AN: "": English; {}: Pokespeak; "{}": English + Pokespeak

Quite the start to one's life, no? To not know where you are, when it is, what's happening, why it's happening or who's doing it? The five primary question categories all being forced upon this girl in the first few days of her life. To be taken from her home, torn of memories and forced to watch others die around her. You would expect such a situation to break a person, would you not? Will that happen here? Well, that's what we're all here to find out isn't it? So don't let me keep you any longer.

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

Me and Mama were eating frozen… gruel? I think that's what Mabel said it was? We were eating that because otherwise we were gonna starve to death. And the blue meanies don't seem to like life, so not doing what they want is good. I still wasn't feeling good at all, and that wasn't helped at all by how people kept dying, but my body wasn't getting worse. My heart… was.

{My child,} Mama said quickly, {People are approaching.}

I looked up to see four people, two like me and two Pokemon. The first Pokemon was tall and walked on two white legs, with a blue crest and red… thingy going through his chest. His upper body was green, and so was his kinda helmet-hair sorta thing and his elbows had rounded bits that went past his upper arm.

The other Pokemon… felt different. She had a crest too, but it was white and split into three prongs. She had ears kinda like me that were red inside, but it looked like her nose was metal. Lots of white fur went around her head to their body, which was black and had green kinda bird feet in front. Then black paws like Mama had in back and a tail like… something that lived in the water? I couldn't remember. She was also huge. Like, bigger than any of the other three easily sorta huge.

The lady with the first Pokemon had green hair for the most part that framed her face, but with some blue hair that spiked up in a crest kinda like her partner. She had red eyes, a black hoodie with lots of colored stains on it, dark blue pants and brown boots. All of which were kinda messed up, as I was starting to learn everyone's clothes were.

The guy with the second had a crest like his partner and white hair that went down past his shoulders, and his ears were like mine and his partner. His outfit was mostly black or gray, with gray pants and a gray jacket plus a black shirt. He had brown boots that looked ready to go over… something. My head got fuzzy when I tried to remember what.

I looked at Mama curiously. "{What kinda Pokemon are they?}"

{The bipedal one is a Gallade, and the quadruped…} She paused. {I must admit, I have not seen them before. I do not know.}

She was eyeing them all, but she seemed less wary of the Pokemon she didn't know. Which I understood, they felt… similar, somehow. She then spoke up, while her partner started talking to Mama. {Hello, young one. We don't mean to startle you, we only wanted to check that you are alright.}

She inclined her head a little. {I am Elpis,} She gestured to her partner person, {And that is Clive. The two with us are Lucia and Arden, the one like us and Gallade, respectively.}

I tilted my head. "{Like us? And why didja wanna see us? Mabel already said I'm sick…}"

She shook her head. {Not quite like that. You are sick, yes, but that will go away. We're just concerned that the things that likely won't fade will harm you.}

Mama looked over at her when she said that, her eyes narrowing. {I suggest you cease dancing around the subject and speak plainly.}

Arden bowed. {Forgive us, but it is a sensitive subject. Clive and Elpis are familiar with origins of places such as… these,} he said with venom dripping from the last few words, {While myself and Lucia are more privy to who you are and what you are not quite matching up. In the sense of gender specifically.}

He just said a lot of words and I know what most of them mean, but I have no idea what he just said.

Mama relaxed though and felt much calmer, so clearly whatever he said made sense to her. {Ah, I understand. That is reasonable.} She looked at me. {I do not believe there is anything to be afraid of with this group, my child.}

I nodded, but looked at Arden still very confused. "{What do you mean about things not matching and gender? And coming from places like this?}"

He paused a moment, feeling thoughtful and hesitant at the same time. {From what we were able to see, your body was… different, before gaining your Vulpix aspects, and not simply in lacking those. We just wanted to make certain that is alright, and to help you if it is not.}

My head felt very fuzzy to most of what he was saying, but something felt less fuzzy. That dream memory thingy before… the one about me saying my name and that I'm a she/her? I never got to ask Mama about it… is this like that?

"{Mama…?}" I started slowly. "{I… remembered something, about watching auroras with everyone and saying that Aurora was gonna be my name, and I'm a she/her? Is that what he means?}"

I felt Lucia and Arden relax considerably and even feel kinda happy as Mama nodded. {Yes, my child. Many things seem to have changed, but I would say they have changed more to match who you are than anything else.} She smiled and nuzzled her snout into my chest. {As you are my wonderful little one, and that has not changed at all.}

I smiled and hugged her, and Elpis felt a bit calmer too. {I take that to mean that what I've heard is true?}

I gave Elpis a weird look, and she elaborated. {I have heard that you did not remember much, and that you had fallen ill. However, I also heard that you have no issues with your Vulpix aspects. Is this true?}

I took a second before I responded, something deep in my soul making itself known. "{I mean… I'm me. That's all I gotta be, right?}"

A wide smile broke across her face, Clive smiling as well. {Yes. Yes, that is absolutely right. And you will have your chance to be you outside of this horrible place.} She looked down at Clive. {And someone very dear to me has taught me that simply being you will make the world a better place.}

Clive smiled wider as Elpis looked back at me and continued. {Living as yourself may not ever be the easiest thing to do, but it's very important and much better than living as someone or something you're not.}

The same place in my soul resonated with what she said. I dunno why, but… I feel like Mom and Ma told me this. Like I figured this out before. Since they're nice, that means these people are nice too, right? And Elpis feels… like she gets it. I dunno how, but it feels like she knows what I mean.

I looked at her curiously. "{What kinda Pokemon are you? Mama doesn't know and I dunno, so…?}"

She chuckled. {That's not surprising. From what I'm aware, there isn't an official name yet. But Clive suggested the name Silvally, and I'm partial to it myself.}

Silvally… So she's like me? From a place like this? I shuddered. And now she's back in one again…

Next I looked up at Clive. "{How'd you meet?}"

He smiled a bit and sat on the bed across from us, Lucia and Arden following suit. Elpis just laid down on the ground, but was easily on the same height anyway. "I'm a photographer. Usually I take pictures of nature and Pokemon, but a while ago I got told that something was happening at the Aether Foundation." He smiled. "I have a bit of a streak for taking pictures of bad guys, and friends who point me in the right direction to continue that streak. I asked to be let in to take pictures of the place for an article, and they complied. I took pictures and talked them into letting me capture some of their 'process'."

He rubbed Elpis' back a little. "After that, I excused myself to use the restroom, took a few turns that weren't headed to the restroom and poked around. And I found where she and her siblings were being held."

Siblings?

"I only managed to break Elpis out, and they've tightened up security since then. But I've been happy to take her around the world, showing her all the places I take my pictures." He smiled at me. "I'd be happy to take you too when we get out of here."

Elpis nodded in agreement. {I look forward to the day we can all traverse this world together.}

Mama gave Lucia and Arden a look. {And how precisely did you come to be this group?}

Lucia shook her head. "Well, we didn't know the other existed before… all this," she said, gesturing to the room we were held in. "But I'm trans, so is Arden and it turns out there's more overlap between the challenges we and Elpis go through than I thought. As for Clive, I'm certain you can see the paint stains on my clothes. So we bonded over pictures and, well, here we are. Making sure that your daughter's okay."

Mama smiled afterwards. {I know of your craft. One of my child's human mothers is a painter herself. She-}

There was an ominous whine over from the screen again. We looked over, our worry founded. There was a man across from an Electrode, their body sparking before they began to inflate like a balloon. Parts of his skin tore open before he exploded, splattering a fine red mist across everything. The Electrode quickly followed suit, ending up as a blackened husk.

I shivered and hid in Mama's tails. Elpis growled at the sight, but said nothing. Lucia and Arden though both looked livid, glaring at the screen with unbridled rage that felt akin to Elpis'. "Bastards. They can't understand how damaging this is. Forcibly changing people's bodies. Treating it like it's just a grade school science project…"

Arden crossed his arms, the blades on his elbows unsheathing and retracting slightly. {And they remain behind a curtain through it all. Refusing to look those whose lives they mutilate in the eye.}

They didn't really say much after that, but I could feel that a hate-filled flame not unlike Mama's burned in all their hearts. All this because some people… what do they even want? Why are they doing any of this? Just to hurt people? They're just killing people because they feel like it?

Even after they left to go talk to the other adults, Mama noticed my expression. {What is it, my child?}

My tail lashed a bit. "{They're just hurting and killing people? For no reason? Why would you do that?}"

Her eyes narrowed as she nodded. {I understand. I doubt it is for no reason, but I see no circumstance in which any reason they have justifies any of this. Humans have a tendency to believe their way of thought is the best, and ignore others in favor of their impetuous goals.} She growled, her chest rumbling. {Ironic, given how many of them view the world the same selfish way.}

I didn't have the energy to stay angry for too long, and pretty quickly was about to fall asleep again. Mama stayed with me the whole time, but the thought kept racing through my mind. They just keep hurting people and don't seem like they care at all. It's like they want all this.

Leanne and Yvonne were across the room, staying with Paris, Legolas, Benny, Mabel, Haley and Bors. Even from here I could feel how distraught she was. And what they leave is so many people hurting…

Sickness and exhaustion won out eventually, but the smoldering anger didn't go away.

~~Snowpoint, Year 8518, Shamiya, Noxel 6th~~

I walked into the room, Mom at her easel and looking out the window sometimes while she was painting. Outside there were Frosmoth and Delibird in the sky, while Swinub and Snorunt trudged through the snow. The sun shone bright, heralding the end of winter was coming soon. In the distance, Snover walked amongst the trees. She kept going until she heard the door open and looked at me, anyway.

"%*#/ &? What is it?" She patted a cushioned wooden seat next to her and I walked over, sitting next to her.

She was painting a really pretty picture, with a lady holding some curved stick and a string between both ends wearing a white hood. It looked like it faded into the snow around her, her eyes shining like the moon and the stars dotting the sky above the snow capped trees. A white Pokemon with a dark grey curved horn stood beside her, piercing red eyes gazing across the landscape.

"Mom? What kinda Pokemon is that?"

She looked at her painting. "Oh, this? That's an Absol, sweetheart. I noticed you and your sister took a liking to that Artemis story, so I decided to draw her and her partner."

My eyes were wide with wonder looking at it before I shook my head, Ivane having looked up from her nap to listen. "Mom? I… uh…"

She looked at me worried, setting down her paintbrush. "What's wrong?"

I shook my head again. "I… dunno? I… how do you…?"

She put her hand on my shoulder. "It's alright. Take all the time you need."

I nodded this time, looking out the window before I looked up at Mom. "I was playing with some of the other kids outside, and they said how boys and girls were different? And I don't really know what that means, but you and Ma and sis all use she and even though you use he with me, it just… doesn't feel right?" I hugged her, worried. "Is that bad…?"

She stroked my hair gently. "Of course not. You're saying you don't want to be a he? Would you rather we called you she instead?"

I felt a warm, tingly feeling in my chest before I nodded. "Yeah… yeah, I would."

She smiled, holding me close. "Then we'll call you she. Is it okay if we still call you *^%!) for now? Only until you don't want us to, of course."

I hugged her tighter. "Yeah. You can change your name too?"

Mom rubbed my back gently. "Of course. Names are important. And if it's going to be your name, it's important you like it the most. So if you don't, you change it to something you do. Lots of trans people do that."

I looked up at her curiously. "Am I a trans?"

She chuckled. "It's 'am I trans', sweetheart. And that depends on if you want to call yourself trans."

I thought for a moment. "Like how you and Ma say you're lesbians?"

She nodded again. "Like that. It's a word, but that word isn't important unless you want it to be. At the same time though, you can't call anything, anything."

I screwed up my face, confused as she smiled. "You can call an apple a fruit, but calling an apple an orange wouldn't be right, would it?"

I shook my head. "No, that's weird!"

She laughed a bit. "A little, yes. So use whatever word feels right. And if you don't know, don't be afraid to ask."

I hugged her. "Okay Mom!"

I was about to leave before she put a hand on my shoulder gently, and I turned around. "What is it?"

She looked at me, full of warmth and love. "I just want you to know that we're always going to love you. No matter what."

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

The next day, I got the chance to tell Mama about the dreams I'd had. She was very happy to hear that I'd remembered more, since apparently those memories were super important ones. They felt like it too, so I was glad about that.
I didn't feel any better physically though. I dunno how long it'd been, but I still felt awful. My headache hadn't gone away, and apparently the pills that they gave us wouldn't actually help me. The cough drops helped my throat, but only for a while. I was still mostly staying with Mama. She helped make sure I wasn't too hot or too cold.

After a while where I was tired but couldn't sleep, my ears perked up. Hazel and Vivian were coming by with two other people. One of them was someone like me, with blue ears coming off the top of his head and a big poofy white tail that had a blue stripe down the middle. His hair was short and bone white with light blue streaks in it, and he felt like he was around Hazel's age but looked more like my age. He had light blue sneakers, darker blue shorts, a white t-shirt with a blue lightning bolt and a big smile.

The partner Pokemon with him was a small squirrel with a tail and ears like him, but with yellow round cheeks and buck teeth. He was sitting on the guy's shoulder, smiling, but I could feel he was skittish. Definitely about everything that's been going on…

Hazel still felt distraught, but a little bit better than before. She sat on our bed, Vivian hopping up next to her and nodding at Mama, who nodded back. "Hey Aurora… how are you feeling?"

I just coughed and stuck out my tongue as a response, and she nodded sadly. "I figured… so I came to give you some company, and Ron wanted to come say hello. So…"

She gestured to him, and he waved excitedly. "Hey! I'm Ron and this is Rush!" He plopped onto the bed, but I could feel that he knew what was going on. Why's he pretending then though? Unless… maybe it's like how Paris said something Mabel already knew? To distract them and help them feel a little bit better?

Rush meanwhile hopped down onto the bed lightly, looking at me worried. {Are you doing any better than before?}

I shook my head again. Hazel looked worried as well, and Vivian was staying curled up on her lap. Ron looked between us both before smiling. "What're your favorite foods?"

We all looked at him. "What? You've gotta have a favorite food, right? Mine is lo mein, what's yours?"

What?

Hazel and Vivian seemed similarly confuddled, but Mama just smiled. {I am partial to lightly roasted Yache berries, myself.}

His eyes lit up. "I've never tried that! What's it like?"

Her tails flicked lightly. {I believe it is similar to what humans call ice cream? Except much more flavorful, though humans seem unable to register its taste. Nonetheless, lightly roasting them adds a subtle smoke taste to them that compliments them perfectly.}

His mouth had begun watering at her description. Hazel looked thoughtful before responding herself. "I… guess I always loved sushi. It's simple and not too filling, and there's plenty of different kinds as well." A small smile crossed her face. "And Vivian's always seemed to like it as well."

Vivian nuzzled into her. {Yeah, I do. I like it best with berries, though. A mix of Bluk, Kelpsy and Pamtre berries are great too.} She looked up at her partner. {Can we get some eventually, do you think?}

Hazel nodded, hugging her tight. "Of course. I'd be glad to."

Ron's eyes were practically bowls of food themselves, with how obvious it was that that's what was going through his head. I didn't know food could be an emotion.

He looked at me, smiling. Then, once he got the images of berries and bowls of food out his eyes, he actually saw me. "There's plenty of stuff you have to look forward to! There's so many kinds of foods out there and part of the fun is trying so many of them! It's like a whole world that you get when you put things in your mouth!"

Rush sighed. {Sometimes I have to make sure he doesn't try to see what everything tastes like.} I could tell though that he was a bit more relaxed now, and more poking fun than anything. He didn't feel upset at all, just sorta exasperated and happy. Probably remembering things.

"I don't mean to rain on your parade," Mabel said, holding several bowls along with Haley while they walked towards us, "But here's the food we've got."

Ron made a face before glancing back at me. "And you don't have to eat this kinda stuff outside. Tree bark tastes better. Trust me."

I nodded, taking my bowl while Ivane freezed it. I think a whole lotta stuff tastes better than this. I accidentally woke up with our blanket in my mouth and it tasted better than this stuff.

While we were eating, Ron looked at Rush. "Sorry buddy, this wasn't exactly what I had in mind when I said we'd give everything a try."

Rush just waved him off. {I know, don't worry about it. Besides, it just means this is one less thing to try later.}
The two chuckled, with Rush noticing how I was looking at them curiously. {When we met, I was trying to find food around Sunyshore. I thought he was gonna catch me when he walked up, but he just pointed out where some good berry bushes were. We got to talking, and while going out and trying loads of different foods isn't exactly complex? It's a nice way to have an adventure every day. Even if just a little one.}

Ron nodded happily while Hazel looked thoughtful. "I remember how Grandma gave me Vivian's egg to hatch. I took care of it all the time until she came out."

Vivian smiled up at her. {I still vaguely remember some of the stories you read to me while I was still in the egg. Thanks for taking such good care of me.}

I looked at Mama, confused. She noticed and nuzzled me between my ears. {They are talking about meeting their starter Pokemon, my child. Whatever Pokemon a human bonds with first is usually called their starter. The primary reason we do not call them starter humans in return is simply that Pokemon rarely have a team of humans at their beck and call.}

I nodded slowly while Ron kept smiling. "Lots of people do lots of things! There's Contests where humans and Pokemon try to be all showy, cooking competitions, of course there's the gyms and badges, the Pokeathlon, lots of things!"

Mama chuckled at how my ears were tilted back while I was just trying to make sense of everything. {The Pokeathlon is a competition between Pokemon, my child. One in which they strive to be the best at various athletic achievements. Swimming, running, leaping, and so on. Gyms are one of the main ways humans govern, through Pokemon battling one another. Those who run said gyms are called Leaders, and they give out badges to the humans whose teams of Pokemon are capable of surmounting specific challenges.}

Wait, what? "{But… but the humans don't fight, right?}"

{They do not, my child.}

"{Then why do they get the badge? Shouldn't the Pokemon get the badges? They did all the work!}" I started coughing, but I kept going once it stopped. "{Why don't the Pokemon run things instead if they're the ones doing everything?}"

Mama just breathed calmly. {Because of Pokeballs, my child.}

I went silent after that, thinking. So it's just because humans have Pokeballs that they get to make the rules? That's stupid! What if Pokemon had Humballs, would Pokemon be running things and humans would fight each other? Just because you can throw a colorful ball doesn't mean you're better or anything at all! It just means you have thumbs and arms.

While I was thinking and the other four were talking, a girl walked up to us. She had orange hair with a few black streaks through it, looked around my and Hazel's age and even though her clothes were a simple tattered t-shirt and pants, she looked hopeful and curious all the same. "What're you talking about?"

Ron looked over. "What you can do outside and food! Why?"

She smiled. "You just looked nice, and I wanted to see what's going on."

Ron was about to respond before a girl yelled over. She was sitting with an orange and white wolf with black ends to their fur that looked almost solid. "Hey, Koko! C'mere, you know it's not safe."

The girl, apparently named Koko, nodded and waved at us. "Sorry, see you later!" She ran back to the girl and wolf, smiling happily and sitting with her.
I was gonna listen, but Ron interrupted. "That was weird. Why doesn't she want her over here?"

Mama just closed her eyes. {They are not between Pokemon and human yet, young one. The older one likely recognizes that the time they have together has every potential to be limited, and wishes to spend as much time with her as she can.}

We all nodded slowly. Conversation picked up between the other four, but I started going to sleep again. Mama made sure they knew and left so I could sleep in peace, but I couldn't stop thinking about what she said.

I hope they make it through okay… It's not fair for what happened to Leanne and Yvonne to happen to anyone else. But… we can't do much. All we can do is hope and figure out what to do when it happens.

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

Next time I woke up, I was silent for a while. Mama nuzzled me gently. {My child? What is wrong?}

I shuddered. "{Are… Are Leanne and Yvonne okay?}"

Mama looked out at something before looking back at me. {I do not know if their turmoil has calmed, my child, but the duo are with the wolf and two girls from yesterday. Would you like to go talk to them?}

I nodded, and Mama's tails unfurled from around me as I got up slowly. I was leaning on her as I walked, Leanne noticing us coming and making room on the bed she was sitting on.

There's… more empty beds than there were before…

Mama lifted me onto the bed before leaping up onto it after me, keeping me close in her tails. She did leave space for Leanne to put her hand on my back, though. "Hey kid," she said gently, "How're you holding up?"

I just shivered and stayed in Mama's tails. I couldn't make myself as warm as I wanted without the collar shocking me, so I stayed in Mama's tails. That helped keep me warm. She just nodded sadly. "Sorry to hear…"

The girl who came up yesterday, Koko, smiled at me. "It's okay, you'll get better soon! I know you will!"

The wolf was laying on the bed, watching us all. The other girl I could see more of now that I was closer. She had the opposite of Koko's hair; pitch black with orange streaks through it. It was really mussy, and she wore a dark orange jacket with a black undershirt and pants, along with combat boots. She looked angry, but she felt… worried. Scared. Anxious. Angry too, but it wasn't the main emotion at all.

She's putting on a face… Humans do that to make each other feel better? That doesn't make sense though, why wouldn't you show what you're feeling? Wouldn't it help everyone if you showed what you were feeling? That way people can help, right?

"Koko…" she said slowly, glancing to Leanne.

Leanne just shook her head. "It's okay, don't worry."

The girl's face hardened. "They're watching her though, what if-"

"That's not her fault," Leanne interrupted. "She's just as much a victim of this as any of us. More, than some of us, I'd say."

I looked at Leanne, nervous to ask. She noticed though. "What's wrong?"

My tail curled up tighter, and my ears flattened. "{Are… Are you family? Are you okay now…?}"

I felt a deep sadness and pain welling up in her heart as she shook her head, Yvonne curling her tail around her. "No, we're not family. I'm just… looking out for them. They're sisters. And…" She hid her face. I heard something fall from her face, though. "I'm…" She took a deep, shaky breath before exhaling. It was less shaky as it came out and she looked at me, her eyes wet. "I'm alive. It's… what they would've wanted."

I nodded slowly. She feels… still really upset. Better than before, but still… Razin was right. She's the strongest to get through that…

The girl had been watching us the whole time, the apprehension ebbing from her. The wolf with her gazed up at her. {Go on. These are good people.}

The girl still felt hesitant and paused for a long while before nodding, then looking at me and Mama. "You've met Koko. I'm Eclipse." She put a hand on the wolf's head. "This is Yuna. She's a Lycanroc, if ya don't know."

Yuna inclined her head towards us. {A pleasure to meet you both. I've heard interesting things, elder fox and twinling kit.}

Ivane eyed her warily. {And what would those interesting things be, stone wolf?}

Her eyes softened. {Precious little, but interesting all the same. How you two are familial in a unique way, for one.}

I could feel my eyes starting to cross trying to work out what they meant, so I looked at Eclipse instead. "{Nice to meet you Eclipse, Yuna.}"

Eclipse nodded slowly. "You're Aurora, right?" I nodded, and she chuckled. "Funny, both our names relate to dark things."

One of my ears flattened and she elaborated. "Our parents named me after an eclipse, since 'there's always a light even in the darkest hour' or something like that." She grimaced. "Fat lot of good that's doing me in this shithole…" she muttered.

Leanne put a hand on her shoulder. "It's a nice name."

I just looked at Eclipse and Koko. Are their parents okay? Do they have parents? But… Hazel doesn't like her mom being mentioned… if their parents are gone, it'd be bad to mention them right? And I don't wanna make them sad…

"It's alright Eclipse, you're more than just a name! You're my big sis and we'll be alright if we all stay together! Yuna is here at least!" Koko tried to be optimistic. "I hope everyone else is okay..."

Everyone else?

Apparently Eclipse noticed my look and growled to herself. "Adrestia and Delar, the Shroomish and Croagunk who're also our team. They were with us, but Galactic took 'em." She glanced over. "I'm glad Yuna's here, but…"

I could feel the hate in Mama smolder some more, but for now she didn't say anything. Leanne though gently rubbed her back and held out an arm to Koko, who quickly went in for a hug.

"Do you have other pokemon friends too, Leanne?" Koko asked.

She shook her head. "It's just been me and Yvonne. Trapinch don't evolve all that fast, and I knew we could make it through together." She smiled at Yvonne sadly, who leaned in closer.

The door hissed open again. "Lycanroc and younger girl!"

Eclipse gave them an odd look, since they were totally across the room from us. "The fuck? I'm not younger, not compared to a buncha the people here."

Eclipse was confused, but Koko slowly turned to Yuna who returned the stare. They both knew what the voice meant. Yuna went over to nuzzle Koko and she hugged her snout. "Eclipse…"

She looked down at Koko as realization dawned on her. I felt loads of things running through her; surprise, rage, horror, anxiety, sadness and other things I didn't have words for. She clenched one of her fists tightly, breathing in slowly before hugging the both of them. "You'll be fine. It's okay. It's gonna be aight. You'll both come back and it'll be okay."

She was saying it to them just as much as she was saying it to herself. Koko held Eclipse's shaking hands and smiled, but both of them were shaking.

"We'll be right back." Eclipse knelt down to hug Koko and Yuna. The voice called for them again and Koko had to pry herself off of Eclipse so she could leave. She turned to Yuna and took a deep breath, but she was shaking even worse than Razin. "Okay Yuna… let's go."

Yuna nodded, nuzzling Eclipse. {I know you can't understand me, but just in case… thank you.} I felt something in Eclipse, like she kinda got it but not really. She hugged Yuna tight before letting her go, though she had to force herself to.

"You go and let 'em know there's nobody else like you. Aight?"

Yuna nodded again and licked Eclipse's cheek before walking away with Koko. They walked out the door, past the blue meanie as the door shut.
Eclipse was still shaking and it seemed to be getting worse the whole time. Yvonne stood up slightly, buzzing her wings to create a small song while Leanne gently pulled her over to sit with her. "Like you said. It's gonna be okay."

"...sure."

We watched as the two were put in the same machine as everyone else was. I could feel Eclipse was about ready to punch the screen if something started happening.

If they die.

As the machine slowly hummed to life, filling the room with the same horrible noise it had before, I noticed Leanne's hand was shaking as well. I gently reached out and held it. She started, looking at me in surprise before her eyes began to water. She just mouthed a 'thank you' before looking back to the screen.

We watched, waiting for something horrible to happen again. Koko's ears melded into her head with new ones popping out on top. I felt the side of my head, since even though I knew that wasn't where I was hearing from? The idea of having ears there was still… weird.

A tail came out of her pants, kinda like mine but tan and a lot fluffier. Her hair lost its color slowly, turning white with tan streaks and specks of a blackish brown. The longer it went on, the more we all started to calm down.

And then…

Nothing happened.

The machine slowly stopped, both of them looking… not okay, but not super messed up either. Not dead.

Some of the blue meanies went over and took out Koko, but not Yuna. Eclipse stood up suddenly. "Hey, the hell! She's supposed to-"

There was another blue meanie at the door. "Lycanroc trainer!"

She glanced over. She felt… not afraid like she was before. She wasn't afraid of if she was gonna die at all, or if Koko or Yuna were alive. She felt… more afraid as to what was gonna happen in general.

"I… I gotta go."

Leanne nodded as Eclipse sprinted to the door. By the time she got there though, Koko was being brought back in. She skidded to a stop, reaching out for her, before one of the blue meanies grabbed her and pulled her through the door as another threw Koko. "Hey-!"

The door slammed shut, Koko still midair. Leanne started to get up, but Guinevere and Chestnut were there to catch her and bring her back over to us. She gently tucked Koko in, looking at us concerned. "Would you mind…?"

Leanne shook her head, as did Mama. She sat down, Chestnut curling up on her lap and looking at the screen again. We were all worried for what would happen now. We dunno what's gonna happen to Yuna…

And neither did Eclipse, clearly, from how quickly she'd run over. Now though she was asleep, just like everyone else who was put in the machine. Yuna looked like she was starting to wake up a little, but the tall lady with a black dress and lots of white bows from before just made her eyes glow and she fell asleep again.

They all moved away, and the machine turned on again. The electricity began to light up the room again, and we watched for what would happen to them both. The same thing with Koko's ears happened to Eclipse, but she didn't get a tail at all. Her hair turned white as well, curving up above her head with a black end at the furthest forwards lock and several other random locks of hair getting the same black tips.

It looked a lot more… painful for them both than before. They were both spasming, their mouths open but no noise coming out. I shuddered, remembering what that felt like for me. Mama nuzzled me gently while Leanne gave my hand a small squeeze.

I hope it's better for them than it was for me…

After what must've felt like an agonizingly long time for them, even though it wasn't super long, the machine powered down again. We all held our breath for if Yuna would be taken out as well along with Eclipse.

We all let out a breath when she was. Mabel, Haley, Benny and Bors had already gotten ready to take them and help them however they could. Once they were thrown in, I was too focused on Eclipse and Yuna to hear who got called next.

Eclipse looked kinda like Leanne had before, but Yuna looked… bad. Her breathing was labored and she looked a lot worse off than I'd seen anyone's partner Pokemon be before.

{And once more, the humans push the boundaries of what they can do with no regard to those in their wake,} Mama said, pulling me out of my thoughts.

I shivered. "{Is she dead…?}"

Mama hesitated before she shook her head. {Not at the moment, my child. I hope it stays that way.}

I was getting cold and the world was starting to spin, so I began drifting in and out of consciousness. Normally I would've just gone to sleep, but I didn't feel great and something in me didn't want to sleep. Not yet. Not until I saw all three of them wake up and they were okay. Mama made sure to keep her tails around me and kept me warm, while Leanne and Yvonne sat with us. Guinevere couldn't stay around all the time, she was helping other kids too, but she made sure we got an extra blanket.

One of the times I was kinda awake, my vision still sorta blurry, I noticed the fuzzy shape where Koko was starting to move. I rubbed my eyes to see that she was shifting, slowly waking up. And hopefully not feeling as bad as I am.

"{Are you okay?}"

She got up groggily and shook her head. "Where… oh." She had a confused look on her face, but once she saw everything else around us her mood soured, until concern flared up. "Is Yuna alright!?"

Yuna was lying ominously still, except for when you really looked for it her chest moved up and down slightly. Mama looked at Koko. {For now. She was put through the machine twice, once with you and once with Eclipse. It… seems to have taken a heavy toll.}

{I can understand you… wait. Twice? Eclipse!?} Koko looked around and found her sister unconscious too, lying next to her. Her heart was trying to decide on which feeling to land on, but in the end she landed on relief. "{They're both alive… that's what's most important,}"

She exhaled slowly before turning to us. "{Thanks for looking out for us and I'm okay now. I feel a bit woozy and my ears really sting-}" Koko went up to touch the side of her head where her ears had been. She did a bit of feeling around until she found her new ears at the top of her head. "{Ouch, they moved and my tailbone aches- because there's a tail there.}"

Koko swished her tail around a few times experimentally. "{Hehe, it's fluffy just like Yuna's.}"

Mama smiled at her. {You have taken to an extra appendage quite quickly.}

"{I've always wanted superpowers ever since I saw Sailor Moon! I'm not exactly a magical girl and I think all of this is a bit too tragic for my heroine backstory, but at least Eclipse and I look like Yuna now…}" Koko stroked Yuna's head solemnly. "{Can Haley fix her?}"

My ears perked up and I looked at Mama. {I do not see any reason why she cannot.}

She then looked up to Leanne, who chuckled lightly. "Whole ass daisy chain of lookin' here. I'll go get 'em."

She got up, Yvonne following her while I looked back at Koko. "{Is your head fuzzy…? Or you feel like coughing or anything?}"

Koko rubbed at her neck where the collar was. "{Everything stings a lot and I think the collar got even tighter. It's uncomfortable.}"

I nodded a little. She doesn't seem like she's as bad off as me though… So that's good? I think? Probably? Maybe pain now is better than pain later, who knows with this place.

"{Can you feel things too?}"

"{Feel things?}" Koko started squinting at me and I could sense she was beginning to get what I meant. "{...a little bit.}"

Leanne and Yvonne came back with Mabel and Haley after that. They smiled at Koko. "I'm glad you're awake. Anything I can do?" Meanwhile Haley took out an egg from her pouch and nestled it with Yuna.

"{Everything stings and the collar hurts more now. When does that stop?}"

I could feel Mabel's heart drop, but they kept their face in a sad smile. "Well… not any quicker than the rest of us, at least. Hopefully soon?"

With that cheery reminder of how utterly awful everything was at the moment, we stayed mostly silent while waiting for Eclipse and Yuna to wake up. Mostly so far the not-Pokemon and Pokemon have woken up at around the same time, but Yuna went through twice… is she gonna wake up at all?

I was starting to fade in and out of consciousness again when Eclipse started moving like Koko did. Not Yuna though. She sat up slowly, holding her head. "Wow that's a headache I've not had in ages…" It took only a second more before alarm flared in her heart and she looked around wildly, noticing Koko and that alarm calming a lot. "Oh thank fuck, Koko, you-"

She then noticed Yuna.

The alarm came right back as she picked her up gently, holding her head in her arms. "Hey… Yuna? C'mon, wake up girl…"

There was no response.

I could feel desperation starting to bubble up inside her as she shook Yuna gently. "C'mon… now's not the time for joking around. You've gotta be okay…"

She kept holding Yuna, everyone extremely on edge and Koko just as worried while Eclipse kept speaking softly to Yuna. Part of me was ready to accept that more death was happening, but another part of me felt like punching that part and saying no, it's fine, she's gonna be okay. She had to be.

Several minutes passed, Eclipse holding her the whole time.

Until finally, Yuna opened her eyes and looked up at Eclipse. Her eyes had begun watering, but she wiped them away when Yuna looked at her. "You're okay…! Of course you're okay, you're fuckin' strong." I could feel she was saying that to calm Yuna just as much as herself.

Yuna gave a soft laugh as Mabel picked up the egg Haley had given and held it to Eclipse. "She needs to eat this."

She nodded and without any hesitation, gave it to Yuna. She took slow bites at first, but I could feel her strengthening. It… wasn't an emotion, not really, but I felt her getting stronger all the same. By the end she ate a quarter of it in one go just fine, and breathed deeply before leaning into Eclipse. {Today is definitely the second worst day of our life so far.}

Eclipse was still processing, but I could feel relief that outstripped the alarm from before flowing from her. "Yeah…" She looked over and held an arm out to Koko. She crawled over to Eclipse and hugged her, burying her face into Eclipse's chest.

Leanne let out a sigh of relief and held my hand like I was holding hers. "I'm glad they're okay."

I nodded. We-

We heard screaming from the monitor, and looked over while we were still trying to process what'd just happened. There was a girl in the machine along with… some swirling circle of death? They were purple and had green orbs and a terrifying mouth contorted in pain, and that all came out of a weird rock.

As we watched, the girl slowly turned transparent. But unlike Razin, she didn't float up. Her body turned a slightly purple before it got sucked from one side of the machine and into the stone. The swirling circle of death suddenly started spiraling erratically, purple lightning tearing out. A shrill whine filled the air, echoed over a hundred times as furious whispers began filling the air. Something deep in me was screaming one thing.

Run.

But there wasn't anywhere to run here. I just huddled more in Mama's tails, watching as the stone and circle exploded, sending shards shooting through the room. There were a couple yells, but nothing topped the unearthly wailing that was echoing around the room, the walls, everywhere. I saw purple bolts with faces streaking through people, and had barely enough time to register that something was very wrong before-

~~Eterna City Outskirts, Year 8516, ?, ?~~

-ran away, holding Koko in my arms. Eclipse was beginning to trail behind, and I held out a hand.

"Come on, we have to-"

Another explosion shook the earth, throwing her off balance. Yuna went to catch her, but I managed to first. She looked up at me, relief and horror mixed in her eyes.

"Is Dad following?"

I hesitated. "He's… probably taking another route."

She nodded and we turned to keep running. Another explosion thundered, one of the buildings close to us being torn apart from inside like a stale gingerbread house. Several of the wooden beams supporting the roof came hurtling towards us.

I'm sorry, honey.

I put Koko in her arms before pushing her out of the way. Opal, bless her heart, stood in the way and held her arms up. Her horn was whirling, sending a quiet whine through the air as she stopped me from getting flattened right then and there.

"Mom!" I heard Eclipse call from the other side.

"Just keep running!" I shouted back. "It's going to be okay!"

"Looks like I'll need to work on the catalyst," a woman behind me sighed. We whirled around to find said woman with purple hair, a mostly white bodysuit and a yellow G emblazoned right below her neck. A Skuntank was trundling beside her, their purple fur being blown side to side from the shockwaves but not looking at all bothered.

"Debris wasn't even launched quickly enough to get some runaways," she continued, speaking more to herself.

I shifted from horror, to anger, to disbelief, before settling on all three. "You did all this?! Why?!"

A smile lit up her face. In the same way the swirling pits of the Distortion World lit up the souls unfortunate enough to fall in. "Why? Because it's beautiful!" She spread out her arms, twirling like a kid at a candy store. "Look at all this! The flames, the chaos, the symphony of screams, the patterns from the wreckage? It's incandescent!"

Opal stood in front of me, the brave Rhydon standing with me even through this. "For a madwoman, maybe."

She just giggled to herself. "You think you can stop me? That's adorable! Here, let's put a little wager on this." She took out a small box, placing it on the ground next to her. An ominous, steady beeping pierced the air. "If you want to stop me so bad, all you have to do is hold off until the timer goes off. Then boom! And don't worry, I won't kill you either. It'd be much prettier to watch the explosion engulf you."

My hand was shaking, but I just took a deep breath.

Even at worst… my children could escape.

"Opal, Horn Drill!"

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

I opened my eyes, my head pounding and an unearthly chill clutching at my very soul. I held my head, trying to hold back the pain and curling up more. I tried to increase my flame more to fight off the chill, but all I got was another shock lancing through me. I dunno what happened… but whatever happened… it wasn't familiar at all...

Still shivering, now from electricity and cold, I looked around. "Mama…?"

There was no one.

All that was around me were tall, dark shafts that looked vaguely like trees. They had no branches though, and they kept going up and up far out of sight. The sky above was pitch black, and trying to look around me was impossible. An inky void shrouded all, with even the snow crunching beneath my feet feeling… wrong, somehow.

I looked down and screamed; it wasn't snow, it was shards of bone. I ran over to one of the trees, intending on climbing up it quick as I could. But as I got closer it began to bend down, portions of the ebon bark snapping off and reaching towards me.

My legs pinwheeled under me, scrambling to a stop before running away. Darting through the tree monsters. They were all bending now, trying to grab me.

"Mama!" I called out, looking for her. But she wasn't there. No one was.

I wasn't looking where I was going, and slammed right into something. Barely keeping my footing, I looked up to see what was like… a giant gray shoe?

The ground shook as it shifted, forcing me to leap away just to not get crushed. Barely still standing to not fall in the bones, I looked up to see twin voids staring down at me. Hollow. Devoid of empathy. A face could vaguely be seen through the shrouding gas, a perpetual scowl across it.

"YOU CANNOT ESCAPE." The thunderous voice shattered the air, forcing me to hold my ears and try to get them to stop bleeding. The aftershocks kept making my limbs jerk, and my head was pounding worse than ever.

While I was still trying to get my bearings, I heard laughing from all around. I turned around, shuddering, to see the Sneasel from before coming right at me. Laughing like a maniac the whole way.

I screamed one last time as my vision went dark again.

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

I bolted upright, breathing heavily. Leanne and Yvonne were there, and Mama was looking at me. Her tails were around me, I was on the bed, and there was fear in her heart. {My child? What happened?}

I shuddered and held tightly to her, whatever just happened having not helped me feel better at all. Physically or mentally. The pain in my head wasn't as bad as before, but the chill in my soul lingered.

She just kept me close. {It is alright, my child… you are with me. Whatever night terrors assault you are not here.}

I just stayed with her as Leanne rubbed my back gently. But… but they are here. Right? People keep dying, and being taken, and the evil people are here and they don't care… I clutched Mama tighter, and she wrapped her tails around me softly. I didn't have words. No one did.

Leanne then patted my back a little, signaling to look at her. She smiled a bit when I did. "There's somethin' going on today you might enjoy."

I looked over a little and saw Ron, Rush, Hazel, Vivian, Mabel, Haley, Benny and Bors coming over along with four other people. The only human there had blonde hair and a bright smile, wearing a deep blue long-sleeved shirt with gold rings on the cuffs, neckline and bottom. They were clearly more gold-colored fabric than actual gold, though. He also had blue jeans, boots with faux fur on them and he looked excited. But he also feels nervous?

The Pokemon with him was pretty big, but not gargantuan or anything. She had a huge shell on her head that came to a spiked spearpoint, and similar shells on each of her four legs. Her hide was a deep blue, like the shirt, and she had large fluffy white whiskers and what looked like hair under the shell on her head. She looked like she could kick all the butt in a fight.

The other was a kinda-human-kinda-Pokemon person like me. He had a dark gray beard with some orange streaks in it, and his dark gray hair grew long enough to hang down to his neck on either side. He had a tattered red jacket, plaid shirt underneath, deep green pants and black shiny boots that squeaked a bit. His beard covered his mouth, but it felt like he was smiling anyway.

The Pokemon with him was around the same size as the first, and had a similar body shape even though they looked different. They had orange bumps on their four legs instead, and instead having small black claws their feet had three large toes. They didn't have whiskers, but bright orange cheek-spike thingies. That and big fins that were in line with their eyes, and one going all the way from their back to their butt to their belly.

Before they came over totally, I looked at Mama questioningly. She smiled warmly, gesturing towards the first. {That is a Samurott,} she then gestured to the other, {And that is a Swampert.}

I nodded while the human guy waved. "A show was demanded and I shall deliver!"

This time I looked at Leanne, very confused. She just chuckled. "Things've been shit the past few days, and he wanted to help cheer everyone up. He's an actor." She elaborated when I didn't look any less confused. "That means he plays other people as characters in a big story. Instead of reading it, he wears costumes and says what the character would say. That sort of thing."

Even though I understood the words, I was still confused. Why would you wanna do that? Isn't being yourself the best thing? Why would you wanna have your life revolve around being someone else? Isn't that bad?

He definitely didn't feel bad though as he bowed deeply, putting one hand on his chest and the other swinging behind him high into the air. "You have me rightly, dear lady!" He snapped upright like a branch. "This horrible place threatens to sap the life and joy from us all, and we can't have that! So to keep our spirits high and provide reprieve, me, my companion," He threw his arm around the other guy, "And our dear partner Pokemon will be putting on a show for you!"

I was still trying to process before he made his face look like he was distraught, even though I could feel he was less nervous and more getting into it. "But how could I forget, I haven't even introduced us all yet! I am Owain, actor and accentuator of all things!"

He swung around, the arm that was around the other guy's shoulder whirling around to present the Samurott with him dramatically. "And this is my partner, Sue, a Samurott of unparalleled fortitude and skill!"

Sue inclined her head, smiling as well. {I do hope we can bring you some joy today.} She glanced fondly at Owain, and I could feel sadness and pride in her heart.

Owain gave her a slight nod before twirling around and holding his arms out to the other guy and the Swampert with him. "My companions today are Zachirias, whose legendary ship, the…" he paused and whispered. "What's it called again?"

Zachirias chuckled. "He's the S. S. Argus."

Mama rolled her eyes at Owain as he spread his arms out bombastically. "The S. S. Argus' voyages are only outstripped by his knowledge of the seas it sails majestically upon!"

He bounced over like a spring to the Swampert. "Finally, his beloved partner Elvis, a Swampert whose home is the ocean itself and who can weather any storm!"

Elvis just looked at him. {That's really not how it works, but okay.}

Several Pokemon chuckled, a lot of people having come over to one side of the room to see what was going on and give them room to do their thing. Owain looked and felt a lot more nervous, but Zachirias just patted him on the back and gave him a smile. Owain nodded, breathed deeply and put on a smile once more.

"Come one, come all, and see how the cards shall fall!"

They then started performing a play, apparently called 'Awakening: Through Time and Space'. It revolved primarily around a group of kids and their Pokemon who ended up in a really dark time, but with the help of Dialga and Palkia went back to the past, where they needed to be to change their future. They had to keep it a secret from their parents that they were their kids, since if they didn't let things go how they were supposed to? They wouldn't be born.

I could feel that Mama, Leanne, Yvonne and a lot of the adults weren't really paying too much attention, but… I loved it. Owain was nervous, but he really put his heart into it.

I get why he does this now… 's not because he doesn't want to be himself, it's because he can do lots and lots of things as himself. He can portray loads of people as himself and tell stories that you can't tell if you only were yourself. I leaned more into Mama. But… I still think I like being me better. You can make your own stories, and nobody can make the stories you can. Since you're you. Like what Ma told me…

My head felt fuzzy at that last part, but I shook it off. Mama looked at me and nuzzled her snout between my ears, smiling, before she kept her tails curled around me.

At one point, when Owain was acting out a sword fight with Sue (he didn't have a sword, he was using a piece of a bed) the door hissed open again. It'd done that several times, as it kept doing, but Owain kept saying 'the show must go on' and kept going despite it all. Except this time…

"Samurott and trainer!"

He glanced over in surprise, fear welling in his heart, but he kept a smile on for everyone before bowing to Zachirias. "It appears I must exit the stage for now, but you must keep heart! For the show must go on!" Before he walked out with Sue, who nodded to us all.

{Thank you. All of you. For giving us a chance.}

We all nodded after them as the door hissed shut. Zachirias looked around before glancing at the screen, then back to everyone. "Well, it's not the battle they were expecting, but it's the battle they got."

He then went on to tell the story of what happened next, narrating what was happening on screen like it was an intense battle. Which it kinda was. Just with no swords. We watched as Owain's hair got longer. It forming a big spike facing forwards. But... not too much happened honestly. We were all starting to get used to what was happening, awful and tense as it was.

When he was brought back in along with Sue, they were let rest while Zachirias kept the story going. He didn't act it all out, but he did tell it amazingly. He had surprising range for how deep his voice was. We heard the rest of the story about Lucina and her friends saving the world from Giratina. And once he'd finished, he started telling us all stories of voyages he'd been on. Apparently since fishing (whatever that is) isn't a thing anymore, he instead went on trips to check on the Pokemon in the area and deliver cargo around.

It was interesting, but I didn't think it was as cool as Owain's play. I mostly spent time asking Mama about the Pokemon he mentioned I'd never heard of. Wailord, Lumineon, Lanturn, Mantine, so many Pokemon lived in the ocean.

When she was telling me, I at one point looked over at one part of the room. It was a huge tank of water that had some of the Pokemon Mama was talking about, and people in it as well. The Pokemon felt annoyed, but more or less okay. There were people like me in there too, but they didn't have legs. They had fins and stuff instead.

After he'd finished telling his stories, people started dispersing. Ron turned to us, wide-eyed. "That was awesome! Owian was so cool!"

Hazel nodded, a small smile on her face. "It… it was really nice."

Ron held air like he was holding a sword. "And it was so cool when Lucina ran out of the portal and fell right onto a Risen and beat them up and-" he kept going excitedly, waving his arms about.

Mama just looked at me. {Did you enjoy it, my child?}

I nodded, but was a bit confused. "{You and Leanne and Yvonne didn't feel like you liked it as much… did he do something bad?}"

Leanne raised an eyebrow as she looked over, shaking her head. "No, not at all. It's just…" She hesitated, trying to find the words. "He's very bombastic, for all the parts."

I tilted my head. "{Why's that a bad thing? It helped a lot.}"

Vivian's ears perked up as she and Hazel looked over. "What do you mean?"

This time it was me hesitating. "{He… uh…}"

Mama nuzzled me, calming my heart before I responded. "{He wasn't really feeling what he was doing, so sometimes it was confusing what he was trying to convey. Like how he felt excited even during the-}" I started coughing, and everyone waited until it stopped. "{During the scene where Lucina met her dad again. Because he was so expressive with what he did, it helped me know what was supposed to be happening.}"
Vivian nodded slowly. {I… think I get what you mean. You could feel his feelings, which would've made it hard to know if he wasn't so over the top. But he was, which let you know what the point was.}

I nodded and Ron's eyes widened. "You can feel feelings?! That's so cool!"

I tilted my head. "{You can't?}"

He shook his head. "A little bit with Rush, but we were like that before. Can you feel what I'm feeling?"

"{Hungry.}"

His stomach growled as he put his hand on the back of his head and laughed awkwardly. "Yeah, you got that right!"

I was starting to get really dizzy again, so Mama made them go and give us room to rest. Before she left though, Leanne looked at me. "You can feel what we're feeling… right?"

I nodded. "{You're worried… and now surprised, and now a little happy?}"

She moved in, Mama noticing and letting her hug me gently. "That's a wonderful gift you have."

After that she walked off, Mama nuzzling me. {Sleep well, my child.}

I could feel she was warm, and not just her fur. I cuddled up close. "{Okay… I love you, Mama…}"

The warmth grew warmer. {I love you too, my child.}

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

{My child, wake up,} Mama said quickly. {Someone is coming.}

I slowly shook myself awake, looking up. The door was open, and one of the blue meanies was coming closer. I shrank into Mama's tails, huddling closer to her and away from them.

They groaned, annoyance flaring in them. "Oh for the love of- don't make this harder than it has to be, just c'mere."

I, predictably, did not do that. I wasn't inclined to go with the people who'd just murdered dozens of others in horrible ways in front of all of us. The only things coursing through me right then were fear and wanting to stay with Mama.

They growled, reaching their hand towards me. "C'mon runt, it's time-"

Mama suddenly stood up, one of her tails bursting into flames. Unlike the usual orange fire though, it burned ashy gray and felt… hateful. Like that fury within her was manifesting into a literal fire, billowing off of her tail. She smacked the blue meanie with it, sending them tumbling to the floor. The fire rushed silently from her tail onto them, quick as a flash engulfing them before it went out.

They weren't burned at all, but I could feel something had just happened. They were in a complete panic, their eyes bugging out of their head and their mouth open in a silent scream. Their limbs were bending in ways that limbs definitely don't usually bend, their whole body contorting on the floor.

{Do not dare touch my child, filth.} The fire, even though it had rushed over me a little, didn't do anything at all to me. A Pokemon, a Glameow from what Mama had told me, was shrinking away from them before Mama turned her gaze to them. They shrunk even more. {Meet the same fate as him, or leave.}

{R-right!} They quickly scrambled out the door, claws scratching against the metal as they bolted from the room. Mama then turned to me, the fire winking out as she was full of concern.

{Are you alright, my child?}

I nodded. Even though I knew Mama had just done something to the blue meanie, I… didn't feel bad? I felt bad for the Glameow, and I'd felt bad for all the people dying the past couple days, but something in me just… refused. Refused to feel bad for the human my Mama had done something to. Like it was something that wasn't bad at all.

What did she even do, anyway?

More blue meanies came into the room, but they were there to take the blue meanie Mama smacked away. The Pokemon with them were staying well away from Mama, but I just looked at her. "{Mama? What did you do?}"

She looked at me before nodding to her side. I cuddled up against her and looked at her vivid, almost glowing eyes. {I cursed him, my child. It is something that all Ninetales can do. You will be able to as well, once you grow.}

A curse… "{But what did it do?}"

She glanced over as the door hissed shut. {I made him undergo the pain we all have been feeling. And forced him to be unable to make a sound, as those who have tortured us are deaf to our cries.}

I nodded, and she looked worried. {Does that upset you, my child?}

I shook my head slowly. "{No… no, it doesn't. It… doesn't feel like you did a bad thing.}" I held my chest. "{Not here, anyway.}"

She smiled warmly, relief flooding through her. {I am glad.}

I sat with her a second before something came to mind. "{Mama? Why didn't you do that to the Sneasel and guy who attacked us?}"

She looked down, her ears drooping slightly. {Cursing someone requires me to actually contact them with my tails, my child. At no point did I have that opportunity.}

I hugged her quickly. "{I don't blame you! I was just curious. Don't be sad Mama…}"

"It's been a long time since I've seen a Ninetales curse," Mabel said while walking over with Haley. "You two alright?"

I nodded, as did Mama and they sighed in relief. "Thank goodness. I don't know what's going to happen next, but I'm glad they didn't hurt you."

Eclipse was walking over too, Yuna and Koko with her. "If you could've done that this whole time, why didn't you?"

Mama looked intensely at her. {Because I know that if I were to curse every human that came in this room, I would quickly be taken away from my child. And perhaps they would kill her. Which I will not allow.}

Eclipse looked like she wanted to say something, but when she glanced at Koko she nodded slowly. "Yeah… yeah, I get it."

Mama's gaze didn't waver. {If I could do so with no risk of harm coming to my child, every human in this horrid place would never be able to vocalize the pain they would feel. Even if I allowed them to make noise again.}

The door hissed open again, and this time a girl stood there. She had the same kinda outfit as the blue meanies before, but it was a bit different. There was more black and less light gray, and her hair wasn't blue. It was black with a few purple highlights, along with her pale skin. She looked older than Eclipse, but younger than Leanne.
And with her wasn't another Glameow. They were a big black and purple… dragon? I didn't have the words, but they had large wings from their arms, huge ears, white fur adorning their neck and back, red claws and a red V on their forehead. Their tail was long and thin, with two spines at the very end.

Mama got up and glared, but I was looking at them confused. They don't feel like the other blue meanies… they feel upset? Sad?

"It's alright, I don't intend to take the child from you." She was standing well away from us both, and the Pokemon with her seemed pretty okay with not coming closer. Which was also different from the Glameow from earlier.

"We've come to take her to the doctor. She's clearly sick and needs more medical attention than what's… been available. You can come with her, she just needs to get treated."

Mama didn't back down, the fur on her back rising. {I have no reason to trust you. And I do not intend to.}

The Pokemon spoke up. {She's-}

Mama glared at him and growled. {Silence. I will not hear the words of a Pokemon under their command. Nothing you can say can break the shackles that bind you, Noivern.}

They went silent, but they didn't feel afraid, per se. More like their heart deflated. The girl spoke up again. "I don't expect you to trust me, since I don't even know your names. But I can tell you mine. I'm Jean, and my partner here is Indra."

She looked pleadingly at Mama. "Please. You don't have to trust me, but if nothing else, come with her to get her treated. She needs it. You know that."

I hugged Mama, and she glanced at me. "{She… doesn't feel mean… And I don't wanna be sick anymore…}"

Several things fought for dominance in Mama's heart. Fury, despair, horror, worry, defiance, hatred. Her fur bristled, looking almost like flames flickering, before she nodded. {I understand, my child. However, please stay close to me.}

I nodded and crawled onto her back, hugging her tight. She hopped down, Eclipse glaring at Jean. "You know this shit won't work twice if you're bullshitting. I don't give a damn what you think these collars can do, we won't stand for your bull!"

Jean gave her a long, sad look. "I know. And I'm not lying. Trust me for now. They'll both come back better than they were before."

Eclipse just rolled her eyes. "Yeah, sure, like the others who've been 'made better'," she said while making air quotations and glaring at her. Then she looked at me, fear and anger in her heart. "I know you're stronger'n them. You're gonna be okay, no matter what they throw at ya."

I nodded at her, staying close to Mama. Jean then walked to the door. "Please, follow me."

Mama walked out after her, the door hissing shut behind us. She kept six of her tails around me so no one could get to me, but I could still see around us. There were harsh white lights buzzing in the ceiling, and everything was a dark gray metal. Small lines separated huge sheets of metal from one another, and several other doors were embedded into the walls. The clangs of various footsteps echoed down the halls, a faint scent of dirt and stone permeating the metal slabs. Every so often there was a metal half cylinder embedded into the wall, filled with dirt and some tall, thick leaves stretching towards the ceiling. They were scattered infrequently throughout the hall, far outnumbered by the doors I'd come to know and hate. These ones seem weaker than the one in our room, though.

While we were walking through the hall, several other blue meanies walked past with Pokeballs on their belts. Most of them had blue hair and the awful haircut, but a couple had outfits more like Jean's and not blue hair. No Pokemon were with them, though. They all gave us a wide berth, having probably heard about Mama.
There was one duo though that I heard way before they ever came around the corner.

"I gotta say, I'm glad the first phase is over with." said a voice that cracked every so often.

First phase?

"I know," sighed the other voice, cracking as well but slightly deeper. "I can tell why they call this place Iron Island. You gotta have an iron stomach for all the crap that happened the past week."

"At least the next bits shouldn't mean we have to dump out a half dozen corpses every day."

When they rounded the corner they stopped talking immediately after seeing us. One of them eyed Mama warily. I barely paid attention to that though, as my heart had dropped through the floor.

They dumped out corpses? But… but they died in such awful ways! They're not garbage, they're people! All of them! I saw them being scraped off the walls, you can put that in the ground and give them some peace! Not just… throw them in a trash can or something!

We kept going down the ominous halls, and even though I kept track of the turns we made there wasn't much in the way of landmarks to tell where we'd been. At best I knew that the corners had two wall plants on them instead of one, but that was pretty much it. Nobody spoke the whole way through, but Mama pet my back gently with her tails sometimes.

Eventually we got to a door that Jean stood slightly to the side of. Some small beams of light shone at her eye, moving up and down before a light blinked green and she knocked on the door. "Rhodo? It's Jean. I brought the Ninetales and the child with them."

From the other side of the door I could hear an extremely deep sigh as a man got up from his seat. He sounded tired, but not from exhaustion or sleep. More like he was tired of… everything.

The door opened revealing a skinny human man. He had a darker complexion and his hair was long, dark brown dreads. Like Jean he wore a different outfit than the other blue meanies (and didn't have the stupid hair). He wore eyeglasses, a turquoise rolled up sleeve dress shirt with a loose black tie with the letter G on it. There was a white coat around his waist and he wore black grunt pants. What was weird was that he was wearing… socks with sandals? I got the feeling that something about them specifically was spiteful.

He looked us all over and forced a smile. I could tell it was something he was used to doing, since his eyes remained drained and there was no joy in his heart.

"Hello, everyone… thank you Jean, I can take it from here."

She nodded, saying "Good luck," quietly before walking out of the room with Indra and the door hissing quietly shut. Mama just glared at him. He seemed unsure, but he gestured for us to come inside. There was a small cot for me to sit on while Mama sat in front of me. He sat at his desk and began addressing Mama.

"...my name is Rhodo, I'm here to make sure you're healthy. I've been told the child was feeling ill. I need to give her a check-up. Do you mind?"

Her eyes narrowed. {I do, in fact, mind, human.}

He furrowed his brow. "I've been told she's been suffering, physically, for the last 8 days. If she has a fever it could get even worse without treatment," Rhodo took a deep breath. "Blissey eggs are miraculous, but I know she cannot completely supplement what the child needs when her own body is lacking in vitality. I know you wish to protect her, but if she doesn't get medicine soon she could..."

He turned to me, trying to figure what he should say before he turned back to Mama. "She could die."

Mama kept glaring at him. {And what, precisely, is to say that you won't give her something that accelerates that?}

Rhodo gave Mama a sad look. He can't understand her, but I could feel he was desperately trying to think of something.

"...I know the other grunts have treated you poorly and I'm sorry you all have had to suffer like this. This situation is… beyond horrible, but if you want her to survive this I need to help her. You came here for a reason right? You would've refused if you didn't believe this was for the best."

Mama kept glaring. I could tell she didn't think this was good at all, she just knew staying in the room before wouldn't have helped a bit. And she didn't seem pleased with this room either.

But… he feels sorry. Really, really sorry. And sad. And in pain in his heart. He doesn't wanna be here… but I think he wants to help.

"{Mama…}" She turned to me, and I felt some shock coming from Rhodo. "{He doesn't feel bad… I think he does wanna help. But…}" I shuddered. "{Stay with me, please…?}"

She nodded quickly, nuzzling close. {Of course, my child.} She glared at Rhod after. {Hurt her and you will face far worse than the human from before.}

"You're letting me help?" He asked cautiously.

She nodded slowly, but narrowed her eyes at him. I knew even without feeling it, the message was clear. Hurt her and I hurt you.

He gulped before getting some equipment. He walked over slowly to me and forced another smile.

"I don't think I ever caught your name. Can't go around calling you 'the child' forever, ya know. People don't call me 'the adult', right?"

I nodded. "{I'm Aurora.}"

Rhodo's face screwed. "Can you… repeat that?"

I gave him a weird look, one of my ears tilting. "{I'm Aurora.}"

"Aurora… that's your name?" He asked unsure.

Why is this so hard for humans? "{Well it's not sandwich, so yeah.}" Mama chuckled.

"Sandwich? Uhhh…" Rhodo felt a little lost, but continued tending to me. "Aurora? Do you realize you're speaking in human and pokemon mixed together?"

I gave him another weird look, but this time I was confused. "{There's a difference?}"

"There's difference? Yeah there is. You see, humans can't understand what pokemon say, but pokemon can understand humans. All I heard from you was 'There's vul difference?'. You never noticed?"

I shook my head. "{The ones like you died, so…}"

He grimaced. "Hmm… so you've got your languages mixed up. I wonder if it's because of the fever… delirium? Lack of proper treatment? Trauma? No, the fusion likely took much of a toll..." He began quietly muttering to himself. "How can I help her…?" He continued with his check-up and began muttering to himself. Quiet enough to where I feel like he thought I wouldn't hear, but it was clear as this place was awful.

"She's burning way too hot for any human sickness, but uncomfortably high for a passive Vulpix. She appears dazed, there's a cough, weakness… is this a common pokemon cold?" He looked at my collar a bit closer. "This isn't helping…"

He looked me in the eye. "Thanks for trusting me Aurora, now I can give you some medicine."

Rhodo made his way over to the medicine cabinet and took out a strange bottle and a tiny cup. He poured some of the bottle into the little cup and handed it to me before handing me a box with some red sphere on it that had a slice taken out of it. The inside was pale yellow, and there was a whole one with stick arms, legs and a smiling face and a text box that read, 'Don't leaf your apple juice at home, kids!'.

What?

"Okay Aurora this medicine will make you feel better, but sleepy. It's yucky, but I've got some juice for you to wash it down okay?" He asked me gently, his hands on his knees. "I'm gonna call someone, so give me one second."

I nodded, holding the little cup. It's probably not worse than gruel… Mama moved over. {Allow me, my child.} She sniffed it, sitting and thinking a moment before speaking again. {It smells safe for you to consume.}

I smiled at her before drinking it. It tasted… not as bad as gruel. It definitely didn't taste good, but it wasn't something I needed Mama to freeze to get down my throat. When I drank from the box with a straw in it though, I stopped.

This… actually tastes good! Really good!
I was about to drink more before I looked at Mama. "{Do you want some?}"

Her eyes widened before she smiled, shaking her head. {It is for you, my child. Savor it.}

"{You're sure…?}"

She nodded and I drank it. It was way better than anything I'd had before, except for parts of my brain that said I had had better things. If I tried to think of them though, my head got all fuzzy. I drank a bunch of it, but when I could hear it was nearing being empty I stopped and held it up to Mama.

{My child?}

"{I wouldn't have gotten this without you,}" I said, smiling. "{I wanna give you some too.}"

She curled around me gently, purring softly before taking the juice box and drinking the rest of it. I could feel… warmth coming from the corner of the room. Rhodo was sitting at his desk and he had a tiny, genuine smile on his face before he placed another juice box on the cot.

"You two seemed to enjoy it. Drink up, I've got lots more," He smiled at me. "It was very kind of you to share, Aurora."

"{She's my Mama!}" I said immediately. "{She should get some too.}"

Mama nuzzled me again. {You are very kind, my child. In a way few can match.}

I snuggled up to her, starting to feel a bit sleepy but drinking more juice with her before I was gonna sleep.

"Child. Speak." A sharp, feminine voice startled me. It was coming from the device in Rhodo's hand. "State your name and species."

I looked over to see a lady on a small screen. She had wavy silver hair and piercing golden eyes. Even through the screen, she felt... scary. I blinked. "{Um. I'm Aurora. What's a species?}"

"Hmph. I see the issue."

"And the collar?" Rhodo asked.

"Leave it be for now, I'll need to personally address it. Notify me of any other important differences," The woman said before the screen went black, and no noise came from it.

Rhodo breathed a hefty sigh of relief and I could feel his tension release. That woman… she unnerved him.

"Sorry 'bout that," He apologized. It was very genuine. "Anyway, the medicine should be kicking in soon. We heal faster in our sleep, so you'll feel a little better once you wake up. You can sleep in the medical bay with… what is Ninetales' name?"

I opened my mouth, paused, and closed it again. My brow furrowed. She's my Mama… I should know her name. But… I feel like I know it but I don't? I guess I don't know it then?

Mama nudged me gently. {Ivane. Tell him that, my child.}

I nodded, looking at Rhodo again. "{She's my Mama, Ivane.}"

"Mama Ivane? I see…" Rhodo eyed the two of us before smiling again. Again, a tiny one, but it was real this time. Like when I shared the juice. "You and your mama can sleep in the medical bay. I'll see what I can do about the collars. Your kind of Vulpix and Ninetales need to keep their heat and chill balanced, but the collar is blocking your heat. I'll ask if they can let some heat through, so you can stop being so cold."

I nodded, Mama picking me up to carry me again. Rhodo pointed to a side room, which had several curtains in it. She nudged aside one, seeing a bed behind it. Then she sighed, kicking the curtain aside causing the rings to clatter against each other. It didn't hide the bed at all anymore. She gave a look to Rhodo before hopping onto the bed, covering me in her tails again.

{Sleep well, my child. I will keep you safe,} she whispered gently.

My eyes felt really heavy, so I curled up with her and rested my head in her fur. It's warm...

"{Night night, Mama…}"

Entry Log

We have finally finished fusing all the subjects that were gathered after 8 days. It has become clear that the younger the subject the more receptive they are to the fusion, meaning they obtain more traits from the pokemon.

For the lycanroc fusions we used the trainer and younger sister to compare. The younger sister has the traits of a rockruff, while the older has the traits of a lycanroc. It seems the age of the human determines their evolutionary stage. The younger sister also has a tail while the elder does not, further solidifying that age is an important receptacle in fusion.

Our youngest participant is the 5-year-old Kalolan Vulpix 001 and out of everyone she seems to have obtained the most traits from her pokemon. It has also been brought to my attention that she cannot discern her speech between human and pokemon words, creating a garbled mess we humans cannot understand. Further inquiry required.

The collars we fashioned for them all seem to be working as intended, but it is accelerating 001's poor condition. I will consider loosening it to a degree that she can maintain homeostasis, but no more.

Surprisingly many fish pokemon were compatible with humans. They have lost their legs and turned into merpeople in a sense. Luckily, we had prepared a separate space for them.

I am also exceedingly pleased to find that the Silvally fusion was a success. It seems their mutant DNA is receptive in humans as well. It seems the trainer accosted Silvally from Aether quite a bit of time ago. Right into my lab.

Speaking of unfortunate events, the samurott trainer hosted a… play? If one could call his boisterous galavanting 'acting'. I had not intended putting him in the machine so soon, but I deemed moving him up was vital for my patience.

After I have finished overlooking my preliminary data we may begin the intensive trials. I am eager to observe whatever results they shall produce.

#001 Fused Kalolan Vulpix & Kalolan Ninetales Status: Recovering

#006 Fused Pyroar & Pyroar Status: Nominal

#011 Fused Magcargo & Slugma Status: Deceased (Failed Fused)

#019 Fused Carnivine & Carnivine Status: Deceased (Failed Fused)

#020 Fused Furret & Furret Status: Nominal

#033 Fused Eevee & Eevee Status: Nominal

#043 Fused Hydreigon & Hydreigon Status: Unstable

#053 Fused Flygon & Flygon Status: Nominal

#068 Fused Decidueye & Decidueye Status: Recovering

#072 Fused Swampert & Swampert Status: Nominal

#078 Fused Phantump & Phantump Status: Deceased (Failed Fused)

#079 Fused Glalie & Glalie Status: Deceased (Failed Fused)

#085 Fused Blissey & Blissey Status: Nominal

#086 Fused Bewear & Bewear Status: Nominal

#123 Fused Female Gallade & Gallade Status: Nominal

#132 Fused Pachirisu & Pachirisu Status: Nominal

#134 Fused Silvally & Silvally Status: Nominal

#143 Fused Electrode & Electrode Status: Deceased (Failed Fused)

#158 Fused Rockruff Status: Nominal

#159 Fused Dusk Lycanroc & Dusk Lycanroc Status: Recovering

#163 Fused Spiritomb & Spiritomb Status: Deceased (Failed Fused)

#180 Fused Samurott & Samurott Status: Irritating, otherwise Nominal

Author's Note: And that's chapter 2! Wouldja believe me if I said that we're still in what I outlined for chapter 1? Because we are. There's a lot that happens here, so stay tuned. Oh, and about Aurora, Arden and Lucia being trans. Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. I'm trans myself and I've done loads of introspection into what that means. Of course, that doesn't mean I know literally everything, nor does it mean I speak for every trans person ever, but it does mean I know more than a cis person. And that you needn't worry about trans characters suddenly dying off because I don't know how to write them. I personally try to avoid any trans character deaths, since gods know we get little enough representation as is. I don't need to take away food from my people. I hope to see you again next chapter!