Luca sat alone in the lantern's light, her back to the inn's outer wall. To fight boredom as she waited for the Lucario's return, she spent her time staring at the sky. It had been a long time since she had stargazed; in the mountains she spent almost no time awake at night, and the forest surrounding Hollyhead was far too dense. Now, in the open plains, the sky was dizzyingly large. When she stared at it for too long, Luca felt like she could lose track of the ground beneath her. Regardless of how much she enjoyed it, she had to take breaks—lest the dizziness overtake her.

It was during one of these break periods that Luca's waiting finally ended. The first indication that the Lucario had returned was the gentle rustling of grass nearby. A moment later, he crested the border of the lantern's light and joined her in her little sanctuary from the darkness.

"I was surprised to see your Aura not inside the inn, but behind it," the Lucario said as he sat cross-legged in front of Luca. "Did you buy this lantern to save me some money?"

"I didn't, actually. Where I got it has to do with what I want to tell you about, and I think it's best done starting from the beginning. Would you mind just listening, and saving questions for the end?"

"Of course."

"And can you promise that I won't regret sharing? That you won't take drastic action?"

"Mmm," the Lucario hummed, considering. "I can promise that I won't take drastic action without being entirely sure that it's justified. How's that?"

"Good enough. Just try to keep an open mind, OK?"

With that, Luca recounted her entire experience to the Lucario whose name she still didn't know. Despite herself, she didn't leave anything out like she had with Kai, even going as far as to describe how she was feeling with each development.

It took what felt like hours, but once she had finally finished, the Lucario nodded to himself as if acknowledging the story's conclusion but stayed silent. It was apparent on his face that he was thinking hard, and Luca waited patiently for his verdict.

A few minutes later, he finally spoke: "You started your story at the beginning, so I'll order my questions in the same way. First, you mentioned that the Coalition was being led by a female Absol. Was she old?"

"She was, actually. Do you know her?"

"I did," the Lucario smiled wistfully. "I had heard of the Coalition's formation, but I never would have guessed that old Absol was responsible. Makes perfect sense in retrospect, though."

"Why?"

"Absol are quite rare, but they have the unique ability to sense impending disasters before they happen. Depending on the specific Absol, it's used in a wide variety of ways—but most of them tend to try to stop them or minimize the resulting damage. Then there's the fact that the Coalition sprung up almost overnight upon the dungeons' appearance, which is unthinkable for such a large organization. It was almost as if someone already knew something was going to happen."

"OK, OK, I get it. You dont need to lay it on so thick."

The Lucario gave an amused grunt. "Next question, then—though this one is actually a comment. You mentioned an attempted force palm nearly killing you, and while I can't speak for then, your Aura has recovered enough that given a skilled hand, you're capable of performing a force palm."

"Next question," the Lucario continued, holding up a sturdy paw to dissuade a response. "Do you trust Kai? And will you keep traveling with her when you're no longer desperate for an ally?"

"She's only staying until we find Dante."

"And if she wants to stay afterwards?"

"She won't."

"You're afraid of her."

"Wh-what do you mean?" Luca said, feeling herself growing flustered. "She made that promise to not hurt me, and I know she won't break it."

The Lucario shook his head. "You're still afraid of her reaction to being told to leave. Even worse than that, you're afraid of her leaving, period. She murdered someone, Riolu. In cold blood and premeditated."

"I—"

"Look, I'm not saying this to attack you," he clarified. "I only want you to think hard about this situation, as a courtesy from a former Riolu. Come to your own conclusion, independent from me. Think hard about who you would like to be, and follow that course of action. OK?"

"...OK."

"Good. Last question, then. Unfortunately, I can't offer you much help. I'm as lost as you are about why you might be in this dimension, about the White Spine, and about any other questions you have. The most I can say is that I may be able to speculate about things that happened to you before you entered our dimension based on your Aura, but that doesn't get us anywhere in solving anything."

"You're able to see something like that?"

The Lucario nodded. "And you will too, if you evolve. But to evolve, you first need to survive. So, would you permit me to travel with you until you reach Cord's End? Frankly, based on the Aura I feel in this town, I suspect they're organizing an ambush for you once you leave. I doubt they'll try anything with an unknown Lucario there."

"I'd love that, but... do you really have the time to? It's almost a week of travel left."

"I do have somewhere important to be in half a month's time, but I can travel with you and make it there afterwards if I run once you're safely in Cord's End—and as you know, stamina is no trouble for us. Plus, as an extra bonus, I'll be able to teach you how to use force palm."

"I..." Luca began. Once again, the unexpected offer of kindness triggered a well of emotion within her. Forcing herself to stay together, Luca continued: "I would really appreciate that," she managed.

The Lucario smiled warmly. "Good to hear. Now, do you have any questions for me?"

"You know I do, I imagine."

"Well, yes," he admitted. "But it's polite to ask."

"Why did you supply a wild Pokémon tribe?"

"Well, this specific tribe of Pyroar are a bit of a special case as far as wild Pokémon go. In general, it didn't take long for wild Pokémon to figure out that hunting for food in the dungeons was easier, safer, and more reliable. These Pyroar though, they decided that they didn't want to risk eating inter-dimensional meat from what are, as far as anyone can tell, fake Pokémon. Still, continuing to hunt would label them as bloodthirsty in the current climate, so they're happy to receive food."

"Wait, but how does that make them any different from civil Pokémon?"

"Their diet is hardly the only thing differentiating them. Their seclusion, non-reliance on other groups, and culture are all starkly different. Besides, even if I give them food to cut down on the amount of Pokémon they kill, I assume they still hunt some."

"OK. Now for the weird questions, since you know what I am. Do you think it's possible that humans don't have Aura, and I had to essentially grow one from scratch?"

"It's... possible, I guess? It'd go against our understanding of Aura as what makes a being themselves, but there's also exceptions even within our world. Ghost-types don't have Aura, but they obviously have personalities. Either way, I don't think it's the case that you had to grow it from scratch."

"Why not?"

"Frankly, some of your behavior is unexplainable—and I can tell that it confuses even you. For example, I was the first Pokémon to show you true pity and you had a volcanic reaction. This is common with those who have experienced emotional support deprivation, but you don't seem to have any of the other symptoms. I'm wondering if when your memory was taken, your Aura was maintained some of the emotional scars. A sort of lingering symptom for an issue you can no longer remember."

"Wait, is this what you meant? That you might be able to speculate about things that happened to me?"

"That's right. As another example, you weren't entirely sure why you went to see Isle in the middle of the night. You also mentioned that your friend Dante suspected it may have been essentially a suicide attempt which, as I'm sure you know, is a concerning idea. Can you think of any more?"

Luca looked into light of the lantern and considered her experience so far. It didn't take long for her to think of an unexplained action, but she took an extra moment to consider the validity of it within the Lucario's theory. It was surprising how well it fit. "...This is something I've since gotten over, but initially, I made a point to always sleep away from the others—but only sometimes. And I didn't know why. It was the same with touching other Pokémon. Sometimes it was fine, and sometimes I found myself avoiding it like the plague."

The Lucario nodded. "It's as if your trauma from when you were a human is sometimes pushing itself into your behavior, despite the fact that you don't have it anymore. Like your Aura is a messy mix of your new self and lingering feelings. It's reassuring that you seemed to have worked through some of them, though."

"Looks like whoever brought me here did me a favor, then. Though I guess that doesn't exactly help us solve any mysteries."

"True. And besides, it's only speculation."

"I'll move on, then. How does gaining the steel-type when you evolve feel?"

The Lucario huffed, laughing. "All of a sudden, we're back to an extremely common question."

"Is it really that common? I would have been afraid to ask, expecting it to out me as a false Pokémon."

"Of course. Most Pokémon want all the information they can get about their future evolution. To me, steel-type feels like... I'm much heavier, and my body has much more mass to it, but I don't actually move slower. My body has the strength and stamina to deal with it, so it just makes everything so much more satisfying. Does that make sense to you?"

"I think so. What's fire like, compared to when you were a Riolu?"

"It's strange, actually. Normally skin can melt and warp at extremely high temperatures, but mine doesn't. All of the damage ends up being internal, and it ends up being significantly worse."

"Do things like sitting next to campfires still feel good?"

"Mhm. Just like with normal Pokémon, only extreme heat matters. Normal amounts of heat are perfectly pleasant."

"Good to hear. How's sleeping in populated areas, then? Worse, or about the same as when you were a Riolu?"

"Much worse initially, but after a few months it ends up being much better. You'll just need to get properly used to it, but a lot of Lucario just don't bother and live secluded lives."

"Hm."

"One more question, then?"

"You know, I don't exactly like you always knowing what I'm feeling."

"I can't turn it off, unfortunately."

Luca shrugged. "Do you know anything about the Kecleon shop keeps? Why they might be so willing to help me?"

"Almost nothing. I could ask, if you'd like. I may be able to learn more."

"If you don't mind."

"OK. If there's nothing else, then, we can call it for the night. I'll find you in the morning, yeah?"

"If you think I'm safe until I leave town, sure."

"Great," the Lucario said, pushing himself to his feet. "I'll see you then. Before I go, though, my name is Aurelio."

"Well, then thank you, Aurelio," Luca smiled. "My name is Luca."

"...Interesting choice."

"So I hear," Luca shrugged. She found it amusing that the Lucario's name was essentially just a pun on 'Aura', but then again, her name was most of the word 'Lucario'. It didn't seem polite to mention regardless. "See you tomorrow."

"Until then," Aurelio bowed. With that, he disappeared into the darkness back the way he came.

Luca sighed, releasing the tension from the conversation. Even after sharing everything with him, she still didn't much like the feeling of such a piercing gaze. It was unfortunate that if she ever evolved, she would have to deal with invading the privacy of everyone around her—though when it came down to it, she would rather be in his position than hers.

Luca briefly considered staying outside, as she would be significantly more difficult to find, tucked behind the inn rather than in a room she was registered to. Plus, she wouldn't need to justify the lantern's appearance to Thom. Unfortunately she was more vulernable when alone and it was starting to get cold at night, so it made more sense to return to the room. Reluctantly, Luca collected the lantern and returned to the dark room containing her traveling companions.

Inside, Thom's massive body took up all of the bedding and more, so Luca followed Kai's example and found a random bit of bare wooden floor to lay flat on. She had put off sleeping long enough that the instant she settled, sleep came for her almost instantaneously.


Within what felt like only a few moments of falling asleep, Luca was annoyed to find herself already waking up. However, the instant that she realized she was no longer lying on the hard wooden floor of the inn's room and was instead floating in a directionless and perfectly dark void, the soft pressure of annoyance was overwhelmed by the sharp sting of fear; she was once again dreaming of Giratina.

Luca searched her surroundings as best she could in the apparent zero-gravity. Unlike her previous visits to his domain, Giratina made no secret of his presence: the only thing she could see in the darkness was his glowing red eyes, burning with hate.

"...Giratina?" she ventured.

You know my name, wretched thing. But it will not save you.

"Why do I need to die?" Luca challenged. "I was brought here by someone else. Aren't they the offender?"

They are. And still, you are the abomination—and there is but one cure.

"I can't be sent back?"

Even without Aura involved, Luca could watch the outrage explode in the dimension god's eyes.

UNTHINKABLE.

Although he hadn't screamed, the word was deafening. Luca was forced to slap her paws over her ears in response, and even then, the vibrations shook her heart. For a moment, she properly understood that she was speaking to a god. She pushed the thought aside; if she lingered on it, the fear inside her would grow to be paralyzing.

In the meantime, Giratina's eyes only grew angrier in the silence. But with the extra time to think as she recovered, Luca realized: if he could see her, so could a marked agent in the waking world. She may even be in active danger.

"What now, then?" Luca managed to ask. "Are you going to stare at me all night?"

You will not escape again.

"I'm not going anywhere in the middle of a field like this. Can't I just sleep for now, and you can ambush me tomorrow?"

No. Suffer.

Luca couldn't help but sigh. She was really hoping she wouldn't have to spend the whole night in the void, not to mention being stared at by a murderous god. Unfortunately, she didn't seem to have much of a choice.

With a deep inhale to steady her breathing, Luca closed her eyes and looked inside herself. There was her Aura, beautifully unchanged by the fact that she was in a dream. If she could look at her Aura, perhaps she could enter the meditative state that made being awake all night tolerable. She let herself relax, and tried to lose herself in the warm blue color...

...

...

...Nothing. She was still floating in the void. She wasn't the least bit tired—probably because she was already asleep—and even the pseudo-sleep evaded her.

Suddenly, an idea occurred. Giratina would never let her sleep for the sake of cooperation or mercy, but maybe he would for his own gains. Luca opened her eyes to meet Giratina's.

"You have one of your marked agents ready to ambush me once I leave town, right?" she asked.

Giratina continued to stare in silence.

"And I'd bet they're waiting until then because starting a fight in a populated town is asking for something to go wrong. I might convince the town to help me, even."

Giratina said nothing, but his eyes once again burned with fresh rage.

"I'd bet it's even worse now that I have a Lucario helping me. The town will be willing to help by default."

Still only angry silence.

"If you keep disrupting my sleep, there's no reason for me to leave. I could stay in town for a very long time."

The Lucario will need to leave.

"True, but what are you going to do until then? Watch me every minute of every day? Besides, even after he leaves, I'll have been in town for days. Plenty of time to make friends and guarantee myself allies. On the other hand, if you let me sleep now, I'll leave tomorrow. It's the best deal for you."

To Luca's shock, Giratina's eyes slowly closed. The instant they were gone, Luca gasped at the sudden change; she was back at the inn, being jostled by an unfamiliar pressure on her shoulder. She jumped up, and was on her feet in an instant.

"Ah!" Thom said from above her. "Sorry, Aura. I didn't mean to scare you, only to wake you."

Luca relaxed. "Sorry, Thom. I had a bad dream."

"Oh? Well, you can ride in the back with Kai if you need to."

"Wait, is it morning?" Luca asked as he lumbered away. Searching the room, she saw that Kai was gone and her lantern had burned out.

"Mhm. We're ready to go whenever you are."

As the Mudsdale left, Luca smiled to herself with relief. She had actually managed to coerce Giratina into letting her go. Granted he was still trying to kill her, but she was still exceptionally proud of herself. Now she just needed to survive the ambush.

Luca felt a pang of guilt as Thom disappeared behind the doorway. "Hey Thom, wait a second," she called after him. She followed him out and was met with large, curious eyes in the hallway.

"What is it?"

"Look, uh... I've been lying to you. About who I am."

A pulse of confusion and hurt from him, surely resulting from many days of what he thought was genuine conversation. "Why?"

"It's a long story—too long for right now. I can come clean later, but the point is I'm going to be ambushed after leaving town. I don't want you to get caught up in it unawares."

A pulse of surprise and worry. "An ambush? Will you be OK with just Kai? And does she know?"

"She knows the real me. And I should be fine, I think? I met a Lucario in town, and he's going to help."

"A Lucario..." Thom repeated to himself. "You must have quite the story."

"You have no idea."

"I'll still travel with you if a Lucario is willing to vouch for you," Thom said. "But I would appreciate an explanation afterwards. See you outside."

As Thom turned and continued down the hallway, Luca returned to where she slept and cradled the spent lantern before hugging the left wall to make her own way outside.

When she crested the exit door, Luca had to hold her paw up in front of her eyes against the bright light. She had grown accustomed to the darker environment of the inn's inside—and for that matter, Giratina's void—and the early morning light streaming through the buildings was too much for her for a moment. It certainly woke her up, though: within an instant, she felt ready for whatever came her way.

To her left, Thom stood patiently at the head of the cart waiting to be strapped in. He briefly acknowledged Luca with a glance, but his attention was focused on something across town. Following his gaze, Luca saw that Aurelio was having a pleasant conversation with the Kecleon. Across his shoulder was a traveling bag that Luca hadn't seen him with before.

With only a pleasant wave to the distracted Mudsdale, Luca went straight to the back of the cart. Tucked snugly in Thom's goods was Kai, apparently taking a nap immediately upon waking up. Luca didn't know how she managed it.

"Hey," Luca said, keeping her voice down. "You awake?"

Empty brown eyes blinked open. "What is it?" she asked patiently.

"We're going to be ambushed after we leave town. Will you be ready?"

The Vulpix's eyes narrowed with suspicion. "How could you possibly know that?"

"The Lucario sensed it."

"He's helping you, then?"

"Huh? Oh, yes."

"Fine," Kai nodded. "I'll be ready."

Luca nodded in response and returned to the front of the cart. In the time it had taken her to notify Kai, Aurelio had finished his conversation and was on his way over. Luca threw the harness over Thom's back and made herself busy connecting straps as the Lucario approached.

"Hail, Mudsdale," Aurelio smiled once he had approached. "I sense that our mutual friend has informed you of the impending fight?"

"She has. I'll help, but I'll need one of you to unstrap me when the time comes."

"I can handle that," Luca piped up. "I'm familiar with it, at this point."

"Excellent," Aurelio said as Luca finished up. "If you all are comfortable with it, I'll take point. I'll let you know if I sense anything important, and I'll give strategic orders if needed. Sound good?"

After two affirmatives, he nodded gravely. "If everyone's ready, let's go."

With that, Aurelio turned and padded towards the town's exit. The cart groaned as Thom pulled forward, and just like that, they were off. On their way out of town, Luca glanced at Kecleon. She gave a short wave and a grin as she passed, and Luca was once again confused about the motives of the mysterious Kecleon guild. If they survive the ambush, she would need to remember to ask Aurelio about the fruits of their conversation.

It was a long few minutes of walking before it occurred to Luca that nothing had happened yet. With the city getting further and further from them, where was an ambush meant to be concealed? Perfectly flat ground meant the only place to hide was... Luca glanced nervously at the ground beneath her feet. Was there a Pokémon in the ground, ready to attack?

"I see someone ahead," Aurelio said, breaking the tense silence. "They're not in my range yet, so I'll give more information when we're close."

Luca strained her eyes to look at the path before her. Sure enough, she could see a shape breaking the empty horizon. It was symmetric in the middle of the path, and Luca felt sure that it was patiently waiting for her specifically.

Once they had gotten a bit closer, Aurelio spoke up again. "A Drapion. He wants to speak, so I'll hold strategy for later."

Luca racked her brain for what type of Pokémon a Drapion was, but she couldn't quite remember. The name made her think dragon-type, but that was about it. Looking at the form ahead, she could see it a bit more clearly. Its purple form hulked in the center of the path, but she still couldn't see enough to identify it.

Only when they were upon him did Luca properly recognize the species: Drapion were giant scorpion-like Pokémon—dark and poison-type, if she recalled correctly. It hadn't moved since they saw it on the horizon, but it looked both actively poised to leap forward and profoundly uncomfortable. It appeared thoroughly inhuman, and if Luca wasn't used to the Pokémon world, she would have been shocked beyond belief to learn that it was just as intelligent as a human.

"Drapion," Aurelio greeted him once they were in earshot. He took a moment to signal for the cart to stop behind him, and for Luca to release Thom's straps. "Am I to understand that you won't let us pass?"

"All I want is the Riolu," he sneered. "I have no business with the rest of you."

"I see," Aurelio said as he took his satchel from his shoulder and let it fall into the dust. He lowered his voice as he continued, speaking to Luca and the others: "We're too far from any healers, so if he manages to poison any of you, it'll be a death sentence. Mudsdale and Riolu, stay on the opposite side of the cart from him and I'll engage in melee range since I'm immune to poison. Vulpix, you may use ranged attacks if you think you can dodge any stray attacks. Otherwise, join them."

"...Hah," Aurelio laughed ruefully after a moment. "It seems as though he's quite thrilled about my assumption that he was the only one here. Given that I don't sense any Aura, there must be a ghost-type hiding in the ground below us. If I'm ambushed by them while I'm fighting, please cover me from the top of the cart, Vulpix. Riolu, join her and stay ready to dodge whatever comes your way. Mudsdale, stay vigilant: Vulpix and Riolu are the most likely targets."

Luca complied, clambering on top of the cart. She joined Kai, who had already taken her place at the peak. The Vulpix looked down at the Drapion, and although she stood ready, she appeared more relaxed than anything.

An Aura pulse told Luca that the Drapion was furious that his Aura was read, and he finally stood more properly. He arched his back, spread his arms wide, and shuddered with the anticipation of the impending combat. "I guess I'll just have to win the fight, then," he snarled with a twisted grin.

As Aurelio similarly prepared, Luca shivered with anticipation as well. However this fight went, it was going to be brutal. She only hoped they would come out the other side.