He was suddenly aware of a soft material underneath him. He slowly opened his eyes, blinking a bit as the warm light of the room flooded in.

"Hey, you. You're finally awake." Tulum peered at him from a shelf above, which had stalks of lavender blossoming up from it.

He looked around, a little dazed. He shifted, feeling the soft pillow under him. To the left, a window let in light, and all sorts of flowers and plants grew in a small glass room. He seemed to be on a counter of sorts, a kettle sitting on the stovetop nearby.

"Uh... where am I? And what happened?" He faced back towards Tulum.

"We're at the Pokémon Research Lab. I know, it's far, but I didn't know where else to go to. Do you... really not remember? She tilted her head to the side, shuffling a bit.

"No, I..." Memories started to filter in. Nurse Joy falling to the ground. The tangle of brilliant threads that sewed the world into place... but after that, it was blank. But something about the memories he did have seemed... off. Jack had an unsettling feeling. Whatever happened after the first shot rang in the air...

It wasn't him.

It was terrifying to think about, that something else had seized control, yet something told him he was right.

"You dead or something?" Tulum joked, flapping down from where she perched. He just stared at her for a second. "Ah, sorry. I guess that was a bit inappropriate for the situation."

"It's... It's alright. I'm just going through a bit of stuff right now."

"I can tell." She deadpanned. "I imagine it's pretty strange to mourn for yourself, although I think you should skip the funeral."

That got a bit of a chuckle out of him. It was strange indeed. It did have a bit of hilarity to it. Thinking about it, he didn't really seem to particularly miss the way it was before. He honestly didn't remember a whole ton, but he did know there wasn't a whole lot of happy moments. Plus, he was getting more used to this body by the hour. Here, on this counter, talking with a friend, in the wildest of situations, but with more to and look forward to than ever before... he...

He started to tear up a bit.

He felt free.

As they talked, the conversation grew lighter, and he was smiling for the first time in what felt like forever.

The door creaked as it opened, interrupting the quiet atmosphere. A woman walked in, wrinkled with age, but with a lively stature.

"Ah, so the little one's awake. Hold on, let me get my tea." She picked up the kettle and poured two cups, then placing a tea bag in each. She walked over to him, and placed her hand gently on his head. "How are you doing, child? Tulum over there brought you here in quite the state."

He was silent, not sure how to respond. Should he respond truthfully? If he told her that he was feeling terrible, he might be insulting her care... But silence was not an option either. He took a deep breath to calm his mind, and tried to make a connection so he could talk to her. The strand flickered, before he quickly cut it. He was too worn out to use Psychic.

He sighed, leaning back into the pillow.

"Looks like you could use to rest a bit longer, little one. That's alright. Tulum, would you care for some tea?" She motioned towards the two cups of tea that she had now placed on the nearby table. "It can do wonders for the body." She walked over and held her index finger out horizontally.

Tulum hopped into her finger with no hesitation. She climbed up her lab coat, and onto her shoulder, nibbling lightly at the professors ear.

"You'll have to wait a little for it to cool down." She said, as Tulum skittered across the table to the second cup. Tulum sat patiently beside the cup, snuggling up against its warmth. He almost seemed to feel that warmth too as he fell back asleep.

He was in total darkness.

He opened his eyes, but there was nothing to see.

The whole place rang with a soft music, no individual instruments could be picked out, but it was... relaxing.

Where am I? He thought to himself. The place seemed to hum back, Nowhere. There is nothing here. No worries, no fears. Rest awhile, would you?

This place seemed to return his strength gradually, filling him with energy and warmth, like when you drink a cup of hot chocolate. He missed hot chocolate, or just chocolate in general...

...His mind cleared of all thoughts, and he slowly began to drift...

BANG!

A crash of thunder jolted him up instantly, and the dark was melting away as a bright white filled the void. He squinted his eyes shut, but it made no difference. It seemed to burn through his misty body, sending jolts of pain through him. He had almost forgotten what pain felt like, but it seemed this new place wouldn't let him.

He stifled a scream as it continued, but he began to adjust, although the unrelenting light still seemed to stab at him with every chance. He peeked his eyes open, but immediately regretted it as it seemed to pierce through his very soul. Still he continued to open them through the pain.

Strings of energy, somehow shining brighter than the background they lay against, crisscrossed the space. Then in the distance, he spotted a figure approaching.

It looked a lot like him. The old him. A stumbling little child with eyes downcast. The figure disappeared in a flash that sent a new wave of fiery pain rippling through him. Then he saw himself as he was now. The Phantump came over to him, a refreshing dark color that seemed to cool the flames raging through him. But the way it moved, held itself... was very different from him. He recognized it.

Teontall.

They looked into his eyes, and spoke.

"You are more troublesome than I anticipated."

It was a deep, booming voice that beat through him, scattering his body for a second, and echoed throughout the eternal light.

"However, you cannot last long."

The copy seemed to smirk for a second, but then began to change. The disguise ripped away, and out emerged a figure that he couldn't even begin to describe. He caught glimpses through the blinding light that now shone more than impossibly bright. A wing one place. An eye. A blade. A gaping cavity that may have been a mouth. These things and an inconceivable amount more emerged, and it just kept coming. Finally, it stopped. Whatever this was now seemed to surround him, corner him. He saw shapes in its body that seemed to defy all known laws of reality, stretching beyond the third dimension. The strands of light all attached to it. And suddenly came a blade of a thousand ends swinging towards him, it vaporizing every particle in him.

And in a flash it all seemed to be over.

Oh woah, a cliffhanger. Spooky.

I finally managed to get back to writing this story! I had to fight through writers block, schoolwork piling up, and other ideas that wouldn't leave me alone. But I'm finally here! I honestly forgot about this for a little while, but I found the previous chapter in my notes, and had a sudden smack of inspiration! Writers block seems to be backing off for now, but for how long I don't know.

Please feel free to leave a review! Even if it's just "Neat!" Or "I wonder what will happen!" Every single review gives me more drive to continue! I tend to get motivated from other peoples input, haha.

If you have any questions, you can DM me!

'Till we meet again!