Chapter Ninety Three: Sandy's Choice

It was a few minutes into their flight that the ranger introduced himself as Ira. As they soared over the cliffs and the everlasting fields, he regaled Sandy and Lachlan with stories from his work, shouting to be heard over the rushing wind, telling them how he lived in Sevii his whole life, how his mother, a doctor, had inspired him to become a ranger.

"When I was five years old, someone asked me what I wanted to do, and I said I wanted to be a ranger." Ira looked back at them as he spoke, his grin broad and inspiring. "Not many people can say they've stuck with their dream job for this long, can they?" He laughed, his bark-like cackle making a small impression against the wind and the furious beat of Jolly's wings.

Sandy and Lachlan both smiled but said nothing. Despite Ira's friendliness, the pair were uncertain how to behave, what they should say. They had silently agreed not to tell him the truth about their messy situation; instead, Sandy said told him they'd been washed overboard while taking part in a tourist cruise and had stumbled through the valley hoping to find someone.

"Ruin Valley is probably the last place you'd want to go looking for help," Ira had laughed, in the way only someone who knows something you don't can. "This entire island has around ninety-ish Pokémon living on it, give or take, and none of them are the helping kind."

After several more minutes of inaudible one-sided conversation, Ira fell silent, leaving his tired passengers to gaze at the world beneath their feet. In the dawn light, the ocean shone with a symphony of oranges and yellows, while the cliffs glowed with fresh life. The entirety of Six Island appeared to be stunning, and Sandy felt pangs of jealousy that this was what Ira got to see every day, flying overhead as he protected the environment and saved clueless trainers that stumbled into areas they shouldn't have gone and Pokémon they shouldn't go near ("Phantasia is a gentle guy, if you don't piss him off").

This could have been your life, maybe, Sandy thought, letting her hands drift through the wisps of cloud that hung around the tops of the cliffs. Protecting Pokémon, exploring the wild, saving the day. Imagine if I had applied for this rather than just running away the first chance I got. Imagine how different the universe would be then…

The land disappeared and for a few moments, there was just water, as still as it could be in the morning light. Only one thing was pushing its way through the calm, and it pained Sandy to realise this was their couch, swept off the beach at high tide and dragged out to sea. Rangers don't wash up on strange beaches on stolen furnishings, do they? She thought and pulled her attention away from the views, the beauty suddenly like poison in her mouth.

The ocean soon returned to earth, and without warning Jolly began to drop; the Tropius simply dipped his wings and leant forward, his long neck suddenly straight, and he plummeted gracefully towards a section of land at the very edge of the water. They landed with force, Sandy sliding across Jolly's smooth back and hitting Lachlan's head with hers.

"At least we're dry this time," he said, turning to her as he rubbed his head. His joke quickly died as he caught sight of Sandy's expression. "Are you alright? You look a little… off…"

Sandy could have laughed, but she simply smiled back and slid down Jolly's wings towards solid earth. "I'll be fine," she lied, and followed Ira into his base.

The one storey building sat isolated on the very edge of the main island, the only house in sight. The land was free of anything except long grass buried under a layer of leaves, bordered by a forest in one corner and the cliff walls dropping down to the ocean on the other sides.

Inside, it was just as bare. The interior consisted of an open plan living space inside that combined about four different rooms in one. Two doors led off to a bedroom and bathroom respectively, but the rest of the space was taken up by a kitchen, living room and makeshift medical centre all wrapped into one.

"Pardon the mess," Ira said, shoving clothes and magazines off the couch onto the floor to join food wrappers and a dirty blanket. "Don't often have people around. It's just me most of the time unless I find a Pokémon that needs treatment I can't administer on the field."

"It must get lonely," Lachlan said, standing awkwardly in the doorway.

Ira shrugged. "You get used to it. Being a ranger is not a nine to five job, it pretty much takes up my whole life. I ain't got no time for anyone else. Heck, the place comes with a TV but I've got about three years' worth of shows sitting in my SilphBox I haven't had time to watch!"

"Are you watching Indigo Dreams?" Lachlan asked, trying and failing to hold back a smile.

"That teen gym journey thing?" Ira said, pulling a face. "Nah man, I'm not into that reality bullshit."

Sandy turned away from Lachlan so he didn't see her smile. As she gazed around, her eyes drifted towards the medical part of the room: clinical white tiles covered the walls and floor, surrounding the raised bench where presumably Ira treated Pokémon. Against the wall stood a sparkling glass cabinet full of medicines and potions, juxtaposed by a rusted sink that looked close to falling off the wall.

"Do you have one of those machines Pokémon Centres have?"

"No, sorry. It's not good for the Pokémon to heal them artificially. Something to do with how the Poké Balls and machines interact with DNA. But if you're Pokémon are sick, I've got enough medicine to get them back to good health."

"That'd be great if you don't mind?"

Ira laughed. "I'd be a pretty shit ranger if I did mind!" He stomped past her, his wide frame nearly bowling her over in the tight space, and flung the cabinet open. "Take as many potions as you want, they'll just send me more. However, if you are hoping to treat your Onix, you might want to leave him with me."

A cold shiver went down Sandy's spine. "You saw his eyes?" She asked guiltily.

Ira nodded and softly gripped her by the shoulder. "There's no shame in that. The most common injuries I see in Rock Pokémon are around the eyes – it's the only place they can really get hurt, so dirty trainers tend to go for them."

"They don't get dirtier than who we went up against," Sandy said, smirking slightly, and Ira laughed grimly.

"Let him out outside and I'll get to work. I can fill the grooves in as well."

Sandy was beginning to like this ranger. It had been so long since she had met someone who was happy to treat her like a normal trainer and not impose their own agendas onto her life that she had forgotten what it felt like. Ira had an innocent hope that spoke volumes to Sandy, and she had no qualms with handing her Poké Balls over to him. His smile never wavered, even when Onix took form, filling nearly his entire front yard.

"Wowzers, I did not realise how big this fella was!" Ira looked stunned but he hid it well behind his hearty laugh and broad grin. "Come on big guy, let's get you sorted out!"

Onix looked at the trainer disdainfully and slid away, sweeping the leaves aside like a giant broom. Sandy smiled apologetically at Ira as she rushed towards her Pokémon. "Don't worry, Onix, you'll be safe with him!" She said, rearranging her tired features to look as optimistic and reassuring as possible. "He's going to fix your scratches and make you feel all better. Trust me!"

Onix's eyes retained their scepticism, but he stopped moving away, cautiously accepting her advice. Sandy walked slowly back towards the house, and by the time she had made it inside, Onix's boulder-sized head was resting on the grass, waiting to be treated.

If only it was always that simple, Sandy thought, watching Ira gather together various bottles and vials. Just put some cream on, spray a bit of ointment, and everything's better again. Pokémon don't realise how lucky their genetics are.

"Do you want any breakfast or anything?" Lachlan called from inside a kitchen cupboard. "He's got a lot of eggs here, and I can make a mean omelette."

"Maybe in a bit, I need to sleep first." Sandy approached Ira's sole couch; there was rubbish and discarded clothing scattered on and around the sofa, but she ignored it all, throwing herself onto the cushions and shutting her eyes, tiredness ready to take her away.

When she opened her eyes, Ira's plastered ceiling had disappeared to be replaced a wood panelling that covered the roof and walls. Sandy sat up slowly as if moving through water and looked around; everything in the small, narrow room she'd found herself in was different but familiar, like an old photo she'd long forgotten about.

There were blankets around her, soft and pink like a child's, matching the tiny bed that still felt too big for the room. Slowly, she pushed the sheets aside and got up, finding her slippers were in the same place she'd left them by the faded purple bedside table. Wrapping herself in her hand-me-down dressing gown, Sandy opened the door as much as the space would allow and squeezed through the gap, already feeling suffocated.

The hallway was bare, brown and dark. Once, photos and paintings had covered every inch of the walls, but now it empty and joyless. It left a chill in the air, and Sandy cautiously tiptoed past the bathroom and the guest room, shivering towards the room at the end of the corridor.

Part of her had expected the living room to be different, yet everywhere Sandy looked, it was unsurprisingly the same: the saggy blue couch they'd had her whole life, the bookshelf that was home to more dust than actual books, the same lonely fern standing in the corner. She'd thought it might have died without her, but it looked as lush and healthy as the day she'd left.

Only one thing had changed. Sandy's eyes drifted towards the armchair that sat almost dead centre in the room; age and sunlight had paled the, once deeply rich green, while wear had seen the once plump, soft cushions deflate, obvious body marks now permanently implanted into the fabric. Sandy rarely saw the chair so exposed; its usual occupant was normally nestled comfortably into the grooves, his body long adjusted to a seat that had depleted alongside him. She never had the chance to sit in it herself, only because she'd never seen it empty. It looked naked without someone in it, and Sandy struggled to resist the urge to take her place there; she let the dressing gown fall away as she reached out, her fingers brushing against the fabric, too late realising another shadow had passed over it.

"Look who's come crawling home…"

Sandy sat up with a start, gasping for air as if breaking through the surface of the ocean. Her head throbbed as she looked around, trying to comprehend a world that was suddenly spinning; where had the wood all gone, and why was there rubbish piled everywhere?

Finally, her eyes landed on Lachlan, though even that startled her. He was sitting in an armchair beside the TV, staring at her gormlessly, a bit of omelette dripping from the fork by his mouth. Slowly, he leant forward and hit the mute button on the remote, silencing the flickering television, and straightened up, his eyes never once leaving her. "I made you one," he said finally, pointing at the cluttered table, a greasy yellow mess sitting on the one clean plate.

Sandy stared at the surprise breakfast without touching it, letting everything sink in, before finally, slowly, picking up the plate. Everything made sense now, as much as it could in her current situation, and Sandy slowly chewed at the omelette, waiting for her heartbeat to return to normal, for the dream to slip away into the depths of her memory.

"So… did you sleep well?" Lachlan asked with an optimistic smile. When Sandy simply stared back at him filthily, he rolled his eyes and turned away with a stifled huff. "Was just asking, jeez…."

"How long was I out for?"

Lachlan shrugged. "Only about half an hour."

"Great," Sandy groaned, tossing the plate to the side where it joined a number of take away cartons. Her head felt worse than it had last night, but she doubted she'd be able to fall asleep again so easily. Not that she was keen to return to her dreams any time soon; Sandy was well aware where she was now, but the ghosts of what she'd seen lingered at the forefronts of her mind. She only had to shut her eyes for a few seconds too long and she was back surrounded by those wooden walls she'd tried so desperately to escape.

"If you don't want the omelette, I can make you something else."

Sandy didn't realise Lachlan was staring at her. For how long this time, she couldn't tell. "Oh, it's fine, it's actually really good."

"Thanks," Lachlan said, smiling into his own plate. "Cooking was probably the only thing I was ever good at back home. Did I ever tell you my mum used to work as a chef?"

"No, I don't think so."

"Well, she gave that up when she had us, but she always wanted one of us to pick up where she'd left off. I probably would have done that eventually if this hadn't happened. Maybe I still will if we… you know… survive."

In the few days they'd spent alone together, Sandy had quickly picked up on the little cues in Lachlan's voice when the emotion started to hit him. She reached over and clutched his hand not limply holding the remnants of his omelette. "We'll survive this. There's still hope out there."

"Do you actually believe that?" Lachlan said, looking at her sceptically.

Sandy smirked, her grip on his hand loosening. "Not really, no," she said with a heavy laugh, slipping back into her seat. "It might not be your lovely producers that do me in though."

"What does that mean?"

"Nothing," Sandy sighed, shaking her head.

"No, don't just say that and move on." Lachlan put his plate down and stood up, crossing his arms and looking at her as sternly as his cherubic face could manage. "You were acting oddly last night. What's up with you?"

For a second, Sandy wanted to brush him aside and forget all about it. She was not in the mood for a deep and meaningful, not when her head felt like it had been cleaved in two and her body still ached from the Donphan chase. Yet the longer she glowered back at Lachlan, silently daring him to ask her again, the less she felt like fighting this endless battle she'd been waging against herself.

"What's wrong with me? Well, asides from the obvious, I've been kidding myself for about a week now that I still have some say over my own life. I thought if I took on this pathetic prophecy I've been given I could find some hidden meaning in it that might give me some more agency in my life. I thought being separated from Alaska might be a chance to find that, to make some choices free of all her burdens and just be my own person for once. But no, apparently the universe won't allow that. Apparently, as much as Alaska needs me, I need her just as much to survive.

"And that's just devastating. Not because it's her, I can't keep blaming everything on her – it's not her fault a Donphan nearly killed me, is it? And that's the thing. If I hadn't found Alaska, I probably would have died somehow. I mean, if I hadn't fallen on her in Viridian Forest, I probably would have died falling from that tree. I don't really know quite how either of us got up after that, but I guess that's the universe keeping us alive for whatever purpose we have to serve."

Sandy paused for barely a second to breathe, but now that the floodgates were open, she couldn't stop. "And you know, I didn't leave home for this. I was already living a nightmare I thought I couldn't get out of; I didn't want to enter another one. But, of course, that's exactly what I did. When we washed up on the island yesterday, for a little while there, I thought I had some choice in this world. I thought I could prove that, once this is all over, I can go and do what I've always wanted: explore the world, see sights I never thought possible, have a life. That field should be something anyone remembers only as a thing of beauty, but I won't be able to remember it like that. If I had come here on my own and run into that Donphan, I probably would have died. I nearly did because I don't value my own Pokémon enough and I've let my training slip because I'm too focused on my own failing life, and that means I only have one truly strong Pokémon who has to hold all that burden alone and will probably tear herself in two trying to protect me because she knows I can't do it myself. Basically, I've just realised how doomed I am on my own, but not being alone means giving up on everything I've ever wanted, and I just don't want to do that. So yeah, that's what's wrong with me, how about you?"

Lachlan said nothing. He simply looked at her blankly, clearly never having experienced such an onslaught of information and emotion like this before. He remained standing for a moment, arms now hanging awkwardly by his side, before he collapsed back into his chair, the air of defeat surrounding him.

Sandy too remained silent. Now that she had released all of that from her body, she wasn't sure how to feel. It felt like she had run all the way from the valley, her body so drained and light and detached. She felt like if she moved too suddenly she might slip into a crack in the couch and disappear into its soft darkness forever.

"I think you are too hard on yourself."

Sandy looked up; Lachlan's his eyes flickered briefly and rapidly towards her but he kept them locked mostly on the table, and it was to that that he directed himself. "You aren't useless. You've done amazing things. You got us out of the boat, your Butterfree is skilled enough to stop a rampaging Donphan, you've tamed a giant Onix that once destroyed a building. You are far more incredible than you give yourself credit for. Failures wouldn't be able to survive all the things you've been through."

Despite herself, Sandy smiled. She hadn't asked for reassurance from him, and even if she knew he was just trying to console her, it still felt good to hear. "It's more than just being a failure. It's this feeling that all this is for nothing, that my whole life means nothing without Alaska. I can't just live my life without any choice in where I am going, in what I do. I'm permanently attached to her whether I want to be or not, and to have that restriction… it's just so… I don't even have the words for it. Suffocating doesn't do it any justice."

"Why do you two always go on about choices?" Lachlan finally turned to her, his face briefly flashing with anger. "It's all I ever read on Alaska's blog, and it seems to be what you're fixated on as well. Everyone wants a choice in life, but that's not really how life works. Some people are lucky enough to be able to choose what they do with themselves, but everyone else has to roll with the circumstances and decide from what they get given. None of them has a prophecy they can use to excuse themselves. I didn't choose to get my arse handed to me by Amanda, but what you said last night is true; either I can wallow in the pity of this whole clusterfuck, or I can try and make a difference. You have the same choice, you know. Just because you happen to know what you are meant to do doesn't mean you have to just follow along being so fucking depressed about everything."

Sandy was stunned silent. This was more unexpected than the compliments. She sank further into her seat as the words left their mark, hurting only because they were true. "You actually read Alaska's blog?" She muttered, smiling weakly at the table.

Lachlan rolled his eyes but still managed to smirk. "I don't want to sound mean or judgemental. I am really in no position to tell you how to live your life. But you used to be such a happy person, and it's hard to see you so… consumed, I guess, by all of this."

"It's hard not to be consumed," Sandy said, resting her head on hands, trying to catch the tears she could feel about to spill over.

"Maybe you just need to look at things from another angle?" Lachlan offered. "Maybe the point of this prophecy isn't that you help her or that she needs you, but that you need each other in order to stop what's coming?"

Everything Lachlan said seemed to be surprising here; Sandy sat bolt upright, body buzzing slightly. She had never considered things that way, but now that it was out there, it seemed blindingly obvious. For weeks now, she'd let this prophecy weigh her down, she had viewed it with just this one dark light shining on it; had she, had everyone, misinterpreted what it all meant? Just because Alaska and Paige were the ones carved into the rock didn't mean they were the only ones who had a role to play.

For the first time in days, Sandy felt herself smiling, a real grin that rose from the depths of her soul. Her mind felt clear, and for a moment she wanted to lean across and kiss Lachlan straight on the lips. Instead, she simply smiled at him; she possibly looked manic, as Lachlan eyed her back nervously, but then a smile crossed his lips, and for a moment the two simply stared at each other, pure joy emanating between them.

That all vanished the second Sandy noticed the television. With the instantaneousness of a switch being flicked, her fear, her sadness, her anger all came rushing back in one quick, consuming wave. Her smile faded. She forgot all about Lachlan, she forgot where she was, she forgot what she was sitting on; the whole world disappeared into a faint, sharp buzz, everything except for the images moving across the screen before her.

"Are you watching this?" She managed after a minute. She didn't watch Lachlan as he

fumbled around for the remote, the images of Pokémon bursting through the ground all she could think about, but he must have found it as she could hear what the newsreader was saying, her dread rising with each increasing decibel.

"… the street remains closed as authorities continue to examine the scene outside the prominent skyscraper. No one as yet knows where the apparently robotic Pokémon came from or where they are going, but the appearance of the metal copies comes after several months of growing rumours around the appearance of such Pokémon in the region. Silph Co. continues to decline requests for comment."

"What does this mean?" Lachlan said, his voice quaking with fear.

"It means we need to get back to Alaska." Sandy was on her feet already, running towards the medical bay. It looked like only four Poké Balls had been given potions, but Sandy pocketed hers anyway; there'd be time to heal their Pokémon later. She threw the remaining capsules to Lachlan and grabbed her bag in one swift movement as she ran towards the front door. "IRA, WE NEED TO GO!"

Sandy only made it a few feet into the garden before she realised she wasn't alone. For a second, everything seemed fine; she could see the spine on Onix's head, the peaceful calm they had arrived in remained. Yet Sandy only had to blink for that all to change.

The carpet of leaves shuddered violently, and suddenly men were rising from the ground, swarming her on all sides with guns pointed squarely at her head and chest. She had no idea where they had come from, but their intention was clear, and Sandy had only a few seconds to make a choice; too far from the house to make it back inside, she instead reached for her Poké Balls and grabbed the first one that came within reach.

"ONIX!" Her scream cut through the chaos, and the faceless men stopped; only a few metres separated Sandy from them, but that meant nothing if they pulled the triggers their fingers were resting so keenly on.

"Onnnnn." The pained grunt filled the air, yet Onix showed no sign of moving from his position. Panic filled Sandy's heart, fearing the worst. There was a snap of fingers behind the men, and one of them stepped aside, revealing Onix was lying on the ground, thick, shining cord keeping his hold body still.

"Restrictive anchors, made with steel forged from the finest Canalavian iron ore, infused with the purest Kalosi diamonds. If you were trying to hide, leaving your giant Onix out in the open was a pretty piss poor move."

Sandy's whole body went cold. Somehow she thought she had escaped one of their enemies, but she should have known better; she'd survived a gunshot to the chest, so why couldn't Amanda survive sinking unconscious to the bottom of the ocean? The producer looked very alive as she strolled smugly into view, dragging Ira behind her with one hand while clutching a knife in the other. In fact, with her measured smile and darting, alert eyes, she looked as animated as Sandy had ever seen her.

"How did you escape?" Sandy muttered.

"Chloe pulled me out, darling girl," Amanda said drawly, waving the question away with the knife. Another tip; you should leave both people you're trying to escape from unconscious if you want to get rid of them, otherwise you're just wasting your time. Look at me, doling out all the advice, I'm a regular Vivian Winters."

Amanda smiled thinly, a smile that remained as she kicked Ira in the back; he hit the ground heavily, gasping as the breath was knocked out of him. Only then did her features turn dark. "I don't have a whole lot of time, and I've wasted what little I had trying to find you. So I am going to make this simple for you, Sandy. You and Lachlan can come with us quietly, or I will kill this lovely man, I will kill your Onix, and then I make you both come regardless, though you may be missing a hand or two. So how are going to play this?"

Sandy knew she had only a few seconds to say something, but she kept quiet, her eyes moving quickly across the scene. There were seven armed men, another five or so behind them keeping Onix tied down. She couldn't see Chloe anywhere, but she couldn't rule her out being somewhere nearby. That left about fourteen people for her to fight through – a small number, compared to what she and Alaska had faced before. She'd have a few seconds after throwing her Poké Ball to do something, maybe charge at the men, startle them. Lachlan would follow her lead, wherever he was, which meant they could turn this into a proper fight. There was a chance they could get out of this. She just had to make the first move.

A few seconds passed. Sandy surveyed the scene one last time before she let her Poké Ball fall back into her pocket. "You can take me, but you have to let Lachlan go. He and Ira get to stay here, completely unharmed, and if anything does come to them, I will make sure you suffer twice what they do. Is that clear?"

Amanda's eyebrows rose slightly, betraying her managed demeanour. They stayed that way for a moment as she processed the offer, and then she waved her hand; there were a series of clicks, and the men all lowered their guns. "I always knew you were wise underneath the flowers and rainbows. You are saving me a lot of time and energy I don't have to spare at the moment, so thank you. I might just leave you in one piece."

She fell silent as a roar shuddered through the air. Everyone turned to watch as Onix rose to full height, the giant freed from his constraints. If Alaska was here, this would be the moment she'd break her promise; she'd tackle Amanda, take her gun, maybe even kill her – after everything they'd been through, Sandy wouldn't be surprised. She'd probably pull the trigger herself if she had to.

But she was sick of fighting, sick of testing their luck. Roll with the circumstances, Sandy thought as lowered herself to the ground, her knees crunching against the layer of leaves, and she extended a hand to Ira.

"What the fuck is this?" The ranger was red in the face, his hearty smile finally fallen.

"It's best you don't know," Sandy whispered with a sombre smile, and she used one hand to help him up and another to grab at the ground. "Thank you for your help," she added once he was on his feet, and she briefly hugged him as she reached into his pockets. Once they broke apart, Sandy lifted Onix's Poké Ball to the sky and pressed the button, the world falling quieter as the Rock Snake was sucked back inside.

"Sandy!"

The sound of crunching leaves replaced the giant's roar, and everyone turned as Lachlan sprinted towards them, Poké Balls in hand. "What's going on? What the fuck is happening?"

"Don't worry about me, this has to happen." Sandy could see the pain and confusion on his face and it stabbed at her heart, but it was a more endurable suffering than what would follow losing another battle she didn't have to fight. Why couldn't Lachlan see this was exactly what he had told her to do; that without him, she wouldn't be giving herself over to the lion, for once writing her own destiny?

At the last second, Ira stepped in Lachlan's way, holding him back. Sandy could hear the men moving in but she ignored them, meeting Lachlan's eyes as she emptied her hands, letting a string of leaves dance freely into the air, and she winked. "This is my choice," she said, and smiled contently for the first time in weeks, a smile that lasted until something solid hit her head, and finally, her mind was at rest.


The nameless town in the shadow of a twice-fallen tower barely had anything to justify its existence; street lighting, public facilities, enough people to form a reasonably sized choir. Yet, in what had to be the strangest miracle Alaska had encountered on her travels, they had a food truck.

"Believe it or not, we used to be very popular back in the day," Joe, the owner of the rusted, repurposed caravan known within the wilted community as 'The Hub', explained as he placed Alaska and Damian's lunch on the one table he had put out to the side of his business. "Trainers loved me because I was so much cheaper than what they had over there. Obviously, I pretty much only serve my friends and family now, but hey, people gotta eat!"

"Preach!" Alaska yelled, and she devoured half the greasy burger in one giant bite. It had been a long time since she had had food this intentionally disgusting, and she planned on enjoying every single bit of it.

"I can't believe how happy these people seem to be," Damian whispered, watching Joe as he waddled back to the truck. "There's nothing to do in this town. I've only been here ttwenty-fourhours and I'm already going mad."

Alaska was grateful for her overstuffed mouth as it stifled her sharp laugh. "It may surprise you to learn this, dearie, but some people are perfectly fine with living a fairly simple life. Not everyone needs to go on television to try and find some contentment in their life."

"Not everyone feels the need to start a blog and use that to justify their actions."

"Touché," Alaska said, smirking, and she slid a chip into her mouth. She was surprised by how chirpy she felt this morning, but there was something about being in this town that seemed to be relaxing her.

Maybe it was the quiet that held her at peace. Alaska and Damian said nothing further, simply silently devouring their greasy food. Asides from their clicking jaws and the sizzle from Joe's grill, the world was the quietest Alaska had ever experienced. There were no people around, no Pokémon, no cars rushing down the streets, none of the signs of chaos she had come to expect. Despite all the horrors that had happened here in the past, this little town had managed to find peace, and Alaska was only just realising how much this life appealed to her.

"So what are we going to do now?"

Alaska sighed. She only had herself to blame; any time she began considering a calmer, quieter, better existence, the universe had to remind her what her destiny was. She looked down at the soggy remains of her meal and pushed them away, the sight of the half eaten burger suddenly unappetising.

"We need to head to One Island now, I guess," Alaska said unenthusiastically, wiping her hands on a napkin. "If they aren't there, we are going to have to start thinking differently."

"What if we stayed here? They could show up here eventually."

"They could." Alaska had been thinking the same thing herself, and she turned towards the valley at the other end of the town; the hallowed tower was invisible from here, but its presence could be felt from across the water. "But that's too risky. Sandy and Lachlan are in danger as long as Amanda has them, and if she's holed up somewhere else, we are threatening their lives."

Damian nodded and sighed, casting his eyes around the empty square. Alaska knew that look, and for a split second ,she considered sliding her hand across the table towards his. He turned back towards her, his eyes suddenly alight, and the thought left her mind.

"Don't you have some psychic connection you've got with a legendary?"

"Yeah. Latios and I are destined to be together, for some reason."

One of Damian's eyebrows shot up sceptically. "Really?"

"Yes, really," Alaska replied haughtily.

"Well, why can't he just work out where Sandy is for us?"

"It doesn't work like that, he's not a radar system."

"Doesn't sound like he's much of anything," Damian smirked. "Where's he been all this time? If he's destined to be with you, why has he let you shit the bed as badly as you have?"

"He's unwell… I think…" Alaska pursed her lips as Damian started to cackle. "Fine, if it'll make you shut up, I'll try and get in touch."

"Does he have a PokePal number?" Damian giggled.

"Bite me, Simple Life." Alaska swivelled in her chair so he wasn't looking right at her and shut her eyes. Latios, are you there? Hello? Are you there, Latios – it's me, Alaska! Helloooo? Operator, you've got one call waiting, hellooo –

ALASKA! Are you safe?

"Fucking hell!" Alaska opened her eyes as something hit her head; it was only when Damian appeared above her, face swimming with concern, that she realised she'd fallen to the ground.

"Are you alright?" Damian yelled.

"I think so." Alaska tried to sit up but collapsed again, her head suddenly swimming. You mind telling me what's going on?

I could ask the same of you. You started moving rapidly out of range yesterday, and then I simply lost you. I've been trying to reach out to you but my range can only go so far without your help.

Well, I'm here now. Next time try not to jump into my mind like that again, okay?

Hopefully I'll never have to. I am with allies of yours, we are mobilising a force to find you and come after Buzz.

Forget about Buzz, it's Amanda you need to be worried about. She's got Sandy. Alaska paused, expecting some sort of response, but in the time it took her to right her chair and unsteadily sink back into it, she heard nothing but silence. Are you still –

Have you not heard the latest news?

Latios' voice was more sombre than normal, a tone that made Alaska's blood chill. What's happened?

Two nights ago, Buzz had his army break out from Silph Co. The International Police were able to track them temporarily but they vanished without a trace. I thought they had come for you, but clearly Buzz has a different goal in mind.

Have they attacked the League?

No, Red is fine. So is your family, we have eyes on them. But they weren't moving in that direction anyway. The satellites tracked them heading south – we lost them after they passed over Vermillion.

Alaska swallowed hard. Latios, I'm in the Sevii Islands.

Which one?

Alaska was pleased to notice that even a god could not keep the fear out of his voice. Seven Island, near Pokémon Tower. We thought Amanda might have been coming here.

Perhaps she and Buzz have chosen a rendezvous somewhere away from our sensors.

No, Amanda went rogue. Unless he's gone to bring her back into the fold…

I gather you are alone with Damian? If Buzz knows this, he would have struck already. I do not think you are his target, and if it is not Amanda, he has to be after something. There was a pause for a moment, enough time that Alaska could feel her brain throbbing under the pressure. I am sorry to do this to you, Alaska, but I am going to have to access all your memories. It will last only a second, but I am afraid it won't be pleasant.

All my memories, what are you – FUCKING SHIT BALLS!" Alaska clutched her head and held back a scream, a rush of pain so intense she was certain she would pass out. It only lasted a second, yet in that brief moment of time ,she was hit with a wave of memories and sensations from her thirteen years as though Latios had hit her with a wall made out of her family photos. Her vision turned white and blurry, and no matter how hard she blinked, all she could see was her own past; her first day of school, her family holiday to Cinnabar, getting Paige for the first time, seeing Viridian in ruins, Sandy falling from the tree.

"Alaska, are you alright? Alaska! Joe, I need some water!" Urgent hands clutched her face and lifted her up, and Alaska heard a faint gasp over the rush filling her head. "Fuck me," Damian whispered, and a soft finger was brushing her nose, wiping away what Alaska could only assume from the metallic smell was her blood.

"It's over now, don't worry, I'll be fine," Alaska mumbled, hoping against all hope she was right. She shut her eyes for a minute, breathing out the pain, and when she opened them she could see Damian clearly; his blonde hair was hanging over his fearful eyes, making him look younger than Alaska had ever seen him.

"What the hell happened? I thought you were about to have a seizure."

"I'm fine," Alaska repeated breathlessly. "Latios… he needed to find out where Buzz might be going. He searched through all my memories for a clue. It was… it was a bit intense."

Damian scoffed with his usual indignation. "No shit. Did he find something though?"

"Yeah, he did." Alaska shut her eyes again, and there it was: the palace like building she had only visited the once, a structure so stunningly beautiful she had buried it in the back of her mind, the only way she could cope with the injustice of it all. Yet in the middle of the rush, it had shone out like a beacon, calling to her, calling to Latios, pulling them both towards it. "I know where Buzz is going, and we need to get there right now."