The next 12 hours were ... long. I can't rightly describe how much time was spent just getting used to seeing and feeling the thoughts and emotions of not only Aria... but everyone around us. Who's was who's? What was the context? How many was I seeing? All of these, I couldn't rightly tell you.

There were a few thoughts that asked questions. {What the heck is wrong with these humans? I have something they want or something?} {Can't we just all go? There has to be one of use that took what they want... Right?} {Hee hee! I wonder when it's my turn!} I got mixed feelings from them.

Another few went, {These guys sound like a bunch of idiots! Nothing they say makes sense!} {I just wanna take each of these humans, stand them up in a line and throw a fist up each of their *****!} {Not even giving us anything good in here. I thought humans loved taking care of their pets. Arceus knows, that's what they think we are.} Every time I saw something like that, I tried to turn it out, because it almost burned me to feel.

Some just kept on saying that same thing all of us probably wanted. {I want to go home!} {I just want to see my family again...} {When do they let us out, already?!} {I'm sick of this cell!} That sort of thing made me feel their cold and choked sadness. It was probably the worst sort.

I even heard some human thoughts. {When is this gonna end? Feels like forever since I've stepped into the sun.} {If only we had proper quarters. Do working conditions have to be so strained?} {And that's five cups in one day. Yeah. I need a break.} ... A bunch of nonsense. All it did was make me curl into myself tighter.

...Then came one that got me. {As long as my daughter is fine, then that's all that matters...} It was calm and gentle... Warm... I gasped, my eyes flying open and gazing around at the walls of the metal room around me as well as a resting Aria. It was mom, but that wasn't clear to me until something... unexpected happened. She talked directly to me. {Ah... Oh, I'm so happy for you, dear! You've finally begun to truly unlock your power! Ah, but, I... Can you speak to me? I need to know that you're safe...}

I stood up in a hurry and smiled as big as I'd ever smiled all throughout that experience. "Mom?! I... Uhm... Wait.." I tried my best to focus my thoughts, shutting my eyes and holding my temples. If I could just focus on a thought directed at her, maybe she'd see it. {Mom! That's you, right?! I-I'm okay! I'm here! Where are you?!}

She responded. {Oh, baby! Thank goodness you're safe and sound! I-... Well, I guess I can't really tell you where I am, exactly. I'm sure you know what the inside of one of these cells looks like...}

I opened my eyes just to think the thoughts as quickly as one could, looking around with an out-of-place smile glued to my face. {Cold, dark, sometimes noisy and always bland? Yeah. I think I got that pretty loud and clear the first time I woke up here. In other words, this place SUCKS!}

{Hehe! Now dear, we don't think that sort of thing... But yes. This place does indeed need quite a few things. It's food is atrocious, at least as I find it. Is it the same for you and your dreaming friend there?}

I blinked a bit, having totally forgotten about Aria for a moment, there. I looked over at her and chuckled, spotting her curled into herself a few feet away from me and muttering in her sleep... Something about "no more berries for today", ironically.

I cocked a brow and chuckled under my breath and walked over to her, softly as I could. Crouching down over her, I spoke out loud. "Yeah, the food's been pre- Oh." I stopped and swat myself in the face before I touched a temple and thought instead. Thankfully, Aria hadn't woken up. She just tossed a bit. {Yup. The food here is just as awful. So awful that I think Aria's having a better time eating the berries she's talking about in her... sleep...} A thought occurred to me as my expression blankened. I couldn't see Aria's thoughts... {Huh... Actually, I wouldn't have known that if she hadn't been sleep talking... Why can I see everyone else's thoughts, but not her's? Is it just because she's asleep?}

{Hmm... Yes, I thought as much. You haven't advanced your abilities enough to see into dreams. You also haven't been able to tell that I have been trying to mentally hug you this entire time!}

That made my eyes bug while a goofy grin grew over my face. I began to sweat and blush over the thought... {W-wait... really? S-so ah... that's a weird thought to imagine. Uuuh...}

{Hee~. Well, it's true! What kind of mother doesn't want to hug their daughter in the very least after something so traumatic? Not one that I'd care to ever meet, that's for certain.}

I sighed heavily while my hand rubbed at my forehead. This could have been what Aria meant by me never escaping the mush. Still, I eventually smile and thought back. {At least, this power is now more of a blessing, but... do I really have to see everyone's thoughts? All the time?}

{That would get annoying, wouldn't it? No. It will calm down as you learn to focus your newly strengthened mind. Focus is the key to much of our kind's power. Focus gives rise to our greatest defenses and attacks. If you lost this, however, you'd only be hurting yourself. Have you realized that your mind immediately focused in on my thoughts because you felt I was familiar?}

I nodded my head. {Yeah. It was really easy to pick you out for some reason, after I realized you thought like how I always remembered you sounding.}

{It won't always be that easy. You have to learn to naturally shrink your attention down to the wanted range you desire. More specifically, you need to learn how to aim your attention. If you don't learn to concentrate in on what you want to hear, this current predicament won't change in the least, or will worsen when your mind's strength begins to increase and take in even more than the simple words on someone's mind. With my level of strength, I could tell you exactly what ... Aria, was it? I could tell you what she was dreaming, thinking and even her whole history. I can even do this, though I hope she won't mind it...}

Cocking my brow, I had no idea what she would do. A moment later, Aria twitched beneath me, then stirred over onto her back, making me gasp and jump up, backing away!

She climbed up onto her "feet" and stood there with her back to me for a while... Then, she turned to me and opened her eyes, though they looked a little different... not in shape or anything, just... They held a calmness. She grinned a little with a hand on her hip. "And this is called mind control. It's me, dear. It's Mommy."

I just stood there, gawking at Aria... or Mom, really, unable to believe this.

The controlled body of Aria was indistinguishable to the real, uncontrolled thing, aside from mannerisms and such. If she hadn't told me, I would never have known Mom had taken control. looking over the meloetta's body, she giggled a little. "Not bad at all. I suppose I could allow this, assuming she truly-"

I cut her off by hugging her tight. My body suddenly acted on it's own while I was still processing this, but I guess it was pretty clear why it did that. I missed my mother and even if this was Aria's body, that it was any measure of my mother, I was over the hill AND mountain. I didn't cry or anything, but my eyes were definitely wet like they wanted to, even as I stood there, smiling.

My mother smiled right back through Aria while she wrapped her arms around me and caressed my back. "I missed you, dear. I hope you were doing at least relatively well without me."

"I was... surviving." I pulled back from her and stood there, looking into Aria's eyes with big smile. "Aria really helped. I wouldn't have been anywhere near this okay without her. That she can talk to humans could have helped a bit, too. I've been really lucky to have her around."

With this furrow in her brows and the tilt of her head, she smirked nervously. "I almost wish that I could have had your luck. The room I'm in has these noisy types all around me. Placing myself within Aria has been relieving in that way, I suppose."

That prompted a question in my mind as I blinked... She could control Aria, so...

I raised a hand and asked, "Hey. If you can control pokemon like Aria, couldn't you take control of-"

"A human and use them to open the doors to our cells?"

I blinked, obviously surprised, but nodded.

Mom made Aria shake her head as she grinned with furrowed brows. "No. I have tried, already and it appears that human minds are not quite same enough for my mind to control their's. And since I can't use my psychic to simply make one of them open the doors because that the rooms are always set to attack us when we try to use moves, this is the extent of all I can do. And they don't even have pokemon on their persons for me to control outside of these cells, so even that was planned for. Sad, isn't it?"

Well, that's where that idea ended. I huffed and stomped the floor, folding my arms and shaking my head. "This is so stupid. These humans are too good."

"They have been at this for years, so they've probably planned for every single failure we could exploit, to a fault of which I've been unable to ascertain." She shook her head and grinned. "Enough of that, for now. We WILL figure something out. We simply need pay attention to everything we can. But for now, be at ease."

It took me a while to fully accept that and NOT want to bang my head against a wall in frustration, but eventually my head nodded and my mouth opened to sigh... I turned back to her with a small groan. "If you say so. I just wish I could see YOU again... and not just you talking through Aria.

The sad grin on her face said that she agreed. She then went blank while she took a hand of aria's and held it atop her head, sliding it from there and over my own and letting it hover a few inches above me while she giggled to herself and smiled. "Well. back to the previous subject, it seems that I have indeed escaped my noisy cell for a while, but in doing so, I've inadvertently lost a great deal of my size. I haven't been this small in twenty-seven years."

With a scrunched pout, I huffed and swat the hand lightly away from being above my head. "Yeah, yeah. You're STILL taller than me. Try being the runt. I'm always the smallest out of anyone."

Blinking at my attitude, she then covered her mouth to stifle a giggle. "My, but haven't I told you? I WAS the runt when I was your age."

I rolled my eyes at the claim and turned from her, folding my arms while I boredly stared into the wall. "Yeah, sure, that old parent cliché. You mean to tell me that you, a mega gardevoir among gardevoir, used to be a shin high pipsqueak to your mom and were even smaller than a normal ralts should be?"

"... Would it truly be so unbelievable?"

Hearing my friend speak in the very same tone as ever made it so hard to remember it was my mom talking through her and I just ended up blurting out, "Aria, I'm talking about mom, not you. I can believe you might have be-"

"It's still me, dear..."

My cheeks suddenly burned red while my eyes flew wide. I turned around and cleared my throat as if it were dry. "Y-yeah... wh-whatever! Point stands! How the heck can a foot tall nothing like me grow into a six foot seven inch giant ANYTHING?"

And that little moody statement brought on a glare I wasn't used to. Mom only got mad when we REALLY messed up, but that felt personal. "You are NOT a nothing!"

I shook from the loud, rough tone of my mother using Aria's voice, which was even worse than her own voice since it reached such a high tone... I stared at her as if I had been stuck, frowning. "I-I'm sorry...T-that's n-not what I meant to say..."

Aria's face eventually fell from the glare and frowned while she clasped her hands together and sighed. "I'm sorry, dear... That just slipped out. But... please. You are not a nothing of any kind. You are my precious Ralina. My little girl, whom I love more than even myself. I feel the same for your sister. I'd never want either of you to tear yourselves apart with self-hate."

My head turned down to the floor and nodded. "...I know. And... I'm sorry I didn't believe you. I think I do, now..."

With that said, She could only grin a little and chuckle. "Think, dear? I believe you meant to say, "know." But, I am glad." She looked straight at me after that, reaching out and placing a hand beneath my "chin" as she lifted my head up so that I was looking at her while I went blank. She smiled honestly. "I believe you will grow up to be something far more than I ever will be, but you must remember that I love you and will ALWAYS love you, no matter who you choose to be. Have faith in yourself and never let anyone, human or pokemon of any kind, tell you differently. Okay?"

I swallowed a little, before giving a nod and grinning wide. "Yeah... And.. I love you, too, mom... You're always gonna be the one I idolize, though..."

Aria opened her mouth to speak as my mother wished, but then closed it and smiled widely while a hand went to her cheek, feeling it warm as blush turned both red. "Yes. Well... You truly know how to make a woman feel like she's truly right... I'd kiss you, but Aria might... ... ..." She blinked for a minute with this deeply thoughtful look in her eyes, before shaking her head. "She can handle it, I think." And with that, Aria... No. Mom leaned into my cheek and gave it an honest kiss as she hugged me tight, one last time...

I just stood there and wrapped my arms around her once more, standing with her and maybe even holding my breath for a minute.

After this long, stagnant moment of embrace... she pulled away and gave me one last, wide smile.

I smiled right back and felt like I was expected to wave, so I did, half of me wishing that we could just keep talking for a while like this... But it was Aria's body.

Speaking of whom, Aria's eyes shot wide as she shuddered violently and gasped deeply, then blinked in a flurry.

I chuckled a bit and smirked a little half-heartedly. In a hushed tone, I spoke. "Had a nice nap?"

Her eyes spent a while blinking at me. Then she smiled a little as a slight pinkness remained in her cheeks from before. "Y'know, you have a pretty cool mom." She cocked her brow right after saying that, though. "But next time, I wanna meet her... differently. That was a little scary."

I could feel the sweat roll my cheek from my forehead as I gave her a nervous grin. "It wasn't my idea, but I can't say I regret it."

{Hope not. Because my head is starting to hurt.} Aria's thoughts as she was rubbing her forehead, even with that smile still on her face. I still can't do what my mom did, so I have no idea if that was just an aftereffect of mind control or if it was because we had been in that stupid cell for too long without actual light or clean air. Arceus knew that place didn't smell quite right.

I suddenly felt like my eyes were unusually heavy at that moment. I brushed my hair aside and rubbed at my closed lips, groaning. "I think I'm just gonna have to break down and get to sleep. I was awake the entire time you were out."

The meloetta lifted her head from her hand and nodded. "Fair enough. I get to sleep, you get to sleep. So, I'll watch the room while you do, wake you up if someone comes in..." {Was gonna say knocking, but yeah right. This place ain't civilized.}

I giggled wearily as I sat down where I was, grinning a little. "Yeah. Knocking is kinda not their thing. I guess they're too stupid."

...What? I'm gonna say what I feel. If you don't like my honesty, that isn't my problem. Besides, I'm not insulting you. I'm insulting them... ... ... Well, so far, I think you're fine... I'm still skeptical, considering. However, we're way off topic.

It made Aria laugh, then erk when she realized that what I responded to wasn't what she said aloud. Her laugh grew dry and low as she smiled in an exaggerated way, holding the back of her head. "Ehe... Take it easy on my brain, Ralina. I'm still a little fried from the whole... uh... you know..." {...Please? I'm still not totally used to all the mind reading and stuff.}

With a conceding sigh, I laid on my side to the cold floor, the chill immediately running through me with a shiver. "Fine~. I was mostly doing it to keep all the other people I was reading before out of my head..." I peeked an eye over at her as she came to sit down next to me. "I... hope you don't mind, but I'm going to focus on your thoughts, if I can help it, at least until I can completely turn it on and off at will."

A blank nod later, my friend spoke. "I get it. I can only imagine we're doing the best out of everyone in here purely because we got lucky to get paired with each other."

My face fell with a blank frown as I closed my eyes. "... You have no idea. And I'm glad you don't. Knowing sucks. And I had to listen to that for a full twelve hours until mom told me focusing on one would essentially mute the others."

"Well, I'll talk to you for as long as you want me to. Heck, I'll think talk you till you fall asleep, if that's what you want." {Because what are friends for, right?}

That made me smile. "... Yeah. We are friends. And... Yes, I would like that. Thinking usually puts me to sleep. Not as much as daydreaming does, but it's essentially one step below. And if only we could share daydreams."

{Phew, that would be nuts." I think she said that one both aloud and in her head, because I both read it and heard it.

I peeked an eye open and brushed my hair out of the way. "What? My daydreams are cool."

Aria smirked down at me and hummed. "Yeah, I don't know that, yet. Plus, I probably dream about different stuff, so I'd probably have a different opinion." {Unless it's a-} She seemed to go stiff as she erked and puffed out her cheeks. They turned red. {Nope, nope nope. I'm not letting you in on that one- go away bad thoughts.}

I blinked at her as my brow slowly raised... "What? It can't be that bad. If it makes you feel better, I dream about being a super powerful Gardevoir like my mom, but I don't think she can jump from mountain to mountain with the ability to cancel gravity."

Only her eyes meet my gaze as she keeps her breath held. {Okay, that's kinda cool, but seriously. Let's think about something else. Mine is weirder. Trust me.}

We took a while just staring at each other... before my curiosity subsided and I gave up, shrugging as I brushed my hair back over my eye. "Okay then, but I doubt it's worse than when my sister dreamt of being a trainer in love with one of their own pokemon."

That puff of air she sucked in finally found a way out when she started laughing and holding her stomach before falling over and kicking about! "A wha-hahahahaha! Ooohohohoo NO!" Did she really? Weeeell...

A wide smile stretch across my face. "YES. She did. And she made the mistake of telling ME."

It took a while longer after that for me to wind down and relax, but eventually reading Aria's thoughts simply made me tired. I fell asleep before the hour was up.

I can't remember what I was even dreaming of, then. It's vague at best, but I get the feeling that it had something to do with that dream I had of playing tag with mom and Kimmy again. Why would I dream the same thing twice? I don't know. Maybe I was homesick...