"M-Mom? D-Dad? W-What was that noise?"

"W-What's going on?!"

"AAHH! No!"

"Kids, run!"

"Evelot, we need to get out of here!"

"The ringleaders of this poisoned circus. Every last remnant of your existence…will be extinguished."

"MOM! DAD!"

"Don't take this personally. Revenge…no longer matters to me."

"RrrrrrraaaAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"

"AH!" Evelot jolted up with a start, quickly patting herself down. A quick search of herself, and she sighed in relief finding she was still whole. She covered her face and groaned. "That dream…that dream of scattered memories. Darkness and flames. That's all they…"

She lifted her hands from her eyes and peered around her surroundings, expecting to have woken everyone up with her rambling. Instead, much to her confusion, she wasn't in the company carriage sound asleep with the others. She wasn't even in the desert, save for patches of loose sand on the floor.

She was in a dilapidated room, but one that looked vaguely familiar. An old desk sat against the wall caked with dust from years of stillness. Broken shelves hung loosely from the walls or sat shattered to pieces over the dusty floor. Shattered glass mixed in with the sand, their shapes indicating they were once whole containers.

Looking upon the walls and ceiling themselves, they were riddled with holes. The wall ahead looked to be nearly torn down, revealing the hallway beyond, and the ceiling was completely ripped open like someone clawed their way through. Though, why did the damage look like someone broke through the bottom and not the top? Almost like something escaped from within the room itself.

That chilling thought passed Evelot's mind for a moment before she observed the ragged bed she was cradled up in. Aside from the blanket, which looked to be the only pristine item in sight, the bed she lay in was torn up with a couple springs exposed. Her small size allowed her to cradle within the mattress comfortably, but the various stains and tears on the bed were disturbing.

The longer she got a look at her surroundings, it finally clicked into place why everything looked so familiar. It had been years, but the memories were coming back.

"…This is my room."

"Indeed. It is."

Evelot jumped as something rose up from the shadows in the corner of her room. However, she relaxed a little when she saw it was only her fateful bodyguard, Babylas. He fiddled with his eyepatch as he approached her bedside, plopping down a bowl of hot oatmeal in front of her.

"Hope you slept soundly," he said. "It was…quite a rough night."

Evelot groaned a bit and held her head. "Everything's…a bit fuzzy. What happened last night? And…why are we at my family's hideout?"

Babylas rested his arms on the front of the bedframe and sighed sadly. "I must confess this is where I've been hanging out the last few years. I don't exactly have a home, so this has been the only place I frequent. As for why we're both here…" He looked aside. "I'm not sure how to break this to you."

Evelot narrowed her eyes. "I…what do you mean?"

"…" He sighed. "Do you remember how I promised to take you and your friends away from the region? And you all said no?"

"V-Vaguely. Last night was kind of a blur."

He nodded slowly. "Well, I figured you all knew what you were doing, so I obliged to your decision. However, right as we were wrapping up dinner, we were attacked."

Her eyes widened. "W-What?"

"The Deadly Seven's Sin of Greed. Apparently he was stalking the area during your venture down into the asylum. Once he determined you were all exhausted, he got to work executing his mission. I ordered that hound to keep you safe while your friends and I fended off the sin. I must admit, you picked a valiant group of friends. They fought spectacularly to the bitter end." He covered his face and sighed. "And I do mean the bitter end."

Tears slowly welled up in Evelot's eyes. "B-Babylas, w…where is everyone?"

"…I'm so sorry, Evelot. The Sin of Greed got the better of us. He picked them off one-by-one, even taking out MacGyver. Phoebe was the last one standing, and she ordered me to preserve your life at all costs before she was…well, I wish not to remind you of the details. You passed out from the shock. It's almost comforting you don't remember what happened last night."

Evelot covered her face. "N-No. Th…They're dead? They're all dead?!"

"…I really am sorry, Evelot."

She trembled on the bed, tears pouring from her eyes as she hiccupped with sobs. "N-No…no, that can't be…"

Babylas picked up her bowl and moved it over to the nightstand. He sat himself on the bed and sighed. "I tried my hardest to save them, but we were overwhelmed. I could only focus on keeping you safe, so I escaped into the shadows and traveled as fast as I could to here. It took a lot out of me, but it was worth the trek."

"A…Amos. Phoebe. C-Caractacus. M-Magni…" Evelot pulled the blanket over her face and wailed into it. "NO! No, no, no, no, no! Waaaaaaaaaahhhhhh! NNNOOOO!"

Babylas remained silent as the Mimikyu bawled her eyes out, shaking and screaming from the depths of her soul. It was a truly heartbreaking display, one that pained the Banette to look upon. He allowed her the moment to grieve, willing to wait as long as she needed to sort out the hail of emotions bombarding her in the moment. She was always a sensitive soul, and he couldn't imagine the grief she was dealing with having only just woken up minutes prior.

The minutes passed, her sobs wailing from the depths of her soul now quieting as weariness overtook her. She curled within her blanket, her costume soaked with tears, and wept softly with bouts of hiccups in-between sobs. "N-N…No…"

Babylas reached over and patted her head. "Sorry. I wish I could've done more."

"…" She whined, pressing the blanket against her face. "W-Why? Why? Why does this keep…?"

Babylas narrowed his eyes. "It's going to be rough. You've been through so much. You didn't deserve to have this happen to you. I truly am sorry you've had to endure so much pain all these years, Evelot."

"…B-Babylas…"

He sighed. "We'll figure out what to do from here. For now, it'd be best if you eat and get some rest. We'll stay here until you've recovered. After that, there's somewhere I want to take you. You won't have to worry about anything ever again, because you'll have me to keep you safe."

"…" She sniffled and wiped her eyes. "Th-Thank you, Babylas…"

He nodded and handed back her oatmeal. "Eat as much as you can." He stood up and walked back to the door.

"W-Where are you going?" she asked, almost panicked.

He looked back over his shoulder and smiled. "I'm not going anywhere, Kitten. I just need to run an inventory check. You just stay here, alright?"

"…P-Promise you won't leave me, o-okay?" she whimpered.

He nodded. "I promise." With one last assuring glance, he walked out of the room and vanished through the hallway.

Evelot weakly pulled her bowl closer and picked up a spoonful of oatmeal. With a shaky hand, she took a bite, the warmth and honey sending a comforting wave through her body. So comforting that it released a second wave of tears from her eyes.

Comfort. Warmth.

It reminded her of her family.

It reminded her of her friends.

"E-Everyone…" She clenched her eyes shut and wept quietly, dropping her spoon and covering her face. "W-Why d-does this keep happening…? W-Why? Why?"

Babylas slipped through the shadows and made his way to the top floor of the hideout. Now far away from the Mimikyu, he pinched between his eyes and groaned. "I feel like crap…"

"Oh-hoho! That was a most marvelous performance you put on for your charge, Sin of Greed~!" He cast a glare at the figure lurking in the low light where one of his Shedinja floated by. Arethusa, the dreaded Milotic and lackey of Dr. Underhill, slithered into the light and snickered. "I never thought you possessed such callous acting skills."

"…" He turned his back to her and walked toward the locked, metal cabinets on the far wall. He pulled a key from his mouth and fiddled with the locks on one.

Arethusa slithered around the dusty lab tables and brushed aside the shards of glass along her path. "I heard everything through your pet. What a convenient way to use Phantom Force, linking the darkness with their inner darkness. It was better than any dramatic novel I've come across. A live performance grander than the stage itself! It was real, pure despair!"

"…" Babylas undid the lock and opened the cabinet, revealing the sealed food inside. He picked up a clipboard and started jotting down the inventory.

Arethusa coiled atop a table and snickered. "I mean, you were absolutely ruthless with that poor girl's emotions. Telling her about how you bravely fended off the Sin of Greed with her friends only for them to be slaughtered epically in battle. What a tragedy! Oh, she would be devastated to learn the true face of Greed, and you couldn't help embellishing the details to make yourself looked mighty!"

"…" After finishing his count, he locked the cabinet back up and moved on to the next one.

Arethusa smirked. "You must be cold-hearted to spin such a cruel tale. I wonder which version she'll find more tragic. Oooh, maybe I should tell her the real story. I'd love to see what despair it'll bring. Perhaps it'll completely shatter her psyche—" She froze, feeling something pressing against her neck. She glanced at the Shedinja floating beside her, and the Banette's arm warping through the eye hole with his poisoned dagger in hand.

"…" Babylas, with his arm sticking through the shadows of the cabinet, glared over his shoulder. "Your voice is irritating. Shut up."

Arethusa narrowed her eyes right as Babylas retracted his arm. He deposited his dagger back into the darkness and resumed checking his supplies. She scoffed and said, "Now I see why Cain holds you in high regards. You don't respect any form of authority, only what aligns with your interests."

"That's what my old man taught me, or at least the advice he left me in his journals. Never let anyone impede your freedom. Do what aligns with your goals and passions." He reared his arm back and flipped the Milotic off. "The Sins and Last Autumn are not my allies. They're just another collection of tools for me to wield."

She smirked. "But why go through all this trouble to get Faucher on our side?"

"Because the alternative is letting her roam as a free agent, or a liability. You think I'm not aware of who Last Autumn has been employing? If she ever found out Evelot was alive and not working for your boss' boss, that just makes her another target for her wrath."

"Heh." Arethusa shook her head. "For such a cold-blooded mercenary, you have a compassionate side about you. It's sickening."

"Just like how your presence is nauseating."

"All of this just to keep her safe? What do the Fauchers owe you that would extend your contract post-mortem? Or is it that you want something from them?" Arethusa grinned. "We both know about the dark secrets the Fauchers carried since a thousand years ago. Their family legacy as alchemists diving into the mysterious nature of the world, and Virdis served as the perfect jumping-off point to start anew the revolution of science. No one knows how much their contributions have reshaped the region. One could even say they've come closest to the truth."

"…"

"That's what you want, isn't it? You want to see the Absolute Truth."

"…"

"Or have you already peered into it? Where did you get that eye of yours really?"

"…" Babylas glared over his shoulder. "You ask too many questions."

"Can't help a curious mind. Plouton would be worse company. He'd try to experiment on you in your sleep. Oh, but I suppose you don't sleep."

Babylas moved on to the next cabinet. "Is that a threat?"

"Only if you keep being a good mercenary and remember your place. That rebellious attitude of yours can get you in trouble with Cain, or even the entirety of Last Autumn."

"Last Autumn is beneath me. They live because I allow them to."

She smirked. "You're funny. Physically, you're not the most imposing of the Sins. After all, you've made it clear you have a vendetta against one of Last Autumn's top enforcers. And I'm pretty sure she nearly killed you in your last confrontation."

"You just love to yap, don't you?" he grumbled.

"What can I say? I love getting a rise out of people."

He turned around and flashed his own grin. "Well sorry, but I'm not so easy to anger. Plus, I'm not a sadist who enjoys drowning people for the heck of it. How many children have you suffocated to watch their fleeting moments again?"

She chuckled. "You wouldn't understand the artform."

"I understand that you're a heartless serial killer. You had to join under Cain's subgroup just to get by. Should I list off the names of your victims?"

Arethusa glared. "How the hell…? I haven't known you for that long. How could you—"

"I'm very thorough. I've known about you ever since I joined the Deadly Seven. In fact, I know just about everyone. Plouton, Cain, Abel, Bridget the First, her granddaughter, Lord Christoph, Count Westerberg, Count Blackwood—do I need to go on?" Babylas smirked. "See, that's the difference between us: I'm just better."

Arethusa scoffed. "Cocky little shit."

"It's called skill. Learn it some time."

"Well, if you're so methodical about everything, why don't you tell me the reason you're prolonging this transaction. I'm here to take the girl back to Last Autumn, remember?"

Babylas shrugged. "Well, as you've so bluntly described about my masterful performance, I need to give her a few days to recuperate. Ease her into the setting and whatnot. I can easily convince her what happened wasn't a Last Autumn affair."

Arethusa smirked. "And you're just going to keep lying about that fact you killed her friends?"

"I just need to keep her safe until the end of the Rebirth Moon. I can't have her wandering off on her own or with her suicidal companions." He glared. "And naturally, if any of you mistreat or do anything to Evelot, you will die. You won't know when, and you won't know how, but you'll never be safe so long as there's a shadow following you."

Arethusa chuckled. "Yet again, another reason as to why Cain keeps you around: mutually assured destruction, I believe the term is called. You're good, Sin of Greed. You're really good. Too good to be left to your own devices." She slithered closer to him. "But here's the thing: you've gone too deep into our affairs. You're not the negotiator here. We decide when and how you live. You accepted that contract the moment you slayed Gradulf. No matter how skilled you are, there's one force in this world you can never beat: death."

"…" Babylas turned away.

"You don't fear death. You fear not getting to witness the end of all things. This belief of Absolute Truth, to uncover where this is all going. Why waste your time pining for something that is out of your reach? Are you just using the Fauchers to perhaps find the missing link to your impossible treasure? Or are you throwing away your dream just to save one useless brat? You can't have both, especially if you plan to make yourself an enemy of Last Autumn."

"…"

Arethusa grunted. "You are annoying. Not even a flinch. You're so boring. Where's the despair? Why aren't you afraid of us?"

"…" Babylas grinned. "One of the primordial fears of this world is the fear of the dark. A fear driven by the unknown. The uncertainty." He hovered a hand over his eyepatch and laughed. "Did you know? I was once called the Mortal Giratina. How can I be afraid of uncertainty when I've mastered that ancient fear?"

Arethusa scoffed. "You have the gall to compare yourself to a god? I've met creatures who are far more than the supposed gods you compare yourself to."

"Do you want to know the true height of arrogance?" Babylas smirked. "It's believing you've met and stood alongside gods. Anyone who claims to stand alongside gods, demigods, or the like? They are the fools. Fools who boast about their nothingness. No one bestows the name of God, Mortal, or Demigod onto themselves. It's the titles we give to others because of what they represent."

"…" Arethusa glared.

"Take the feared emperor of the east: Emperor Nero Martius. He was born and gifted the title of God of War. Do you want to know how he achieved that title, though? A secret civil war only known in the east. I traveled a lot, even under the employ of the Fauchers. I've heard and seen things. He is unlike most rulers. He dirtied his own hands to force order back to the collapsing state of his empire. His presence alone halted further attempts to regain power in its vulnerable state. The entirety of the east feared him because he earned that strength, and anyone who mocks or denounces those triumphs just because he's a war-obsessed conqueror? Well, they're just another fool with an even more overblown ego. The same kind who pretend they prattle in the same vein as gods. You're not a fool, right? Arethusa?"

"…" Arethusa grunted.

"The God of Destruction. The Mortal Zeraora. And now I'm hearing whispers of something else. Perhaps…a Mortal Marshadow." Babylas grinned. "Those titles are granted because we give them power. Earned only by the strongest. The wisest. The terrifying. But do you want to know what I did to earn my name as the Mortal Giratina?"

"…" Arethusa glared. "What?"

Babylas snickered. "Exactly the reason why I seek Absolute Truth. Before I ever met the Fauchers, I was gifted that name by a group of people who I stole from. I stole something very precious from somewhere no creature has dared to venture into."

Arethusa raised her brow. "You mean to say…?"

"You asked how I got this eye, right?" He tapped on his eyepatch and laughed. "Well, that's what I stole."

"You…stole your eye?"

"No. Something greater." His smirk grew. "I stole an immortal's story."

Earlier…

Alone in her old room, Evelot attempted to calm her nerves by eating more of her oatmeal. She whimpered occasionally, trying to hold herself back from breaking down into another river of tears.

No matter how many times she played it over in her mind, she couldn't get over the fact her friends were dead. After everything they've been through, was this where their journey had to end? How could she accept such a cruel reality? Why did this have to be the horrors forced upon her? Why was she cursed to struggle against such hardship?

She could only hope they didn't suffer in their final moments.

"It's not fair. It's…just not fair." She set her bowl aside and covered her face before the tears could flow again. "I try so hard to advocate for peace. Why…Why does it feel like the universe is rejecting everything I stand for? How can a world with such cruelty be allowed to exist? What does it all mean?"

She shuddered, but got a hold of herself before the dam could break again. She reined in the tears and sighed, scratching at her right eye. It always seemed to bother her when she was stressed. She didn't remember it ever acting up like this, or at least when she was growing up in the hideout.

"Why does it always turn out like this?" she mumbled.

"That's what you want, isn't it? You want to see the Absolute Truth."

Evelot jolted up and looked around the room for the source of the voice. It seemed to belong to a woman, but there wasn't anyone nearby. It weirdly sounded close, too. Too close.

"H-Hello?" Evelot called out, but got no answer. She blinked twice before scratching at her right eye again. "Ugh, it feels even worse—"

"Can't help a curious mind. Plouton would be worse com—"

Evelot jolted again, but the voice vanished as soon as she straightened up. It sounded close again, the voice, but still no sign of its source. However, as her eyes wandered around the room, her attention focused back on her right eye. For some reason, when she was covering it, it didn't hurt as bad. It was like the strain was being lifted.

Wha…?

Unsure, she cautiously covered her right eye and closed her left.

"—nary and remember your place. That rebellious attitude of yours can get you in trouble with Cain, or even the entirety of Last Autumn."

Evelot glared. Cain? Last Autumn? Wait, what's going on? Who is that—

"Last Autumn is beneath me. They live because I allow them to."

Evelot's eyes widened. A second voice came through, and it was much clearer than the first. And it happened to be a voice she was familiar with.

Is that Babylas?

"You're funny. Physically, you're not the most imposing of the Sins. After all, you've made it clear you have a vendetta against one of Last Autumn's top enforcers. And I'm pretty sure she nearly killed you in your last confrontation."

S-Sins? Wait, did I hear that right? What?

"You just love to yap, don't you?" he grumbled.

"What can I say? I love getting a rise out of—"

Evelot uncovered her eye and fell back with a start. "W-What was that…? What was I hearing? H-How was I hearing any of that? What?" She narrowed her eye unsurely. "Was that…no, that couldn't have been Babylas' voice? Could it? Is someone else here? Who was that woman he was…? Why were they talking about Cain and Last Autumn?"

She hesitated for a moment to eavesdrop on the conversation again. It sounded like something that didn't involve her. After all, she trusted Babylas. He…He wouldn't do anything shady behind her back, right? Right?

…She covered her eye again.

"—skill. Learn it some time."

"Well, if you're so methodical about everything, why don't you tell me the reason you're prolonging this transaction. I'm here to take the girl back to Last Autumn, remember?"

Evelot's eyes widened. Take the girl back to…what?

"Well, as you've so bluntly described about my masterful performance, I need to give her a few days to recuperate. Ease her into the setting and whatnot. I can easily convince her what happened wasn't a Last Autumn affair."

What…happened?

"And you're just going to keep lying about that fact you killed her friends?"

Evelot felt her whole body tremble at the woman's declaration. Was there someone else in the room with them? It couldn't just be Babylas and this woman talking. No, there had to be someone else with them. But then, why would Babylas be interacting with these people so candidly in the first place?

"I just need to keep her safe until the end of the Rebirth Moon. I can't have her wandering off on her own or with her suicidal companions. And naturally, if any of you mistreat or do anything to Evelot, you will die. You won't know when, and you won't know how, but you'll never be safe so long as there's a shadow following you."

"Yet again, another reason as to why Cain keeps you around: mutually assured destruction, I believe the term is called. You're good, Sin of Greed. You're really good. Too good to—"

Evelot's hand went limp across the bed, a new wave of tears running from her eyes as the words punched her like a sack of bricks.

It was just the woman and Babylas. They were the only ones talking.

The Sin of Greed…killed her friends.

Babylas Marchand…was the Sin of Greed.

B…Babylas?

Year 902

CRASH! BANG! FWOOSH!

A horrible collection of sounds echoed through the hideout, awakening the small gaggle of Fauchers from their chambers. Evelot, along with three other Mimikyu and four Lampent, emerged from their rooms. Coddled from the dangers in the Outlands, they assumed one of their parents had dropped a beaker or something. Two of the Lampent, being the oldest, went up to investigate while the rest of them went to bed. Evelot, though a bit timid, opted to investigate as well, believing it was her mother clumsily rattling the vials again.

She regretted leaving her room that night.

No sooner than when the siblings arrived to the upper laboratory were they bombarded with a horrific sight. The wall had collapsed inward, and a swarm of hopping thugs raced through, dragging along the various bodyguards employed under the company. The siblings recoiled as one of the thugs cut off the head of a bodyguard and threw it in their direction, causing them to scream.

Chaos broke out over the lab as various potions were spilled over, triggering a fiery reaction that quickly spread out of control.

"Kids, run!" Ayleen, their Chandelure mother, yelled.

Evelot's older siblings ran into each other trying to get out of the lab, shoving her to the ground by mistake. "N-No!"

Babylas was one of the remaining bodyguards, appearing by her side and attempting to flee with her while staving off the bleeding from his gouged left eye. However, someone had fired what appeared to be an Aura Sphere, which somehow detonated against the Ghost-Type and sent him flying.

The flames grew more and more out of control as her parents desperately tried to fend off their attacker, but it was all in vain. Evelot could only watch as the intruder seized her father first and plunged her arm through his body, ripping a hole through the costume.

"DAAAAD!" Evelot screamed.

Dark mist seeped out from the costume, which fell limp over the mercenary's arm. She tossed the cloth aside and made way toward the screaming Mimikyu, only to be bombarded with a flurry of Shadow Balls by an irate and tearful Ayleen. "Evelot, get out of here!" she screamed.

The mercenary effortlessly deflected the Shadow Balls and rushed the ghostly chandelier before she could blink. The mercenary extended her hand to the alchemist and, with a swift motion, performed a brutal one-inch punch into her face. Ayleen went flying across the burning lab and smashed into the wall.

"Aaaaaagh…" she groaned, collapsing into the flames.

The mercenary approached and pressed her foot on the motherly alchemist's face. "Atonement for the lives taken by your family's reckless practices."

Ayleen trembled under the woman's foot, her eyes shifting in Evelot's direction. She reached out to her daughter and said, "E…Evelot. F-Find the f-family journal. M-Make sure it d-doesn't—"

Evelot's eyes widened as the flames extinguished in a splash of spectral blood. The mercenary effortlessly crushed her mother's face, sending wisps of spectral light through the air. Her eyes moved toward the lone Mimikyu again.

"M…MOOOOOM!" Evelot screamed.

The mercenary moved through the fire, its scorching touch somehow leaving the woman unburned. As she moved closer, the shadows of the past seemed to lift from Evelot's eyes. She could see the mercenary in a clearer light. A slim figure wrapped in a form-fitting robe, an elegance in her movement, and the fierce glow of two eyes radiating in magenta light. Her gaze was cold. Unfeeling. Not a sign of hatred, passion, or regret.

Evelot could only look up at the woman, her own eyes vacant with despair. "W…Why? W-Why would you—"

"Don't take this personally." The mercenary lifted her hand, channeling a magenta aura around it. "Revenge…no longer matters to me."

Evelot felt her life flash before her eyes as the hand came down on her. However, seconds before she was split in two, the floor gave out under her. She fell through a brief abyss before flying out from under her covers. She tumbled across the floor and jolted up in alarm.

"W-Wha—"

"Evelot!" She turned and gasped as Babylas stepped out from a shadow in the corner. He had strips of cloth bandaged tightly around his bloodied eye. Alongside him were Numbers 17 and 24, who attentively hovered to the timid Mimikyu's side.

"B…Bab…" Tears flooded from her eyes. "Babylas. M-My parents—"

He winced. "I'm sorry. I was dazed from her attack. I didn't expect an Aura Sphere to actually hit me." He glared. "You need to stay in your room. Do not leave under any circumstances!"

"B-But—"

"If anyone comes in here, I'm one shadow away from cutting their throats out." He turned away and reached inside his mouth, pulling out twin dao blades. He clashed them together readily before sinking into his shadow. "You two. Make good with those eyes and keep watch down here." He vanished within the darkness.

Evelot collapsed to the floor, trembling as the noises only escalated above. She flinched every time she heard one of her siblings screaming in terror before their voices suddenly cut off. She wrapped her arms around herself, breathing faster and faster as her vision blurred with tears.

Number 17 cautiously floated next to her. "Fnru Suhqdrl. Nfa lih ohectvp?"

Evelot hugged herself tighter. "This isn't happening. This isn't happening…"

Number 24 narrowed their eye. "Cf hdvm jvwg gbfpnf pfannhfaf lrtae nb oo n jnbep ughwpe?"

"Ihf hvprg ins os bblsseg cs hdvm qwonmgsn rmpihnnrg."

"Nusnr cf cjr yfqwcy."

"Nb gwiy Yozl Zniyuye? Mkh lrtae nb Guzvvcpvw Eseawnfjnnvcj?"

"Cg vwfh'g parh csnsieaaq qvhd wofh pji Npopiaw, puihud. Cfhg, sboyr ouy nqyrjg hdr vhfzrh bt ezgbfpnfvhu?"

"Cg wo n brorl jewyr. Yisj fi, js kjy n zesy qsxg nb hdr Zniyuye Qhnh. Gvqf, C na svfywjt nb oypych pucf fefe."

Evelot's weeping ceased as she looked upon the two mysterious creatures, confused and afraid. "W-What are you two—"

BOOOOM!

Evelot and the two creatures recoiled as her wall collapsed. The Mimikyu's eyes widened as a few burly Pokémon dragged themselves into the room, one of them holding the limp cloth of one of her Mimikyu siblings.

"Found another one. The boss is taking care of that one pesky mercenary, so let's make this quick before he notices we're here."

Evelot backed against the wall while 17 and 24 floated protectively in front of her. She panted faster and faster, feeling the vibrations of her heartbeat booming through her mind. Her costume shifted and twisted as the shadows beneath hissed and skittered. One could almost hear a growl coming from within.

"S…Stay away…" Spectral energy seeped from Evelot's teary eyes. "Stay…away from me…"