We stand before thee as the almighty power; all who oppose us shall perish in agony. We speak, and the world listens. We triumph, and the world is made anew. We are the future, the rising star and weeping crescent and the last bastion in the final hour. - 1:1

I, the Moon, am the master of mankind, as all bow before me. I am the bringer of justice, as my utterances shall triumph over the impetuous and the profane. I know the unknowable, and see the unseeable, for I am the bringer of truth and solace in the darkest hour of the age of men. I am the darkest twilight, the All-Seeing-Eye, the breaker of chains, and the changer of ways - 1:2

And I, the Star, am the lord of strength, for my fire fuels the hearts of men. I am the shadow of war, for my presence fills the hearts of my enemies with dread. My footsteps shake the earth, unleashing my rage upon the defiant and disloyal. I am the burning sword, for I am mankind's strength personified. I am the indomitable aegis, for those who defy me or my brother shall be broken upon my limitless power. I am the furious comet, the bloody oath, the unwavering spirit, and the darkest heart - 1:3

We are Moon and Star, and all who exalt us with true devotion in their hearts shall know no equal. Now stand before us and be made whole - 1:4

· Opening precept to the book of changes, written over four thousand years ago. Lost Ecclesiastical sources are cited from a time before the first fall, a cataclysmic series of events that nearly wiped out the world's ancient civilizations.

Arron was ready to fight something. So it was a shame when the nurse had announced in front of both Goh and Ash that he was, in fact, not fit for battle. And all over a stupid piece of paper.

In the moment, he wanted to throw her across the room, but he kept himself and his temper in check in front of the meek nurse and her assistant, who quickly checked over his physical health. He did his best to be perceived as healthy, but the nurse was experienced; she obviously knew when someone was lying about their wellbeing. Not that Arron was lying, of course, he just felt that their meticulous standards of wellness were far too severe for his taste.

So now, the day after the bridge battle, he once again sat in a grassy urban park area, brooding and restless. Ash and Goh, of course, continued to eat that repulsive dish they called 'curry' while the rest of the Pokemon they had released did the same. Only Riolu and Raboot seemed to decline, preferring to spar diligently. They balanced on the thin limestone rim of the large public water fountain as a way of honing their agility and focus while exchanging flurries of light blows. Due to Raboot's large feet, Riolu seemed to have the upper hand; he defeated her on multiple occasions by using his deft paws and inborn dexterity to leap and flip over her sweeping kicks and dislodge her from her perch with precise strikes. Raboot's frustration was so apparent that she had begun to growl absentmindedly as Riolu bested her time and time again.

Finally, Riolu leaped over another clumsy kick from Raboot before descending to kick her off the ledge, but this time Raboot was prepared. She gripped the ledge with both hands and kicked upward, only for Riolu to somehow swiftly reorient in mid-air and press his hand on her foot before using the spring and momentum to push up again and fall, kicking Raboot across the face and sending her tumbling down two the ground, feet in the air. She sighed and flipped over, sitting down and leaning against the limestone fountain dejected and Riolu did a very corny victory dance on the ledge.

Raboot picked herself up and meandered over to Arron, sitting down beside him. She looked frustrated, her eyebrows angled downward and her little snout curved into a deep frown which was mostly hidden behind her natural furry neck scarf. He nudged her, causing her to look up at him, irritated.

"He's getting better, you know." Arron said. "I think he's redeemed himself from yesterday."

Raboot blew a raspberry. "He had an advantage. My feet aren't exactly good at balancing on thin surfaces."

Arron shrugged. "True, but he's learning; that's the important thing. Little by little, he's becoming less and less aggressive and more focused and restrained."

"And this is coming from the guy who practically rushed into battle whenever he can? Being slow only gets you killed."

Arron raised his eyebrow at the bruise forming around her eye. "You just say that because you're fragile. Riolu is a lot less so. He has the potential to take a beating and be minimally affected. Besides, I said 'focused and restrained', not slow."

Raboot grunted and curled up next to Arron, closing her eyes. He decided to pick her up and place her on his lap, causing a thin smile to form on her face. "What's with all the attention?"

"you're nice to be around," Arron replied.

Raboot gives softly. "That's the nicest thing I've ever heard you say."

"Some get used to it, that's where your good qualities end."

Raboot slapped him on the chest with an open palm. A devious smile formed on her lips as she curled up again, relating on Arron's leg. "You know, it's a shame you can't fight, because that means I can do whatever I want without consequences."

Arron snorted. "Go ahead and try me, see what happens."

Raboot hopped onto her feet and attempted to lunge for the top of his head, but Arron quickly tripled her ankle softly and swung her around. After a few seconds of toying with her, he tossed her up into the air and watched as she fell into the fountain with a splash.

Arron chuckled so hard he began to cough as Raboot burst from the surface of the water, shooting water from her mouth. "You jerk! Did you really have to do that?"

Raboot's anger only made Arron laugh harder, garnering attention from the rest of the group. Raboot stared at him bitterly as he continued to laugh at her misfortune. Finally, he regained his composure and addressed her. "I told you something would happen, but you didn't want to listen."

Raboot leapt out of the water, shaking herself dry. Just as she did so, Arron noticed something out of the former of his eye. Nestled within the shining cascade of the water fountain was a faint and shimmering object in the water, wholly transparent yet just barely visible. He couldn't quite determine what it was, but it seemed small and meek, like an insect or lizard. It's eyes, however, were a deep aquamarine blue. He approached it, but it seemed to jump out of its skin at the mere sight of his approach and skitter away, wailing like a juvenile in the process. While he would usually follow and neutralize the creature, he decided something that afraid probably wasn't much of a threat anyway, so he let it scamper off.

Nobody else seemed to notice it, so Arron simply returned to relaxing next to the fountain. Raboot returned to Goh to get her share of food, and Riolu had long since started eating. Arron wasn't hungry and even if he was he wouldn't eat the food, so he just waited for everyone to be finished so they could get on with their day.

Or at least that's what he was planning on doing until Goh approached him with a brown paper bag and sat next to him, running his hand through the fur around Arron's neck and head affectionately. Then he pulled out a wax wrapped object from the bag and showed it to Arron. "I know you didn't like the curry, so I got you something different; try this."

He placed the warm object in Arron's outstretched paw and unwrapped it, revealing a large semicircular pie. Unlike the pies Arron was used to however, this one didn't smell like any kind of fruit or confectionery but rather beef, like a hot stew. He took a bite out of it and found it to be pretty good, like a classic pot pie but in a portable form.

"One of the local shops near the restaurant sells these little hand pies. I figured you'd like the Taurus Beef one, since it was the biggest and meatiest option on the menu."

Arron scooted closer to him and leaned on Goh slightly; it was his way of thanking the boy since overt forms of affection weren't really his thing. Gosh simply wrapped his arm around Arron's hulking body and leaned on to him, resting his head on Arron's ribs. "I'm glad you like it," he said softly, eyes closed. It was one of the rare yet genuine moments they would have on a daily basis that made much of the difficulty they both had yet we're oblivious to worth it.

Arron was willing to chalk this up as a good day, but just as he was about to take another bite out of his pie, it disappeared from his hand completely with a soft yet audible gulp sound, like the noise a frog would make when it swallows its prey. Arron stared at his empty hand for just a moment in shock, before clenching his fist with an audible growl. Goh looked up, his eyes wide in disbelief at Arron's empty hand. "How did you eat that so quickly? And why are you angry?"

Just as Goh questioned him, his half empty bowl was emptied in a few rapid bites by some invisible force. Arron swiped his claw as fast as possible, and connected with something wet and soft, sending it flying to the left and into an iron light post. It collided with the metal with a loud clang and a pathetic whine before scurrying away, wet footsteps and little droplets of blood leading down the sidewalk to one of the canals.

With the speed of a bolt of lightning, Goh was on his feet. Just as he began looking down the sidewalk for whatever Arron had hit, Ash yelled as his bowl was emptied, little droplets of blood littered all over his table. Everyone else began to notice that there was an intruder in their midst, and Arron quickly used his pesquisa to sense where the little thieving bastard was.

Finally, he was able to sense something cowering in the fountain, the water hinted with little streams of blood from the open wound of the creature. He stood up and lowered over the little thief, causing it to quake in the water. He held out a claw and plucked it from the water, staring right into its little aquamarine eyes with the most sinister look he could muster.

"I don't appreciate people stealing from me," he said in a low, gravely voice, "and yet I've been stolen from, and I have the thief right here in my hands. So how do you think we should resolve this?"

The little blue frog/salamander creature shook with fear, covering its eyes as tears poured from them. Behind him, he heard everyone else sniffling, tears welling up in their eyes. Even Raboot was covering her eyes, streaks dripping down her face. Arron rolled his eyes with a scoff at them being so easily influenced by such a pathetic creature, and looked back at the little Pokemon, who seemed genuinely surprised about something. It looked at him between splayed digits, covering all but one eye with its webbed feet.

He growled at it again and it yelped in fear, curling up into a tight ball and shaking. He tossed the pitiful little thing into the water, the laceration on the left side of its head now visible. It tried to escape, but Arron quickly froze the water, trapping its body below the waterline and its head above so he could interrogate it.

His snout came very close to the little salamander's face, causing it to close its eyes In fear and tremble. "You know, it's one thing to take someone else's stuff by force, I wouldn't be that mad if you fought me for it. You could've even asked for some food, and I'm sure one of the kind and caring trainers over there would've gladly given you some food. But you had to steal from under our noses, that's what I hate the most about this." Arron brandished his teeth and growled deeply just to instill a little extra fear into his prey. "But since I'm feeling generous today, I'll let you off easy. All you have to do is apologize to me and all my friends, and maybe I won't wring out your neck into a clothesline."

The little sad thing continued to shake, but spoke as quietly as possible. "Sorry mister, please, I'm very sorry."

Arron chuckled unassumingly for a moment before, in a blur of speed, slamming his fist into the ice a few inches from the thing's head which caused it to scream in terror. Arron then grabbed its head softly and forced it to look into his eyes. "Are you sure you're sorry?"

It screamed and wailed it's next words in absolute terror. "YES, YES I'M VERY SORRY, PLEASE BELIEVE ME! I PROMISE IM SORRY! I PROMISE I'LL NEVER STEAL FROM ANYONE EVER AGAIN!"

Arron chuckled darkly, drinking in the fear of the tormented little thing in front of him. Even if he had mellowed out somewhat, some of his darker habits of bloodshed and abuse hadn't disappeared. But as he contemplated releasing the squirming amphibian, a twisted idea formed in his head, a way to maybe, just maybe, be exonerated from the punishment he'd undoubtedly receive otherwise. He looked back to see the shocked and appalled expressions of his companions and trainer, feigning sincerity before turning back to his prey, lifting it up by the scruff with sharp claws.

"Now listen carefully, little thing; I'm going to give you a choice. You're either going to let this kind trainer behind me capture you, or I'll keep going, and next time I may not miss."

It didn't respond, so he just snorted and tossed it onto the grass at Goh's feet. It whimpered, curling up into a ball and quivering. In truth, Arron had vented his rage; he didn't care if the little thing fled, but the illusion of danger would be enough to convince it that it had no choice other than to accept Arron's very gracious offer.

What Arron didn't expect, however, was that Goh's abject horror persisted. He gave Arron a disgusted look, to which Arron countered with a confused shrug. "What, I caught you a Pokemon," he said bitterly, "The one time I helped you in catching a Pokemon and you don't appreciate it." He knew the spiteful sarcasm would go on deaf ears to all but the other Pokemon, but he didn't care. He would be heard, whether he was decipherable or not.

Goh seemed to recognise his current behavior as some sort of rebellion, but he still seemed perplexed amidst his disapproval. Before Arron could even move, Goh flicked his wrist, revealing his pokeball to be held in it all this time. Arron was returned to his prison, for now.

Goh felt like vomiting. Sadly, he had to keep a straight face so as to not worry Ash.

Goh was still in shock over just how quickly Arron had gone from relatively content to mentally torturing a helplessly small creature over a meat pie. Goh had thought he had seen all of Arron's lowest points, but it seemed that he was once again proven wrong about him; he was more troubled than Goh initially believed.

Goh immediately crouched down in front of the Sobble, cradling it in his arms as softly as possible as to not disturb it. It slightly unfurled, one massive sobbing eye peeking out from a cage of spindly limbs, causing Goh to start tearing up again. He wiped his eyes and spotted a still dumbfounded Ash sitting at his table, eyes hollow as if he'd just seen a ghost. All the Pokemon had stopped eating to watch the grim spectacle of Arron tormenting his catch, the grim spectacle gaining quite the audience.

But perhaps the worst part of it all was the finale. Arron had simply tossed Sobbqle to the ground in front of Goh like a pound of flesh, an offering, and the look on his face was very clearly one of twisted, malignant pride. The message was very clear to Goh, even if he couldn't understand what Arron's barks and growls meant. There, I caught this for you was the message, as if Arron saw Sobble as an object to satisfy Goh's desires.

Part of it terrified Goh, that Arron was capable and willing to treat other creatures as little more than sacks of meat, but it also filled Goh with determination. Goh wanted to know why Arron acted this way, how he could be so callous, because as far as he was concerned this kind of behavior was anything but normal.

Goh briefly remembered his fleeting dreams of Hueco Mundo, how easily Arron spoke of death, torment and meaningless violence as if they were facts of life rather than terrible events. Arron's mind was probably alien to him, something Goh may never understand, but he was going to try and help him. But he was done coddling him, he wouldn't be pushed around anymore. He needed to put his foot down and make sure Arron understood right from wrong, and if he didn't care, then Goh would make him care.

Goh let a shakey, disgusted sigh pass through his lips, and stuffed Arron's pokeball back into his bag. Ash came up and placed a hand on his shoulder, but Goh just gently pushed it away. "I need to find a way to get it through to him that violence isn't always the answer."

Ash just looked down as if the ground was far more interesting. Goh sighed, realizing that he wouldn't be getting a solution from Ash. Instead, he pushed that problem to the back of his head and focused on Sobble. "I don't even know if I should catch it or not… Arron did something terrible, but I don't want to just leave Sobble here, and they won't give him the same care without a trainer."

Ash gave Goh a sympathetic look. "Goh, what's important right now is helping Sobble, not worrying about catching him or not. I know your feelings, but if Sobble doesn't want to travel with us we can always just release him later."

Goh nodded affirmingly. "You're right. Let's get him some help."

Goh pulled out a pokeball and captured Sobble, who didn't resist whatsoever. Gosh still wondered what kind of trauma Arron truly put Sobble through for him to be so broken.

Luckily for Sobble, he wasn't in a life threatening state, just injured and concussed. But the deepest wounds were the mental and emotional ones; Sobble refused to interact with anyone unless ordered to, and when he was released from his ball, he didn't dare move, rather remaining curled up and invisible, waterfalls of tears streaming from his eyes. It made Goh unfathomable angry, how broken Sobble was by just two minutes of Arron manhandling him.

But Goh had more important things to do than sulk about Sobble's mental state. He left Sobble in the professional hands of the Pokemon center nurses before walking down one of the many main streets of Wyndon, looking for a secluded spot to speak with Arron. This had to happen; he wouldn't tolerate any more of his actions.

As he walked, he thought more and more of his dreams, how he'd seen a world that shouldn't be real. To anyone else, it would've sounded insane to connect a dream with reality, but Goh felt the cold tugging of anxiety in his gut; it was the type of anxiety one had when they knew something was true deep down, whether they wanted to accept it or not. Even as he thought about it, he felt the cold sand between his toes and the haunting chill of the howling wind brushing past him. He remembered their faces and voices, and the bloody deeds they committed.

Something he still couldn't get over was Arron's intrinsic potency and capacity for violence. He'd seen it with his own eyes; the slaughter Arron was capable of when motivated, and while before Goh had seen this as the main differentiation between the real Arron and the one Goh had seen in his dreams, now Goh saw it as another connecting thread. The idea of Arron holding back felt more and more justified in his mind, and Goh wanted to unlock the secrets of Arron's true nature. Maybe it would help Goh reach him in a way nobody else could; the biggest part of dealing with a problem was understanding it after all.

Goh shuddered as he remembered the battle on the white dune, Neliel's frigid, lifeless arms keeping him still upon the branches of the gnarled black tree. He watched In horror and morbid curiosity as Arron himself had dispatched countless enemies with ruthless efficiency. Much of it was a blur to him, but he was able to register glimpses of the carnage; Arron slipping his blade between the vertebrae of his foes and using them as leverage to snap their necks, the slashing of arteries and the crippling of limbs. Goh had studied countless anatomical charts and figures of both humans and Pokemon, and he deduced that every strike was precise and purposeful. Tier Arron was pitiless and efficient, like a machine given a directive.

Goh shoved his hands in his pockets with a grunt and turned down the street and crossed a bridge, passing pedestrians without excusing himself. He was too focused to be polite. The street he crossed to lead down a much sparser side of town, with more parks and open areas for Pokemon to rustle around in than human dwellings. He took a sharp turn into one of the less populated park areas and made his way into a wooded area that provided some semblance of privacy. Goh would prefer to simply do this in the wilderness, but he didn't have that luxury in Wyndon.

He made his way to the middle of the woodland and sat down on an exceptionally flat rock, jaded and tired. Then he pulled out Arron's Pokeball and released Arron in front of him. In a flash of chromatic light, Arron formed on the grassy earth, blinking and rubbing his eyes with his gigantic hands. Goh placed his hands on his hips and looked at Arron right in the eyes.

"We need to talk," Goh stated. Arron didn't seem too interested with that, as he kept looking around, as if he was watching for something.

"Can you pay attention to what I have to say for once!" Goh practically growled, causing Arron to finally look at him, although it was an impatient and uncaring look.

Goh let out a frustrated sigh and sat down, knowing that they'd be there for a while. "Y'know, I was really thinking that you had taken a turn for the better. I thought that you put all that indiscriminate violence behind you. I guess I was wrong."

Arron snorted at goh, as if he was amused by Goh's statement. Goh glared at him in return. "You think this is funny? It's not. You traumatized an innocent creature. It'll take weeks to get that sobble out of such a deep state of distress, and now I had all the nurses looking at me like we're a band of psychopaths. Is that what you wanted?"

Arron didn't respond, seemingly thinking about something, his paws clenching and unclenching. After a while, he growled and swept at the dirt before laying down on his back and placing his hands on his stomach. Goh scooted over to him and shook him. "This isn't finished Arron, and we're not leaving here until you apologize for your actions."

Arron didn't respond, simply breathing in and out rhythmically, as if he was meditating. It made Goh's blood boil to no end that Arron just ignored him like this, but at this point he was out of options. So he just laid down by Arron and looked up at the canopy of the treetops, feeling Arron's hulking form rise and fall next to him.

"Why are you the way that you are?" Goh asked, not even thinking before he spoke. Goh swore he heard Arron's breath hitch for just a moment before returning to its normal pacing, but it was enough to know that he was listening.

"I just… I need to know why you do this, the reason why you're so violent. And it hurts even more that you can't convey it to me. That's probably why you don't care when I talk to you, there's a barrier between the two of us that I want so badly to break so I can just speak to you."

Arron chuffed and slid his paw down onto Goh's chest, allowing the boy to wrap his arms around it like a young child would with the hands of its parents. It was a soothing gesture, one that Goh appreciated.

"It feels like I'm looking at one of those windows you see in police departments on television, the ones that border the interrogation rooms. There's a mirror on one side and a window on the other so that the police can see in but the suspect can't see out. I feel like I'm trapped in that room, and I can't see you on the other side, but you can see me just fine." Goh confessed, "And it makes me want to smash that window with everything I have, but every time I try it never breaks. So I keep sitting in that room, waiting for you, or anyone, to open that door so I can see you clearly for the first time."

Arron chuffed again, but didn't do much more. Goh was fine with that. He realized that he failed to be firm with Arron, but it was too late for that now: go didn't have the will in him to try and be harsh on Arron at this point. So he just laid there with him for a while, letting the warmth of the sun that slipped through the canopy warm his face.

Goh moved even closer to Arron, leaning on his side, interlocking his fingers and placing his hands on his stomach to make himself comfortable.

"I still don't understand. Why did you hurt that Pokemon? Were you angry, or restless? I can't help you if I don't understand what's wrong."

Arron remained silent, and Goh chuckled bitterly. "I don't even know why I keep asking you. It's not like you can respond or anything. I'm just… jealous of people like Ash, he seems to understand everything. Maybe it's experience, maybe he's just gifted. And here I am, taking swings in the dark to keep my ragtag team together and functional."

Arron grumbled, seemingly in agreement, although Goh couldn't tell if it was about Ash or Goh's team being a walking disaster.

Goh was at a loss. He didn't know what he was going to do. He couldn't keep going on like this, cleaning up after Arron's rage induced manias and pitiless actions. It didn't matter what Goh saw in him, the good side, because people would only see the bad. He was a menace, a monster. But he was a monster Goh was willing to save.

It was funny, really, because the whole situation reminded him of the conversation he had with Neliel in Hueco Mundo. She had insisted that Arron had two sides to him; the good side and the bad side. On one hand, the passionate and reserved man that fiercely protected his own. And then there was the bad side, the violent, cruel and obsession-driven man who chased a memory that he may never find again. It was surprisingly familiar, as if the dream held some kind of importance; as if Goh didn't know that already.

"You have to stop this, Arron; I can't keep picking up after you. If you don't get it through your thick skull that this kind of violence isn't okay, then I don't know what I'll do." Goh placed a hand in Arron's massive paw and held it against his chest. "Whatever you're looking for, or whatever you're trying to accomplish, that isn't the way to do it. I don't want to lose you because you couldn't control yourself, but at the end of the day I have no choice. If they take you… I can't do anything about it."

Arron mumbled something, probably nothing, but it sounded almost decipherable. Goh turned around and looked him in the eyes, Arron's pupils locked onto him. He reached out and brushed Goh's hair with his free hand, a shadow of remorse cast along his face. It was enough for Goh, at least for now. As long as Arron followed through with how he expressed himself, then Goh would be happy.

"Thank you. I don't want to go back yet; Ash is going to have way too many questions and I'm tired. Let's just wait here for a bit."

Arron grumbled I'm agreement and sank back into the ground, sighing in relief and comfort. Goh did the same, resting his neck against Arron's rough abdomen and breathing through his nose. It was nice and calming, the trees blocking the worst of the summer sun and the chirping of bird Pokemon creating a natural lullaby that Goh quickly fell asleep to.

Goh woke up to an uncomfortable silence. The air was cold and wet, like that of a winter bog. He sat up, Arron's hulking and snoring form barely registering that he had left. It was dark out, the stars peaking through the canopy and the wooded park areas cloaking itself in shadow.

He stood up, looking around. The bird Pokemon had long since silenced. Everything was still, even the wind. Yet a lone figure could be spotted a short distance away, sitting on a rock and fiddling with something. He approached them cautiously, seeking to find out who they were.

As soon as he came within a few feet of the figure, the darkness seemed to shroud around them, and they turned. Two light red eyes glared at him, as if they had been startled, but immediately softened when they saw Goh. A bright flash blinded him, and he stumbled backwards, landing on his hindquarters ungracefully. He looked up again when he wasn't blinded, and he saw her; Amelia. The two red eyes were gone, replaced by her sparkling Emerald iris'. She was wearing jeans, a white blouse and sparkling green earrings. He didn't know how they could dazzle so brightly in only the moonlight, but they did, and it was mesmerizing. He walked towards him on bare feet, a soft smile on her face, and reached down to lift him up. Her soft, unblemished hands hid an incredible strength, as she pulled him up easily without wobbling.

"It's good to see you, although I didn't expect you to be here this late at night, or here at all really."

Goh sputtered out a confused greeting before brushing himself off, blushing. "Amelia, what are you doing here?"

Amelia giggles as if Goh had just told her a wonderful joke. "It's a public park, silly, I have a right to be here just like anyone else does."

Goh sputtered again, frustration building up inside of him. "I mean in Galar. I thought you didn't leave Kalos!"

"Well, I do leave Shalour on occasion and I never said that I didn't travel, now did I? Besides, summer is the best time to travel, because everyone is happy and all the children are out playing. Nothing like the winter when everyone is inside, all bundled up and antisocial," She slipped her hand into his and kissed his forehead, causing Goh to gasp momentarily before blinking in confusion. He completely forgot everything from the past few moments, losing just enough memories to forget the flash of light and the twisting shadows, but enough to remember that he was still speaking to Amelia. "I… what did you just do?"

She giggled again. "I just kissed you, is that so surprising?"

Goh felt an odd fog roll over his mind as she gave him a soft, affectionate look. He was concerned and alarmed, and he knew something was wrong, but he couldn't help but be comfortable and relaxed around her. She gripped his hand just a little tighter and winked at him. "You're just imagining things, and it's late. Why don't we go somewhere brighter?"

Goh wanted to say no, to tell her he had other obligations, but he couldn't. He simply nodded his head and followed her obediently. But before they had left, a single thread of autonomy broke through whatever spell he was under. "What about Arron?"

Amelia's usually content smile thinned a little, as if Arron was some kind of unfortunate distraction. "Don't worry about him; he'll be perfectly safe. Just focus on me instead and everything will be fine."

Goh nodded and followed her deeper into the woods, his will disintegrated the longer he held her hand. Yet he couldn't let go; it was as if his body refused to obey his commands. Soon, a soft, gentle fog rolled over his psyche, soothing him and making him compliant. Every so often, she would squeeze his hand softly, and the action would cement the feeling of amenability further.

After crossing through footpaths and thickets, they reached a much larger and thicker wooded area than the one before. The silence was the same as when he had entered the crimson woods with Amelia back in Kalos, although it was less menacing this time. Amelia turned around, her eyes sparkling and her blouse fluttering in the evening wind. "It's back there, deep in these woods," she said, "I know you'll like it."

They stepped past the trees and into the woods, Goh following Amelia as she expertly navigated through the forested land. Occasionally, she would look around, as if being watched, and he'd sense a faint buzzing sound, but nothing too alarming. After a few minutes, they stepped into an open grove within the woods, and Amelia pulled him in along with her.

What was inside was pretty cool. It was a wide open pool of water, no deeper than two or three feet, and about ten meters wide. It was bordered by stone blocks serving as a barrier between the water and the earth so that the water didn't sink into the dirt. In the center of it all was a pillar that rose out of the water, just a few meters of marble, that was carved into the shape of an elegant woman in loose-fitting robes playing what looked like a harp. She cradled the instrument like a mother would a young child, frozen in the act of expertly strumming the chords. Her face was stoic and a little sad, a soft frown and downcast eyes dominating her face.

But what was most intriguing was the seemingly bioluminescent weeds that grew up and along the statue as well as under the water, sprawled across the stone-lined floor of the small spring. They shined brilliantly, like strands of emerald, and even had some blooming red flowers scattered along the statue.

"Woah," Goh gasped, stunned by the beauty of the location, "What is this?"

Amelia giggled softly before squeezing Goh's hand again. "It's a shrine dedicated to Ros'Fola. The city built the grove around it as an act of virtue, mostly to keep the remaining believers happy."

Gosh scrunched his eyebrows. "People still believe in these gods? I thought it was a dead religion, something people humored rather than believed in."

Amelia Shrugged. "Well, I believe in the Bláth. She isn't a doting mother, but neither is she cruel. She watches from afar, guarding the cycles. She allows her children to prosper by their own accord rather than through control."

"So like an earth mother? What about Arceus and the other divine stars, what do you think of them?"

Instead of answering, she let go of Goh's hand and walked towards the shrine, kneeling down and placing her hands in the water gently so as to not disturb it too much. Small objects on the statuette, which Goh had thought to be flowers at first, suddenly fluttered to life and took off into the night sky, pulsating like lanterns. They were so small, smaller than Goh's hand, and seemed so fragile. One flapped its wings and descended near Goh, and he held out his hands for it to land on. It did so, segmented black eyes staring at him curiously, its furry body plump and lacking the grace one would assume a creature would need to fly with such small wings. Yet it defied all logic, flying anyway as if to spite physics.

"Luna moths, an auspicious symbol, but not for Ros'Fola. I wonder…"

Goh watched as the small creature took off again, wobbling in the air as it made its way off into the night, following its kin eastward. Then he turned to Amelia. "What's with all these symbols and signs? You mentioned them before, back in Kalos."

Amelia nodded, as if she was expecting to be asked that. "Ros'Fola is a mysterious goddess; she speaks through signs, dreams and acts of nature. To her, everything has meaning and purpose, and what better way to convey that to her followers than having everything they see possibly be of great importance?"

"You seem so… dedicated to her."

Amelia chuckled bitterly. "I know, it makes me look crazy. Sometimes I think I might have lost it a long time ago. The truth is, I'm one of the last of my kind, true believers in the Bláth. Our culture and beliefs have been at odds with a changing world for centuries. And then the war came to Kalos." She stopped for a second, as if remembering a traumatic event. "I… heard stories of the entire region laid to waste, shrines desecrated and groves burnt to the ground. The soldiers from the east, Kanto especially, seemed to take great pleasure in reducing our past to cinders. People begged at the steps of her temples for her to return in her full glory, to wage war against the invaders alongside her handmaidens like in the old children stories and the legends. But no salvation came, and the carnage continued."

She pulled her hands out of the water and shook them to dry them off before crossing her legs. Then she exhaled and closed her eyes. "Then finally, after two decades of fighting, peace was signed. Our allies in Unova and Galar had their own problems, and the Onyx Hall especially held nothing but disdain for us. So a deal was brokered, and our culture and beliefs were slowly and systematically stripped away from us. Cities were cleared of bodies and rubble, fathers buried their sons as mothers weeped, people sat dejected in the hollowed out shells of their homes and businesses, and life moved on. We could no longer teach our children about our beliefs in schools or in public places, but missionaries of Arceus had no problem doing the same. And Kanto made sure that the Acolytes and their Cult of Arceus had no issue indoctrinating our people. It was cultural genocide, hidden behind hot meals, kind words and charity, as Kanto tried to 'civilize' us and turn us to the 'light of Arceus'."

Amelia was practically snarling now, her intense bitterness showing. "I don't blame my fellow countrymen for turning away from Ros'Fola's grace, and I don't blame them for their lack of fortitude. I don't even blame the Onyx Hall for denying us their support; Unova was hit even harder than Kalos, and with our shared history, I don't blame them for hoping the Kanto would stamp us out. No, I blame Ros'Fola for her inaction; If she would have answered people's prayers and brought the war to Kanto, the world would be a better place."

Gog thought that her rant would continue, but it didn't. She just sighed. "Or maybe I'm just a hypocrite and a fool, who knows. All I know is that I won't abandon Ros'Fola, because I still have faith that one day she will return."

Gosh sat down next to her. "So that's why you showed me this place, and the baths in the woods. You've been trying to teach me about your culture."

She shook her head. "No, I've been trying to teach you about your culture. You're so smart, yet so ignorant about your people's past. To me, itt feels like a crime."

"But I'm from Kanto, not from Galar."

She chuckled. "Yet when I first met you, you said you were Galarian."

Gosh sputtered in frustration. "I was trying to prove a point, which I failed at. You even insisted that you knew I was from Kanto."

"I insisted that you were ignorant to your heritage, or at least that you were ignorant to how important it was."

Gosh was taken aback for a moment before truly realizing what it meant. He had always viewed his heritage as pointless and little more than his gene pool. But Amelia had shown Goh just how much culture could mean to people. Maybe there was some value in knowing the culture that his ancestors came from.

"Buy why me? I'm sure there are plenty of other people out there that are just as ignorant."

Amelia published slightly. "Because I like you. You're honest, smart and you're so passionate. I saw you in the tournament, how stoic you were, how you stood against people you otherwise would have had no business facing. And you came out on top so many times."

Goh blushed in turn, but shrugged off the compliment. "I'm not that great, I'm just trying to make my way I'm the world."

Amelia interlocked her fingers with his again, squeezing them lightly. "And that's your greatest strength; your humility. You never let yourself become arrogant, and you always make sure you're working to the best of your abilities. But you let your own humility walk all over you; you need to embrace your strengths and acknowledge your weaknesses, only then can you reach your true potential."

Goh hummed in acknowledgment. "Those are wise words."

"They're old proverbs given new life, or at least that's what my mother used to call them. The original saying was 'The tree that seeks darkness will wither, yet the tree that seeks fire will burn.' it meant a lot of things, but to me it always meant that people who were either too humble or too arrogant would fall where people with balance in their hearts would preserve."

Amelia stood up, embarrassed. "I've gotten off-topic. I'm sorry about my rant, I shouldn't have subjected you to it."

"No, it's fine, it was actually fascinating."

Amelia turned to walk away, but Goh didn't let go just yet. "When can I see you again."

Amelia turned around, shocked and blushing. "I… I'll find you, wherever you are. Don't doubt that."

"Why all the secrets? Why keep appearing out of nowhere? I want to be able to see you on our terms, not just yours."

Amelia looked down at the grass for a moment, before smiling and meaningful to Goh to kiss him on the forehead. He was startled like always, but this time he didn't feel the confusion and the daze that came with her previous acts of affection. This one seemed clearer and more pure. "Where do you want to meet me?"

Goh smiled and squeezed her hand back, as a sign of acknowledgment. "Can you come to Kanto? I want to show you Cerise park, and what I do. Let me teach you something for a change."

As soon as she heard the word Kanto, Amelia's smile faltered. "I… I don't want to go to Kanto. Anywhere else, but not there."

Goh felt dejected, but he pushed gently. "I understand your- our people's history with Kanto, but I can assure you it's a nice place. Besides, it would only last for a few days."

Amelia looked torn, her lips pursed. She finally sighed and with a small smile did away with any of Goh's fears. "Fine, I'll come to Kanto with you."

Goh smiled and hugged her. "Thank you. I do want to see you more often, and not just keep running into each other."

Then Goh realized the ramifications of his request. "Do you have to ask your parents? I shouldn't have asked so quickly whether you could come or not."

Amelia shook her head, her blonde hair bouncing with life as she did so. "No, they perished a long time ago. I live on my own now."

Goh was taken aback by the fact that she was an orphan, but he didn't inquire further. "Then when do you want to go? I can set a day for you to visit, a day just for us. No work, no school, just us."

"Why don't I come back with you when you leave Galar? I have no obligations here. And then we can go on your research trips together."

Goh was shocked by the offer, never considering it. "But buying a ticket now… That would be ludicrously expensive! I can't-"

"Money us no issue," Amelia reassured him, "My parents left me with a decent inheritance, plenty to allow me to live my life the way I want. One pricey ticket and a few nights in a hotel won't bankrupt me."

Goh was still a bit stunned, but nodded. "Alright then, but we're leaving tomorrow morning. Are you sure you're going to be able to get a ticket this late? There might not be any seats left."

Amelia gave him an almost devious smile, hidden by her otherwise innocent demeanor. "I'm sure I'll be able to acquire a ticket, and if I can't I'll just take the next train. We'd only be a day or so apart."

Amelia let go of his hand before backing away, her smile thinning out in an almost sad fashion. "I'm out of time, I need to go now. But I'll see you soon, either at the station or at Cerise Park."

Before Goh could respond, she turned around and walked deeper into the woods, disappearing from view. Goh found it odd, that she was out here alone so late at night, but he was just honestly glad to see her despite knowing so little about her. It concerned him, that he was so comfortable with her despite her essentially being a stranger, but there was something enchanting about Amelia, as if she could make the world more a little slower by just sbapoing her fingers. She was kind, she listened, and she was exceptionally interesting. Even her monologues about her culture, while odd and out of place at times, we're immensely fascinating to Goh, who had lost all connection to it when his parents cut themselves off from Galar.

What he couldn't get over was her constant acts of affection. He didn't mind them, per say, but it made him uncomfortable just how quick she was to treat him like they were in some kind of romantic relationship. Yet for some reason he always acquiesced to her advances despite his concerns, her young, mesmerizing beauty suppressing any hesitancy he might have felt in the heat of the moment.

He sighed and turned back to the glade in which he left Arron. It was late, and he was still tired.

Arron knew something was off when he felt normal.

He shot up from his resting position, arms behind him. They were his original arms, not the massive, hulking binds of flesh that he had in the other world. His white fur and armor plates were gone, replaced with his normal skin and tattered clothes. His zanpakuto was nowhere to be found, but he was used to that at this point; Muerte Congelada was becoming quieter and quieter in his psyche.

He was on the same grassy knoll he had met Scarlet last time, only this time it was a deep sunset red in the sky. The thick clouds roiled along like cartoonish globs of burnt cotton, the sky loving along with them like an ornate tapestry. Everything seemed just a little too fake, like it was an exceptionally illustrated setting for a graphic novel. He sat up and rubbed his eyes thoroughly to see if the effect was just his aching mind, but it wasn't.

A few feet away, Scarlet herself stood elegantly, her long vermillion hair flowing in the breeze. She turned and looked back at him with an unimpressed grunt before resuming her admiration of the dark red dusk. Without skipping a beat, she spoke.

"I told you to come into the forest. Why didn't you?"

Arron growled almost imhunanly, his animalistic vocalizations being a bestial trait he had grown accustomed to expressing. Scarlet shook her head in disapproval.

"You sound like my former husband when he was especially tired. The woodlands would be much calmer during those days."

Arron was taken back by that revelation. "You have a husband?"

" Had," She emphasized. "He passed long ago, more or less. You knew him once, you two didn't get along. Come to think of it, none of us ever really got along, not even me and my husband. Only you, whatever you are."

The information practically broke Arron's brain. "You talk about it like you used to know me. I've never met you before."

She shrugged. "You have, and yet you haven't. It's much more complicated than a simple binary. Maybe one day we'll talk about this again, with knowing looks and venomous words as we used to. Or maybe we'll just be two more bodies in the mass grave of failure. At this point to me it's all the same, having to babysit you."

Arron didn't speak; he had nothing to say. There was nothing else he could say to that. As far as he knew, she was just insane.

But Arron's abdomen tightened into a knot. He knew on the inside that she held more dirt on him than he could possibly fathom. "What's your angle? Why are you helping me when you obviously loathe me so much?"

She graced him with a scornful look before responding, her lips practically curling in disgust. "I ask myself that every day. The truth is, you're useful. My beloved may be dead but he can be reborn soon. But he is trapped, and the key to his re-ascension to godhood is his captor's next target. It just so happens that the key to you regaining your power is the very same. So now we have a multi-faceted goal on our hands, one that we can both benefit from. Free my beloved, kill baalial and regain your powers. Then we can move on to whether I should take your head or not."

Another chapter done.

It's been a while. I've been busy and stressed. Chapters are coming out slower. That's to he expected.

I'm going to be rewriting the early chapters, making sure to get rid of all the errors. My older work is sloppy and messy, and I will fix that. Maybe that will attract more readers.

Anyway, remember to review. I always want more constructive criticism.