrom sat in front of him, one leg crossed over the other. "You're an absolute riot, you know that? C'mere, you!" She reached a muscular arm toward Silvally.

"We, uh… but everyone only agreed to stop doing the soulmate superstition thing the other day," Espy squeaked, snapping Silvally back into the town square. He looked around in confusion, only to gulp upon seeing Umbreon sizing him up.

"Pfbt. Yeah, uh-huh. Look, even if I was part of some kinda creepy, soul soup hodgepodge, I still saw what happened in that fight," Haxorus said, smirking. "The looks you shared. You burying your face in his hide. The big guy saving you from tumbling off Ephemeris… then taking all those hits Necrozma's core would've landed with its Bittercold clones. You two have to face the fact that either one of you used Attract by accident… or you've got a thing going." She raised her right hand and clicked her claws together.

"We're not—" Silvally started, but his choked on his own words when he saw how red Espy's face had gotten. "It's, um, something we intend to discuss at a later date."

"Sure. Whatever floats your Jellicents." Haxorus shrugged. "But once you two do seal the deal or whatever… Rai and I could go for a new pair to double-date with." She threw her arm around a bewildered Raichu. "No offense, Virizion, but it wouldn't kill us to shake things up every now and again."

"Oh, agreed. Most certainly." Virizion shifted her wait onto her right side. "I myself am curious how you fell for such an… interesting specimen." She locked eyes with Espy, an amused grin on her face.

"I, uh… well… that is…" Espy's tail curled around her waist. Silvally was ready to jump in, when Espy calmly assumed a stoic expression and said. "When you think about it, it's not all that different from you and Emolga." She walked back toward Silvally. "That's not meant as a diss or anything… I just find it funny you're the one to say that."

To Silvally's surprise, Virizion laughed. "I'm impressed. You didn't take the bait. I guess you really have changed."

Espy stumbled, bumping into an equally-confused Silvally's foreleg. "Bwuh?"

"That was intentional low-hanging fruit. I was curious if you'd snark at me or not," Virizion explained. "Seems Haxorus is right."

"Of course I am," Haxorus said, shooting to her feet and pointing her right index digit up triumphantly.

Espy and Silvally exchanged bewildered looks. "Right. Well, uh, I think the two of us ought to get back to Horizon before it gets too late over there," Silvally said, glancing up at the sky. "Stupid time zone differences."

"You sure? I'm happy to let you both spend the night here," Swanna said.

"I appreciate the offer, but I don't want to impose," Silvally said, bobbing his head. "C'mon, Espy." He bid farewell to the Paradise crew with a wave of his foreleg then walked away from the town square with Espy at his side. She pulled out her Gear-Com and, after a brief exchange with a grumpy Hoopa, secured them a ring portal back to Horizon.

"Can I ask you something?" Silvally said.

"Besides that?"

Silvally froze mid-step. "Ha, ha." He rolled his eyes. "Anyway, when did you find the time to make that stuff?"

"Truthfully? I haven't gotten much sleep," Espy said, yawning to emphasize her point. "I've been a bit restless… and, I don't know, these little projects made for a good distractor over how weird it is not to have Shane around."

"Ah. He's been on your mind, too, huh?"

"You have to admit, things have been quieter without him," Espy said, sighing. "Even if he said a lot of stupid stuff, some of it was amusing. I kinda miss seeing him stick his paw in his mouth."

"Yeah…" The two shared a chuckle until their voices trailed off. Silvally crossed into Espy's path. "You know… for someone who really wanted me around, you seemed to handle yourself well. I daresay you didn't actually need me there."

"You think so? I, uh…" Espy brushed a forepaw along Silvally's chitin. "Well, when I was, um, 'practicing' how this would go, I looked into the mirror and I told myself, 'What would Silvally do?' I sat there for a bit, then answered, 'He wouldn't back down, no matter how scary the challenge seemed.' And things kinda snowballed from there."

"Well, consider me impressed. I thought you were going to have a much tougher time with them," Silvally said.

"In fairness… I did have a big, burly buddy at my back." Espy smirked at him. "Maybe they were scared if they upset me, you'd get mad at them?"

"I think you're not giving yourself enough credit. This was all you," Silvally said, bumping her foreleg with his. Blood rushed to her face. His fire memories shifted on again.

"Maybe." Espy stepped closer to him.

"Espy…" Warm air gathered around Silvally's cheek bolts. "Maybe we should wait until we're somewhere private before we—"

"Knock, knock! Hoopagram!"

"Ah!" Espy arced her back and hissed at the ring portal that popped up in front of her. "Do you mind?"

"Yes. You're cutting into Hoopa time." Hoopa rested his head against his right hand. "Get in so Hoopa can take you to Aeon Town and go back to chowing down on donuts."

"Fine. But don't tell anyone what you heard," Espy said, stepping toward the ring portal. Silvally glanced away. His eyes flashed gold. The back of his neck tingled.

"Um, actually… is there any chance you could drop me off at the Nocturnus Catacombs?" Silvally said.

Espy paused and looked over her shoulder. "Silv?"

"Um, I guess you could say you've sorta inspired me to try something," Silvally said, offering a shaky grin. "A reconciliation of my own, if you would."

"Then I'm going with you." Espy stepped to his side again.

"A-Are you sure? You don't—"

"Moral support." She wrapped her tail around his foreleg. Now Silvally's fire memories weren't just on, his red parts were glowing.

"O-Okay. Sorry, Hoopa."

"Eh. That makes it easier for Hoopa." He waved his hand. A shimmer raced across the ring portal, then it expanded. Espy and Silvally walked into it side by side.

~Nocturnus Catacombs~

Guilt bubbled up in Silvally's gut the moment he saw Espy's tail droop. He knew she was remembering the cave-in they'd experienced previously. Silvally wanted to offer to bring her up to the surface, but this wasn't a Mystery Dungeon anymore. As far as he knew, the only way out was to hike all the way back out.

"Are you sure you're up for this?" he said.

"I'm okay." She stuck close to him. "It's… I want to support you."

"And I appreciate that. But not if it's going to make you upset like this," Silvally said. He shifted to a steel-type, as if he could somehow shield her from the bad memories.

"I'm fine." Espy took a shaky breath. "I can do this." She nodded at him.

They proceeded the rest of the way along the tunnel in silence. The circular tunnel soon expanded outward into a large dome. Silvally's eyes widened. "What the— where's the lab? This is definitely the right tunnel." He looked around in confusion, but all he found was rock outcroppings interspersed between two small ponds.

"Maybe Shane got rid of it when he fixed the world up?" Espy said, staring at the pond on her right. The water rippled. "I think someone's in the water. Or, rather, several someones." Her forehead gem flashed.

Silvally stepped in front of her. A mix of pink and black spread down his body. His cheek bolts rotated. It was time to speak with the horde.

"I know you guys are out there. Stop hiding. I just want to talk… that's all."

The pond rippled faster. An Unown-Y and Unown-? popped up, huddling together nervously.

"Not just you guys. Everyone else, too. I can sense them." The pink expanded in Silvally's head crest. When neither Unown moved, Silvally sigh. "Look, what can I do to convince you guys I don't mean any harm?"

The two Unown drifted back, replaced by an Unown-S, Unown-I, and Unown-T.

"Something tells me this is how they're choosing to 'talk' with you," Espy said, head tilted.

"Okay." Silvally sat on his haunches, then slid onto his belly. He let his talons dip in the pond. Flames ignited inside of him when the water turned out to be far colder than he could've expected. Red spots popped up in his energy blades. The Unown stared at each other, then looked up at the ceiling. Silvally followed their gazes and saw at least a hundred eyes staring back at him. So, it wasn't the full horde, but there was still plenty of them.

"Look. I know I said I wasn't going to come back here and bother you guys… but after the battle with Necrozma, I couldn't help but think about you all," Silvally said. "You, um, did see the battle, right?"

Unown-S rose higher into the air. An Unown-Y and an Unown-E joined it. Silvally resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He'd rather try to eat a nearby rock than talk this way. Silvally glanced at Espy, who looked at him in concern. He took a deep breath.

"Guys, I'm sorry that Necrozma hurt more of you. And I'm doubly sorry about what happened last time I was here. But I did what I needed to do to keep my friends safe," Silvally said, staring at his talons. Even if Unown were individually weak, a hundred eyes on him at once was too much to take. "I came here… because I was hoping that, at the very least, I could try to square things up with you all.

"But, I guess, now that I'm sitting here, I don't actually know what that really means." He stared at his own reflection. "I've had a lot of doubts about whether I really deserve to exist or not. But in the time after I blew up — when Necrozma had me under his control and I had to hurt Espy — I realized just how much I love being with my friends and being part of Team Radiance.

"I don't want to disappear or disassemble or anything like that. I want to be able to live out my life… as Silvally. Even if I have all these conflicting memories from my spirits… and even if my body was made from a lot of you guys," Silvally continued. He finally stomached the courage to look up at the Unown horde. They'd bunched up together yet, strangely, he didn't see any signs of their reality-warping powers. Had Shane undone those, too?

"None of that is anything I, as Silvally, had control over. I made that perfectly clear last time, but the difference is I've accepted my creation for what it is," he said. A golden shimmer rippled through his eyes. Warmth spread through his chest as he glanced at Espy again. "Again, I'm sorry about what happened to your brothers and sisters. Their sacrifices weren't in vain, though. If I hadn't been able to help my friends, who knows if Necrozma would've been stopped."

Silvally got to his feet. Water trickled down his chitin. The Unown stared him down silently. He sighed. "You know, I'd be willing to accept you all as a family of sorts. I'm… not sure what we'd do together, but if that's a way for you to feel like you've gotten back the members of your horde that you lost… I can try to make it work."

He stood there, waiting for a response, but nothing happened. Silvally lowered his head. At least he managed to say his part. After all, he really wasn't sure what, if any, closure he could get with them. This was better than nothing. In the end, he was glad he came here.

"W-Wait!"

An Unown-W floated into Silvally's path. "U-Um. I'd… I'd like it if you visited again."

Silvally's head crest fanned out. Espy's tail stuck up in surprise. They both heard faint whispers from the ceiling, likely the Unown trying to decide if they should intervene. Silvally crouched low to the ground in an attempt at looking decile. "I'd be happy to visit. I could even bring some stuff from Aeon Town for you guys to see, if you'd like."

"Stuff?" Unown-W flipped upside down. "Yeah! Stuff! I wanna see stuff!" It bounced around happily.

This sent a ripple effect up toward the ceiling. Soon, dozens of Unown were twirling, singing "Stuff! Stuff!" amongst themselves.

"This is… not how I was expecting my day to turn out," Espy mused, watching the sight with a smirk. "You always have a way to surprise me, Silv."

"I can't say I planned this," Silvally said as Unown-W rejoined the horde. "Uh, okay, then I'll try dropping by next week. How's that?"

The same Unown-Y, Unown-E, and Unown-S from earlier swooped down, orbiting around one another. "Okay. One question, though. My partner and I walked all the way here from the surface. Do you know if there's a quick way to get back to Glyphic Falls?"

The three Unown hovered to Silvally's left. He followed them and noticed a sparkling light pillar in the corner of the room. He titled his head. "Is this… a waypoint? We shouldn't have those anymore, should we?"

"Maybe Shane left them in?" Espy said. "I'd rather try it than hoof it all the way back through the cave. C'mon." She hopped into the waypoint. Silvally nodded at the Unown, then followed behind her.

~Aeon Town~

"Okay. In truth… maybe going into the Catacombs in the dead of night was not our smartest decision," Espy said, yawning after a close call where she almost fell in the fountain.

"I did offer to let you go back to the Observatory," Silvally said, dark memories activated. They both helped him see and gave him a jolt of energy to make it back home before turning in for the night.

"And I refused that offer," Espy said, brushing against Silvally's side. A twinge of red popped up on his tail.

"R-Right, well—"

"There you two are! I've been looking everywhere for you!"

Pink splotches popped up in Silvally's head crest. He spun around and jumped back as Lunala swooped down with a bleary-eyed Tessa sitting on her back.

"Is something wrong?" Espy said. She looked to Tessa, who could only offer a half-asleep shrug.

"Yes. I, uh… I think so, anyway," Lunala said, frowning.

"What could be such a big problem that you have to come looking for us in the middle of the night?" Silvally wondered. He doubted he would like the answer, but if there was even the slightest chance this was overblown, he'd want to know.

Lunala hovered close to them. Then, third eye lighting up, she said. "I found an open rift just outside the stratosphere. And it's slowly sucking energy away from the planet."

Yes, I know. This is the shortest chapter this fic's had in a long time. But this felt like a natural breaking point given what's to follow. Nonetheless, I still hope you enjoyed this and you'll consider leaving your thoughts.

SuperOmegaGuest: Yes, I couldn't quite bring myself to end things there. As you can tell from this part, though, this final arc will be on the quiet side.

Anon Omega: When I said we're done with big battles, I truly meant it. You'll have to wait and see what happens next.

Dovah: As it stands right now, I'm just focused on making sure the last part of this is up right before Sword and Shield come out. Which is what looks like will be happening.

Xero-Xis: Glad to hear you've enjoyed it. I confess my bias with all the Kirby influences. Best of luck with your own piece!

Next time: a fateful reunion. Four chapters remain.