{Present day}

"Stop! Thief!" shouted the International Police officer. He and another officer chased after me through the streets of Veilstone City.

I carried a shopping bag in my left hand. My other hand kept my hood firmly over my eyes. "Hey! The sign said it was a huge discount," I yelled behind me. "I thought it'd be nice to get it off their hands."

I soon made it back to the alleyway I first came from. As I figured, two more International Policemen came from the other direction of the alley.

"You are under arrest for robbery, and suspected association with Team Smear!" said one of them.

Without hesitation, I dove into the first garbage disposal I passed. After closing the lid behind me, I opened a portal with my Unbound Rings and made it back to the island.

I half-laughed with relief and adrenaline. "I wonder what those officers will think that a kid got away by disappearing through the garbage." Then I frowned. "First stealing logs, then clothes. I got to wind back from this part of the gig. At least by hitting the same city the International Police tracked me to, they're likely not to expand outside the Sinnoh region too soon for me."

After recollecting my thoughts, I took the shopping bag still with me and walked over to my stash piles. "Time for an inventory check."

The first pile I started with was the clothes pile. I opened by shopping bag. Inside was a thick overcoat, mountain snow boots, fingerless gloves, and earmuffs. "That'll work for my expedition up to Team Celeste's base." I set them with my other work clothes and accessories. This included regular shades, cologne, hair gel, electric razor, comb, Go-Goggles, night-vision assisted shades, different colored contacts, a small rebreather mask, and a male grunt uniform and wig for Team Rocket, Team Magma, Team Aqua, Team Galactic, Team Plasma, Team Flare, Team Skull, and Team Celeste. The Celeste grunt uniform remained extremely filthy, but I vowed never to put it on again.

I checked up on the other clothes as well. I had dozens of shirts, pants, underwear, socks, and shoes for any form of casual attire. There was also a few good suits and ties for more spiffy occasions. This volume of variety was necessary in order to keep suspicion low to anyone around me, and be less likely seen in the same two places or to the same person twice. To my dissatisfaction, all these clothes were either shoplifted, or, in the case of the fancy clothes, handmade by a strenuous confidant. Satisfied with my clothes inventory, I folded everything neatly, and threw the dirtier or ruffled clothes in a separate pile for a laundry run.

The next section of my stash was the scrap pile. During some heists, I would just grab whatever I didn't want Team Celeste to have, and just throw them through a portal to here. Then, like now, I would pick through to see if anything was worth relocating to my other piles, or too dangerous to keep existing. I had a lot of broken gadgets and experimental tech to sift through, and nothing seemed lethal by the end of my check. "Geez, what am I going to do with all this once the pile gets too big?" I didn't want to spend too much time to think about this pile, so I moved on. The only thing I removed was some usable Micro-Tags.

I put those Micro-Tags with the others in my last section. This part of my stash consisted of items I knew I'd use or at some point. One part had gadget stuff, like the Micro-Tags to tag any Pokémon willing to join me and be immune to any types of PokeBalls. My camera was still here, used to snap photos of key locations to spawn my portals, or of my Pokemon and items I wanted to call upon. I also had four smaller cameras with little harnesses I used to have my Pokemon scout buildings for me before I went in. Two flash grenades were left, which meant I'd have to keep an eye out for them as I go through Alchimian Society controlled buildings. The Sleep Powder pellets were also in short supply, but those I could refill by going to Bub.

I checked my wallet, left in this pile. "Just a few hundred thousand real PokeDollars. Subtract future bribing and motel visits, and I don't got a lot to spare. Gonna have to stick with the forged PokeDollars."

The rest of these items were also accounted for. Some Hyper Potions, Ethers, Revives, Full Heals, and Heart Scales were bought, but some were shoplifted. The Master Ball I stole from the PokeBall Factory in Kalos was left here. I still had TM Roost, TM Aerial Ace, TM Dragon Tail, TM Dragon Claw, TM Brick Break, TM Flame Charge, TM Low Sweep, TM Flamethrower, TM Substitute, TM Swords Dance, TM Grass Knot, TM Struggle Bug, TM Toxic, TM Will-o-Wisp, TM Submission, TM Protect, TM Flash, and TM Rock Smash at my disposal, some of which I used frequently to swap moves on some of my partners. Two pairs of earplugs, for sudden encounters with strong or numerous Team Celeste members. I noticed a Celeste Pulser was among these items, and decided to move it to the scrap pile. Didn't need an item that sent Pokémon into a frenzy, but could use it to sell somewhere.

"Good. Everything seems to be in order and in stock." With that, the last items I checked were my scrapbook and notebook. I flipped through the scrapbook first. "Let me see what maps I got of Unova…" Nearing the end, I frowned. "Hm, nothing on that mountain area. I'm going to have to go to the public records for that tomorrow." I made a note of my to-do list in my notebook.

"There. Inventory done! Just something missing and something to restock."

I sat down for a lunch break. Finishing my meal, I opened a portal. Bub the Bellsprout appeared through it nonchalantly. ['Sup?] He asked plainly.

I held up some small spherical canisters that I laid beside me. "I need a reload, please."

['k.] He waddled up to me, stretching his body. I opened each canister, and Bub would inject a small dose of Sleep Powder from his mouth. Once they filled, I primed the canister like a bomb and set it back in the appropriate pile.

As we finished, I kept thinking about the map. "Given how tidy Team Celeste is, it's very likely the map I need won't be there. So I'll have to contact a source or two for hearsay…"

{Present day, Pan's perspective}

Through hearsay of a town, I was told some Z-Crystal type could be found around the border of the Ancient Poni Path and the Poni Breaker Coast. I pressed for details, but the townsfolk were strangely guarded. "Whatever. I wonder what Totem Pokémon will be there."

After shifting through some very tall grass, I found a large cylindrical grove. It looked very old and wild. "That looks like something…" When I pushed through the branches, I ended up in a clearing about the diameter of a small home. At the center was a rock, with a few light purple Z-Crystals.

I beamed, "Yes! I found you, my pretties!" I tiptoed right up to the rock. I looked around at first. "Where's the Totem Pokémon, though? I've encountered one guarding each of these things so far." With nobody apparently around, I shrugged, then carefully plucked a Z-Crystal out. At close examination, I could tell it was a Psychium-Z. "Nice, a different one! So that leaves…"

Suddenly, the branches of the grove shook. I whirled around to face the noise and reached for my Poke Ball. "So there is a Totem Pokémon. Figured it wouldn't be this…"

But instead of a huge Pokémon, out stepped a short old hag. Her face kind of resembled Hapu, the Kahuna of this island. "So you did find it," she said.

I still held a finger to my PokeBall. "Yeah. Got a problem with that?"

She shook her head slowly. "Nobody has looked out for this spot in years. You are likely the first trainer since before my granddaughter was born that has come for the Psychium-Z. Even the Totem Slowking has abandoned this spot out of respects."

I relaxed a bit. "What happened?"

She paused. "The last former trial captain and his partner Pokémon sailed away, in hopes to see the world. They have never returned. And shortly thereafter, my husband, the last Island Kahuna, passed away. It was a dark period for this island." She gravely looked to the rock. Then she gave a small smile. "But things are looking up since Tapu Fini chose my granddaughter as the new Kahuna, and Sun and his friends restored peace to Alola."

I grunted. "Right. Well, thanks for the story. I got to go to Ula'ula Island next." I start to head out of the grove. Then I added, "Oh, and tell your granddaughter, I'm coming for her and her Z-Crystal later!"

{Appox. 9 years ago}

Being this long on the island, I got used to my new companions. Rowlet and I were, of course, as close as brothers. Jangmo-o got into the most trouble, but owned every problem he stumbled into and against. Scyther roamed around us, like a guard dog. Sneasel got used to being second Nanabs to me, but tried to direct the others with an air of coolness. Fortunately, Ralts checked up on all of us, helping to keep my small group together and prevent any of us from stepping too far out of line.

Zorua still hung around us from time to time. Sometimes he would copy one of my close Pokémon allies. But most of the time he would keep trying to mimic me. His Illusion ability got better, making every physical detail, outside of color scheme, match. His physical movements with my body also became more natural. However, his voice still sounded like something was being mutilated inside, which cracked me up.

Not everything was comfortable and fun. The flying Pokémon were still as relentless as ever, and the land-bound Pokémon within the rocky half of the island were territorial to any outsiders. So the rest of us were still crammed into the dense forest, stuck with bland, unripe berries.

Oranuguru's training wasn't a picnic either. As I courted one Pokémon after another to my lead, the Sage Pokemon took notice of the changes in the dynamics of his group. Without giving particular reason, he pressured me into training even harder. Push-ups, sit-ups, squats, and jogs for a physical regiment. My partners joined in, too. Then he would have me go over available Z-Moves, over and over. He insisted my Proteanium-Z could access all the types of Z-Moves, so he had me do choreography to the other types I hadn't done. Took me weeks just to perfect Devastating Drake with Jangmo-o.

After another excruciating practice, Oranguru raised his hand to halt us. [He's back. Come with me.]

"Who's back?" But he didn't answer me as he trotted straight toward the coastline.

Oranguru, his whole group, and I congregated at the forest edge near the beach. For a few minutes, nothing appeared. Nothing moved but the waves lapping the shore. Then, a pink blob surfaced. Another minute later, I could clearly see this blob was a Slowpoke.

I froze. "That's a…"

The Slowpoke trudged lackadaisically toward us. He moved at such as slow pace, a flock of Tailow, Swellow, and Tranquill patrolling the skies spotted him, and he was only an eighth of the way toward us. But he either didn't care or hear, because he just blankly stared straight ahead.

My legs shook as I remained stiff and hazy. But everyone else snapped into action. Scyther and Sneasel were the quickest to reach Slowpoke. Although the two's appendages were poorly ample to carry the Slowpoke, they opted to push him faster.

The others dragged the Slowpoke into the safety of the forest, where the flying Pokémon couldn't adequately reach us. So the birds flew off in a huff.

Oranguru walked up to the Slowpoke. [Back from your swim?] Then he looks over to the Slowpoke's tail. A Wooper held on tightly to the end of the tail. But he seemed passed out. Oranguru stroked his chin. [Seems you found another drifting refugee. We'll take it from here…Will? You okay?"

Everyone looked at me now. But I was staring at Slowpoke's tail. "That's…a…a…" I flashbacked to a moment when I was eating dinner with my parents. My father had bought a new meal from one of his 'secret partners'. When I saw it, I didn't know what it was. It was very squishy and tender, much different from berries or bread. And it was pink and slender.

But now that I was here, and with the Slowpoke in front of me, I knew exactly what I ate. My head grew dizzy. My stomach was doing flips.

Rowlet flew up to me. [Uh, Will? Your face is turning greener than me…]

"Oh, sh…" I immediately ran off toward my home base. Not even a few paces later, and I already barfed. By the time I make it back, I puked out all the contents of my stomach, and possibly all my insides.

Sneasel caught up to me first, carrying Ralts on his back. [You got to do something,] he told her, slight panic in his voice.

Ralts' face turned about as green as mine, and she backed off. [N-no way! I just read emotions, not change them. And I do not what to Synchronize with those vibes!]

Rowlet, Jangmo-o, and Zorua came next. The Tricky Fox Pokémon was a little disgusted by my sickened appearance, but kept a concerned watch. Rowlet hesitantly flew next to me, while I laid on my side on the rock bed. Then the Grass Quill Pokémon gave my stomach a rub with his noggin.

A wave of nausea resurfaced. I put a hand to my mouth. [Wha…?! Why?]

[My mom used to do this to my tummy when I was sick,] he replied.

I thought to shove him off, but he was trying so hard, I felt bad and relented. Instead, I held my breath and prayed to Arceus I didn't throw up again in front of my friends. My prayers were answered, and I passed out instead.

Ever since seeing that Slowpoke, old memories of my time with the Alchimian Society resurfaced with a vengeance. I desperately suppressed them during the day. But when I slept, I got nightmares of my parents torturing people and Pokémon, and Hoth burning up in the AGB Labs. In the middle of most nights, I would wake up in a cold sweat.

Agitated and groggy, I couldn't focus on my daily tasks, let alone the intense training. I didn't want to tell Oranguru what was going on, but I assumed he could tell what was on my mind. In response, he decided more rigorous training was required, to keep my mind off of what was troubling me. In didn't really work, and I only grew to resent Oranguru more.

"I never push my partners this hard," I thought while away from him. "What does he hope to accomplish with me? He's just a wild Pokémon. He knows a lot more than he lets on, but he's not telling me either."

Soon, Scyther and I could communicate telepathically like my other friends. And I noticed that he called Oranguru by the name 'Sensei', like Zorua. And so did Sneasel and Jangmo-o. Rowlet and Ralts didn't at first, but I caught them saying that name from time to time. It didn't bother me at first, and Oranguru didn't harp on it that much. But as the intense training wore on me, it irked me more and more. "He doesn't have my respect for calling him that name. He's not even my Pokémon. Why give him a nickname if he isn't mine and treats me like a dog?"

On top of all this, Oranguru used Instruct on me. Since I was slacking more frequently with the Z-Move poses, he would force me to repeat them over and over until he was satisfied. Besides how annoying it was for me to act against my will, the move felt…familiar. Like something I felt before.

The words of my father, when he used his 'persuasion power' on me, resurfaced my mind when Oranguru used Instruct. "That's what it feels like," I realized. "That what persuasion is like. I hate this!"

[Again,] said Oranguru sternly, using Instruct.

I gritted my teeth as I felt the compulsion to obey. His words began to blend together with my father's voice in my head. "…s-stop it!" I stammered, feebly doing the gestures to Dragon-type Z-Moves.

[Again!] he said more forcefully, using Instruct yet again.

Finally, I stamped my feet and exploded, "I SAID STOP!"

Oranguru froze, as did Zorua and my friends who were watching me all this time.

I was breathing irately, and my head was swimming with stress. I gave Oranguru a pained and seething look. His facial expression still looked stern, but he was slouching, like he'd been defeated.

"Just…stop…" I huffed. "Not anymore…" And I stormed off. My mind was too clouded with rage and guilt to do anything else. I laid down on my bed for the rest of the day. Rowlet, Ralts, Jangmo-o, Sneasel, and even Zorua tried to talk to me in a worrisome tone, but I ignored them.

A nightmare later, I woke up the next morning, grouchy. I gathered berries with my friends in silence. Sneasel picked up my slack to direct my other friends toward the better of the bitter berries. I was not looking forward to another training session with Oranguru. So I sulked in the pond, alone, instead. It moderately rained, so it wasn't that hot out, and the water dripped down the canopy into the pond.

After I half-dried off and put my clothes back on, I trudged back to my camp. "Ugh, when am I gonna get off this stupid rock of an island!"

Suddenly, I spotted Oranguru walking through the forest. I hid behind a tree and watched him lumber on. "Thank Arceus, I think he didn't see me." Then I pondered, "Wait…that's the direction of that grove."

I tiptoed several paces behind him. His pace was slow, like a solemn march. A few minutes later, he reached the grove and disappeared through the branches.

I stopped for a second. No other Pokémon were around me. "Okay, what are you hiding?"

I wedged through the branches as silently as I could. When I got to the center, I was admittedly slightly underwhelmed. The grove had a small space of dirt about the diameter of an average laboratory. There were three moderately-sized stones. The one on the right was unmarked. The one on the left had what looked like a Pikachu face. The center one, the slightly bigger stone, had a necklace resting on top. Peculiarly, there was a small mound of dirt in front of the Pikachu stone, and a large mound of dirt in front of the middle stone.

Oranguru knelt in front of the three stones. His eyes were closed, like he was deep in thought. I opened my mouth, but didn't speak. As curious or angry as I was, I didn't know what to say. So I stood there in silence.

Several minutes passed. "Does he know I'm here?" A couple more minutes passed. "What is this stuff?"

[Thank you for waiting.] Oranguru didn't move a muscle, so his voice started me.

"Oh! Uh…I uh…I'll…" I began to walk out of the grove.

[I apologize for the intrusion.]

I stopped and looked back to him. "Um…excuse me?"

[Yesterday. I saw everything…everything that crossed your mind. Not in much detail, but enough.]

I flinched. "Is it about my frustration toward him?"

He continued, [You have endured much pain and sorry before coming here. You have been suppressing those memories for over two years now, keeping it private…even to yourself.]

I hugged myself in discomfort. "That's…I don't…I don't know what to make of it."

He sighed, [That's sounds about right for someone your age. Then, since it is only fair, how about I tell you my story?]

My eyes widened. "…okay…" I answered softly.

Oranguru took a deep breath. [As with all the other Pokémon on this island, I didn't originate here. My origin starts decades ago. I actually came from Akala Island of the Alola Region. I didn't fit well with my tribe. I was the only one of my kind with a Telepathy ability strong enough to communicate mentally with Pokémon and people. So I hitched the first one-man boat I could find. That boat happened to belong to a Pokémon trainer named Satori. He and his starter Pokémon Abra battled me for the boat. He won, and caught me in a PokeBall. But to my luck, he took me with him to Ula'ula Island.]

[Shortly after he arrived, the Ula'ula Island Kahuna made Satori one of the Trial Captains. He ended up in charge of a Totem Slowking, and the Psychium-Z crystals he guarded. Before being a trainer's Pokémon, I was unruly and close-minded. Under Satori, I learned the lessons of humility, discipline, and flexibility. He opened my mind to all sorts of ideals and truths. My fighting skills improved greatly, as I could even match the Totem Slowking. Through the years as Trial Captain, Satori, his Kadabra, and I learned new things every day, and was taught by our kahuna, fellow Trial Captains, and even the trainers undergoing the Island Challenge.]

[Then, when Satori turned 21, he was forced to step down as Trial Captain. But our journey only just begun. Kadabra evolved into Alakazam. I traveled all throughout Alola with Satori, uncovering all of Alola's secrets. Then we would share our findings with the locals and trainers abroad. I gained my new nickname, Sensei, because the children would look up to me as equal a teacher as my trainer. Alakazam gained the nickname 'Protégé', because he was often the second in command whenever my trainer was temporarily busy or fell ill. Satori even earned his own Z-Necklace, and mastered many Z-Moves with us.]

[Years passed. Our kahuna was getting old, and his children moved away from Alola to see the world. He wondered if Tapu Fini would find Satori worthy to take his place as the new Island Kahuna. But Satori requested a new journey. We had learned all there could be known in Alola, and thought it would benefit us to learn even more abroad. So we boarded a cruise ship and began our world tour journey. Satori, Protégé, and I eagerly awaited what the other regions would have in store.]

Oranguru's expression darkened. [But…it seemed fate had other plans. A storm, the likes of which we had never seen before, came out of nowhere. Our ship was large, accommodating hundreds of people and Pokemon. We thought it could withstand the storm. We were wrong.]

[The winds crashed ferocious waves that tipped the ship. Rain and lightning sent the passengers and crew into chaos. A couple of trainers urged their Pokémon to use Sunny Day. But it mysteriously failed. Satori was certain a Pokemon was behind this, and went to action. He helped the crew to keep the other passengers in some orderly fashion. He tasked Protégé to search out the malevolent Pokémon. He tasked me to keep the lost and frightened Pokemon in one, safe place.]

[Then…*crack!*…] In between his telepathic communication, the memory of that ship breaking apart was so vivid I could hear the destruction myself, as if I was there. [I held the Pokemon together in a vault-like room. The room had a buoy system that kept us afloat like a life boat. But my thoughts wildly reached out to my….] He swallowed. [Satori was still directing other humans. His mental link kept cutting in and out, like he was struggling to focus. Protégé, on the other hand, suffered a worse fate. His last audible telepathic words seemed to indicate he found the beast responsible. But he screamed…I never heard him scream like that…and his mental link violently cut off. I never saw or heard him again.]

He paused with a heavy sigh. [Our life pod rattled about on the waves, and I was in such a panic I lost my footing and was knocked out. When I came to, I was on the beach of this island. My pod remained relatively intact. Scyther, the two Ratatta, Slowpoke, Tangela, Machop, the Bellsprout, the Marill, the Patrat, the Zigzagoon, the Sentret, the Yungoos, the Sewaddle, the Oddish, and the Mankey all were with me in that pod.]

"That's why they trust him so much…" I thought.

[After quickly checking that they were okay, my mind immediately searched for Satori. I ran the whole beach, when I faintly picked up his thoughts. I ran faster than I ever ran before. While I did find the other life pods, to my horror, they were a wreck. Motionless bodies washed the shore, both humans and Pokémon. I prayed to Tapu Lele that Satori would not be one of them. But as I had abandoned the island, it seemed Tapu Lele would not be with me this time.]

[I did find Satori's body. His body was beaten up by the waves, and bleeding all over. He was barely alive, and I could tell by his brainwaves that would not last much longer.] His voice slowed at this moment, pausing more frequently. [I held him in my arms. His body was too limp, and his mouth remained agape. But he forced himself to keep eye contact with me. It last for two minutes too short. As he closed his eyes, he said only three words…"Sensei"…"keep"…"necklace"…]

I looked to the necklace on the center rock, and glanced at the mound of dirt in front of it. Then I looked away as tears rolled down my face.

Oranguru shakily raised his arms. [After that, I honored him the only way I knew how. It…was the most laborious thing I have ever done with just my own two hands.]

There was a whole minute of silence, as all this sunk in. Then I looked up to the stone with a Pikachu face on it. My voice quivered, "What about the other two rocks? The Pikachu?"

[The blank one is for all who lost their lives on or around this island. For shortly after I arrived, I quickly…harshly…learned the order of things. The flying Pokémon would attack us whenever we were outside the safety of the forest. They often snatched up the injured and the weak, and they'd never return. There are…too many lost to count…and their bodies left with them. So I have a stone there as a 'grave' reminder.]

[That stone also encompasses those before and after me. The Pokémon inhabiting the rocky terrain of the island have been here way longer than me. Their story is similar to the rest of us, but they have adopted a more aggressive approach to survival. Didn't help that I was in mourning my first weeks on the island, when in hindsight it would have benefited me to show the strength of a leader. Now, I am an unworthy ally in the eyes of those from the rocky terrain.]

[There are occasional Pokémon that drift upon our shores from the outside world. They are drifters who were either discarded, lost, or shipwrecked. Most do not make it to the safety of the forest, as the flying Pokémon patrol the beaches, and you're pretty much a goner if you land on the beaches near the rocky half. But some do make it. Rockruff, Zorua, Sneasel, Jangmo-o, and Ralts are among those survivors who landed after my arrival. Slowpoke tries his best, in his own way, to help increase the odds of that survival, like with that Wooper. They are the lucky ones, stuck like the rest of us.]

[Now, there was one unifier between our two sides. That was a Pikachu. He was with me in that life pod. As an Electric-type, he was instrumental to our defense against many of the flying Pokémon. But he also was a great speaker. He was the only one of us tolerable to the rocky terrain side, and he even helped them out from time to time. But to me, personally, he was my second salvation. I taught him new tactics for battle, and gave him new ideas. In turn, his wide-eyed eagerness to learn and sympathize with others partly filled a hole in my heart I had only reserved for Satori and Protégé. In time, he effectively became my protégé."

"But, one day, conflict would soon overwhelm us. The flying Pokémon were not equip to handle a unified force between my forest side, and the rocky terrain side. And when that time nearly came upon us, they made their huge attack. Their leader rallied all members of their flying brethren, and attacked both sides. I and my rocky terrain counterpart lost many lives that day. But we all would have been lost to a terrible fate…were in not for Pikachu.]

[In a final sacrifice, he used up all his electricity in a final attack. I had mentioned to him a Z-Move only Pikachu could know, but warned it could only be achieved through a Z-Crystal. I pleaded with him not to try, as it risked expulsing all the electricity in his body, and it likely would fail. But to everyone's surprise, a miracle happened. During that battle, there was an Ultra Wormhole in the sky near the flying Pokémon. Suddenly, a strange bolt of energy struck Pikachu from that hole, and he used the last of his energy combined with Ultra-radiation to perform a 10,000,000-Volt Thunderbolt.]

[The Z-Move forced every flying Pokémon to flee. Both island sides were safe. But at a terrible price. With all his energy forced out, Pikachu could not recover. He, too, died in my hands. The Pokémon from the rocky side took pity on us for just that day, and created that stone in his honor.]

I was shaking as I cried. I tried stifle myself, as it felt wrong to me to cry too loudly.

Oranguru opened his eyes. [I understand pain and sorrow, as you have. I'm sure you wish to hear an answer to this tale; some sort of way to overcome such loss. But, I'm afraid, I have no such answer.] He got to his feet and faced me. [The best you, and I, can hope is to cope. We are stuck on this island, with nowhere to run. I have Zorua as my second protégé. Helps keep my mind off of things. And I hoped you could be my replacement, too…for…] His mental connection cut off as his eyes drifted downward.

My heart was already sunk, but now it sank out of my body. "I feel like…such a jerk…" I fell to my knees. "Oranguru was only trying…to see me become…"

He slowly walked passed me. But he tapped his hand on my shoulder. [I will not push you to do anything, anymore, if you feel uncomfortable. When you are ready, come to me.] With that, he vanished through the grove branches.

That left me, alone, with the graves of Oranguru's past. I stayed until my eyes could no longer shed tears. "What do I do now?"