Author's Note: The next five chapters are not directly related to the plot. Originally I mapped out Volo's life before Unova just so I would have years to say when humor called for it then I figured I may as well write it and it escaped me.

Kind of the theme of this fic is "the human mind isn't really meant to handle being alive forever because you see and experience a lot of fucked up things that just keep stacking on top of each other" so while these next few chapters aren't graphic, they may not be for everyone. I'm putting content warnings at the start of each chapter but it's okay if you skip these flashback chapters (the story resumes on chapter 11). I think you'll understand the story better if you read them but, since Emmet and Elesa don't get to read these chapters, anything important will be directly mentioned/explained when relevant.

CW: grief, Kalos War/Geosenge Town (Pokémon turned to stone), death, mention of starvation, war, suicidal ideation, fighting/violence, injury

Kalos War ~3,000 yrs B.P.

This was the earliest memory Volo had but he knew there were many, many more years of memory before this. This was just the first one that mattered.

Volo had been in a place that would come to be known as Geosenge town. He couldn't recall what he'd been doing there but he remembered the sight of dozens of Pokémon turning to stone around him and the panic he felt trying to get his own Pokémon away from it. Volo knew he'd be alright but he wasn't sure if Spiritomb would be and he knew the rest of his Pokémon wouldn't.

Spiritomb had retreated into his key stone and Volo had stuffed it into his shirt alongside Bergmite and Marill. Pyroar, Gogoat, and Rhydon were too big to fit and ran alongside Volo as the light streaked across the sky. At some point, Volo tripped over a stone Ekans and the light caught up. His immortal body wasn't enough to protect Bergmite and Marill. Pyroar, Gogoat, and Rhydon curled around them as the light nearned, practically encasing him in stone, and it'd taken hours for Volo to wiggle out from under them. It'd taken days longer for Spiritomb to reemerge from their keystone, and then proceeded to wail for just as long. There were no wisps to collect. Pokémon almost never became wisps but Spiritomb was never good at handling death when they couldn't collect the victim's soul for themself.

The wailing hurt Volo to hear, both physically and emotionally, but he paid it no mind. He spent the whole time Spiritomb spent crying desperately trying to free his Pokémon from their stone prison. Eventually, he realized enough time had passed that if they hadn't died when they'd been turned to stone, they were surely dead by now. Pokémon, stone or not, could only survive so long without food or water. Maybe whatever power had made them like this was keeping them alive anyway but Volo had to recognize there was nothing he could do.

He wasn't going to give up though. Once he started moving, he didn't stop. He saw dozens, if not hundreds, of Pokémon who'd suffered the same fate as Volo's team. There were people too, grieving their beloved friends just as he had. Volo pushed past them. He'd help them if he could but he had to keep moving forward, toward the epicenter of this disaster. It took some time but he eventually did.

There was a big metal tower at the center of the destruction and Volo knew it was the source of the horrors around him. There was a man sitting by it and Volo didn't hesitate to tackle him. He was bigger than him but not anything significant, not yet at least, and Volo had whatever power made him immortal to protect him. Immortality wasn't invulnerability though and Volo got whaled on pretty heavily when the man began to defend himself. Volo would always get up though and, after awhile, he realized his opponent was too.

"Time out," Volo called after awhile. Spiritomb took a place beside him as Volo rolled himself over and dragged himself away from the other man, murmuring in wordless concern. Volo didn't think he could stand back up for awhile. "You're immortal."

"I- what? I mean, I suspected but-"

"I am too. Neither of us can win this fight. We'll just keep going until we can't anymore and then we'll lie here until we heal and then we'll get back to it. Forever. I'm pretty pissed about you killing my Pokémon but I'm not going to put myself through that."

The other man made a mournful noise. "I'm sorry. I know what it's like to lose your beloved companion. I did this all for her but it seems… I was misguided. I made a mistake."

"An apology isn't going to fix this."

"I know," the man responded and he sounded very tired. Volo could understand that. He too was tired. "I've been gifted an immortal life to try to remedy it though."

Volo couldn't help but snort.

"What? You think I won't?"

"Immorality is no gift," Volo responded and rolled himself back over to get a better look at his foe. Millenia later, Volo couldn't recall what exactly he looked like but he remembered his eyes. They were tired but they still held hope, hope this version of Volo had already lost. "I've been walking this earth a long time. You said you lost your Pokémon? I've lost so many I can't remember. Sometimes, all the years weigh on me so heavily that I just can't take it anymore but there's nothing I can do about it so my mind just shatters and I spend centuries putting the pieces back together. Immortality is nothing but a curse."

"Perhaps it will be better with a friend?"

"I have Spiritomb already. You're a stranger who killed my Pokémon," Volo responded, voice cold. He knew that was cruel though. Killing his Pokémon was crueler, of course, but in the grander scheme of immorality, it was but a moment. "I'll get over it in a few centuries. You just stew a bit until then. Your immortality is still too fresh for you to know anything."

The man looked faintly confused but he nodded, only to wince in pain. Volo had gotten a good few fits in around his neck and throat. "Can I have your name, stranger? For the day our paths cross again?"

"Volo. You?"

"AZ."
"I'll try my best to remember. Now, don't talk to me and let me heal in peace."

Celestic Era ~2,000 yrs B.P.

Volo couldn't remember what he'd done between Kalos and Hisui but he knew he was happier in Hisui than Kalos. War's toll wasn't a problem here, it seemed. One day, he saw powerful Pokémon in the sky and a few days later, he saw a group of people carving stone in their likeness.

"Hey!" Volo called out across the mountain ridge. "What are you building?"

"The Almighty have visited our lands once more!" a woman called back. "We're building a place where we can properly thank them! Enamorus had already approved of this land!"

Volo leaned over a bit to get a better look. There were many men, women, and working Pokémon hauling stone bricks up the mountainside but there were also a number of children and companion Pokémon running around without a care in the world. One in particular caught Volo's attention and he found himself drifting over.

"Hey, little girl," Volo called out, catching the attention of a young child playing with a four-legged pink Pokémon unlike any Volo had ever seen. "What Pokémon is this?"

"I'm not a little girl," the girl yelled back but she came over anyway. "This is Enamorous. My mama says she's special and that makes me special because she likes me."

Volo hummed, crouched down, and nodded along. He knew by now he had to play along with whatever the child was saying in order to maintain the conversation. Adults were the same way actually… "What makes her special?"

"I dunno. I like her though! She lets me ride on her back sometimes but I have to make sure mama isn't looking because she's scared I'll fall off."

"You should listen to your mother," Volo told the girl. "I've fallen off my Braviary a few times. It hurts. A lot."

The girl giggled. "Braviary are easy to fall off of. Enamorous has a lot of good places to hold onto!"

"I can see that," Volo said, eyeing the Pokémon. The color had caught his attention but the cloudy ring that made up the bulk of her shell was interesting as well. "Is the temple for her?"

"I don't know. Maybe. The elders said it was for the Sinnohs but Enamorous and her brothers and Darkrai and Shaymin and Cresselia and everyone are important too. They can come here if they want but I think we should build more temples for them."

"Build more temples?" Volo asked, feigning surprise. "How are you going to build all of them?"

"The village has a lot of really strong people. Like my dad! He has a Machop!"

"I think that means the Machop is strong, not your dad."

"Nuh-uh! He's strong too! They both are."

"I'll take your word for it," Volo told her, growing tired of the conversation. "Do you know where I could learn more about the Sinnohs?"

"The elders are good at telling stories but it's hard to get them all to yourself. The workers talk when they work though. If you want to help, you'll probably get to hear lots of stories."

"I might just do that," Volo said, looking up at the chain of people and Pokémon passing bricks up the mountain. It'd been some time since he'd been part of a village or anything like that. He was getting tired of doing everything for himself. "Little girl?"

"My name is Cogita."

"Cogita," Volo amended, offering a kind smile, "would you tell me what your people call themselves?"

"Celestica! We're Celestica. And you can be Celestica too if you help build the temple for the Sinnohs."

"I like the sound of that," Volo said and stood up. "Well, I'll go find someone to talk to about helping. See you around, little girl."

"I'm not a little girl!"

"You sure look like one."

Cogita pouted. "I won't forever."

"I'll hold you to that," Volo joked and he wished he hadn't because after a few years, it became clear Cogita wasn't aging. It took him longer than it should've to notice. He just hadn't been around any kids in awhile. He wasn't sure how quickly children grew up. Then he realized the other children he'd met when he joined the village were growing up and Cogita wasn't.

He was scared he'd jinxed her or maybe Spiritomb had done something until someone pointed out she spent a lot of time with Enamorous. The Pokémon had supposedly given her some sort of mission that she wouldn't be able to complete until many, many years from now. She was blessed by Sinnoh, they said. And, when they realized Volo wasn't aging either, they said the same about him and appointed him as her caretaker. Afterall, her parents weren't prepared to take care of a six year old for the rest of their lives. Volo wasn't ready to take care of a six year old either, even if said six year old had been six for about two decades by the time she was handed off to him, but he supposed it was better than her aging parents. Blessed or not, it was a lot to ask and he could tell resentments were beginning to build up.

It wasn't bad. Some of the elders had tried to make them priests but Wardens had already been around Hisui for a long time and, even if Enamorous and Spiritomb weren't Nobles, the Celestica people decided they were close enough and declared Volo and Cogita their caretakers. Volo wasn't sure how he felt about that, especially considering Spiritomb most certainly wasn't a Legendary Pokémon, but Volo was living pretty comfortably so he didn't complain. Good things couldn't last forever though.

Cogita did start aging. Or rather, she never really stopped. She was, just slowly. By the time everyone Volo had met when he joined the village died, she was nearly a grown woman. Celestica kept aging around them though and eventually, they were left with nothing but ruins and a cabin from which they could watch Hisui change around them.

Hisui 1720 C.E.

Volo and Cogita didn't spend the next several centuries sitting around in the Ancient Retreat. Sure, they spent some time there. Cogita did some writing. Volo scattered her verses across Hisui, mostly for his own amusement but also out of hope someone would find them one day and appreciate the Celestica that once was. Cogita grew older, older than Volo, and Volo finally got to stop parenting. He didn't miss it.

Volo caught and trained many Pokémon but Cogita mainly stuck to Enamorous. Sometimes she'd pick up an Aipom or a Buneary while Enamorous was away but Cogita wanted to avoid the pain of outliving her Pokémon. Volo understood that but he still couldn't stop himself from building those bonds. Pokéballs were eventually invented and Volo fell in love with them and everything they could do.

Enamorous let Cogita and Volo ride on her back during her migrations every few years and the two got to see other regions. Regions Volo had seen before, of course, but most of Cogita's eternal life had been spent in one region. Volo didn't know how she did it. Even a few centuries in one place made Volo grow tired. Cogita's love for Hisui just ran that deep, he supposed.

Every once in awhile, one of them would try to make a life in Hisui. They joined the clans a handful of times, learning to be healers and craftsmen. A couple times they even became Wardens. Once, just for kicks, they joined opposite clans and, just before anyone became suspicious about their prolonged youth, tried to pair off as many rival clan members together as they could. Spiritomb reported the Diamond Clan leader had actually ripped his hair out in his rage. Volo's favorite would always be the Ginko Guild though.

It wasn't until the year 1718 on what Volo would later come to know as the Unovan calendar that he was finally able to join. The Guild was far more elaborate than Volo initially assumed and it wasn't as easy as showing up and putting in the work like Volo had done to join the Celestica. He needed connections overseas, equipment, and claims to trade routes, none of which he had. Eventually, one of the merchants saw him looting a time-space distortion and took him under his wing.

"Tell that Growlithe of yours to quit running in circles," Ginter grumbled as he trekked through the melted snow in Growthile's wake. "He's making the path bend too much."

"He's just excited," Volo told him, tightening his grip on his backpack to keep himself from sticking his hands in his pockets. Ginter had never taken him to the Icelands before, not in the two years since he'd joined the guild, and now he understood why. It was freezing up here. "He's never seen snow before. He'll get it out of his system in a bit."

"In a bit," Ginter snorted, continuing forward. "That's what you said hours ago."

They continued to bicker like that until they reached the Pearl settlement. Volo relished in it. He missed moments like this. He didn't really have them with Cogita anymore, their bond too old for the fun that came with figuring out a relationship. It wasn't necessarily bad. Volo liked the ease that came with Cogita. He just longed for something new.

At this rate, Volo knew Spiritomb would imprint on Ginter and he'd end up a wisp. Volo tried not to dwell on it.

"Ginko Guild!" someone yelled as Ginter and Volo neared the settlement. Volo whistled for Growlithe, thinking the Pokémon had just startled them, but Ginter's reaction was telling him that wasn't it. They continued forward, deep into the village, when they were approached by three figures.

"Lady Irida, Warden Gaeric, Warden Calaba," Ginter greeted, listing the names more for Volo's benefit than out of respect. "Is there trouble? I thought the Ginko Guild's contract with the Pearl Clan still held strong."

"Oh, nothing like that," the woman who Volo assumed was Lady Irida assured quickly. "We were just anxious for your arrival. See, one of our Noble Pokémon brought a stranger to the village and he was badly injured. Warden Calaba has been doing her best to heal him but there are only so many medicines Warden Gaeric can find for her in the Icelands. We were hoping you had something she could use."

"Depends on the issue. We didn't bring much medicine," Ginter said as Lady Irida led them toward a yurt to continue speaking. "My apprentice here is much younger and quicker than me though. If needed, I can send him out to fetch what you need."

Lady Irida's brow furrowed like she was conflicted but she agreed anyway. "I think we'll need it. I don't know if he will be fast enough though."

"I have a Togetic. I've been looking for a Shiny Stone to evolve her," Volo spoke up, Ginter's lessons bubbling in his mind. "If you have one, I could fly to the Highlands or Fieldlands much quicker. And I think that would be sufficient payment for the extra labor."

Lady Irida turned to the man beside her. "Warden Gaeric, please go see if little Lian has found any Shiny Stones recently."

"Who?"

"The boy who's always collecting rocks. The one Lord Kleavor favors."

The man nodded and took off with impressive speed. Volo wondered why they didn't just send him out to warmer climates to collect the herbs and medicines but hours later, soaring across the Hisuian skies atop his newly-evolved Togekiss, Volo wasn't complaining they chose him.