Hybrid: Aurora Edition

by SairaCrystaline

A story in the Pokemon world with a trans protagonist who lives through some of the worst life has to offer, but refuses to back down and always does their best to do the right thing. Lots of hurt/comfort, comedy will be in places, don't expect much hetero stuff to happen. And plenty of filled in holes the canon of the games leaves.

1. Chapter 1: Gateway to Helheim

Regiearth, such a curious world. Filled with so many places, so many people. And one that will be going through quite a number of changes in the near future. Our story begins in Sinnoh, a land of balance. The new is not ignored, the old is not forgotten. Unless something is lost to time itself, you can find it in Sinnoh. And even then, there are those who pursue knowledge in order to uncover such mysteries. However. Not all knowledge should be found. And the methods to uncover knowledge can easily outweigh the boons it may bring. But, as they say, hindsight is twenty-twenty. You cannot change the past, only the future. And with every shadow, there must be a light. This story follows one such soul who follows that philosophy quite adamantly. Their name… Well, I can't spoil all the surprises quite yet, can I? But nonetheless, welcome to the journey they undergo through their life. Welcome, to Hybrid: Aurora Edition.

~~Snowpoint, Year 8520, Damidar, Luxem 9th~~

"Aurora, be back soon! It'll be dark soon and it's close to suppertime."
"I will! It isn't far I'll be back right quick!" I don't wanna go far, I just wanna show Ivane the cool place I found! And then tomorrow I can bring sis and Mom and Ma with me and they can all see how cool it is!

We walked down the snow-covered cobblestone streets together, keeping Ivane's Pokeball close to my chest. Don't wanna lose that, that'd be really bad. The snow isn't falling today anymore, but there's still a bunch of frost capped lanterns glowing orange against the snow and filling the air with the soft scent of pine smoke. The paths were as pretty as always; warm and lighter red from being carved Heat Rocks, like mom told me. She also told me what all the designs are supposed to mean, and they're a bunch of Pokemon and stuff! It's always fun looking and trying to find which pattern is below you.

Ivane was walking close to me, since there wasn't really any reason for her to be in a ball and it's nice walking with her. I'm pretty sure she likes listening to me talk about stuff, since she always smiles when I do. And she's a special Ninetales that can be both hot and cold! I think ma said something about her having two different Ninetales parents…? I dunno, but it's cool! She's got gold fur mostly but the ends of her ears and tails and her chest fluff thingy all are more white and cloudy!

There were a bunch of people out on the streets, some with bags and stuff, others with berries in their mouths and Ivane made sure I had a path. She's bigger and more colorful after all. Some waved and I waved back before I turned to Ivane, grinning ear to ear. "I can't wait for you to see the place, it's not that far and it's really pretty! I dunno what it is really, but it's all curly and shines like ice does and it's got frozen berries or something hanging off of it! A bunch of Swinub and Vulpix and Snorunt and… uh…" What're they called again? The small blue ones that're like Teddiursa but not- "Cubchoo! There's Cubchoo there too."
Ivane gave me a warm look, saying gently {Tales.} My grin just got wider, even though I didn't know what she was saying. Why is that anyway? Pokemon know what we say, so why can't we know what they say? It's stupid.

On the way through we passed this really nice place called Jingle Bread. It had these really awesome cookies shaped like bells with leaves on top. They were amazing. And it was run by a really nice family! Ms. Ginger leaned out the door and waved to me. "Hullo Aurora, Ivane! Where are you two off to?"

I grinned and waved back to her "Just a place I found! Maybe I can take you soon?"

She chuckled. "I'd like that. You want some cookies before you go?"

"Nah, maybe later. I'll be back quick!"

"I'll get some ready for you all then." She turned back inside, and I kept waving until she was away. She's a nice lady. I can't wait to take some cookies home!
The hard stone transitioned abruptly to powdery snow as we turned off the path into the forest. Paths can't go everywhere after all, and it'd be boring if you had to always stay on them. There's so much cool stuff that you can't find if you stay on the path the whole time. It's so much funner to find it yourself! Like that bunch of Snover walking through the trees. I waved to them, and they waved back. Snover are nice. They almost blend in with the trees unless you really know what you're looking for. They're always kind so long as you're not a big mean idiot and attack them, and they'll help you back home if you're lost. Abomasnow are like that, but really big and strong. They're like huge Christmas trees if you touch them, but they're really cold. I stayed with Ivane while we were walking by them, since I don't wanna lose her.

{Pix!} I looked over and there was this little Vulpix trying to get to… something on the tree? I followed their line of sight and oh they want a berry that's up there. I crouched to get on their level and smiled. "Don't worry, I'll get it for you." All I gotta do is climb the tree. The very icy, cold tree. Well the berry's not gonna pick itself, is it? I tried to grip it, but my hands just slid off immediately. Uh… there's gotta be a way to get it for them, right? Maybe-

My hand started glowing purple, leaving me to flail confused when I started floating. What's-! Oh, Ivane. She was picking me up, her eyes glowing softly as she guided me up to the berry. Right, gotta pick it! I grabbed it, and she lowered me back down so I could give it to the Vulpix. They were standing on their hind legs, wanting to get it faster. I guess they're really hungry… I kinda wish I had some more stuff to give them. They ate it quickly out of my hands, gave me a happy {Vulpix!} and ran off. I looked at Ivane, a little worried about them. "Were they still hungry? Should we find them and get some more food for them or…?"
She shook her head. {Tales, tales nine.} I… hope that means it's okay? She brushed up against me and looked to me for where we were going next, so I guess that means it's okay? I still wish I could understand Pokemon…

The trees around Snowpoint always look so huge. They're pine trees, so they're always green, but they're twice the height of most Abomasnow and it's nuts! Or… I guess pinecones are the nuts? Are they the nuts? I dunno, maybe? "Hey, Ivane, are pine cones nuts-"
{Tales!} Uh… what? She was standing in a ready stance, and I stiffened. Does that mean there's something coming? A lot of Pokemon were bolting like their lives depended on it, even… Sneasel? But aren't Sneasel the predator ones? Why are they running? Ivane nudged me over by a tree and motioned for me to… hide?

"Are you gonna be okay?" She nodded, so I crouched while still clutching her Pokeball close to my chest, and she breathed frost over me to hide me in the snow. It's so cold, but if she thinks it's best...

A black streak came rocketing out of the corner of my vision, Ivane barely turning in time to breathe fire at it and make it veer off course. What was that? Pokemon don't move that fast, do they? Apparently this one did, as they made a small trench in the snow from stopping so quickly and turning around. They're a Sneasel, but… they looked demented. Their eyes normally aren't that big, but this one's… they were bright red and tiny. They looked like you could go insane just staring at them. And their claws… they looked way too sharp. I shivered, though whether it was from the cold or the Sneasel I don't know. Ivane seemed unnerved too, but… she's a fire type, right? Fire beats ice, so she should be okay!
"Found something, did you?"

That Sneasel has a trainer? Are they maybe trying to help the Sneasel be less crazy? They walked out from the trees' shadows and just stared at her. He had a yellow G on his coat, and was wearing black striped pants and a matching shirt? His hair was this pale blue and spiky, but his eyes and face… they looked dead. Not like, corpse dead, but… unmoving. Uncaring. Like Ivane was a particularly interesting rock or something. He looked about leisurely before glancing down to his Sneasel.

"A Ninetales like this isn't simply a wild one. Its trainer is nearby, most likely hiding." Is the Sneasel… laughing? "Find them, or eviscerate the fox. Whichever comes first."
Uh… I don't know what eviscerate means, but it sounds bad! Ivane can take this though, right? The Sneasel just started cackling like a maniac before they rocketed straight at Ivane. They were moving so quickly I could barely even see them, save for a black streak and chips of wood occasionally flying off the trees. Ivane was glancing about and trying to get a bead on them, but every time she'd pivot in one direction the snow would fly to the side as the Sneasel hit her from the other way. I held the ball tighter. She's… just figuring them out right? She can beat them. She's gotta!

It didn't seem like that though. Even when she managed to predict where he was coming from, the Sneasel simply curved around the blast of fire with a sadistic grin. She can't figure out where they're coming from… Ma and Mom both do battles, and I've seen some. And Sis is gonna be doing a lot of them soon, so maybe I can help her!

The snow burst off as I got up, shaking but determined to help. The guy just looked at me the same way he did Ivane, sending chills down my spine. He then turned to the Sneasel, who was perched up in a tree while Ivane panted. "End this quickly." The Sneasel grinned way too wide in response. {Sel!} I turned to Ivane, who was giving me a look of… worry? Confusion? Later, I need to help her!
I shook myself before looking at the Sneasel, still up in the tree. "They keep bouncing around on the trees, so maybe… if…" I caught his stare. I couldn't help but want to step back, they looked soulless. Don't freak out! "If you keep your back to a tree, then he might not catch you off guard!" She looked at me, gave a small smile and nodded before she backed up to a tree. "You can do this!"

The Sneasel just looked at me and cackled, as if they were laughing at the idea Ivane could win. I stood my ground. "She's strong! She can win!" They nearly doubled over laughing before streaking at Ivane again. She's actually doing better now! They're not getting as many hits in! By a little, but still! She kept letting loose Flamethrowers at them, the acrid smell of burnt pine needles and heat filling the air before being swept away by the cold again. After one jump, Ivane glared over at them and managed to hit them straight on! "Yeah, you can do-"

I was cut off as the Sneasel (now slightly burnt) just powered through it and cut Ivane before slamming her head to the ground. Is that… blood? My heart quickened, while the Sneasel just seemed to be enjoying this. My fists clenched. If I don't do something… Snow isn't the best thing to run on, but it's nothing new. I yelled a bit while running at the Sneasel and punched them right in the face. Did… did that do anything? My heart stopped as they didn't even flinch, and their eyes swiveled over to me almost leaving behind red trails. A toothed grin spread across their face, and then their claws were on my neck and pinning me to the ground. Ivane barked something, and all I could see was a bit of sky, trees and those mad scarlet eyes boring holes into me. I tensed.
"Leave the pup intact, otherwise it's of no use." Their claws tightened around my neck, a sharp pain flaring from where they were holding before letting up and grinning. {Sel, snea sel.} Ivane growled and strained to get up, but couldn't. The man started walking towards me, and I tried to get up. Didn't need to do that after he grabbed the scruff of my shirt and held me up off the ground, his eyes boring into me. "Don't presume you can stand in my way, child." My heart couldn't decide between beating a mile a minute and stopping from his piercing gaze. Air rushed past as he hurled me into a tree, knocking the wind out of me as I fell, unconscious.

~~?, Year 8520, Damidar, ?~~

The next part… I'm not sure what happened. My head really hurt and I felt really bad, but I could see a little? There was gray… metal? I didn't see much more though before my body felt like it was burning up and deadly cold at the same time. Different colored blobs- like when you close your eyes really hard- and sparks were all I could see, and it felt like I was dying. And it just didn't stop. I think I was screaming? I don't know. My head hurt even worse and so did my butt, but I passed out again at some point. Everything just hurt too much.

~~?, Year 8520, Damidar, ?~~

When I woke up next there was… white flaky stuff on the ground? That's snow, right? Also a bunch of trees with needle leaves all around… I pushed myself up, turning to see oh god scary guy is right there running now! My legs nearly gave out from under me I pivoted so quickly to start bolting away. I looked frantically for Ivane or… anyone who would help, but there was nothing around but trees, bushes and more trees. No Pokemon or anything either… that's weird. Thinking later, running now!

It wasn't until I couldn't see the scary guy anymore that I stopped, footprints trailing long out of sight behind me. Something inside me was feeling like it was crazy how far and fast I'd run…? And why aren't there any Pokemon around? I feel like there should be… I scrunched my eyes up and tried to think of why I felt like that, and what Pokemon should be around, but… nothing. My head's all fuzzy… like that lady's wings oh gods person!

My heart started pounding all over again, snow kicking up while I dashed behind a tree and pressed against it. My ears swiveled to either side so if she started coming, I'd know about it while my chest rose and fell quickly with my breaths. She shuffled a little bit, but it didn't sound like she was coming. Did she see me…? I chanced a glance around the tree and she's looking right at me! Back against the tree I went as she spoke in a soft, warm voice. "It's alright, I didn't mean to startle you." My heart stopped pounding quite so hard. She… doesn't seem like the scary guy at least… I tentatively peeked out from around the tree.

She was sitting in the clearing underneath the… tree I found? Why's it here? This isn't where it was… or is it? She was smiling warmly, and she felt warm too. She had these red horns on her head too, and six red-orange flamelike wings. Her hair looked really fluffy and was tied back in a ponytail, being primarily white but the ends of separate locks would be red-orange like her wings. Overall she was pretty lithe, wearing a sunset orange long sleeved shirt and light blue sweatpants. She was leaning back against the tree, not trying to come get me or anything. Maybe… maybe she is a nice person?

Some part of me was telling me that all she was feeling was worry and wanting to help, so… I slowly came out from behind the tree, my tail curling in on itself anxiously. "You promise you're not like the scary guy?" She shook her head, and beckoned me over. "Of course not, I'm only here to help." I hope she's not lying… she doesn't sound like it though. I walked over and sat down a little ways away from her. "So… who are you?"
She put a hand to her chest. "My name is Rhea. What's yours?"

It's… uh… my memory felt all fuzzy again, but this one was less fuzzy. "Aurora."

She tilted her head slightly and gave a warm smile. "That's a nice name. Are you alright?"
A chill went down my spine, remembering the scary guy and… whatever the painful thing was. "No… not really."

Her face fell. "I'm sorry I can't provide more than comfort, but you're safe here. It's alright."

"Where… is here?" I asked, feeling like I should remember what this looks like, but… the pink sky felt wrong for some reason?
"We're inside your Dream World. It's where Po-people go when they sleep, a sort of world they create in their subconscious." Why do I hear an androgynous cat talking about treasure? "Since this is separate from the real world, nothing there can hurt you here."
A huge sigh of relief left me, before I took a sharp breath. "But what about the scary guy? He was here…"
She reached out a hand as if to touch me, and then drew it back. I'm pretty sure I can trust her… she doesn't feel bad anyway. I scooted a bit closer to her, and she smiled warmly before putting a hand on my shoulder. "Dreams aren't always good. Nightmares are here too, but they're in a different area. You don't have to go there."

I held my knees close to my chest. "I wanna go home… how do I get home from here?"

Her face fell again and she felt really sad all of a sudden. That's… that's not good. "You'll… you'll be able to go home soon enough." I just nodded; I don't think I wanna talk more about that.

"You're going to wake up soon, so just… be careful, okay? I can't talk with you while you're awake. You can come see me whenever you want here though."

I smiled at her. "Okay!" She smiled again, but she still felt sad. And then she hugged me tight all of a sudden. Part of me wanted to squirm away, but she felt nice and like it's okay.

"It's alright… everything's going to work out. I promise." she said softly, almost hesitantly. Well, she's an adult so it's gotta be true right?

"See you soon Rhea!" She smiled at me as things went all black again around me.

~~?, Year 8520, Damidar, ?~~

Everything's fuzzy… and fluffy? That's… Ivane, right? I held one of her tails close, absurdly relieved that someone I know is here with me. At least I'm with Ivane, wherever this is…

"How are you feeling?" My eyes turned from Ivane to a person just a bit too close, with mid-length wavy pink hair that framed their face slightly. They had a toned but not really muscular body with a relieved smile on their face. They were wearing green pants, a lighter green undershirt and a white vest that complimented their darker skin. They all looked kinda tattered though…

A chill went down my spine; they felt nice enough, but the scary guy was the last person to be so close to me… They pulled back after I did that. I guess they can feel things like me? "I was just making sure you were alright while you slept. You're still recovering, so you should take it easy for now." I do feel tired still… they don't seem to wanna hurt me or anything.

"{What's your name?}" I asked as some tension left my shoulders. They seemed a little confused? Is it normal to forget your name?

"My name's Mabel." They gestured over to a massive guy with spiky brown hair and all the muscles. He looked like he could push on a rock and break it. He had a black sweater on and black jeans and darker skin like the first person, nodding in my direction. He had a bunch of scars and looked oh so scary why! "That's Benny. He's my husband." He's a scary husband! They gestured over to a Blissey standing next to them and a Bewear sitting with scary husband. "This is Haley and that's Bors."

Haley smiled and bowed slightly. {I'm glad you're alright. You were really hurt from before.}

I tilted my head a bit. "{From the pain thing? It hurt a ton…}"

She and Bors looked really surprised, while Mabel and Benny just looked a bit confused. Mabel just smiled at me. "What's your name?"

"{Aurora, but where are we? What's going on? And… why is someone screaming?}" Their smile faltered and there was a spike of sadness in their heart. That's… that's probably really bad.

They took a moment to respond, apparently hesitant to tell me something? "We're… not sure where we are. People from all over the region were brought here, but all of us were unconscious so we don't know where here is. As for what's going on… what do you remember?"

Another chill went down my spine to the end of my tail. "{A tall scary guy with blank eyes attacked us… then there was a lot of pain… and now I'm here.}"

He nodded slightly. "We're fairly certain the 'scary guy' is named Cyrus. The pain was… why the person you hear screaming is doing that."

I shuddered. That's happening to other people? Why? "Why?"

They gestured to me somewhat tentatively. "To make you like you, and other people like you as well I suppose."

"{You mean my tail and stuff?}"

Their eyes widened just slightly. "Yes, are you okay with it?"

Well that's a silly question. "{Why wouldn't I be? I'm just me, right?}"

They looked concerned at that. "What exactly do you remember?"

"{I told you already?}" Why are they asking such silly questions now? And why do they feel concerned about it?

They looked lost in thought before they eventually responded. "Well for now, you know why that person's screaming. And as for why you can hear them…"

They didn't gesture, but my head swiveled over to the noise momentarily after my ears. What was waiting for me was a huge screen taking up a fourth of the wall, showing a steel reinforced room and a huge machine at the center of it. It had numerous gigantic tubes hooked up to it, along with two separate raised platforms, each with six triangular pillars circling the edge.

They were all emitting these crackling bluish rings of energy towards the center, where on one there was a Pyroar and on the other a person. They looked like they were being held in place by the rings while three devices crossed between laser cannons and tesla coils were aimed and firing electricity at them both. There were a bunch of pipes and cables between the two, and the bottom of the one the Pyroar was on looked like some kind of funnel siphon thing that connected to the bottom of the one the person was on. Said person's hair was turning red and orange and I could see something flicking behind them. My heart wouldn't stop beating-

A burst of electricity shot through me. Ow! What why?! It came from my neck what? I put a hand to my neck, and found some sort of metal ring around it. I shuddered while Mabel looked worriedly at me. "Are hugs alright?"
I nodded shakily, the jolt having left me shuddering. They held me gently and close. They feel soft and nice and safe and smell like plants…

As they let go, Ivane's tails started shifting around me.

Ivane shifted a little before shaking herself and looking at me, then Mabel, then curling her tails around me protectively quickly. I hugged her neck, gently saying "{It's okay, they aren't a meanie.}"

Some tension went out of her shoulders before her eyes focused on me, worry flooding through them without needing to feel it. {Are you alright, my child? They didn't cause you too much pain, did they?}

I could feel something scary burning inside her when she asked that, but it didn't feel like it was for me. "{A lot really… but I'm glad you're here.}"

Her eyes widened as surprise rushed through her. {My child, you… can understand me?}

"{Yeah,}" I nodded, "{Shouldn't I be able to?}"

She shook her head quickly to clear it before curling her tails closer to me. {No, it's alright. You needn't worry. I am simply… surprised, is all. I'm used to none but Pokemon understanding me is all.}

A sigh of relief escaped as I nuzzled closer to her. "{You keep saying my child… does that mean you're my mama?}" I could feel surprise from Mabel, Haley and Ivane. Is it really that surprising? It didn't seem that way to Ivane, because she quickly felt all warm and fuzzy inside.

{Yes, my child. I am your mama. One of them.}

One of my ears flicked as I tilted my head. "{One of them?}"

That warm fuzzy feeling faded some. "{Yes, don't you remember? Kalli and Solari?}"

I tried to think, but my head felt really weird still. They sounded familiar, but I couldn't remember why. And my head wasn't the only thing that felt weird. My tail and ears felt sore, but I also felt really awful. Was it something that happened because of the painful thing? Maybe I'm just sick?

I gave a small cough and burrowed closer to Ivane. "{Mama? I feel really bad…}"

Her tails curled around me protectively, giving me a fluffy dome of safety. "{Then you should rest, my child. I will protect you while you sleep.}"

I nodded, yawned and curled up a bit. "{Okay… night night mama…}"

~~?, Year 8520, Damidar, ?~~

My eyes opened some time later, but I didn't feel any better. If anything, I felt worse. Why do I feel so cold…? And that screaming hasn't stopped… My protective dome of tails shifted a bit as Mama looked to me. {What's wrong my child?} I couldn't stop shivering and she wrapped her tails around me more. {Ah, you can't warm up. That's alright, I can teach you.}
My eyes grew a bit with curiosity. "{Teach me what?}"

She poked my chest gently with her nose. {Right there, you should feel your inner flame if you only focus. It's burning low right now, but if you focus on making it grow then it will warm you.}

I nodded, and closed my eyes. I pictured a warm, flickering orange flame. It was pretty… then I imagined it growing some. As it grew, warmth spread through my body and-

"{Aaah!}" My arms were still trembling, small bolts of electricity running down them. Whatever it was on my neck shocked me whenever I tried… Mama looked at me concerned. {What happened?}

I touched the thing on my neck. "{I thought of the flame growing, like you said, but…}"

Her eyes narrowed a bit. {Then I will remove it.} Her mouth opened and I moved my head so she could get to the thing around my neck easier, but when she bit down a huge jolt shuddered through both of us. My teeth were chattering and Mama was shaking her head to try and get the feeling out of her mouth. {Or perhaps not.}

Just then a crackling sound sparked out from a corner of the room, before smoothing to a more even sound.

"I trust you now know what will happen if you try and remove those collars. You're welcome to try again, though the discharge will only increase each time." There was a bit more crackling before silence again. Other people felt pretty concerned about that, but all I could do was shudder. Collars? That's what these are? They're definitely awful… why would you put them on anyone?

Mama just kept me close. {Perhaps if I…} then she spasmed in pain. And again. And again. "{Mama, please! Don't hurt yourself for this…}"

Sorrow loomed in her heart, and she lowered her head. {I am sorry my child… I can't warm you up. Or myself for that matter. Because of that vile valen apparently…}

One of my ears tilted. "{What's a valen?}"

She recoiled slightly. {Ah… something you shouldn't worry about, my child. It is a word for Mama's use.}

"{Oh… okay.}" I curled close to her again, trying to get warm. Getting to sleep while freezing cold was hard enough, but the screaming wouldn't stop… until it suddenly did? Out of curiosity, I looked out at the screen. What met my eyes wasn't someone having fallen asleep, but their flesh sloughing off their bones into a red, burning puddle on the ground. The bones were blackened and turning to ash, as the last gurgling cries of someone as they melted into a mound of goop coming through the screen.

My heart raced with horror, and soon after I was shocked again. Mama pulled me close again, but trying to get to sleep was almost impossible now with that image in my mind. Their mouth open, impossibly elongated and getting longer with each passing moment as they melted to the ground, their eyes' life burning out as they fell, their-

'Ngh!" Another shock pulsed through me, and whether I was shivering from cold or electricity I didn't know anymore. Mama looked at me with despair welling in her heart, and she began to hum a little tune. At first it didn't do anything, but as she kept humming I could slowly focus on her and not that. Eventually, my eyes closed and I fell asleep again.

~~?, Year 8520, Damidar, ?~~

Though this time didn't last long either, and this time me and Mama were freezing. The sheets were cracking if we moved from the frost gathered on them, and even when Mabel came over with more it didn't help at all. I couldn't help but cough, and my head hurt really bad now. My teeth were chattering, my hands had frost on them, my tail was curled as tight as it could be, and Ivane was doing her best to try and help me warm up. Even though she was having the same problem.

After what felt like hours, there were two sequential beeps from the collars around mine and her necks. They felt… looser, somehow. I tried to focus on the flame like Mama told me, hard as it was. It was in a cavern of ice, barely burning. I closed my eyes tight and tried to make it grow. As it did, it went from only a few sparks to a soothing fire. I tried to make it bigger, but after getting a bit bigger than that I could feel the collar getting tingly. So the flame had to stay that size. Slowly, the cavern began to melt and I could feel my fingers and tail again.

"{Mama…? Can you get warmer too…?}"

She looked at me, and within moments I could feel her slowly warming up. {Yes, my child. How did you know?}

"{I didn't… I just... tried.}" She gave me a warm smile, and I could feel my eyes closing already. Fog in my head felt like it was lifting a bit as I drifted off to sleep.

~~Snowpoint, Year 8519, Erishi, Luxem 9th~~

"Here, Aurora, you'll like these." Ma handed me a small, wrapped bag. The wrapping was red with green holly leaves across it, and crinkled when I took it.

"What is it?" I opened it to see wonderfully baked cookies in the shapes of little bells, leaves at the top. "These are cookies?!"

Sis chuckled a bit, Reginleif, her Gible, already chomping away at one. "They are indeed. And very good ones too."

Mom hugged me tight and picked me up, grinning ear to ear. "We wanted to do something special for your birthday, so we took you here!" I hugged her back before squirming to get down, and she let me down. It would've been wrong to not shove one of the cookies in my face right away, so I did.

"Thefe are r'lly good!" Ma laughed lightly, ruffling my hair.

"Don't eat them all too quickly now. You want to save some for later, don't you?"

I paused, and looked at the cookies. There were six in there, so…

I held them up to Ma, Mom and Sis. "Here!"

Sis looked at me confused. "But those are your cookies. Don't you want them?"

I nodded, smiling. "Yeah, but I wanna make y'all happy too!"

They all had warm smiles, taking one as a lady walked up to us. She had a green apron on, and her gloves were covered in cookie dust. "Well, aren't you a sweetheart?" She pulled out another crinkly package of cookies. "Here, some more fresh cookies for the kind birthday girl."

I gave her a big smile, and Mom whispered something to me.

"Thank you Ms. Ginger!"

"You're more than welcome dearie."

~~?, Year 8520, Damidar, ?~~

When I woke up, there was a lot of furry warmth around me. Wha… oh right, Mama! Even though I still felt pretty bad, I was at least warm and safe with Mama. I gently shook her awake, and she looked at me blearily before smiling and yawning, her tongue curling a little. {Good morning my child. How did you sleep?}

"{Good! An' I remember Ma and Mom now! And Sis!}"

Her eyes lit up and her heart swelled with joy. {Truly? That's wonderful! I'm so very glad you remember them. Do you remember anything else?}

I scrunched up my face, thinking. {Uh… Ms. Ginger! And the cookies!}

Mama chuckled. {Yes, you always did love them. I'm sure she'll be excited to see you again once we get home.}

My ears flicked and a grin spread across my face. "{Can we go home soon?}"

Her face fell a bit. {I… am not sure, but I do know we will get out.}

Just then I could feel Mabel coming over, some people with them and Haley. Two had ears and tails and stuff (like me!) and the other two were Pokemon. One was an Eevee, a brown fox kinda like a Vulpix but with one tail, but the other… "{Mama? What's the long fluffy brown one?}"

{That would be a Furret, my child. They're quite common where your mom comes from. Perhaps she could take you some time?}

The lady walked up to me behind Mabel, the Furret right next to her. She had the same ears and tail as them, a striped brown dress and some slippers. She also had a yellow ribbon tying her hair back, though it looked kinda messed up…

Mabel just gave me a smile. "Aurora, I'd like you to meet these folk." They gestured to the lady and the Furret with her. "These are Guinevere and Chestnut. And they-" they gestured to the girl and Eevee, "-are Hazel and Vivian."

The lady (Mabel gestured to her when they were introducing people, so I guess she's Guinevere?) stood next to the bed after a look from Mama, and inclined her head. "As they said, my name is Guinevere. I'm sorry you've ended up here, but I promise that I'll do my best to help you while you're here."

The Furret who definitely had to be Chestnut stood up on her hind legs, smiling. {As will I. Please ask us if you need anything.} They feel like they do this a lot?

Guinevere then gently nudged Hazel towards me. She seemed a bit nervous, but was still smiling a bit. She had brown hair and ears and a tail like her Eevee friend, with a simple brown shirt and pink skirt on. Both seemed a bit roughed up, but I was more curious about how old she was. Even the other kids looked at least twice my age, but she looked almost the same age as me. A bit older, but still. And her Eevee friend was wary, but Mama just kept me close. She wasn't letting anyone mess with me.

"Ah… hullo, my name is Hazel. Nice to meet you-"

I then started coughing a lot. Haley came a bit closer, but Mama narrowed her eyes and growled slightly. She looked worried though. {Please, I just want to check her condition.}

Mama felt really wary until she finally said {Fine, but if you hurt her…} She uncurled her tails from me just a bit, Haley walking closer and putting a hand on my head. Then she blinked, looked at Ivane, shook her head and sighed. Why does she feel like she just did a dumb thing?

{Well you're definitely coughing. Are you dizzy? Tired a lot more than usual? Feeling heavy?}

I thought a moment. "{Uh… Yes? To all of that?}"

She turned back to Mabel, saying {She's sick,} before turning back to me, {and while we don't have the supplies to cure it I can make it better.} Then she looked to Mama. {Is that alright with you?}

She nodded slowly. {I would prefer if you could cure it, but given the situation…} she gestured her snout to me gently. Haley then pulled out a soft, white egg from… nowhere? And gave it to me.

{Eat this. It won't fix everything, but it'll help.} I nibbled a bit at it, and then my stomach remembered I hadn't eaten anything for I can't remember how long. Down it went in three more bites. While I was staying close to Mama, I could smell some soothing scent coming from Haley. It smelled like pine, a warm campfire and cookies. How is she doing that?
{She's using a couple of her abilities.} Mama nudged me a bit so I could see better. There was a faint greenish glow around her, and a leaf or two. It also looked like the collar was shocking her a bit, but she persisted for a few more moments. Once she was done she shivered, and even though I felt better I also felt worse? My body didn't feel as bad but my heart definitely did.

"{Why'd you hurt yourself…?}"

She just shook herself and then her head. {Because I'll be okay in a couple minutes. But you won't, so I helped as much as I could with Aromatherapy.}

"Thanks Haley." Mabel then looked at me, Mama, Hazel and Vivian. "We need to go talk, but you two can get to know each other if you want to. Guinevere, could you…?"

She nodded, smiling warmly. "Of course." She sat on a bed opposite us and would look at us, but otherwise was talking to Chestnut. "It's absolutely wonderful to be able to finally talk to you properly."

She nodded. {I know, it's-}

Hazel waved her hand in my vision and I blinked. "{Are you okay? You know, aside from being sick.}"

I just made a face and she nodded, her face and ears falling. "I know…"
We sat there awkwardly for a moment.

"{Sooooo… Where are you from?}"

I looked up a bit. "{Snowpoint, but I don't remember a ton…}"

Her eyes widened a ton and her jaw nearly dropped. "How do you live up there? It's so cold and snowy all the time!"
An ear flopped as I tilted my head. "{Whaddya mean? Isn't snow common?}"

She nodded, her eyes still wide. "{Sure, but not all the time! Snow can be really pretty when the frost lilies grow, but that's only during winter.}"

Something started lighting up, even through the foggy mess that was my head at the moment. "{I… I know we have winter, but I'm pretty sure nobody goes out much then.}"
Hazel shivered a bit, and I could feel that even just the thought of home was making her colder. "{I would think so. From what I hear, Snowpoint gets three to four feet of snow in the winter.}"

Vivian looked up at Hazel. {I'm glad you don't wanna go. I don't wanna be a Glaceon, and I don't think you do either.} She glanced over at me and Mama. {Not that being of ice is bad, I'm just not partial.}

Mama shook her head. {No, I understand. It's truly not that bad when you get accustomed, but it is most certainly more challenging than most places. An acquired taste I suppose, yet quite the nice one when acquired.} She gazed fondly at me. {One my child is already quite fond of.}

My face broke out into a smile as Hazel still felt unconvinced, but glad that it made us happy. One of my ears flicked. "{So where do you live?}"

Her face brightened. "We live in Floaroma. It's not big or anything, but it's peaceful. There's lots of flowers everywhere. We have a garden with lots and lots of flowers, with vegetable plants and berry trees too!"
Vivian felt a bit embarrassed at the mention of the trees, so one of my eyebrows went up. "{Are the trees bad?}"
She shook her head quickly. {No no, it's just… I may have wanted to gather some berries myself. And… not been quite sure how to get down again.}

Mama looked concerned at that. {And you couldn't jump down yourself? How young were you at the time?}

{I had only hatched a week or two prior,} she recounted, {so it was… not my greatest plan.}

Hazel smiled and hugged her. "But we helped you all the same."

Vivian smiled back, and the two felt happier now. Maybe things are gonna get better now? If… Guinevere? Guinevere can help us, and there's a Guinevere for adults, and everyone helps the Guineveres, then-

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"

I flinched from the noise, but even with my ears ringing what came next made my heart sink.
"Mother…?"

Hazel and Vivian had turned to look at the screen, with a man clenching his fists looking at it. I couldn't feel anything from either of them except abject horror, and the man felt like that along with seething rage. The woman on the screen was being electrocuted alongside… a big leafy mouth on the other platform? They had a small, green body, two huge leaves with teeth that had eyes on top, and a bunch of vines below them. A couple were red, and two huge long leaves on either side kinda like arms. They seemed in pain too, but what was happening to the woman…

Her legs looked like they were boiling, before they each split into four limp tendrils. I felt something that burned my throat rise up a bit, but that wasn't the end of it. Her arms were stretched out and flattened, with… a lot of blood coming out of them. Then her head… Her teeth got sharper, and her mouth got wider and wider and wider until there was this snap that made me shudder and hide in Mama's tails.

She curled them around me and kept me close. I could hear Hazel crying, and Guinevere going over to help comfort her. Mama peeked through her tails at me. {I am sorry... my child.} Her heart felt like it was about to shatter.

"{Why? You didn't d-do that.}"

She closed her brilliant eyes. "{I am sorry that I was unable to keep you safe from this place. None should see these horrors, and especially not one so young.}"

I hugged onto one of her tails. "{Have… have you seen… that before?}"

She grimaced, and a long dormant dark rage burned in her heart. {Humans are not as ingenious as they believe themselves to be. I have not seen this particular method before, but groups of humans thinking themselves the 'progenitors of a new age' as they have a habit of calling it and causing the suffering of countless others for their deluded goals.}

So humans do this kind of thing over and over…? I looked to Mama again. "{Then… why don't you and other Pokemon stop them?}"

{We used to. After the invention of the Pokeball however, humans became more… brazen. And we are yet unable to thoroughly prevent their usage.} She growled. {I had thought perhaps humans had moved past such atrocities. Clearly I was mistaken.}

"Excuse me, may I speak with the both of you a moment?"
Mama's tails parted a bit, and I saw Guinevere standing beside the bed with Chestnut. "I needn't understand your words to know your meaning, at least here." Her face fell. "Do you have parents, child?"

I pointed to Mama, and while her lips curled up a bit she shook her head. "Not her, dear. Human parents."

One of my eyes closed a bit, the same side's ear flattening sideways while my other eyebrow raised. "{What's the difference?}"

She seemed a bit surprised- Why are so many people surprised by the stuff I say? It's not crazy- before elaborating. "Because I just want to know if there is a home waiting for you when you get out of here."
I nodded, and she breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good to know. You see, I run an orphanage. Which is for children who… don't have a home to go to. And while I am more than happy to help those children, it always pains my heart that they have nowhere else to turn. So hearing that you do have a home to return to brings me joy."

I could feel that dark fire in Mama going away a bit. {Why have you come here then? Since I take it that was not your only reason.}

She shook her head again. "I know it must be… difficult, to rest after witnessing what just happened. So I would like to sing a lullaby to you, just to help you sleep." She looked to Mama with a small smile. "Of course, you're more than welcome to…" she paused a moment. "-sing it to her yourself once I give you the lyrics?"

I felt like Mama rolled her eyes a bit, but she felt calmer and nodded. {After my child has fallen asleep.}

Guinevere nodded, and Chestnut sat on her lap as she began.

"Come my child, stay with me.

I'll protect you~ and your dreams.

Rest my child~, 'neath the tree.

Like its branches, reach for me.

So let me keep you safe and warm, here in my arms.

Think of the life that we could live,

The joy that it would give."

My thoughts went home with Mama, Mom, Ma and sis. All of us happy and together and safe…

"Even if we're worlds apart, stay in my heart.

Some-day when you've a choice to make,

I hope you'll think of me.

Think of me,

Think of me~"

My eyes were getting heavy, and the soft melody she sang put me to sleep in Mama's safety.

~~?, Year 8520, Damidar, ?~~

Next time I woke up, I still felt horrible. There was a sag in the bed, so I peeked out of Mama's tails. Mabel was sitting on the bed, holding two bowls of… something. Whatever it was, it smelled about as awful as I felt.

"Rise and shine Aurora," they said gently, "I've got breakfast for you and Ivane." I looked at the bowls again. It was this weird liquidy tan mixture that looked like it had tiny chunks of… something. I wrinkled my nose, and they gave a sad smile. "I know, it's not great, but it's better than nothing."

{What is?} Mama's tails brushed past me a little as she turned to look at the bowls. {Oh. Quite frankly, I may prefer nothing.} She looked at me. {You must eat however, my child. You need to keep your strength up.}

"{Blech…}" I took the bowl and spoon, trying to get some of it onto it. It took awhile for the extra to fall off, which didn't make me wanna eat it any more. But I was hungry, so I put it in my mouth anyway.

It tasted as awful as it looked. Somehow it was bland and repugnant at the same time. I don't even know how you do that. It was mushy and disgusting and even though my stomach protested, I really didn't wanna eat more.

Mabel looked a bit worried, but Mama just moved close. {My child, allow me.} She blew on it, the liquidy mixture crackling and freezing into a solid mass. A purple glow then enveloped the spoon as she used it to crack it, little bits of frozen awful flying away. {I cannot make it taste better, but it should be easier to stomach while frozen.}

I took a chunk of it and put it in my mouth. It was small enough so I could swallow it just fine. It didn't taste good, but my stomach accepted the offering and my tongue wasn't about to mutiny. So I quickly ate the frozen awful chunks before they thawed, Mama doing much the same with hers. Her teeth were sharp though, so she could chomp it a lot easier.

"I'd hoped we'd never have to eat this again."

I looked up and saw Mabel looking at Benny, Haley and Bors who I could feel shared their feelings. My heart dropped. They've eaten awful before? Why would you ever eat this stuff unless you gotta? "{You've eaten this before? Why would you do that, it tastes awful!}"

They smiled sadly. "There was a war a while ago that we were all in. Two friends of ours were with us, Jerome and his partner Beowulf, a Stoutland. There wasn't a lot of food to go around, but we had to keep going somehow. Gruel is… well, it's definitely not the best meal out there, but it'll keep you alive."

Benny started making a bunch of motions with his hand. Mabel stayed silent, watching them, a grin on their face widening a bit. "It could've gotten its name from that, yes. It'd certainly be accurate."

I tilted my head, confused. "{What'd he do? Some super secret code thingy?}"

Mabel shook their head. "No, that's sign language. It's a way for people who can't speak to still communicate. Maybe we could teach you sometime?" They said with a smile.

So it's a way for people who can't speak to speak? That's good! Everyone should be able to talk with each other.

I nodded, smiling. They went back to eating while Mama looked at me, worry in her heart and clouding her eyes. {My child?}

"{Yeah?}"

{Are you feeling any better? You are quieter than normal, and…} She paused. {While there are several reasons for that to be the case, I simply want to make certain you are alright.}

I shivered a little, hugging her neck. I still couldn't get what I saw yesterday out of my head, and I still felt awful. At least I wasn't freezing now, but still. Mama seemed to get it, since she just curled her tails around me and kept me close. {I understand. Do not force yourself, my child. I am here for you.}

She kept me close, and I cuddled in her fluffy warmth while I tried to think. My head was still really fuzzy, but that fuzziness couldn't make what happened yesterday go away. They're doing that painful thing to more people… why? It killed somebody! Wouldn't you stop after that? Unless they don't care…

I shivered, and Mama held me closer. At least Mama's here… and other nice people. I snuggled closer, still not feeling good. I don't wanna feel awful…

{My child?}

Mama was looking at me concerned. {I know you are not well, so would you like to hear some stories? There are many I can tell you if you so wish.}

I nodded. "{That'd be good…}"

She nuzzled her snout into me. {Very well. Then I shall tell you the tale of the Three Beasts.}

She settled into a more comfortable position, the golden fur of her tails making up an almost ethereal sky while I stayed close. {Several hundred years ago, there were two towers built in monument to two legendary Pokemon. One Ho-Oh, the Rainbow Pheonix of Rebirth. And the other Lugia, the Azure Leviathan of Balance. These two towers were called the Brass and Bell towers.}

My ears tilted back. "{Those names aren't cool at all.}"

She chuckled. {No they are not, my child. We Pokemon refer to them as the Tower of Tides and Tower of Blaze. That is… we used to.}

I could feel melancholy in her heart as she continued. {One day, a raging bolt of lightning struck the Tower of Tides amidst a terrible thunderstorm. Lugia was not there at the time to stop it, and the tower lit up in a pillar of flame that lit up the dark sky itself. Three Pokemon, foxes such as yourself and I, were trapped within the tower as it burned.}

My breath hitched.

{However, not all was lost. Ho-Oh, who had been perching on their tower, flew over to save these Pokemon.} She stopped a moment, probably thinking about what had happened.

{When the tower was naught but ash and cinders, it was thought these Pokemon were lost. To the surprise of everyone, they sprang out from the ashes having evolved into new beings of thunder, fire and water. They were the three Beasts; Raikou, Beast of Thunder, Entei, Beast of Combustion, and Suicune, Beast of Purity.}

She smiled and nuzzled her snout into my chest. {Suicune is also known as the Beast of Auroras, my child.}

My eyes widened. "{Like me…?}"

She nodded. {Precisely. These three Beasts still roam the earth to this day, enjoying the freedom they now have.} She curled her tails closer to me. {Even in darkest times, they returned stronger than ever, having endured adversity and given a new form to fit. Much like you, my child.}

I looked at myself. My hair was a bright orange, and the base of my tail was too. The rest of it was white, and I think my ears were orange too? But I had hands and forward knees and elbows and stuff, unlike Mama. "{You really think I'm like them…?}"

She nuzzled me, bringing me into a comfy spot with her. {I know you are, my child. I know you are one of the kindest people I have ever known, and I know that one day? You will gaze upon the same starry sky that the Three Beasts do. And I know you will love it just as much as they do.}

I started to nod off, but I still had one really big question. "{Mama…?}"

{Yes, my child?}

"{Were you there when everything happened?}"

She nodded. {I was, my child.}

I snuggled closer, a light rumbling in my chest as I thought of her watching three super strong Pokemon who survived a burning tower run free, whatever that looks like.

They're like me…

~~Snowpoint, Year 8519, Sonabor, Umbrum 21st~~

We were all sitting outside, the blizzard having only just stopped being all blustery and stuff. Lots of fresh snow was outside, but we weren't looking at that. We were looking at the sky and the stars.

"Look, it's starting!" Sis exclaimed.

Up in the sky, the auroras started flickering to life. Long flaming tails of green, blue and purple flared and danced across the sky. Their light reflected off the snow, bathing everything in a soft, comforting glow.

I watched in awe as they swam amongst the stars, flying free and gleefully above us all. It wasn't like anything I'd ever seen. They were so full of life, freedom and joy…

"Aurora."

My family looked at me curiously. I smiled at them. "Aurora. That's gonna be my name."

Ma smiled. "So you've settled on a name? Good for you!"

I hugged them happily. "So my pronouns are she/her and my name's Aurora!"

As we all embraced, Ivane smiled happily at us as well. After a long hug, Mom looked at her before smiling at me again. "Did you know auroras are also called fox fires?"

I shook my head, and stared at the sky in wonder again. There's so many pretty, awesome things in the world that it makes all on its own.

I'm glad I get to live in this world.

~~?, Year 8520, Damidar, ?~~

Mama's tails were wrapped close to us both as I was waking up. It's really nice to be warm and cozy with Mama. I still don't feel great, but at least I'm not gonna be an ice cube. Or snow… Mama probably remembers the night I just remembered, right? I should-

"FUCKING SHITBALL ASSHOLE BITCH CRACKER-"

My ears flattened against my head as I looked to the screen. There was a lady with longer hair that was turning green across from… a big green dragon? They had red domes over their eyes and red outlines on their wings and the end of their tail. The lady kept screaming lots of words, and I noticed Guinevere instructing adults to cover the ears of some kids.

{Goodness that's loud,} Mama said, looking at the screen before she looked at me. {Did that wake you my child?}

I… don't know? I know I woke up but I dunno if the screaming woke me up… Maybe it was the dream ending?

She seemed to recognize my hesitation and just nodded. {Do not worry, you do not need to respond if you don't have an answer.}

I nodded, looking at the screen worried. The lady kept yelling lots. "{Mama…?}"

{Yes, my child?}

"{Is she gonna die?}"

Her ears drooped and I felt pain spike in her heart before she looked at the screen again. {I… cannot say, my child. I hope she does not.}

Mama had to remind me to breathe, since I kept forgetting. Watching and hoping that she wasn't gonna die. I don't know how long it took to stop, but eventually it did. The lady and dragon looked in pain, but they were still moving and not… puddles…

Some humans in gray outfits with doofy looking blue hair went over, took them out of the machine, and walked offscreen. I hope they're okay… wait a minute.

"{Mama,}" I said, causing her to look back at me. "{What were the words she was saying? She was screaming a lot of them a lot.}"

She paused. {Remember the word I said was a word for mama, my child? Those are human words of the same kind. Adults use them.}

I nodded. There's a lot of adult words… I wonder why they're for adults? Why aren't they kid words? What makes a word not a kid word? Are there kid words?

There was a sudden hissing sound, and when we looked we saw a door rising up into the wall. The lady and dragon from before were dumped on the floor by the humans from earlier before they walked out, the door hissing shut behind them. I took the chance to look at the both of them better.

The dragon was pretty big, much bigger than me or Mama. The lady had long green hair that split into two now and wings like the dragon did, but no tail. She was definitely smaller than the dragon, and her dark green jeans were messed up. A lot around the knees, for some reason, but in general too. Her shirt was pretty messed up too.

A man human and boy human ran over to her, talking while Ivane looked at me. {It is good to see that they are alive. Perhaps not well, but alive.}

I nodded again. "{Mama? What's the big dragon?}"

She smiled slightly. {That is a Flygon, my child. Usually they live in deserts, and they can play wonderful songs with their wings.}

"I've never seen them before," Hazel said as she walked up with Vivian, "I'm just glad she's okay."

My heart dropped. I couldn't help but immediately remember how she'd watched her own mama die in front of her in a really, really awful way. And she's still saying she's glad someone else is okay…

"{Are… how are you?}" I asked her gently.

She shuddered. "Not… great. It's… a lot. Dad's been acting really weird since he was in that machine, but at least he's still…"

Vivian nuzzled against her. {I'm here too. And I'm not going anywhere, don't you worry.}

Hazel hugged her tight, and Mama inclined her head. {If you would like someone to confide in in the future, I am here.}

"{Me too!}" I said quickly, "{I dunno how much I can help, but if you wanna talk to us you can!}"

They both looked at us. Vivian was quiet, but Hazel smiled. "Thank you, both of you. We'll keep that in mind."

I could tell from the way they both felt they weren't okay. They were both so sad I didn't really understand just how sad they were. And I can't do much to help, can I…? They lost their Mama. I can't bring her back and I dunno how to help them feel better about it at all… but they also don't feel like they wanna talk about it more. So… maybe if we talk about something else, that could help a little? I dunno, but I can try…

"{Mama, what's a desert?}"

They all looked at me. Don't choke now! "{You said Flygon come from deserts, right? What's a desert like?}"

I could feel surprise flash through her before her eyes shined for a moment, warmth and adoration welling up inside her. {That depends on who you ask, my child. I would say that they are large, sandy expanses with little to no water. Others may say the sand is most important, while still others say the lack of water is more important. However, we Pokemon call them by what I just said. For sand with lots of water is likely a beach, and a lack of water just means it is dry.}

Hazel looked curious now. "Pokemon have different definitions for deserts? What about other things?"

Mama smiled. {We have our own culture, after all. Humans may not speak our language, but that does not mean we do not speak with each other. And when a Vibrava is asking for directions to a desert, what is most important? Philosophizing about what a desert truly is, or directing them to someplace they can call home? We call large, dry, sandy expanses deserts because when a Pokemon native to such places asks, that is what they are searching for.}

Vivian made a face. {Yeah, if I asked where a desert was to become a Flareon and someone pointed me north to the Snow Sea because it looks kinda like sand, I'd be livid.}

Hazel looked at Vivian. "{The snow sea… is that what you call the way to Snowpoint?}"

Mama nodded. We kept talking about places, what they were named, the weird way humans name things, stuff like that for a while. Guinevere and her dad came over to help them to sleep, which left me with Mama. Mabel came by with Haley to give us more awful food, which Mama froze so it was frozen awful and not mushy icky awful. And a while after that, I went to sleep.

~~Dream World, Year 8520, Damidar, ?~~

I opened my eyes to see the place I was before, with the pink sky and trees and Rhea and everything. But when I turned around why are the shadows snarling?!

Rhea was there, her wings outstretched and burning, pushing the shadows back. They had red eyes and sharp teeth and were snarling furiously. They looked like they were trying to fight back until Rhea's wings shone brightly, making the shadows hiss and run away. The world seemed brighter once they were gone.

I looked at her, shaking a little. "What… what were those?"

Rhea looked back, smiled a bit and walked over to give me a hug while the flames on her wings winked out. "Just some nightmares I had to make go away. It's okay."

We sat down in the snow, next to the icy tree. I still really feel like I should know what this is… Wait, Rhea's an adult. She knows lots of things. Right?

"Hey Rhea?"

She looked at me kindly. "Yes?"

"Why is…" I fell silent a moment. Why is a collar on our necks, why are we here and not outside, why are they doing mean things, why do they keep hurting people, why are people dying, why can't we all go home? "...why is everything that's happening, happening?"

Her face fell, having stayed silent while I was trying to figure out what to say. She started gently rubbing my back. "I… don't know. I wish I did. But I know you'll see your family again and that things will get better."

I looked at her confused. "Why does everyone keep saying that?"

"Because they're doing their best to comfort you," she said while still rubbing my back, "Since they know this is a really awful time. But they also know that things get better. That's only because they've actually been in better times, while you… haven't had much of a chance, yet. They want to make sure you know that this isn't all life is."

I sat there with her. What life is… I mean I dunno what it is, but I know this place doesn't like life. So they're saying that things are gonna get better because they've been in better places? But isn't that what happened before and this is what's happening now? And nobody seems to know how long it's gonna keep going… Maybe they're trying to make themselves feel better too? Knowing that they'll get back to a better place? That'd explain why they feel a bit better themselves after saying it…

I continued thinking about that sorta thing until the world started getting darker, my eyes closing again.

~~?, Year 8520, Damidar, ?~~

Mama was keeping me close, since the lady from yesterday and her family had come by. Apparently her name was Leanne, and the Flygon with her was Yvonne. It took me a second to pronounce that, but it wasn't hard. She and her family had said hi, and now we were all talking along with Hazel and Vivian. Mostly just them though; I still didn't feel well enough to talk too much. They didn't seem to mind, at least.

"-you're sure you're doing okay? That was… clearly pretty painful yesterday," said the man human who was apparently Leanne's husband. Like a mom, but not a girl. A Glalie was with him, hovering and looking more concerned about her.

Leanne just grinned, blearily putting a hand on her flexing bicep. "I'm fine! Don't worry 'bout it, I'm okay. Tired, but okay."

Their child smiled brightly, a Phantump with him. "Of course you're fine, you're the strongest!" He hugged Leanne tightly.

She smiled and ruffled his hair, holding him close. "Moms are strong, ya know."

The feeling that was coming from all of them… it reminded me of something. Sorta like the memories I dreamt of? But I couldn't feel their emotions there… Were they dreams? They didn't feel like it…

Yvonne was sitting with Hazel and Vivian, her wings humming a tune I'd never heard before. It was almost hypnotic listening to it, but beautiful all the same. I hadn't heard her speak yet, and yet it felt like a second voice for her.

"Hey you okay? You look out of it." Razin had stepped away from his mom a bit to come talk to me.

I shook my head, but stopped quickly because of how it made the world spin. "{Not really… I feel awful.}"

Razin tilted his head and gave me a weird look. "Oh… I got an idea! Whenever I feel sick my mom gives me medicine and lots of hot soup. Sometimes I get to drink ginger ale too! I'll ask Mabel if they can get any!" Razin bounced away. A few seconds later he came over pulling on Mabel's arm.

"Mabel, she's not looking good, kinda like my mom. Can you fix her too?"

Mabel gave a sad smile to the both of us. "If I had any of my supplies, I could." They paused a moment before glancing up at a camera. "Hey, can you hear me?! Could we get some medical supplies?"

There was a long pause after Mabel asked. Eventually, the door hissed open halfway and one of the blue haired people just tossed a duffel bag near us before it slammed shut again. Mabel ran towards it and said more of the adult words Mama was talking about before carrying it over. "Well… I guess this is what we've got." They took out a couple things, one of them looking like a yellow-orange translucent pellet and a bottle of some white tiny pellets.

"Here," they said, giving me the yellow one, "this should help with the coughing. I need to go figure out what the other pills actually are before I can give them to you. Razin, give this to your mom, okay."

Razin nodded. "Got it, thanks Mabel. Hope you feel better, Aurora." Razin ran off to go help his mama.

I nodded and Mama sighed while Mabel walked away. "{What is it?}"

She rolled her eyes. {Human medicine looks so similar. Unsurprising that they gave us an unmarked bottle of nigh indeterminable pills. That yellow one is a cough drop, however. It may help with your throat, my child.}

I put the drop in my mouth. It tasted kinda plant-y, but also really sweet. My throat did hurt less after, so that helped. While I stayed in Mama's tails, I noticed a lady and a big tan and green bird with a feather coming off their head standing with her. When Mama followed my gaze, she smiled a little. {It is good to see another from that half of my origins.}

I looked at her curiously, and she explained. {I am part Alolan, my child. That is a Decidueye, which are also native to Alola. I do not know if they come from Alola, but they remind me of the lands.}

The lady walked over to Mabel with the Decidueye right with her and stood with them, across the room from us. Mabel looked at her. "Can I help you?"

"Perhaps," she said while gesturing towards the duffel bag, "Do you have a specific purpose in mind for that?"

They glanced at her oddly before their eyes widened in understanding. "Oh, you mean the bag? Not really, no, why do you ask?"

The lady sat down. "I was hoping to discuss the best use of this bag, potentially for escape. You never know how it could be of use."

Mabel raised an eyebrow. "Miss…?"

"Paris." She nodded to the Decidueye with her. "Legolas."

They nodded. "Right. Miss Paris, while I understand the sentiment, I'm not exactly confident that a duffel bag is enough to help us escape regardless of what you do with it." Paris looked like she wanted to say something, but recognized Mabel had more to say. Humans can do that?

"Not that it couldn't ever be helpful, but right now? We don't have anywhere near enough for that sort of project, we're clearly under tight watch and we barely know what's going on or where we are. Right now, I'd say it's best if we kept it as a bag and bide our time."

She nodded. "Of course."

Mabel smiled. "You knew how that was going to go and just wanted to change the subject to something a bit more positive, didn't you?"

She smiled back. "Guilty as charged. I can't say I've been through anything like this before, but… you clearly have. To some extent, at least. And we cannot get through this unless we all keep a level head. Keeping the goal in mind is part of that."

Mabel definitely felt much calmer after she brought that up… but humans don't seem to be able to sense emotions or anything? How'd she know that'd help?

Benny and Bors had walked over to them by this point, which turned out to be good as the door hissed open again. Another human with the dumb blue haircut called out. "Decidueye and trainer!" They also threw in… two balls of fluff? One was much bigger than the other, and a bunch of people ran over and picked up what I saw to be a Pokemon and a guy with super poofy white hair that had covered him before.

The anger and hatred from everyone in the room went up a lot when they said that, but Paris and Legolas just nodded and walked out. I noticed a tall Pokemon with a black dress and lots of white bows on them had glowing eyes before the door hissed shut.

I cuddled more in Mama's tails. "{Mama? Why didn't anyone stop them…?}"

She nuzzled me gently. {They are biding their time, my child. Certainly, if we all banded together, we could stop individuals easily. However, due to the conditions they have us in, there is no chance of such an attempt ending in their demise or worse. This does not mean we do not try, simply that we wait for the right time.}

I nodded, holding close to her. But what about the people who get taken away during that time? Do we just… pretend that didn't happen? That can't be it, right? I mean not everyone dying is good, but what happens if it goes on really long?

Pretty soon, Paris and Legolas were brought where the screen saw. They were hooked up where I'd seen other people hooked up before, but they were… asleep?

I don't think you can sleep in that thing for long though…

As the machine hummed to life and electricity started crackling, everyone in the room slowly went silent. Everyone's watching… and hoping. I looked over at Leanne, and some of the other people like me. They feel bad… since we know what it feels like. And they're hoping she's gonna be okay… I then looked over to another, distinctly sadder, group. They all feel like they lost somebody… they're hoping nobody else has to go through what they do.

I stayed close to Mama. What am I hoping for…? I just hope she'll be okay and not… a puddle or anything…

{My child?} Mama said as she nudged me gently, {Should I cover your eyes?}

"{...no,}" I said slowly, "{I already… know what happens. And I can hear it anyway…}"

She nodded and simply kept me close to her while it was happening. Everyone watched silently, seeing Paris change so her hair was green and shrouded her face like Legolas, and a feather-like bit of hair as well. She got wings too, but on her back and not her arms.

After an agonizingly long time, slowly, the machine began to wind down. The noises got quieter and the glow got softer until it had turned off completely. They were unconscious and different now, but alive. A lot of people started cheering a bit, and Mama smiled. {She has made it.}

"Aurora!" I turned around to see Razin running up to me with Hazel. "They survived! That's a good sign right? Maybe they fixed the machine so nothing bad will happen to anyone else?"

Hazel looked at him sadly. "I hope so…"

I could feel Mama had her doubts, but I smiled at him anyway. "{Maybe. That'd be nice.}"

Razin scratched his chin awkwardly. "I can't really understand everything you said after 'maybe', but you guys just gotta have hope! They wouldn't just… turn more people into puddles without fixing the machine. Right?"

Hazel nodded while I stayed quiet. Mama said that humans do stuff like this… It's not a puddle-inator, or we'd all be puddles. But they also didn't really stop after anyone died… Mama just nuzzled me gently, bringing me out of my thoughts. "{If they did they'd be super meanies.}"

Razin nodded, but I could tell he didn't understand me again. "Yeah… super meanies!" He agreed with what I said last pretty hard so at least we share feelings about them being super meanies. He couldn't understand me perfectly, but he tried.

Hazel looked at us. "Can we… talk about something else?"

I nodded. Uh… what do people talk about? Cookies? Snow? Beds?

"Oooh have you two ever been to Sunyshore City? It's got solar panel walkways, pretty beaches, a huge marketplace and a rock shaped like a Munchlax! My parents and I took lots of pictures in front of it," Razin gushed.

Hazel shook her head while I looked at him curiously. "{What's a solar panel? Or marketplace? Or Munchlax?}"

Now Razin was looking at me like I had two heads. "Solar panels are generators that get their power from the sun. Marketplaces are like shopping malls, but… different. Munchlax is a baby Snorlax, but I think they are pretty rare."

I don't know what any of those things are.

Hazel tapped him on the shoulder. "The machine messed with her head some, and she's from Snowpoint. I don't think they have shopping malls there. Or solar panels. Or Snorlax."

"Wow really?" Razin turned to me feeling sorry. "I hope your head gets better. You should totally visit Sunyshore when the blue meanies let us out!"

I noticed a rolling stone behind him. "{I can remember my mom and ma and sis now though, so I remember some things.}"

Razin felt a little confused, but he nodded anyway. "Good. Remembering is good. Everytime something bad happens my dad tells me to think about the good times. Or I hold my mom's hand."

Everyone keeps saying that… are good times when you get cookies and watch pretty lights in the sky?

Hazel looked away. "My mom used to say that too…"

Okay so saying stuff like that is bad for Hazel.

The door hissed open again, Paris and Legolas being thrown in. Mabel and Haley rushed to help them out while the grunt person called out. "Phantump and trainer!"

Razin's heart sank like a rock. He looked at Hazel and I with eyes filled with fear. "Does that mean… T-they want me and Urie…?" Urie, the Phantump, floated over to Razin and hugged him. "M-maybe if Urie floats away… maybe they won't put us in the machine…"

Urie tried to move through the ground, but he couldn't budge. He was stuck, just like the rest of us.

I could hear Leanne's breath hitch, even without feeling her heart drop even worse than Razin's. He needs help. Mama noticed the look in my eyes and beckoned him closer. When he did, I hugged him tight before Leanne and his dad ran over and held him close and tight as well. He hugged everyone back as hard as he could, tears streaming down his face. All of his feelings were consumed by terror.

"I-I don't wanna go. Please don't make me go, mommy!" Razin buried his head into his parents' arms. Urie looked around nervously, hoping the blue meanies would skip them.

Leanne held him closer. "I won't." She turned around, glaring at the grunts who were getting out Pokeballs. "I won't make you go." Yvonne's wings buzzed as she flew a little into the air, narrowing her eyes at the grunts.

They threw them, a bunch of Pokemon I don't really know the names of popping out. Some were green and purple moths, others were blue and black frogs, the rest were purple bats, but all of them were coming right at us. The grunts called them Dustox, Croagunk and Zubat.

Mama shielded me in her tails so I couldn't really see what was going on, but I could hear shouting, buzzing, screaming and lots of yelling. Loud thumps and rushes of air filled the room and scattered about everywhere. A lot of the new Pokemon felt bad, and whenever any got close to me and Mama they felt… scared? And went away again. Part of me wanted to look at what was happening, but part of me… already knew.

Eventually Mama pressed her head into me a little. {It is over, my child.}

I peeked out of her tails, expecting to find lots of puddles. And… I didn't. I looked around and Leanne and Yvonne were knocked out against a wall, her husband and the Glalie were asleep, the blue meanies and Pokemon were gone and… so are Razin and Urie.

I looked at the screen to see the blue meanies putting them in the machine, their eyes closed. I hugged Mama tight. "{Th-they're gonna die, aren't they?}"

She looked at me, surprise flaring in her heart before it sunk below the floor as she held me closer. {Oh, my child… I am so sorry…}

I watched the screen, part of me still hoping that he'd be okay as the machine hummed to life. That he'd live and come back and smile and talk more about whatever solar panels are. But as his body turned darker and darker, his legs fading away and him becoming see-through, small bits of his clothes ripping off and hardening in a ring around his head, that hope choked and died. Just like he did, and the two floated up into the ceiling while the machine began to wind down.

Everyone was quiet. I could hear Hazel crying and Vivian gently comforting her. I just looked around. There were a bunch of people like me, but also a lot of humans left. Every so often my eyes made contact with one, and I didn't need to feel their emotions to know we were thinking the same thing.

Are they gonna survive?

The room was deathly quiet, everyone needing some time to process, to mourn, to accept. But they didn't give us that chance as one of the blue meanies was at the door hissing open again, Pokemon already out this time. "Blissey and trainer!"

Everyone looked to Mabel and Haley. They clearly shuddered a bit, Haley looking more nervous than I'd seen her, and Benny held them both close while Bors hugged them tight too. Mabel patted him gently on the back. "Hey. It's okay. We've lived through this much. We'll live through this."

He just held him tighter, and they kissed quickly before Mabel and Haley walked out the door. Benny felt awful, and just stood there with his fists clenched. He looks scary, but… he isn't. It's just stuff like this that made him look scary, isn't it?

I waved a little at him a little. He noticed and hesitated before walking over, Bors right with him. He sat on the bed, and I gave him a hug. "{We… we gotta hope, right?}"

He looked at me, his eyes big and full of pain and sorrow, before he nodded, rubbing my back a bit like Rhea did. We watched the screen together. I can't do much, but me and Mama being here seems to help him a little at least. I can do that.

Mabel… was actually doing okay. Their hair turned pink and the waves in their hair spiraled into big curls, but not too much happened other than that. We kept expecting something horrible to happen, for every new horrifying pulse from the machine to rip open their stomach or compress his limbs to nubs, but this time it didn't. The machine just went quiet after far too long and the grunts took them both out.

Some people started cheering quietly. Other people were still stricken from Razin. Benny let out a huge breath while Bors hugged us tightly. I smiled at them both. "{They're okay! It went okay!}"

He nodded, signing something to me. I didn't understand what he said, but I could feel what his heart was saying. They did. Thank you.

After not too long, the door opened again and Mabel and Haley were thrown in. Bors and Benny nearly leaped off the bed, rushing over. One of the purple bats hissed, but neither of them paid them any mind. The two just ran over to Mabel and Haley and picked them up gingerly, bringing them both over to a bed they'd probably been sleeping on.

Meanwhile, the blue meanie spoke up. "Glalie and trainer!"

Leanne's husband stiffened before I felt his heart drop, and he gave her a kiss on the forehead before he and the Glalie walked/floated out. He looked over at me and Mama, giving us a small, sad smile. I could feel though that he was terrified and distraught, but some part of him was… glad?

I looked at Mama after he walked out. "{Why did he feel glad?}"

She tilted her head, confusion written across her face before she responded. {He… likely is glad that his human partner does not need to see what will happen next, my child.}

When he was taken to the machine, he and the Glalie were asleep. They were both put in the middle of the platforms by the blue meanies before they ran off. Something in the back of my mind tugged at me, like that was familiar. But I didn't have time to think about it.

As the machine whirred once more, the blue pulses of energy started cascading towards them both and locking them in place. Neither of them had woken up yet, but as the evil blasters lit up and fired, they both started screaming.

At first, nothing much happened. Then he slowly started getting… shorter? No, he wasn't getting shorter. His limbs were being pressed into him. Meanwhile, his mouth was forcibly opened, the jaw tugging itself away from the rest of his skull, before it snapped off and fell to the floor of the platform. The blood coming from his mouth was soon matched by blood spurting out from all sides of him as he was crushed into a ball, thumping on the floor.

That thing that was rising in my throat before came back. I could almost taste… the gruel, Mabel said it was? Calling it awful doesn't fit. Awful is what that was. Awful is…

I didn't have the words.

The blue meanies ran back in the room, moving the motionless husband ball and Glalie out of the room before they started cleaning up. Ivane's eyes narrowed. {And once again, the humans care not who falls for their own selfish desires,} she muttered to herself.

I just stayed with Mama while it was being cleaned. I didn't have anything in my head anymore. I just kept seeing some people survive, and other people dying in ways I couldn't imagine. The images of what had happened kept flashing through my mind. Some part of myself wasn't… becoming okay with it, but it was accepting what was happening.

Along with it, a fire started burning in me. Not like the one me and Mama used to keep ourselves warm, though. It was like the vengeful, furious fire I'd felt in Mama before. I was starting to understand what that fire was, and why she had it.

Eventually, the evil machine was clean again. Blue meanies stood at the door. "Bewear and trainer!"

Benny and Bors narrowed their eyes, having been tending to Mabel and Haley. Both were underneath a blanket, their heads on pillows. Benny had been holding Mabel's hand, but once he was called he kissed Mabel on the forehead a lot like Leanne's husband. As he and Bors were walking for the door, he glanced to me and waved. I waved too.

I don't want that to be a goodbye wave.

Benny's time in the machine was a lot like Mabel's. It started up and while his hair turned pink, with a few tufts on top, and white ears came out the top of his head? Nothing horrible happened. I kept expecting that his spine would come out his butt or something, and Mabel and Haley would wake up and they wouldn't be around anymore, but that didn't happen. The only other thing that happened was his muscles looked less pronounced, but after that the machine stopped slowly and the blue meanies started taking the two back to our room.

After they were thrown on the floor, some people went over to pick them up. Benny and Bors were brought to the bed with Mabel and Haley, and laid next to the pair. Mabel felt… calmer, in their sleep, after Benny was next to them.

Once the two had been tucked in, I looked to Mama. "{They're gonna wake up… right?}"

She nodded gently. {Yes, my child. Fortunately, they just need time.}

"Razin…?"

We turned in unison, and our hearts sank. Leanne and Yvonne were slowly getting up, looking around. Yvonne's wings buzzed slightly. "Razin… David?" Her breath hitched. "No… where are they? Where is my family!?"

Leanne looked us over, her eyes and heart begging for a clear answer. Praying that they had just gone to use the bathroom or talk to someone else. Paris was the first to speak up.

"Leanne…" Leanna gave Paris a broken look. Paris steeled herself, so she could give Leanne the answer she deserved. "Your family… their 'fusion' failed. They died in the mach-"

We didn't get to hear the rest of what Paris said because Leanne had fallen onto the ground, wailing with such a deep anguish I hadn't known possible. Her cries filled the halls and the people far away tried to tune it out for their own sanity. Paris tried to lay a hand on Leanne, but she flinched away at the touch.

"I tried Razin… I wasn't strong enough… David why…" Leanne curled into a ball, the grief and wounds becoming too physically overwhelming for her to cope. Yvonne was the only one who could be near her. Tears were in her face, but she curled around her and sang a quiet song in her ears.

She felt furious and distraught at the same time, and like both were fighting each other for what she should do. Her face was contorting and staying the same all at once, like she didn't know if she should destroy the place or follow her family.

Paris and Legolas went over to sit with her. They didn't say anything, they just sat with her. Kinda like I sat with Benny and Bors...

It took them some time to console her, but I wanted to help. I looked at Mama. "{Can… can we go over?}"

Her eyes looked pained, but she slowly nodded. {I… yes. Yes, my child. We can.}

Mama helped me walk to them, my legs shaky and my tail moving to try and help. Except I had no idea how to help Leanne and Yvonne. She just lost her family… how do you even help with that?

She looked at me, tears streaming down her face and her eyes red. Her heart felt like it had burst, a dam overflowing with pain and sorrow. She needed a distraction. "Hey… kid. Where're your parents? Are they…" She fell silent.

I shook my head. "{Mama's right here.}" Mama nodded while I kept going. "{I… dunno where everyone else is. I can only kinda remember them, but they're not here. We live in… Snowpoint?}" Mama nodded again.

Leanne was quiet before she held her arms open just a bit. I went to hug her, and she hugged me super tight. I could hear her heart thumping against her chest, the tears lingering on her face. "We're gonna get you back to your family if it's the last thing we fucking do." She said in a whisper.

I just stayed quiet and kept hugging her. I could feel that Paris felt awful for both of us, but she also didn't feel great herself. I looked at her concerned. "{Are you okay…?}"

She raised an eyebrow before giving a small, sad smile. "No, but don't worry about me. I'm holding up."

After a while, she spoke up again. "You should get back to resting. I'll… stay with Leanne."

I nodded, letting go. Leanne didn't feel great, but she felt a little bit better than before. Yvonne did too, which was kinda weird given how I didn't hug her? Maybe she's glad Leanne isn't feeling as awful… She let me go, looking at me with sorrow and fear in her heart. Paris just put a hand on her shoulder and sat there with her.

I went back to Mama, who nuzzled me gently. {You are so very kind, my child.}

I don't really think I am… I can't help much. But I held onto her all the same as we went back to our bed. While on the way there though, I noticed Guinevere. "{Mama? Can I ask her something?}"

{Of course, my child.} She said, helping me over to her. When she noticed us, she stopped brushing Hazel's hair.

"What is it?"

I pointed at Leanne. "{You said you run a place for kids who lost their parents, right? Is there a parent orphanage? Like a Guinevere for adults?}"

She gave me a sad smile, Chestnut rubbing against me a bit kindly. "No, those are therapists. But please don't push yourself, you need rest."

My eyes were closing already, so I just nodded and leaned on Mama until we got back to our bed. I cuddled close to her, her wrapping her tails around the both of us as we fell asleep together.

Entry Log: With the aid of the Hybridizer, we are able to fuse Pokemon DNA into a human's body, creating a Hybrid: a human with pokemon capabilities and characteristics. The extent seems to vary between each Pokemon as some hybridizations are more drastic than others.

The Hybridization process has begun and is progressing smoothly. Everyone is following the protocol Leader orchestrated perfectly, reducing the chance of rebellion to lowest modicum.

Nonetheless, I have tasked the enforcers to always maintain close watch of the subjects in order to avoid unnecessary conflict. Even the most powerful Pokemon are currently too weakened to pose a nominal threat and it should remain that way.

It appears the Hybridization process does not function with Pokemon that are too distant from the humanoid figure. The process causes the human subject to quickly transform and perish due to inhospitable conditions. It seems ghost types also kill the subjects, except for Decidueye. Possibly due to the fact they were not born a ghost type and the body type is suitable and organic enough.

Several subjects seem to have fallen ill likely due to stress. I'll have to assign Doctor to address them soon enough. Interestingly enough 001 Kalolan Vulpix seems to be suffering to the greatest degree.

It seems the collar around their neck blocks too much of their abilities, to the point where they cannot even regulate their body temperature and maintain homeostasis. I was forced to loosen the grip on both her and Kalolan Ninetails. The others have been notified of the change.

The younger test subjects seem to have retained the most Pokemon features from Hybridization. 001 happens to be the youngest and most complete Hybrid of them all. I am prioritizing their survival as a key point of interest.

Oddly enough during the process their biological sex changed from male to female. While it is not unheard of for a Pokemon to change sex mid evolution (Ex: Azurill, Salandit, Combee) it is far from common. If we consider this a form of evolution, then it would not be remiss to say that this is the same situation. The Ninetails' line 75% inclination towards females may be another cause. Further inquiry required.

Although, another case where a human male became a female Hybrid Gallade occurred which has me to believe it is the human's biology that plays a factor, whilst the Pokemon DNA activates the transition. I am currently looking into sex specific evolution and the deviances among them.

I have just received new information and thus must end this entry criminally short. I will continue with further analysis at a later point.

Author's Note: Well this is a hell of a start, huh? It may not be much of a surprise, but this was a difficult chapter to write. Beginnings are hard enough when they don't start at like, the worst possible point. If that turned you off from the story, that's fair. But if it didn't, and you wanna see where this goes… well, I've got loads planned. And I hope you enjoy. In future chapters I'll ask questions, but for right now? I think you probably have enough questions as is. So I'll just say 'till next time.

~Co-writer here and author of the brother story Hybrid: Topaz Edition! Totally different, equally enjoyable. Hope you love hurt/comfort fics because Hybrid: Aurora Edition has more to come!