Chapter 44: Where temptation is not the only enemy.

Mo, still in Aaron's body, looked to the spot were Ziggy and Steve vanished into the woods. He then slowly turned his head to see the possessed Heidi approaching him, followed by Richard and one of the Pawniard that also just arrived.

"I have enough of treating the injuries of you and your stupid buddies!", Heidi roared.

Behind her, Richard was laughing.

"Hard luck! Always knew you're a bit weak!"

Mo only had two options. One, fight back, or two, run away. Option one was out of question, because he did not knew how to in this body and even if, apparently they were stronger than before now. But option two was out of question as well, because he also did not knew how these legs worked.

In the end he chose to give option two another try. He angrily hissed at Heidi, turned around and fell right on his face again.

"Arceus damned!"

I was almost like one of his bad dream: Being chased and not able to escape.

He managed to get up again and this time tried to "run" more slower, step by step, figuring how it works. Of course the three possessed Pokémon behind him were way faster.

"What wrong? You hurt?", Heidi asked mockingly. "Good!"

Then, Mo heard Richard screaming up for half a second followed by the sound of something being knocked to the ground.

"Don't get in my way!", the Pawniard screamed at someone but then yelped up and also went down.

Mo dared to take a look what was going on. Looking up he saw Heidi was right behind him, her face contorted in rage but seemingly also confused what was happening. She quickly turned around as well.

"Be gone, parasites!", a deep and masculine voice shouted out.

The next moment Mo saw a glowing green ball hitting down directly on Heidi's head, or more the Ultra Beast that was on top of it. With a loud smack Heidi and the Ultra Beast went down, the jellyfish flattening and spreading itself over her. The same happened to Richard and the Pawniard, too.

Over her was floating another strange looking Pokémon, or was it another Pokémon? Mo had the feeling he had seen it somewhere before, like in another one of those fairy tales his mother read to him. Over Heidi floated a being with black skin, seemingly wearing a red hat with horns on it and a bell for a tail. Overall it resembled a cattle.

The other Pokémon's view glanced from the unconscious body of Heidi over to Mo, his bright green eyes looking into his. Mo could not say if this one was friendly or yet another enemy.

"Where is the Chosen One?", he asked Mo, sounding kind of threatening.

Mo was not sure if he should answer and slowly managed to take a step back.

"If one is asked a question, one should answer!", he told Mo and floated closer to him.

"Are you one of them?", Mo asked, demanding to know if he was working for Necrozma or something similar.

The bull like being looked down at him.

"I am.", he answered. "I'm here to assist him."

He knew it! Mo tried to run away again, doing it carefully as possible but making it look rather awkward, because his running speed was incredibly slow at this paste.

"Where are you going?! Stop!", he demanded and effortless followed Mo.

Out of nowhere and of the woods another one of these jellyfish creatures appeared and fell over the bull like one. He shouted up in a mix of surprise and anger and the two proceeded to wrestle on the ground. Mo was not sure why he was fighting these ones, but he rather would not sit around and wait. He further "ran" in the direction where Ziggy and Steve went.

"Come back! Wait!", the bull called out to him, but Mo did not listen.

Awkwardly and slowly but steady he made his way into the wilderness of this place. It didn't seemed good. He was alone in enemy territory and Arceus knows what kind of other Ultra Beats where living around here. Looking around he could swear he always saw at least one of these jellyfish, always just a glimpse, then gone again.

With time he managed to get hang of it which foot to use first and which one should follow. What started as awkwardly "running" soon became normal walking, then running. With all these Ultra Beats around him, not even being sure if they were real or not, at least he wasn't being attacked by now, running turned into racing.

Like in a running high, Mo ran as fast as Aaron's body allowed him to through the dark coral forest. His heart racing, breathing fast and looking around for imminent danger if either other Ultra Beasts or running into corals or other of these plants.

Thousand thoughts went through his head. Where was he, where were the others, are they safe, how would he get back home, what if Necrozma had already won? He wondered when their mission got out of hand. Was it with Bao's betrayal already, with Amy's betrayal, Mo's attempted sacrifice?

That's when he remembered what Axel said to this Golurk, the answer to the riddle with no question. "Hope." Mo thought what the question might had been. A wise Pokémon once said: "There is always hope, not matter how desperate it seems. Hope is only lost once you give it up." It was one of those situations where Mo questioned this quote.

Mo then spotted an area in the distance where the forest seemed to end. Hopefully he would get on a path or something similar to have clue where he was right now. He ran towards as fast as he still could and saw that it really came to en end here, quiet literally. Just in time he realised he was running straight to a very steep hill slide and turned sharp to the left before falling down, when ...

"AAAAHHH!"

Mo just found Ziggy and Steve again. They too were checking where they where and how to get down this slope when Mo suddenly rushed out of the woods and almost crashed into them. They did not expected him. He got to a sudden halt right in front of both of them.

"Where did you come from?!", Ziggy asked very surprised.

Mo panted out of exhaustion and raised one paw, telling them to give him a second. He took a deep breath, then remembered what they did before.

"You just left me?!", Mo shouted and first looked at Ziggy, then at Steve.

"What were we supposed to do?!", Ziggy shouted back at him.

"I don't know! Something?! Take me with you?!", Mo argued.

"HOW?", Steve pointed out.

"And beside, everyone knows you you're the weakest member of the guild, beside Team Orange!", Ziggy added. "It would not have made a difference anyway if you came with us or not!"

Mo knew he meant Aaron and both of them still believed he was really Aaron, but it still upset him.

"Say that again, and say it directly in my face!", Mo told him back and as he said it, his eyes glow up for a moment and his voice had Mo's demonic presents in it.

Ziggy was speechless from what he just saw and heard.

"PEASE DON'T BLAME HIM.", Steve tried to reason. "WE ARE ALL UPSET OF WHAT HAPPENED TODAY."

Mo quickly turned around to Steve.

"What do you know?! You're just a robot, a soulless machine!"

Both electric Pokémon were shocked hearing this to say the least, especially Steve. They looked at Mo with wide open eyes.

"What?!", Ziggy called out.

"There, I said it! And I mean it!", Mo answered. "He's just a object that believes it's alive! He has more in common with ... of is that thing called what the Expedition Guild has? Pokémon Nexus? I am only nice because that's how you should interact with them!"

"YOU COMPARE ME WITH A MAP?!", Steve shouted.

Mo turned his head.

"If it could talk and simulate emotions, yes."

Steve, due to his appearance, often seemed to be upset, but now he was more than it. Just as Mo was done talking Steve dashed at him and hit him directly in his snout. Additional to his still aching skull he now also had a hurting nose. He held it in pain and unintentional stepped back a little. Still, said little was enough to step off the edge with one leg, making him trip. He yelped and tumble down like a ragdoll. It all happened fast and it didn't took long for him to reach the end of this hill and come to a halt.

"Aaron, you alright?!", Ziggy and Steve looked both down the edge and saw him lying on the ground, covered in dirt and bruises from the rocks and seemingly not moving.

Mo was dizzy and now all four legs of his were hurting. He opened his eyes to see where he was now and not so far away, almost within reach, he spotted something odd. The whole world looked strange to him, but this one object seemed out of place. He fixed on this object from where he was still lying, not moving.

"OH NO, I'VE KILLED HIM!", Steve loudly exclaimed in shock. He and Ziggy left and looked for a way down that was not as steep.

Mo slowly stood up, shook his head and approached the object that caught his sight. He flinched his eyes to see better, but could not. Mo wondered if this was now only to him or if Aaron always had that problem. He never complained before about not seeing properly. The object seemed to have a lighter colour than the ground and was very ... square. Mo took a few steps back to make his vision clearer and noticed ...

"The Origin Stone?!"

Mo looked around if anything was near him. Was this a trap or why was the one stone just there, right in front of him and ready to be taken? Something was going on. Something must have happened. Amy was the last one who had the stone with her, and now it was just laying there.

Mo talked towards it and just picked it off the ground. It's surface was very smooth and cool and the tips were sharp. A perfectly shaped block.

"From all the places and all the Pokémon ...", he thought and stroke over the stone with one of his ribbons.

Mo grinned sinisterly and his eyes glow up as he looked at it. Unlike what happened to Amy in that dungeon nothing happened, like it was just an ordinary rock. He remembered that this stone can't be used in other world. This was another world, so right now it really was just an ordinary rock. But only now!

If nothing bad happened now, the war was as good as won. Now they only had to find Axel, bring him and the stone back and then it would be over. But Mo began to think, and he knew what had to be done.

Amy had betrayed the guild, why wouldn't Ziggy and Steve do the same? Mo had to escape and return to his own world, he would think of something and if he had to overwhelm the two. Back home the stone would work again and he could probably use it to free the others from these Ultra Beats and then revive his own body and posses it again.

But why should he want to get his old body back? Aaron's was more bigger and more accepted by society, so why not keep it? Of course, especially if Axel should return, the adventurers would want to have the stone as well. He could not let that happen, and if he had to break their free will to prevent them from doing him harm. At this point Charlotte had the chance to prove she did love him. Either join him in his plans or suffer the same fate as the adventurers. He would make the Adventurer Guild his own personal army, something he actually did not need, because he could basically do the same to every Pokémon he would encounter.

Mo always dreamed of becoming a king. Baram Town was already there and quiet populated. Enforced by his army he would simply took over Baram Town and crown himself king. Of course, Pokémon would not be alright with it, probably trying to escape or oppose Mo. So, took keep the peace, he would use the stone to isolate old Baram Town from the rest of the world and mind break all those who could endanger him.

But ... why enslaving Pokémon if one could take over their mind and body as well. No one would understand his motives in the end, so Mo would create his own, perfect, society by turning everyone into his puppets with him, or more like his mind, as the puppet master. But why not stop at Baram Town? There were many more cities and villages all around the world, with Pokémon doing wrong things. And the legendary Pokémon? They must ... no ... HAD to bow to their new master. Mo would become ... a hive mind!

Eventually, many years later, not only Mo's really body but that of Aaron would weather away, but his mind and soul would remain in of everyone. And many more years later ... he would have forgotten who he once was? A bodiless tyrant without a name, without a past, only living to be alive? His friends and family .. gone? .. the egg!

"See? He's alright!", Ziggy called out behind him.

"AARON, I'M SO SORRY! I DID NOT MEANT TO!", Steve called out to him as well form behind.

Mo was still fixed on the Origin Stone like in a trance and felt as if he just woke up from a bad dream.

"Aaron?", Ziggy asked and walked closer to him.

Mo turned around and they saw what he was holding in his ribbons. Both were very surprised.

"Where did you get that?!", Ziggy exclaimed.

"We need to find Axel, quickly!", Mo told them.

"Where did you get that?!", Ziggy asked again.

"It was lying right here.", Mo quickly explained. "I'm aware I'm messed up, but still normal enough to be aware I should not possess this."

"WHY WAS IT THERE?", Steve asked.

Mo thought about it for a moment, and the scenario he got was not pretty.

"I fear very something bad happened to Amy.", he answered. "Moments before, when you were already off, this cow like thing appeared. Who knows what other stuff is rattling around in this place."

"Cow?", Ziggy asked.

"For some reason it was fighting the jellyfish things ... but it admitted it was working with Necrozma!"

Silence.

"I suggest we should all calm down and then we look for clues about Axel and Amy whereabouts.", Ziggy said and he approached Mo. "Give me the stone."

"Why?!", Mo protested and kept the stone close.

"Why?! You just told me you don't want it, so I'll take it!", Ziggy explained.

"But I don't trust YOU either!", Mo complained.

"Do you think I would just run off with the stone?!", Ziggy argued.

"Yes, I would!", Mo told him.

Ziggy quickly fixed his scarf.

"You ...", he jumped at Mo and tried getting the stone off his ribbons.

"Let go!", Mo shouted and tried to shake him off.

"WHAT ABOUT CALMING DOWN?", Steve tried to reason but to no avail.

Without anyone noticing first, Mo's right eye changed it's colour from glowingly yellow to light blue. At the same time Mo lost the strength he had in his ri8bbons and let go, giving the stone to Ziggy.

"Well, don't let us waste more time!", Ziggy announced as he held the stone that was actually too big for his small arms.

Mo, without doing anything, looked around in a confused way.

"Where am I?", Mo asked, but he did not really said anything. Just like before with Necrozma, it was like someone else took over.

"Let's go, Aaron, and be quiet!", Ziggy told him.

"Seriously, where are we?!", Mo shouted out. Mo figured what may was going on now. Aaron woke up! "The last thing I remembered was Mo saving Axel and then wearing this creepy looking armor!"

Ziggy and Steve slowly looked at each other, probably thinking Aaron had lost it now.

"Where is Mo?", Aaron asked and sat down. "Is he alright?"

"ARE YOU SURE YOU'RE ALRIGHT?!", Steve asked as he approached him.

"My head hurts a lot and I'm very confused where we are right now, but ...", Aaron said.

Mo tried something.

"Hello?", Mo said, again in control for a second.

Aaron was in control again right away and aware of what he just did. He silently stood there, dazed.

"I did not said that!", he told them.

"Uh ... but you did.", Ziggy told him and he too began to notice something was to right with the Sylveon.

"I need to explain something.", Mo said again. For everyone else, including Aaron himself it appeared like Aaron suddenly had a split personality, talking to himself.

"There it was again!", Aaron shouted and began to freak out, not knowing what was wrong with him.

"CALM DOWN!", Steve tried to reason.

"I'm not crazy! Why does everyone think that?!", Aaron shouted out of total desperation.

"Aaron, don't be alarmed! It's me!", Mo tried to calm his friend and to further explain the situation.

Aaron began looking around while Ziggy and Steve stood there, not knowing what they should do.

"Who are you?!"

"It's me, Mo! I'm kind of stuck in you and I don't know how!"

Silence. Aaron needed a moment to realise.

Ziggy looked over to Steve.

"I think he definitely went nuts now."

"I'm not nuts!", Aaron shouted.

"AARON, IT'S NOT YOUR FAULT MO DIED!", Steve tried to comfort Aaron.

"He WHAT?!", Aaron shouted out.

"Listen!", Mo stepped in again. "It's true, I kind of passed away, at least my spirit left my body and I managed to accidentally ... how do I say it ... possess you, Aaron. Basically, so far I understand, we're now sharing your body. ... sorry about that."

Silence.

"You for real?", Ziggy asked Aaron.

"At least there is someone in control of my body that claims to be Mo.", Aaron assured. "Mo, can you hear me?"

"Yes."

"Can you also hear my thoughts?"

"I don't think so?"

Ziggy got upset, put the Origin Stone on the ground and approached Aaron and Mo.

"How can we tell you're actually under someone's control and not faking it, and if so, Mo, how can we tell you're really our Mo in there?!"

Mo began to think of something.

"Aaron, stay still for a moment, I try something.", Mo said.

Similar to how Mo managed to raise his dark aura, glowing eyes and demon voice, he concentrated and tried to force. Even though it was a whole different body than his own, he soon managed to recreate it. Aaron's other eye changed it's colour again back to Mo's and the began to glow up bright and a dark purple aura rose around the Sylveon. Both Ziggy and Steve were intimidated by this sight.

"Thanks for the TM, Ziggy ...", Mo said in his demonic voice, which was still the exact same as when he used it with his own body.

Because he seemed the situation fit, not thinking about consequences it may would have, Mo tried to turn Aaron's head, making it spin around like he once read in a book about horror stories. At the 90° angle this act of his was suddenly interrupted by a snapping sound coming out of Aaron's neck, followed by a sudden, stinging pain and Aaron getting back in control, stopping Mo's creepy performance altogether.

Aaron moaned in pain, held his neck with his ribbons and tried to correct it. He further complained about the pain and what Mo was thinking. Ziggy and Steve agreed to believe them.

"Listen, here is my plan:", Mo began to explain. "We need o find Axel somehow and get him and the stone back to our world. Hopefully we can use it ONCE to resurrect me."

"You say so easily.", Ziggy commented.

"In the worst case, I still would like to go back into my old body.", Mo added.

"I still don't know what is going on. MY first question: Where are we?!", Aaron changed the subject.

Ziggy just wanted to start explaining it to Aaron, when ...

"There you are!", a rude voice called out to them Mo recognized.

The group looked up. The black, red and cattle like one from prior managed to track him down. He slowly and threateningly floated down to them and the team looked at it with both fear and amazement.

Mo, inside Aarons body, panicked again.

"That's him!"