By sunset, Mithril was back and ready, and though Morgan was now fresh out of Revives, it was well worth it to have such a valued party member back in one piece.

Releasing xir just to make sure, she asked, "You feeling okay to battle now?"

Mithril offered a happily affirmative series of beeps in response, and Morgan even imagined xir answering yes sir. With a soft laugh, Morgan answered, "Good to hear it." Recalling the Metang, she headed out to the edge of town to meet Sera for their battle.

As always, their Navs counted down. 3… 2… 1…

"Go, Manowar." / "Go, Octillery!"

"Toxic Spikes," ordered Morgan.

"What?" Sera was sincerely taken aback; Morgan had clearly been reading up on some strategies. She wasn't sure whether she should be proud or angry. "I-.. Signal Beam," she ordered. It did… very little.

"Another layer," said Morgan.

"You little shit. Focus Energy."

Morgan decided that was enough, and swapped out for Sceptile, while Octillery used a second Focus Energy. Had that been enough to actually land a crit, the Ice Beam that followed may have been devastating, but it wasn't, and Cerberus was put to maybe half health at worst.

"Double Chop," ordered Morgan, and Octillery was knocked out cold.

"Not bad," said Sera. "Let's see how you like Wings, though." Morgan decided not much at all, and swapped Cerberus for Mithril.

As such, the Aerial Ace Wings landed did effectively nothing, and after his crisis the day before, complete failure to even do noticeable damage got him pretty shaken. No.. he whimpered. No, no, the Great One will be displeased…

"...Wings, it's okay," Sera tried to reassure him, though she was reaching for his ball again either way.

Fear not, brother. Sera heard Mithril's quiet voice like an echo of whispers, even more eerie than before.

...You…? asked Wings.

"Ooo-kay that's enough of that," Sera said, quickly recalling the Swellow.

Your efforts are futile, said Mithril. Xe had no mouth, but Sera swore there was a smile in xir voice.

As Sera sent out Tank- promptly poisoned by the spikes littering the ground- Mithril employed an Iron Defense. Tank's Mud Bomb did quite a lot of damage- significantly more than Mithril's Zen Headbutt, at any rate.

This prompted Morgan to switch back to Sceptile, who didn't much mind the next Mud Bomb. Sera, in turn, switched back to Wings, who endured Dual Chop surprisingly well. Morgan, in turn, switched back to Mithril.

"...We could do this all day," Sera commented, as Wings let loose a Boomburst. In sharp contrast to the first time he'd used it against Mithril, the attack did surprisingly mediocre damage. "Oh dear.."

Morgan did think it best to avoid too many of those just in case, however, and swapped Mithril for Manowar.

This time, Boomburst crit for over half damage, and Wings seemed to regain some confidence from that. He managed to get in an Aerial Ace before Manowar was able to move, but that Water Pulse was formidable too. Both Pokemon looked to be on their last leg. Taking no more chances, Wings let out another Boomburst, knocking the Tentacruel out cold.

Morgan sent out Skitty next. Wings's Aerial Ace hit pretty squarely, but a cute lullaby from Skitty put the Swellow to sleep. Despite the negative impact on her, Sera found herself saying, "...Aaawwww!"

"Wake-Up Slap."

"D: Wait no." That was significantly less cute, and woke Wings for only a fraction of a second before knocking him right back out.

Sera replaced him with Flash, wincing as he was poisoned. Morgan swapped for Mithril again, but Flame Charge quickly finished xir off.

So Morgan sent in Kitsun instead, prompting Sera to switch to Pelt. The Dark-type just smirked as he came into the Alakazam's attempted Psybeam. Kitsun, it seemed, had Miracle Eye, but by the time he used it, Pelt's Beat Up had him weak enough that Morgan thought it better to switch again after all, opting for Joseph the Beedrill.

Pelt's Feint Attack was powerful, but double weakness meant Twin Needle easily KO'd the Nuzleaf. Flash's Flame Charge made for quick revenge in turn.

Morgan was a little low on options now, but thought a small target may help against the large Pokemon, so she brought back Skitty. If she could just last one turn, a Sing might be just the advantage needed to take Flash down.

"Double Kick," ordered Sera. The Blaziken swooped in…

And the Navs simultaneously beeped to indicate a critical hit. Skitty's body was sent flying by the powerful kicks. As she landed in a twisted heap, Sera's hand flew to cover her mouth. "I- I'm so sorry. I'm… I didn't mean to. I'm so sorry."

Morgan felt a twisting in her gut she hadn't at the other deaths. That this was at the hands of not just her rival but her-... was Sera her 'girlfriend' now? They hadn't really made that clear, had they. But that it was someone close to her, in a battle specifically agreed to stay non-lethal. And, hell, that it was specifically a Pokemon that reminded her of the very person who killed it, from personality to soft pink color. It was… upsetting.

All the same, as Morgan made her way to the body to double-check before having it transported away, she just sighed, "Accidents happen, I guess." She knew it was. Getting mad at Sera wouldn't change anything. It was the nature of this stupid Game she'd been conscripted into playing. She was frustrated, and annoyed, and sad, especially given it would be quite some time before she could revive the sweet little cat. But she wasn't angry, at least… "...Heh. You know, I never even named her."

"...I'm. Really sorry," Sera repeated.

But Morgan shook her head. "I know. But hey, I guess you win. I'd rather not bother finishing up, if that's all right with-"

Beep beep beep. ..What? "This is Navalie, your personal PokeNav assistant. Trainers are hereby reminded that per League rules-"

What? WHY? "It didn't do this last time I-"

BEEP BEEP BEEP, the Nav repeated louder. "This is Navalie, your personal-"

"Oh my gods. Okay fine, I'm battling," Morgan spat, and the machine promptly went silent again. Feeling rather more bitter, Morgan sent in Kitsun.

"I'm uh…"

Morgan sighed. "I know, you're sorry. Let's just get this over with."

"Flame Charge," Sera ordered. To no surprise, it hit well before Kitsun could make use of his type advantage, and out he went.

"Joy," droned Morgan. "Well, I guess these two try to fight so much anyway." So it was Flash versus Cerberus. Not that there'd be much fight to be had once Sera used another Flam-

"Blaze Kick." What.

Once again, the critical hit alert sounded; even above that, there was an audible crack as the kick connected.

Morgan's Sceptile hit the ground dead.

Sera's Nav made a victory sound, but no one was celebrating. Morgan was suddenly on her knees holding her partner and searching for any sign that she was wrong. She had to be. She and the Nav must both be mistaken. She couldn't- not Cerberus. Anyone, anyone else. She suddenly regretted reviving Kitsun, even Mithril. She'd give up both if she had to for Cerberus.

Sera cautiously approached, in tears. "I- I'm so-..."

"Don't," warned Morgan. "Just. Don't."

"I didn't mean-"

"I know," Morgan snapped. "I know you didn't mean, but here we are."

Sera bit her lip. "H-hey… Calm down, it's all ri-"

"What part of this is all right?"

"Morgan, I know you're upset, but you can revive him. Maybe not right this second but-"

"But when? And what do I do until then? Without my best Pokemon, my- my partner. I wanted to quit, but you had to-"

"It wasn't my fault," Sera snapped back defensively. "I'm not the one who made you keep going."

"But you're the one who didn't pull any punches when it was clear you were already winning."

"I-" That shut Sera up for a moment. "... It was an accident."

Morgan sighed heavily, but as she opened her mouth to speak again, she was cut off by a Nav sound she hadn't heard before. Had it been anything she knew, she probably would have ignored it, but curiosity got to her this time. So she pulled the Nav down, and watched in awe. In the slot that usually sent and received PokeBalls when Wonder Trading from within the party, an item almost like a PokeBall appeared.

Inside, Morgan found a Revive. The message sound played then, and she opened it to find a short letter:

A gift from a sympathetic fan. I know you won't take it for granite. It can get tuff out there, but don't give up. Never give up.

It was unsigned.

"I… I…" She cradled the tiny crystal in her hands like the precious treasure it was, then shook off her stupor to stuff it in her pocket and locate the Nav option to take Cerebus away. Just for a moment. Just long enough…

As he faded right off her lap, she jumped to her feet and made a beeline for the Center.

"Hey uh… Wait up," Sera said. Morgan ignored her. "What did it say?"

Morgan huffed a sigh. "Nothing. Just that it was from a fan."

"A… fan?" Again Morgan ignored her. "That's… Gifts don't usually come so directly like that is all so I just-"

Morgan stopped for just a moment to give her a questioning look. She'd just assumed this was some other thing everyone magically forgot to tell her about, or that she'd spaced right through if they did, but it actually did make her wonder who it came from if the method of delivery really was unorthodox.

For about one second, anyway, at which point she resumed walking even faster. No time to worry about how or why; she had to get Cerberus back.

"Morgan, slow-"

"Sera. Fucking shut it."

Sera stopped following, then, allowing Morgan to continue on her own.


Morgan didn't sleep worth shit. Sera didn't either- in part because she refused to allow herself the comfort of her Pokemon when she was responsible for Morgan lacking hers. Thought that may not have been the only reason…

Eventually, Morgan made her way to the front desk at around 3:30am to wait.

Around 6:00, Sera came downstairs. "Oh, you're up." Morgan did not answer. "I uh.. The forecast for the desert is nice today, and it's considered separate from the rest of Route 111 so even if you've already-... I uh, I was think of going myself, and-..." Sera sighed. "Well uh, if you decide to swing by yourself on your way to Petalburg, I got you these…"

She held out a pair of goggles for nearly a full minute in silence before Morgan finally sighed and took them. "... Wait, Petalburg?" That sounded right, like she'd seen it on her list, but why the fuck…

"Y-yeah… It's… definitely one of the less linear parts of our route. You can either go down through Mauville and Verdanturf, which is a little quicker, or circle north through Fallarbor and Meteor Falls, which takes longer but has another capture chance. I think they just figured it was best to wait until the middle of your journey before you-"

"Oh gods, we're fighting Norman next, aren't we…"

"Yeah…"

An awkward silence fell. Finally, Morgan remarked, "Isn't it about time you got going?"

"... I guess. Good luck?" Morgan did not respond.


Out in the desert, Sera caught a Trapinch, but given she already had one she'd started training in the past week, she Wonder Traded it to receive an Audino. This would have excited her much more if her overall mood was better. More intriguingly, she found an interesting fossil. One way or another, she'd end up passing through Rustboro, so this was rather serendipitous.

Afterward, she decided that was probably enough desert adventure for one day and headed north.

Some time after dark, she finally set up camp, and shared a quiet meal with her Pokemon. Only afterward was she finally forced to deal with the conundrum she'd created for herself.

Pelt was not very fond of cuddles for more than a few minutes at a time. Zuma was, but… as much as Sera wanted to like the Linoone, she couldn't ignore some of her negative tendencies enough to feel comfortable sleeping with her. Wings was out of the question.

And since evolving…

What's wrong? Tank asked.

Sera winced. "I just… You guys are a bit too big to sleep with, now, huh…"

Flash blinked. No, I don't think so.

Tank tilted his head. I could probably curl up pretty tight. Though the tent might be a little more crowded… Hmm.

"I.. guess we could try."

And I'm thin enough I barely take up any room, insisted Flash.

Sera bit her lip, and searched for an excuse.

After nearly half a minute, Flash sighed. It's because I'm humanoid, now, isn't it?

"What?" Sera tried a little too hard to act surprised. "I- I don't know what-..." Flash gave her an unamused look, and Tank began awkwardly making a point to pay attention to anything but this conversation. My what an interesting leaf on this log. Sera sighed. "No, it's because you've been flirty the past few weeks, and now you're humanoid."

Mmm… He rubbed his head a minute as he searched for words. Sera… Do you not think of me as a person?

"What?" That one was legitimate. "Of course I do."

I'm not sure you do. Before she could protest, he clarified, It seems like you think of us more like pets who happen to be able to talk than like equal people.

"... I-..." She wanted to debate that, and found no grounds to do so. "I'm… sorry. When I ask myself, I really don't think I see you like that, but… I can definitely see where maybe on some level I do without realizing it. I'll… I'll work on that," she promised.

Flash slowly nodded. And… I suppose I can cut back on the flirty banter if it's made you uncomfortable. I hadn't realized…

Man this was the most interesting leaf though. And my goodness look at that mushroom too. Tank definitely had to thoroughly investigate that mushroom.

I suppose the point I was going for, though, was… If you don't 'like' me, that's more than fine. I will loyally serve you and remain your devoted friend no matter what. ...But please, don't let any reservations be because I've started to blur 'the line' between human and Pokemon. I thought for you, of all people, there wasn't much of a line to begin with… We're all still… people.

Sera had started tearing up, and hesitantly moved next to Flash before finally breaking down and hugging him tight, crying softly into his downy feathers. "I'm sorry…"

He wrapped his arms tightly around her. Hey, there's nothing to be sorry about as long as you're try-

"No," she whimpered, shaking her head. "I'm sorry for thinking anything had changed, or anything could make me lose you."

Tank finally wandered over now. Can… Should I also join the hugs?

Sera laughed and all but leapt from Flash to Tank, throwing her arms around his neck and squeezing tight. Flash stood to rejoin, and in the midst of the group hug, Pelt popped out of his Pokeball to hug Sera's leg as well. Sera stifled another laugh, then reached down to pet him. "Well hi there. Yes, you're wonderful too." Pelt gave her a wide grin in response.

When Sera finally lay down for the night, she had to scoot closer to the door than usual to make room for the Swampert curled up against her back, and she still felt awkward laying her head on Flash's chest rather than simply holding him like a stuffed animal. But he was as soft and warm as ever, and once she allowed herself to relax and nod off, she slept like a baby.


Morgan, meanwhile, had gotten Cerberus back, and spent several minutes just clinging to him being grateful he was okay. He was clearly shaken, not his usual energetic self at all. But he did at least seem glad to be back.

When they left, Morgan decided they were probably far enough behind Sera to cut through the desert without bumping into her.

Just before she got there, she realized the egg in her bag was beginning to wriggle. She took it out and watched as, rather than hatching, it glowed and morphed like a Pokemon evolving, until a small blue Pokemon stood before her. "Wynaut?" the little one chirped. "Wy, wynaut."

. . .

Morgan pulled out her Nav and searched the creature to confirm her suspicions about its evolution. "... Now I get the damn joke," she muttered. Despite herself, she couldn't help but smile just a little.

In the desert proper, she was approached by a Baltoy… which promptly turned tail and ran, disappearing off into the sand. "... That's cheatinnng," Morgan called after it.

Well, this was probably a huge waste of- what was that in the wall? She approached to examine it, and found only the imprint of where it seemed something had been recently removed. "Ah, damn. Wonder what it-..."

Suddenly, Morgan's eyes fixated on the vaguely claw-shaped impression, and then she was in another land, staring at the ocean. Suddenly, a small vaguely bug-like creature was at her feet, and, startled, she kicked it back into the ocean. Then, as if in retaliation, two dozen more swarmed from the depths, and an overwhelmingly massive creature that could only be their evolved form soon followed, letting out an earsplitting cross between a screech and a roar.

When Morgan finally came back to her senses, she was shaken, and she was quite certain that not all the sweat on her brow was from the desert heat. What… was that? She was quite certain she didn't recall ever seeing those creatures before, but at the same time the image was so clear, and she had such a clear, overwhelming sense of dread. Had… she pissed these things off in another life, or something?

Wow, what was she even going on about? She clearly needed to get out of this heat.

Though… walking alone did seem a little more eerie, now, and the sand didn't agree with most Pokemon, it seemed. So… Mithril? Yeah, Mithril sounded good. Xe wasn't always super personable but xe was usually pretty cool.

And when Morgan released xir, xe even seemed more chipper and upbeat than usual today.

As they walked- or, well, she walked and xe floated- Mithril began to look at her strangely. "What is it?" Mithril beeped, and Morgan felt like she could imagine xir asking what was wrong. Or maybe something about looking like she'd seen a ghost. Morgan laughed lightly. Who knew, maybe.

When she was finally able to set up camp, Mithril used xir telekinesis to help get things ready more quickly. "Oh, hey, you're gotten a lot better at that, haven't you?" So in all honesty, as upset as she'd been when Cerberus died, now that he was back, she really was glad that she had Mithril as well. Some part of her felt Mithril was grateful for the sentiment, too.

She really should try to figure out who her mystery benefactor was someday to thank them for making both possible.

Morgan really was starting to feel better now that she'd had some time to cool off with her Pokemon friends. Maybe she did overreact a little… Maybe things would start looking up from here.


Or maybe not.

Over the next few days, she'd traveled north. Wherefore the Wynaught evolved into a Wobbuffet. Cerberus started to seem like he was perking back up. Mithril continued being as or more friendly than ever. Also, Joseph the Beedrill died during training. But that tidbit just fell on a laundry list of other minor happenings compared to what was to come.

They'd arrived back on Route 113. And Morgan. Swore. That was the same Skarmory that taunted her the first time she'd passed through. The Skarmory she should have gotten then. And it… wasn't as though she'd used the Spinda she got all that much… And the Skarmory was. Right there… "Surely it couldn't hurt that much," she'd thought. Before, going against orders earned her a verbal slap on the wrist. How bad could the punishment for a single poached Pokemon be?

And now she was here.

In the unmapped wilderness between routes.

In a particularly dense forest, so thick she could scarcely see the ground for the shade of the canopy.

Alone, without a single Pokemon at her side.

Her Nav floated nearby, but it was unresponsive to most commands. On its screen, a timer was counting down: currently, 2 hours, 48 minutes, and some-odd seconds. That was how much longer she had to endure this. And in the barely-more-than-10-minutes that she'd been there, she had already realized that Pokemon out here were much larger and more openly aggressive than the ones typically found on the routes.

And all Morgan had for protection were her wits and a staff-sized branch she'd managed to procure.

There was a rustling behind her, and a red and white quadruped easily five or six feet long not counting its tail burst from the underbrush. Its red eyes pseudo-glowed like a cat's, and its dagger-sized claws glinted as it passed through flecks of sunlight. Morgan only just managed to evade and jab it in the side with her staff, knocking the wind out of it to buy herself just enough time to run and seek cover.

2 hours, 44 minutes remaining.

In the distance, she spied a nest housing a pair of Skarmory. When she tried to sneak by, one took to the air and began to divebomb her, and she was forced to duck behind a large tree at the edge of the defended area. After a quick analysis, she darted out again.

This time, the Skarmory raked her back with its claws, but she managed to whack it with her staff in turn. It was mildly disoriented at worst, and quickly took back to the sky to come in for another attack, but she had what she wanted. Grabbing the feather she'd managed to knock loose, she made a break for it.

2 hours, 39 minutes remaining.

As expected, the feather was fiercely sharp, and if not literal steel, something very close, she imagined. ...Heh. Perhaps even something like mithril.

She then found as quiet a place as she could, sat down, and began adjusting her shoelace on one shoe. She took it down a few rungs, pulled the majority to one side, and used the feather to cleanly cut the excess, leaving just enough to tie it. The tongue of her boot would flop a little, but her shoe was still very secured on her foot, and now she had about a third of a shoelace.

She then cut of both sleeves and carved them into two long strips of cloth. These were wrapped around a thick stub of stick and the thinner end of her metal feather; then the shoelace was employed to attach two more sticks and hold the entire contraption together. It looked gods-awful and may not last too much wear and tear, but she had managed to fashion a small dagger with a makeshift hilt and guard to go with her staff.

2 hours, 27 minutes remaining, and another sound was coming her way.


51 minutes remaining.

There were too many. She wasn't going to make it. Two ghosts hovered nearby. Multiple varieties of birds were swooping and pecking at her. A snake that looked to have a blade for a tail slithered in closer. What Morgan wouldn't give for a blade like that over her bent half-broken dagger.

As they came in closer, the Nav suddenly emitted an immensely high-pitched screech that not only made Morgan recoil in pain, but all the nearby Pokemon flee.

Less than a minute later, the Salamence that had dropped her off returned, and Morgan scrambled onto his back as quickly as she could. She didn't know why he was here early and didn't care. She just needed out.


They flew farther than she expected, which given her injuries and the cold of the altitude was no picnic on its own. At last, though, they landed at the Petalburg Pokemon Center.

Norman and Genevieve were waiting.

"What were you thinking?" Norman hissed. Genevieve said nothing, visibly torn between anger and concern.

"I… I didn't… I didn't know…"

"I warned you," Genevieve said coldly. "I told you, refusing to play by the rules leaves you roughing this world alone."

"I…" Clearly, Morgan hadn't understood the severity involved. She'd grown complacent. Hoenn-proper was rough enough in some places. In retrospect, it should have been obvious how much worse it could get, but she hadn't…

"Here are your Pokemon back," Genevieve told her. "I trust we can count on you to be a good girl from now on?"

Morgan bit her lip, but reluctantly nodded as she snatched back her precious friends.

"Good," bit Norman. "Because I would be very unhappy to be hit by another fine on your behalf. And if you couldn't last the three hours, I'm sure you'd hate to try three days."

Morgan did her best to nod through her shaking.

"Now, there's one more thing," said Genevieve. "You are to immediately Wonder Trade that Skarmory, and continue Wonder Trading until you get something equal to or worse than it in terms of both immediate power and longterm potential." Fanfuckingtastic. So after all that, she didn't even get to keep the Pokemon she'd been willing to test the rules for.

Well, she certainly wasn't breaking them again any time soon. So, as much as she hated to do it, she selected the Skarmory in her box and sent it off, awaiting the inevitable Wurmple or Zigzagoon she'd get in return.

Instead, she got… holy fuck, a Skarmory? Did-... Did it fail to send or…? No, this one had a different nickname. Wow. So one thing went incredibly right today. Assuming…?

She looked to Genevieve and Norman, who both seemed as shocked and dumbstruck as her. "... Fucking ridiculous," Norman muttered at last. "I guess that complies with the rules, somehow. I'd count your lucky stars if I were you."

"Now that that's all taken care of," said Genevieve, "I suggest you go get some rest and get those injuries healed up. Sera just arrived in Rustboro this morning herself, so you have the time."

Morgan nodded, but then reconsidered. "...Could I… challenge the gym first?" she asked.

""What?""

"I know I shouldn't travel like this, but… Just to the Gym and back, I think I'd be okay. And I'd rest a little easier knowing that… that I can move on as quickly as possible after I'm better. That I could hurry and rush out when Sera gets here if I need to rather than her getting back ahead of me."

Norman looked her over skeptically. "Very well, girl. I have some things to tend to, but you can stop by the gym in two hours. I suggest you prepare wisely in the meantime. As your sponsor I want you to do well in these games, but going easy on you would cost me a job I value a lot more, so expect as much challenge as ever." Morgan nodded.

Genevieve grimaced. To Morgan, she said, "Dear… You really should-..."

"I'll be fine," Morgan insisted.

Genevieve sighed, but Norman took her attention with an "I'll see you later, darling."

She smiled and wrapped her arms around him. "I love you, sweetie." She kissed him deeply, then looked between Norman and Morgan and said, "I wish the both of you luck in your match later."

"Thanks," said Morgan. She felt like she would need it.


Or maybe not.

Norman's first Slaking went down pretty easily. Then it was Manowar versus his Vigoroth. Manowar was doing pretty well- but then did a little too well. The now-dreaded critical hit sound played, and Morgan watched horrified as the Vigoroth's body hit the floor.

"YOU-" hissed Norman.

"I didn't-..." And suddenly Sera's voice played in her head. I didn't mean it. It was an accident. I'm sorry. Morgan knew all these words were meaningless when the wrong Pokemon was involved.

Another Slaking took its place- and was enraged by the sight of its fallen friend. In a fit of blatant revenge, it soon killed Morgan's Tentacruel. In case there was any question to this just from circumstances, the move was even called Retaliate. Cerberus was fortunately able to take the Slaking down, non-lethally thank goodness, but the victory felt hollow. Was this how Sera felt?

"I… I know it doesn't mean much, but I really didn't…"

"Don't speak," said Norman.

"...Oh. I mean I get it. I can just take my badge and-"

"Stay," he said, just as calm. "I want to talk to you."

"...O-okay. Uh. What are we talking about?"

Norman moved to a large display on one wall, filled with trophies and photos and certificate awards. "My Pokemon and I have been together a long time," he told her.

"I uh. I can see that. I take it you won all these together?"

Norman confirmed. "Come closer," he told her, and Morgan complied. He slid open a small panel on the wall next to the display, revealing a tiny number pad. "I told you I wouldn't hold back. And you know? Part of me is glad you didn't either. At all."

Morgan cringed. "It was a… ih…"

As he finished punching in a code, Morgan's Nav suddenly faded and clanged to the ground, just like when she entered the Devon building. "But there is one thing you failed to consider." He picked up a rather large trophy, staring at it wistfully for a moment.

It was now quite clear Morgan should be terrified, but she didn't know exactly what to expect or what to do, other than to simply ask, "...What's that?"

"I loved that Vigoroth…" He turned back to face her, eyes suddenly blazing, skewering her very soul as he finished, "Far more than I care about you."

With as rough of shape as she was already in, Morgan didn't have time to think of dodging. She only saw the trophy moving toward her head, heard Cerebus's distressed cry, then watched her world go black.