Hey I am back with another chapter for Latios and Emily! I finally got hit with inspiration to write again, surprisingly thanks to one of the more recent event quests in Genshin Impact. (I started writing this chapter back when the event was still new) The event will be slightly referenced here in the chapter. But not too much. Mostly just to describe a kind of mental illness that the game brought up, one I had never heard of before. And it is very likely to be made up by the game itself and not real yet will draw from other kinds of mental illnesses. Genshin has created their own diseases before, such as Eleazar.
Even if the mental illness is made up for the purpose of this event, it still works in my favour because my story is a work of fiction not reality. I mean even for a magical girl anime, falling into a world like pokemon and regressing into a baby dratini is pretty far-fetched.
This is like a bad isekai, yet I am writing it and it is my guilty pleasure so I hope it becomes one for you all as well. So enjoy the chapter.
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or Sailor Moon but the OCs are mine.
(Emily)
Teething was literally the most excruciating thing she'd ever had to endure so far. Her trips to the dentist almost didn't compare. At least the dentist would numb her mouth and make the pain go away for a while while he fixed her cavities. This however? The only thing she could do to make it stop was teeth on that stupid shell or suck on a pacifier. It was on day three of this painful experience when Latios finally decided to give her more relief by chilling the stupid shell for a while before he gave it to her again.
This helped more and numbed her aching gums for a little while at least. It didn't make the experience less humiliating though. Actually it only made it worse. Latios was babying her more than ever now, cooing her with baby talk, cuddling and nuzzling her more…it was, she wanted to call it nauseating but yet a part of her liked the affection.
Clearly being in this dimension was driving her insane.
There was another topic that was hard to ignore however. Latios kept asking her opinion on Celebi. It started on day 2 of this particular nightmare. With him asking Emily if she liked Celebi. She hasn't given him a straight answer as of yet. She knew why he was asking however. He viewed himself as her parent, a single parent. And now he was asking his kid if she was okay with his sort of girlfriend. Or rather asking her permission to date her again? It was weird. And she honestly had no idea how to respond to such a thing so she had asked him to give her time to think. Still that didn't seem to stop him from asking her opinion each day. It was starting to get on her nerves. Being cranky from teething pain and less sleep certainly didn't help.
She found herself napping more because of this and sometimes she woke up chilled from a fever because of the teething. She normally tried to resist calling for help from Latios until it got to breaking point.
After dealing with it for a week and a half, Emily was certain things couldn't possibly get any worse for her. Once again however she was proven dead wrong when Uxie showed up one morning.
"Come on Emily, please drink up." Latios pleaded with her as she tried to refuse the bottle. Her gums were still numb from the chilled shell and she didn't want the warm milk to ruin the relief she was experiencing.
"No." She told him stubbornly, turning her head away once more.
"Emily, please!" He pleaded once more, giving her a concerned look. "You had a fever when you woke up baby, you need to keep your strength up. Please Em, I'm begging you to cooperate."
This time she hesitated, he sounded scared and worried for her and honestly the thought of her fever coming back was an unpleasant one so she finally decided to do as she was told and allowed him to bottle feed her. Being humiliated more was the lesser of the two evils.
Breathing in relief, Latios smiled at her. "Thank you, sweetheart."
Once the routine feeding and burping (she still hates that), was done both were surprised to hear a knock on the door. And upon answering it Emily was surprised to see Uxie. She hasn't seen him since she first arrived in this world. She remembered that he had been processing all the information he had learned about her and said he would be back when he had answers. That had been nearly two weeks ago now. Or was it two and half weeks ago? It was hard to keep track of time. Especially with this teething nightmare going on.
"Uxie?" Latios asked in surprise. "Uh good morning, what brings you here so early? I just finished giving Emily her breakfast. Can I offer you coffee or juice?"
"Say hello Emily." He then chides her before letting Uxie into their room.
"Hello, Uxie…" She says a bit nervously. Why was he here? Did he actually have answers to give? Had he figured out that she wasn't crazy? That she was telling the truth? Was he going to convince Latios and everyone else to help her? Rather wishful thinking on her part, but she still had hope that someone might believe her story. Surely the being of Wisdom would be that someone.
"Yes, yes, Good morning and hello. Thank you for the offer Latios but what I really need is to well…speak with you in private." Uxie states while fidgeting and twitching slightly. Emily didn't like the sound of that. Why did he want to speak with Latios in private? Why not include her in the conversation?
Latios also looked troubled by this but instead of protesting or asking why, he simply placed her on the ground next to some toys, such as a ball and some blocks on a mat. "You stay here and play while I talk with Uxie okay?"
Emily then watched as the two of them went out into the hallway shutting the door on the way out. Not wanting to be left out she slithered over to the door and tried to listen in on their conversation as best she could. However they were speaking in hushed tones so she could only catch a few snippets here and there.
"What?! No! That can't be right!" She heard Latios practically shout out though she had missed what Uxie said. "Th-there is no way someone, human or pokemon otherwise could be born like that! B-Besides didn't you state before that her brain waves were like a hybrid between a baby's and a teenager's? H-how does any of that fit in?! Or what about the strange powers she has displayed?! Your theory doesn't explain that!"
"Latios, calm down." She then heard Uxie say before hearing a muffled sigh. She strained to hear more as Uxie started to talk quietly again. "It's not perfect. I admit it. But she has the signs."
Signs? Signs for what? What does he think I have? Some sort of disease? Emily thought to herself as she strained to hear more, hoping they were both too distracted to hear her own thoughts and learn she was eavesdropping. Still if she were on the right track….were they back to thinking she was crazy? Or developing a mental illness?
Suddenly she didn't want to hear anymore of the conversation but instead of going back to the play area, she stayed by the door and listened more. As much as she dreaded the confirmation of her thoughts, she needed some sort of confirmation as to what they thought was wrong with her.
"This, Loneliness Syndrome" She heard Latios state but his voice sounded shaky. "Is there any cure? Any treatment? Anyway we can stop her from seeing these uncontrollable delusions? I don't want to put my baby on medication but if I have to, I will so long as it helps her."
She stopped listening at this point and did indeed go back to the play area now, though she felt like hiding under the crib or his bed and crying her eyes out. They did indeed think she had some sort of mental illness. One so bad that they thought her story was all some big delusion that her mind had created. Were they going to put her on drugs? Drugs that would do nothing for her other than make her feel loopy? Keep her locked up more than she already was? Cut off her contact with anyone who didn't have permission to see her? What? What was going to happen to her now? How much time did she have to escape before any actions were taken? She most definitely had to escape now. Latios' feelings be damned. He was going to put her on drugs if it meant 'curing' her. She wouldn't let them. She'd escape for sure this time. Her life depended on it.
(Latios)
Latios followed Uxie out into the hallway, clearly this was something big if he didn't want to talk about it in front of Emily. Did he finally figure out why she is so different? He hoped so, sure Emily was acting more her age now but he was pretty sure that was because she was teething. He was glad he never went through it. Judging from Emily's experience it was rather painful and tiring.
And while he didn't enjoy seeing her suffer, he was happy about how much bonding they were doing because of it. Sure she was still being stubborn, but she needed him more than ever now it seemed. He had gotten more cuddle-time with her in the past week than he had when she first hatched. He would be sad when she started resisting his comfort and affection again once she was all better.
"Alright, so what is this about? What did you learn about Emily?" Latios asks, trying to keep his voice down just in case Emily did decide to try and listen in on them.
"Well it's not so much what I learned as what I have theorised." Uxie states before he starts rambling on.
"I started researching the reincarnation theory more at first but deemed it impossible. Then I started looking at the probability ratio of there being other worlds other than ours and Ultra Space, the numbers and ratios were unreliable. I need more data, some results were positive some were negative it was basically a 48.999999915% split between the two. That was when Arceus came and talked to me. He saw my research and number ratios and asked if this was because of Emily. I told him yes because she is quite the puzzle, and I am normally very good at figuring out puzzles but she has me stumped. Anyways after looking over my work Arceus stated that he might have to change his mind about the other worlds theory. Did you know he had been looking for evidence of other worlds beforehand but never found any? Yet my research while being somewhat unreliable made him rethink the possibility. I wouldn't be surprised if he started looking again even if the story Emily told him is rather strange and weird and sounds impossible. Oh that's right he told me the version of the story she told him, she really added on more details than last time I heard it. Though after hearing this story it got me thinking about fantasy worlds and this led me on the track to uncontrollable delusions which led me to a book on mental illnesses. And here is where my theory comes into play. While reading the book I noticed the similarities or symptoms and signs to one particular one matching Emily. It's called Loneliness Syndrome, basically the subject experiences a version of depression and loneliness but they close themselves off to reality and start not being able to tell the difference between fantasy and reality. Given that she's been like this since she hatched it's almost as if…well that she was born with this mental illness. And that is my theory as to what is up with Emily."
His head was spinning once Uxie stopped rambling. Actually his head started spinning when he rambled off the number ratios about the probability of other worlds and did he say that Arceus was now looking back into the matter? Arceus had basically told the rest of them the opposite of that back at the baby shower. Then again if what Uxie stated was true Arceus was only taking another look into the matter because of the mixed results Uxie had produced from those probability ratios. Still this didn't stop his head from aching and spinning until he stated the words that sent pure dread through his system. Mental Illness. He focused more on what Uxie had said there during his rambling and was very appalled by the theory.
"What?! No! That can't be right!" Latios practically shouted at Uxie once everything had been processed. "Th-there is no way someone, human or pokemon otherwise could be born like that! B-Besides didn't you state before that her brain waves were like a hybrid between a baby's and a teenager's? H-how does any of that fit in?! Or what about the strange powers she has displayed?! Your theory doesn't explain that!"
"Latios, calm down." Uxie says before letting out a sigh. "It's not perfect. I admit it. But she has the signs. And I am not even saying she has it for sure. Honestly I freaked out more than you just did when this possibility came to me. I was stuck in the ceiling for nearly three hours. And you are correct this theory doesn't explain her powers nor does it explain her birthmark or the strange brain wave patterns. But at the moment it is all I have to explain her strange stories and why she won't accept that they are not real."
Latios thought these words over as he tried to calm himself down. The thought of Emily being mentally ill terrified him, but it would be worse for her if it were true. And Uxie just stated that he was not diagnosing her with this illness, just telling him that this was a possibility because Emily was showing signs of having it. Nothing was definite.
Even still I have to ask. Latios thought to himself before bringing up the courage to ask the question he dreaded the most in a rather shaky voice. "This, Loneliness Syndrome….. is there any cure? Any treatment? Anyway we can stop her from seeing these uncontrollable delusions? I don't want to put my baby on medication but if I have to, I will so long as it helps her."
Dear Arceus, I hate myself right now! And he did. He felt awful. The words had felt like a vile poison on his tongue. If Emily was eavesdropping he wouldn't blame her for hating him.
However if she did in fact need medication he would argue for them to use more natural remedies created by Shaymin who for some reason experimented with such things. Enhancing berries with a sort of plant alchemy in a sense. He also knew that she had grown some rather strange mushrooms that could even shrink legendaries into smaller versions of themselves. Giratina had been a 'victim' of this once he remembered. Palkia and Dialga had fun at the expense of their 'baby' brother. He also remembered Arceus trying to make amends with Giratina for events that had happened before Latios was born/created.
He didn't know all the details and had never asked for them but he knew Giratina had been banished from this world before in the distant past and lived in the Distortion World, due to acts of violence. He also knew that Giratina had once tried to kill Arceus during the time period where Sinnoh was still called Hisui. The incident with Team Galactic and Cyrus had changed things however. Giratina had essentially saved the world when he stopped the leader of Team Galactic from creating a new world by using the Red Chain to control the powers of Dialga and Palkia, to create a new world meant destroying the current one. From the Shadow of Cyrus' creation Giratina broke free from the Distortion World and kidnapped Cyrus before his new world could be completed while freeing his brothers. What became of Cyrus after this incident was unknown but this had redeemed Giratina in the eyes of Arceus and had welcomed the son he had created by accident back home. Giratina then made a room for himself in the Hall of Origin but his room in particular was special because it had two different portals. One connected to the Distortion World and the other connected to the Spirit world. He had decided to remain connected and be the lord of both worlds. Latios hadn't thought to ask Giratina why he wanted to remain connected to a place that had essentially been his prison but he supposed that having lived in that world for centuries it had probably come to feel like a home to him.
"I would have to research treatment options more but considering it is possible she does not have this particular illness worrying about such things may not be necessary, Latios." Uxie stated after mulling over the question. "Now I heard she started teething. Do you mind if I take a look at her?"
"Of course not, honestly I have been meaning to take her to see you because she's been developing a fever due to teething recently. She had a particular nasty one this morning that worried me." Latios confessed.
"Body temperature increasing isn't abnormal but if she's getting an actual fever… then yes I suppose I really should take a look at her." Uxie stated before the two of them re-entered the room.
To Latios' surprise they found Emily playing with the toys he had put her beside. She was building a structure with the blocks and then would knock it down with the ball. It is the most normal child-like behaviour he has witnessed from her thus far. He had expected her to be right by the door when they came in. Yet here she was being cute and adorable just playing with her toys as he had suggested.
Perhaps she wasn't listening in after all. Latios thought with a smile as he watched her play, and couldn't help cooing over her. "Awww, did wittle Emily find a new game she likes?"
She appeared to cringe at the comment but otherwise didn't say anything in retaliation. That was a bit odd. Normally she at least protested, not that he was complaining. Instead he went over to her and kissed the top of her head and nuzzled her affectionately. "Uxie is just going to give you a little check-up and figure out why you had such a high fever this morning okay? So be a good girl and open wide so he can see."
Emily seemed reluctant but again she didn't argue or protest. "O-Okay…"
Uxie started to inspect her mouth once she complied, she whimpered and almost squirmed away as he poked and prodded, gently he hoped. Latios held her in place and tried to comfort her while Uxie continued his inspection.
"Well no wonder you've been in so much pain and had a fever, normally children only grow a few teeth at a time…. the first teeth being their front teeth the bottom ones to be more precise, while you however… Well this is strange but you're growing a full set of teeth all at once." Uxie commented and started to fidget as if fighting another spaz attack. "Why are you growing a full set of teeth so soon? I know Pokemon age more quickly than human babies but to this extreme is very abnormal and makes no sense…maybe if I had a blood sample I could study why this is happening-"
"Don't you even think about it!" Latios then growled and interrupted Uxie's spiralling thoughts. "My baby isn't some science project! She is not going to be studied like a specimen in a lab! Suggest such a thing again and I will hurt you."
Uxie visibly gulped at that and let out a small shriek. "Sorry! Sorry! Please don't hurt me! Y-you know how I get sometimes!"
"Yes I do. That is the only reason I haven't attacked you outright and only gave you a warning." Latios stated before picking Emily up and hugging her. "There, there, did Uxie scare you? Don't worry sweetheart I would never let him act on such thoughts."
He admitted that he too was also curious about why Emily was growing a full set of teeth all at once, that truly was not normal for any child. Human or Pokemon. And it had to be particularly even more painful for her. Emily did feel as if she was shaking a bit, so he soothingly rubbed her back. "Shh...it's okay Emily, you're safe."
"Ahem, so uh yes sorry again." Uxie stammered and figited more. "Still upon inspection her teeth are coming in rather nicely and at the rate they are growing I would say it should only take a few more days until she's done teething. When she is, I suggest that you bring her to my office so I can give her a more thorough check-up."
"By that time I should know more than enough about the illness so as to properly diagnose her." Uxie then told him telepathically.
Latios nodded at both statements before he looked at Emily and smiled. "Hear that sweetie? Only a few more days of owies. Then you'll be all better and Uxie can make sure you're healthy. Thank you Uxie."
"Of course, and with that I shall take my leave." Uxie said as he left the room and Latios was certain he heard a faint spaz attack out in the Hall after he left but he decided to pay it no mind.
"Now, let's get you ready for a bath, shall we?"
(Emily)
Emily wasn't fooled, she knew the underlying meaning behind the so called more thorough check-up. That is when they will diagnose her. She had no doubt. So good news was, she still had time to make her escape. Bad news however was that she would have to wait until the teething nightmare was over until she made her move. As much as she wanted to make her escape tonight, she knew that wouldn't be the smartest move. Unfortunately she still needed to rely on Latios for the time being. The pain was too intense to deal with on her own.
Truthfully, Emily knew that leaving the Hall of Origin wouldn't be easy either but she at least had to try. It was just a shame she couldn't get a better layout of the place.
I'll just have to hope that luck is on my side. She thought to herself that night as she fell asleep. And she would, big time. Not only would she have to play 'good girl' and endure over the next few days but she'd have to play dumb and pretend she didn't know what Latios and Uxie were up to. She also had to be extra careful with her thoughts so that she didn't blow her cover. Make sure Latios' guard was down. He couldn't suspect a thing, if he did….she was doomed.
So over the next few days she followed the same routine she had been for the last week and half. Sleep, eat, teeth, nap, cuddle time (ick but nice at the same time?) and so on. Until finally on the third day she was no longer in agony. For the first time in over a week, almost two, she had a peaceful night's rest and slept even longer than she normally did. She didn't wake until noon.
"You looked so peaceful that I didn't want to disturb you, even if someone missed brekkie." Latios told her with a chuckle as he fed her, to her dismay, oatmeal with cinnamon and brown sugar. She had never really liked the stuff much; it looked like baby food and was the colour of barf. She also wasn't a fan of the food's texture. Even if the sweet smell from the brown sugar was enticing to her appetite. But Latios had told her this was her treat for being such a good girl lately and to help celebrate the end of her teething dilemma. He had checked her mouth first thing when she had woken up, and beamed at her when he told her that her teeth had finally grown in.
"I know I told Uxie that I would take you to see him when you finished teething, but I feel like that can wait until tomorrow." He said as he tried to feed her another spoonful of oatmeal. Thankfully he was using a spoon this time instead of his psychic powers. "You deserve a day to relax and enjoy your new set of chompers. H-hey now come on don't be stubborn, open wide, you missed breakfast. Your wittle tummy-wummy must be very hungry. Come on eat up while it's still warm and nummy."
She internally groaned at the baby talk, which was just getting worse by the day it seemed. But not wanting Latios to be put back on his guard she did indeed continue to be a 'good girl' and ate the oatmeal and held back any comment about it. The brown sugar and cinnamon did help the taste a bit. She missed sweets so badly. Especially chocolate. If the best she could get right now was this barf coloured mush she would at least try to enjoy the taste of sugar again.
Once her meal was finished, Latios set up a big canvas and easel with paints for the two of them after asking if she would like to do a collaborative painting together. She knew what he was up to, trying to make today fun to make up for ruining her life tomorrow. She admitted it was clever and his plan was indeed tempting. In order for her plan to succeed she agreed to play along with his plan.
She did her half of the painting first and insisted once again that he not hover over her shoulder while she painted. She decided to paint a rushing waterfall to the best of her ability including a rocky cliffside detailed and textured as much as she could manage for the time being. She was painting with her tail instead of a brush after all. Once Emily finished her half of the canvas and to Latios' amusement covered herself in as much paint; he started working on his side of the canvas. He added the lake that her waterfall flowed into as well as a sky for her rocky cliffside. Throughout the day they added more details and texture to the painting letting it dry a while before adding more. Latios added what looked to be her form's evolution line to the lake as well as some shadowy figures that resembled himself and Latias to the sky. They were rather hard to see unless you had a trained eye for that sort of detail, which she did. Emily for her part did her best to try and do a splatter effect so as to add foam, fog and a splash of rainbow colours to the waterfall. All-in-all the painting had turned out rather well despite everything. Though Latios' half was clearly better than her half for obvious reasons.
Latios praised her work regardless of what she thought, but teased her about needing a longer bath to get all the paint off. The two ended up bathing together because Latios himself didn't see the harm in it and he also had gotten covered in paint from her splatter-effect. Not as much as Emily but enough to warrant more than a simple hand washing. She wasn't exactly comfortable with this but she supposed it was harmless in her current form.
Latios then proceeded to cuddle with her once they were both cleaned up. She admitted that this was making her feel a bit guilty about escaping tonight. It would hurt him deeply that much was certain. But she couldn't afford to have a soft heart right now or to feel sorry for hurting him. If she is taken to that doctor's appointment her life would be over. She needed to steel herself. This was her only option. Finding a way back home and getting back to normal had to be her main goals. Her main focus. Not worrying about the feelings of this lonely being. Even if his loneliness mirrored her own in a way.
She let herself drift to sleep while he hummed her a lullaby and tucked her in for the night. Moonlight from the half moon streaming through the window woke her up and she took this as a good sign that she would indeed escape this time. Looking over at Latios' bed she confirmed that he was asleep before she accessed her powers.
The Sailor Teleport was a technique she thought was only usable when she and the other Guardians combined their powers. Or at least this is what her mother had always told her. She had discovered it the first time she had tried to escape. While trying to think of a way to open the door, all she had thought about was leaving and going home until suddenly she was in the hallway and the light from her birthmark, the Mark of Venus, faded. Emily had then proceeded with her escape back then but was of course caught. This time however she was determined not to fail. Concentrating whilst in her crib, Emily thought of her mother, her friends and of course her home. It didn't take long for light to emit from her birthmark and before she knew it she had teleported herself out into the hallway again. She just hoped the little bit of light she had emitted hadn't disturbed Latios' sleep.
She didn't understand why she was able to access this certain power whilst in her infantile dragon form but she did have a theory about how their teleportation technique worked. While holding hands and combining their energies the Sailor Guardians could teleport great distances away but individually they could only manage a few feet at most she presumed. She would have to practise this skill more once she was back to normal. This power would be very useful in battle if she could learn to control it better. Once she was back home she would also have to tell the girls of this discovery and theory so they could test it out themselves as well.
Now that she was out in the hall, with Latios none the wiser. She decided to head west. She had headed east the last time she attempted this and that had led her to Suicune, Entei and Raikou. Hopefully she wouldn't face a similar encounter this time around. Of course her biggest flaw was that she had no idea where the exit was. But surely a place this big, had to have more than one exit right? She would just have to rely on her luck.
She rounded corner after corner very cautiously, always being on the lookout for anyone who might be up at this time of night. Most of the hallways looked the same, the same big doors though they were of various colours such as green, pink, blue, white. Some were wooden, some were stone, some were crystalized? Had she seen that right? She supposed that it was no different from the Crystal Palace but it still seemed a bit strange to her. There were pictures on the walls and not very many windows. The walls were pristine white and the floor she was slithering on was white marble, the edgings were painted gold or were actually gold. Plants were on some tables or hanging here and there. Still she saw no signs or directions towards an exit. And this place was like a maze. She found a window and teleported herself up onto the windowsill. She tried to open it but either it was locked or she just wasn't strong enough. Peering outside she could make out shadows of trees but otherwise it was pure black. She could try to teleport out from here and be outside but she didn't know what might happen. She also couldn't tell how far off the ground this window actually was. She just wanted to escape, she didn't want to kill or harm herself in the process. And given that she didn't know the limits of this power yet she thought it best not to test out teleporting into the unknown.
With a sigh Emily teleported back down to the floor and she felt a little dizzy afterwards. She was hitting the limits of her power it seemed. She wasn't in her Sailor Venus form afterall. Exhausting herself wasn't going to help her escape. She decided to keep heading west until she realised that she was utterly lost. Looking around she thought she saw the same doors she had passed and the plants looked familiar too didn't they?
Did I just walk in a big circle? Or am I in a new area and everything just looks the same? Emily questioned as she was no longer able to discern left from right or east from west. She didn't remember which way she had come from or which way she had been going. At that moment fear and panic crossed her mind.
"I'm never getting out of here am I?" She asked herself quietly as tears began to form, she couldn't stop them even if she wanted to. "I'm going to be labelled as crazy, mentally ill, insane…what's the difference…I'm lost…someone will catch me and I'll get in trouble again then I'll be trapped with no way out…stuck here forever…"
Emily sobbed as she spoke, hiccuping occasionally as she let it all out, not caring if anyone heard her.
(Yveltal)
"Why won't you just talk to me? You know I care about you, Yveltal. So please can you tell me what happened already? It's been centuries since I last saw you as any other emotion other than depressed. And I am extremely worried about you." Xerneas said giving Yveltal looks of deep concern in her blue eyes with 'X' shaped pupils. It wasn't the first time she had approached him like this and demanded answers and he was certain it wouldn't be the last…. Xerneas was like his sister, the two had been born together. She was life and creation. While he was death and destruction. However she was also his Queen. She had married Arceus, the creator of their world. Once Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina were created then came the world. From the world sprouted his cocoon and Xerneas' tree. The planet came to life the minute Xerneas was born while when he emerged from his cocoon the life she had created withered and died and had become his power. Because of this many historians who studied the mythology constantly argued whether he and Xerneas were children of Arceus or not.
Yveltal preferred to think of Xerneas and himself as being born from the planet instead of being his children since it would be weird that he married his own daughter. Not only that but when Arceus first set foot onto the world he had helped create, he had been surprised to be greeted by him and Xerneas. Greeted might be the wrong word since he clearly remembered trying to attack Arceus. In his defence, Arceus had been an intruder upon their land. It was only thanks to Xerneas that he had not attacked the white/golden horse-like being.
Honestly, thinking back on his younger days made him wonder why he had not been banished alongside Giratina. Though he knew the answer to that. Xerneas. Like an annoying yet loving big sister she had looked out for him. And still was. It was just too bad that he couldn't tell her the truth. Well he could, however she would never believe him. Besides telling Xerneas what happened wouldn't change things. There was nothing she could do to heal his broken heart. It was beyond her power to fix him.
"Xerneas…You really should just give up on me, everyone else has." Yveltal told her with a depressed sigh.
"I shall never do that." Xerneas answered determinedly. "However it seems as if you are still not ready to talk. Therefore I shall not force you. Though I do implore you to talk to someone Yveltal. You cannot heal until you do."
Xerneas began to walk away before looking back at him. "Know that mine and Arceus' door is always open to you, my dear brother."
"I know it is….sister. But you cannot help me. I am beyond your help." Yvetal muttered to himself as he watched her leave and return to her husband. He knew she was right of course, that he should talk to someone so that he could heal. But there was no one he could talk to. No one would believe his story. He knew this for a fact. Because the one whom he had loved and lost had been from another world. A world that only he himself knew about because of her. Because of his beloved Pandora.
Pandora… Even just thinking her name conjured up her image in his mind and caused his heart to ache. She had been a visage of beauty with her long brown hair, wearing a golden crown that had a leafy pattern. Her bright beautiful and often sad and lonely purple eyes, wearing her shimmering gold dress and on her neck was a gold heart shaped pendant that glowed slightly. He missed her so much. But she was gone. Dead. And the world she came from had been sealed shut and hidden from his own so as not to get caught in the crossfire of the war between the dimensions of the Pokemon World and Ultra Space. It was because of the mayhem during that time period that he had met and come to know and love Pandora but it was also the reason why no one else knew of this world or its existence. There had just been too much chaos going on back then.
He had travelled to Pandora's home by accident while he had been in a slump. His darkness had caught up to him and he was finally able to see that all the death and destruction he caused could be considered evil and dangerous. This was the first time he had ever experienced being depressed. Yveltal had been scared of his own power for the first time in his life. No longer did he want to be the cause of such pain and destruction. He had destroyed a whole village filled with children, elderly and families, he had killed not only humans but pokemon as well. (Granted it had kind of been an accident after encountering a swarm of Buzzwole that slipped into their world and were wreaking havoc.) Some of the survivors had called him a monster. A minion of Giratina rather than Xerneas' counterpart or Arceus' warrior. Such words had never bothered him before then but for some reason they had affected him differently that time and he finally understood why Xerneas often cautioned him to only use his power in emergencies. Not because she was worried he would tire himself out and go into hibernation in his cocoon form, but because it would cause him to be feared and hated by both people and pokemon alike, and may even cause him to be banished just like Giratina.
It was during this revelation and depression that he had somehow stumbled into a portal leading to Pandora's home world. She lived on the planet of Pandora that resided among the outer planets such as Saturn, and Neptune. However her home was considered merely a moon or a dwarf planet. She was the queen of this small planet however. She had been frightened of him but not because of his power or his appearance, but because of his close proximity to her. She was the host to evil demons that had wreaked havoc across the universe, a curse bestowed upon her by the ruler of Saturn and most powerful ruler among the kingdoms, Cronus. His power was equal to that of the Moon Queen at the time, Queen Selene. Pandora was forced to host these wicked demons or spirits rather because it was her bloodline that had released this force of evil upon the universe in the first place. Yveltal had considered this beyond cruel at the time but she had simply shaken her head.
"King Cronus was not being cruel, it is simply a matter of fact that only my bloodline can contain and keep these demons at bay. My power is to bind, suppress, constrain their powers and influence upon the world. However because they are powerful entities I can only restrain them so much which is why I must live in isolation so that their powers cannot influence others into doing evil deeds. I can also draw upon their powers and make them my own because I am their host." Pandora had explained but Yveltal had not once felt compelled to do anything evil whilst in her presence. He himself still didn't know the answer to this. Perhaps it was because he had already committed evil acts in his life and seen the error of his ways that he could no longer be influenced by her demons. Or perhaps they could not influence someone who was not of their world. Honestly it was a question he would rather leave to someone like Uxie to figure out.
But from then on the two would meet in secret. Sometimes he would visit her in her world and sometimes she would visit him in his. The first time he had travelled to her dimension, he had been surprised that he took on a more humanoid form but her form never changed when she visited him, perhaps because of her magical powers or perhaps because humans existed in his world but creatures like him didn't exist or it was the weird magic of her world. He just didn't know or understand it but never cared to try and understand it either. (If he was being honest it was another question he would rather leave to someone like Uxie to figure out.) It wasn't that he couldn't take his regular form in her world but it allowed him to blend in more and become closer to Pandora. Bond with her. By the time Queen Selene and King Cronus declared that they would be sealing off their world from the Pokemon World; the two of them had formed a bond of love, their souls had connected to one another. It had hurt him to separate from her. But what had hurt worse than their final goodbyes was when he felt her die.
Because of their bond, he had felt and shared her pain. Yveltal remembered crying out, screaming in anguish and pain, his Dark Aura flaring causing fear to those who had surrounded him at the time. An army of Nihilego if he recalled correctly. He had killed and slaughtered them all viciously but his pain never subsided. His mind, body, heart and soul ached. He knew then that something had happened to Pandora. Something had severed their connection. The only thing that could have done that though was death. Her death to be exact. And there was no one he could talk to about it because no one knew of her existence. No one knew he had fallen in love. Not even his sister. And so to this day he never let himself recover from losing his soulmate.
As he decided to head back to his room, Yveltal caught the sounds of someone crying nearby even hearing a few hiccups. He knew this wasn't any of his concern, yet he found himself curious as to who it could be crying at this hour and over what? His mental list of possible suspects was rather short, but it was entirely possible that due to his depression he could have easily missed a few details or events that happened to his companions.
Rounding the corner, Yveltal was very surprised by the appearance of the one who was crying. A young and unusually golden coloured Dratini. She looked like a baby yet something about her aura made it feel as if she was older than she appeared.
This must be Latios' new daughter. Yveltal thought to himself as he continued to watch the child. He of course had heard tell of Latios adopting a young orphaned Dratini, he just hadn't expected her to be such a strange colour. Was this a new shiny variation? A regional variant perhaps? As he drew closer to the child something else caught his eye. Upon the child's neck was a symbol he had not seen in centuries. This symbol could easily be mistaken for the sign given to females but Yveltal knew this symbol was proof of heritage from Venus. He had never seen it in person before but he recalled Pandora telling him about the other planets and their royal families. Not all citizens of Venus had the heart shaped female symbol, for example males from that planet would be marked with the regular version of the sign for females. Though he wasn't certain if all females possessed this symbol or if it was just the royal family.
Even still, why is that symbol on this child?! Is this really just a coincidence or does she have some sort of connection to that world? But that's impossible…. The connection between our worlds was closed a millenia ago. And yet the proof was staring him right in the face. However he couldn't be certain if this child was actually connected to Pandora's world and if she was, how had she come to be here? Was there a crack somewhere? But more importantly if she is of Pandora's world then why is she a Dratini? Many things weren't making sense. But before he could organise his thoughts the child became aware of his presence.
She gasped as her eyes shone with freshly formed tears, he took note that her eye colour was also different from a regular Dratini's as well. They were cerulean blue. Bright, beautiful, youthful, yet just like the aura she was giving off her eyes too told him that she was older than she appeared to be. She was more intelligent than she looked as well. There was a spark of wisdom there that seemed beyond her years. Her fight or flight instinct was clearly active as the kid tried to back away from him but she was already sitting up against the wall so she had nowhere to go.
"S-stay away from me! I am not going back there or to him! I can't and I won't!" The child snapped at him but he noted the fear in her tone while she had tried to mask it with outrage and anger.
"I won't hurt you child." he answered calmly though he sounded rather emotionless. It was a tone of voice he had developed since his depression. "Why are you not with your guardian? And why do you refuse to go back to him? Latios will be rather upset when he learns you are missing."
The child tensed and new tears fell in response. "I just can't, okay? You wouldn't even understand if I did explain all my reasons behind why I left."
"Why don't you try me? I've been around a lot longer than Latios has been after all." He told her and noted that her tone of voice indicated that she was hurt emotionally.
The child hesitated before she scoffed at him. "Hmph as if you don't know, surely my crazy made up tale has been spread throughout this whole place. Everyone who was at that baby shower knows the story after all."
"I wasn't there nor have I heard of any such tale about you, young one." Yveltal answered honestly. It would seem that she really did not want to talk about it but he needed answers. Perhaps he would have to push her some more. "Does this tale that you speak of have anything to do with the Mark that is on your neck?"
She made an audible gasp at the mention of the mark and looked at him sharply. Her look was a mixture of emotions. She looked suspicious and wary of him with a hint of anger, confusion and perhaps hope? However the young dratini still looked hesitant, clearly no one had believed her story. So it made sense why she wasn't exactly eager to share it with him. He'd have to push further. Or perhaps….
"I take it my theory is correct then." He stated before his voice took on more emotion than he had allowed himself to express for more than a millenia. "Listen child I can tell you are hesitant to speak but….I have a crazy tale of my own ...one that even my sister, Xerneas, doesn't know about. It may be of little comfort to you…but I won't think you are delusional or crazy whatever your story may be. Will you please share it?"
(Emily)
Emily looked at the giant bird of prey as she considered his words. She didn't even know his name. Then again he didn't know hers either. All she knew was that he was related to Xerneas, aka Arceus' wife. Both of whom had been present at that awful baby shower. So how was it that this giant bird who radiated power and deep sadness didn't know about her story already? And why was he interested in her birthmark…was there a chance he knew its true meaning? But that's impossible…right?
"Why should I share my story with you…I don't even know your name." It was her last bit of resistance. She still didn't understand why this bird was just talking with her. He wasn't trying to return her back to Latios, nor was he trying to convince her to go back. All he had asked in that regard was why she had left and if she knew that Latios would be upset when he learned of her disappearance.
"You are quite cautious for a child who appears so young." The bird of darkness replied. "But I suppose Latios has taught you about 'stranger, danger.' If that term of phrase is still in use. But you are correct…I should introduce myself. My name is Yveltal….and you are?"
"Emily…" She replied rather hesitantly.
"That is a rather human sounding name and not one I would have expected to come from Latios…" Yveltal stated as he eyed her curiously.
"He didn't name me." She then stated fiercely. "My mother did. She gave me an English sounding name because of the time she spent in England even though I was born in Japan. Now known as the kingdom of Crystal Tokyo."
She realised her mistake the moment his eyes narrowed and his mouth turned into a frown. However instead of stating that it was a nice little fantasy he said this. "I don't recognise any of those terms young one. Please if you are to tell me your story do start from the beginning."
She was more than a bit shocked that he still wanted to listen to her story. "Alright but don't say that I didn't warn that it'll sound crazy…"
And so Emily decided to tell her tale to Yveltal. She didn't have high hopes that he would believe her but at this point she had nothing left to lose. She started with how she was born to the Famous Japanese Pop Star Minako Aino, and how her mother was a reincarnated Princess of the Planet Venus. Emily watched as Yveltal's eyes widened at that but unlike the others he wasn't looking at her as if she was crazy, he was looking at her in hope…? That was strange. Wait...did he actually believe her story?
"Wh-why are you looking at me like that?" Emily questioned as she paused in telling her story.
"Because you just confirmed my suspicions about you are true." Yveltal answered in what sounded like awe.
"S-Suspicions?" She squeaked out. Now she was getting scared that Yveltal might be one of the ones that Latios had warned her not to mention her story to. Was he going to hurt her? No, no that wasn't the emotion she was getting from him. And was he crying?
"Suspicions that you come from the same dimension as my Pandora."His voice broke a little as he said this.
"Pandora? Who's Pandora?" Emily then asked, now getting rather confused. Surely he couldn't be talking about the Pandora from Greek Mythology could he? And had he said that she came from the same dimension as her?! Wait, he actually knows my home exists and doesn't think I am crazy?!
Yveltal must have seen her getting confused and noticed how her mind was racing and building up with so many questions because he hesitantly patted her head and tried to calm her down.
"You could say that Pandora was my wife." He answered wistfully. "Now instead of you asking me a million questions, how about I tell you the story about how I met Pandora and why no other Legendary Pokemon in this building will believe your dimension exists."
(Ace)
Ace scrubbed a hand down his face in frustration. Why had he ever agreed to this wild goose chase? Because you need to find Emily and finding this elusive Ghost is the key. His inner voice reminded him.
Eclipse had told Ace that the demon or entity that he was hosting was known as Death. One of the many evils that plagued the universe. An entity who had used to reside in a lonely and isolated Queen who had ruled a Dwarf planet in the outer ring of the Universe. Ace had never heard tell of this Queen before but then again if what he said was true then this mysterious Queen was far older than him and had possibly witnessed the very beginnings of their home planet's dynasties. Eclipse had also revealed that whilst Death and the other entities had visited this Pokemon World (where Emily was sent to) before his memories of this time were hazy at best. Ace then remembered the conversation they had before he agreed to take on this needle in a haystack mission….
"I believe that if I were to find and connect with Pandora, his original host and Queen, she could help unlock these memories. Once that is done, opening a portal to their world will be a lot easier for me." Eclipse stated.
"How are you so sure you'll be able to open a portal to another dimension? That is something not even Sailor Pluto can accomplish." Ace asked.
"Death is an entity that is far older than the Guardian of Space-Time. He existed during the time when Cronus was just a King of Saturn. Now don't ask me why the Ruler of Time and Space was the King of Saturn yet now the Princess of Pluto is one who controls the doors and the Princess of Saturn is in charge of Destruction and Rebirth…..I am sure Death knows the answers he just doesn't remember all the details. As I said he is old." Eclipse told him. "As for how I am so sure…well to be honest I am not. I have never opened a portal between dimensions before other than between our world and the afterlife. But I won't know until I try and this could be our best shot at finding her and bringing her back. So are you in or out?"
Ace hadn't had many other options and so he had gone along with the boy's plan, however it's been over a week and he still hadn't found any clues. Crystal Tokyo was huge and there were many places she could be hiding. Not to mention she could be somewhere else on Earth entirely. Or she could be on the Moon in the ruins of the former kingdom, she could even be in the ruins of her own kingdom for all he knew. However Eclipse had assured him she was somewhere on Earth….
"I don't know how I am so certain that she is on Earth or why I am certain she is in Crystal Tokyo, I just am. Perhaps it's because of Death and he can sense her presence. But I know she has to be here somewhere. So please just keep looking Ace. I'll keep in touch I promise." Eclipse told him before vanishing into a portal of his own creation.
Ace sighed as he slumped down in the current park he had been searching in. Honestly he didn't even know what she looked like. Eclipse had given him a vague description of a woman with brown hair, purple eyes and a gold dress. Not much to go off of as far as he was concerned. And since he knew nothing about what this ghost liked or disliked, how would he know where she would be hanging out? However an idea came to him as he remembered that Eclipse had said she was an isolated Queen. He had been looking in places where there were people thinking perhaps she wanted to be around them now that she could, however perhaps she still liked being a loner?
With this idea in mind Ace renewed his search. However it still took him till midnight to make any headway. He had tried the graveyard, an abandoned medical clinic, the top of the Crystal Palace which had a particularly nice view, until finally he tried the beach at night. A Crescent Moon shone overhead and in the distance a beautiful woman who resembled a goddess walked along the shore. Her translucent gold dress seemed to shimmer in the moon's light, her wispy brown hair seemed to blow in the sea breeze, atop her head was a golden laurel crown. In her hand she carried a staff that seemed to resemble a glaive almost but with a crystal orb adorned to it. And when she turned to face him he saw her wise purple eyes.
"Curious, I expected it to take you longer to find me." The Goddess said. Wait, she knew he had been looking for her? "Yes I knew Death had sent you to find me. And he'll be arriving shortly I imagine now that you have. Him and the little boy who is his new host."
"How do you know all this?" He was more than a little creeped out that this woman, this spirit, seemed to be able to predict the future.
The goddess laughed. "I can't predict the future! If I could I wouldn't have let myself be killed the way I was. I can however observe the entities I used to host using this Crystal ball on my staff. All I have to do is whisper the name and it will show me their current location. Watch."
"Death." The woman whispered to her staff and sure enough the crystal ball showed an image of Eclipse who was currently talking to another boy who had red hair with black tips, wore a blue dress shirt with silver shoulder pads and black dress pants. He looked as if he were a Prince. "Seems he's talking with Prince Nebulight right now. Very well while we wait for him to show up. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Queen Pandora of the Planet Pandora. A pleasure to make your acquaintance Phantom Ace."
Ace wasn't sure what surprised him more that the other boy was indeed a Prince or the fact that this ancient Queen knew his name. Either way he had a lot of questions to ask this Queen he had never heard of before and he hoped she would provide him with some answers.
"I shall answer any questions you might have for me, for I know why you and Eclipse are seeking me. However before I help you and in turn help Death and Hope. I would like to tell you all the story of my life." Pandora stated and he was all but positive this woman could read his mind. But who was 'Hope'?
A few minutes later Eclipse joined him on the beach and in-tow with him was the other boy from the image, the one Pandora had called Prince Nebulight. Another surprise was when both of Eclipse's eyes suddenly turned red and devil horns grew from his head before got down on one knee before the ancient queen.
"My Queen…at long last I have found you." A deeper voice than Eclipse's own then spoke from his body but this one sounded more otherworldly.
"Rise, Death there is no need to bow your head to a dead and fallen Queen." Pandora stated before smiling sadly. "Besides I am not your Queen anymore, you have a new host now and you are free."
"You shall always be my Queen, milady. And it was never my freedom that I craved milady. I craved for you to have your freedom. You were forced into isolation because of me and the others. Despite what you might have believed milady I never harboured any feelings of ill will towards you. We were trapped within your body and could not live without a host because of your powers. That is true, but you my Queen never treated us like prisoners. You were kind to us despite your fate. You treated us the ones who were causing you pain and loneliness like we were your friends. We did not deserve your kindness after the evils we had caused." The entity known as Death said as he continued to bow before his ghost Queen. Ace was rather astonished that the entity of Death carried such respect for the former Queen.
"But I was never truly alone, because I had all of you for company. Sure learning to restrain and control the desires and compulsions was tiring and painful but at the end of the day Death, you, Promiscuity, Greed and Misery and all the others were the only companions I had. And it wouldn't have been fair of me to treat you all like monsters. You all already thought of yourselves that way however you were just acting on impulse. Your true nature. You are entities of Chaos, they created you to bring about just that, chaos." Pandora explained wistfully. "But you all are not here to listen to me prattle on about light and dark or order and disorder. So allow me to shed light on the story that is my life. And Prince Nebulight do listen carefully because this story affects you as well, oh child of Greed and Violence."
TO BE CONTINUED….
Whew okay so this chapter was another one that was over 9000 words. Actually I think I am even over 10,000 words at this point.
The ending I had in mind for this chapter was different from what I wrote. Originally I was going to have Latios come searching for Emily but instead I opted to cut this one short and end it with Pandora and Yveltal begin with telling a story.
Much like with the Chapter Fight for the Future the next chapter will be in the past and written through the perspectives of Pandora and Yveltal respectively. The twist of Pandora's Box that I pulled for this one I have always found brilliant when I created this character for the story. I love my Queen Pandora so much and I hope you all will enjoy her as well.
Anyways when I had started writing this we were still in Fontaine in Genshin but now we have travelled to Natlan. Amazing how Writer's Block, being busy with work and gaming can do to your time. Anyways I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and are willing to wait till next time, bye~!
