Colress's eyes flew open at the sound of beeping. The room seemed dark and desaturated, and a telltale thrumming reverberated throughout—rain was buffeting the hotel. The clouds had rolled in overnight. How was he even able to discern the beeping from that overpowering noise? In a flash, Colress sat up in bed and reached out for his phone—it was Ghetsis! When Colress saw the number, he nearly dropped it as if the phone was superheated! He managed to answer the call and turn on the "speaker" setting despite his altered state—he did not even bother to sweep his forelock out of his eyes.

"Ghetsis!" he said, a bit too loudly. "I-I… before you say—I promise to—when you next—that is… ah… I—"

"My apologies, Colress," said Ghetsis.

"Excuse me?" Colress's heart hammered like the pouring rain.

"Don't play this game with me. Your surprised tone makes it obvious you've noticed my absence," said Ghetsis. "Another inmate—and don't tell me the correct term is patient—damaged the PCs in a fit of rage. They weren't repaired until now, and had I called you on a phone, I would have risked being overheard."

Colress finally brushed the hair out of his face and put on his glasses, which he had completely forgotten to do. He scrutinized Ghetsis's tone. He sounded enervated and his voice was raspy, but the only anger Colress detected was aimed at people in the ward. What was this? "And you… and this was your only reason for not calling me?"

"Yes, Colress." Ghetsis was probably rolling his eye at him. "Use your head. It wasn't your annoying presence keeping me away—I've trained myself to withstand it."

Colress felt a chill in the air, even though his lower body was wrapped tightly in a blanket. He climbed out of bed, tried and failed to tread lightly across the cool floor, and put on his Achromatic Wearable Console. Unfortunately, it failed to provide any comfort. He understood why. He held the phone close to his ear and took a deep breath. "...The fact that I mocked you and made light of your difficulties is unrelated? You attempted to confide in me, and I… disrespected your feelings." He tried hard not to stammer. "I apolo—"

Ghetsis cut him off. "Why would you think that expression of your immaturity would have anything to do with this?"

"It seemed you had been hurt by my actions—you were shouting, as if you had been engulfed by the flames of madness! You told me we were prisoners, then abruptly hung up!"

"And why would it matter if you upset me, Colress? You love to rise up against me, and inflicting pain is often key to both our strategies. You treat me according to those transient moods of yours."

"If-If it does not matter, why did you attempt to confide in me in the first place?" He did not contest the other claims, for they were truth. He gripped the curtains that covered the balcony and rubbed them between his fingers. He quickly tired of this and threw open the curtains—sheets of rain were falling. It looked like a monsoon outside! The next day, paths would likely be littered with fallen trees and their shattered limbs. Ghetsis did not answer, and the overpowering sight and sound of the rain battering the island emboldened Colress. "...Even if you weren't hurt, I apologize. I promise to wait to insult you when you next—that is, if you choose to confide in me again."

"What's this...? I can't accept your apology. You only acted as you always have," said Ghetsis. His voice continuously became lower, as if he suppressed the urge to cough up something that was irritating his throat. "I can't figure out your intentions… you see, I foolishly thought that you would listen to me after I patiently listened to you. Before you enjoy laughing at me about this, know I corrected this error already. I won't allow it to happen again!" He sounded even more strained. But his voice also had a maniacal edge, as if he were thoroughly punishing an unseen enemy.

"To what error are you referring? I was the one in error!" The rainstorm seemed to drain the vibrant colors of Alola, leaving only grey tones.

"I momentarily forgot our predictable pattern!" said Ghetsis. "I forgot the way things are. And how they must always be…" The storm drowned out his voice.

After all the trouble Colress had gone through to determine the best possible response, Ghetsis rejected his apology. Perhaps he doubted his sincerity, which would be understandable. Colress leaned forward slightly, resting his forehead against the cold windows of the balcony door. He sighed, and his breath fogged up the glass. At this point, what could be done? Ghetsis was right, and Colress could not deny it—the two of them hurting each other was an integral part of their routine, just as it had always been.

"Well now, you're being awfully quiet," Ghetsis said. "Have you gone missing, too?" Despite his light words, his voice was so drained of energy, it was as if he had not slept for days on end.

Colress had exactly what he wanted—he was on the phone with Ghetsis, and the two of them were back to verbally fencing, trading jabs with each other. Ghetsis had even told him what he had done was simply the norm! But instead of being absolved of guilt, Colress felt lower than ever. The resigned tone of voice in which Ghetsis had stated it was only the way things were made him feel all frozen up inside. "Oh… no, I'm certainly still here," he said quietly. All the information he had filed over the past few days came rushing back to his mind. He had always been proud to be ambiguous, but perhaps this situation called for drastic measures? He pressed on. "Ghetsis, I-I haven't been completely honest with you! I… you… the truth is, I—that is to say, you are my star test subject, once again. And while our dynamic may be as it's always been, as you are my test subject, I reserve the right to alter it as I see fit! Do you agree?"

Colress noticed his phone was unsteady—his hands were shaking. He listened for Ghetsis's response. For several long seconds, he heard only the rain. Then, he heard Ghetsis laugh under his breath and Colress exhaled slowly. "Myah-ha-ha… any sensible person would ask, 'May we be friends?' But of course, you phrase it that way!" The tension in Ghetsis's voice melted away. "And in what experiment will you use me as your star test subject? Why, are you curiously researching true friendship?"

"D-Don't put words in my mouth!" Colress exclaimed. "Just... just... simply accept or decline," he added, more softly.

"I accept," Ghetsis said softly. "...I can tell by your stammering you clearly need great kindness. You must be so pleased in light of your friend's immense generosity."

"Oh, please." Colress looked at his reflection in the glass and saw his little angular smile appearing—he realized with a start that he had not been smiling beforehand! "W-Well now! Tell me, my friend, what would you like to discuss today?" he asked, keeping interactions he had recorded between friends in mind.

"Come now, that tone of voice doesn't sound sincere," said Ghetsis. Colress could picture Ghetsis's smug look down to the little crease above the left side of his mouth as he smiled. "Ask me a question as a friend would!"

As a friend would? What kind of questions did friends ask each other? He had mimicked friendly speech accurately, based on his notes! He scrolled through the data he had recently gathered using his console, searching for an explanation that did not appear. Seconds passed, and Ghetsis was waiting for his response. He had no choice but to speak up and hope to ask something profound! "What is your favorite color?!" he blurted out. He turned away from the windows before he could watch himself blush. He hid his head in his hand, anticipating Ghetsis's laughter. It was odd—he felt embarrassed, yet his heart was fluttering in pleased excitement. Was this one of the potential benefits of taking causing harm to each other out of the equation?

To Colress's surprise, Ghetsis's signature laugh did not come into play. "I never had one favorite color. I appreciate each color of the rainbow. What is your favorite, my friend?" Ghetsis spoke with a cadence Colress had never heard before. He wished he could see Ghetsis's expression and analyze it.

Colress gently lowered his hand. "Oh, it is a bluish-grey." The constant thrumming of the rain was very calming. The sheets of rain were becoming a pleasant shower. "I believe that as your friend, I must strive to be more… forthright and… clear… from now on."

"Is 'honest' is the word you're searching for?"

"Ah, yes. I suppose I ought to file that word away so that I may pull it up later and remind myself!" His smile reached his eyes. Out of the corner of his eye, Colress noticed that the storm had passed, and patches of sun were shining through the clouds! The refraction of light caused the droplets sitting on the glass to resemble precious gems. "If you would, allow me to prepare to venture out. I look forward to continuing our talk."

A rainbow had appeared after the storm. It was so vivid, Colress could see not one, but two faint rainbows beside it! He hatched a plot and flew straight to Route 3. He quickly crossed the wooden bridge, before carefully aligning the rainbows in the sky so they were side-by-side with the one formed by the waterfall. He took a photo, then eagerly awaited Ghetsis's call, mentally rehearsing what to say until his phone rang.

Colress picked up, and said, "My desire to be honest… in order to remain dedicated to it, I should inform you that yesterday, I was agonizing in my hotel room, attempting to compose an apology email to send you!"

Ghetsis made an amused sound. "And what tacky background did you deem appropriate for an apology? I would very much like to see it."

"I knew that you would!" Colress exclaimed. Ghetsis had reacted just as he had hoped! Colress attached the photo to the email and sent it. "As you can see, both the stationary I had chosen and today's weather phenomena fit perfectly with your favorite colors."

There was a brief pause. "Ah, they do…" Nothing but his breath came through the speaker for a while. "...I… appreciate… your attentiveness to our conversation."

"Yes! And now, I finally understand what requires my attention!" Colress had studied bonds for so long, but he had never explored this method! Despite the subject of his research, his studies had been misguided. He had opened his eyes—he knew why others had significant results when he did not. He could understand, and it was very, very exciting! "Well then, allow me to use this attentiveness to correct my previous mistake—if you don't mind, may I hear how you're doing? I will listen."

Ghetsis cleared his throat. "...You deserve to know the truth—the memory of my defeats haunted me. Having lost heart, I went through a period of deep despair… I had decided I was going to die, imprisoned here."

Colress clapped a hand over his mouth before he blurted anything out. The water from the waterfall kept crashing down.

"I ordered the Shadow Triad to leave, and screamed that they were wasting their time… that all my dreams had been burned to ash. They refused to listen to me for over a year. I've no idea what I did that pushed them over the edge, but eventually they left several months ago," Ghetsis said, oddly matter-of-fact. "My downward spiral continued. But when I discovered the news about the leaders of this Team Rainbow Rocket who came from other worlds, it piqued my interest. I read that another version of myself had been present, and that you had been involved in Rainbow Rocket's defeat. I then decided to call you and uncover the entire story—I knew the other world's version of myself had succeeded, and it granted me some hope."

Colress waited for him to continue, but Ghetsis was finished recounting his tale. Colress took this opportunity to speak. "I… did suspect that was the case. I could not understand why the Shadows would leave otherwise." The thought of living in a world without Ghetsis shook Colress to his core, as if they were an example of obligate symbiosis. Could he express this idea without appearing odd and overly sentimental? "I am glad you recovered—I-I feel like I would be lost without our unique bond!"

Colress sensed that Ghetsis was smiling. "I feel the same," said Ghetsis. "Now, I have finally regained my lost heart. I've decided my newest plan must involve slowly convincing the nurses I'm healthy, calm, and sane. I expect as soon as they grant me a touch of freedom, I'll be able to escape—this entire time, I've been painstakingly noting the weaknesses of each nurse and the layout of the facility."

"May I ask how long this will take? How long are hospitalizations at this institution…?"

"If I demonstrate signs of stability, it may only be a single year. I've wasted twice that amount time already."

Colress's mouth quivered. He was not fond of Ghetsis's penchant for playing long games—they were detrimental to both Ghetsis's mental and physical health. "I can't say I'm pleased to hear it will be such a long time—I would never stay dedicated to a single goal for so long!" However, there was something he could suggest in order to ease Ghetsis's pain. "I realize I was irreverent when I previously told you, but I honestly do believe it would lessen the stress of your plot were you to pursue a leisure activity you enjoy and find a hobby. And art history is a likely possibility!" Colress paced beside the cliffs as he spoke, before walking into Melemele Meadow. He was that actress dancing alongside her Oricorio above the sea of yellow flowers. The petals were caught by the breeze and floated into the air.

"I have never been afforded the luxury of leisure activities, Colress. Why would I suddenly be allowed it now?" asked Ghetsis.

"It's because you deserve it!" Colress exclaimed. Unfortunately, such a passionate declaration was unlikely to convince Ghetsis. "...And partaking in leisure activities will make it easier to induce a relaxed state, further convincing the nurses that you should be deinstitutionalized. You're intelligent enough to know play is an integral aspect of development for both humans and pokémon—why continue to excise it from your routine? You say it cannot be allowed… but who's watching?" He winked to punctuate his words.

Ghetsis laughed under his breath, as if a weight had been lifted from him. "Even so, there are no museums inside this asylum… though if it pacifies you, I suppose I can grant myself the privilege of attempting to create artwork myself. It will be a fascinating challenge, considering the abysmal quality of the art supplies they provide to patients… Mareep live in the Alola region, don't they? Since you insist of sending me photographs, could you take pictures of that pokémon—and pictures of any yellow flowers you come across?"

"Oh, that will be more simple than you know!" Colress immediately held out his hands and began.

The first time Colress visited the Battle Tree, he had been underwhelmed. While their array of prizes was impressive, the facility itself as far smaller than Unova's Pokémon World Tournament. However, as he strode up to the entrance with the power of true friendship behind him, he realized how perfectly the Battle Tree combined natural light, flora, and manmade architecture. He took snapshots of as much of the structure as he could and showed them to Ghetsis, who explained the role of pokémon as key tools for architects—the people who designed the Battle Tree had stunning control over their pokémon!

Colress stood beside the sign before the entrance, near the little seaside waterfalls that joined the ocean. "Your suspicions were correct… I am at an impasse. My research has yielded so few findings as of late, I returned to your methods!" he said. "I even taught one of my Klinklang Toxic, two offensive moves, and Protect, and gave it a Leftovers, after your Cofagrigus's moveset. I also utilize the move Explosion often… it seems that despite the great results found by trainers who bring out their pokémon's full potential using love, a merciless approach like yours also consistently achieves its goal."

"Why, I'm flattered," said Ghetsis. "And how have your battles been proceeding so far?"

"I have been incredibly successful in that regard!" Colress exclaimed. "I have focused my team on defense and utility, and have had considerable success! I harness the power of Mega Evolution with Metagross and the even greater strength of Z-Power with Klinklang, and I win a considerable percentage of matches! I have also captured new pokémon, including the Alolan form of Muk—are you aware it's a dual, poison- and dark-type? And then there is the Shiny Klefki! I am very fortunate!" he grew louder by the sentence. He swung his free hand out, accidentally hitting the sign. Through his thick gloves, he barely felt it!

Ghetsis tapped something a few times to a rhythm, catching Colress's attention. "Please, not so loud," he said, his voice almost a hiss. "I had to turn down the volume—I would have been discovered otherwise."

"Oh, excuse me!" Colress covered his mouth and waited a few seconds for his unfettered energy to subside. "I suppose I do get carried away. You were correct…" He thought back to the gorgeous starlit night, when he had tagged the Staryu. "I was too proud to admit it, but you did save me from shorting out my Achromatic Wearable Console with seawater that one night..."

It took Ghetsis some time to respond. "I'm... still not used to this humble evolution of yours. Does this frequently happen during battles? Does your sincere grin come into play?"

Colress huffed. "And I'm still not used to your fawning over me!" he said. "In any case… I do often find myself lost in… enthusiasm during my battles. But what is my 'sincere grin?' I am always smiling brightly regardless!"

Ghetsis did not grace his first comment with a response. "Your sincere grin is lopsided and shows your teeth… the sinister version of your true smile, which is angular and reaches your eyes, unlike your dull, deceitful smile for fooling the gullible into trusting you."

"What is this?! Why would you notice these minute differences!" No one had noticed such things—to his embarrassment, Colress had not even realized these subtle tells existed! It was not an issue, as his subjects could not detect them either, but how had Ghetsis managed to catalogue them so effectively?

"What kind of friend would I be if I didn't notice these truths about you?"

Ah, then it could again be explained by friendship. Colress used his console to record this finding—that friends may have a markedly increased awareness of each other's traits. Perhaps this was how Lillie could effectively support Moon's pokémon despite her inexperience and foolishness. The sun came out from behind a fluffy cloud, but Colress could tell the warm feeling he felt was not due to its light, but due to this finding—no, specifically this finding's connection to Ghetsis in particular. "Oh, you're right... and I am certain that I could discern your fake smile from your truly happy face if I were to be given the proper data!" By paying special attention, Colress noticed that his current smile was the true smile Ghetsis had described.

"Of course! You're highly intelligent."

Colress idly twirled his forelock between his fingers. "...Well then, I would very much like to see you happy in order to run a few tests," he said softly.

"Yes…?" It sounded like a question. He cleared his throat before continuing, "It looks like I'm successfully able to guide your through your manic outbursts."

"Now, now, I would not say I'm…" Colress made a high-pitched noise. He would have contested Ghetsis's claim, but his new dedication to honesty prevented him from doing so! "Go-Go on."

"As I was saying, why not make use of my methods yourself—during battles, at the very least?" he asked. "Isolate a repeating sound or action and focus on it, ask yourself where you are and what you're doing…"

"You are sounding like a psychiatric nurse yourself! Yet more evidence that your studies—be they anthropological, historical, or otherwise in nature—grant you potential outside of your plans for total domination!" Colress carefully typed up all of Ghetsis's suggestions. "I'll test your proposed methods at this facility—call me back in an hour, if possible, and we will discuss the results of my experiment together!"

"You must truly care if you want to discuss results of your experiments with me!" said Ghetsis.

Colress had to end the call before he became too much of a stammering, blathering mess. It was confounding! Though once he passed the swinging banners and finally challenged the Battle Tree, he was extraordinarily successful. He completed ten straight battles easily, and when he felt frustrated and impatient when pitted against a novice trainer whose pokémon happened to have strong defensive moves, he resisted the urge to recklessly force the battle along. Instead, he conducted the experiment by looking up with just his eyes, focusing on the small clouds that drifted by. He counted each cloud that was visible during each match, and calmed down considerably.

When Ghetsis called again, Colress rushed back to the babbling brooks, brushing past confused trainers—he could not remember the last time he had run anywhere, but he absolutely had to report his findings to Ghetsis, and he had to do so from a safe distance! When framed this way, it was not so remarkable. "The techniques you recommended were a success! I won ten battles in a row, wearing down my opponents carefully, without prematurely ending any matches with Explosion or other, similar moves!" Before Ghetsis could answer, Colress mewled in excitement—he could not hold back his giddiness!

An odd noise came through the phone's speaker—it seemed Ghetsis had intentionally muffled whatever response he was about to give, perhaps by covering his mouth with his hand.

"Ghetsis...?"

"Of course, you didn't have to tell me they worked—I knew they would all along,"
Ghetsis said hastily. "Not that this is not cause for celebration—if you want to celebrate such an unsurprising event, that is… it is obviously your choice."

This was a strange response, but Colress took it in stride. He gestured to himself. "I see you are all discombobulated in my successful, glowing aura! I certainly agree that seeing you so awkward is worthy of celebration!"

"Colress, you...!" Ghetsis snapped, with no anger in his voice. The two of them continued to bicker, the ideal celebratory activity in Colress's mind!

Colress sat at the little desk in his hotel room, kicking his legs in and out. The sky was a deep magenta, and the clouds were cotton-candy pink. He had not seen a sunset like this since his time in Unova! And even though he had conducted little research, he felt fulfilled and energized as never before! It seemed playing with his friend was a highly beneficial approach! Why, he felt as if he had been targeted by his own Colress Machine! He hoped Ghetsis could share in this experience. "Ghetsis… I failed to articulate this earlier, but it pained me to hear you state that you can't find happiness. Has your opinion changed?"

Ghetsis sighed. "Unfortunately, it has not. I may find I'm happy for a time, but I can see now that I'll be miserable even if I fulfill my intended purpose... but no matter."

"Oh…" Colress put his head down, supporting his chin on his free hand. "Well… surely even you can't remain miserable at this moment, considering you have the privilege of speaking with me!"

"Oh, Colress, no one else makes me as miserable," Ghetsis said, his voice charged with fondness.

Colress's eyes flew open. "I-I don't understand the tone in which you said that…"

"And why is that, Colress?" Ghetsis asked, amused.

"Because your tone undermined the message!"

"Are you certain it undermined it and didn't add to it?"

Colress got out of his chair and stood up to his height. He put one of his arms akimbo, his cheeks undoubtedly pink as the clouds. "Oh, so you're implying that potential meaning was intentional?"

"I have no idea what you're referring to," Ghetsis said, singsong.

"Yes, you do."

"Why, I don't. How can your reasoning be followed when you refuse to speak of this meaning plainly?"

"W-Well, I'm simply saying that if you wish to convince others as I do, the appropriate tone is this…" He turn to the guardrail and gripped it. "You make me miserable, Ghetsis!" he shouted at the landscape. A Trumbeak tweeted in alarm and flew up from the floor below and into the sunset. And to think this species was known as a noisy annoyance! Colress felt another surge of embarrassment—hopefully none of the other guests had heard him!

Ghetsis remained utterly unshaken. "So my feelings are requited?" he said, pretending to be touched.

"I-I didn't intend for you to read that into—oh, never mind. Yes, I suppose I do," Colress said softly.

A companionable silence fell over them like a silky blanket. The sunset was now a purple-to-magenta gradient, and the final marigold rays of the sun were slipping behind the pools of Brooklet Hill.

Ghetsis broke the silence. "...I... must return to my room shortly," he murmured. "The nurses are restless tonight. I'll... speak with you tomorrow."

"Ah... good night." Colress waited until the call ended, then sighed quietly. He kept gazing into the distance, waiting for night to fall. He saw the flicker of stars appear before entering his room and closing the sliding doors, but he did not draw the curtains. Even after he finally curled up in bed, he continually glanced back at the night sky.