With seven days to go until her trip to Alola to defend her Champion title, Morai spent most of her time out in the garden, getting rid of the old and abandoned one and gradually replacing it with the one in her dreams. It was grueling work, but Morai didn't seem to mind too much, especially since it beat the boredom of sitting inside. She worked through the rain and the guards didn't care for having to stand out there with her. Maria was often there as she worked, showing up every day and sitting in whatever part of the garden wasn't being worked on. She observed every day with a soft smile, holding an umbrella in the rain, scarf tied round her neck, but she didn't say a word. She simply watched in silence as the hero-turned-criminal tore old things down and built them anew to her liking. It was a glimpse into Morai's mind. Morai didn't say anything either, but she didn't object to the company.

The old, dirty, and horribly cracked stone turned into the reflective stone from the Realm of Dreams' garden center, which changed depending on whether it was Light or Shadow Morai's side. A short stone wall was built around the center and flowerbeds for roses surrounded it. They, too, would follow the same pattern that they did in the Realm of Dreams, with white being on one side and black on the other, but Morai wouldn't be able to replicate the hybrid roses that grew in the middle. There was one other change to consider, which was that Light Morai's side of the garden was currently barren save for one struggling rose. Morai decided to honor the symbolism of the true garden and leave this one the same way.

Sheridan sometimes stopped to watch from the warmth of the indoors, a cup of coffee or tea in hand.

"I'm impressed," she said to Arthur. "I've never seen her put more work into something other than fighting or antagonizing other people."

Finally, on the fifth day of working almost nonstop, the garden was completed, and Morai sat down in the midst of her work, rubbing her neck. It had begun to drizzle, and Maria had drawn out her umbrella.

"What did that scar on your neck come from, exactly?" she asked from her bench on the side. That was the first thing she had said all week.

"What brings you to that question?" Morai asked, looking back at her. It was the first time they had truly acknowledged each other's presence since she'd arrived.

"I've always wondered," she shrugged. "It must've come from you, but why? You don't have to answer if you don't wish to."

"It's true that I did it," Morai started, albeit hesitantly, while feeling her scar. "It was the...second time the serum had been administered, I think. I didn't have claws the first time. It was painful and hard to control, so it led me to doing this, though I don't remember doing it. I only remember seeing it afterward."

"I see," Maria said. "Do you miss it? The serum, I mean."

"Of course I do!" Morai chuckled.

"Even though it did what it did?"

"Because it did what it did," Morai answered. "I can handle pain. What it gave me in return was worth it...though, you wouldn't be here if it were still in my system."

"You've done a good job with the new garden," Maria said, changing the subject. "What are those two empty places for?"

She gestured to the two places where Light and Shadow Morai's marbled forms had resided in her dreams. Morai felt that it would be odd to erect two statues in her likeness in her prison, though only one of them would bear a good resemblance to her.

"In the original garden, in that faraway place, there are two statues. It seemed...in ill taste to put them here."

"You mean your dreams, don't you?" Maria asked. "What statues are they?"

Morai seemed a bit taken aback, but assumed that Maria had overhead others talking about her dream reality.

"Yes," she said. "...They're statues of me. Of the two main parts that have made up my soul throughout time, I mean. The trainers who carried their name and resemblance have since passed, which is why they're there."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Maria said. "Perhaps you can still honor them here."

"Maybe."

The door to the cathedral opened and a guard peeked his head through.

"Sheridan'd like to see you," he said. Morai gave a small nod of farewell to Maria and went to go get cleaned up. When she was left at Sheridan's office, it seemed that the chief hadn't noticed her arrival. Instead, her swiveling desk chair was turned to the TV behind her, the screen displaying the Champion of Alola herself.

"I'm honored to be the first Champion of Alola," the younger trainer said, her longer hair braided and tied into a bun. She wore a black halter top and white shorts. Morai scoffed internally. "I wouldn't be here without the help of the Island Captains, Kahunas, and friends that I met along the way. I hope that I can live up to my name and serve you as I've served the other regions I've traveled."

Sheridan pressed the rewind button on her remote, journeying back to a broadcasting of Morai's awards ceremony in Kalos. Morai stood and quietly watched her former self before light-footedly stepping up to Sheridan's desk until she was right behind her. She stood behind her without saying a word and a temptation crept into her mind. It had been days since her last taste of blood, and her thirst for it had become hard to bear again. Her physical weariness from working all day had helped to take the edge off of it, but it had come back full swing. Her irrational mind was beginning to take control again. As she began to get lost in every possibility, the now black screen of the TV revealed her tall form looming behind Sheridan, and Sheridan nearly jumped out of her skin. The chief, in her instincts, had pulled her gun and Morai, in her instincts, had turned her Foresight on and responded. Morai could sense Sheridan's sudden uptick in fear as she closed the gap, wrapping Sheridan's wrist with the chain of her cuffs and yanking the woman forward over her outstretched leg. The chief of staff ended up on the ground, gun on the ground a few feet away from her.

"Morai!" she yelled. Morai stopped and stared at her.

"Let me go," she demanded. "Let me go, damn it, or you'll never see the light of day again, much less Alola."

Morai seemed to snap out of her haze and uncrossed her hands, revealing abrasions that had started to bleed. This sent her right back into it, yet some small part of her willed her to think about her actions. She sat there in some sort of purgatory between mindless action and knowing that her action would have consequences.

"Morai," Sheridan warned. She went to get up but Morai grabbed her wrist. The chief turned it toward Morai's thumb and managed to wrench it free, swinging behind and catching her in a rear chokehold. Morai didn't react, still caught up in her indecisiveness, and Sheridan held her there without applying the move.

"It's so twisted," the prisoner said, sitting with her hands in her lap, not bothering to counter. "It's a curse, yes, but it fittingly has another side, a side so wickedly pleasurable and seemingly ingrained into my brain that I simply can't help it. It's like thirsting for water. Do you see where I'm coming from, Mrs. Sheridan?"

Sheridan let go of her unfinished chokehold, putting her hand on Morai's shoulder. Her other hand was still bleeding and she put it behind her back.

"I do," she sighed, "but I simply can't let it happen. Whatever this is, it has to be another trait left over from the serum. It's...unnatural. It plays into your need for violence and the two feed each other. If we can somehow eradicate one, perhaps the other will fall...Look up there."

Morai shifted so that she was facing the TV, watching footage captured by news stations of a young trainer descending the steps of the Alter of the Sunne along with Lillie. She was battered and bruised from her conflict with Lusamine's Beast Mother form in another dimension, but she had a smile on her face.

"Don't you see?" Sheridan said. "That was you! I remember hearing of your heroism and work with the International Police after Ultra Beasts started appearing all over Alola, and after Team Rocket infiltrated the Aether Foundation. I wasn't high-ranking back then. You have so many stories to tell, all seemingly forgotten. An entire life loved by a warm community who held you in high esteem. Do you see where I'm coming from, Morai?"

"I have changed," Morai said. "The person on TV is not me."

"But Morai—"

"No!" she growled, standing up to face Sheridan, who reached for her weapon. Morai saw this and backed away, shaking her head. "I think I'd better leave before I break our deal."

The prisoner left and Sheridan didn't try to stop her. Morai, accompanied by two guards, headed toward the lab where Colress was supposed to be working. That was why Sheridan had called her to her office in the first place. Morai walked with a frown on her face, unexcited by the idea of seeing the one who put her in this place without ripping his throat out.

"Ah, Morai!" he greeted with open arms. His room was frigid, even for Morai and her two layers of clothing. He had certainly added his touch to the room, modernizing it in whatever way he could.

"What do you want?" she scowled.

"Well, to see you, of course," the man replied with a smile. "I haven't seen you since that day, and I was curious to see how you're doing. You're furious with me, which is understandable, but I believe in what I did."

Morai looked at him with a frown, waiting for him to continue.

"...I also need a blood sample. As you might know, I've got the job of recreating the serum that put you here. But don't worry. This is one is more simple. I just need to test it."

"There it is," Morai said. She looked around.

Ah, this is it, she thought, noticing the apparent lack of security cameras. This is the opportunity I was looking for. This is where I come up with my last-second escape plan.

The prisoner didn't bother to fight Colress's request. She, too, wanted to know if it worked. The plan she had just created wouldn't work otherwise. Colress took her blood, put it in a dish, and added the appropriate amount of new serum to it. What happened next didn't need a microscope to be seen. The black liquid overtook the blood until the entire dish was a red so deep it easily appeared black. Morai frowned.

"That's supposed to be put into my body?" she asked.

"It's not too different from the red serum you like so much," Colress retorted. "It works in a similar way."

Morai took hold of Colress's mind without a second thought.

"Idiots," she whispered under her breath, covertly double-checking for cameras or guards outside the door. She had hypnotized him so easily and nonchalantly that an outside observer wouldn't notice any difference. "They always slip up at some point, and sometimes they don't even realize they've done it. Now, the first order of business."

Morai sat down while she silently commanded Colress to roll up his sleeve and take his own blood. He took a large amount, putting it in a glass and sliding it to his mental captor. She had to keep herself from drinking it all at once, and instead sipped on it like a glass of wine as the scientist went to work on her second instruction. She even carried on conversation with him as he did so, his responses of course crafted by her.

"I really am sorry for putting you here, Morai," he said in an impressively realistic tone. "I made a mistake, but I'm going to help you reverse it, and you're going to show everyone that they can't get rid of you."

Morai was presented with vials of black liquid identical to the ones he had made before, but if her skills and Colress's scientific knowledge were to be trusted, this serum was harmless. She didn't want to fully test it, as from what she remembered of the last serum, her veins took on its color. She stuck the vials of real serum inside her jumpsuit and had Colress arrange things so that it looked like he had concluded his test and tidied up.

"One more thing, old friend," she said with a smile. "Get me the red serum."

Colress only stood there.

"I take it there isn't any then," she sighed, her shoulders slumping in disappointment. Morai drank the last of her drink and licked her teeth to remove the stains as best she could. She cleaned the glass, looked at her reflection and deemed it acceptable before knocking on the door to leave. The guard that opened it looked to Colress.

"We're all done here," he said. "I would've liked to do more, but that's difficult when the subject of my test won't cooperate."

"I can fix that," the guard said, brandishing his gun.

"No, no, that's alright!" the scientist replied a bit too eagerly. "We're still somewhat friends, after all."

I have to keep hold of him at least until he goes to sleep, which will account for his drowsiness from being hypnotized for so long. When he wakes up, he'll have one full day to figure it out.

Morai went to her room to hide the vials of the true serum before heading out again to look for a window so that she could determine what time of day it was and whether Colress going to sleep would be acceptable or not at the time. Her guard didn't seem to care too much, simply following her around wherever she went. A sound stopped her in her tracks, however. She heard the sound of a piano being played down the hall, and she realized that she had forgotten about the existence of the piano to begin with.

"That's it," she said.

"What?" the guard asked. Morai only shook her head with a frown, asking if he would let her talk to herself in peace. She traveled up the hall to find Arthur playing a piece he was seemingly workshopping lyrics to. The prisoner sat on the old and dusty sofa, causing him to stop.

"Can I help you?" he asked with a scowl.

"You've given me an idea, is all," Morai responded. "I'll be using the piano when you're done."

"You can have it now," he said, rising from the bench. "I was working on something for my wife, who nearly passed of a heart attack today. She wouldn't say what almost did her in. I reckon it was a wild animal. Something mean and unruly. Maybe just plain hard to look at."

"I apologize for frightening Mrs. Sheridan," Morai simply and flatly replied, looking to get the man out of the room. It wasn't the time to get into fights. "I tend to have that affect on people."

Arthur looked at the prisoner's forehead with suspicious eyes. He stepped closer and leaned in toward her face.

"Your eyes," he said. "Even without lookin' I can tell they're red. What's that about?"

"That's not uncommon."

"Yeah, when you're up to no good," Arthur replied, unsheathing his knife and lowering his eyes to hers. "What are you hiding, beast?"

"They change based on a variety of reasons, often involuntarily."

Arthur continued to look at her, as if trying to find the deceit within her deep red irises. She kept her mouth closed in case she still had any blood on her sharp teeth. Finally, he lowered his knife and began to gather his music before walking off.

"Unnatural pair of eyes," he muttered. "Give me the chills."

"Arthur," Morai called after him. "Do you have the time? I've lost track again and don't remember when I'm leaving for Alola."

"11 p.m.," he answered with a frown. "You're leaving early the day after tomorrow. If you leave, that is."

Morai nodded her thanks and sat down at the bench. Her handcuffs were removed and she played for the next several hours, working to create a song that she thought Maria would like while guards traded watch. Eventually, Maria herself walked in and sat on the sofa near the piano. Just as she had quietly observed the prisoner working in the garden, she politely listened to her play the piano.

"That's beautiful!" she finally exclaimed after the playing had stopped, standing up to look at the sheet music. "I love waltzes."

I thought so, Morai thought.

"My sister taught me how to waltz when we were in school," Maria continued. "I would've loved to dance to it. What will you name this one?"

"I believe I'll call it 'Maria's Waltz' then," Morai answered, immediately cringing at her words. "Since you gave me those flowers, I saw fit to repay you," she added, trying to take the edge off. "It's still a work in progress, of course."

She looked down at the young woman, whose smile grew even bigger. Maria looked like she might cry.

"Oh, Morai, that's so thoughtful!" she exclaimed. "I could hug you!"

Morai put her hands up as if to keep her from trying, her face nearly as red as her eyes. She glanced up at the guard by the doorway, who had his hand over his mouth.

Oh, it's not that big of a deal, she thought.

"I know!" Maria suddenly exclaimed. "We could dance to it!"

"I don't know how," Morai quickly replied, aiming to shut that possibility down quickly.

"You wore that fancy suit and never learned how to dance in it? I'm surprised you never made anyone dance for you with your hypnosis," Maria joked. "Here, I'll teach you."

"B-but there's no music!" Morai argued, almost pleading.

"I'll do it!" the guard yelled from the distance, waving his hand and rushing up to the pair. He looked at Morai with a smile.

"Do you even know how to play?" she asked disbelievingly.

"No, but for just this once, you can make me," he said. He radioed another guard in, whom he excitedly handed his gun to. Maria seemed fine with this proposition.

"Not a chance!" Morai growled. "I'm supposed to leave for Alola and if Sheridan catches me—"

"I'll radio her in!" the new guard exclaimed.

"No, no, you really shouldn't—"

"Too late!"

I think I'd like to lie on the ground and become whole with it, Morai thought. Arceus help me. I feel like I'm going to faint.

She continued to argue—or plead, really—with everyone until Sherian arrived. It was clear that she was trying and failing to contain a giant grin.

"Morai," she said with a smile, "I normally wouldn't condone you hypnotizing anyone, but I feel this is important. If you can manage it, you may hypnotize one of these men to provide the music or Arthur can—"

"No, one of them will do!" Morai interrupted.

"Well, first we have to go over the basics," Maria said. "We don't need music for that."

Morai looked around nervously at the now three observers in the room. The room itself was rather large, and the piano and sofa were the only things in it. Still, it would be ample space for dance practice, and Morai was loathing that fact.

"W-well, does everyone have to watch?" she stammered.

"No, we'll leave," Sheridan offered. The two guards gave her looks of protest, but she shooed them out with a wave of her hand.

"Is that even safe?" one of them whispered as they all left.

"I think it's worth the risk," Sheridan answered. The door closed, and Morai hesitated to look at her practice partner.

"Now it's just us, so you can relax. You're as red as a tomato!" Maria laughed.

"Well, it must be hot in here!" Morai argued. "I'm wearing two layers of clothing, you know."

Maria laughed and took Morai's hand which, like always, was wrapped in black cloth.

"This hand goes here, on the back of my shoulder, and this hand holds mine out like this," she explained, guiding her partner's hands to where they needed to be.

"We have to hold hands?"

"Yes, silly! Now we're just going to do a basic box step. You're going to step forward, to the right, backward, and left, returning to the starting position. Our movements should be smooth and flowing, but we don't have to worry about that as much right now. Ready?"

"Seems simple enough," Morai answered. She could feel her face growing hotter. Her shoulders and neck were tight enough to give her a tension headache. She began to move and Maria moved with her.

"Try to relax," Maria advised. "What's making you so tense?"

"I'm never this close to anyone for this long unless I'm fighting them," Morai answered.

"I see," Maria said. "Would you like to stop and try another day?"

If my escape plan goes correctly, there won't be another day.

"No, no, I can handle it."

As the two continued to move in their box configuration, Maria introduced turns. Gradually, Morai's shoulders relaxed, and she actually grasped Maria's hand instead of letting Maria hold hers while it hung almost limply in the air. Her face faded back to its original pale color, and a small smile even graced her face.

"Now I think it's time for music," Maria said. She retrieved one of the guards and Sheridan snuck in behind him, standing in the corner in the far side of the room. Morai hypnotized him and stood over the piano as she got used to making him play. Since he didn't know how, she had to manually move his hands and fingers. Luckily for her, the waltz she had written was fairly simple, with a melody that one could easily remember.

Maria and Morai started again, their movements becoming more smooth and relaxed. In the midst of focusing on the logistics of the music and the dancing, Morai seemed to have forgotten about the initial awkwardness of the situation. They danced through the song a few times, coming to a slow stop at the end of the final play-through.

"That was great for your first time!" Maria cheered. She gave a lighthearted curtsy, and Morai gave a small bow, unaware of the actual etiquette. Morai let go of the guard's mind and shook her head as if to clear away all of the multitasking she had just done. "Learning how to dance was one of the things we had to learn at the fancy school we went to. They had us learn all kinds of things. Ballroom dancing, table etiquette, archery—"

"You're an archer?" Morai interjected excitedly.

"You could say that," Maria chuckled. "I've kept up the practice. I didn't think you'd be interested, given you like hand to hand combat."

"It's my favorite, but I'll take the opportunity to learn any new form of violence—er, I mean—"

Maria laughed. "That makes sense. I could teach you sometime, maybe in the courtyard," she said.

"Really?" Morai asked.

"Of course! It's a date."

A what?

It's awfully late. I suppose I should get going," Maria said. "Thank you again for that wonderful song. I hope you'll play it again for me sometime."

"Oh, sure," Morai replied, rubbing her neck.

Both Maria and the guard left the room, leaving Morai alone for a moment. As they left, she suddenly realized that she had completely forgotten about Colress. She dropped to her knees, holding her head between her arms and tracing her fingers over her neck scar.

"Oh Arceus, what's happening to me?" she shakily whispered to herself.

This can't be. Could it really be possible that I...have the heart to care for someone? I can't! It'll make me weak! I have to shut her out of my mind, just like I did with the old Morai and the person that existed before her. Every weakness must be purged. It's good that I'm leaving soon. I can rid myself of this whole thing, just like my brain has been doing for me.

"Morai?" Sheridan asked. She was standing above the prisoner, hands hanging clasped in front of her.

"Oh, Mrs. Sheridan!" Morai gasped, jumping to her feet and brushing herself off.

"Is everything alright?"

"Just as it's always been."

The chief nodded, but as they both turned to leave, she turned back to Morai.

"You know...it's alright to care for someone and enjoy their company," she said. "You have room in that empty heart of yours. It's alright to let someone in it."

Morai didn't say anything. She simply looked at Sheridan with a curious face, as if she had read her mind.

"It makes you vulnerable," she finally replied. "You should never let someone get that close."

"But you just did, and it turned out alright, didn't it?"

"It was a mistake," Morai growled, shaking her head. "It simply shouldn't—couldn't—be so. We both know that if I weren't here I'd—"

"That's not true," Sheridan interrupted. "You were alone and had every opportunity but didn't take it. Anyhow, you've got a busy day tomorrow. As you requested, I've set you up to brush up on your battling skills before you appear in Alola...which will include battling several of your old friends. The ones that aren't trying to take the title, at least. After that we'll have to go over the perimeters of this trip so that it goes as smoothly as possible."

"Think I'm going to escape?" Morai asked with a smile, happy to shift the tone of the conversation.

"I wouldn't put it past you to try, but my main concern is the Alolan citizens. We've tried to keep this under wraps, but it's hard for word not to get out and everyone is rightly...interested...in the return of their former acting Champion."

Morai laughed.

"Don't worry, Mrs. Sheridan," she said with a grin. "I'll show them that I'm still more than qualified for that title."

That's what I'm afraid of, Sheridan thought.