The revelation that the Void Shadows were essentially a death sentence dampened the mood even more considerably than it already was, and that was saying quite a bit. Light and Mawile were both down, and even Fennix was having trouble keeping up her usual cheer, having her nose planted towards the ground. Lilac and Ampharos were the only ones that particularly were able to keep up the energy, but Lilac could feel everyone else's depression drain her energy.
Not only that, but they had to do fight after fight as well. For the most part, the Void Shadows were just hiding as enemy Pokémon, which made it no different than fighting opponents in a regular dungeon. Not only that, but they didn't really fight with any strategy, they were even less coordinated than normal Wilds. However, they were frequent, a little too frequent if Lilac had any say in the matter. Especially as they made their way through the upside-down mountain.
"We're getting close," Mawile mumbled. "Close to the door to hope."
"That sounds like a good thing, right?" Lilac asked, hoping to bring some cheer back into things.
Light shook his head. "The Door to Hope would take us back to the 'real world', which probably means it'd take us back to the tomb in this case. The problem is, it's also where the highest concentration of Void Shadows are. And all the Void Shadows need to be destroyed before we can access the door to hope."
Lilac sighed. "And let me guess. 'They're not very strong' doesn't matter that much when there are so many of them? Am I close?"
"Let's put it like this," Mawile said. "It took the combined force of three Legendary Pokémon, and even then, we could only get Light and Fennix through the Door to Hope. We can hope that the past was different, but it's hard to imagine. And we should be prepared for the worst."
Fennix glanced up, trying to put a fierce expression. "I-I know Heat Wave this time, at least. S-so maybe that'll be enough to take 'em all out and rush to the Door to Hope!"
"We should save that as a last resort, though," Light said. "Heat Wave takes way too much out on you. And you still have to actually reach the door. You can't do that if you're collapsed."
"I'll be fine," Fennix insisted. "We gotta get outta here, don't we? Then we need to do everything we can! I'm not leaving anyone behind this time!"
"By the sound of things, we should rest and prepare," Ampharos chimed in, turning everyone's attention towards him. "Mawile, is there a good place to do that?"
Mawile nodded. "We're close to the same waypoint we rested at last time we came to this dungeon. We can stop there for a bit."
Ampharos nodded before facing and stepping forward. "Very well, crew. Let's make one more push towards the waypoint."
It was a quick shot to the waypoint Mawile was talking about. Once they got there, Ampharos and Fennix volunteered to be on lookout while Light, Lilac, and Mawile sat down together and rested. Of course, Light being in close proximity to Mawile lead to an awkward silence as neither caught the other's gaze. Lilac let out an annoyed groan seeing those two, but both ignored it. So she decided to take the more direct approach.
"Did you forget what I told you?" Lilac telepathically asked Light. "Talk to her. Now!"
"F-fine, I'll do it." Light cleared his throat before facing Mawile. "Hey, I…need to ask you-"
"What I think of your decision back in the Glacier Palace," Mawile finished for him, her gaze still not in his direction. "I suppose now is the best time to get this out in the open."
There was an awkward pause for a few seconds before Mawile spoke again. "I'm not mad, though I can't say I'm happy. Moreover, this was a reminder of your age and inexperience."
"My…age and inexperience?" Light asked.
Mawile finally faced him. "You acted in lieu out of a belief that you're actions in the past were wrong, and this was a chance to fix them, correct?" Light answered with a nod. "That sounds to be a noble goal, and not one unexpected of you. However, you failed to take in account that your actions in there were irrelevant. Changing your actions within an illusion doesn't change what happened. Articuno, her guards, and those that lived in that palace at the time all died. Those are facts."
Light was the one to face away this time. "I…know. But I just…"
"Couldn't let it go despite knowing full well your actions were irrelevant," Mawile finished for him. "I'm aware of that. Hence why I mentioned your age and inexperience. You are young, Light. You are bright, hopeful, and have a strong sense of empathy for other Pokémon, but you lack the ability to make hard choices. Some of which are, sadly, necessary."
"So you're saying I was right the first time?" Light still didn't face her.
"Whether you were right the first time or not is irrelevant. As I said before, what happened had already happened. I do believe you were wrong this time.."
"I'm…sorry," Light whispered. "I just…I couldn't."
"No, you couldn't," Mawile agreed. "Light, as this area is relevant, I want to tell you about what when into my decision to sacrifice my life to allow you and Fennix to leave the Voidlands." Light faced her as Mawile glanced up into the dark red skies. "Let me remind you that, at the time, we knew nothing of the Voidlands. We knew that escape was only possible through the Door to Hope and that was it. We also didn't know what fate would befall someone should they be captured by the Void Shadows. For all we knew, getting captured was the end.
"And yet, despite that being a possibility, I didn't hesitate when I realized what Entei, Raikou, and Suicune's plan was. I, and the rest of them, we all knew that you and Fennix needed to escape if we were to have any hope for the world. We gladly let the two of you go on if it meant the world could continue. That was the resolve I held that day."
"Yet, if I had my choice, I would've tried to make sure we all could make it, even if it was impossible," Light mumbled. "I'm sorry. In my head, I know that sometimes sacrifices need to be made for the sake of the world but…" for a moment, Light's eyes flickered towards Fennix, "I just can't do that. Maybe it'll come with age, but that's who I am right now."
"Then I suppose that's all we can discuss for now," Mawile finished. "For now, our rest is more important. You may feel free to rest as needed."
Light shook his head. "No, I doubt I could rest at this state. I think I'll join Fennix on lookout."
With that, Light stood up and walked over towards Fennix. As soon as she saw his approach, Fennix gave him a smile, which Light returned. There, light sat down next to her and they both kept watch together. However, Lilac saw their lips moving and, while she couldn't hear it, she knew full well that they were chatting amongst each other. And, though she could still see the sorrow hidden under his eyes, she knew that his smile was genuine.
"Still not easy getting over your jealousy, is it?" Mawile asked.
Lilac turned back to face her. "Hmm…I suppose it isn't. Accepting something doesn't make the feelings go away. It still hurts knowing I won't have that close of a relationship with them. But it's something I'll have to live with. Otherwise, I'll drift further apart from them on my own."
"It seems you've grown, then. If ever so slightly."
"Yeah, but I've still got a long way to go." Lilac closed her eyes and thought for a few moments. "But off of me…Mawile. You weren't telling Light about your resolve to sacrifice yourself just to give him an example, were you?"
"What ever do you mean?"
Lilac opened her eyes and she saw that Mawile has the slightest hint of a smile on her face. "Mawile, I'm serious."
"What do you think the answer to that question is?" Mawile asked.
"I can't read your mind right now, but I don't think I need to. By the way you sounded, the small smile on you're face that you're trying to hide, and the fact that you haven't directly answered my question, I believe it's more than likely that you are planning that. Whether you will go through with it or not, that's another matter entirely, but I'm fairly sure that, should things go south, you are planning on letting history repeat itself." Lilac paused for a moment, making sure her gaze was directly in Mawile's eyes. "Am I wrong?"
"I won't deny that. I won't deny that at all." Mawile closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Don't get me wrong, this will entirely be a last resort. I'd rather not throw away my life for no reason. And I haven't figured out all the details yet. There are four Pokémon here that I want to make sure makes it through the door to hope, after all."
Lilac closed her eyes. "And I imagine I can't stop you, can I?" Lilac opened her eyes back up again to see Mawile's boring into her.
"That depends. What can you do about it?"
Lilac's mouth opened wide as she realized exactly what Mawile was getting at. "You…know too?"
Mawile turned her attention towards Ampharos. "I'm going to help the Chief watch. I'll leave you to do what you think you need to do."
Mawile left without another word. Of course, Lilac was now alone between two different pairs, but she pushed that aside for now. Instead, Lilac closed her eyes and took a deep breath. There, she mentally dived deep into her mind for the Pokémon that had been waiting there inside her this entire adventure.
"Hello? I know you're in there," Lilac mentally said.
"I suppose I knew that you'd find out eventually," a voice that wasn't her own said back to her. "I got too close."
"Is that a bad thing? From everything Light and Fennix have told me about you, you're too kind to be like this. And you had your reasons for getting close, I'm sure. …But me telling you this is pointless, is it? After all, you don't believe that I'm really talking to Light, do you?"
"I did at first. Now…I'm not quite sure if I can believe that."
"Because Light showed compassion to other Pokémon? I know for a fact that you must've seen that several times before. The very first trial we took involved us showing compassion for other Pokémon! You can't tell me this is unusual."
"You know what I mean! If this was really Light, then why did he…?"
"Did you ever ask for Light's feelings after that? Did he show any indication that he hated his decision? Come on, you must have had some sort of inkling that Light hated what he did! I've known Light for far less long than you have, and I could've probably figured that out!"
"…No, you're right. I didn't. After that event, so many things happened, it was so chaotic that I didn't really have time. But I can't deny, the Light I knew would have hated to do something like that.
"It's funny. I was mad at him choosing that in the first place, and now I'm mad at 'him' choosing a different option. But you must understand two things. The idea that Light is here and now is a difficult one for me to grasp in the first place. And I need to ensure that this place is protected at all costs. There's something important here. You're a smart Pokémon, I'm sure you've already guessed what that is."
"Yeah, I have a guess. Then let me ask you this question. Do you think we're the type of Pokémon to desecrate this tomb? After everything that's happened? You're in my mind, so you should know. We mean nothing but the best intentions. Mawile and Ampharos are just here to learn of the past. And Light and Fennix, whether you believe they are who they say they are or not, are here to learn of their pasts. Mawile even warned Espeon and Umbreon not to desecrate this tomb when they inspect it. After all that, are you really worried we're going to do something?"
"Heh…it's funny. I'm getting lectured by a little girl who came here worried that her friends were going to forget her."
"You're the one who helped me though that, remember. And thanks for that. I feel such a weight lifted off of my shoulders thanks to you. But now I have to ask you. After all the information you've been given, after all the evidence you've seen, are you willing to trust us? Because if so, I'm sure you know what to do."
"…Very well. I'll see how he reacts to what's at the end. However, I should warn you of something first. In order for me to help, you'll need to…"
"It's okay. I'm ready. Because I trust you."
"…You're incredible. Very well. Come what may, Lilac, I am glad to have met you."
"I'm glad to have met you, too."
And so, Lilac calmed her mind until she felt her consciousness fade into nothing.