A gentle spring breeze passed through the meadow, rustling the leaves of the nearby trees. Sunlight scattered over the grass, dancing to the wind's rhythm, and illuminating the pair of quadrupeds locked in combat. They eyed one another, but there was no true aggression in either of their stances, yet the confrontation nevertheless seemed deeply personal, a testament to their respective wills to overcome the other.
The smaller of the combatants had tan fur and vibrant green, leaf-like ears with a matching tail, and a number of small plants seemed to be growing from its forehead, chest, and legs. Soft brown eyes watched his opponent carefully, but his tail flicked with enthusiasm, the suspense of the battle proving to be too much for him to endure passively.
The older of the two quadrupeds was a feline Pokemon with ebony black fur and a forked tail. Silver eyes observed the younger Pokemon, but occasionally darted around their present surroundings, and a matching silver gemstone glowed faintly from its owner's forehead.
Both Pokemon were breathing heavily, the only indication that they had been locked in battle for a considerable length of time, yet neither of them were backing down an inch. At the same time, they seemed to be waiting for something, some sort of unspoken signal from above that would cue their next responses.
The Leafeon chanced an impatient look skywards, but hastily returned his attention to the Espeon across from him, only to glance up again. The clouds that had passed before the sun finally moved aside, revealing the glowing solar body in its full glory. Brilliant rays of light streamed down into the meadow, its light encompassing the two of them. The Espeon's forehead gem changed color subtly, moving from silver to pure white. At the same time, the sprout on the Leafeon's head shimmered with a vibrant green glow that expanded over the Grass-type's entire body.
"Here I come, Leaf, ready or not," Shadow warned.
"Bring it on, Shade-oh!" Leaf retorted eagerly. The Espeon rolled his eyes, but couldn't resist a smile at the young Leafeon's antics. It seemed like it had been ages since his brother had last tried to rile him up with the deliberate mispronunciation, and he was sure that this was the Leafeon's plan - to break his focus at a crucial moment.
The Espeon focused his thoughts and energy, basking in the warmth of the sun's light and concentrating on spreading that energy through his body. Hs forehead glowed even more brightly, and colorful bolts of light erupted from the gem, like light shining through a prism. The rays of rainbow light fired towards the Leafeon, who took a slow, cleansing breath.
Green wisps of light rose up from the grass, the nearby flowers, and even the trees, gathering in front of Leaf's mouth until a sizeable sphere of vibrant green energy had collected. With a flick of his head, Leaf launched the glowing orb in Shadow's direction, and it collided with the rainbow light show that Shadow had conjured.
For a few moments, the opposing energy projectiles seemed to push against each other, like deranged customers in pursuit of the last item on sale, but just like in that analogous scenario, something eventually had to break, and in this case, it was Shadow's Dazzling Gleam that succumbed first. The rainbow rays shattered apart, scattering fragments of rainbow light in all directions, like a stained glass window struck by a rock, and the Energy Ball continued past the sparkling debris.
Shadow ducked at the last second, and the energy soared past him before dissipating harmlessly, filling the air around him with the sweet scent of flowers and rain. Even the air seemed purer than before, and the Espeon inhaled deeply, his eyes becoming a little unfocused, and the tension evaporating from his body.
The blissful moment was interrupted by his tail twitching a warning, followed by Leaf plowing his head into Shadow's unguarded chest, bowling the Espeon over with ease. Shadow grunted as he tumbled backwards, and he blinked several times before focusing upon the ecstatic expression of his younger brother standing over him.
"Ha! Beat you!" Leaf squealed, his tail swishing energetically.
The Espeon blinked again, still feeling a bit disoriented and not entirely sure what had just happened. "Uh...wow, you...yeah, you did," he conceded, the words feeling foreign even as he spoke them.
"That was fun!" Leaf said, nuzzling his brother happily. Shadow smirked weakly, and gently pushed Leaf away so that he could climb back to his feet. The haze that had settled over his brain was fading away, and he shook his head to dispel the last of the confusion from his mind. "You think I did good, right?" Leaf asked, his eyes wide and hopeful, as if the acknowledgement of winning was not sufficient approval.
"You did really good," Shadow agreed, and the Leafeon nearly squealed again, his eyes glistening with enthusiasm.
"Thanks! I've been working really hard to learn this stuff, and I'm so happy you got to see it work!" Leaf explained with a grin. Shadow nodded and rubbed his brother's ears with his paw, to the Leafeon's delight. After a few seconds, Leaf yawned widely. "Mm...I think the sun's calling my name, Shadow..." he murmured, and he wandered off a few paces and flopped himself down on the grass. Within moments, he was stretched out luxuriously in a patch of sunlight.
Shadow smiled at the sight and made his way back towards the large tree that served as the major landmark of the territory. As much as Shadow enjoyed relaxing in the sun, Leaf's sunbathing practically bordered on devotion. He liked to nap in the sun at least every afternoon when given the chance, but more recently, Shadow had discovered that Leaf did NOT want to be disturbed during this time. It was actually a little odd that he had never noticed this in the past, apart from how Leaf's mood tended to destabilize if he was deprived of the sunlight.
Shadow paused at the lake's edge to take a long drink, and he wiped his mouth afterwards before walking over to the base of the tree.
It never ceased to amaze Shadow how much his brother had grown in such a short span of time. There was actually something mildly unnerving about it, truth be told, because Shadow didn't recall making such drastic improvements when he was that age. Then again, Leaf had evolved much earlier in his life than Shadow had. It was possible that Leaf was not only adjusting more easily to his evolved abilities, but that he also had an easier time picking up new techniques and incorporating them into his battle strategy.
Adding to that, Renard had been an invaluable help over the past few days. For the most part, the Ninetales had remained distant, and usually lurked closer to the territory's edge rather than the central area, but whenever he was around, he was willing to give them some coaching or advice. Even though he was not a natural Psychic-type, Renard did have a number of pointers for Shadow on how to use his focus, and manipulate his energy to get a variety of results and make improvements to his style. Based on Leaf's recent spike in battle skill, he was providing similar assistance to the young Leafeon.
Shadow settled himself in the shade of the tree and closed his eyes, breathing slowly and deeply. Another piece of advice that Renard had suggested was for Shadow to meditate more frequently, but not to get discouraged if he didn't get perfect results early on. Even after just a few days, Shadow felt that he was starting to get the hang of it, and he usually did feel better after mediating, as if his mind had been recharged. It probably was similar to how Leaf felt after sunbathing.
He could rarely meditate for longer than a minute or two before losing focus, but he suspected that this was normal for a beginner. Getting the hang of something didn't necessarily mean that he was good at it, merely that he was getting better, and just as with his battle training, any improvement was welcome.
The Espeon inhaled deeply again before slowly exhaling, envisioning that the tension in his body was being forced out with each exhale. Idle thoughts still drifted in and out of his mind, but he dismissed them, one by one, and remained focused on his breathing. The first few times he had attempted the process, he had felt foolish almost the entire time, despite it being similar to how A/C had taught him to tap into his psychic energies. After working at it for several days, the self-consciousness he had originally wrestled with had left, and he actually looked forward to taking a few minutes to just relax like this, without any distractions or worries.
His tail flicked briefly, and Shadow creased his brow in sudden confusion. Although he kept his eyes closed in the hopes of quickly returning to his tranquil state of mind, he had become aware of the abrupt absence of wind. The gentle breeze that had been flowing around him moments earlier had tapered off suddenly, and he couldn't hear the sounds of water nearby. Was this part of the meditation, to become so focused and relaxed that outside noises no longer registered to his brain?
The Espeon cracked his eyes open, only to find himself in a different setting entirely. It was still a meadowed area, but everything about it was somehow...different. There was no wind, and fewer clouds overhead. The sun was seemingly absent, yet light was still cast upon his surroundings.
Shadow scanned his surroundings warily, but something about the area felt serene, and completely at peace. The meadow was open, with lush grass stretching for as far as the eye could see. Perplexed, he took a few tentative steps forward, only to discover that his body felt weightless, but not to the extent that he was actually floating. Everything clicked into place from there. He had experienced this sort of thing before, shortly after he had evolved, when he had accidentally linked minds with Leaf. However, this did not seem to be the same meadow that appeared within Leaf's mind, although there were definite similarities.
Now that he had established the general idea of where he was, Shadow began walking in one direction, constantly surveying the landscape. The grass seemed to extend on forever, but there was enough variety in the grass and flowers to reassure him that he was making some sort of progress. As expected, he could make out what appeared to be a lake up ahead, set on the edge of a forest. He quickened his pace, and as he drew nearer to the lake, a curious pink mist seemed to form around the water's edge, and he spotted two figures moving about the water, although the details of their appearance was partially masked by the mist.
Once he was practically upon them, he could see them much more clearly. One of them was another Espeon, and Shadow paused for a moment, but then relaxed. This Espeon, although distinctly male, seemed older than Devine, and his fur was darker than the 'traditional' lavender that Devine boasted, but not nearly as dark as Shadow's black fur. The other feline looked up at Shadow's approach, and he could see that the eyes and gemstone of the other Espeon both shone with an intriguing turquoise color.
The other Espeon simply regarded Shadow in silence. His demeanor was calm and serious, and Shadow stared back, sizing him up, but somehow conscious of the fact that the Psychic-type opposite him posed absolutely no threat.
"Okay...who are you?" Shadow asked finally.
"Dusk," the other Espeon replied, without hesitation, and delivered in a completely calm, level manner. "You are within your own mindscape, although you seem to be aware of this already."
"Ah...yeah, I thought I might be," Shadow murmured, a little taken aback by how he hadn't even needed to ask the question before it was answered. It reminded him of how much easier it had been to get answers or information from Lumina, as opposed to Devine.
"Meditation is one such method of suspending your state of consciousness in order to access this plane," Dusk explained, and his tail flicked briefly. "Being asleep is another. For that matter, almost any method in which a reduced state of consciousness is present can enable access. Psychics are more highly attuned to the workings of one's mind, which simplifies the matter even when you are alert, but again, I expect you are also already aware of this."
"Sort of," Shadow agreed slowly. "Wait, so I could actually show up here on purpose?"
"With practice, yes," Dusk confirmed with a faint smile. "With even more practice, you probably could access the minds of others if you wished, provided their mental defenses don't keep you out, or expel you. However, I would not recommend doing so without justified cause, or their consent."
"Why's that?" Shadow wondered, before he could stop himself. He honestly had no real intention of pushing the scope of his abilities towards extracting information by force from another's mind, but he was aware of the potential, and was actually curious what answer he might receive from an individual said to be an aspect of his personality. If Dusk supposedly managed his logical desires, as Lumina had told him previously, he would have expected the Espeon to be extremely pragmatic in his approach of situations, preferring a direct and efficient route.
"Your grasp of that ability is tenuous, at best," Dusk answered seriously, seemingly unfettered by Shadow questioning him on the subject. "Meddling about with the thoughts and mind of another is very risky business, both to the subject and to you. In desperate circumstances, foregoing permission may be necessary, but the risk still outweighs the benefits if you don't know what you're doing, and getting proper education would likely include a controlled scenario to protect those involved from unintentional backlash."
Shadow stared at Dusk. That hadn't been anything like the answer he had expected to get. Rather than address the obvious moral or emotional backlash that could result from invading someone's mind without permission, Dusk had instead focused on the fact Shadow didn't know how to properly use the ability, and how that key detail would affect the outcome. It was logical, but in a different way than Shadow expected. Perhaps the different individuals within a person's mind were more complex than Lumina and Devine had initially let on.
Shadow's attention gradually shifted to the third Pokemon that was present. To his surprise, he found himself looking at a Pokemon he had never seen before. It was a quadruped with pale cream fur, but the ends of its paws, its tail, and its ears were colored pink. On its left ear and under its chin were pink bows with white edges, and four odd, ribbon-like appendages fluttered out from these bows, the ends of each ribbon ending in a stripe of pink, dark blue, and a pale blue tip. Lastly, its eyes were vibrant blue with a hint of silver in the pupils.
Shadow just stared at this Pokemon for a long time, the prolonged attention causing the individual's cheeks to flush self-consciously, and that embarrassment was what startled Shadow out of his reverie.
"Uh, I'm sorry, but...who are you?" he asked, feeling his own face grow warm.
"Twilight," the pink cream Pokemon answered. Its voice was definitely feminine, although Shadow was assuming that already due to the coloration, and the private awareness that he found this Pokemon inexplicably cute. If anything, he was relieved that it really was a female, because that made his staring less weird.
"Uh...and are you one of mine, or...?" Shadow wondered, glancing towards Dusk uncertainly. Lumina had mentioned Dusk's name in their previous encounter, but he didn't recall if either Lumina or Devine had mentioned the name 'Twilight'.
"She's your subconscious," Dusk answered promptly, nodding towards Twilight. "I am your underconscious, and that leaves Lumi with the role of your overconscious, although I understand that you've met with her previously."
Movement from Shadow's right drew his attention towards the forest, and he spotted the familiar Umbreon emerging from the trees. Her silvery eyes glittered in the light, and the rings decorating her ears and legs pulsed with a similar light. Dusk followed Shadow's gaze and nodded towards the Umbreon.
"Hey, Shadow!" Lumina said, smiling at the ebony Espeon. "Looks like you've found your way in here again."
"Not intentionally, but I don't mind," Shadow confirmed. Lumina sat down in front of the water, her tail wagging cheerfully. "While I'm here, though, could you elaborate a little bit on how things work? If I ever have to explain it again, I need to understand what I'm talking about."
"Of course," Dusk replied seriously. "Understanding the basic functions and roles involved with the mind is good information for any psychic to know."
"And since all three of us are here, we can give you a clearer picture of the dynamics," Lumina chimed in. She looked over at Dusk and Twilight curiously. "Who wants to start us off?"
"Um, I will," Twilight answered, one of the ribbons raising into the air in a gesture very similar to how one would raise their paw to seize the attention of an instructor. Lumina nodded encouragingly, and Shadow's attention shifted to the pink and cream quadruped. "Um, I'm Twilight, your subconscious. The...subconscious is usually the youngest, and most childlike of the three. It usually represents your innocence or immaturity."
"I'm sorry for interrupting, but...what ARE you, species wise?" Shadow asked, his cheeks growing warm again. He found this Pokemon fascinating, but he was struggling to focus on her words instead of her physical appearance, or the way those ribbons moved and gestured, adding life and energy to her statements that was otherwise difficult for a quadruped to express.
"Oh, I'm a Sylveon," Twilight answered with a bright smile. "I'm still kind of adjusting to it...I just evolved yesterday...after you got your Dazzling Gleam technique working, funnily enough."
"But you were an Eevee before that?" Shadow asked.
"Yes, a consciousness will always share the most basic evolutionary form of the main individual," Dusk answered. "The timing for them to evolve is another matter entirely, and often comes about as the result of significant growth within the main, or out of necessity for the sake of the role."
"Don't be surprised if there's a couple layers of symbolism surrounding the consciousness system," Lumina giggled, her silver rings glowing gently. "We represent extreme aspects of your personality and desires, so it's only fitting that our names, species, and roles fit the bill in an external fashion."
"So...is it weird that I have two females managing my mind, even though I'm male?" Shadow wondered.
"That kind of depends," Twilight answered, the ribbons swaying in a nonexistent wind. "Gender ratio is a fickle thing, and varies from person to person, you know? But I don't think it has any conflict with your gender, and more just influences how we approach our roles, right?"
Shadow frowned thoughtfully, but decided he didn't really want to get the topic too far off-track, so he just shrugged and looked at the Sylveon attentively again. Twilight blinked at the attention, and Shadow made a point not to stare too intently at her. Her self-consciousness reminded him a bit of how often other Pokemon stared at him after his evolution, or otherwise showed some sort of attraction to him. There was little doubt in his mind right now that Twilight was experiencing similarly. Her species was unusual to see, and therefore, it drew a lot of attention.
"What's your role?" Shadow prompted. "Uh, I think Dusk handles my logical desires and morality and-"
"Er...actually, that's not entirely true," Lumina said sheepishly, as if she had been caught in a lie. Shadow looked at her blankly.
"The roles of a consciousness will often shift or be rearranged in response to certain traumatic events, particularly if the individual must prioritize self-preservation," Dusk explained solemnly. "So perhaps before we delve into our current roles, it would be prudent to explain how that incident with Diablos and your parents affected our setup."
"Uh...okay," Shadow said awkwardly. He really didn't have an objection to this option, but it caught him by surprise at the same time.
"I am your dominant consciousness," Dusk explained calmly. "Meaning that, for most intents and purposes, I have the most influence over your personality and development, and make decisions based on the guidance and opinions of the other two. I am first and foremost a logical and serious individual. Twilight is an affectionate and compassionate individual, and Lumi is a fun-loving and pleasure-seeking individual."
"Meaning I'm the complete opposite of Dusk in almost every way," Lumina chimed in playfully. Twilight giggled, stifling the sound by placing the end of a ribbon in front of her mouth.
"Our evolutions further reflect this," Dusk continued, unfazed by Lumina's interruption. "An Espeon uses its mind and focus for its power, and in battle, an Espeon is frail and prefers to stay out of range, much like how I prefer to see things to the end from relative safety. An Umbreon is more aggressive and direct, and Lumi prefers to be very direct and...involved in things. Twilight is much more emotionally invested in situations that involve others, often prioritizing them over herself. A Sylveon is deeply attached to those that show affection to them, and surrounds itself with others."
Shadow blinked several times, glancing between each of the other Pokemon in turn. Lumina hadn't been kidding about the layers of symbolism surrounding them. More fascinating about the explanation was that he could EASILY see them as pieces of his own personality. He could be serious when the situation warranted it, but he loved the opportunity to let loose and be playful, and wanted little more than to be surrounded by those he trusted and cared about, sometimes to the point of risking his own safety on their behalf.
"When Diablos attacked you, he implanted a fragment of a dark soul within your heart," Dusk stated solemnly, and Shadow bristled. "It failed to bond with its intended target, and I admit that we were oblivious to its existence up until he removed it a week ago."
"Intended target?" Shadow repeated, confused. The imperial Espeon hesitated, and his eyes darted towards Lumina, causing Shadow to glance over at the Umbreon. "Why would he be targeting one of you?" he asked.
"I'm your overconscious, who manages your emotional desires," Lumina explained, but there was something in her tone that indicated that she did not relish the topic. "Dusk is logical and focused on self-preservation, but acting on emotions requires the willingness to take risks. I told you last time, if you don't have a means to vent those emotions, your mind becomes unstable, but reckless action is no wiser. If my desires became corrupted and vengeful...that'd be what Diablos wants, isn't it? So yes...I suppose I was the intended target."
"So...what did happen with that?" Shadow wondered, a mixture between concern and curiosity gripping his chest. His heart felt like it was attempting to break out of his chest, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to know the answer, but there was no real way around the subject.
"It latched onto Twilight," Dusk said quietly. "Again, we did not even realize this had happened until after the fact. It was not a perfect bond, and we thought her shift in mood was a result of the circumstances. She manages your bonds with others, and fearing for your parents was...very hard on her."
Shadow looked over at the Sylveon, and winced when he spotted silvery tears forming in the pink quadruped's eyes, and a ribbon delicately wiped the moisture away. He felt almost physical pain in his heart, as if the mention of his parents had reminded him of the loss all over again. Yet it made sense to him. Those first few days was nearly unbearable for him. He had to try to act like nothing was wrong for Leaf's sake, yet realistic fears plagued at his mind and heart in almost every waking moment.
"It was like a dark fog making up my entire world," Twilight whispered, looking at the ground. "Every time I tried to set it aside, even for an hour, I would be thrust right back into that cold, clammy despair. Even sleep refused to let me be...and I'd relive the experience again, keeping it fresh in my memory."
"The nightmares," Shadow said, his eyes widening. Twilight nodded sadly, and Shadow felt a tightness in his gut. The nightmares may have been a direct result of the soul fragment Diablos had planted inside him, and if his goal really had been to fuel Shadow's hatred and vengeful feelings towards the murderer of his parents...forcing him to relive those memories each night was a terrifyingly effective and clever approach.
The only reason it probably hadn't worked was because Twilight didn't manage that part of his mind. That also could explain Shadow's unsettling degree of fear involving Diablos - the intention could have been for the soul to trigger a sense of aggression or a similar emotion, but it had latched onto the wrong consciousness. Twilight was being tormented by recurring fear and sorrow, not anger.
It also explained to him why Diablos often made those pointed jabs to incite Shadow to retaliate - it was the approach he intended to use originally, and he hadn't realized he was playing on the wrong emotion.
"For Twilight, I was the illuminating ray that pierced the shadow, the light of hope that dispelled the fog of despair, the luminous moon shining through the darkest nights," Lumina stated, puffing herself up dramatically. The Sylveon stifled another giggle, but smiled gratefully at the Umbreon.
"Going back to the original subject, while Lumi may have informed you that I manage morality and logic, in truth, the role of your moral compass belongs to Twilight," Dusk said calmly. "Her compassionate personality and the innocent role of the subconscious is almost ideally suited to being the morality center. I temporarily took the duties upon myself during the time when Twilight was struggling to function."
"So...Twilight manages morality, Dusk handles logic, and Lumina handles emotions?" Shadow interjected, looking between each of the other Eons.
"At its most basic, yes," Dusk answered, his forked tail flicking. "I've already described our individual personalities, and you can see how that helps us approach our roles. However, the way a consciousness system functions varies drastically from person to person. In your case, it's your underconscious that is dominant, whereas in Leaf's case, his subconscious is dominant, and Nettles is emotionally driven, compared to my logical approach."
"Plus the dynamics of individual consciousnesses with one another affects a lot of things," Lumina added, her tail wagging. "According to Devine, Briar is Leaf's moral center, but he's passive, whereas Twilight handles your morality, and she's very involved...under normal circumstances, right?"
"This is probably a lot for you to take in," Twilight remarked, walking over to where Shadow was sitting, and loosely wrapped one of the ribbons around one of his forelegs. The contact alone had an immediate effect on the ebony Espeon, and he felt the tension disappearing from his body and mind, his silver eyes unfocusing.
Just when Shadow felt like he was about to doze off, he jolted back to alertness, but to his surprise, he was back in the real world, with the spring breeze blowing past his face, and the sound of running water rushing through his ears. He looked around in confusion, and then sighed. He had no idea if his loss of contact had been the result of one of them 'assisting' him back to the real world, like what Lumina had done to awaken him when he had visited during his sleep, or if snapping out of his meditative state had yanked him out of his mindscape.
As strange as it sounded, he actually felt like the sudden departure without an official farewell had been rude, even though the individuals he had been talking to were aspects of his own mind, and would probably know it hadn't been intentional of him to sever the conversation so abruptly.
On the plus side, it gave him an added incentive to get better at meditation and improving his mental focus. Now that he knew he could get such results, and that interesting information awaited him at the end of that effort, he had something to strive for.
And that thought made him pause. For well over a week now, Shadow had been asked about his future plans. Renard's concerns seemed to be about seeking out an agenda to keep him from going down a path of darkness and vengeance, whereas Frost's reasons for asking seemed to be to feel out the Espeon's ambitions or something. Maybe it was just from spending the past several days relaxing and training with Leaf in their old home, but for the first time, Shadow felt like he had a better answer to the question. It wasn't yet perfectly defined, but he was definitely aware of the shape of a burning wish forming within his heart and mind.
The problem was, he had no idea how long it would be until Frost returned, and he neither wished to set out to a distant destination on his own, nor require Leaf to come along with him. The Leafeon had still expressed some lingering desire to meet up with Bee-Bee again since their last visit to the forest, but Renard had advised against venturing into the forest until the chaos had resolved.
Shadow looked across the clearing to where Leaf was soaking in the sun, and a tiny smile flicked across his face. On the other paw, he had promised Leaf back at Solaceon Town that he would try to give his brother the chance to talk about what he would like to do, so getting Leaf's input on the subject would make it easier for him to decide on their next move.
He'd give the Leafeon a little more time alone with the sun before approaching him. Then they'd work out their plans together.
