College and life have been keeping me so preoccupied. In the recent months, I've only had time to draw, unwind, or think about writing TST before reminding myself that I have to complete my other story first. But as I was finishing an essay for college, I was struck with an insatiable craving to write TST. I probably won't be able to crank out weekly updates until May, so hopefully this can hold you over!

Enjoy.

Chapter 84
Even Ground

In the mountainous part of Johto, a colony of cobalt-roofed cabins thrived near the formidable Mt. Silver. This town was Blackthorn City. With strong wild Pokémon, rough terrain, and an exclusive Gym, it was inhabited by Johto's most hardy of Trainers. Safe roads to and from the city didn't exist. One either scaled mountainsides or traversed the cold, dark caves snaking through them.

A pair of travelers bustled out of Ice Path on the eastern end of the city, kicking up snow. Marina made a ruckus as she, Kenta, and her Pokémon rushed away from the murky blackness.

"Psybeam!" she shouted, clinging to Kenta with one arm and blindly directing anywhere else with the other. She came to an abrupt stop as Kenta planted his feet to the ground.

"Wait!" he reasoned with her. "Marina, we're out of the cave now."

She had already turned around to look at him. She blinked, realizing belatedly that the bright sunlight now dwarfed the flashlight in Kenta's hand. Her shoulders relaxed. "O-Oh. Already?" The girl loosened her grip on him and pumped a fist in the air. "Yes! We made it!"

He sent her a sympathetic grin and stowed away his flashlight.

"Let's go to the Pokémon Center. Your Espeon probably needs some rest after all that." They looked down at their feet, where Prince stood elegantly. His paws were damp with frost, but not a scratch sullied his fur. He looked up at Kenta with an expectant, ready stare. "…Or maybe not."

"Prince was just perfect for Zubat duty once we ran out of Repel," Marina said. She smiled in Kenta's direction before bending down to pick up the fox, nuzzling him. "Thank you so much, Prince. You're a lifesaver!"

"Eif!" he barked and nuzzled back lovingly.

The three strolled into town. Clouds passed overhead, a consistent wind pulling them along. The Pokémon Center's modern exterior was easy to find amongst the dark log cabins surrounding it.

"That said, you didn't have to take down every bat we saw," Kenta said as they walked through the automatic doors.

"I'd freak out if any of them got near me. Last time that happened, I got separated from Jackson."

"When was that?"

"It was the cave with….um, next to Azalea Town." Marina frowned slightly at the memory. "Jackson and I met up for a little bit, and he insisted on going through it. But as soon as we got in there, Zubat swarmed us and everything. It was horrible!"

"Oh, that one. Union Cave, I think."

"Yup, I think so. I ended up getting completely lost until I met Bugsy—. Oh."

"Hm?" He turned to her curiously. She eased his concern with a wave of her hand.

"But let's heal our Pokémon first!"

She bounded up to the counter, letting Prince leap on top of it. Kenta stood in patient thought while waiting his turn. When both of their teams were properly taken in for a check-up, they settled down in the lobby. She leaned back against the wall, getting some much-needed relaxation, and he copied her as they took in the warm air of the Pokémon Center.

Ice Path had put Marina in no mood for conversation; she was focused on and stressed out about battling any winged creatures that went near them. Now, they could continue the talk they had started on Route 44. With time to wind down from the Raikou "fiasco", Kenta had the few days he needed to think.

"So, Kenta, how many badges do you have?" Marina said out of the blue before he could form his words. He leaned away just as much as she leaned in to ask her question.

"I-I've got five," he answered.

"What? Five? What are you missing?"

"Ecruteak and Olivine City. Jasmine's Steelix was giving my team a lot of trouble, especially. The Trainers here will probably participate in the Johto Tournament this summer, so I wanted to train and scout out the competition."

"Oh wow. That's a good idea!" Marina leaned back. "Hmm. You know, if it weren't for Lyra, I don't think I would've beat Jasmine on my first shot—or even second shot."

"Lyra?" Kenta raised his eyebrows.

She looked down and touched her empty belt out of habit. "My Lapras. I'm giving her a nickname so we can bond more."

"Ah." He slowly breathed out, staring ahead.

The Pokémon Trainers that passed by glanced at them—curious and evaluative, as if eyeing them up—before continuing to the front desk. Out of everyone in the lobby, the two almost eleven-year-olds were the youngest. And the badges on Marina's collar sent a message that she was more than a first impression would suggest.

"Could you tell me everything from the beginning?" he asked. He turned back to her with a gentle look. "I mean, starting with the Ruins of Alph, if you're okay with that."

A half-grin tugged at the corner of her mouth. "I guess so. I don't really remember what I told you, to be honest."

"Yeah. You were talking so fast I couldn't get all of it. So…What exactly happened?"

They stared at one another until Marina closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and discussed the tale for the third time that month. It was easier for her than she expected. The more details she could muster, the more the experience turned into a series of events rather than a blur of danger and panic.

In late October, Marina had looked into the Ruins of Alph because of a rumor about a Pokémon appearing in one of the lakes. The lake grew foggy one night, and she was dragged into the water. Her Lapras had tossed her into the lake when she lost consciousness. All she could remember was feeling lightheaded and seeing Unown and Lapras. She heard talking, but she couldn't discern where it was coming from.

"I recognized you when you called out to me," she said. Her eyes darted around at anyone nearby, and she scooted closer to Kenta with a hesitant look. She continued to whisper. "But my arms moved on their own; that's when I realized I couldn't control myself. There was a light in my hand—a sword, I think—and then there was a gust of wind. All I could really think was just, 'stop!'…and I guess the Unown finally listened to me.

"But I ran. I'm sorry."

"It's okay," he assured. His hands were restless for a moment, but he glanced away nervously, clearing his throat. Marina noticed this and leaned back a bit. They didn't want to make their discreet behavior draw more attention.

"Aura was trying to save me, but something went wrong," she said. "I was told that Aura probably lost control over the Unown because I was so terrified."

He nodded. "Since Lapras was gone, I guess all there was left to focus on was me."

"Guess it's still my fault then." Marina managed a giggle, but her self-deprecating smile held more weight.

"It's not. Don't blame yourself. You had no idea what was going on."

"…I really didn't. But when I was in Mahogany Town, I got help from one of Chris's acquaintances who knew about Aura."

"Who?"

"Her name's Cilice. She works with Pryce as an assistant Gym Leader."

"Oh, her?" Kenta let his jaw drop. "I had to battle her to get my Glacier Badge. She had those fake wings, right?"

Marina nodded with returning enthusiasm. "Yeah! After all that happened, I sent a letter to Chris and he went and talked to her about it. So she knew everything by the time I met her. It was really surprising."

"What'd your brother say about it?"

"He believed me, but he never responded to my second letter. He also told me to stop being such a trouble magnet."

Kenta released a soft laugh.

"I can't help it," she said, "It just happens.

"Anyway, you talked to Bugsy, right? What'd he say about Aura?"

"Well…" He covered his mouth with his hand for a brief time. When he slipped back out of his thoughts, his wandering gaze settled on her. "It's pretty similar to what Kudou said the other day. I didn't know about her being able to control the Unown, though.

"But Bugsy told me that there were two girls: Aura and Maya, and neither of them were from Johto."

Marina made a breathless gasp. "What'd he say about Maya? Cilice didn't know much about her. She just said she was gentle and people didn't believe she existed."

"He said that too. Maya was younger than Aura, but she suffered from some kind of sickness or curse. She was also friends with a Pokémon that people were terrified of for some reason. Aura hid them away to take care of them, which probably explains why people doubt their existence."

"A frightening Pokémon? Huh… What was it?"

"I don't know," his brow furrowed as he looked at the floor, "But on the day the Brass Tower burned down, over a century ago, that Pokémon went on a violent rampage. It, Aura, and Maya all disappeared after that."

"Disappeared?"

"Yeah. I have no idea what made that Pokémon freak out; maybe the fire scared it."

Marina smiled. She reached into her backpack, pulling out her little orange notebook. The clasp sealing it popped open, and she flipped through its first pages.

I started having weird dreams with Maya after Deoxys gave me this black choker, she reflected. Is it the same one Maya knew in the legend? It has to be. Even Cilice was scared of it.

Still, what did Deoxys want me to do? How do I help Maya?

Considering she hadn't had a dream involving the mute girl in months, it'd be difficult to get any answers from the possible source. There was that brief, panicked moment in the Mahogany Gym where the choker tightened—Marina remembered this well.

Next time it happens, I'll try to talk to her. She gripped the journal, moving to touch her turtleneck. And I'll apologize for yelling at her before.

"You alright?"

"Oh!" She looked up at Kenta. "Mm-hm, I've got a lot of things written down here so I was just taking a look at it."

His expression brightened a bit. He looked down at the book, but Marina snatched it up, hiding it defensively beside her cheek.

"Wh-What?"

"It's my diary; you can't read it!"

"But didn't you show it to me before? You know, with the Lance stickers?"

Marina opened her mouth, closed it, and then suppressed a laugh. "Yeah, but it's embarrassing."

Because I was so worried over what happened, she thought, that I wrote about you a lot…

"I won't look at it, then. What were you going to say?"

"Well," she perused the pages some more, "Just a couple things. Cilice said there are myths where legendary Pokémon give people special powers, too."

Kenta nodded. "Since Aura's story is the one with the most evidence, I guess, it's considered more of a legend than a myth."

"It sure feels real. Besides what happened in the Ruins of Alph, Suicune definitely talked to me. I mean…it was even more than that. Like I could feel Suicune was nearby." She closed her diary and fiddled with its edges. "…Aura could control the Unown. She created a fake Poké Ball that my Lapras—that Lyra was captured in. But the Unown just like to swarm around me and do whatever they want. I can't do it at all."

Kenta rested back, taking a deep breath in thought.

"Maybe it's better that way."

"Maybe," she agreed. "...We know Aura was there at the Ruins of Alph that night, but I'm pretty sure Maya was too. The first time I was in the ruins, the Unown spelled out the name 'Maya'."

"The Unown really are mysterious," Kenta replied. "Perhaps they still remember Aura and Maya in the past, and create illusions based on that?"

"…I guess that's always possible."

"Excuse me. Excuse me!"

The children jolted, having forgotten they were in a public place. They looked around. Behind the desk, Blackthorn City's Nurse Joy eyed them and pointed at the two trays on the counter.

"Kenta, Marina? Your Pokémon have been ready to be picked up for a while."

Marina jumped to her feet, and Kenta followed suit.

"Oh! Sorry!"

"We'll be right there!"

The two picked up their belongings and sprinted over to the counter. They thanked Joy, collecting their Pokémon and the card keys for their rooms. Once everything was in order, Kenta headed back toward the benches. Marina, however, wandered the other way. He turned when he noticed this.

"Hey, where are you going?"

Marina looked at him over her shoulder, glancing down at the one Poké Ball left in her hand. "I'm gonna use the PC, I think."

"Know how to do it?"

"It's been a while." She shrugged with a jovial grin. He grinned back and walked with her to the computers lined up near the healing counter. They sat down at the stools in front of each station.

"So put in your name and Trainer ID first," he told her.

"Alrighty. I remember this." She pulled out her Pokédex to obtain her Trainer ID, typing it into the computer. Once done, she pressed "Enter" and they waited for the network to verify her information.

"So what happened after that?"

"After 'that'?"

"You know…" He rested his elbow on the PC next to her, watching its screensaver. "After you ran away, I tried to chase you but I couldn't walk. Where did you go?"

"…Oh." Marina polished Amber's Poké Ball with her thumb. "I don't know where I was running to; the Unown kept following me. I heard Aura tell me to calm down, but how could I? I didn't know who it was at the time, so I shouted at her for hurting you."

Kenta nodded solemnly and pointed at the screen. He taught her how to switch Pokémon around in one command—instead of depositing and withdrawing individually like Marina had been doing. She took a moment to hold Amber's Poké Ball close, pressing her lips against it before placing it in the transporter.

"See you, Amber," she said. "Sorry, but I'll need as much firepower as I can get for the battles ahead. You'll have lots of fun at the lab, I guarantee it!"

Taking a breath, she confirmed the transaction. They watched as the bright red sphere vanished and was replaced by another.

"And welcome back, Kenya!" Marina then greeted. She grabbed the Poké Ball and clipped it to the empty space in her belt, smiling warmly. "Okay, I'm all good now. Where was I?"

"Um, you heard Aura talk to you." Kenta glanced around. Seeing no one had any interest in the PCs at the moment, they remained where they were.

"Okay. What happened after that was even weirder, believe it or not."

Curiosity arose in his eyes, as though wondering what could have been stranger than a ghost possessing a child and hundreds of Unown. But he appeared surprisingly unfazed when Marina revealed it.

"I ran into Bugsy."

Pause.

"Well, yeah. He told me he saw you right after I did," Kenta said.

"He did?" She gasped. "What'd he say about it?"

"Just…that you were scared, but yourself. That's all."

"That's all? You didn't ask him anything else?"

"I tried, but he…I couldn't find him after that. Like he vanished." Kenta appeared perplexed. "Into thin air…"

Marina stayed quiet for a moment. "…Latios."

"Huh?"

"He told me that his real name is Latios, not Bugsy. When I saw him, he was just standing there, holding all my things. My bag, my jacket, Amber when she was an egg…even though that stuff should've been right around where you were when you showed up."

When did he do that? Marina thought with a start. It didn't even occur to her until then. I mean, he did see me at the lake so I guess it makes sense.

"That name…" Kenta said. She looked at him, uncertain what he was referring to at first. A sharp feeling of unease formed in her chest, and she continued recounting her experience.

"I was all confused and everything, so he didn't explain to me what was going on."

"Marina, that name's familiar."

"But he knew, he definitely knew. He said he wasn't human, but a Pokémon disguising himself as a human. He called me Aura and talked about an island, but…then I passed out."

"But Marina," Kenta insisted, "That sounds exactly like—."

"I know," she interjected.

"—what we pretended to do when we were younger."

The Trainers shared a moment of silence, staring at each other in disbelief. Marina's eyes dropped to her lap, gripping her fidgety fingers.

"It happened, Kenta. That's what happened."

Kenta, too, looked away for a moment. He returned with the kind of frustration one got when trying to solve a riddle. "Couldn't it have been a part of the Unown's illusions? Aura, Suicune, an island full of Pokémon… You loved those kinds of things when you were younger. It's a weird coincidence, sure, but…"

She pursed her lips for a moment.

"But," Marina insisted. "How else could I have woken up in the Brass Tower's basement all the way in Ecruteak City?"

He looked surprised. "The Unown… could've easily done that. They're Psychic so they could've teleported you there."

"But why? If Latios hadn't dropped me there, then the Legendary Beasts would still be asleep." She grabbed the counter and whirled around, facing Kenta fully. "I figured it out; he did it on purpose. He knew I could wake them up. Morty told me that sightings of the Legendary Beasts stopped from when the tower burned down until the morning they met me—after I woke up Suicune, Entei, and Raikou. And Latios was there with me; I remember seeing him as a Pokémon. He was blue and white, and had soft feathers. I slept for like two days after that whole thing with the Unown, and he made sure I didn't freeze overnight.

"It's strange, but he had to have been there! He wasn't fake!"

Kenta was stunned into silence, and Marina refused to break their fretting eye contact. Her heart beat anxiously in her chest. She sat back into her seat, unaware that she had lunged forward in her heat of passion. The boy glanced around them in hopes that they didn't cause a scene.

She bowed her head, simpering. Memories of her childhood reeled in her head.

I forgot I even knew Latios' name, but Kenta remembered. I can't ignore it now. There's too much connecting all this to...what I used to believe. But it's all mixed together now. Marina closed her eyes. I don't know what was real and what was make-believe.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to shout," she quietly said. Kenta rubbed the back of his neck.

"No, it's okay. I'm sorry if you thought I wasn't taking you seriously. I am. But this is…"

"Unbelievable?"

"Well—." He sighed. "I didn't know that about the Legendary Beasts. You…woke them up?"

"Yeah. They looked like statues until I got near them. Morty said they really were sleeping when I asked about it. …I know that's pretty important too, but it never came up until now."

A gut-churning moment of discomfort passed. Kenta faced her with very little movement.

"Look, you can still be right. Bugsy did stand out. I remember people saying he was an imposter because he had red eyes instead of violet. And I met him before I visited the Ruins of Alph."

Marina nodded. "I did too. I had his PokéGear number, but it stopped working after…October."

The boy rested his chin in his hand again, thinking.

"We need to look this up. Maybe we can ask the real Bugsy to see if he knows anything. And we should ask our parents about it, too."

"What? Why?"

His navy-blue eyes shifted away. "My mother's a police officer, you know? She might know some things."

Marina tilted her head in confusion, which fell away when Kenta grinned earnestly.

"Whatever this ends up being, we'll follow through together, Marina. I won't go back on my word."

Her face appeared blank at first. He jolted when she reached out and grabbed his hand.

"Right!" Marina nodded vigorously, her bangs flipping into her eyes. "I'm sorry if I got a bit upset—everything is just so confusing and that's probably why Latios didn't tell me anything in the first place, but if I just give up I'll never figure it out and it'll bother me forever you know? It's all just so weird it's getting into my head!"

Kenta let out a shy laugh at her rambling. He adjusted his cap with a nervous touch. "Well we're friends, after all.

"Now let's go do something else, okay? I feel like my head's going to spin if we talk about this any longer."

"Yeah, same here," she giggled a bit. "But I feel a lot better. I think I'll go challenge the Gym!" Marina stood up triumphantly. As she turned to march outside, Kenta caught up with her wearing a questioning but amused look.

'Whatever this ends up being, we'll follow through'...Yeah, she cherished the thought. For now, time to get my last badge!

A/N: This went longer than expected (as usual). Essentially, this chapter serves as an accumulation of information. Marina and Kenta share their knowledge, and they come to realizations that'll affect future chapters. I hope it didn't turn out to be too boring.

See you in May!