The white antechamber was such a breath of fresh air for both Lilac and Fennix. Gone was the tainted air that slowly sapped away their life. And, while the dusty air of the antechamber was not the 'pure fresh air' that Lilac desired after the poison bog, it was still far better than their previous location. There, Lilac placed Light against the wall, and then she went for the Entercard while Fennix looked at the tablet.
The Entercard looked similar to the previous ones, only this Entercard had the picture of the moon on it. From what she saw based on the other two, Lilac assumed that Entercards must portray cosmic bodies, though she knew she'd have to wait for Ampharos and Mawile to contact the dungeon researchers to know that definitively. Still, her curiosity was increased upon seeing the black card.
After examining it, Lilac turned her attention towards Fennix, who was looking at the tablet with a forlorn look. Lilac turned her attention to the tablet as well, but the ruins on it were completely foreign to her so she couldn't figure out what was so disturbing to Fennix. But she did have a few guesses.
"It's something about Light, isn't it?" Lilac asked.
Fennix nodded. "Lilac, do you think Marshadow was telling Light stupid lies too? Even though he was trapped in Marshadow's shadow?"
Lilac took a moment as realization seeped in. "Oh gosh, yeah, he probably did. Marshadow wanted to break all of us, so he was probably trying to make Light fall into despair too. …That's what's written on the tablet, isn't it?"
"Something of the sort." Fennix turned her gaze towards Light. "I want Light to wake up first, though, before we talk about it."
"That bad, huh?" Lilac asked.
"I also want to talk to him about what that fake said. I don't want to believe that what he said was true, but at the same time, considering what was written…I think it'd be best to ask Light about all that first. Because if it's true then…" Fennix stomped a paw. "We need to be there for him!"
Lilac nodded. "I agree."
Fennix looked back at the tablet. "Though…there's something weird going on."
Lilac tilted her head. "Weird? What do you mean? That last trial was…different but…" However, as Lilac thought through it, she came to her own conclusions on what was so weird about it. "These trials are supposed to be about Light and how he acted in the past, right. But in this trial, Light was automatically captured. He couldn't act in this at all."
"Yeah, and Light wasn't even supposed to be captured back then, according to the tablet. It was someone else."
"Mew, right?" Lilac asked without thinking.
Fennix turned to Lilac, a confused expression on her face as she did so. "Yeah…it was. How did you know that?"
Lilac didn't say anything for a moment, leaving her expression blank as she did so. "I'm not entirely positive yet, but I have an idea, and I think it's connected to this. We should focus on this for now."
"Okay." And that was all Fennix needed to accept it, something that put a slight smile on Lilac's face.
"Honestly, my first guess would be that it was just random, but everything about that felt too personal for me. It felt too much like that trial was made for me, and not Light. Which leaves a lot of questions. With not a lot of answers. Only a gut feeling."
Fennix nodded, however she paused for a moment. "I think we should tell the Chief and Mawile this later. All this thinking is making my head hurt."
Lilac rolled her eyes. "I suppose so. And, as I said, I've got a few ideas anyways. And if those two are talking to those dungeon researchers, I think I might be able to figure it out on my own. For now, though…"
Lilac motioned in Light's direction, having seen him start to stir. Fennix turned look at him as well, and upon seeing Light was starting to wake up, immediately ran closer to him. Lilac followed behind, her previous jealousy the last thing on her mind.
Light eventually opened her eyes. The first thing he did was look around the area, examining everything he could. Based on how frantically he looked, Lilac guessed that the adrenaline was still being pumped through his veins from whatever he experienced in the previous area.
"We're fine, Light," Fennix assured him.
"We…cleared the trial already?" Light asked.
Lilac nodded. "I don't know what happened to you, I guess I'll tell you what happened from our perspective." Lilac proceeded to explain to Light exactly what happened to them while they were going through the bog. She only skipped over exactly what the voice told herself and Fennix, figuring those would be best saved for later.
"Oh, so that's what happened to you guys," Light said after Lilac was done. "I guess…I'll tell you what happened to me too. I ended up along in that same bog too. But I wasn't attacked by any ghosts. At least, not at first. Instead, this strange long shadow passed over me and I slipped through it. There, I was suck in complete darkness, and I felt like I was falling forever. While there, I heard the same voice you guys did. I…guess it was Marshadow that did it. That's the last thing I remembered before I woke up here. I guess Marshadow must've been using my form to attack."
"And Marshadow was also trying to break you," Lilac concluded.
Light looked away and rubbed the back of his head. He was clearly uncomfortable with whatever Marshadow told him, which Lilac didn't blame one bit. She didn't really want to talk about what Marshadow told her either. Unfortunately, one fenenkin heard everything Marshadow told, and she wasn't about to let that go.
"When Marshadow was pretending to be you, he told us that you hate being human," Fennix bluntly stated.
Light looked even more embarrassed. "Oh. H-he did, did he?"
"…Light!" Fennix yelled, causing him to nearly jump in shock. "We're all friends here! So you shouldn't be holding things in like this! Lilac did that too, and it nearly sunk into despair because of it! Didn't you two learn not to hold things in like this?!"
Light sighed. "I…hate it, but your right."
He took a deep breath before finally facing Lilac and Fennix once again. "Do you remember back to the last trial, when we overheard Puriah and Clover talking about humans? And even the first trial where we learned that humans are taboo?"
"Are you really that bad about that?" Fennix asked. "But Clover said that both Pokémon and humans were at fault."
"…It's not exactly that." Light took another deep breath and looked to the floor. "Back as a human, I interpreted the fact that humans partially caused the rift between human and Pokémon as it being the humans' fault. Here's the thing, though. I remembered, that when I heard that and when I thought that, it didn't surprise me. Like, I already knew something like that. Like it reaffirmed something I already thought." Light took a breath. "I…don't remember why, though. Why did I think those things? When I ask myself that question…it leads to answers I don't really like."
Light looked back up, sorrow on his face. "Like I might have been a terrible person back when I was a human."
"A terrible…" Fennix took a half step back, "What would make you think that?! Light, you are the kindest Pokémon I know!"
Lilac was about to concur with Fennix, but she paused for a moment. She knew that Light was worrying about nothing, but who was she to tell him that he was just being paranoid considering her own circumstances. So instead of automatically agreeing with her, she took a moment to think of how to explain herself.
"Are you sure you were a terrible person as a human?" Lilac asked.
Light took a moment to answer. "I can't say I'm positive. But every time I think of the past…that's the first thing that I think of. That I was a horrible human. I was sent to this world as punishment for my actions. That everything I did in the past was just to make up for what I did."
"…Light, I'm going to tell you the same thing I told Fennix earlier," Lilac slowly said. "While you used to be a human and Fennix used to be a Mew, I've never thought of either of you as anything much more than a pikachu and a fennekin. I won't discount your fear of your past but let me also make something clear." Lilac took a step forward. "You are a good Pokémon. You are kind, you are empathic. Don't forget Light, the very first thing I heard about you, all those months ago when you first came to Serene Village was that you rescued some kid you didn't know for no other reason than it was the right thing to do. If you were some sort or horrible human in the past, and that's a big 'if', you aren't the same anymore."
Fennix nodded. "Light, you're my best friend in the entire world. You helped me figure out how to live for others instead of being all selfish and only thinking of myself. You've done so much for so many Pokémon. Don't ever think your anything but that. I doubt you were even some sort of horrible person as a human. Mew wouldn't have brought someone horrible into this world, obviously. And that Marshadow was filled with a bunch of stupid lies, anyways! Who cares what he says?"
Light and Lilac both glanced at Fennix before catching each other's gaze, their faces conveying everything they needed to wordlessly. What the Marshadow spoke of was the doubts they carried in their hearts and rang a possible truth to them, whether Fennix believed it or otherwise. However, they both also knew not to press on the subject when it came to her.
"I can't say I'm not still worried," Light admitted.
"I don't blame you." Lilac glanced towards the ceiling. "Remember, Fennix and I both worried a similar thing with our respective parents back when she didn't know she was Mew and when my memories of my parents were erased. I suppose it's natural to fear the unknown parts of our lives." Lilac turned her attention back towards Light. "For you, though, since you don't know either way, you at least have who you are now as evidence. So whenever you're worried, just think of that. I don't know another Pokémon, aside from Fennix, who would go halfway across the known world just for a sick child."
Light closed his eyes and took a few slow, calm, and deep breaths. When he was done, Light opened his eyes wide and smiled again.
"Thanks. I'm not...over this yet, but I'll keep that in mind whenever I doubt myself."
Fennix smiled as well. "We all just gotta keep going the best we can, right? And we gotta stick together when we need each other. Which reminds me…" Fennix turned her eyes from Light to Lilac. "You have something to say too, don't you?"
Lilac sighed. She knew full well that this conversation would eventually go to her all things considering. Marshadow brought up her own insecurities in front of Fennix as well, and this was the perfect moment to talk about it. However, Lilac wasn't afraid anymore. So after breathing in, she spoke. She spoke, free of the fear of how selfish it was.
"You've been feeling that left out?" Light asked. "Oh gosh, Lilac, I'm sorry. I…I should have noticed. I…I…"
"I'm sorry too!" Fennix yelled.
Lilac shook her head. "No, it's fine now. I realized something during the last trial. I've been feeling left out because I've been comparing your relationship with myself. If I keep comparing myself to you guys, of course I'll feel left out."
Lilac took a deep breath before she kept the words flowing. "You guys have been together for six months. From that moment where you both skipped school to rescue Bedew and became friends, your relationship has only grown stronger and stronger. Meanwhile, we've been distant friends all that time. I could never hope to compete with that. It's not your fault, it's just our nature. I can't ask you guys to pay more attention to me, as that's a selfish request. Instead, I'm the one who needs to change. I need to forge my own relationship with you, and I need to make it unique. It's all on me, not you. You two just need to keep doing what you're doing."
"You learned all that on your own, huh?" Light asked. He smiled and chuckled. "Guess I missed a lot over the last trial, didn't I?"
"But we'll still try to help and include you from now on," Fennix added.
Light laughed again. "Yeah, you could always join in with teasing Fennix. I'm more than happy to have help."
"Hey!" Fennix glared at Light. "Why me?! Urrg, someday I'm so going to get you back for all the teasing you gave me!"
Lilac smiled. "I'm sure, Fennix. And if you do, I'll be sure to help you as well. I'm going to remain neutral on this war."
"Good to hear." Light paused for a moment. "As for the fighting aspect, that'll be something that'll come naturally as well. Like you said, Fennix and I had six months of near constant exploring together to develop our moves. Some of which we trained ourselves to learn because of how useful it is. Like Fennix learned Solarbeam to use with my Grass Knot. Same with Mawile and Ampharos, as you noticed. Those two have probably been exploring together forever."
Fennix nodded. "And that's even if you spend most of your time helping out as a navigator. Light and Buizel have that cool combination move where Light uses Volt Tackle and Buizel launches him up before kicking him towards the enemy that you saw once. They didn't learn that in just one adventure. It was only recently they started doing that! You're already sorta there with me. That Disarming Voice and Psychic trick to keep it from attacking while I used Flame Charge and Solarbeam was really neat!"
Light nodded. "Just keep moving on, and things'll get easier. For all of us. Isn't that right?"
"Yeah." Lilac smiled even wider as she felt the weight lifted. "Thanks you guys. I don't deserve to have such good friends as you."
With everything done, Light took a step forward, walking past Lilac and Fennix, and turned his attention towards the Entercard. "Well, now that that's over, we should take the card and get out of here. The Chief and Mawile are probably waiting for us. And I'm interested in hearing what they got out of the dungeon researchers."
Lilac nodded, joining Light as his side. "I want to hear that as well. Especially since…" Lilac looked up, "I think I figured out one more thing during the last trial. And I want to make sure my theory is correct."
"Something?" both Light and Fennix asked.
However, Lilac just smiled at them. "I'll tell you eventually, I promise. I just want to make sure of something first."