A/N: I'll probably be back to touch this one up, but it is for the most part finished. For people really invested, feel free to let me know what you thought! Here's to hoping my writing has improved as much as I think it has! And, as always, special thanks to the long gone OC submissions and shoutout to the long gone SYOC era (I think). What a time lol

Lake Lucid, 62 days Before the Fall

Sometimes, a lot of the time, Ryuu had to remind himself that there was a reason for all of this. "All of this" in his mind often boiled down to the pain that would cascade over him. He had gotten very much used to the stabs of pain over the course of his days. The physical aspects of Mastery were never a problem for him. It was always the abstract that left him far more shaken.

This time was no different, and the pain rushed from the bottom of his neck and up to his skull like a gavel strike before webbing its way out to the rest of his body. This particular moment was particularly bad.

He was there, very suddenly, on large walls akin to a sentry. There was a watchtower to his left, and another to his right, each built on the corners of the stone walls themselves. He made note of a pair of Sigilyph perched on each tower like a totem and two others moving in a perfect circle overhead.

We're doing this again, I see… A full-body experience was one of the small details he had decided to not tell the others too much about. That might have made him seem a little too out there, and they each had wormed their way into his heart, especially…

He turned to look over the town under him, managing to pick out a mix of soldiers moving about for some kind of formation, all the while making note of civilians scrambling about frantically which meant something. It was more than likely going to be a bloodbath from what he could gather. A single shout from their leader sent them toward the gates.

Ryuu watched as they marched, none of them making a single remark that he was there on the sentries in broad view. Ryuu frowned.

We really are doing this again, huh? He sighed and went to move down from the walls but something stopped him. He took another look over the wall. The soldiers had passed through the gate and had taken up position, right there in front of the gate. He could hear murmurs of some of the soldiers littered throughout the formation; most of them were terrified. He felt fire into his skull and he nearly buckled. He really wished there was some kind of warning Avia could give him.

He heard one of the men scream.

Ryuu pushed his pain aside, moving to the edge of the wall for a better look and let out a terse breath at what he saw because it was exactly what he thought it was going to be. Full body visions were usually like this.

He saw the same insect, hunched over with spears for hands but standing nearly as tall as a full grown person when it wanted to. One of its hooks came down and Ryuu looked away; the panic ensued seconds after.

It was always like this. He was always brought here at the worst times, was always translucent and unable to do anything when he tried to help. And, it was always somewhere slightly off and a little different but always at the base of the mountain.

This time was no different,

He went from the walls, reaching at his waist to make sure he had his full team as he was certain he was going to need them; Sagark carried him down. No one, or nothing had even paused to look at him, just like he knew they would; He took a ball from his belt.

Kaito took shape next to him, and also as Ryuu figured, he turned back to him with a demanding glare. When Ryuu said nothing, Kaito turned back to battle in front of him and Ryuu gave him a single order.

"We're going to test something, Kaito. Fold them." Kaito obliged and taking aim at one of the monsters, Kaito advanced deftly, palm vibrating and shifting impossibly fast. Ryuu tensed; more pain. He found himself disappointed, just as he had expected and he would be cursed to hear the same cadre of battle dins, and dying people. He had hoped Kaito's Force Palm would have done something, anything. He had to get away from the noise but where was he going to go?

He would have to endure it, like he normally did. He knelt down, pressing his hands over his ears as hard as he could to hear as little of everything as possible. Air shifted by him as Genesect sped about the soldiers behind him, and he heard another muffled cry, closer to gurgling really and Ryuu shifted his hands so that his palms were pressing into his ears.

Ryuu didn't really know how long he had sat like that or when exactly, the air ran cold around him. He also took note that, as quickly they had appeared, that both the Genesect and soldiers were gone. In fact, Ryuu had made note of the unerring silence. Something pulled his attention down the path and he found a set of sharp red eyes staring directly at him, or perhaps through him.

Suicune…? There was an urge, however inappropriate, for Ryuu to take a picture then and there. He couldn't recall if he had ever actually seen Suicune in person, not that it really even mattered given his situation. The beast stepped forward once; Ryuu felt his skin twitch in anticipation. He had also never actually fought a legend. There was a first time for everything he supposed.

Suicune was the first to make a move and was upon Ryuu within a few steps. Suicune had closed an immeasurable amount of distance between them, and it aptly reminded him of Cody's Arcanine. He smirked, and stepped back just beyond reach. His thumb brushed at his waist and a ball snapped open.

"Levitas!" Ryuu caught Suicune's eyes for a brief moment and it was no mistake that the Pokemon was staring at him. And then Suicune made space between them, mirroring Ryuu and stepping just out of range of Levitas. Ryuu raised hand to stay his Luxio as his fur bristled. Levitas's blood was boiling; Ryuu turned his attention back to Suicune.

They could see him, and it brought up the question of exactly why he had even been able to interact with anything like this before. It also made him uneasy that Avia hadn't said anything in the midst of all this.

Avia…

Ryuu glanced back up to the walls protecting the town. It was a mountain town, held together and made defensible by those very same walls. He looked at each of the Sigilyph perched next to the tower, and they remained still as stone, which seemed to be the standard among Sigilyph. But…something was still wrong…

His eyes flicked upwards to the ones that had been circling above. They had stopped, frozen in mid-air and like the two on the walls, they were still as stone. They were staring at something and Ryuu followed their gaze back to Suicune, who was crouched at the ready. There was the faintest glimmer of something like familiarity.

Ryuu knew that expression very well. Suicune knew he was strong, and the Pokemon wanted to see exactly how strong. Levitas levelled him with an impatient frown. It had been far too long since Levitas had taken his fill. And that had reminded Ryuu that it had been a while since he had actually cut loose himself. Levitas, in a way, reminded him of Victoria and the rush they each got from their displays of power. The entire thing was an entertaining thought, and Ryuu figured that if it was his full attention Suicune had wanted, then that would be exactly what it was going to get.

It was strange, to say the least, battling Suicune. There were times when the Pokemon clearly hesitated and there would be passing moments of familiarity that the Pokemon had caught his attention with. Still, Suicune was no slouch and Ryuu found that Levitas still had to work decently hard to match the Pokemon. There were moments when it seemed as though Suicune had lost interest, and that would prick at Levitas's pride. It had happened enough times to where Ryuu had to call for Pioggia to manipulate a cast of water that would have more than likely found Levitas in dire straits without it.

Even so, Ryuu had found that facing off against Suicune hadn't been nearly as demanding as he thought it would be. Levitas, despite the provocation had held surprisingly well, even though fighting stronger opponents was largely considered his speciality. It hadn't been until Raikou had shown up that things had picked up for him.

It had crossed his mind that in the Johto legends, Suicune and Raikou had been brought back together with Entei, and that they had all gone their separate directions afterwards. It wasn't really all that surprising that if one were to show up, the others were more than likely close by. They struck him as a package deal.

Levitas was enjoying himself entirely, flanked on both sides by the two of them. Pioggia had taken to assisting Levitas, who would've gotten himself crushed underfoot had it not been for Pioggia's watchful eye. Ryuu knew without a doubt that Levitas would have gotten more ill-tempered than he already was if he were to offer him unwarranted assistance.

And even outnumbered, Levitas still held his own. He had managed to catch Suicune with a well-placed Thunder, finally putting down Suicune and turned the rest of his strength onto Raikou, pulling from himself and Ryuu to finish the fight. Raikou roared in defiance, powerful enough to halt Levitas mid-charge and throw all three of them from their feet.

Raikou was much more tenacious and vehement, and quite a ways stronger than Suicune. There had even been times when the Pokemon had come for Ryuu personally, reminding him succinctly of Jaret; Ryuu found that he didn't care for the implications that came to his mind afterwards.

Raikou had pounced again, pushing past Pioggia and Levitas, like Ryuu had a feeling it would. Raikou leapt to his throat and a third ball snapped open. Ryuu felt Shinobu draw strength from him too, and the sharp pains that Ryuu had largely forgotten about ripped back through him in full detail. Shinobu caught Raikou underneath the ribs with enough force to halt even Raikou all together. Raikou fell from Shinobu's fist listless, writhing a few times before going entirely still.

He had beaten two out of three now and Ryuu knew that the third, Entei, would should up very soon after, and when it did, Ryuu hadn't expected the Pokemon to be even stronger than Raikou, coming after him with strength he hadn't felt for a very long while.

The first bout, Entei had matched an already exhausted Levitas, applying such pressure that Shinobu had stepped in almost immediately, and that, to Ryuu's surprise (And more than likely Pioggia and Shinobu's as well…), Levitas had been thankful for it.

The second bout Ryuu figured he wasn't going to leave to chance and took to getting engaged personally, stepping by Entei's bursts of flames and getting into the Pokemon's guard. He kept his hand at the ready and hovering over Sagark's ball; he just had to get a little closer. Ryuu had maneuvered skillfully and deceptively, coming nearly in range as Kaito and Shinobu struggled to match Entei. Kaito had just been floored and Shinobu rushed to his side to defend him when Ryuu decided he would make his move.

Ryuu snapped into a sprint, snagging Sagark's ball from his belt and taking aim for the space right before Entei. Even if Entei would notice him, there would be little that it would be able to do if Sagark caught it flat-footed. Kaito had taken note of him, and he spread forward, agile like he was. He probably expected Shinobu to cover him, which wouldn't be too far from the truth.

Kaito had the right train of thought, and from what they had all seen, Entei had been all power and no real maneuverability. Suicune had seemed to be testing them, almost to the point of arrogance, which was a crowning reason why Levitas had put them down.

Raikou had been the clever one, and fast at that. It seemed to have an awareness of its space at all times, and moved almost as deftly as Kaito did, despite being so bulky. He had been the real challenge in terms of tactics.

But Entei had barely moved at all, sitting still as stone, making well-placed and natural dodges, as if the entire territory had been etched into its bones. It was how it had defeated Levitas. The constant fire blasts had kept the rest of them at distance, and Pioggia's foresight had also kept them relatively unscathed. With such displays of pure power, there wouldn't be a way that Entei would match the three of them approaching them from the angles they were.

Entei's eyes snapped to Ryuu, unfazed. Ryuu saw a slight bend in the Pokemon's knees and it occurred to Ryuu that Entei had its methods of escaping. The earth around Entei caved, just a slight bit and the Pokemon sprang impossibly high into the air.

Ryuu figured as such.

He heard a piercing shriek, closer to a guttural bellow and a powerful impact from overhead. Seconds later, Entei hit the ground hard. Both Ryuu and Kaito slid to a halt a little ways outside of Entei's range, but it was clear for Ryuu to see that the beast was not moving; Sagark came to a landing just to Ryuu's left with a small frown.

"I know, Sagark." Ryuu shared Sagark's discomfort. Neither of them were the biggest fans of a violent confrontation like this. "I know you're not fond of this, but I needed this to be done…" Ryuu turned to Sagark and ran his fingers along his scales gingerly. Ryuu took a deep breath, and his knees nearly buckled under his weight. His Pokemon must have pulled too much from him again. Pioggia and Kaito had made their way over to him to help him balance.

A bout of pain lanced through him, right behind his eyes as he had become increasingly used to, but this particular one had been stronger than anything he had felt so far since he had been placed here.

How long was the experience going to last?

Pain crept from his head, to the rest of his body as per usual, but unlike every time before, pain behind his eyes didn't dissipate, and instead grew even harsher, pooling behind his right eye especially. It felt as though his eye would burst from his head. There was a strange feeling alongside the pain, a sense of direction and Ryuu followed it to the right, back to the floored Entei, and the pain stopped.

Kaito and Pioggia were watching him with concern. Shinobu had even made his way to Ryuu's side, neutral and expressionless as always but taut and ready to snap into action. Ryuu paid them no mind, which was uncharacteristic of him. There was something that held his attention on Entei, and he had no idea how long he had to have been staring in its direction, but he stared at it long enough to see a slight movement, no, a distortion.

That distortion shifted, and the body in its entirety had changed. Entei's powerful and stocky build had thinned, slimmed down to something inherently human as the fur slaked away. Entei stood back to its feet, turning the entirety of its focus back to Ryuu.

Except Entei had become a very, very familiar face; Ryuu's heart caught in his throat. The first thing he noticed about her was flesh and how against Entei's fur scattered around her, it struck him as something like a rebirth. He had to look her over entirely, to make sure that she was really there.

She had her same lankiness, despite remaining on all fours. She had the same slender fingers and rosy paleness that he had grown accustomed to and enjoyed being near. She even had the same scar across the face of her hand, an unmistakable hallmark that she had shown only him in detail.

But her hair had been cut, was short and nothing like the dark hair that would hang to her shoulders, effervescent like she was. Was this really her?

Her eyes had been what truly caught him. Familiar gold and amber were pointed at him with empty and vacant focus, staring both at and through him. She was Seria, but she was bunched together, like Entei had been, and ready to pounce. She was Seria, and she felt like death. She was Seria, but she also very much was not.

What was she doing here?

Why was she here? Avia hadn't said anything to him throughout the entire endeavor, and her silence was beginning to wear on even him. That realization had led him to another thought…

When exactly, was this endeavor going to stop?

It had felt like he had been dropped from the earth; his body had been so rigid with pain. Ryuu felt himself coming back into his body and reality. Everything felt solid. He felt the dirt to his back and the grass rolling at his fingertips softly and the light breeze in question working its way over him; he took in the smell of fresh lake water.

"Ryuu!" That was Seria's voice, and it carried her customary friendship and sense of life with it. It was a world different from what he had seen. Or maybe it was felt? He couldn't find a way to describe what he had just been through. He struggled to move. "Oh, Ryuu. Let me help." And then, Seria was under him, helping him stand so that he was able to get a better look around.

That's right. They were at Lake Lucid. He had opted to move forward from everyone back in Ecruteak, always thinking of Victoria and always thinking of the chaos she brought with her in her pursuit. He looked over the lakefront, spotting each one of his Pokemon taking to enjoying their spare time, and that left Ryuu wondering if they had really been there at all.

"Seria." His voice sounded strange to him. The slightest bit of shaken and thin, although from the way Seria looked to him oblivious, he might have been the only one to recognize it about himself. Her brow furrowed with concern and Ryuu corrected himself. That seemed more like her.

"Ryuu, what was that?"

"It was…" He paused. What exactly was that? "Just…a side-effect."

"Of mastery?" He gave a terse nod, and she frowned at him. "It can't just be that. This is the first time I've seen you so…lost, I guess." He turned to her with a small smile of admission.

"You think?"

"I know," she chirped. And then, her voice fell back into place. "It really seems like this whole Mastery thing is a real problem for you. It looks like it does more harm than good. It's strong and all, but it really just seems like a hassle." And then, her lip twisted in disdain. "I don't see why Victoria wanted to steal Jaret's Arcanine or Juliet's Luxray for it anyway…"

Ryuu was quiet. Perhaps he had been quiet for too long, because Seria had soon backtracked and took to apologizing. She had been this way since they met in Ecruteak, nothing like how he had expected her to be. With her hands darting about and a face flushed with awkward embarrassment, she was a world apart from her coordinator persona. These were such immaterial thoughts, and the only ones in recent memory that felt neutral, if not good altogether.

He managed a wry half-smile.

Ryuu kept his eyes forward on his Pokemon and made note of some of Seria's Pokemon attempting to bridge the gap between both parties. Seria's Eevee, Daniel, was surprisingly the most vocal and his attention was settled on Levitas especially.

"He thinks Levitas is really strong."

"I don't think picking at him like that will get Daniel the kind of attention he wants," Ryuu responded with a small laugh.

"I think Daniel has a way with other Pokemon."

"That sounds like a fib if I ever heard one."

"It's true!" Ryuu laughed at that.

"Alright, I'll take your word for it, but it might be better for Daniel to fake being awestruck."

"Oh right," Seria said with a laugh of her own. "His pride." And then, they each returned to a tense silence.

"You have something you want to ask, don't you." She paused, and then gave a timid nod.

"I…" And then she paused again, awkward. "What did you see?"

"I don't know." He frowned. "I don't know what I saw, or what exactly was even going on. There was a warzone, Genesect and the three beasts. Whenever these things happen, I've never been physically sent back like that." Another pause; a long one. "I…also saw you. Or, someone that looked like you."

"Me…?"

"Or…someone that looked like you." Ryuu went to gauge her reaction, and also to make sure for himself that he had seen Seria there, in whatever endeavor that he had found himself a part of. They had to be the same person. They had the same deceptive hands, delicate but strong, a small scar in the same place across the face of the palm that Seria usually kept covered up under her fingerless gloves.

She was staring back at him, light tone and slightly thin lips turned downward in the same concern that coated her voice. She was staring at him with the same eyes he had seen before, back at what was probably a memory of Avia's, which meant it was probably something to do with all of the happenings so long ago. They were the same almost gold, a bright warm orange in the sun. Maybe they just seemed that way because there was some life to the real Seria.

"I…really don't know what happened," Ryuu muttered.

"Then, maybe we shouldn't worry about it for now." She offered him a timid smile, still awkward and not the least bit skilled with comforting others. Very much like himself.

It was endearing and really kind of adorable.

"Maybe it has something to do with the Mastery junk but…you already have so much you deal with. We should just take it easy at the lake for a while. I heard that they restored it from really bad pollution. Oh, also, Juliet did say that they were making pretty decent time since you last talked to Virgil." And then her face twisted slightly in annoyance. "Maybe that's what we should save our strength for." She had said that with a giggle. Ryuu thought that was such a terrible way to change the subject, and he smiled at that.

"You know what, I think I would like that a lot..."