Forget Me Not

by The Shay-Shay

A woman is found on the outskirts of New Bark Town, without memory of who she was or where she'd come from. Thanks to a smug little Totodile, however, she's not going to have an easy time in figuring things out as she journeys through Johto to search for answers.

32. Chapter Thirty-One: Where No One Goes

Chapter Thirty-One:
Where No One Goes

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon in any way, shape, or form. The only "ownership" I can claim are the personalities and my interpretation of how Pokémon look in a more realistic light, but other than that...yeah, I don't own anything on them. XD I do, however, own my original characters and writings, unless otherwise stated. In an exceptional case, a few special OCs belong to their respective owners, I'm merely borrowing them for the story that's to unfold. I'll point them out when their time to show up comes. :3

Note: Apologies for the lack of updates. I make no excuses for it. But, I wish y'all a Happy New Years, however belated it is, and that 2016 is a better year than the last for y'all! :D

OoOoOoOoOoO

"Proximity alert. We must be comin' up on something."
"Oh, my god. What can it be? We're all doomed! Who's flying this thing?! Oh, right. That would be me. Back to work."
-Zoe and Wash, "Firefly"

OoOoOoOoOoO

The Murkrow watched as the silly woman and her two pokémon reeled at the sight of Latias before them. They should have been honoured to be before one of the Eon Twins, the dolts. Ah, well. Can't educate them all and except the gravity of things to sink in.

The bird was going to go back to napping, but stopped mid-tuck when Latias swooped over the woman's head and snatched up her hat. Now, normally, the Murkrow wouldn't have bothered, not unless there were shiny pins and buttons on the hat. But the bird gave pause long enough to register not the oddity of the hat, no—but the giant, pointed furry ears sticking out from atop the woman's skull. And they weren't one of those silly headbands that humans sold, pretending they were pokémon.

Even the Murkrow could see that they were real. Latias gave a delighted squeal, while the Growlithe and Croconaw formed a defensive—if ineffective—barrier, placing themselves between the hovering Eon Twin and their trainer. Latias was unperturbed, still staring in open awe at the woman's oddity.

"And your tail—I know I saw a tail when you were on the balcony the other night—can I see it?"

"You were spying on me?!"

"I couldn't exactly let you see me, not yet! Please? I've never met a human like you! I mean, I don't meet humans like this very often, but still!"

Latias wasn't truly speaking, not like the woman or her pokémon could, no. She communicated telepathically, projecting her words out into the open with her thoughts, but most could barely make heads or tails of her speech, even with that added benefit. It was why she didn't bother making much contact with people with words that fell on deaf ears and minds. Body language. Pah. That's all humans seemed to understand when it came to pokémon. It was a wonder this woman could actually understand what was being said, and was talking back. Now that was interesting. The Murkrow untucked beak from wing and decided that this was much more entertaining.

The woman had given up trying to snatch her hat back. Latias was just out of reach, her golden eyes teasing and filled with quiet humour. The Croconaw and Growlithe were unsure of how to respond. They were faced with a Legendary, after all. What hopes could they have against one? Although, where one Eon Twin was, the other was never too far away…

"You're…Latias, yes?"

Latias trilled happily and bobbed her head.

"Yes!"

"Can I please have my hat back?" The woman had her left arm outstretched with the palm up and open expectantly, although there was struggle in that simple action. She could barely keep her arm up at shoulder length, it seemed. Latias stared between the woman's hand, and the hat clutched in her talons. Slowly, she inched closer, her wings giving a minute shudder as she gently, so gently, returned the hat. The woman released a breath. "Thank you. Now…why were you spying on me the other night, if you don't mind my asking?"

"Oh…that." Latias looked away. She was embarrassed. The Murkrow wasn't surprised. Latias was easier to coax that emotion from. It simply rolled off of her in waves, like the tides on a beach. It was harder to get that kind of sheepish admittance from her brother. "I saw you coming in on a boat. And I like to watch the people that come and go from Alto Mare. But then that woman in the street—she knocked your hat off and I saw your ears. She didn't realize they were real, I don't think. And no one else noticed either. I was…curious."

Latias turned back, inching closer toward the woman. Carefully, she set herself on the ground, and arched her neck to peer down at the woman. She canted her head over, sniffing. "You don't smell human. You're not pokémon, either, but…how is that possible? I've seen so many people and pokémon come and go—but nobody like you before!"

The woman shook her head. "Story of my life right now. And I have no clue."

"She lost her memories. She's suffering from retrograde amnesia," the Croconaw inputted, piping up for the first time since Latias had appeared. He chose his words with care, obviously wary of the Eon Twin. His words, however, brought Latias down a notch as she studied the woman carefully now.

"Oh…so you don't remember who you are. How did it happen, do you know?"

"I don't remember. But so far, I'm able to make new memories. I just can't recall anything before…whatever accident I had happen to me." She paused, drawing in a measured breath. "But if you've never seen me around Alto Mare, it means I probably never lived here or passed by before. That…that at least confirms this is one more place that I've never been to previously. But the people I once knew, maybe they've come through here? My family if I have one, any friends or associates. I only have one definite name to go off of right now. Alastor. Does that sound familiar?"

There was a pensive silence that came from the Latias. Her trills turned soft, almost muted by the din of the city around them. She snaked her head left, then snaked it right, claws of her front paws clicking at one another as she tapped them together. "No. That name isn't familiar to me. I don't interact with humans too much enough to get their names. And I don't like reading their thoughts. I try to keep out."

The Murkrow continued to watch as the conversation of the where and when this woman had been traveling to, although it began to dull the bird's attention. The bird stopped mid-tuck a second time, when Latias perked suddenly and leapt into the air once more to twirl circles around the woman and her pokémon.

"But since you haven't been here before, maybe I can show you around, like I did earlier with the ocarina girl! Maybe we can look together while you're here!"

"That was you?"

The woman didn't even sound half-surprised, more like she was confirming a suspicion. The Growlithe looked far more impressed, though. The Croconaw…he was harder to read. Damned reptiles and their lack of facial expressions. It was easier to read the surprise rolling off his mind than his face.

"Of course it was me. I can disguise myself as a human. I like to walk the streets every once in a while—but no one knows it's me! Well...except for my brother, maybe. I can never fool him. Not really." Latias paused in her circling ministrations, fluttering on the spot to crane her head and neck to peer all around her. She shuddered, her feathers ruffling and smoothing over just as quickly. Latias trilled again, that dancing merriment alive in her golden eyes. "But we can worry about that later! Do you still want to see Alto Mare?"

The woman looked away and over the rooftops of the city. It was alive with the sound of voices and music and much, much more. Flocks of Pidgey curled in the air, flowing with one another as a singular organism. A few Yanma flittered about in the air here and there. Boats skittered across the surface of the sea farther out. Below in the courtyard, a new band of musicians were setting up on the stage, while onlookers waited patiently.

"I can see the city just fine from here. Kind of have you to thank for that enough already."

"But you would never have found this little place if I hadn't shown you," Latias said in a sing-song voice. She clacked her beak-like jaw at the woman, pressing in a little closer. "I can show you things that most people wouldn't ever think to find because they weren't looking! C'mon, you can trust me!"

"Ya know, when someone says that, the opposite is usually the truer statement," the woman remarked back. The Croconaw snorted, as though in agreement.

"But, if she shows us more of the city, we can cover more ground. You said yourself, maybe the people you're looking for—maybe you're not from here, but they might be!" The Growlithe protested. The woman stopped to stare at the puppy pokémon in mild surprise. She sighed, a beat passing between them all. She looked back at the expectant Eon Twin, who was practically bubbling with unspent energy and excitement.

"Fine. Okay. But don't steal my hat and don't try taking my coat either. I can't afford people seeing…well, you already saw. I don't think it'd be a good idea, ya know?"

"Wonderful! Oh, this is fantastic!" Latias launched up higher with a blur of her wings, performing an ecstatic flip into the air. She righted herself and returned to the ground, offering her backside to the woman. Both the Growlithe and the Croconaw looked uneasily up between Latias and their trainer. The woman frowned, offering to stow them in their pokéballs for the time being and they readily accepted.

Afraid of heights, the Murkrow concluded. Not that interesting. There were plenty of pokémon who were afraid of heights. Some got over it. Others…not so much. It was funnier teasing the ones who didn't get over it. Once the woman's two companions were tucked away in their pokéballs, she slowly clambered onto Latias's backside, hands digging uncertainly into the feathery scruff of her long neck.

"Hold on! I like to go fast!"

"Fast? Whoa, hold on, let's try to take it slow at first—"

"Too late! Here we go!"

The Murkrow watched, as Latias took off into the air. The woman barely had time to cling more securely to the Eon Twin. They quickly receded into the distance and went diving down to explore some hidden nook or cranny of Alto Mare. The bird huffed and leapt into the air, wings spreading to catch the air.

Powerful wings receded away and all that was left were tiny pink-furred limbs. Claws shrank into paws and the feathers continued shrinking to give way to soft fur. Tail feathers molted and lengthened out to a whipcord wiry-thin tail. The beak melted away until a furred face was left, a twitching pink nose sniffing the air. Tufted ears twitched, and blue eyes blinked into the midafternoon sun. Mew stretched and studied the cityscape, noting a familiar blue streak rising out of the waters just outside the city limits and was rendered invisible just as suddenly as it had appeared. Evie was going to be in trouble consorting with a human with her brother Duke. Or was the woman not human? That seemed more likely. But she was looking for others like her. The name she said earlier came to mind.

Alastor.

Mew mulled over the name, purring softly. Perhaps directing this Alastor person in the right direction to this woman would be a fine choice to make. She was an anomaly, and a lost one at that. Mew knew how that felt like, once upon a time. There had been a desperation hidden in her voice, and it was too painful to bear watching, never mind feeling it rolling off of her in waves. The little psychic took to the air, far away and out of sight of any human eyes, taking the form of a Pidgeot just before disappearing over the crest of a low-hanging cloud. Alto Mare disappeared behind Mew in a wink.

OoOoOoOoOoO

The Latias was fast, and that was sugarcoating it completely. She juked and dived at sharp angles and could make quick turns in the blink of the eye. It left Lupin's heart beating against her ribcage, out of adrenaline and excitement rather than fear. Her stomach had dropped back and was left behind ages ago and all that was left in its place was a fluttering, weightless feeling. Her eyes watered as they sped along back canals and hidden passageways that most gondolas wouldn't or haven't used in quite some time.

The Latias, who introduced herself as Evie, told Lupin this.

"I know all the routes of all the gondoliers in the city—they never come through here, but the pokémon sure do!"

She tilted with one wing skimming the waters and the other high in the sky, leaving Lupin with the two choices of cling for dear life or fall off into the waters. Lupin squeezed her knees a little harder, but she glanced over her shoulder, unable to stop herself. Below, the green waters glittered, but within their murky depths she could make out the shapes of fish and amphibious little bodies swimming along and trying to keep up. A Wooper leapt out into the air, crying joyously as it did to the Latias. A Remoraid did the same, its flowing fins rippling in the air before it dove back into the waters.

Then Evie was tilting back upright, her body shivering with delight. They continued their rampant flight through Alto Mare, taking the complex twists and turns in the back alleys and canals that riddled the city. Every once in a while, Evie would rise higher above buildings, pointing out certain structures and babbled excitedly about this piece of history or that wonderful new place that served the best ice cream in town.

When they dove back down into the waterways, she was skimming the waters closer this time. Lupin's boots practically kissed water on several occasions as the Eon Twin's belly dipped beneath, as though she was preparing to dive in.

"Think you can hold your breath?"

"What, why—oh no. No, no, no, no, do not go in the water—!"

"Too late, hang on!"

Evie trilled and angled her wings in close, heading rapidly for a cobbled wall up ahead. Lupin felt her chest constrict and she gasped, trying to push past the vice-like grip holding her lungs. The Latias dove sharply, down into the water, and Lupin nearly sucked in a mouthful for all her troubles. Her grip tightened around Evie's neck as the Latias navigated through the underwater maze. There were open grates beneath water level, aquatic tunnels that led to who knows where. The water pulled at Lupin, trying to tug her off her mount as Evie continued to speed along at a rapid pace. It was almost a relief when Evie burst into fresh air and into the sunlight, coming to a complete stop. Lupin rolled off her back, collapsing gratefully onto the ground in a fit of coughs.

"Oh…oh, please don't do that again."

"And here I thought you had nerves like a steel-type," Evie teased with an amused purr. Her golden eyes narrowed with mirth and she shivered again. "You did pretty well for your first flight."

"Wasn't my first time flying—but flying like that? Technically, yes." Lupin coughed again, took in a deep breath and let it out in a sigh, her eyes closed. "I smell flowers. And trees. Where did you bring me?"

"It's a hidden garden by the museum. Bianca and her grandfather—they don't like taking people here. It's just for us Latias and Latios. And the pokémon of Alto Mare, of course! But this place, we can have a hiding place away from prying eyes."

"Latios?" Lupin bolted upright, her ears perked and ramrod straight atop her head. She had foregone her cap in the meantime, having stuffed it away in her coat midflight before she could lose it. The werewolf stared around, taking in stock of her surroundings now. There was a glorious view of so many trees, ivy, bushes, flowering plants, and there was a small pond in the center of it all, and built near the center of that, a small shrine stood alone and untouched. Something was in it, but from where Lupin sat, she couldn't make out what it was.

Her eyes flashed over it, however, as she scanned the surroundings, ears pricked to any noise asides the gentle breeze wafting in through the trees and underbrush. It rattled the leaves, making a quiet symphony in the wake of the sudden silence in the secluded little sanctuary. She could hear the undertones of other living creatures within the confines of the greenery, but they were hidden from sight, hushed and waiting with baited breath.

Latias hovered in a circle around Lupin, until she was blocking her view of the garden's main grounds. She dipped her head close.

"Latios—are they here?"

"Duke," Evie offered. "He's my brother. He is…a little more wary of people. But—but I'm sure he'd be fine with you, you're not like other people! You're…special."

"Oh….oh, sweetie, don't call me special, I am far from special. I'm just…me." She motioned vaguely with a flutter of her hand, suddenly flustered and awkward under the golden gaze that pinned her down. She couldn't even find a word to call herself. She didn't feel special. The very word made her itch. Evie canted her head to the side, trilling softly.

"But you're not human. It's humans he's wary of. He might be more accepting of you because of that."

"I don't think I'd like to take that risk."

I'd also like to not get blasted by an aerial psychic dragon while I'm at it.

Evie's expression fell, her tail feathers quite nearly touching the ground.

"I…I'm sorry. I know you're excited, I just don't think prancing around uninvited like this. Especially when you make it sound like your brother's in charge of things."

Lupin cast another wary glance around the place, the hairs on the back of her neck standing up.

"My brother?" Evie trilled louder, and it sounded almost like a laugh. "Duke isn't in charge! My father is."

"Your…father."

Well, this might possibly have gotten worse. Perhaps taking this little trip hadn't been the best of ideas. Maybe I should have listened to Riptide.

And if he ever heard that from Lupin's mouth, he'd never let her live it down.

Evie didn't appear to be as riddled with alarm as Lupin felt. Her body was relaxed, although she still appeared to be a little disappointed at the werewolf's apprehension. She pressed even closer, and Lupin suddenly realized that Evie quite possibly didn't understand the meaning of 'personal space'.

Lupin didn't get to voice her concerns. Her ears twitched and registered something new and something fast honing in on their location all too quickly. Evie noticed a split second after Lupin did, and a flare of something came rising up in a bubble around her and Latias, right as something else crashed into it. The blur came to a halt, fluttering frantically in front of Evie, who had positioned herself in front of Lupin. The werewolf caught an impression of something larger than Evie, something blue and white, with a similar build to the Latias.

"Duke! Duke, please, it's all right, I brought her here with me, please don't be mad—"

"Mad? Mad! You think if I'm mad, what about our father, when he sees this human here!"

"Human? She isn't human, brother, look at her, look! Smell her if you want further proof, she's not human!"

Evie tilted only slightly to give Duke a glance at Lupin. Her hand dropped to the belt around her waist, fingertips touching Riptide's pokéball. Duke glowered with an amber stare that was not open and friendly like Evie's. It was a cold look and riddled with suspicion. But doubt begin to pepper his gaze, and she felt it raking over her, from the tips of her ears to the stiff, erect tail at her backside, raising up her coat.

Evie only moved fully out of the way when she deemed it safe. Duke pressed forward, his bulk replacing Evie's slimmer build as he fluttered closer. His avian face pushed closer and he snorted, sniffing purposefully over Lupin. She pulled her hand away from her pokéball belt, suddenly conscious that he could blast her if he deemed her a threat. Instinct told her to release Riptide and Bullet, but she repressed the urge, so long as the Latios was before her.

Her ears splayed back when hot breath poured over them. He circled her, taking a faint whiff of her tail and she tucked it close against her legs in surprise, her coat dropped on a dime at the motion. When Duke came back around, the intensity of his gaze hadn't lessened, but it was certainly less harsh in its judgment of her.

"Not a trick…well, this is certainly new. I've never met something like you."

"Someone, I'd prefer, thank you."

The rigidity of her frame hadn't lessened, that much was certain. Lupin kept her eyes on the Latios as he flexed his wings a little. His feathers ruffled, making Duke appear larger than he already was. He craned his head away from her suddenly, pinning Evie with an equally unnerving stare.

"You still shouldn't have brought her here, little sister. You know how father feels with trespassers, regardless of whether or not this one is human or…something else. He tolerates Bianca and Lorenzo. He barely trusts them as it is after the incident with Jet and Fiona. Jet gave up his life under their watch, and Fiona…you know what she's been like. She hasn't been the same."

Evie stiffened under Duke's scrutinizing gaze. Lupin tried to inch away and put some space between herself and the Latios, but his voice rang in the very air and made her freeze.

"Stop right there, I'm not done with you."

Riptide's gonna kill me. Or he'll try to, anyway.

The amber gaze settled back over her, an unpleasant chill settled at the base of her spine and making its slow ascent upwards to the back of her skull.

"Why are you here in this city?"

Nothing like the unblinking stare of an avian dragon-creature to fray the nerves, was there? Lupin felt the words were there and she groped for them mentally, trying to place them letter by letter onto her tongue, but it wouldn't move. She found the words stuck unpleasantly in the back of her throat. She never felt this before, had never felt this…unnerved. Not when she had faced down a murderous Onix or nest full of venomous Spinarak and their queen Ariados, nor when she had to come face-to-face with ravenous Aerodactyl or the valley filled with Charizard. None of that had really fazed her, not truly, but to be stared down at like she was a misbehaving child by a pokémon that wasn't even a third of most of the others' sizes?

She eventually dropped her gaze and snapped her mouth shut, ears splaying back against her head.

"I…I'm looking for someone," she finally settled on. She had to fight to urge to flinch when another hot gust of breath poured across her head.

"She is! Duke, she is. She's…she has amnesia."

The ominous presence hovering over her withdrew just a smidgeon and she sensed rather than saw Duke turn to face Evie again.

"Amnesia? Evie, have you been spying on human television again? Really, little sister, what kind of story is that—"

"You're both psychic-types, aren't you?" Lupin blurted without realizing, snapping her head up. Duke side-eyed her for a moment, considering.

"Dual-types. Psychic and dragon-types." His eyes narrowed. "Why?"

"I had a Gardevoir try to rattle things around a few months ago—a medically-licensed and practicing psychic partner to a physician from Cherrygrove. She told me there was…a kind of block in my head that's preventing me from recalling my memories from before I was found in New Bark Town. It's the amnesia, she told me. Professor Elm, he was the one who found me and referred me to the physician and her Gardevoir, although they couldn't do anything for me."

"To the point. And quickly. What little patience I had momentarily found is waning quickly."

"Look—look into my head, if you can. I'm not lying. And neither is Evie." Lupin flicked a scant look at the Latias, fluttering behind her brother, looking worried and grateful and hopeful all rolled into one. Lupin settled her gaze back on Duke, who finally rested his hindquarters on the ground. Even when he was lowered, he still towered easily above Lupin. Duke canted his head to the side, peering at her through one eye and then the other, long neck snaking slowly back and forth.

"Fine. If I find an ounce of truth to your words, I won't blast you back to wherever it was you truly came from. I make no promises for our father, however." He snorted. "Brace yourself."

His last was the only warning she got before she felt something white hot suddenly lurch into her head. Her skull was splitting from the invasive entity trying to worm its way into her mind. Belatedly, she realized it was Duke's consciousness raking along her own. He'd dragged her down and she wasn't sure if she was awake or if she had gone completely internal. Everything hurt too much to try and discern the one from the other.

'Stop resisting me. If you relax, it'll go easier for you.'

The voice was authoritative and firm, but brooked no room for argument. The presence pushed again, a little gentler this time, but no less demanding. It kept prodding and pushing around, occasionally forcing its way into certain areas. It took her a long while to realize the Latios was rummaging through her memories. A surge of panic gave her a burst of energy, but only just enough for her to throw out her concern in the general direction of Duke's searching presence.

Hey…hey, get out of those—you don't need to see those—

'If I don't, how will I know you're telling me the truth?' He sounded matter-of-fact when he answered. There was no trace of smugness of any kind. She had almost expected it, but he was rather cordial in his inquiry. She didn't have much of an answer for Duke. He kept pushing past the memories. Some he lingered on, like the incident with the Spinarak and the Ariados, and her fleeing toward the nearest town to save Riptide's life. Others, he barely skimmed over, perhaps deeming them trivial and unimportant. Halfway through, she felt another manifestation, gentler and calmer than the devastating presence that was Duke's.

'Shhhh. Easy, easy. You're wasting too much energy trying to push him out of places. I know it hurts, but he's almost done.'

Evie…?

Evie didn't answer. She only remained there, a feeling of worry fluttering about at the back of Lupin's conciousness, but also faint hope and reassurance. She began keeping Lupin shielded for the most part from the rougher portions of intrusion. It was easier to bear with the Latias's help. After a time, Evie spoke up.

'He's reached that block you were talking about. It's…so big, so…bare. It's just this…emptiness staring back, like there's nothing else there. You really don't know who you are, do you?'

There was a hint of pity in Evie's tone. Lupin could practically hear the 'I'm sorry' in her voice.

She could feel both the Eon Twins' presence hunkered down in her mind; Evie's calm and soothing company mostly shielded her from her brother's rougher, more stringent one. It gave her some relief to recover from, if only briefly.

Duke prodded further, and at first, Lupin didn't quite feel it. Even when Evie had stepped in, she had felt the pressure of his digging, like barbs latching onto her and refusing to let go no matter what. In fact, now it felt like it was almost as though he was barely poking her skin, it was so subtle she barely felt it.

It all went to hell when agony erupted all over her body and a leering, red furred and mismatched gaze came into view until it was the only thing she could see. One yellow eye and the other a dead blind eye stared back at her, and both burned with hateful contempt as they regarded her. They were set into a massive, feral face with a leering muzzle peeled back into a hideous snarling mockery of a smile. The left half of the face had burn scars covering it, slick and pale, sickly-looking flesh that just looked out of place against the canine face. The burnt scar tissue surrounded the blind, milky eye, giving the imposing figure an ominous, dreadful look. But the healthy eye, it was looking straight at her, burning with sallow hatred so profuse, it made her stomach sour and bile began to build in the back of her throat.

"Hello, Curltail."

The words worked past the black lips and the gleaming pale fangs that poked out of the furry muzzle with practiced ease. They were so simple, so casual, and yet they were filled with such derision for her. Two simple words had sent a bolt of icy fear right into her heart and they made her want to turn tail and run. It filled her with a horrid feeling of dread, worse than she's ever remembered feeling.

The face was only there and then it suddenly gone in a flash, but it was enough to be burned into her, as though she had stared at that hate-filled face for hours on end, not seconds. And everything was in absolute agony, from her back and belly to her shoulders and wrists, her thigh and ankle, even her skull felt as though it was being ripped apart, torn asunder by dense, cleaving talons—

He tore me up, I don't know how I know, but he had something to do with it, he tore me apart, that's what it is, it's my body remembering how badly he hurt me—

"WAKE UP!"

Lupin gasped, heaving breaths like she'd been underwater for too long and at the same time, felt as though someone had dumped glacial water over her head. The shock gave her stilted, poor pieced-together images as she tried to work through it all, including the pain that riddled her body now. It took her a long minute to realize she was on her back, soaked in sweat and it was nearly night time. A grey dusk had fallen over the garden sanctuary, blanketing everything in deep shadows. She couldn't quite see the sky past the arching arms of the trees above. What she could see of the sky, she saw it had turned a deep, bruised royal purple, and even that was fading quickly to dark blues and blacks speckled with pinpricks of winking silver and white.

Lupin focused on the sky, was vaguely aware of the sounds of the soft breeze still playing softly between leaves and branches, and skirling across the little pond's watery surface. Evie's face came hovering into view, her avian face saturated with perpetual worry. A clawed appendage hesitantly rested on her arm, a small token of comfort.

"You wouldn't stop screaming. I thought people were going to find us. They almost did. We had to move you."

"Wh-where…?"

"We're still in the garden. Duke left to derail their search, but…" Evie faltered, looking away. "You kept crying for help. You were in so much pain. Whatever he unearthed from that block in your mind, it was…terrible. So much fear and pain, I almost felt like it was me who was being hurt. What was that horrible thing? It's no pokémon I've ever encountered before."

Evie fixed Lupin with a remorseful look. A pitying look. Lupin hated being stared at like that.

She rolled laboriously onto her side to block the Latias from view, groaning heavily and breathing hard. Her heart was hammering away against her ribcage like a fluttering little bird desperate to break free. Her head was throbbing, hurting just as badly as everything else, but her body was finally beginning to fade in the pain department. Slowly, she pushed herself up into a sitting position, gaining some control of her breathing now into a steadier, calmer rhythm. She almost flinched away when she felt a paw on her shoulder.

Lupin turned to find Evie fidgeting, backing away and not quite meeting Lupin's eyes at first. A small veil of guilt fell over her and Lupin exhaled slow and steady.

"I don't know what any of that was." The fear was familiar though. Lupin pulled her legs up closer to her chest, arms curling around them. "I think I might have been having nightmares about whatever that thing was."

Evie hovered closer over the werewolf's shoulder, resting her head against it. Lupin reached up and ran a hand over Evie's head out of reflex. The Latias trilled softly. They stayed as such for a few quiet minutes, listening to the low hum of the city, just barely peeking into the garden's serene quietness. Evie perked after a while, twitching from Lupin's hand.

"Duke's back," she said seconds before the Latios came diving into view. He drifted past a copse of trees, swerving his streamlined body over toward them.

"We're safe for now. They didn't find this place," he said in way of greeting, addressing his sister first. He turned his amber gaze on Lupin, but said nothing for a long time. Lupin resisted the urge to fidget under the unnerving gaze, once more feeling as though she was being scrutinized with great prejudice.

"I believe it's time you left this place." He said at last, his tone soft and solemn.

Lupin took in a breath, unsure if she should be relieved or not. She pushed herself up to her feet, finding herself surprisingly steady and was grateful for it. The ache in her very bones had dulled to almost nothing now.

"I think that'd probably be a good idea. I'll just head back to my hotel and—"

"I meant Alto Mare." Duke interrupted quickly, still pinning her with that unnerving stare.

"Duke!"

"Evie. Whatever she is involved in, I don't want any part in it. I don't want you having a part in it. And I don't want our city in any more danger than it already is."

Lupin opened her mouth, words on the tip of her tongue and ready to be launched at the Latios, but then she thought better of it. She closed her mouth and only nodded.

"I don't want to put you two in any danger either. Or this place. I don't even know what that thing was." She glanced over at Evie, taking in her anxious look and tense body language. The Latias had grown quiet. "I'm sorry. I'll leave in the morning."

This seemed to appease Duke. He gave her a nod and turned, giving the werewolf way to take her leave. "I normally dislike the use of the word, but you're…different. I wish that we had met under better circumstances. I mean that."

He sounded incredibly sincere when he said that. It took Lupin by mild surprise and she stared at him a few moments longer than she intended. He snorted at her.

"Go. If I find you here by evenfall tomorrow, you won't like the consequences." His amber eyes narrowed to mere slits. "I'll be watching to make sure you don't stay. Understand?"

"Got it. I got it. Ease up," Lupin replied, motioning with her hands for him to calm down. Evie gave a depressing trill off to the side. Duke lifted his gaze away from Lupin and back towards his sister. For a long time, he stared at her, and Lupin could practically see the gears working in his head.

"Evie. Make sure she makes it to the hotel she is staying at."

The Latias perked, the tufts of feathers adorning her head pricking upwards in delight. Her golden eyes shined happily at the suggestion and she rushed forward, bumping her neck and head against Duke's.

"Thank you, thank you! Thank you, Duke!" She trilled. Duke rumbled back, nudging her once.

"Don't take too long," he warned as she pulled away to circle around Lupin. Evie pressed against Lupin's backside. A small part of Lupin was grateful for the support. She was exhausted and while she wanted to sleep, she was also afraid of what awaited her when she closed her eyes.

Duke watched carefully as Lupin turned and clambered onto Evie's back, her movements slow and lethargic. Evie thrummed with energy beneath the werewolf. She tilted her head back, peering at Lupin with renewed vibrancy.

"Are you ready?"

"Go slow, please. I'm feeling woozy, Evie."

"Of course." The Latias nodded, rising a little higher into the sky with a pump of her wings. They pushed past the trees, rising above the topmost branches quickly. Duke watched from below, rising slowly to follow them until he perched upon the tops of the trees as Evie rose higher into the sky until she launched away and out of sight of her brother. Duke crooned softly as he watched his sister take off, resisting the urge to follow them.

Instead, he turned away and glided across the garden toward the pond, coming to rest by the water's edge. Evie could handle the little woman well enough. She wasn't a threat. Not when intentionally threatened, that is. But whatever it was she has forgotten, what little he managed to unearth before everything within her shoved him out—she was terrified of it, right to her core.

He simply hoped whatever that red-furred beast was, it wasn't tracking her down.

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