My fall is suddenly broken. I'm lying on a patch of grass, squinting against the sunlight…when I made the deal, I didn't realize we would be going to the dungeon right now.

I barely had time to process the weight of my bargain, but now the implications are all crashing into me all at once. What if I can't reach Delcatty's spirit? Or if I find her, but lose myself in the process? I might leave this dungeon a totally different person than I go in. I might not even be coherent enough to properly recognize my family after everything. What if I fail and Hoopa decides to tell Giratina everything anyway? Then what am I supposed to do?

They didn't even let me say goodbye.

I slowly get up to my feet, fighting tears—I need to be clearheaded for the challenges ahead—then see Hoopa floating over me. "Well hey there, had a good trip?" They grin, tone playful, as if we're good friends on a fun day out.

I feel like I'm going to throw up.

"Here it is, the infamous Echoing Ruins," they say, drawing my attention to the mystery dungeon's entrance. It looks unassuming enough from here; the crumbling structure has been built into a grassy hill. Two stone pokemon statues border the entrance, but I can't tell what they are—they're too old and worn to be even remotely recognizable. Based on my somewhat coherent conversation with Delcatty, I think the ruins dive down, deep into the ground.

"So I'll repeat the terms for you. You go in there, get all the way to the bottom, and you'll find Delcatty's lost spirit. Fail, and the the dungeon will claim you in spirit and/or body. Either way, not a bad day of entertainment for me, so it's a win-win!" They giggle.

I feel dizzy. My life is being held in the balance by a maniacal imp.

I don't even know what to expect. Delcatty couldn't do it, and she must have been at least somewhat prepared for this place, plus, she has years of experience as an explorer. But me? Somehow I don't think lab experience and an undergrad in physics is going to help much here.

Maybe this was a bad idea.

But then I remember the alternative—don't go in, and with a flick of the wrist Hoopa could probably send me and my family directly to Giratina to receive our punishment. At least this way, it'll just be me who's paying for it.

It's just me. I'm alone here, but I make a point of burning everyone's faces in my mind. By the time she got through the ruins, Delcatty was somehow convinced she was constantly alone…and possibly that she was even somehow still in the dungeon (which, I realize now, it seems she is). I won't forget…I'm here for her. For my family. I might be physically alone in the dungeon, but I'm not truly alone. Not when I know they're all out there, rooting for me.

"You gonna keep making that stupid face all day, or are you gonna get started?" They say impatiently. Evidently they want the entertainment to begin sooner rather than later.

I look into the entrance way again. Take a deep breath, and step inside.

The spacious room has a single staircase leading down. "Good luck! See you on the other siiide!" I hear Hoopa singsong. I don't look back. I don't know how they'll be able to 'watch' without following me, but I don't particularly care. I just approach the steps, and start going down.

Down.

Down.

—

My attention suddenly snaps back to me. Ugh…have I been…zoning out this whole time? I feel disoriented…my heart is racing, but I don't know why. I'm feeling for the edges of a memory, but the details elude me, like remembering a strange dream. I'm…holding a plate of sandwiches, about to step outside. I regard the food, the crusts are cut off of Elliot's, just how he likes it. I was just the same once, I smile to myself. Whatever it is…it can't have been that important if I've forgotten already…right? Probably just a daydream.

I try to shake the feeling and step outside. It's a beautiful day—the sun is shining, Elliot is laughing, chasing Rotom around in the backyard, Stephanie is sitting at the picnic table, our other pokemon lounging around, enjoying the sun. It's a beautiful day, so why do I feel so…off?

"Mommy lookit!" Elliot says, running over with a rock in hand. "Look…a present for youuuu!" He giggles.

~this isn't real~

A chill rushes through me, the feeling leaving me unsteady. It's like a voice whispering in my ear—a similar feeling I'd get in Skitty's world, when I'd remember a forgotten memory—I never knew how I knew, but I was always right.

But…why shouldn't this be real? It has to be! My son, hugging my leg…the hardness of the rock he pressed into my hand…that's real…right? And…why wouldn't it be?

I look at the rock. It's a…

A moonstone?

~not Skitty anymore, Delcatty now! Don't forget, this isn't real!~

I feel dizzy—I drop the plate of sandwiches and the stone, falling to my knees as the others rush over.

"Are you alright, dear?" Dragalge asks. I rub my head, then stop, my eyes flying open. Dragalge asked me themself, without the aid of Rotom. But I'm a human…I couldn't understand them at all when we came back. So…so that must mean…

~remember, you're not actually a human right now! You're not at home, either! You're here!~

It rushes back to me all at once. I…I'm a zorua now…again…not because of the lab accident this time, but because of Delcatty. I'm in a dungeon…a dungeon that destroyed her, took her spirit. I went in there to save her from the dungeon and my family from Hoopa's blackmailing…so that means…

None of this is real.

The sky turns dark, the others scream, pulling my attention from my racing thoughts as they disappear through golden hoops. No, no it's not real…it's not! This…this has already happened! The others didn't disappear, leaving me alone and confused in the garden! I'm in a dungeon…the Echoing Ruins? To save Delcatty…and all of them…from Hoopa and Giratina. This isn't real!

I may have shouted the last sentiment, I can't be sure.

And just like that, the room clears. The others, the garden, even the stone is gone, like they were never there. I suppose they weren't, not really. I'm breathing heavily and trembling.

So this is how the dungeon works. It gives you a reality and…and submerges you in it…until you give in to the panic…the fear.

This is an evil place.

As if on queue, a staircase appears before me—is that real? Looking around the room, I can't see anything else, not even the stairs I came from. Real or not, it looks like I have no choice but to keep going down.

—

We've gone to see Delcatty, trying to learn anything about where Hoopa took Gwen, see if there's anything we can possibly do. If it's close enough maybe we can follow them…or something.

When we finally get to see her, my heart stops. Gwen was right—Delcatty looks terrible.

I can't believe the snarky, funny, spirited little pokemon is the same as the one I'm looking at now.

She's sleeping restlessly, eyes screwed shut, twitching slightly, and mumbling something, barely audible.

"Mmm…no…it's not…not real…you're…here…"

As furious as we all are about everything she's put us through…I can't bear it. Even Stephanie is tearful.

"That place…how could it have done this?" She asks to no one in particular, clearly not believing it herself either. If it did this to an explorer with as much experience as her…

I go over to Delcatty and start gently stroking her head with my tail. "…it's going to be ok…Gwen's coming…you're both going to be ok…" I say, probably more for my own benefit than hers. Gwen has to be ok…she has to make it through…whole and unharmed, for both their sakes. And ours.

—

"Aahh!" I wake with a start, blood pounding in my ears. I look around—I'm in a hospital room, sitting in a starchy bed with Serperior curled up at my feet, asleep.

Was I…dreaming? Everything felt so real. I…actually thought I was back in Skitty's world.

Maybe it's going to take more time to get used to being home than I thought.

I feel longing for something I can't put my finger on. Names flit through my mind…Stephanie…Elliot…but they mean nothing to me. Maybe they're friends of mine? I guess it'll take time for the rest of my memories to come back too. I internally curse my ruined phone again—a contacts list would be a life-saver at a time like this!

I sigh and look out the window. It's dark outside—not just as it is at night, but completely black. Huh, that's…odd. Something doesn't feel right somehow…but just as quickly, the uneasy feeling passes.

I look at my hands again, flex my fingers. Human hands…that's going to take some time to get used to too. It's a shame, I'd rather gotten the hang of walking on all-fours.

~you've done all this before…a while ago…you've made a whole life since!~

Huh? That voice in my head…what does it mean I've 'done this all before?' I'll admit, I do have a sense of deja vu, but…

"Oh my, what are you doing up? To bed with you!" The nurse floats in. I rub my eyes and look again, certain I must have seen wrong. The nurse is…Polteageist?

~wake up wake up wake up! It's not real!~

I start to panic…what's happening? What's with this voice? Am I…dreaming? No, no it's too real…I'm definitely here, in my human form, in this human hospital…but then why is the Exploration Center's pokemon nurse here? And, actually speaking to me in a way I can understand? I…I can't quite think straight, my thoughts are running away from me again.

"Don't fuss dear, just try to go to sleep," Polteageist says with a hint of frustration. I try to get up, feeling like I might regain some control the dream or whatever this is supposed to be if I take some initiative, but the next thing I know I'm being forced back into the bed, Serperior's tail wrapped tightly around my neck.

My heart is racing. My breaths would becoming fast if I could take any at all…it's all so…it's…

~Gwen, wake up!~

I force my breathing to slow. I'm in a nightmare. I have to be—all this can't be happening…so there's no real danger, despite how real it feels. I go against all my instincts and stop struggling. My vision is going spotty. Whatever this is…it can't be real. Polteageist is in Skitty's world, not mine. Even if he was here, I couldn't understand him if I was human. And Serperior only ever attacked me like this once—because he thought I was someone else who did something to me. So…this can't be happening, just like the voice said. I focus on the thought, screwing my eyes shut and willing the scene to disappear.

A moment later, I feel the solid ground of the dungeon under me again. When I open my eyes, it's all gone. I'm a zorua, panting and lying in the middle of a wide open floor, stairs appearing beside me.

I take stock of my memories, remind myself who I am, where I am, and why. This place is trying to confuse me, make me panic, lose my focus. Is that what happened to Delcatty? Did she lose sense of what she was here for and what was happening? I wonder what she saw in her time here.

As much as the dungeon's goal seems to be to confuse and disorient…it seems a little confused too. It's taking memories of my world and Delcatty's…mixing them together. The realities it makes are uncanny…but fundamentally off, just distorted enough for me to break out.

It can try all it likes, but one way or another, I'm getting to the bottom of this dungeon. Step by step, floor by floor. Down, down, down.